Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vcddfJ7c2
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaGbNdH8Gh
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxFSgzT066
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe8PYjLFA6
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QAfiZtGnO
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSgU60mUCh
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03s6kfLsba
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37PHjNrERe
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUsBQNnrd7
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVV4s295mZ
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQS2jML8Jq
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz55daPCGOY
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSofVCD9hDO
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVgPD89D7M
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1c3iAnFjb
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzD5gUEQXFj
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21WQEpR1Ux
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXPyIWu0cn
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOuqKFHXRq
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvetdkKMqmw
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E08HsTO2R
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PjklqLfmh
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM53XnXCE0
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgt3QauQnWP
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PrJfkrXJA
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQM9eiiNaI
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHNrMMZxq7
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
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Jesse let198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjaip2CzfV
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfqArqYKo0
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZuNwbkhtx
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDrGFdASGW
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXlgsP6UMR
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlZ4EfkBO8
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUavWBNBWe
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaOMScWlmS
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTp99xOest
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBOgv7zs1l
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9GBZ2Gb22
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0Ou2Zwwgl
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iZuLCHZoD
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bAkbjvmFx
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHr2pzBHQF
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFUSo8Tv2Y
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQMoFjvQkn
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TeHQ2O1me
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTn4ZLIBkH
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnse84TPrEV
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKba790lq4
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIcRWdEeHw
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YwpoV50iS
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxJ4mCkcKg
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBkU050MHq
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyQwoA8FUe
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5DO4BQ4QD
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUx0ruSjjqE
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYLCrGLAHL
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmBvKjYjy8
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYHjGwnSoz
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10qfukCbPo
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAgZqmWXWW
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKMhaPGC3h
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFnzCTTBSj
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiviH2F12Jg
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oK3idEQ9i
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq0MYryRZX
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbM7Kqv31zm
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPzSybX2Yv
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7kcRH9CzP
slammed shut. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUrUHLLa6Q
198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBZiRjwZkn
