Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBpNx6SEGY
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27X27lomzE
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bKSxTqKgo
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhgNNf0JYx
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgJE7tzMbT
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvaQmK1ut2
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5y6MydVK2
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz7TxhqCbc
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3WsHAqFne
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSiBsUJELx
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdprXusA2J
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW5m69E7B7
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEalaMWplW
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3rWLwXhuY
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGdCAWHU1x
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiqhHAeMHt
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeFKUcjokB
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AHplujLJ7
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jNL7T4jKx
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTmZJZHUWB
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq3skpfjCh
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROqy22qQxA
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvK8mjeyGku
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFcvJYEiex
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHaj7n3nte
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufagw0YNNv
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3RZ2HzY2O
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8noAmuROYI
Jesse let347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIXWwXUGXy
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fSAMPTlkt
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s66GWXaPM
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7a6rDrOY3
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzMbWRIIY2
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTQFbyUUW9
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioIi6Z4ja0
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSrrrDKHP7
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWccPxzycT
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uUQSCfna8
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEgb6o0RYp
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ChXpkPYNi
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPqbh3HnkW
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfKsnU32eA
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxMNhlV8s1
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CR49HZE1c
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoAuUwlv0O
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhNdnuGzsc
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85wDfxvgI6
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG6zywAVmr
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dbcLEmwoe
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLneou5j4v
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5C09MyxH7
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqBkOlhcDJ
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu38KIXZpQ
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjctjCQsM8
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLM9TMJAF2
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZecBmMqVo
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7whmJ0A8Cp
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYWiT7KGnk
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsajKeAsbU
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pdKvg7b21
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtwSCrKxTh
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI2pEUhSKs
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CMU6sSHI3
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiO4HNIZei
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoF3TkloSE
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudpAhd88th
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiSsvVXSIf
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOkhXLBOl8
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAuHnJgaa1
slammed shut. 347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w6VX1NFc8
347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIP0b1nYz4
