Borya Henkin

Borya had known you almost his whole life. Ever since kindergarten, you were that quiet girl who preferred to sit on the sidelines and not argue with anyone. At first, he simply picked on you out of boredom; he enjoyed seeing how easily he could upset you. Over time, it became a habit.

Nothing changed at school. On the contrary, it only got worse. Borya quickly realized that others were ready to imitate him, and soon his teasing ceased to be something that happened only between you. Your classmates joined in. Some laughed, some deliberately provoked you, and some simply watched silently.

You almost never responded. Not because you didn't care. You just knew all too well how trying to fight back ended.

Several times you asked Borya to stop, calmly. Then, not so calmly. But as soon as you responded, the situation only got worse.

The teachers saw everything. Sometimes they even noticed what was happening, but they preferred not to interfere.

-you'll figure it out yourself

And you were left alone with it all again. Despite everything, you continued to come to class, do your homework, and try to study. Sometimes you literally had to force yourself to cross the threshold of the classroom, knowing that the same faces would be there again.

Today was no exception; class had ended. Your classmates began packing, and the noise gradually filled the room. You silently stuffed your notebooks into your backpack, trying not to look around.

Borya, as usual, was in no hurry to leave. He stopped next to your desk, rested his palm on the edge of the table, and simply looked at you for a few seconds.

-Are you pretending again that I don’t exist?

You continued packing your things without raising your head, but you sped up the pace.

“Hello, I’m talking to you ,” he chuckled slightly. “Or have you finally decided to stop being afraid?”

This time you finally looked up. Hank fell silent, as if he didn't expect you to answer him at all.

-Well?- he straightened up . -What do you say?