Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYSunIxhHy
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCe6gbO7w1
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnO2kgTc23
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgM8rITekf
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrU0y9ukFs
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyP7iTLsB0
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbyJhx9ftS
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69F4kyTdnL
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy9bUT5mWb
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJy9C3tiJ4f
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHHjPeFacy
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8pqlbr070
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwIj2BReAA
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9cqICpEP6
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6i31WehyGs
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohNRTMgGQE
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ118EGw2vpd
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡns7Vuq1mBr
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4Fz4cr4es
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBRbQs8uC0
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0BDSLrnw1
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzB7yWK7Cva
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTP9UwRLMS
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwjTdb0OfS
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd9HPVe1pB
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhUTX3u0TW
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4JPgT6rUS
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpbwZAUvLp
Jesse let323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKE89LBd09
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcMjpCIOiH
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VN4dknGE8
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgCb6y5I7g
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzKF1ytLuP
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKIeWMlW1q
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeo5ujoh4y
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LS4k1pYoS
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzIegR0H1r
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDxCEn0NCT
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtAV5bLiB8
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8zc3e4QvJ
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dGyOIvMaa
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KFDVvSEBi
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaz4UIccG3A
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTaq9QvnHB
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKguKZv5GUS
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSQGWAMsxf
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3SqL2uboM
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY7a4TQwUi
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXfIdo1nHZ
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi5k52WWhT
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeuRyJfNL9
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fF5B5q3ry
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zhxmtcDEk
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C7WyEkDYQ
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJn6fK4f4zi
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4y62Wsnwke
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4so6a6Ftqn
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp41FNyFlo5
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBVfuxVSSg
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6ENv9nxFe
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XtMv89qQg
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdIqubLdRn
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lX4D3TeoU
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIhoTRgOdY
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnkj26Jjt7
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgSvbZ1n5z
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbn3w9bCnq4
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaMZLgzchG
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Jesse323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx9QkPXazV
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctBE0Dq83c
slammed shut. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW5z7bLEZ8
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TiHVc2Y2x
