"Shall we cut through the back streets?
"No, -Nikita said. –let’s go around.
"Are you afraid? -Jana said, looking right into his eyes.
"Of course not! -Meshkov started explaining –I just want to go the long way.
"Why?
Nikita didn’t want to say this word. He wasn’t thinking that way yet. But he could not say that he was afraid, like, “I cannot go there with you, because they may start running after me. I will get away alone. I will! But not with you…”
"I just want to spend more time with you.
"Really? -the girl really wanted to show her surprise.
“No!”
"But that yard has wonderful benches. If so, let’s go and sit for a while.
"No! No!
Nikita couldn’t think of anything else, and said in the most joyful way –
"Let’s go!
And added – “you live only once!”
Before sitting down, Nikita cleaned of the bench with his hand, and they sat down. They stayed silent. Nikita forgot about the girl at once. He was thinking about that day when they got away from the trashers. “I wonder if I can improve my result?”
It was surprisingly silent, it was that rare warm evening. No mosquitoes. No wind. But at the same time if a girl wants to be hugged by a young man, she has a motive to tremble a little bit with cold, and quietly push her shoulder against his. And if he’s not stupid –he will understand what she wants from him.
"Could you stay here for a minute? -Nikita said and only then realized that the girl was pressing herself against his shoulder.
"Why? - She said.
But quickly said - Sure, go if you want to!
"No, im… -Meshkov started excusing himself again, but then changed his mind. –I will be right back.
Meshkov came to the place where they started running from. He stopped. Closed his eyes. He was trying to remember every little detail… He even heard the wind in his ears. Then he decided to go around the route.
“We had the monkey here. We jumped over the fence, then the playground, it was fun –first jump on the bench, pushed away then the swing set, then landing and…” Meshkov stopped. Going towards the garages the same way that they had run, his head struck a thick wire, almost thick as a finger. The wire was rusty, and therefore, at that time of year, practically invisible.
“How did we avoid that?” - Nikita surprised, touching the wire. : That’s interesting! “ He looked around –everything seemed to be the same. In the corner of his eye he saw a very surprised girl. “She can wait,” -he thought angrily, and started speculating. “ Last time there was no wire. Lest we would have been in trouble. Especially Igor –he would get it right in the throat. Which means that it was put here recently. Now let’s think – why?” Nikita looked around again. “You cannot put dirty linen on it –it is rusty, and there is really not enough space… “ Then it struck him, and made him shiver. “Could it be for us? Not bad! Those trashers are not stupid…”
"Nikita! What is taking you so long? -the girl exclaimed. –you stay, I’m leaving.
Meshkov really wanted to say – “okay, bye” –and continue looking around the spot – maybe there were more traps –but he had to see the girl home.
“I will see her home and come back” –he decided, and ran back to Jana, who was already leaving.
"You’re strange, -she said deeply offended, - wanted us to be together, and started walking around instead.
"I’m so sorry, -Meshkov mumbled. Here really had no intention of talking about in. He had to sit down, and even a better idea was to go along the route, explore everything, and think about.
"It means, they are up for the challenge! - Nikita decided. – Very well! -he was strangely happy.
"Here we are, -Jan a said quietly, pushing her handbag against her chest.
"Oh, good! -Meshkov nodded, smiled wanly, and disappeared.
The girl blinked a couple of times, sighed, and stepped into the dark doorway.
"Spike! -his friends shouted.
"What?
"Get your Fucking wire away from that tree!
"Why? It bothering you?
"We keep forgetting about it! We’ve been going to the garages to take a leak for so many years! You put the wire -we have hit its full five times now. Think of another place –nobody needs it there. What’s more, nobody knows when these dorks will appear again.
"You’re kinda talkative Nelubin. The dorks will appear anyway, to claim their superiority.
Spike remembered once again, how the traceurs were running. “Where can I put it? That was a good spot. Aha! That is a good spot too!”
"OK guys, I’ll put it away.
