Nina flung open the school’s front door and entered the long corridor, where the light from daytime lamps created a sense of monotonous greyness. Early spring was outside, but the sunlight had not yet penetrated this academic sanctuary. For Nina, this school year, finishing the eleventh grade, was particularly tough. Her classmates excitedly discussed novels, future plans, and beautiful outfits for the graduation party. She, on the other hand, stood silently aside, feeling like an outcast.
Ever since first grade, Nina had been nicknamed «the pauper.» The boys constantly joked that she wore hand-me-downs and «fed on crumbs.» The girls, more sophisticated in their teasing, said Nina was «poor» and would surely be poor all her life. In the lower grades, she tried to fight back, to argue or fight, but it was all in vain: the parents of the other children were wealthy, buying their daughters fancy dresses, shoes, and gadgets. And Nina… she only had one skirt for special occasions and jeans from second-hand stores.
«Graduation is like a holiday for princesses,» the girls from her class would say from time to time. Listening to all these discussions about dresses worth tens of thousands of rubles, Nina felt pain. She imagined herself attending the graduation in old sneakers and a short dress, which everyone would laugh at. Just a week ago, a classmate, Masha, sneered in front of everyone: «So, Ninka, begging the headmistress for money for graduation again?» And the class burst into laughter. Nina then grabbed her textbook and ran out of the class to keep from crying.
This brought to mind a scene: in first grade, her parents bought her a beautiful pink dress with curls and bows, thinking their daughter would shine at the lineup — but just a day later, the boys spilled some paint on the hem, and the girls said, «That dress is cheap.» Her mother then said, «Honey, don’t cry, we’ll buy a new one,» — but it never happened: there wasn’t enough money, as her father had just started a new job, and her mother needed to pay off a loan…
Now, in the graduating class, the teasing and bullying not only continued but became harsher. The teachers tried to ignore the bullying: «The kids will sort it out themselves.» But this made Nina feel increasingly oppressed. On one such day, she couldn’t take the insulting words from several classmates and ran away in tears, missing half the lessons.
Returning home, she faced another nightmare: her father, who had recently lost his wife, had finally succumbed to alcohol. He sat, surrounded by empty bottles, muttering incoherently to himself. Seeing Nina, he just managed to say, «Why so early? Aren’t there lessons…» — and then he buried his face in the TV again. Nina sighed heavily: «Dad, we can’t keep going like this. Mom wouldn’t have wanted you to…»
But her father seemed to hear nothing, or perhaps he didn’t want to hear. Nina carefully gathered the bottles, took out the trash, aired the room to get rid of the stench, and sat down at the table, rubbing her eyes. «How could everything go so wrong?» she thought, recalling the past when her mom was alive and her father made plans. But an unexpected illness took her mother away, leaving the daughter and father alone with poverty and grief. Later, when her father sobered up, Nina tried to tell him about her problems: about the graduation, the taunts from classmates, the desire to look decent at least. But he just sighed, pressing his temples: «Nin, sorry, I have nothing… and who are you trying to prove anything to?» Saying this, he seemed to shut the door — he wasn’t planning to help. Nina felt bitter: «Dad, I’m not asking for much, just some moral support, maybe?» But he couldn’t give her anything — just said «Everything will be okay» and went to sleep.
At that moment, Nina put on her jacket, went outside intending to take a walk so as not to cry in front of her father. Near the entrance, she bumped into a neighbor, Inna Romanovna, who knew their family and sympathized. Seeing Nina’s tear-filled eyes, she asked, «Having a tough time again, huh? How can I help?» But Nina just shook her head: «Thanks, I’ll figure it out.» Then the neighbor suggested, «If you want to earn a bit, there’s a hospital looking for janitors…»
Nina decided to work as a janitor at the local district hospital in the evenings. The money was small, but it was better than nothing. In the mornings, she went to school, endured the taunts, and then, closer to evening, put on her work uniform and cleaned corridors, wards, washed floors, and took out the trash — all secretly from her classmates. «I’ll surprise them,» Nina told herself, rubbing her bloodied palms. Her body ached from fatigue, but she imagined buying a nice dress, beautiful shoes, doing her hair, and showing up at graduation, making all her tormentors burst with envy!
At school, of course, rumors spread: someone noticed Nina heading to the hospital in the evenings. A few times, they yelled after her: «Hey, Ninka, what, the pauper went to mop floors, huh?!» But Nina just clenched her teeth harder. She wanted to prove that she wouldn’t give up.
Once during a break, Svetlova — a beautiful and very wealthy classmate, one of the main «queens of the class» — approached Nina. Svetlova snorted: «Listen, pauper, planning to show up at graduation in a janitor’s robe?» And she shoved her shoulder. Nina flared up: «I don’t care what you think. I’ll be at the graduation, too. Maybe I’ll even get the prom queen crown!» Svetlova gasped, then burst into laughter: «You? Queen of the prom?! I’ll crush you like a bug!» But Nina crossed her arms over her chest: «We’ll see.» And walked away.
