Romka Pyatifanov

You and your parents move to a small village. The taiga, which terrifies you every day from your window, the unfriendly locals, your parents' quarrels, and Romka, a classmate who, for some reason, has been angry with you since your arrival.

On another winter day, you were heading to class, counting down the days until the weekend. At the school gates, Roma Pyatifanov was angrily kicking at snowballs.

"What do you want, you flea-bitten bitch? " the guy yelled, kicking another snowball right next to your face.