Moving to a new school is always stressful for a student, as it requires adapting to an unfamiliar environment, which isn’t always ready to welcome you with open arms. This step becomes even more challenging when it happens in the upper grades. For an outgoing and confident teenager, it might not seem like a big problem, but for someone shy and timid, the situation might seem almost hopeless.
Milana’s life changed drastically after her father left the family for another woman. Together with her mother, she was forced to move to a more modest dwelling in a different area of the city. Transitioning to a new school became inevitable: she categorically refused to stay under the same roof with someone who betrayed them both. The thought of communicating with her father or maintaining any ties didn’t even arise. His action was a betrayal not only in her mother’s eyes but in her own eyes as a daughter.
Milana couldn’t understand how someone could destroy a long-term relationship for a fleeting infatuation. Were the feelings that once connected her parents real? Or was it all just words, beautiful phrases without deep meaning? She firmly believed that true love does not allow one to so easily abandon one’s family, those who are dear to you. How can you betray someone you truly love? This question tormented her every day, intensifying the pain of what happened.
The class was tolerant: no one rushed to befriend Milana, but they didn’t openly bully her either. It was a decent start, and she decided to just wait out the remaining time until graduation exams. University lay ahead, with new people and fresh opportunities. In the meantime, she helped her mother, who managed to get a job as a cleaner at a small cafe near the school. After classes, Milana would go there to help with washing dishes and general cleaning.
However hard the girl tried to stay away from her classmates, one of them still caught her attention. Sasha Sokolov, the son of the school’s principal. He was so handsome that Milana often caught herself inadvertently following him with her eyes when he passed by. But as soon as she realized she had been staring at him for several seconds, she quickly looked away.
“Sasha is a bird of a different feather,” a girl from a parallel class once told her.
Milana opened her mouth to object but stopped herself and remained silent. Her feelings, apparently, were too obvious. Despite her not trying to strike up a conversation with Sasha, everyone clearly saw how she sighed when he was nearby. The smiles he exchanged with his friends seemed to enchant her, causing her to smile involuntarily in response.
The girl from the parallel class blocked her path:
“Did I make myself clear? My dad works as a deputy director at a large factory, so I’m a suitable match for Sasha. But you… darkie! Don’t even think about getting between us. I’ve been sticking to him for a long time, and you’ve just arrived here. Yes, you have a pretty face, but no prospects!”
The words hit hard, but Milana clenched her teeth and walked past. How could such foolishness be measured in eleventh grade? She had left such arguments in kindergarten and didn’t understand why someone still considered parents the main criterion for choosing a partner. Personal goals and efforts are what matter most, after all, life is not a perpetual dependence on others’ achievements.
One day, sitting in class before the lesson started, Milana began absentmindedly drawing in her notebook. Without noticing how absorbed she became in the process, she created a portrait of Sasha. But a sudden push from behind made her jerk, and the notebook flew out of her hands.
“What do we have here?” the local ringleader stretched mockingly, showing the drawing to the entire class. “Ah, it’s the Falcon! And look at those eyes he has! Who are you so in love with, Darkie?”
The nickname quickly stuck, and from then on, everyone called Milana that. She didn’t hide that her mom worked as a cleaner and saw nothing wrong with it. Every job deserves respect, and she knew how much effort her mom put into her work. Milana dreamed of finishing school sooner to at least start working part-time and somewhat ease her mother’s life. For now, she could only study and help after lessons.
“Well, aren’t you saying anything? Maybe the Falcon is really in love with you?” the ringleader continued to tease.
At that moment, Sasha himself entered the class, and Milana felt her cheeks flush a deep red.
“Give me my notebook!” she pleaded plaintively.
Instead, the boy handed it to Sasha:
“Look what one artist drew here. They say it’s you. And your eyes, it seems, have turned into hearts.”
Milana’s heart pounded as if it were a captured bird. The boy took the notebook, carefully examined the portrait, and smiled. Approaching her, he put the notebook back on the table and said:
“Dreaming isn’t harmful.”
The entire class froze, like spectators at a performance, waiting for the show to continue. Milana felt like an actress at the center of the stage, only the role was not what she had dreamed of. But the worst part was that Sasha approached her desk, casually settled on it, and, taking her by the chin, forced her to look him in the eyes.
“You’re Darkie, the daughter of a cleaner, and I’m the son of the principal! Feel the difference?” he sneered, as if it were not just a question, but an actual sentence.
Tears treacherously began to burn her eyes. Inside, everything screamed to run, but her legs seemed glued to the floor. If she ran now – it would only get worse. They would prove their power over her, and the taunts would never end. So she stayed in place, enduring the jeers of her classmates.
“You’re not my match, Darkie, sorry, it’s not meant to be… But you can keep the portrait as a memory,” he said.
With those words, Sasha returned to his place, and loud laughter erupted in the class, turning into hysterical howling. Only the arrival of a teacher stopped the chaos.
Milana sat motionless, although every cell in her body demanded an escape. She knew: showing weakness meant losing. No one should see her tears. She feigned indifference, as if their words and conjectures were irrelevant to her. But in the evening, in a stranger’s apartment where they huddled with her mother, she cried long into her pillow.