In the following days at the hospital, an interesting incident occurred: Nina, sweeping the corridor, saw a little boy who had fallen off his scooter at the entrance, crying. A nanny was with him. Nina helped her calm the child, treat his abrasions. The tired woman inadvertently blurted out: «The boy’s mother is always busy, the father too, I’m alone here… What luck that you helped.» Nina shrugged: «It’s nothing. I hope the boy heals quickly.» — «Of course,» replied the nanny. «If only he had such a kind sister like you…»
Nina, putting away the mop, thought: «I’m just a janitor, but apparently, I can still do something good.» Subsequent events showed that her help was not in vain — her kind actions would echo back.
One evening, returning from the hospital almost at midnight, Nina was surprised to find no stench of alcohol in the apartment, her father sitting clean-shaven, flipping through newspapers. «Nin, I want to apologize,» he said, looking up. «I understand, I fell into an alcohol pit after Mom’s death, but… I see how you’re fighting for graduation, trying to prove something. Sorry for not helping. I want to make amends.» Nina felt warmth in her chest: «Thanks, Dad. I hope everything will work out.» He smiled sadly: «Let’s think together about how to buy you a dress? I’ll come up with something.»
It was incredible: the father, who had been lost in drunken days for months, suddenly decided to help his daughter. Nina was moved, but afraid to believe that it was for the long term. Nevertheless, he managed to get a seasonal job repairing entrances, and he brought home the first earned money. «Here, take it for the dress,» he said, handing over a modest stack of bills. Nina almost cried, but nodded.
Days flew by quickly: exams, school hassles… Graduation was relentlessly approaching. Nina had already saved enough money for the dress, part of which was given by the mother of the boy she once saved (it turned out, his mother learned about her help and passed an envelope through the nanny «for a good deed»). Nina hesitated, but eventually accepted, seeing it as an opportunity to fulfill a dream.
And suddenly, the father remembered that he spent his youth dancing in an ensemble and offered Nina to practice waltzing for the graduation. In the evenings, they turned on soft music, the father smiled, holding her hand: «I would have done this earlier, daughter, but sorry that it’s only now.» Nina stepped awkwardly at first, but gradually learned to hold herself gracefully. She felt joy at her back: although late, her father was returning to life.
Graduation night arrived. The school shone: balloons, flowers, crowds of dressed-up kids. Nina stood at the doors of the festively decorated hall, feeling a tremor in her chest: she was in a beautiful dress, light blue, with a small tulle overlay. The heels weren’t too high, but elegant. Her father appeared next to her, in a suit ironed as much as his modest budget allowed. «Here we are, daughter,» he said.
They took a step, and a whisper swept through the hall. Everyone who had previously teased Nina as «the pauper» literally froze, recognizing in her a magnificent young woman: neat hairstyle, posture. «Is that… Nina?» the girls whispered. And a classmate, standing next to Svetlova, murmured: «Wow…»
Svetlova grimaced as if someone had taken away her puppy: she had expected to be the main star, but now the attention was captivated by Nina. The planned vote for «Prom Queen» suddenly turned into a question: «Who’s against Nina?» For she shone, despite all previous taunts.
Just an hour later, after the ceremonial speeches, the voting results for «Queen» were announced: the host took the microphone and said, «By almost unanimous decision, the crown of prom queen is awarded to… Nina!» The hall applauded, including the teachers who secretly admired this girl’s resilience. And Svetlova, unable to contain herself, threw a malicious glance and stormed out, not accepting defeat.
Nina danced the waltz with her father and almost cried from happiness. «It’s a pity Mom can’t see this,» she thought, but felt that perhaps her mother saw everything from somewhere above. Classmates, forgetting all their malice, came with congratulations: «Congratulations… You’ve changed wonderfully,» «Sorry if we ever hurt you.» Some girls tried to justify themselves, but Nina just nodded amiably, not wanting to rekindle past grievances.
Soon Igor, the father of the boy she once helped in the hospital, approached her. He was on good terms with Nina’s father, it turned out. Igor also decided to support Nina, giving her a beautiful bouquet of roses. Nina was embarrassed: «Why so much?» And he: «Just wanted to say thank you for your kind deed.»
The fairy-tale night flew by. Nina realized that everything was changing: ahead were college, new opportunities, and most importantly — she had managed to stand firm in this school, without degrading herself or backing down.
Three years after graduation, Nina was studying at college, planning to become a nurse or social worker — since she liked working in the hospital. She continued to communicate with her father, who had quit drinking and was setting up life. At some point, a warm friendship developed between Igor and Nina, turning into something more. Just like that, fate gifted her with love she had never dreamed of.
Finally, in college, she finished her third year, and Igor, a bit older, with an established career, proposed. «Let’s get married after your graduation from university,» he suggested. Although the wedding was still in the plans, Nina squinted from happiness: «Here it is, the return of the fairy tale.»
One day, Nina, taking her father, younger brother (by her father?), and Igor, came to a bridal salon to choose a dress. The consultant smiled and asked, «What style do you like?» Nina, recalling how her classmates once called her «the pauper,» jokingly smirked: «Oh, maybe you have something left from the trash?» The consultant blinked in surprise, but seeing Nina laughing, she smiled too.
Nina mentally thanked herself for her courage in school, thanked her father for his repentance and support, and most importantly, understood that sometimes it’s worth fighting against taunts, even if everyone considers you «nobody.» Because at the end of the journey, a wonderful reward might await — a loving family, happiness, and respect from those who once did not believe in you.
