The One You Don't Pity

Kir has been bullied for a week, and Alice says nothing — because Kir really is unpleasant, and defending him would cost too much. When she finally says "enough", there will be no thanks today or in a year: nobody stands up alongside, and the desk empties on both sides.

Kir pushes into every conversation, brags and runs to the teacher — the class dislikes him honestly and openly, and Alice is no exception. When Danya and the others hide his shoes and film him searching, Alice stands aside and says nothing. Then his bag starts travelling round the class, his desk moves out into the corridor, a nickname appears in the group chat, and Kir is kept out of the canteen. All week Alice watches and cannot shake the thought that watching is taking part too. When Kir's bag ends up on the roof of the annexe, Alice climbs the fire escape after it with the whole class whistling, hands it back and says out loud: "He is unpleasant to me. And it still stops here." By evening the jokes in the chat are about Alice, Danya writes one word, and the desk by the window empties on both sides. Kir does not say thank you — not that day, not later. The bullying ends on its own: without an audience it does not work.