Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYuwvB52pf
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nyApNzQxz
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3LuLRiuCk
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsDIAtFoRl
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPbuyTO1Iz
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKHItid1dF
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKo1rvfH8W
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3V1O5wDEiD
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZAOgjGh5s
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrerTBNE25G
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPwdwsX3JW
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFwDvgIfXU
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vUoRmtDm3
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9W83CQkfZ
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaK2nThtnh
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjX2bbKAtK2
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOIvC0roBS
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bqcsKWBos
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SNWsOL9rV
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJXyAScVM4
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgGyF6WUVk
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTG7Z3d6uS4
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMLM3W5e31
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLo9hpCfmr
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgKIHnod2E
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3ZIYj046Y
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRh9csYJAqO
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkzMsEuTCZ
Jesse let350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZtubyX7PS
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkrd6PzKi8
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNhj29dpBO
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44BEpVdeBu
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCt3uEYsoq
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37dYMM48iu
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuZU0N65G2
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69cyaUEJtS
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBJ5SYOld0
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjZKhN6eNe
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vYbNbUfX3
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqPE76yQuN
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwy4beNxOkb
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4hlhsQzPw
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7cj5pGAqu
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fMO6dBJQu
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxmIyFIBTS
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekYQS8bEon
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIv984RFSQD
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdn8edrlgq
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbELbqOPmF9
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZHEBcBztX
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r4H5pLBSh
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OYl55Jmd5
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyQx1QqbY9
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2vkOpT9s2
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8gPkzD2F6
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbD2w9P3Xi
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn9sbEWCUg
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jZgbD2xEj
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBd2mWkiYA
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI2weBB4sa
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8mmhVa2mS
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnA78KOyga
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJeMEISX1V
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmri9W4RmjW
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLq3vjeftBd
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNFICxwnfT
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4a62NUHNu
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb7yMjKYp6
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0nbdrxs9V
slammed shut. 350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMIjF3WZSz
350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqH54DdXn1
