"Silence, please! We are about to announce the results of the Olympiad," the examiner says in a strict voice, rising from her seat.

  We all fall silent, waiting for the results to be announced. I can feel the tension hanging in the air.

  The room is so quiet that everything around me becomes blurry and dim, and a heavy, unexplainable sense of foreboding settles in my chest.

  The examiner pulls out several sheets of test papers. She holds them with a certain dignity, like a judge about to deliver a verdict.

  "To be honest, I am surprised by the results. Especially by the person who scored the highest," she continues, glancing at the paper.

  I am not ready for this. In my mind, I have already painted a picture of success: my classmates patting me on the shoulder, me proudly saying that I have done everything right. But instead, anxiety creeps in. What if I have made a mistake? What if it is all for nothing? And now I stand there, caught in the middle of an inner storm.

  "I personally check all the tests, overseeing the work of other professors, and they all unanimously confirm that the winner is Katrin Kamenskaya. Congratulations! You somehow manage to solve everything perfectly. Please come forward and collect your award."

  The examiner keeps speaking, but her words no longer reach me. In my head, there is only one thought: I lose. I didn't make it. I lose to a girl who does in half an hour what I can’t do in an hour and a half. She really aces the tests without any trickery, just as I have thought.

  Anger washes over me, at myself, my insecurity, my weakness. I could be proud of myself, but instead, I only feel pity. How does she, this girl who seems to have barely studied the material, beat me? Her daring look and carefree attitude — she wins! And I... sit there like a complete idiot.

  An intense, burning shame overtakes me. Everything I have done seems empty and foolish. I stand frozen, unable to tear my gaze away. I can’t understand how she makes it so easily, while for me, it becomes a real nightmare. Why is it so easy for her, and yet, no matter how hard I try, I still fail?

  The examiner's words sound like an echo. Katrin stands next to me, light and carefree, as though her victory is inevitable. She doesn’t even try to hide her joy. Meanwhile, I feel pathetic. I can’t believe I am so foolish to let myself get caught up in her game, in her crazy world where victory is trivial and joy is everything. Her win feels even more painful for me.

  I stay where I am, like a loser who can’t handle the most important game of his life. Her behavior is so unrestrained, like she doesn’t know any limits — it is a blow to my self-esteem. I can’t move to congratulate her, feeling completely overwhelmed.

  While I try to process my failure, Katrin doesn’t waste any time. She is always unpredictable, with every move breaking the conventions of normality. Katrin, as always, doesn’t hold back her emotions. She runs toward the examiner with wild energy, shouting, skipping up the stairs like a child at a party.

  "Yes! Yes, I knew it would be like this! Did you all see? Did everyone see?! Who’s the smartest in the institute?" she shouts like a champion on a podium.

  She hugs the examiner, kisses her on the cheek, catching the woman off guard. It seems nothing can stop this girl.

  The professor freezes, her eyes widening in shock, her face going pale. The reaction is so slow that I think she can’t believe what is happening.

  When Katrin finally pulls away from the professor, the woman still can’t figure out how to react. Katrin doesn’t notice, quickly turns to me, her eyes gleaming, and she smiles even more boldly than before. But Katrin doesn’t stop. She doesn’t realize how much she has shaken the woman with her behavior. She keeps acting as though it is perfectly natural to hug people, kiss them, and behave like a little girl who has just gotten her first toy. For her, it is as natural as breathing.

  "Thank you," she sounds as if she has won not just a test but an entire battle.

  She keeps jumping and laughing as though the whole world is spinning around her. I feel how much she is enjoying the moment, while I stand there, consumed by bitterness and disappointment.

  The examiner stands there, stunned, not hiding her astonishment. It is unexpected, but what can she say? Instead of being upset, she simply freezes, with a vacant stare, as if she has lost connection with reality. Her face expresses confusion. It is too surprising for her, and she hasn’t expected such carefree behavior from a student. It is clear that the woman has never expected a student to behave so boldly and shamelessly. But Katrin isn’t someone who will stop because of others' surprise.

  Katrin, however, isn’t planning to stop. She starts rummaging on the desk as if she is looking for something important, while everyone around her watches with curiosity. I remain a mere observer, feeling out of place in this spectacle. I don’t know when Katrin will finish her antics. She isn’t in any hurry to leave or be quiet, and I naively think her performance is over. But no. She always knows how to surprise.

  Finally, with a victorious look, she finds what she is looking for. She raises the results sheet like a trophy and smiles at me.

  "So, you, Nerd, got ninety-three. Study better next time. And I... well, of course, I got a hundred." She teases me with her success because she knows I can’t do anything about it. "Though they could have given me another ten points—this seems a bit too low."

  I can’t respond. All I feel is disappointment and confusion. My eyes can’t help but notice how the examiner, after taking the sheets, hands her the reward with slight regret, quickly finishing this strange moment and nudging her toward the exit. That sheet of results feels like a heavy burden, pressing on my chest. I feel another piece of respect for myself slipping away.

