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«Well, people read Byron at that time… it was kind of fashionable… to be slightly depressed… you know, to be in Byron’s mood…» the teacher replied.
«So, you say that Onegin locked himself at home, refused going out, stopped reading… just because it was in fashion?»
Denis continued watching Lisa. A light smile touched his lips.
«I asked you so you could improve your C,» the teacher got agitated. «You ought to read critics. And stop asking silly questions!»
Lisa blushed. The moment the bell rang, she started to collect her stuff. She just wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Suddenly she noticed somebody picking up her «Eugene Onegin» book from the desk. She raised her eyes. «Denis?» He smiled slightly to her and turned to exit. Bewildered, Lisa watched him walk out of the class. A group of girls passed her, looking perplexed at each other.
«With us, your dream is your reality»
Peter walked across the school hall. On both sides there were desks with representatives from different Universities and High Schools. Advertisements were rolling on huge screens. Peter stopped at one.
On the screen was a graduate. Elegantly dressed. Blue suit. Tie. Smartly dressed men came towards him. They smiled, shook his hand. Peter noticed an expensive watch on the arm of the graduate.
In the following scene the graduate walks out of a stylish building. A cool car is brought around. He gets in the car, smiling, leaning back in the seat.
As he drives away, a slogan emerges at the corner of the screen, «With us, your dream is your reality.»
Peter was totally absorbed by the advertisement.
Denis, who walked by, kept his glance on Peter for a few seconds, then looked at the book in his hand, turned around, and hurried down the stairs.
Are you capable of fitting in?
Lisa and Sveta stopped at the open doors to a classroom.
«It will work out fine!» Sveta looked at her friend with a cheerful smile.
«Yeah…» Lisa was thinking how to present the idea of a Masleniza celebration.
«Ouch,» Sveta started back.
A small eddy of gray dust flew from the classroom right at her.
«This dust is even here!»
Lisa looked around – no dust.
«Do you think I made it up?» Sveta looked at her friend.
Lisa just sighed.
«Anyways, good luck!» Sveta ran away to catch her class.
Lisa stepped into the classroom and looked around. The majority of the students were sitting at their desks, pale and tired, looking at their phones. Somebody stared at the wall; another looked up things in books.
The window was open a bit. A group of girls chatted by the window. Lisa approached them, searching for words to start a conversation. The girls ignored her.
Loud voices came from the corridor. Peter entered followed by two boys. He was showing them some notes.
«Man, you are good!» one of the boys couldn’t hide his admiration.
Peter smiled.
«Yeah, I know!»
Peter looked around. He met Lisa’s gaze and smiled even brighter. Lisa smiled back.
«Close the window,» the teacher marched in with a pile of papers.
Everybody hurried to their places.
While closing the window, Lisa saw Denis. He stood outside, leaning on the banister and drinking coffee. In his hand he held her «Onegin». Obviously, he was not going to attend the class. He flipped through the pages, raised his head, and looked into the distance.
Lisa smiled as she sat down at her desk.
«Believe me young lady, you have absolutely nothing to smile about!»
The teacher threw a paper on Lisa’s desk, with the mark C on it.
«It concerns all of you!»
He shook the pile of papers with results from the previous test and looked at the class.
«Talented children are waiting in line to study here! And you have the nerve to occupy their places!»
The students kept silent.
«As you know, the best High Schools have their reception desks at our school these days. They interview students. Of course, not everyone will get the chance!»
He stopped by Peter’s desk,
«Here you go, genius boy!» he put a paper in front of Peter.
Horrified, Peter saw the mark B.
«Think twice, are you worthy of the time of these highly respected people? Are you capable of fitting into the culture of these schools? Will you manage to meet their expectations?
It was total silence in class.
«Get to work!»
The students studied their books.
Lisa turned to one of the girls from the group, she tried to approach her earlier,
«Hey Sasha… I got this idea… what about making a big celebration… of Masleniza?»
«Really? I have a better idea. Masha throws a party tonight and I think Denis is coming.»
Lisa wanted to say something, but was met with Sasha’s pitying look, so she turned to other girls.
