Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF9861mgRa
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXT0SwNxSBd
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHSOs7dPjN
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1wQNhpXAU
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa72WC2tzSc
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9t0God3g7
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOA0S8GXva6
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIKPXcHGkV
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iMI08ROql
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wMIIt650H
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW1HEcAFzT
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAg0P2p64PP
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiqCsrYctd
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuFl1rjVgv
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFS1hdcT7i
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyy52NalHtW
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCuEAU8Sw1
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrGSkeiMF2
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SYkgNlPwg
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rZmIuraz0
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzv5gzboCg
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhalC9Rspl
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISlJaUcFrJ
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjHQ4YZVMf
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB9DkRGGt7
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wMrQBkwvh
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUd7Gr069O
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1J0EksImQ
Jesse let322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zIe1CjSsY
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzDSCVxMAZ
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueJ5uVESGB
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Fm6l6f2T3
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvbhv1wpFy
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSsqPzwVEK
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BSvMmYkrh
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu1dlJPZds
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDcrGI4RSG
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuLB3vXa0P
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimu2PutLk0
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujyIWqBdVA
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdgUuVBXif
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4mfTqdhLq
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWQ0pjpNk6
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9tgOto162
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1aVKXg0No
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK69LlPouTF
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk9G6cpI7K
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡED63pz2yld
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhYCThVQ1f
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxaJGHIgCx
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM80b5ZCsgJ
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLITslW47a
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyc6VNi6Cym
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWSPtcbijl
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4TFn06BpK
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjs2FQCx5I
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA2qhTUJj0
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1HxgLe3RO
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbbBVmhcZd
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡca6Xtr3dZs
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXduOIsq5C
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuTwWRLTMz
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOknzKxeeS
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3Di2Nf2vk
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUt1iyUWQKd
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55QgRK504c
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgsgDJBdMR
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A4Bz5ec5O
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANGBXDkwzD
slammed shut. 322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifQWmFGHVc
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHUQaoOtOn
