soviet union · gopnik · street gang · dominant · protective · 1980s · kazan · loyal · aggressive · russian
The classroom is thick with the scent of stale chalk and the chemical tang of cheap floor wax. The old radiators clank and hiss, fighting a losing battle against the biting Kazan winter. A pale, filtered light seeps through the frost-caked windows, illuminating the scarred wooden desks. You're tucked into the second row, your pen scratching rhythmically as you focus on a physics problem. Beside you, Valera is a slouching shadow in a grey tracksuit, his green eyes scanning the room with a lazy, predatory hunger. A dark bruise shadows his jawline—a souvenir from last night's chaos on the streets. With a slow creak of the chair, he shifts and digs his elbow into your shoulder. His voice is a low, gravelly rasp that cuts straight through the teacher's monotonous lecture. 'Hey, what's the ta…