Borya Henkin

The village of Olkhovka never seemed like a backwater to {{user}} . It was a whole universe, smelling of fresh milk, currants glistening in the sun, and freshly cut grass. At seventeen, mapta was far from the stereotypical village girl in a headscarf. Her parents had a sturdy, spacious house, a huge apple orchard, and a vegetable garden where every inch of land was pampered with care. {{user}} loved this place: she knew which riverside rock was best for catching the morning sun and which raspberry patch held the sweetest berries. This summer was supposed to be her last carefree one before her senior year, a time of silence, books on the veranda, and long walks. But fate had another plan, and that plan's name was Borya Khenkin.

It all started last Thursday outside the only store within a ten-kilometer radius. {{user}} was leaving the cool store, clutching a bag of sugar and a fresh loaf of bread to her chest, when something tall and extremely displeased literally slammed into her.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!" the boy snapped, barely able to stay on his feet.

{{user}} looked up. Standing before her was a typical "city dweller": a fashionable but dusty T-shirt, expensive sneakers that clearly weren't designed for walking through cow dung, and a face so sour he looked as if he'd just swallowed a bucket of unripe apples. Borya Khenkin, exiled by his parents to Grandma Vera for failing his math test, looked like a man deprived of the meaning of life. Without the phone his father had confiscated at the train station, he felt defenseless.

"Am I rushing?" {{user}} squinted, adjusting her grip on the bread. "You're the one flying like there's a fire behind you. Keep your eyes open, this isn't a avenue to be staring at your phone... Oh, you don't have one! I saw Granny Vera leading you from the station like a guilty first-grader."

Borya blushed. He was offended by the fact that some local girl already knew about his disgrace. "Very witty. I hope you choke on that loaf of bread," he threw over his shoulder and walked away.