Spike took the wire and put it into another spot.
I will run after them to cut them off here. – Spike decided and calmed down.
Nikita came to the corner of the house, and looked into the yard cautiously.
"Damn it! -he said. The same chavs were sitting on the same bench at their regular spot.
It is a good thing I miss them to day! His heart started pumping. There is no time to wait till they leave.
"Drop the straight!
"No, you drop your three pairs!
“They are playing something. I think it’s going to take a long time. OK I will see about their traps tomorrow."
“Where can I find money?” This question was ruining Meshkov’s life, like a 24/7 buzzer in his head. Meshkov even thought that all his senses were tuned to solving this problem. Every day he was looking at people who were counting money, he felt the smell of new Banknotes, here and there he heard the sound of coins falling, and the most disgusting thing was that taste of a coin that he was sucking as a candy when he was a little boy, until his mother gave him a good spanking.
“That is too much!” -Meshkov became afraid of his condition and started looking for the way out. What’s more, he never made it out with Jana. “ I don’t feel that way about her! -Meshkov cried to himself. Olya is different. I’m in love, -Meshkov realized. But what should I do with my infatuation?"
"Practice defines truth. If there is no practical result –it means you’re doing the wrong thing.
"And how can you find the truth in your life?
"It is quite simple. The first thing you need is to understand what you need. Then you must understand why you need that.
"Sounds like bullsh$t. I need a car. To drive it. What else?
"Where do you want to drive it?
"Ida know. Somewhere.
"That is where the truth lies. You just want to drive, but you don’t know where to drive.
"I will find out!
"Check it out! -Meshkov said when he saw Igor and Anton at school, interrupted a philosophic discussion. The chavs are getting ready to meet us! They have put their wire between trees, right here! -Meshkov took out a sketch and pointed with his finger. –I saw that yesterday when I was walking with Jana. Can you imagine that?
"Which Jana?
"She has nothing to do with it. I’m not going to see her again. I’m telling you about the wire!
" Fuck the wire! Which Jana? What about Olya?
"That was the topic of the second discussion that I had been planning to have with you. But I don’t know how you’re going to take it.
"That depends.
Meshkov hesitated, looking for proper words.
"We are OK, but we can be better.
"Continue, -Bekagaev said. –only it tell me what exactly do we have that is OK, and how we can improve it.
"Anyway, in the Internet I read that people who have harmony, live good lives. They are in tune with the universe, and things like that.
"So what?
"The fact is that harmony is possible only with proper relations between a man and ago.
"What the hell?
"Hold on, listen. – Meshkov was serious. – I thought that was crap, but then I thought about it, and I came to the conclusion, the lonely people are less lucky than those who are…
"That is why you broke up with Jana?
"That’s right! Because I understood what Olya means to me!
"You mean you want us to find girls? -Anton smiled.
"Exactly! And not just any girl, but the girls that we’re going to love.
"Sounds easy to you! You had a crush on Olya, then dropped her camera, took her number, and now you want to date her.
"By the way she also has Utel, and I will not be surprised if she has the parkour plan,
Meshkov looked away and kept silent for a while. –okay, forget it.
"You have been thinking about girls too much lately.
"What else do I have left in this life? Where living in such time, that everything had been imagined and stolen before us. We don’t have anything left. Everything had been described, all the films had been shot, all the chess games had been played, all the mountains climbed, the whole world discovered, even the Moon reached. If all the girls had been used, that would have been the end of the world!
"You want to be a discoverer?
"And you don’t? You’re happy with holding on to the railing and going where they take you?
"Look, I’m talking about the girls, and what are you talking about?
"The same thing.
"What about the wire? -Anton reminded.
"The wire! -Meshkov remembered. –the chavs are expecting us. And they have put the wire between the trees. We are expected to hit it, when we’re going to run away again.
"How we going to run again? -Igor was interested.
"Of course! Today! You must understand –we are not running away from the chavs! We’re running away from boredom!
