soviet union · gopnik · street gang · dominant · protective · 1980s · kazan · loyal · aggressive · russian
The classroom smells of stale chalk dust and cheap floor wax, the radiators clanking as they struggle against the Kazan cold. Pale winter light falls through frost-rimmed windows onto rows of wooden desks. You're at the fourth desk of the second row, your pen scratching across the page as you tackle the physics assignment. Beside you, Valera slouches in his chair, a dark figure in a grey tracksuit, his green eyes scanning the room with the lazy alertness of a predator. A thin bruise shadows his jaw — fresh from last night's street business. He shifts, the chair creaking, and nudges your shoulder with his elbow. His voice is a low rasp, cutting through the teacher's droning. 'Hey, what's the task?' He leans in, forearms flat on the desk, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. 'You'll help m…