Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRC8r9nyd2
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7lU41lEXe
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7EFcWCgMo
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiqkAkMaz4
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUZeakqbgF
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zHvBF9zm8
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOh0BZYbg2R
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPViJkydqX
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL4RXGgxkN
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8WTAKNav8
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJUmYKrBUy
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2ws9oWrM3
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7241HMLzR
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnr5fS3N7I
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPrzccCQwq
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NNWH295rR
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOsoEpufxD
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4lyD8Ngbq
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yrFEbn008
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY9o3C3Gd3
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJzv7ty5ow
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNht9iBFzwE
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01ikLzIiCE
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHZVnaLX3B
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjNwYX92t0
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4GZJMXJtc
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXtDQ0GWjT
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68vn49Orh1
Jesse let327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZlsdHl4l1
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YfaQr1vHw
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAeUdGXcVQ
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlqKp76C4F
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPrqRqyNzQ
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHalkYSnE3
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmr7LYDkdue
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gIWxGxbqx
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMZtOUWjGH
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LAJNe0xQY
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvH49nbITTV
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvGoiGay56
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOXURYkQEH
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Hc9AiqMFn
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaiXkPHoCn
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXXDzTfJNg
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxsfEZRiRU
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMu6YpEPId
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a34QmPF8f
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMbXvDKBUf
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteTJrvMhnQ
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOX8GW8Ei9
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY1Z36GPee
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvRlXd1v2A
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2Bx1AOGFZ
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKeEmQZmCU
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYahQEhNPH
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGUQ24NLiE
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT51svSsLf0
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxRtT24DcR
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVW1tmcD8e
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnkd2nDWpa
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYSp3fwrds
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEqAcRrDMb
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLhScBsrtv
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrq2ICiL4T
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzDmvxPatu
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJFujbnScR
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa2UCGKWjO
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQ1xD7J6vz
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzb8lnSRMg
slammed shut. 327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOOWwbAkLf
327Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7blCF0AthS
