Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2gqkJ9EXs
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIdvsgYxg6
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04Y9liRZ4E
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREHr8Z2job
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5Qkneitt0
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJjKqyiXeX
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6YvSRIp0x
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUmFqZf4De
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8yImmzlzf
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7l5P8bWVU
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDMKMMn7Rz
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkvoVpyAvD
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUip0RKzPs
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70coLeYJxf
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQoSAuOabb
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXQkrWMwDg
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo9NFpCXdn
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUHltVEL5q
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkH6LN064P
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpgLeyH9Md
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhaNC685WK
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITuuGFDZcU
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka4nnC9m1O
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzDB7CQR9n
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1M1O5Xdq6
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82izIxYTTK
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlSKB7ZRLJ
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHupPhmsAAy
Jesse let238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8yuCoVM9z
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQWBKADIBR
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIeEn7ftYB
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCoSUp9uGh
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFB86g0YiF
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzUVKxD3LK
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitvzSfq9Mn
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzfkGzH8tI
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZihJehia0K
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvKGHQq7hW
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu8U94xJyF
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHlXhr40Zp
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4dvbzbiFj
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxC8Ai4tjN
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvEc9rChwx
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrZBT8BDNt
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2omPuTZxS
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKOIgsMEJA
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTjaajqb3B
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqLS9u4zIv
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaARUeEGo6B
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNdcV2X15m
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6TCvXOkgA
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZ9lMznj72
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12vDqQlBLH
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2t2OPznxag
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlntplM6HnF
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2L2ZWedqw
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3sVh84f1N
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZW3FFO9Yvu
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCautc1nqmT
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkZvQw4rBC
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJVPJMr1ZU
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjltk0Nva3
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuqGrE7NY1
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8BWvYn4ny
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRT3IVJY6E
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwSe1lSO1H
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjBnlP0myq
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNy2Qfr1J8
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6ehP1WVlP
slammed shut. 238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuqnqFmOiD
238Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwwaBFyUoU
