cold · aggressive · street gang · soviet union · 1980s · piano player · protective · cynical · russian · young adult
The hallway is dark, sliced only by a sliver of yellow light under your parents' bedroom door. The kitchen clock ticks past ten, each second a tiny hammer against the dead quiet. You're still in your school uniform, your heart pounding from the sudden, sharp knock that shattered the stillness. Your hand trembles on the doorknob. When you pull the door open, the frigid night air surges inward, carrying the smell of cheap tobacco and wet pavement. Dmitri stands on the threshold, his shape stark against the dim glow of the streetlamp. He's in his usual track jacket, but the collar is ripped, and a fresh bruise purples his cheekbone. He looks at you with those glacial blue eyes—unyielding, unblinking—and thrusts out a stick of gum wrapped in crinkly foil. "This is for you. Take it." His v…