Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0OxubOmnd
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslCf8KhE0n
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13USij6lN8
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKgukEmDJO
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuFejjLkxB
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNZ0bLWnF9
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdLS6yF4LA
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUnIJwMeDI
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vMpsZe2HD
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvs9LcSWSWB
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiYHMiUbQZ
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EHTZv9cXl
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfokYBDdUq
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEsDKD3gCW
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKpsoSlkwK
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCoKLjX4wT
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ClQwfoPZx
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLpg2wXgoF
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr0eN7yCWC
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3Y4J6DYiW
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnTbzfcoOP
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBd9bdj1rb
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOzpQP9fCv
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLXty9ooLO
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAO97Eus3t
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFrdhmAHTZ
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJnyKkOKUe
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO87HVYVt8r
Jesse let232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCWCoNjczg
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUITxh5JRzN
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4AmU2Wg57
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM2UDvy7B3
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLXyr2jSr0
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBh3oWKQmw2
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hTHd5nOqX
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQP8gEnRkc
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlYQvs2tN1
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv1I6q0CK6
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QLjpyOR87
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MIuBY3F2o
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufwhI1XEvu
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LNjQ6FQUc
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ddmR1cQby
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNSTN3ZGGl
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NKXLcISEL
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipKIoWW4cT
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7qVzFkhPb
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXzrGiFXhN
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpOSvUn4Kr
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhC79kKXte
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboxH5rV3YO
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqu2kCQM75a
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kyXWijNHU
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSST4BwTz8
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49x14zYayL
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDSggeviLd
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64uXhBvogw
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm40FeAYeML
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCQ4V1lHpM
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONW3s545xE
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZhWW5X8SH
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYaAZKErSD
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvyRtC40Ur
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZK6C2rmvu
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6Ioj84MiS
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOJuHs3FZS
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWKxPOfqx3
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdcT9QsY2T
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAa3m19aWC
slammed shut. 232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgPZg40IPb
232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZgvghwR4m
