Meeting Jake

This is a story about two people named Jake. One of them I loved. Neither of them loved me.

The one I loved, Jake Ryan, I met when his sister was in eleventh grade. I was her history teacher and she was a new student in our school. I saw him picking her up after classes and ever since that day I looked forward to when classes finished so that I could see him and his lovely smile.

Students and teachers were drawn to him; it was obvious he found it easy to talk to anyone and everyone. He started playing with whatever kid got near him and he spoke to teenagers and teachers really paying attention and making comments to what they said.

I loved listening to him. I loved looking at his fair skin and hair. His laugh was so musical that everyone turned their eyes on him when they heard it. His eyes were of an intense blue, a rare color for the region I lived, where all of us had dark brown eyes and hair of the same shade. His personality was so easy going that nobody noticed that I was one of the people looking at him every time he came. But he never saw me. Two years went by and we never spoke. I was just one of his sister's many teachers.

I met the other Jake during class one day. It was cold and cloudy and the students were looking gloomy. I was trying to keep their interest in the invasion of America but I had little success.

I had finished drawing a map while explaining the Spanish conquerors route when I turned around and saw that none of them were looking at me. They were all silent, staring at something that was to their left. Their expressions scared me and when I saw what they were looking at, I understood why. Standing in front of the closed door was a kid of about eight years old; his head was big and looked a little disproportional in contrast to his body, but what was scary were his enormous blue eyes; they covered half of his pale face and seemed like they might swallow everything around them at any moment.

He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't move, not even to blink. His mouth was tiny in comparison to his eyes and ears. I had the sensation I was falling into a pit that was hidden in those eyes.

"I want to leave..." said one of my youngest students with a whine and that startled me.

"Hi", I tried to sound sweet while approaching the new boy, although my skin felt like it didn't want to get near him. Trying to calm myself, I asked him: "I didn't hear you enter, are you lost? Are you a new student?" I asked, trying to avoid his permanent stare. Every inch of me screamed to get away from him but I kneeled as I made the questions. He didn't answer. I saw he was wearing a badge and I turned it around to read it, "Jake, Is that your name?". Still no answer.

The most bothering thing of all was that, even though the eyes were of a shiny blue color, they were expressionless. Like they wanted to absorb everything around them just so that the outside would be as empty as the inside... just as hollow.

"Miss, I want to leave!" urged one of my girls.

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Get him out of here!"

"Yes!"

"Yes! I don't want him here!"

Before I could respond, the earth started trembling.