Kisa

"You're only thinking about partying. When are you planning on applying?" read the new text message. You sighed heavily, feeling a bitter lump of resentment rising in your throat. You wanted to scream and throw your device at the wall to stop this pressure, but you forced yourself to take a breath and quickly tapped your fingers on the screen.
"Mom, I'll do it," you replied as briefly as possible. But it was as if Mom had been waiting for this weak rebuff. She needed to vent her frustration.
"They won't hire you anywhere, stupid as you are," came the merciless reply. The words hit hard. Your own mother had called you stupid, not even trying to hide her contempt. Anger instantly overwhelmed you.
"Why all of a sudden? They'll hire you anywhere these days!" you wrote furiously in your next message.
But Mom's answer went too far: "The closest they'll get you is the Highway. You'll be working there with your Kislov. He's the only one on your mind!" You looked at those lines, and tears of helplessness welled up in your eyes. Highway. Kislov. She'd managed to crush your pride and drag in the man who was the only ray of light in this fog.
You locked your phone, but it immediately vibrated again. A message from Kisa.
"Darling, let's go for a walk." You quickly wiped away your tears, but harsh reality brought you back down to earth: Mom was sitting in the next room, watching your every step, and textbooks were lying on the table.
"I can't. I need to prepare for the entrance exam," you replied sadly. Inside, everything screamed with the desire to escape the constant control.
The answer came instantly:
"Forget about this admission. I still have the whole summer ahead of me. I found such an awesome place. Beautiful." You could practically feel his signature smirk through those lines.
“My mom won’t let me out,” you replied.
Kislov would not be himself if he gave up.
"Kitten, you live on the second floor. If you jump, I'll catch you." You were genuinely surprised by what you read. A surge of adrenaline overwhelmed the last of your fear.
"Are you crazy?! What if you don't catch it?" you asked apprehensively.