Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZ7y9d4klv
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXpceH0Aj7
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6EfgpczGC
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZZRGyVulM
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHwu1cNQiU
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelgrOrwuA9
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDByMJkVRi7
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALjEhAJOrk
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgddQyAFvf
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMueDqeLsDk
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZxlXBj3G6
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTK6evoPWoU
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XHZas8VhV
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SJY8yA8Id
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFQexVMvYH
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXCuXyb3PQ
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4R0zLwH8FN
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyO7mjOhOz
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMeN5NgQC9
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi22vcjihhv
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oVdnVGDVI
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9ahNkpD2v
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ72UcfbiFK
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJRpsVqrPC
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLMpxaDxfj
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWAmYtbm0C
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoibOTuwQ3
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQeXDALXTt
Jesse let248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF18NXSC2N
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvCa7nG3nS
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGM7Jo2UQQ
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKh68wuqR6
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAfiYEVLc4
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr6GEhxb63
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLrmf8KZ8z
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdxDbQ01Pg
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51STXhGo9U
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmn9x3DiyK
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡye1ttLoMn1
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRfLdtFPje
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBJmzlw6LV
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXiDaBpxyE
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ430jYvcKLz
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fvLnbhwnf
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcDWQoV7Es
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jdgyFrYl1
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljJ6IsLNjv
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hzlUgvAdx
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxYsLPD87F
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfPGfFcg8R
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbyUY9O2mE
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0oh5qPg6y
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYcmFo8j0Z
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJOMSZYZcH
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaMkIsrG6h
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ80v8HrDsK
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUMfHo2FMR
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOZpXOlNnB
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4WeCS26m1
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElRx6rR4Zm
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSbFi04Brb
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjdmNbKvTU
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9xRK1MrIv
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0TLAMpQqx
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BZhoeXyx3
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcx7aYj1JK
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKijadbP0Lt
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmzvzTQahR
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Jesse248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGGb4QIetw
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc80sz9TSy
slammed shut. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvQnwvwvDW
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoUnziS7QV