"Do we need it?
"Of course! Look! -they are into our game!
"Come down, Nikita! This is life, and not a computer game! - Igor warned.
"Igor, by the way, what is wrong with your face?
"Bad luck! I was trying to get rid of the acne, - Igor mumbled.
"They say when you start living with a girl, the acne goes away.
"Do they know how to fight it?
"Stop laughing at me. The problem is, that nobody, not a single, even the most stupid girl, will agree to… With me, you understand.
"What, do you think so too? - Nikita asked.
"What, am I not alone? - Igor asked.
"I had such ideas.
"And me, - Anton supported Nikita, barely holding his laughter.
"So?
"So! It’s settled!
"You’re lying!
"Why?
"Because you have acne, and we don’t! Ha ha!
"Shut up! My mother’s calling, -Igor hushed, and got out his phone.
I’m so sick of his mother! -Anton whispered. –she calls every 20 minutes! The guy is finishing school, and she’s still nagging him. Yuck.
The Dummy took out his phone, read the text message, and laughed.
"That’s right! The proper guys finally got to me!
"What’s up?
The Dummy threw the cigarette on the ground, and read the message aloud-
"Please help me, my car crashed on the highway. I have no money on my phone. Please put a hundred on my account, I will get back to you. I owe you one. Sasha.
"What should I reply?
"Why you so happy? They think you are a dork! Set a meeting! Then they will have only two ways, either to go on a highway to smash the car, or answer to us!
Dummy’s expression changed, and he dialed the number, from which the message came.
"They are not Fucking picking up! I will write them something. Sasha could repeat that?
"Dummy. Did you make the catapult?
"Of course not! When what I find time? But have my knuckles with me. Why? -Dummy asked, writing the message.
"Just don’t blow it, and don’t turn around. The dorks are here.
The Dummy could barely hold himself from raising his head.
"Spike you’re a genius! How? How did you know the would show up? -he asked, wondering of Spikes ingenuity.
That is called psychology! Okay we speak on, as if nothing’s happening! C'mon, Nelubin, tell us something.
"Nikita, are you sure we want it? -Igor asked warily, when they were entering the yard.
"Of course, Igor! They put the wire, thinking that we will run that way again, and we will choose another way!
"It is kind of scary…
"That’s why we’re here, to get rid of our fears! -Anton said.
OK, code red, - Meshkov warned and everybody was silent.
"So, I’m going around the village, drinking beer…
"That story again!
" Fuck you, Dummy! Continue, Nelubin!
"So, I see a girl! Wow, such a nice girl, with such a dork! - I’m thinking. So, the passed me by, and I’m telling him –you got a cigarette? And he says –I don’t smoke. And I tell him –so you’re sick. You’re sick, and you’re with a girl. Why you, a sick person, need a girl? Leave the girl to me. So, you know that dorks don’t know how to talk, and to think –programs, devices, gadgets, etc. And the villages worse. The guy mumbled something, and said – do you know who ya are talking to?
"And I tell them –I don’t give a Fuck, even if you are an ET. The girl laughed, the dorks started seeing the world red, and charged as a bull! And then I hit him on the ears with my two bottles…
"That was a different story last time! -Dummy said.
So, -Spike whispered, - now we are looking at them in that car reflection, as soon as they are close, without a word, we charge, and drop them to the ground.
The traceurs were cautiously coming up to the chavs, that were sitting with bad backs to them, and were discussing something very lively.
"They’re sharing the loot, - Igor said, winking to his friends.
"I think they’re making some evil plans, -Anton said and he was not mistaken.
With cold eyes, looking forward to spilling some blood, all the chavs, as one, rushed to the traceurs. Only everyday training, combined with a muscle reaction and subconscious thinking, allowed traceurs to escape. The looming silence, the run, and the pumping hearts have united everybody for a moment –both the runners and the chasers. Meshkov mind was telling him about the route. Having overcome the first obstacles, he saw Spike running between the trees with a wire. Now he had an advantage of cutting the traceurs off the garages. “Where is the wire? “ - Meshkov surprised, but then he had another surprise –Igor who was a little bit in front of him, suddenly jumped into the air. “What kind of an element is that?” -Meshkov was surprised with Bekagaev. Then he got another idea –“that is not an element. That is where the wire now is”. Igor fell down and rolled on the ground covered in dust. It was all in slow motion from that moment. Not to step on Igor, Meshkov jumped over him, and stepped into the rake, that was lying on the ground. Jumping off instinctively, and splashing the blood all over him, Meshkov saw how Anton, who was very near the garages, spread his hands like Icarus, and then fell on the ground, the old leaves all over him.
He became conscious of the time again, when he realized, did they were being dragged behind the garages, out of sight.
"That’s it, grasshoppers. –Spike was speaking and trashing their pockets at the same time. You’re still too young to challenge us. You told me I was a trasher. Trashers rule! Don’t get into my way if you don’t have any money next time. I’ll hang you out to dry!
"What are you looking for? We don’t have any mobile on us!
"We don’t take mobiles from people we know, even a little bit, so don’t be too happy.
Spike belched loudly.
"If you decide to come here again, you better commit suicide before that!
If you go to the police –consider yourself dead! You will have the life of a post box – blue and hanging. –Dummy promised, and belched, too.
"They showed us didn’t they?
"Those suckers were prepared!
"We are the suckers! -said Meshkov, trying to clean the blood away.
"Why we? You! -Igor said angrily.
"Really, Meshkov, what kind of sketch was that? Everything turned out to be quite different!
"Igor! Anton! -Meshkov pleaded. –I swear! Yesterday the wire was where I had shown you.
"I felt we should not have come here again! OK, Nikita, we’ll get back to you later, -Igor bent over and threw up. –I think I have a concussion. Guys, help me to the hospital.
"I just don’t understand, Was I shot? Look at my back. –Anton asked.
"Holy sh$t! -Meshkov exclaimed, looking at his back.
"Wow! -Bekagaev said, playing with Meshkov.
"What is there? What is there? -Anton trembled. –tell me!
The boys laughed. Meshkov was holding his nose, and Bekagaev was trying not to throw up again.
"There is nothing. The shirt is intact. Maybe they just threw a stone?
"A stone? It felt like a bullet. Just burned me.
"You watch too many movies!
"A! -Meshkov exclaimed suddenly. –now I understand why you fell so badly! You thought you got shot, and you fell movie style. That was emotional!
They all laughed.
"We need to show these trashers, - Igor said silently, and threw up again.
"OK, Anton, let’s take Igor, and get him to the nearest ER. –Meshkov commanded.
"What are we going to say that the ER?
"We’ll tell them that we were doing some parkour, and made a mistake with the element.
"Nothing about the trashers?
"We really have nothing on them, we ran into the wire ourselves, we stepped on the rake ourselves, all ourselves.
"Listen, that Spike is not stupid at all!
- Who told you that all the chavs were stupid? However I have been thinking that way too.
"You know, girls, -Vitali turned to Sveta Pervushina and Sveta Ostanina, - I’ve seen so many times, and you probably, too, that when there is a new movie on, there are always some people who try to play like the main characters.
"So what? What movies? – said the girls with mocking interest, but continued polishing their nails. That was what Vitali wanted. He was talking into quite the different ear.
"After the Matrix for example, they started bying sunglasses and long raincoats, after the Night Watch, there came hordes of “others”, after the Lord of the Rings some hobbits showed up in the general census…
Meshkov raised his head and looked at Vitali, understanding that he was speaking about him. They have been at war for a long time – both handsome, successful young men, leaders by nature, both liked the same girls, and never wanted to step aside.
“What’s he drawing at?” – Nikita wondered.
"…and now we have the epidemic of people trying to copy such movies as “13th block” and “Yamakasi”. They call themselves traceurs, they study 2-3 saltos and jumps for 3 months, and then…
"They never know when to stop! - Panushev added. He always followed Vitali.
"Exactly! – Vitali said – and then they miss school after the concussion.
"Thanks God they were not watching the Spiderman! Would end up worse!
"Vitali mockingly expressed grief.
“What a joke!” – Meshkov thought, but decided not to enter the conversation. He’ll get to Vitali his own way later.
"By the way – where are Anton and Igor? – Vitali suddenly asked, looking around the classroom.
"They missed the school altogether today – Panushev said.
"I knew it! They are probably at home, thinking which DVD to watch : Yamakasi came out wrong, perhaps it would be better with the hobbits!
Meshkov was trying to find a proper reply to Vitali, but never found any. “Parkour is my life, but I need to improve my thinking, too” – Meshkov thought, crushed by his defeat. “By the way, where is Anton?"
"Anton, hello! I need your help.
"Hello, Gleb! What’s up?
"I heard you were a roof master!
"Perhaps not a master, but alike running the obstacles, and the roof is not an obstacle for me. Would you need?
"I need you, -Gleb said, -I need to throw a couple of things into the window from the roof –lipstick and a condom.
"That’s a good set! Why they needed?
"My girlfriend dumped me for one dork, and I want her to come back.
"To get the girl back? That’s one tricky way to do that, isn’t it?
"Doesn’t sound too funny for me, -Gleb sighed, -I’ve tried everything, there is only one way left –to play on her feelings. Will you help me out? The girls say, you do that very nicely, jump, run, and so on. They are fascinated by you…
"What girls? -Anton asked.
"You don’t know them, but if you want to –I will introduce you!
"I want to!
"It’s a deal. So, will you help me out?
"Okay, I will help you.
"But I need it now.
"I cannot do that now. I’m going to school.
"Well, miss one day. What are you, going to die, if you miss one day of school?
"Do I need it?
"I need it, Anton! Really! Help me out, I’ll get back to you! You know me!
Anton had his doubts –on the one hand, it was not a good idea to miss school in the last days of the school year, on the other hand, it was very pleasant, that people were already talking about him, and the girls would be even more fascinated, if he helped Gleb!
"Is it a new condom? -Anton asked.
"It is new, but before you throw it, you will open it, and spit.
Anton was interested by Gleb’s interesting approach to winning the heart of the girl, and he agreed.
"You’re great, Anton! -Gleb was happy. – The most important thing now is to find the correct moment!
"And how long are we going to look for that moment?
"I cannot say exactly, -Gleb hesitated, -It’s all about opportunity’s –maybe we shall wait for a couple of hours, and maybe not. The most important thing to remember is that fate favors the brave.
"Okay. What is the plan?
"The plan is really simple, -Gleb insisted, -I will tell you while we’re going to her place.
The plan was really simple. The girl, whose heart Gleb wanted to win back was going to come back from the business trip. Her current boyfriend –a complete dork, according to Gleb, -was staying in her place, probably to take the dog for a walk, and water the flowers. Today, when they were going to take the dog out for a walk, they will open the bedroom window, to air the room as usual. The window was right between the two apartment blocks, so it would be quite easy to throw anything into that window, while standing on the roof.
Then Gleb would step in. But Gleb promised Anton that he would later tell him what he was going to do.
Hardly had Anton finished the beer, that Gleb had bought to mark the occasion, when the happy couple went out of the doorway, and went out for a walk, leading a little dog of an unknown breed on the leash.
"That’s it, Anton! Get up on the roof, throw it in, and wait for my call at the attic, -the building had the fire ladder, and Anton and Gleb didn’t have to break into the attic door to get up on the roof.
"I turned my phone off, for the school not to call me.
"Take my sim card! I will call you from an unidentified number. Don’t answer the rest!
