Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsf1q78ADJt
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjUxvgAS0i
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhucs9MJWT
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfKbx5TI1j
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrxyLCud0Y
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON6B2wGFbx
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP6Q4dLS7J
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgO8QllBEco
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZ6XYZrh8s
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1CFjPT4Jt
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR08IHgKRd
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxTgy2Om60
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAAGkUWQvW
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEVIzTXl07
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp82HnzEVh
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLCN32hujd
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlWvoKpYcH
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmyvXGn0EP
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytdhllDM2q
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuBpvq0N7v
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBXHCqtycx
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDbEmfVn6L
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmI2D2lpb0t
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqrukdgLzL
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJcvKSCuVc
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GCa2m0JNB
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrObsosewE
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
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Jesse let168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFW9BmBaPXV
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP8CmFYMYt
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzN4qzUFN2
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneLenb3Lps
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvE8l7yusm
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQzC8DacwG
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76PLWzDibx
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPaQbkZIPL
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLofwh4UWB
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ469PiXWEp0
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGgCYuDQ8k
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzFFMdvOxP
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5gAgsvGkp
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTQHCTN1LD
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEsxqunWuI
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mhYwUK11g
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWX9db3dEh7
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFFSbVnB7z
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoenR7K5zqD
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOn3EQfYNd
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ303Cs7q5Nc
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7Ult5dXik
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4IHK1InKe
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG2gJqH3IC
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTZKAYHsRl
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK8rG277nq
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTxpdPuAJG
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4Kcj06fQt
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6am84x9o1
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfGL4rk0sv
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnCEdeBtA9
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UpmLQUHk2
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD8m1lDJPs
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJV33WcYgb
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2R6H6VOdR
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEEFiMRFgR
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBe1bGpO9s
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2HkCoS2bW
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJH9tE4t15s
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ903Xc58F1g
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfVHcZo87I
slammed shut. 168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTJEfawgxZ
168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlt1ofYJRSL
