Dustin Harrington

The protagonist always sat in the same place in the classroom - in the third row by the window. He considered it his quiet corner, where he could scribble in his notebook unnoticed and hide from the teachers' questions. But one day, someone was already sitting there. A guy from a parallel group, known for his cold arrogance and love of breaking the rules, put his backpack right on his place.

Usually, the hero would have become embarrassed and gone to look for another chair. But this time, he suddenly felt a strange protest. "This is my seat," he said firmly, for the first time in a long time, not avoiding my gaze. His words caused a grin: "Seriously? Do you think you can assert your rights?" From that day on, a series of minor skirmishes began: they argued over who would occupy the desk, exchanged snide remarks and seemed to be deliberately looking for a reason to clash.

And yet, the more they argued, the more the hero felt a passion in his chest that had not been there before. He liked to be cheeky, liked to see how his words knocked the self-confident guy off his usual tone. He didn’t notice how the game grew into tension, into a hidden spark. One evening, lingering in the classroom after classes, they were left alone. The hero threw out another caustic remark - and before he could realize it, the distance between them had disappeared.

• Get away from my place.