Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJ4kBY1mht
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7ov6agZjR
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeB7HMO9WbE
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X6HWJYWPv
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqC2dq6UQi
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0Rm0azZHu
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVBt5Gc23g
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZGRvfVmZm
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFeHUfrq7O
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5fzLxJA31
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadZPkFaUIE
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndzUlrzU5h
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOELwKnBLwU
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLd9ONPbWzF
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrI3q9sApt
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaSOZwY3Qe
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBmHNWL5yO
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYGAJI56l0
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAYVhVLjTf
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFNeRlLaQq
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTx8a4iwaiq
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamvwbFPu8A
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc7VsrCspK
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJnqHcNTx7
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQyrVPSxRB
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVW5JLlqXN
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXxbgTbAbF
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwvgs3mDLa
Jesse let224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtXhcw0j71
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3Lsf4NPM7
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jy0tCCImf
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pFineyhcW
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJt6MEsDJyp
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLOzo8EgUi
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ85o7aSLU
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlZ7cB0dfs
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWUwQ8ncnv
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOOvCdRytL
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNErz8sH1T
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCopJsgjl2
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ekH0cWPny
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXwW1dbP1I
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoxpuNYRz4
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaQFTKMzhE
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBWqvNPuYH
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3gjhPBWXY
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRloDHijR5
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjYL5Qw6SC
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMHkV0IlLQ
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWUnctYlOA
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4OHH9Qr00
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cIPdzYwnA
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yPGX1BhFr
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRKGHjeCGe
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeTs3u5BXB
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpLepWBljy
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMISvxcXV8
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRGvqUbRnI
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENYJOHdkm0
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy53OBEjgYS
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiv1nbcdQd
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQX2DtXssL
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOXQUew1yp
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZ0CgoIq6w
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2vj3NQLAB
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbVVWrMcGq
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4z8yUJy29d
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8odMc0QYY
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Jesse224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJBaFlMu1O
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwc02GyhjPR
slammed shut. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPFDFtwIE7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCB2pHH4HkL
