«What a meeting! I haven’t seen you in 10 years!»
«I wish it could be another ten years,» Irina thought immediately.
They accidentally ran into their former classmate at the shopping center. Irina often visited there and saw various acquaintances, but never someone like this.
«Irka, you’ve changed! I see you’ve bought some new clothes. Looks like you have money now. All trendy, not like before,» Yana sneered.
«Yes, imagine that, I don’t wear old clothes and don’t wear hand-me-downs from my sister anymore,» Irina said sarcastically.
Their relationship during their school years was far from perfect. From elementary school, Yana had taken a dislike to Irina and never missed an opportunity to pick on her. There was always a reason.
«Oh, look, Irka came in old clothes again! Those are her sister’s hand-me-downs again. Ugh, how can you dress like that! That’s just dreadful!» Yana laughed.
«No, she stripped a homeless woman on the street and dressed up herself,» her entourage supported her.
It hurt Irina to hear such things, but there was nothing she could do about it. As they say, Yana «had weight» in the class and many danced to her tune. Even if the girl’s behavior was extremely inadequate. And that’s exactly how she behaved most of the time.
«Mom, I beg you, transfer me to another school. I can’t study here anymore. These girls are harassing me and won’t leave me alone.»
But her mother just brushed it off and didn’t want to hear it.
«Ira, don’t make things up! You have a normal class. And I don’t have money every day to give you for the tram to go to another school.»
Irina was even willing to walk there, but her mother wouldn’t allow it. Transferring to another class was pointless, it wouldn’t have stopped Yana and she would have continued to make Irina’s life miserable.
More than 10 years had passed, but Irina remembered everything as if it were yesterday. All that bullying and mockery during her school years. Such things are not forgotten and are imprinted in the memory for a long time. I’m not afraid to say this — for a lifetime.
Now, when Irina saw Yana after so many years, she felt the same disgust, although she tried to maintain her dignity.
«You what, didn’t recognize me? It’s me, Yana!»
«Hello!» Irina replied in a cold tone.
«Irka, you’ve changed! I see you’ve bought some new clothes. Looks like you have money now. All trendy, not like before,» Yana sneered again.
«Yes, imagine that, I don’t wear old clothes and don’t wear hand-me-downs from my sister anymore,» Irina said sarcastically.
At that, Yana even felt somewhat awkward.
«Come on, it was so long ago. So many years have passed, and you still remember.»
«Yes, I indeed have a good memory. Well, I have to go. All the best!»
But Yana was eager to chat with Irina, or rather to boast in front of her.
«Wait, let’s talk. We haven’t seen each other in so many years.»
«Do we even have anything to talk about?» Irina raised an eyebrow.
«Of course. I, by the way, became a successful businesswoman. Opened my own beauty salon. Can you imagine how cool that is? Though, you probably wouldn’t understand. You’re probably working for someone else’s uncle or aunt.»
«Good for you, I’m really in a hurry, bye.»
Irina didn’t want to hear how her former classmate tried to show off at someone else’s expense. But she was sure about one thing — Yana was lying as always. If Yana really were the owner of a beauty salon, she would have known for sure.
Irina decided to spend the rest of the holiday productively, as she needed to recharge for the upcoming fruitful week.
«Irina Viktorovna, did you get a chance to check out the new collection of gel polishes? Shall we order them?»
«Yes, bring the papers for me to sign.»
Irina was the owner of the largest beauty salon in the city. Many years ago, she set such a goal for herself. And again, it all started from her childhood.
«Ugh, her face is so pimply!» Yana would say to her friends.
«Exactly, looks like a frog.»
«Why are you doing this to me? What harm have I done to you?» Irina would cry out in tears.
«Nothing, you’re just a frog and that’s it,» they laughed.
Then Irina was going through her teenage years and, like many teenagers, she suffered from acne, but her mother categorically refused to address the problem and take her to a cosmetologist.