That day was a turning point. Milana decided never to allow herself even to think of addressing Sasha again. It didn’t work out – so be it. Now she clearly understood her place and her goals. But did he realize that today he was the son of a principal, but tomorrow everything could change? What’s the value of a school principal’s status? Yes, there might be power, but nothing special beyond that. The salary is average, if not for the additional “income” from parents who pay for high grades for their children. These are the funds that create an illusion of significance, but it’s temporary.
Milana shook her head. Her father also owned a chain of hair salons, but she never took pride in his successes. Her heart belonged to her mother, who had temporarily become a cleaner to provide them with a roof over their heads. Cleaning is an important part of everyone’s life, but somehow its value is almost never appreciated. They pay little, although the work is hard. The girl looked again at Sasha’s portrait in the notebook. Initially, she wanted to tear it up, throw it out the window, but then decided to keep it as a reminder of what people can be like.
Years flew by quickly, but the memory of that humiliation remained. The class began to treat her as an outcast. Jokes, laughter, sometimes even nasty pranks – it all became her reality. But Milana ignored them, considering such people unworthy of her attention. Eventually, they would surely understand how foolish they had been, but for now, it was best to move on.
After graduation, she found a job in a well-known fast-food restaurant chain. Her mom finally managed to get a part of the property after the divorce and found a new job. With that money, they bought a one-bedroom apartment, getting rid of the rent. Life slowly began to improve. However, there were difficulties with education – she didn’t score enough points for a government-funded spot. She had to think about a year of work and tutoring sessions before trying again.
Meanwhile, Sasha entered one of the best universities thanks to his father’s connections. His life seemed carefree, but only until he began squandering it. A debauched lifestyle, complete disregard for the future – it all continued until his father lost his job due to document problems. Without money and connections, the man became useless to anyone. Sasha then faced harsh reality: an uneducated specialist without experience is an empty place in the job market.
And then he remembered that “Darkie.” Bitter thoughts of how unfairly he had acted haunted him. Why, then, seeing his portrait in her notebook, had he been so scared? He feared mockery, the opinion of others. And now he had almost swapped places with her. After the principal’s position, his father got a job as a simple teacher in another school, earning a salary slightly higher than a cleaner’s. And Sasha himself…
Sasha couldn’t find an office job, and money was urgently needed, so he was forced to temporarily take a job as a loader. Just a week after starting work, they sent him to unload boxes at one of the exhibition studios.
“Damn, what’s inside, cobblestones?” the guy swore to himself, dragging one box after another. Workers around bustled about, unpacking the contents and neatly placing them on special stands. Suddenly, Sasha’s gaze caught on a young woman standing by the window. She looked thoughtfully out onto the street, and something about her appearance seemed familiar. When she turned around, there was no doubt left – it was Milana, the same “Darkie” from school! Only now she looked completely different – elegant, confident, like a true lady.
“Hello!” Sasha smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead and approaching her closer.
“Hello, Sasha,” Milana calmly responded.
“And how did you end up here? Incredible encounter! Maybe even pleasant…” he said, trying to hide his surprise.
“This is my exhibition,” she replied. “I drew well even in school, if you remember.”
Sasha immediately recalled his portrait, which had once caused so much ridicule. Now he felt awkward. He realized he should apologize for that incident, but the words stuck in his throat. Throughout his life, he was used to everyone around trying to please him, and asking for forgiveness was alien to him. The popular schoolboy faced the cruel reality of adult life.
Milana thought she had long forgotten about that humiliation in the class, but meeting Sasha again sparked the resentment as if no time had passed. Although she didn’t want to gloat, an involuntary smirk still appeared on her lips.
“Since we met so unexpectedly, maybe we could go to a cafe after work?” Sasha squinted, appraisingly looking at his former classmate, who now seemed completely different to him.
“You’re a loader, and I’m a successful artist… Feel the difference?” Milana coldly replied, using his own words from the past.
She didn’t want to hurt Sasha, but decided to demonstrate just how unpleasant it had been for her to hear something similar earlier.
“Touché!” he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “And still? Maybe we could take a walk? After all, we’re no longer in school. Besides, could your then crush on me just disappear?”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t accept it,” Milana cut him off. “My husband will be picking me up soon. So finish your work faster, please. I’ll sign where needed and will be closing up.”
Sasha sighed heavily. Sometimes fate really does play cruel jokes. He remembered his grandmother’s words: “Don’t spit in the well, you might have to drink from it.” He mentally cursed, realizing how wrong he had been at the time.
After finishing the unloading and getting the necessary signatures, Sasha headed for the exit. Next to the exhibition hall, an expensive foreign car parked, and he involuntarily slowed his pace. A handsome, self-assured man in a business suit got out of the car. He approached Milana, and they embraced. They truly looked like the perfect couple.
Sasha felt bitterness. The girl, who once seemed to him only an object of ridicule, had become a real Cinderella. But who could have thought that things would turn out this way? If he had paid attention to her earlier, perhaps their paths would have been different. Now, that moment was lost, and it could not be returned.