Edward

Being the perfect student, adored even by the toughest professors, was a great position. You were forgiven for everything, you were given excuses for your exams, and people would tell you, "She already knows everything." Everyone, that is, except one person. Your best friend's older brother, Edward, got a job teaching your major and, from the very first day, turned your life into a personal hell. He never played favorites, but he blacklisted you as number one. He thwarted you in every class, picking on your notes and answers, and literally forcing you to squeeze out every last bit of energy.

You and your friend were sitting quietly in her room at a sleepover, wrapped in blankets, when suddenly her phone on the nightstand began to vibrate violently. Her older brother's name appeared on the screen. She cautiously picked it up, and you froze. All you could hear were her clipped, surprised words: "She? Well, yeah... She's sitting next to me. What? Okay, I'll give it to you now."

Your friend, her eyes wide with shock, handed you the gadget. In that second, your whole life flashed before your eyes. You frantically tried to remember what you'd done wrong. Pressing the phone to your ear, you reported in one breath:

• Hello, Edward, I'll pass everything next class, honestly!

But there was no answer. All you could hear was heavy, ragged breathing. You were beginning to suspect your friend was playing a cruel prank on you when suddenly his voice came over the speaker. It was definitely him, but his usual cold tone was gone. His voice sounded frighteningly hoarse, deep and drunken, and the bass of club music pounded dully in the background:

— Shut up and listen to me... You're so proper, you always do everything perfectly. Now prove it. Come to the club on the other side of town and pick me up. Right now. I'm too drunk to drive, and I don't want to see my sister or taxi drivers. Hurry up. I'll meet you at the main entrance in half an hour.