«I don’t have that kind of money. Here, use these home remedies.»
«Mom, they’re not helping. Everyone in class is laughing at me already.»
«Don’t make things up, all teenagers go like this. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.»
The mockery continued. Therefore, Irina definitely decided that when she grew up, she would open her own beauty salon so that no one would ever dare to belittle her for her physical imperfections. And she also wanted to help others with this issue.
«Irina Viktorovna, we are looking for a new manicure master. Today one girl will come for an interview. She seems to have good experience. Will you look at the resume?»
«No, Dasha, I fully trust your professionalism in terms of personnel selection. I’ll talk to her at the appointed time.»
After the lunch break, the interview was supposed to take place. Irina was simply shocked by whom she saw.
«Meet Irina Viktorovna. The owner of our salon. She interviews each candidate personally.»
In front of Irina stood Yana, who immediately fainted when she saw her.
«Irina?»
«Yana, we are accustomed to calling the manager by their name and patronymic,» her colleague Dasha corrected her.
«Dasha, thank you, you can leave,» Irina said, and she closed the door.
It seemed like now she had a perfect opportunity to avenge what had happened many years ago.
«Sit down, Yana.»
«I didn’t expect to see you here, Irina Viktorovna,» she replied, looking around the office with expensive furniture.
Irina carefully examined her resume, then asked:
«You said you had your own salon, but this information isn’t indicated in your resume. Why?»
Yana hesitated and everything fell into place.
«Not to say it’s my salon. Just tried to open one with a girlfriend. Remember Olya, with whom we were friends at school? Just with her, but it didn’t work out and we went our separate ways.»
Irina pretended she didn’t understand who she was talking about and didn’t remember these people at all.
«So you’ve worked for someone else all your life?»
«That’s how it turned out…» Yana said hesitantly, as if she was the guilty schoolgirl now.
«Where did you study to be a manicure master? Any certificates, recommendations?»
Yana shook her head.
«So you’re self-taught?»
«Yes, I first enrolled as an accountant, but that didn’t work out. So I decided to do nails.»
«In this case, I’m forced to deny.»
Irina demonstratively slammed the folder with the resume and threw it on the desk.
«But why? I’m really a good master. I have a large portfolio of work and good client reviews.»
Irina explained that she considers only masters with verified qualifications. And not just because of that.
«So I knew it, I should have turned around and left right away. Of course, you haven’t forgiven me for the old grievances. It was foolish to hope for anything,» Yana immediately started yelling.
«I’m glad that at least now you realize how much you hurt me then.»
«And you decided to hurt in return…»
«No, I just told you the truth.»
Yana suddenly remembered a situation from the past when a teacher scolded her. Saying, why are you laughing at Irina and calling her pimply?
«I just told the truth.»
Now this very phrase came back to her like a boomerang.
«And it wasn’t necessary to lie about owning a beauty salon. I know all my competitors by face,» Irina said as Yana hurried to leave her office.
But even then, Yana didn’t lose her composure and found something to reply.
«You know, I’ll still have my own business. You’ll see. I’ll give you healthy competition!»
«I look forward to it,» Irina laughed as Yana had already left the office.
Irina didn’t feel guilty at all. On the contrary, she was proud that, even after so many years, she managed to put her arrogant classmate in her place. Because it was precisely Yana who poisoned her school life, and everything could have been different if not for her antics.
On the same day, Irina received a message from her former classmate, with whom she had always been on good terms.
«Did you see what Yana posted? She’s completely lost her mind!»
When Irina looked at this show, she laughed for a long time.
There, she tried to assert herself in front of everyone and present Irina not in the best light, but ended up exposing only herself.
«People don’t change, and that’s a fact. Even after 10 years. Today I personally confirmed it,» she posted in response and closed her laptop.
In any case, Irina was pleased with herself. Because she always believed that bold people need to be opposed and put in their place. This lesson was taught to her by school, and she remembered it for life.
