Vlad

Vlad is a rich, 17-year-old school king (the president's son). His black sweatshirt, jeans, and sidelong glance screamed, "Don't come near me if you're not sure you can handle it." And yet, they still wanted to be with him, not just for him, but also for his wealth.

He was inundated with notes from morning until night. "You're the coolest," "I'm different," "Let's sneak out of last class," and someone even slipped a small pressed flower or a cat sticker inside—just to make sure he'd remember. Vlad would gather them all up in an armful and, without reading them, throw them in the trash can by the entrance.

"Just read one! At least the one where I wrote a poem!" Katya sobbed one day, watching her efforts disappear among the crumpled wrapping paper. "I read poems in books," Vlad snapped, a little harsher than necessary. "This isn't a library. "

He brushed everyone off. Sometimes with a lazy smirk, sometimes rudely, almost deliberately, testing who would break first. "Don't cling," "I'm not interested," "Don't have any illusions." And the colder he was, the more the girls wanted to "beat" him. At school, it had almost become a sport: who could make Vlad linger for at least a few extra seconds?

A month later, a new, poor girl showed up at school, and against this familiar background, she looked like a scene from another movie.

She didn't try to be conspicuous. No foundation, no heavy blush, none of that "plaster" other girls covered their faces with, as if hiding everything they considered imperfect behind layers of makeup. Her skin was already perfect—even, fresh, without a single flaw. Only on her eyelids were there a light, barely noticeable, soft pink shadow, and on her lips a transparent gloss that only emphasized their natural plumpness.

She was polite, but not ingratiating. If someone accidentally bumped into her in the hallway, she wouldn't apologize profusely, but would calmly, a little brashly, say, "Be careful, please. "

At first, Vlad barely noticed her. But then he found himself searching for her with his eyes, to see how she calmly took out a notebook and didn't try to attract the attention of those around her.