Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxTUGzfbBo
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvdW9WiUIx
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8guM3bURv
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7zVkxCJxO
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIQplvLmrZ
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e7n2BuhmD
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXBn3EvvEx
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3uqQc8l0w
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4STPtiqqEX
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQULXlwIOM
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXN2pWIMqj
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE06YzaUeJR
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdkjELlgeL
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oDiegRfXK
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qDQGqFjwQ
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFezXAJcnRH
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1742z0z5nX
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwTIXQkrmF
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zc2kii68w
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZzTrUd73n
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgZyzCency
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATIkSgwqBe
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14qSvpZRpP
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87ctl8Bj5m
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKOMRYJOcD
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDypH6buw62
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyp2alSwGyu
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VwHGP2Yx7
Jesse let286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7gPeFWON4
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CSI2bDFFm
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMYzQ341Gw
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZWvcp5356
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnmqkXu4Nu
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSGT7GRGmf
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEa1LRNoYq
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7T0MUGqv3f
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxksyGMpW4
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7Mh9AdiO3
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAVTJbbqYL
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4dNUTqflM
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpci3GmOSKl
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbTuktV4Gd
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ILjx8IvnM
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JhuBERSE3
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIUBwvDkTo
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctLTHKAvtc
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f2ixJTnBR
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkChpf0Ejn3
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIacyVTne64
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7tTdtHR7x
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDLYB0bYb9
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJlWt8jXYe
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPaUfBxGlU
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf5Q2LGqDf
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJsl29ZCJM
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGsIFWpp04
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jhJq4IR55
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhykgSxnIMb
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeGlmgzUtZ
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBDFvkM7VX
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33aFHcfYf4
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnyMSasEpg
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmo2GvtER5
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2AXKD1qzL
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6rmRKt66a
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcstEoJjYY
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzFnG6Kqfr
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeLjzP1U3r
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ497qoL9Jn5
slammed shut. 286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJaa9v2mJO
286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1hElMaot9