  And there she is—with the smile of a winner. So different, like a bright whirlwind, unbound by reality, able to laugh, to not worry, to not care. I hate her for that, but at the same time, I admire her carefree nature, her ability to move forward without even noticing obstacles.

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  When we step outside, the weight of defeat presses down on my shoulders. Katrin, with her award in hand, is glowing. Her face is like a bright light bulb, and her joy feels like a knife stabbing into my heart. It is unpleasant to watch how she radiates happiness, as if victory is something ordinary for her, just like any other moment. But for me, it is something much bigger—a defeat that I feel not just in my mind but in my chest, my stomach, in every cell of my body.

  I walk beside her, feeling resentment and frustration, barely noticing what is happening around me.

  Suddenly, she stops abruptly, without warning. I bump into her and feel my chest collide with her back. My body recoils, but I don’t have time to apologize because she turns around and smiles so brightly. The girl flashes me a peace sign. I don’t understand what she means, and I can’t find the strength to figure out her intentions. My thoughts are scattered, and I don’t immediately grasp the gesture. I think, for a moment, that it might be the Roman numeral five, but that is ridiculous.

  "That means two," she says with some sort of superior expression, as if I really don’t know what that means, as if I am a complete idiot, unable to understand even the simplest things. Although, as it turns out, to some extent, it is true.

  "Two what?" I don’t understand at all what is going on around me.

  "Two weeks. That’s how long my desire will last."

  I don’t know what to do with this. My inner irritation and confusion are growing like a snowball. It seems like she is constantly playing with me, leading me down a path where I don’t choose the direction but am obliged to follow.

  Her words hit me like hammer blows. How is this even possible? She knows I can’t refuse, but she keeps pressing, not giving me a single moment of respite. It feels like a trap with no way out. And I can’t do anything about it, and she knows it perfectly.

  "What? How many? Have you lost your mind?" my words come out as a reproach, but they no longer hold any confidence, only confusion and bewilderment.

  All I want is to rest quietly, step away from everything, but Katrin won’t allow me to. She has become like an obsession to me.

  "What do you want from me, Katrin?" I am tired of this struggle, feeling how my tolerance for her antics begins to melt away. I am no longer ready to play her games, but I can’t back down either. In her eyes, there is some elusive fire, and I know that once again I will be forced to choose: surrender or step back into her world.

  "Nothing special. I just want you to have fun. I want us to have fun."

  As soon as I hear her words, I understand that she is once again ready to pull me into her world of crazy decisions. A world where the rules change so quickly that I can’t keep up, and every decision she makes can turn into a catastrophe. It is a world that doesn’t suit me at all, but her magnetism keeps me there, despite my attempts to resist.

  I look at her with doubt. Have fun? I am almost sure that she is about to do something insane, and that it won’t bring me any joy. There is no trace of regret in her eyes, only cold certainty that I will take part in her game, whether I want to or not. What a strange definition of fun she has. I am afraid that her idea of fun might turn into a real nightmare, one that I will fall into every time I agree to her terms. Every step she takes feels like playing with fire, and I feel that sooner or later, I will get burned. But I can’t avoid it.

  "Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you. You can’t just study all the time. Sometimes you need to have fun too."

  "When do we start your fun?" I silently wish it will be over faster. I can’t delay the moment when I’ll have to fall into her web again.

  "In a week. You remember, from the 15th to the 29th of October — autumn break."

  Break is supposed to be a time for rest. But no, she is once again setting conditions that I can’t change.

  I can’t hide my displeasure, but she just smiles, as if this is the most natural and understandable plan for her.

  "Yes, but you said the fun would last two weeks. That means I’ll spend all that time with you."

  "Nothing bad will happen to you. And if you want to study so much, learn to balance."

  In any case, I find myself in her hands. And at that moment, I’m not sure I will be able to break free.

  "But if you’re a good boy, listen to me, and we really have fun, I’ll give you a gift."

  I almost choke on her words. A gift? What has she come up with this time? I am already bracing for something completely unexpected, but I hold myself together, trying not to let her see my confusion. Everything she says is wrapped up in promises that always turn into some strange game for me in the end.

  "What gift? What are you up to this time?"

  "I’ll grant your wish. You wanted to make me a wish if I lost. So, I’ll grant any wish of yours, but of course, you have to fulfill mine first. Deal?"

  "Alright," I agree, knowing that there is no other option. In that moment, I accept her terms, but deep inside, I am already preparing for the fact that the fun she promises definitely won’t be what I have imagined.

  If she fulfills my wish, it might give me a chance to regain control. Although, most likely, I have just agreed to her conditions. The more I think about it, the more doubts arise. Katrin never keeps promises without her own conditions. As soon as I agree, she is already preparing for the next step. I know her well — trusting her words is never a good idea, but maybe this time she’ll actually keep her promise. Despite my inner resistance, I decide I’ll be ready for whatever comes.

  "You really think I need your 'fun'?"

  She just smiles in response, but in her eyes, I see that unpredictability I fear once again.

  "You still don’t know what I’ve come up with," she says, and I feel how everything around me becomes blurry and unsettling again.

  you do?