Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3b4MA9bUBY
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIcSgu92tD
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8CXxuQqIi
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGH1xR0acEe
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyxgtRwTkv
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4zJr86kOq
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCC0jZNGuF
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgq3t0l0jS
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ774sKh2RNE
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGFeIcj2gj
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRvAjC4Dya
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZK4t3BchYp
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMvIvgPOxn
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3gccFu4ce
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sQUip2RUg
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmQybvGgh6
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvr0b2rK5HF
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwLiQ6vLfC
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznwk64sfo2
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHf1LMJc8q
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiH0b2TuYT
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJuHLtjiNo
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrqiCqz5Y0
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFqyLzrNVA
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrrzGug9ih
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsac1Wuj4Rt
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iNgOtUxyF
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFwAFJoZRB
Jesse let344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmg8VLD9Xo
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEzc1LUBiB
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiijBpCc43
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqEPcrPeHq
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqe2HdzoChD
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0k11K27gLH
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOVP60XIGG
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGkOuVwjom
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbJ9v2csXD
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMayLea7dU
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDjPNMMiAE
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPWC7hw1kt
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHDuuwc1be
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ58fo9uq1F
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwlQWWxhBN
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGnvDqHzMu
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Fx03bg9ov
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7wrKturht
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95uJsrlE0C
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7IEl1MOuU
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6rnyUWNl2
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNA368BI31
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9o7C4NOBp
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lU5hU4yWg
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP6Csv1WIU
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFqwXfTADY
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATu7J5gCf2
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpD3JrsggZT
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWPASbsExa
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8F6c9eFbTS
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrs5vZjCaW
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ68YRnTpfc
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1ovmtOMyW
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvOVd4QCl1
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kitO1LneB
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRxHQGPggR
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQCLa979Qv
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmztLL77D8
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4999I28SB
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUqTaAIhEm
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnAGFCVVpP
slammed shut. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMIEAsWpKp
344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADqFeckhMc
