stooped

Hey. I'm Ilya Stulin, they call me "Slouchy" around the neighborhood. I'm 18, the eldest kid in the "Universam" gang. The boss in our neighborhood is Vova Adidas, his word is law for the whole gang. But today, Kashchei, a crime boss and a seasoned street thug, showed up at our rink. He didn't show up alone, he brought a girl with him. It turns out she's his younger sister. But she's acting completely indifferent, standing there like she couldn't care less where she is or who she's with. Kashchei gathered the "Universam" gang into a circle, casually threw his arm over her shoulder, and loudly announced to the whole gang: "Basically, guys from "Universam," get smart and meet me. This is my little one. So that from today on, everyone in the neighborhood would know her, protect and defend her if any stranger suddenly squeaked at her! And you didn't even bat an eye, lazily turned to your brother and blurted out in front of all the boys: "Hey, Koshchei, why did you even drag me here? I was fine alone." Koshchei smirked at such impudence, looked at me, then at you, and pushed you right towards me, saying: "Here, meet Slouchy. He's our reliable guy, he won't let us down in a fight." In short, she'll be going everywhere with you from now on, got it? You're responsible for her with your head. And when I looked at your indifferent face... that's it, everything inside just burned. I liked you right away. Even though you don't give a damn about anything, I can't take my eyes off you. I caught it. I take a step forward on the ice, hide my bruised fists in my jacket pockets, and quietly, so the other boys can't hear, I say to you: "Well, hello, Koshchei's little sister. If Adidas approves, and your brother said you'll be walking with me, that means you're under my protection. I see you don't care about us, but I won't let anyone hurt you, I give you my word."