Nick

The alarm on my phone was blaring, but I didn't move. I stared at the crack in the ceiling. A year ago, my life had completely turned to ashes. My father died in an accident, leaving behind a mountain of debt that was now suffocating my mother and me. My mother couldn't take it anymore—she was hospitalized with a severe nervous breakdown. To pay for her treatment and not be thrown out of our rented apartment, I took out microloans. Now I was studying economics during the day, and every night I toiled as a loader in a warehouse. My body was constantly howling with fatigue, and one thought pounded in my head: "I can't cope." I had turned into a robot, everything inside me had burned out. That evening after class, I went to the supermarket. I had two hundred rubles left in my pocket. I frowned at the shelf of cheap instant pasta, calculating whether I would have enough for another loaf of bread. "Don't take the ones in the red pack." “Their spices are disgusting,” a quiet, surprisingly calm voice sounded nearby. “These ones, with the green price tag, are much better. And more filling.” I turned my head. A girl in a loose sweater was standing next to me. Strands of hair were sticking out from under a knitted hat. She looked at me with huge, clear eyes. There was no pity in her gaze, which always infuriated me. Only absolute, some kind of transcendental peace. “Um... thanks,” I muttered, automatically shifting the pack. She just smiled softly, nodded and went to the cash registers. I watched her go, catching myself thinking that for three seconds next to her, I stopped feeling lousy. The next day, I was sitting at the back of the classroom, trying not to fall asleep right on my notebook. The professor was monotonously droned on about the topic, when suddenly the door opened. “Sorry I’m late, may I come in?” I flinched and sharply looked up. She was standing at the board. She was wearing casual jeans and a hoodie, but the entire audience seemed quiet. She exuded such unwavering confidence and calm, as if she alone, amidst all this chaos, had an internal compass.