So, these school holidays ended. The grandfather gave my mother enough money to buy everything necessary for the school, but she carefully distributed money and bought clothes and shoes for everyone in the family.
A new academic year has started. Good heavens! How many pupils there were in one place! In my school, there were only sixty – four students and here – more than a thousand pupils. I studied at the secondary economic school “Mileva Vukovich” in the town of Pecs. The children of different ethnic groups studied here together but at my grandfather’s place there were only Montenegrins. The first day passed without incident and in the next day classes were formed. There were thirty – three boys and girls in my class. There were Serbs, Montenegrins, Muslims, Croats and Gypsies. In other classes Albanians and Gypsies were trained in the Albanian language. All this was new for me and due to this everything was interesting. There were a lot of girls of my age. Everyone was beautiful in their own way. New, unknown feelings opened up in my soul. I was modest, but noticed that it’s nice to be friends with girls from my or other classes. I did not know how to behave with them, but they themselves wanted to be friends with me. Never before I fell in love, but now this feeling has taken possession of me. All were my friends and I loved them in a friendly way. I was ashamed to ask any of them if she wants to become my girl. Probably they were in the same situation. So, passed the days and at one time Tanya, the girl with whom I was most friends, asked:
“Miki, may I sincerely ask you something?”
“Tanya, of course you can ask.”
“Can you really tell if you like Bilja?”
It seemed that my heart was beating in my throat. I was afraid to let slip. I felt like a fish thrown ashore. How she could feel that I like this girl most of all. My lips were sealed, but she understood it in her own way:
“Miki, if you do not like her you can openly tell me about it, and I’ll tell her.”
“No, Tanya, I think very highly of she, but this question is unexpected for me.”
“Miki, I talked to her about you. She said that she likes you and she is well disposed towards you. “
Again, my heart began beating like mad.
“Make approaches her and she will want to be friends with you.”
I lowered my head and mulled over in panic.
“Miki, what are you thinking?” Tell me honestly if you do not like her.”
“That’s not the point, Tanya. I swear that I like her.”
“Why do you not court to her?”
“Tanya, I would court, but I do not know how to do it. I never courted and no one taught me how to do it. “
She laughed heartily. And I felt myself uncomfortable while she continued to laugh. Then she raised herself on tiptoes, hugged and gave a kiss on my cheek.
“My dear friend, you do not know how to court, but they say that you are frozen up.”
I was surprised. Who dared to say that?
“For the first time, the most girls were very nice to you, but when there was no attention, not a single good word from you, they retreated and began to say that you are impregnable. None of them knew that you could not court” – she laughed again.
“It’s easy for you to laugh, because you do not think what I feel!”
“Miki, it’s that simple. Just tell her: Bilja, may I ask you something? She will tell you – ask or of course. Then you tell her: I can tell you that you are a very beautiful girl and I like you at first sight. I would be very happy if you agree to become my girlfriend. She will agree and then you will meet and walk together.”
I did not believe my ears. Is it possible that one has to say only a few such words? I decided to try these beautiful words right away. I came up to Bilja and repeated word for word as Tanya had said. She agreed confirming with a trembling voice. We began to meet. I do not know how it was for her, but for me it was very cool and I kept thinking about her every time. We went together everywhere. We laughed and rejoiced at everything that surrounds us. A couple of days later Tanya came up to me and reproached me:
“Miki, I see how you pull together and love each other. I see that you are always together and happy, but I’ve noticed that you never hug or kiss her.”
She brought me to a stand again:
“Tanya, believe me, I did not know that this should be done, although I wanted to do it many times.”
She laughed again. After her advice, I embraced and kissed Bilja many times. This, obviously, irritated those who liked her. One day a guy from a parallel class came up to me. I was little acquainted with him:
“Hey, who are you?”
In the brain I felt the signals that until this moment were unknown to me. The impulse of danger signalized to me as if someone pressed the button of a siren. I felt that behind me appeared four more people. I had a premonition in my brain that they were going to beat me, but I had not fought anyone in my life yet.
“You’ve stolen the girlfriend of my best friend and now you’re walking around with her at school!”
“ Do you hear, buddy, I did not cut out anyone with his girl,” – I tried to explain seeing that all the explanations would be in vain and they intended to force me into a fight.
They counted on a numerical advantage and that’s why they had confidence in themselves. Bilja ran to me and stood between us.
“Listen, you scoundrel! – She bawled out to someone behind of my back. – You think you could me force to meet with you? It is not happening! What is he guilty of? Do you want to beat him because he is better than you? You lionize yourself, you knocked the strongest gang together in school and you think you can do what you want now!”
This guy, behind my back, grabbed her hand and started to laugh.
“Now you will see, babe, what will happen to your lover – boy. He will beg you to leave him and walk with me, when we give the stick.”
I saw a huge mass of students who surrounded us and waited for what would happen next. Many had fear in their eyes. From somewhere appeared another trio and took the side of my opponents. I was alone against everyone. And then, somewhere between these students, I saw my grandfather. His words sounded clearly in my brain. “Do not be afraid, no one can do anything to you. Use consciousness and let everything look as if you are fighting with them and I will be with you and hold this fight.”
He disappeared. Bilja tried to slap someone who held her hand. But he turned her hand and she cried out in pain. It became a sign to begin the shoot – out. The guy standing in front of me swung to hit me in the face and the others moved to my back. I stepped aside and do not know how I pushed him away from me. The encounter with his friends standing behind me was very strong. He and two others fell to the ground, seriously damaged. The other four surrounded me while their leader continued to join hands with Bilja, who wanted to help me. He turned his hand even harder and she screamed again. Now I had to help her. I sent consciousness to the opponents to the left and right of me and ordered to attack me. They moved. The both swung with a force. It looked like I was gone, my body suddenly appeared on the ground, and they collided with each other, as if they were the worst enemies. They stopped as if dumbfounded and then, under my influence on the mind, they started beating each other. I left the sphere of their interest. Then the remaining two have engaged. They saw that they could lose the battle and one of them pulled out a knife and the second the chain. The ringleader pushed Bilja to the ground. Some of her friends including Tanya hurried to help her. Then the leader moved to help his friends. He shouted at the two of them who was beating each other, but they did not listen to him. Also, they could not do it, because I controlled their consciousness. The three who first fell, were now ready to continue the fight. There were six of them against me. Their leader ducked his head, raised shoulders and ripped towards me. I had to hit him. Otherwise he could bump my stomach. My fist hit