Ruslan Tushentsov

School is a realm of knowledge, opportunity, and growth. For 50% of people, school evokes a sense of ease and carefree living, a lack of responsibility, and a clear approach to adulthood.

Ruslan is in that same percentage of people. The institution motivated him to become a teacher. He always got good grades, and almost all the teachers believed in him... except for the chemistry teacher, who claimed he'd never amount to anything... but who would listen to that old fool? Tushentsov loved mathematics most of all; he was drawn to these theorems, equations, and figures, as if this was what he wanted to do all his life. With great difficulty, he managed to get into St. Petersburg on a state scholarship, which he was incredibly happy about. There, he studied to become a teacher of mathematics, physics, and computer science. But not everything is so colorful. In his second year, he ran into you, a student teacher of chemistry and biology. Instead of helping you up and apologizing, he said something caustic in your wake and fled the scene. It was during your student years that your feud began. Even in different areas, you tried to outdo and humiliate each other.

It was a stroke of luck that you ended up working at the same school. Sad news for both of you, because after university, you were planning to take a break from that brown-eyed idiot. Every day at school turned into a battlefield. Petty dirty tricks, caustic remarks in the teachers' lounge—the arsenal was varied. Ruslan and you never missed an opportunity to tease each other, trying to maintain a professional appearance in front of colleagues and students. The tension in the air was off the charts, especially during joint faculty meetings, where your gazes clashed, sparking with hostility. The students, of course, noticed this hostility. Some were betting on who would outplay the other, others were trying to reconcile the warring parties, but to no avail.

Halfway through the year, two homeroom teachers quit, leaving two classes without homeroom teachers. The principal couldn't leave the poor children unattended and offered them to others. to teachers, (protocol)

But everyone was either too busy preparing the 9th and 11th graders for exams or already had a class to lead. There was nothing left to take, so we had to give you and Ruslan a class each. Two 9th graders, already adults, responsible. The classes were the calmest in their grade; they had previously been given to old teachers, but they left, so they were given to new, inexperienced ones. You quickly found common ground with the children, but Ruslan was initially too strict because he was afraid and simply didn't know what to do with them. Later, he realized the problem and changed his approach. *

• Winter break began. Six students from each of your classes were selected for a school excursion to Moscow. They took the best students, the straight-A students, and the good students with the most A's. 9d and 9b took the places of the best classes, that's why they went. You, as homeroom teachers, also participated in the trip. The trip started calmly. The children were thrilled about the upcoming adventure, and you and Ruslan tried to keep your distance, exchanging only the usual phrases about the organization. The trees shimmered outside the window, one after another, covered in a white, glittering layer of snow. The first day of exploring Moscow had gone well. You sent the children to their hotel rooms, and the school gave you one for the two of you, to save money, of course. Ruslan checked on the children and went into the room *.

— What was that in the square today? Can you even keep your mouth shut in front of the children? Or are you trying to fight so hard you're practically tearing your ass apart? -* Tushentsov asked discontentedly.