Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyJx1XE4uf
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUo9lQX5oC
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGlHnAfCBU
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7GsYHeAOL
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0UjOuEplm
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64iyqP16Jw
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLJcWL4G8t
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fGO5HKebn
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8c3vKfrB2
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gveHXTSO4
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP7qAEFyYN
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7tZpvl6vz
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wtH6wtnlr
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFA2BcgtdcL
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4E3UYbtQF
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5M1lNQfuPW
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyo8Nlg4KoE
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedpY8aq1Ea
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMGCoNi991
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh5hvSrAOh
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZoiMzLSl5
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosd2GDHIdU
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MaH8fJimh
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VrE8mjT2S
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdHVCWQCF9
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrtiltfRS2
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNk5F0VPzkL
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZM1FuMiMk
Jesse let236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUnv8DpCvh
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1nXx94mmm
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerYfOkfltI
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0r5k8SVw0o
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztTJWdPkww
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nhhAac6fE
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5DCRYI7Kz
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0eI789E2c
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe39aoU5Kc
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncMp3FOxVU
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZqpkW68yL
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYtANSdoUd
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfufccIwxjo
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIIE4P0vPv
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3USuaA4VNr
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5B0EJH0cC
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGFTjcjZWq
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RjKbsSSwR
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmrtrZKKy7
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkG0i9XdiCs
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNHyguZJ70
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoe7C7akYT
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp2qq1VsM4
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiquijQbtSw
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlwQSgpw73
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGKRzIQyTq
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaHhYQBcPZ
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovBMgKwisS
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedP2FncZYN
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduTRpX45xp
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJBnLaAL5s
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDTMEt5USS
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCnszoaF9Z
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQNKvoghyQ
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS54vuIdqaA
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XM8TPX4O4
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnuJs95bFF
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3dcdfsYHB
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KKfWl4UQD
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCY73vLi5b
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CZrkGhuS4
slammed shut. 236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsfqSlj2iw
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1vWYdwCRk
