Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNGYb3LLSu
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf5vYNF6Ak
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EYItclDDR
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5O2PEuLGX6
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRiOv19VIo
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASaGyjjt1O
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6w0aV9on22
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSxvrrIwSl
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgOmzFk2uY
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg0vR3StSI
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1oGeKzGK2
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIxpDar5RQ
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlrknAA0IR
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L8gjxr8IP
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpgcovyafz
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHIM9QDkma
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGo86C4eR7
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLomWiPqUBz
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFZbYbRS0X
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPH5Sn1JG2
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfGBIoqze3
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWlqOUWOYN
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiJaWrHyLX
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIsvqbtF7J
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiSmkX0mol
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcXp4Ng93J
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia9JDYywGt
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYXFBkGmmX
Jesse let351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek7xP2jTfF
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmi5lBgXRl
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWPX9sSF3w
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm2KYML4ib
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLYRwue1a6
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCpGglXRsu
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6aRfGZZpQ
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tJjSvdcmC
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eYFFnhLWu
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZuXU12GVw
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwCMCO2g01
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8M04Czo1C
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW25EU1wQr5
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpD0esFXECG
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzqHy7h48K
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCuhsAPI8L
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgqYubckqP
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOL6G3ZDlt
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21z3B51b4B
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ153YaYY1R2
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNQ2iN5O5v
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspwsPLumlN
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaAxkb8fVf
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtRgzaNiAK
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BLSIzrat8
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggOEfYXxrh
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMLXEwnhue
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUL1MRvT9ov
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YBcazWKIs
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQBSJYrALr
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS9EYFsz9L
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1TB0YynZU
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5EUy4fCX8
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1CMDAFS3F
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXnpnC8a60
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXRRwF8w9u
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyqfSPhJlY
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIk2NeFR6RW
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4l74SlXGC
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qLLIGD95i
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq2Mn4F93q
slammed shut. 351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWF1ILGX1ba
351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJltZUtrWG3
