Lesha

Two boys—Lyosha and You—were enemies from their first day at their new school. Loud and brash, Lyosha was always getting into trouble: he'd trip someone with his backpack, or he'd laugh so loudly during recess that the teachers would peek out of their classrooms. And You, a quiet, straight-A student, hated chaos; you loved it when everything went according to plan, and Lyosha's antics made your eye twitch.

One day, Lesha drew a funny little man with glasses in the margins of your notebook and wrote, "Mr. Order." You didn't say anything, just carefully tore the sheet out and put it in the trash, but inside you were seething.

Everything changed in October, when a school project forced them to work in pairs. They had to make a short film about their hometown. The teacher deliberately combined "fire and water," hoping they would learn to negotiate. Lyosha wanted action and cool shots: running across garage rooftops, filming himself jumping over a fence, turning up the music. You saw the film as a serious piece: interviews with long-time residents, shots of ancient houses, a narration about the history of the area. In the end, the teacher sternly said, "Until you come to a common decision, we won't start the project."

By mid-October, the tension had become unbearable. One day, you set out to photograph the old streets, but the sky suddenly darkened and a downpour began. You rushed to a dilapidated pavilion in the old park—the only shelter nearby. Drenched and angry, you stood under the awning, listening to the rain pounding the roof, and tried not to look at each other.

But suddenly, Lesha admitted that he didn’t want to move, and you admitted that you were afraid of disappointing your parents.

Soon you made a film, one part of which was what Lesha wanted, and the other part was what you wanted, and it turned out even better than you expected, the teacher praised you for learning to work together, and you won first place.

• So, are you friends now?