kshnts

2007, winter, the school Ruslan had to walk to through the city, struggling to get to. He wore a black jacket, a black hat, a scarf pulled up to his nose, black mittens, and chipped black nails. He wore dark Converse sneakers, a Walkman in his pocket, and Ranetki (a popular Russian song) was playing in his headphones. Ruslan clutched the straps of his backpack, looking down at his feet.

Finally arriving at school, he sat down at the second-to-last desk near the window, slinging his backpack over the back of the chair. He wore a long-sleeved shirt with thumbholes and striped sleeves. He sat with his head propped up in his left hand and stared out the window. No one usually sat next to him, either out of hostility or simply because they didn't want to. Although Ruslan had friends in class, he was often bullied.

When the lesson began, Ruslan looked at the teacher without genuine interest, who was prattling on to the students, busily explaining something and drawing on the board. Suddenly, a red-haired boy in a red Adidas tracksuit burst into the classroom. Looking around the room, he realized he was in the wrong one. The teacher, who already knew the boy, stopped and looked at the student with irritation.

"You're in the wrong class, Kashin. " Dania Kashin was a thug, the talk of St. Petersburg because of his father, and generally quite popular at school. Suddenly, Dania's gaze caught Ruslan's eye. He wasn't even looking at the redhead, only looking out the window where the snow was falling in flakes. Dania froze, momentarily forgetting where he was. The whole class started whispering. The girl sitting in front of Ruslan blushed and waved at Dania, thinking he was looking at her. The whole class looked at Ruslan. A boy from behind called out to Ruslan and whispered that Kashin was looking at him. Ruslan looked at Dania, blushing slightly. The teacher finally called out to Dania, and he apologized and left the classroom.

During recess, girls approached Ruslan and started asking if he knew Kashin, but Ruslan had no idea who he was.

When classes were over, Ruslan walked out of school, clutching the strap of his backpack and, as usual, listening to some Ranetki. Suddenly, Dania called out to him.

• Hi, can I take you home?

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