Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVREd8CLMcP
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrPH5zZZRj
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQQvEvGZyX
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg8xcCCzDt
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoNKabZmzt
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlVJgiCOU3
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD8fc2d6QK
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSOZprOUa7
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd7bY3ERLX
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHar69j2pCP
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQYHUqSGEd
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3s0Njlj4K
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZREFTNbmU
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYofZfiMvQ
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBrnweyzrd
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5jmkLOatd
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrU9DZ0je5
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiqUHlGC9v
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhNoilFoHr
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDEOhs2peb
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAXbPVidMW
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp5j0vD8zY
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJJ9JAtgRK
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdNrAiAtCe
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhjdaJEXV1
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGSYVRy2Zf
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNr7V0G8373
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIH8DhopZk
Jesse let347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSlk4pAkU7
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15erQql8VE
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmzdZbYddO
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IvArazcP6
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51StbDogGj
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmzNf59Ui4
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CwDJwe6GK
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrYDamAVzd
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L3d2y6qHi
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT16weuiNTe
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhZu2kC6fx
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMMIrEk1sb
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSyuDbmU5I
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFjNIW55Op
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaMDUFKHNq
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUZFIblT6j
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUNf1pvwyz
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQF3bD944g
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzGSZvt3Rv
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFB9gg7pIYc
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYIV4XyYqO
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfb2mrK0Cv
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU12V0MHjYy
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM8x5cP1Zg
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINjRcyTRsR
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwsraBPTdF
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEUzXuRrkg
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9NrRTzTwz
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA36TFkvOTp
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUME0p9pP26
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn1FZjl7Os
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Vxr6xSv3u
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksCIcgj1Vz
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAPFY8uvYT
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdG1kSboem
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wcWpJVItX
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2uhdFLJ3O
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYpjHfjWVX
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcvkUyX8XF
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HzXXbo3BW
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEM3xNCcNbv
slammed shut. 347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3k6te2Zb0
347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sHACkHgNp