«Oh, stop embarrassing yourself!» whispered Sasha at Lisa.
«What’s going on?» sounded the teacher’s voice.
Lisa kept silent, looking at her desk.
«I asked what’s going on here?»
Students turned their heads to Lisa and the teacher.
«It’s about the celebration of…» Lisa could barely think.
«What’s wrong with you?» the teacher stared at Lisa. «Will your celebrations help you getting into college? Make a good career?»
One girl burst out in laughter. Others echoed her. Lisa stiffened; she just wanted to disappear. She opened her textbook on some page and stared at it.
Long after the lesson was over, Lisa still kept sitting, staring at her textbook. Students were packing their things and exiting the room.
Masha, the girl who first started laughing, gave Lisa a look, while passing by her desk. Lisa felt this gaze, slowly coming out of trance. Masha didn’t say anything. She just looked at Lisa and passed by. Lisa started to collect her stuff, slowly she put her books in the bag. Without looking at anyone, she went towards the door when she heard the teacher,
«Grades are your guarantee for success! Not some silly celebrations!»
Lisa got distracted and bumped into Denis, who just entered the classroom. He looked at her, then at the teacher,
«I came for my test.»
The teacher gave him a paper with the mark A on it. Denis grabbed it and hurried after Lisa.
The teacher sat at his desk, looking at the closed door after Denis.
«He thinks he can get away with anything, if his father…»
He looked out the window, then folded his arms, while leaning back on his chair.
Coming out of class, Denis saw Lisa walking the corridor towards Peter. He heard an SMS sound and looked at his phone – unknown number. He read the text,
«You disappeared so quickly yesterday… Coming today?»
Denis started to type «No», but erased it, without sending. He saw that Lisa and Peter started walking together. Denis threw the phone in his bag and quickened the pace.
What’s wrong with me?
«You heard? About Masleniza…»
«Would you stop with your celebration!» Peter held his phone in his hand. He was still red in the face after the conversation with his father regarding the B in math. «This interview is the most important thing!»
Peter almost cried,
«Honestly! We are talking about our future now! Celebrations?! Get serious!»
Lisa looked at him and sighed.
«Lisa!» Sveta ran towards them.
When she heard about Masleniza, she tried to cheer Lisa up,
«No worries! We’ll figure it out!»
But Lisa was sad. «Why do I always fail? Really! What’s wrong with me?», she ruminated. Her best friend Sasha started to hang out with a group of cool girls. They were always engrossed with their phones; often Lisa couldn’t even understand what they were discussing. When she told this to Sasha, her friend responded that it was Lisa who was weird. That nobody got Lisa’s ideas and that she was just embarrassing herself.
Sasha was not the only person telling her that. Lisa’s mom found her ideas weird as well. She also called it a fantasy, when Grandma said that Lisa had «a gift.»
Grandma! The only person who got her was Grandma. Lisa wanted badly to believe her. She told Lisa so many interesting things. How they celebrated Spring, Midsummer, the traditions of Harvesting times. Lisa’s face lit up when she thought of it. She wanted so much to make a big celebration as they did in earlier times. A huge happening, and to have someone to share this joy with…
«Hey! Let’s go to Roma’s Cafe!» suddenly Sveta said.
Lisa turned to her and smiled,
«Yeah! Let’s go visit him!»
«I’ve got no time!» Peter sounded irritated.
«Please!» Sveta jumped around.
«Ok – five minutes!» Peter already regretted that he gave in.
Roma’s Café
Roma, a sixteen year old kid, was making pancakes. He wore caps, a grey striped long-sleeved shirt, jeans and black apron. Roma put a pancake on a plate. He smiled, while painting on it with sauce. Then he grabbed the plate,
«On the house!» he put it in front of Sveta.
Sveta ate it at once.
«Mmm… delicious sauce!»
Roma smiled.
«Take it easy, man!» Roma leaned towards Peter. «You think she’d fancy you with this… face?!»
Peter jumped up,
«What? Look at you, dropped out of school! What would you know…?»
Roma looked at him in a thoughtful way,
