2

“Elka, if Leo finds out, we will get hit in the neck, both of us!” Dimitri watched his sister in the rearview mirror.

“He has nothing to learn yet,” the girl grumbled.

"I really hope you don't set me up." Nothing will happen to you, but they will let my skin down.

The car turned onto a country road and picked up speed.

- I know. But…” Elya tried to reassure her brother.

"Shhh," said Dimitri. Leo is here.

He stopped in a clearing and opened the passenger door.

A topless man jumped lightly into the seat. He was wearing only jeans that he hadn't bothered to button up.

Why does the car smell like a woman? Mit, did the woman roll again? He immediately began to reprimand. Leo slammed the door in annoyance.

- It was I who asked for a ride from a classmate, it was raining outside. Or is humanity also forbidden? Elya asked with a challenge.

“No,” the man replied. - Go. - He ran his hand over his face, wiping the drops and grimaced, examining his feet with adhering clods of dirt. “Vela won’t let her into the house like this.”

“And he’ll do the right thing,” Elya whispered.

— Do not forget, girl, you are talking to the elder.

Elya left the remark unanswered and turned to the window, watching the familiar scenery quickly change.

- I would like to visit my classmate, will you let me? she asked Leo.

“No,” he replied.

The older brother looked at Elya with sympathy.

“Listen, uncle, it's not normal to hide it all the time,” he said.

Nobody is hiding her. She studies, travels to the city, goes shopping, salons, what else do you need? Leo threw the last words over his shoulder, addressing his niece.

"Friends," Elya snorted. - I want to do everything that you listed at least once in my life with a friend, and not with security. Well, or with a friend and security.

The man shrugged.

“No, at least not until I find out who she is.

- Can I invite you over? Ella didn't want to give up.

- Whom? Leo asked lazily.

- My grandfather! Eli let out an annoyed expression. - Lilu! Odnogruppnitsu, which today brought up. I like her.

"She was bleeding," Leo remarked, and snorted at the smell in his nose.

There was no blood...

“I told you, sweet girl. Dimitri laughed out loud and Leo supported him.

“You are vile,” the girl blurted out quickly.

“These are instincts and nothing more,” the man explained, returning to brushing his feet, leaving dirty stains on the rug.

1.3

After sitting all night in front of the monitor, Lilya did not hear the alarm clock ringing above her ear. Round, old, creepy green, with peeling paint around the metal edge. Usually he was the only one who could wake her up, get her out of bed, but not today.

When mother woke up Lily, she found her old friend on the floor. Probably, she brushed it off with her hand or jumped off on crooked metal legs, desperate to wake her up.

“Mommy, what time is it?” Lily stated.

“Almost eight, if you hurry, you can catch the eight o’clock bus and arrive just in time for the first class.” The aroma of coffee and scrambled eggs wafted from the kitchen. - Wash up quickly, I'm already setting the table.

The woman rested her head on her palm and sipped her tea in small sips. She had just returned from her shift and looked terribly tired.

- Mammy, lie down. Tough shift? asked Lily, hurriedly chewing on a sandwich and washing it down with coffee.

- Yes. It seems that today the whole city wanted to be born into the world. Have you been painting again? - Mom yawned widely and looked with sympathy at the dark circles under the girl's eyes.

— Yes, I finished the order. That's it, Mom, I ran. What would I do without you! - Elya shouted the last phrase from the corridor, tying her shoelaces. “Thanks Mom, and bye.

The girl flew out of the entrance like an arrow, quickly breaking three floors. She jumped over a hole filled with rainwater in front of the entrance. She maneuvered between the scurrying pedestrians, who, as luck would have it, were in no hurry.

There were no more than a hundred meters to the stop.

Lily ran through a shallow but wide puddle, turning away from the spray flying from under the wheels past passing cars, and watched with bitterness as her bus was moving away.

- Stop! the girl shouted, hoping that the driver or one of the passengers would hear. — Wait! That's it... damn.

Some guy hanging wearily on the railing of the back platform, peering through the cloudy glass, gave her a sour smile.

“Now I’ll definitely be late, the next one will be only in twenty minutes. And why do we live on the edge of town? Normal people move closer to the center or, conversely, further from the hustle and bustle, outside the city. My family and I share these two worlds, ”Lilya thought, pacing around the bus stop.

- Lily, jump faster! Elya looked expectantly through the open door of the SUV.

You didn't have to ask the girl twice.

- Thanks. Overslept. She made herself more comfortable. “Good morning,” she finally thought to say hello.

- Kind. Rokotova smiled kindly. - Uncle drives well, we'll get there quickly. We'll also have coffee.

A man was driving the car. Their high stature and about the same build as Elya's brother betrayed their relatives. But unlike Dmitry, whom Lily met yesterday, the uncle of her classmate was laconic and gloomy. He did not react in any way to the greeting, and to her appearance in general. He abruptly moved into the left lane and continued to maneuver aggressively between cars.

Thanks for stopping by. Are you in a hurry? Lilya tried for the second time to strike up a conversation and thank her.

The man gave her a quick glance and lowered the window a little.

A very subtle hint, after which Lilya wanted to change her perfume.

“Uncle doesn’t like to be late, and because of me we were late,” Elya explained. The man chuckled and picked up speed.

“There are always cops around with radar,” Lily blurted out as she glanced at the speedometer.

- Would you like to say hello to them? I'll stop." The man snorted derisively.

- No thanks.

In mockery, he stomped the gas pedal.

“A smart man, but he doesn’t make a pleasant impression. Lily watched secretly. - A classic version of a powerful model: silent, beautiful face with a touch of arrogance and a mocking look. At the sight of such specimens, women turn their necks, seeing them off, and those who are weaker fall right at their feet.

The car swerved into a turn at speed and passed the patrol car. The valiant traffic police officers instantly lost interest in what was happening on the road, followed the SUV with a bored look.

“Now it’s clear why Elin’s uncle made fun of me,” thought Lily. “He clearly has a season ticket for violating the rules.”

“Sorry uncle,” said a classmate, climbing the stairs to the university, “he didn’t get enough sleep today.

Does he ever sleep? Lily snarled in response and immediately caught herself: “Sorry, El, I got excited. You helped me... Sorry again. She felt ashamed of her unrestrained emotions.

- It's OK. - Elya calmly reacted to the trick and dragged her friend to the coffee machine. He is used to being listened to without question. And if in a bad mood, no one dares to disturb. But you didn't know that. She smiled mischievously and selected a drink by pressing the button. “We can't wait for him to meet his mate and have something to do. Exhausted the whole hundred ... the whole family. Watch and educate, educate and watch. - Having drunk a greedy sip of coffee, she wiped her discontent from her face and asked with a smile: - And what kind of family do you have?

- Ordinary. Mom is a nurse, works in a maternity hospital, dad is on shifts to the north. Nothing special.

- Do you have any brothers or sisters?

- No, I'm one child in my family. - Lilya took the finished drink from the machine, and her friends hurried to class.