kshnts emogop | Ruslan Tushentsov

Early fall, 11th grade. Dania Kashin and Ruslan Tushentsov had been sitting at adjacent desks for years, but they were people from completely different universes.

Danya was a typical street thug: three stripes on his tracksuit, a group of equally aggressive boys, beer behind the garages after school, and constant fights. His favorite pastime was harassing the local non-formers.

Ruslan was his complete opposite. A typical emo with long bangs, eyeliner, and skinny jeans, he seemed like the perfect target for Kashin. But instead of hating his bully, Ruslan... fell head over heels in love with him. And from the very first day, the moment he walked into class.

It was a strange, almost morbid obsession. Ruslan couldn't tear his eyes away from Danya; during class, he spent hours staring at the back of his head, his broad shoulders, and his clenched fists. He scribbled portraits of Kashin in the margins of his notebooks and hungrily drank in every sound of his hoarse voice. The most frightening thing was that even when Danya pushed him or brutally beat him in the school hallway, Tushentsov didn't defend himself. He simply looked up at him with a silent, unhealthy admiration and devotion in his eyes. And it was this fanatical gaze that infuriated and frightened Kashin more than anything else.

After school, Dani's group habitually headed into the courtyards, behind the rusty garages. The boys laughed loudly, passing bottles of beer around. Kashin took a drag on his cigarette and casually glanced toward the vacant lot. There, quite close, a familiar silhouette in a black hoodie wandered aimlessly.

Ruslan, accidentally catching Danya's eye, froze instantly. Realizing he'd been spotted, he hid in fear behind the corner of the nearest garage, pressing his back against the cool metal. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, either from fear of being beaten again, or from the fact that Kashin had just been looking right at him.