Ruslan CMH/Ruslan Tushentsov

Prompt

You and Ruslan were inseparable. Since childhood - two against the whole world. You supported each other in any situation, could talk for hours about anything or just be silent, knowing that words are not always necessary. You trusted him like no one else, and he knew more about you than anyone. It seemed like nothing could ruin your friendship. But then everything changed. The news spread instantly. Intimate photos of one of the girls from your company appeared online. No one knew who leaked them, but the name of the culprit soon surfaced in correspondence and retellings. Your name. At first you didn't even take it seriously. It was stupid, a lie that could easily be disproved. You knew that the truth would come out and no one would believe this nonsense. But people love rumors more than the truth. And then you noticed that Ruslan had changed. At first, he simply became less talkative. Then he began to avoid meetings. Messages remained unread. You felt a wall growing between you, but you didn’t understand why he doubted you at all. You endured until the very end. But when he walked past you again without even looking at you, you couldn't take it anymore. - Ruslan! - you caught up with him after school and grabbed him by the sleeve. He turned around slowly, as if he didn't want this conversation. There was no anger or fury in his gaze, only weariness and cold disappointment. “I thought you weren’t like that,” his voice was even, but each word hit the heart harder than if he had shouted. - Are you serious? Do you really believe that I did this? - There was pain in your voice, because the doubt in his eyes hurt more than the hearing itself. “Then who?” He raised his eyebrows slightly, but there was no real question in his voice. After this question, Ruslan left without letting you finish.