Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokMYuCh5eN
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2d3rkJeBPc
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbahAt2RyGh
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXywW2Y8rTE
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNZskzGANC
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULzAwR4AY6
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgoq1j9L2p
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKjvD6BtnT
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLGh8BscrE
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtN4yYASOwI
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMVUjOmeVW
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0oIjy5KVU
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhMVx20rX7
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp4y1pWuLl
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUpB9rar6n
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln3Rm1cksM
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72YIw4XhrG
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5ltZtEJsM
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLztnDiKnWO
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRvNPUqp6a
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrXWPE1WHe
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1InnpWogE
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGqsCSWAsg
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VTvgDPHTN
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1pQsc8IyC
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAuP7gD8bp
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrv10CRBDO
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwJM6o7pkS
Jesse let316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eECaexAxg
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUdV6UQtAc
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j11AVLrzh
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ploRUtCE8
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnbKPypuI3
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC3P53HNiG
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQeMHSk5iV
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OHGzz32h8
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIbPEar09s
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLLriqQ2AG
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhWc85THw9
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWBXUmOIOx
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuXnkpDjHL
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXrdjI6hxm
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9sqZCHzoH
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8BS18DE5u
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8fzQtbFi2
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwf5XGe2yN
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYGclhIV55
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSV1V8qvNT
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC3bxISNyk
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBnUZdziIt
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwzZmIWlKh
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwVqPhWCUt
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFYTwrKWnB
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwhkheN97E
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyD2XvWZweE
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Yw2r96SoV
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5k4XTyg6aG
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9KQgzMS6r
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUC158mBUHL
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTimi0aayXh
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHcpPHAybD
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJWS1wQGg0
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SDTRjQLys
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYYsTbrAY9
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvQukbQyt3
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkONQUU0bTX
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaDTg1m1Dm
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUbbPPKpHh
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Jesse316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYW96IORshJ
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0TzHeDcTM
slammed shut. 316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7VNglEn6G
316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrT4S38IZts