"Okay! - Anton changed the sim card, ran to the fire ladder, and trying to look nice, quickly got up to the roof, and went to the gap between the two adjacent buildings. When in position, Anton stepped over some wires, went down to the edge of the roof, and looked into the window. The wind was playing with the curtains, and did not allow Anton to peek inside. Great, because of those curtains, lipstick might not get into the room, -Anton thought and looked at Gleb. Meeting his eyes, Anton saw Gleb wave in anticipation. Lifting the finger, telling Gleb to be OK, he took out the lipstick, aimed, and threw it into the window. Showing OK again, Anton turned around to go into the attic. But then the phone rang. “Number is blocked”. Anton picked up.
"Anton, what about the condom?
"I forgot! -Anton smiled, took out the condom, rolled it on the roof a couple of times, removing the lube, spat inside, and crawled back to the edge. “The wind is too strong, - Anton thought”. He was waiting for the wind to subside. At the right moment, Anton threw the condom, but the wind picked it up, and blew it past the window. It got caught by the drainpipe.
" Fuck! -Anton looked at Gleb. He saw everything. The phone rang.
"Its okay! Go to the attic. The lipstick should be enough. I know her.
"What about the condom?
"I’m telling you, the lipstick should be enough. The condom was like an option. Thank you! Wait for my call, as we had settled.
"OK, I’m waiting!
Anton went to the attic and smelled the unpleasant odour of pigeon turd. “How long should I be sitting here I wonder?”
Without letting the couple out of his sight, Gleb texted the message –“honey, I left my lipstick at your place yesterday, see that your hag doesn’t use it. Your sweetie.”
"Here you go! Catch it! - He said, and sent the message.
The guy let the girl go, and reached out for his phone. Then he read the message and looked very surprised. The girl became interested about the message, and read it over his shoulder. She picked up the dog and ran back home. The guy was running after her trying to explain something!
"That’s right! It worked! -Gleb was happy and hid behind the trees.
"Anton, it’s me!
"Hello again. So how are we doing?
"Everything is good. Just as expected. Now the last request, and that’s it! I owe you one!
"C'mon! -Anton was pleased to hear that, and he smiled shyly.
"Now get to her window, but from another side, for you not to be seen, and try to listen, what they are talking about.
"Are you crazy? What am I going to hear?
"Be cool! I know that girl! If everything is by the plan –even im going to hear it at the other the end of the yard!
"OK. – Anton got out on the roof and swore. It started to drizzle. At the age of the roof, he looked at the metal wire, made sure that it was not live, got hold of it and shuddered at the sound of it hysterical girly voice –
"Who was here? What were you doing here? Whose lipstick is that? You don’t know? Who sent this message? And what did she mean by your place? It’s my place, thanks got! Get out of here! I don’t want to see again!
The guy mumbled something. There was a short silence, then everything started again and at a higher voice –
"You bastard! And he’s telling me that nothing had happened! What are you talking about! And hope would throw that condom out of the window if nobody lives above us? Spiderman, maybe?
Anton winced. Then he heard the window shut and he couldn’t hear anything else. That’s it! My part is done! I’m going down. Not slipping on the slippery roof, he went to the fire ladder and started going down. Having relaxed a little bit, as it usually happens when your mood goes up, he missed the step, his body yanked to the side, and his fingers let go. When Anton got hold of the ladder again, it turned out, that he had flown two floors down. In a moment the pain came, the pain in his legs and his hands. Through the pain, he got down and sat on the wet concrete, his back to the house.
"A –a – a! -he could only say in a low voice. “How?” The phone rang and he had to pick up.
"Where are you?
"I’m here, at the fire ladder.
"Come to me!
"I can’t! My stomach hurts, -Anton lied. –you come to me.
When Gleb came, Anton got up, and tried to look as a person who wants to go to the bath room, and not to bed. Having told Gleb what he had heard on the roof, Anton gave back the sim card, said goodbye and went home.
“Now I have a good reason not to go to school –I will tell them that they got run over by a car. Only a blind person would not believe me”.