Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1OIZiW6jX
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgDpMuZDW1
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcKr0be72h
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gp2KbdpLf
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqdJNKXbGq
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCPkxe0j1I
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkoepe8QaA
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwm3byoguU
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uGAs9mGzY
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZ3Zd4rhsX
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWnW3VDbka
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPno2SUgo25
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwDBih9fRV
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdDzpr6B7d
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEjgYSGE7v
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1TJsIKUoL
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNjOV09IBo
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNPNAYSTf4
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ274iOeePZF
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9lpYNVOwy
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEekyXAwjm
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAgVoQ92pJ
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxHAQy1TYc
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ461dLfmtUI
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGw0PSM1mo
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjilTEaaOt
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAcxuK6lg6
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsZP7ZAyuY
Jesse let229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDbFCcVjsq
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4GWRNF347
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9U7shTirI
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi3Mo7vzhc
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrH4ontBcuB
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PcbOrSCRd
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUw5Fzj6hyo
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Uq6VhPElN
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotT9Mk7J5x
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1QPSENIVh
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbIpjcGeeB
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1p77tQvRVa
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBC66gFibZI
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzf4bAZ4M8G
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmv4t6rFcv
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWMpSFTIcb
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaVP4otchs
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA2CiA5VxD
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1WNzTsfsI
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUiSiS7N0t
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOWCm3j4Mg
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXpRCUal2k
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUHhu8UXxd
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq64OfgK8p
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbgK1Sawq7
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5turBD3N1
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qlwyk023K
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz1B6pBU9I
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLquBhK6nWl
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgK4ouZ564c
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3MrENDeUb
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXh8IjW5agz
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBehbCEnXO7
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMajioslz7
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwINrGm0ah
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRwy4XjzRL
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmH7AQXala
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQF4oGae9E
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICjjLq1MKC
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb2mFqcuw3
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbSm4Ol8bp
slammed shut. 229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6W8QJiisOE
229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4P1yb7tW5
