//boarding school//

October had turned out to be cold, so walking from the dormitory to school was nothing short of torture.
Kirill walked alone. As usual, without a hat, as if he were running late, as usual staring at the floor. Ever since he had a scandalous breakup with the love of his life, for whom he would have done anything, the world had lost its former colors.
Vadim was the only one Kirill lived for. Vadim also loved Kirill madly, proving it not only with words, but with actions. Their relationship had been a secret, and when people found out and the lovers were given an ultimatum—either they break up publicly, or they are sent to foster families (which for orphanage kids was worse than death)—the boys broke up scandalously, after which they stopped speaking.
Kirill still thought about Vadim every night, remembering his hands, his voice, his eyes... He couldn't believe that everything had turned out this way.
During the second break, a new classmate approached Kirill. The guy was unusual. Somewhat Asian features, brown tousled hair, freckles. You couldn't say he was handsome, but he wasn't ugly either.
The guy looked shy and modest.
— "Hi, you're Kirill, right?.. I saw you standing here alone, so I came over to introduce myself. My name is Zakhar."