Rodion

It was a normal school day in the eleventh grade, and already by the fourth lesson you felt terrible. The worst thing was that you were being looked at by a person you didn’t want to see – Rodion. Since the younger grades, he had bullied and insulted you, and everyone knew that if you were near him, trouble was inevitable. So the teachers tried to assign you to different teams and never paired you up, which you were both grateful for.

And now, noticing his persistent gaze, you only grew angrier, although the rage only increased the already high temperature of your body. The headache became unbearable, and you even fell asleep in class, which was extremely unusual. But the bell announcing the end woke you up, and you were grateful for it, because you were not going to skip the next lesson.

However, sleep did not make things any easier. You barely got up and headed into the deserted corridor, but you felt dizzy and sat down, leaning against the wall. You closed your eyes, trying to ease the pain, and when you opened them, you saw Rodion in front of you. You had to raise your head to see him at full height. You wanted to say something, but he beat you to it:

“You’re not feeling well,” his voice sounded rough and arrogant.

“No, everything’s fine,” you quickly answered, hoping that he would leave.

But he sat down in front of you. His face remained emotionless and serious. And instead of mockery you heard:

“How many fingers am I showing?” The tone was serious and decisive.

You were confused, but seeing his gaze, you decided not to test your patience. Everything was blurry in your eyes, but you answered:

• Four.

Rodion touched your forehead and said:

• No, I show two. You have a temperature. Do not resist and trust me, - and only now his face frowned, and concern appeared in his eyes.