The Unexpected Ending of a School Night: What Life Was Like for the Class’ Top Student
Thirty years after graduating, former students gathered in an elegant restaurant to reminisce about their youth, share a glass of champagne, and see who had the best luck. For many, it was an evening of vanity, expensive clothes, glittering jewelry, and tales of success.
When Vera Pugaeva appeared in the room, some of her former colleagues immediately returned to their old habits.
« Oh, what a meeting! » Igor exclaimed, rising from the table and spreading his arms wide. « Verka Pugaeva! How on earth? I thought you didn’t go to restaurants like that. »
“Hello, Igor,” she replied calmly.
She was a slender woman with a thin ponytail held back with a black velvet elastic. She wore blue jeans and a brown turtleneck. Her greeting was brief, without overstated emotion, as if she had long been prepared for this tone of conversation.
« And we were just guessing where our Pugaeva had disappeared. Our Scarecrow, » said Sasha Pyatakov, tall, ruddy, and still as pleased with his own jokes.
Vera remembered that smile well. She also remembered the nickname that had haunted her throughout her school years. « Scary » was Pyatakov’s idea, and then almost everyone repeated it. From fifth grade until her final exams, she was not Vera, but an object of ridicule.
In class, as often happens, one person was chosen on whom they could unleash their malice with impunity. That person was Vera. There was no solidarity, no attempt to defend herself. The boys laughed, the girls laughed. And she learned to remain silent.
Meeting after thirty years
That evening, former students came not only to reminisce about their school days. They also wanted to show off their achievements. The women wore their finest dresses and jewelry. Ola Sokołów’s ears sparkled with small diamonds.
« Ola, you blinded me! You were a beauty, and you stayed that way, » Igor marveled, looking at his first school love. « But that Slavik of yours was lucky. »
« Of course he did, » Ola replied, pushing her hair back so her earrings were more visible. « He didn’t hesitate like you, so he got a beautiful wife. Did you see the red car in front of the entrance? »
– Your?
— New Audi model.
The conversation quickly turned into a success story. Ivan Zotov mentioned that he would be picking up a new car next month. Pyatakov boasted about his family, his daughters, and his move to a new house in a suburban neighborhood. Liza Ignatieva, a former high-class beauty and beauty salon owner, was primarily interested in expensive real estate and the places where the « elite » lived.
« Jurek and I are also looking at a house in that neighborhood, » she said, twisting a diamond ring on her finger. « He wants to give me a birthday present. But they don’t let just anyone in there. »
Pyatakov burst out laughing.
« Life has arranged everything, hasn’t it, Scarecrow? » he suddenly turned to Vera. « You were the best in your class. Error-free dictations, memorized classics, tangents, cotangents… And what now? Nothing. No car, no family. »
“Nothing,” Vera replied quietly.
She wasn’t going to explain herself. She sat quietly, listening to people who clearly hadn’t changed as much as she wanted to believe.
Old wounds resurfaced at the table
“Vera, where do you work now? In the library?” Liza asked with a smile that held more superiority than curiosity.
— Why in the library?
« Because, as always, you look like a librarian. You looked the same at school. »
— I studied to be a food technologist.
“Cook!” Pyatakov exclaimed with his mouth full. “You’re a bit too skinny to be a cook.”
« I’m not a cook, » said Vera wearily. « Chew first, then speak. You’ll choke. »
« Don’t worry. We have a doctor at the table. Vanya Zotov will save me, right? »
Ivan, now head of the surgical department, looked at his former colleagues with obvious dissatisfaction.
« I might not save you either. Depends on how you choke, » he replied coldly.
Pyatakov kept joking. He raved about the food, saying it was impossible to get into this restaurant because reservations were made three months in advance. Liza proudly explained that it was her husband who « somehow secured » a table at the best restaurant in town.
« If it weren’t for me, there’s no telling where we’d be sitting right now, » she announced. « Probably over some shashlik at Uncle Karen’s. »
Vera remained silent until Igor recalled his most painful memory.
« And we thought you wouldn’t come. We collected a considerable sum per person. I remember you were always short of money. You didn’t give on Women’s Day, you didn’t give on Teachers’ Day. And remember when she stole a roll from the cafeteria? They publicly scolded her at assembly later. She almost got kicked out of school. »
“Mom died five years ago,” Vera said quietly, as if looking through him.
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