Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPh8zfgeXC
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLkmg5CMH3
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8ei5h4zvr
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN49GJFMbQ6
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dvbN3vHe6
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnhAAsw4V4
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQudFeScsl2
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtX6pmmeMGs
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eyLfCJawH
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6oNfRmTXA
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzW3jKHHkFH
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHFz8VsBy3
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRP3e0NrIb
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rr5zXQGQm
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjDNMv2eT1
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIeuw6yGq0
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1TOWNQmZq
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BeTtb2xBo
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGek9VRuTqV
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg45GrCVWZL
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzZQRCIw1h
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW8DZAiK2j
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6toHm0Git
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHvhw5CQBw
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSZ2HKYdar
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJinG0CVOjz
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqfG4FQeWh
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8MHrkxVdn
Jesse let278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o9c9Xq8xV
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYiBXi4N8Z
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4nPhZixOk
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW4xeyT8Fw
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjjn1pffRj
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqo6CO7kCP
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVF3uJEvFU
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwttpiE7mL7
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9yF9gvQTU
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfPrtCkWrm
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vZmAVKQP9
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3Q1OtNs7a
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPVIRvwdI3
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAEQzu2xLp
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOwL6kzDhD
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLc3W15CRu
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMdVGAqD6V
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZGw0mAK6A
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9InI6iiDEF
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5VVwdVkUB
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDhq7bkrnn
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6si8nQmSD
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qqNaiZg27
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIXP8Nhr9L
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGpBrlS8VP
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlExBhHiCI
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJABZy01Eb0
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHADcavaZZ
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMfIUaDQLQ
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynWxNO5U2R
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPIgZUcgDu
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n9KcYs2Gp
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡip9CSKwvtE
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaarejDLLp
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQwKSjLiVO
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYwSFQUkKY
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOX2Ci2XKN
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlODgmSfWA
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFAcT82PP9
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpSw7KCL5m
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡni4CXBuy8u
slammed shut. 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDEVrHI8w7
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGMdcmjCRa
