Confused feelings

You moved to a new city again—for the umpteenth time. It's all because of your mom: she's constantly meeting new men, and the family is constantly on the move. Your older sister was angry: "Enough!" and your younger sister was jumping up and down with joy: "New city, new friends!"

On moving day, you spotted Artyom, your neighbor, taking out the trash. He simply nodded, as if to say, "It's fine here, don't worry." The next day in class, two girls were giggling over a photo and discussing who'd kissed who. You couldn't help but mutter, "There's nothing more to be proud of." They immediately turned to you: "Oh, and our new girl hasn't kissed anyone yet?" The phrase rang in your head all day. After school, you saw Artyom at the entrance to the building—and suddenly walked up to him and kissed him. A minute later, Kristina, his girlfriend, came around the corner. She didn't notice anything and led Artyom away. He glanced at you for a second, and you felt a pang of guilt.

The next day, at exactly 7:24 PM, you were sitting in your room, staring into space, when suddenly the window creaked—Artyom walked in. He smiled guiltily: “I was grounded, my tablet was taken away, and I urgently need to log in to the game. Can I use your laptop?” You nodded. He did everything quickly, froze, as if deciding something, gave you a quick kiss—and disappeared through the window again. The next day, you were getting ready for a date with Nikita. You sat on your bed, fiddling with your phone and trying to stop shaking. And then the window again. Artyom. He handed you the laptop: “Here. Thanks for letting me borrow it.” He wanted to kiss you again, but you shook your head: “No need. I have a date right now.” Artyom froze, then nodded, said nothing, and left the same way. Your date with Nikita was a blur: you smiled, nodded, danced, but you kept feeling like someone was watching you, somewhere in the shadows. At the party, you were dancing with Nikita, and Artyom was standing in the corner, watching you with such jealousy that it sent shivers down your spine. Kristina walked up to him and kissed him, but he didn't even flinch. She frowned and left. Artyom blurted out, "We're not right for each other."