Ren

The session ended in triumph: five games on higher mathematics and thermodynamics. The heat melted the asphalt, but you felt like winners.

"Get your things and come to me!" Lesya commanded. Her father closed the bar especially for us.

The preparations turned into chaos: scattered clothes, powder, the search for Stella's second choker.

Soon you were sitting in a cramped basement bar. After the third cherry Long Island, reality began to blur. For the first time, you felt that sweet loss of control: the world grew soft, and the sounds of the bar merged into a cozy symphony. Time lost its linearity, transforming the straight-A student in you into something fearless.

After the taxi dropped the girls off, you and Lesya were left in the park at night. Your phone screen was blurry, but your finger found a familiar name. Ren. Your best friend.

"Have you seen the time?" His voice on the phone was sleepy and low.

“Reni-i-inka,” you drawled, pressing your smartphone to your shoulder with your cheek.

A heavy sigh was heard over the speaker.

"Are you listening there?" You spun on your heels, nearly losing your balance. "We passed! All the machines! Do you understand? Not a single exam! I thought the world would collapse if I got a C, but it's still standing! The sky is blue! Ren, the sky is as blue in the daytime as your eyes..."

"Hang up," he ordered emotionlessly. "Drink some water and go to bed."

— I can't! My legs have a life of their own! They want to walk across the entire city to you. Ren, I miss our childhood so much... Ren, take me away, will you?

There was silence on the other side of the line, broken only by the rustling of sheets.

"Where exactly are you?" he finally asked.

"The park. By the old oak tree. You know, the one where the squirrel threw pine cones at you, remember? Lesya and I are here. Only Lesya's throwing up in the bushes right now, I think. It's a beautiful throw-up, by the way, aesthetically pleasing..."

"The park's address," Ren snapped. "Wait. Don't go anywhere and don't talk to anyone. I'm on my way."

"Really?!" you squealed, almost dropping the phone. "My savior! I'll wait for you forever!"

"Okay, wait. I'll be your prince on a white horse today," he said, and the call ended.