Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jchH3WMnS
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcbnY3kzrH
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYIJfQ6lBA
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ALT5tQEW6
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MNQqRwJJv
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1JhemA0s6
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpPUmNHFVy
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyQXkwNOtN
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatTcDuoKBP
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNgwCLCeHf
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZs0YcREC4
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFFPJQY0fF
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfYP4EAB9h
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGg1OaZNFP
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNiY9B6O9Q
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlCFdx2huZ
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0mOyPLj8q
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2BPtS05aR
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlIuNgFXi8
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBUaXAhCRa
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVKxaV7AZu
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGi8HgGWEMW
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhChHm6S2A
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEYvmkEZ9D
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhggGufR7nC
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkJ4dDIy4X
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHO1blo8aWM
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkMnB1p3Gy
Jesse let245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGLuCucBfw
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbvrvxYdAc
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7PYaGb5zh
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zxy46GV2T
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCyicRy8Jv
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGGPaNl3tc
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6Rb55nREE
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScbiSADFl2
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8okuTvIrQj
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsejKf99Uc
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrovDXEatGM
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC197pSw9v
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1yhlO6SOI
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HXpAyzzMe
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNHlrM4oM4
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmenlR3StwB
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1wY2kUKWk
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlebpsAUkn6
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49lUEwDgQa
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BHO3ixwcB
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kTQU4kKjD
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WWoxKjIKz
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzqROrClOv
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUn6COwb8D4
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKcngW8NK2
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN99OoFNuF
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhZYqhUmkK
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYRBuTwarB
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUpIReazLf
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknFBWLgfnU
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtibnE4vDJT
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkD4TTVGOZ
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdimVTHihM0
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WSvz78MwK
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWcPLP9Sh5
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbioRtuLGM
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0QYLM8xgo
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFemsnwcoQf
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCFL8Gv6SL
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytIb6i6caH
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDcCQOPw5P
slammed shut. 245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPl4OmCh0q
245Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22C4cOtM1Y
