The breaking points

The classroom felt unusually quiet.

Saru stood beside her desk, staring at the torn pieces of paper.

Each one carried the same cruel message.

"Nobody wants you here."

She quietly collected every piece and threw them into the trash.

Not a single tear fell.

She had learned long ago...

Crying only made people laugh harder.

Days passed.

The bullying became worse.

Someone hid her school bag.

Someone poured juice over her notebook.

Someone pushed her chair away just as she was about to sit.

The entire class laughed.

Even those who never bullied her...

Never tried to stop it.

Saru remained silent.

Every single day.

One afternoon...

The class was empty after lunch.

Only the four girls who hated Saru remained inside.

Their leader slowly walked toward her desk.

"So..."

"Still acting like the innocent girl?"

Saru ignored her.

She continued writing.

The girl suddenly grabbed her notebook and threw it onto the floor.

"You think you're better than us?"

Still...

Saru said nothing.

The leader smirked.

"I heard your mother died when you were little."

The classroom became silent.

Saru's hand stopped moving.

Another girl laughed.

"No wonder she left."

"Maybe she couldn't live with a daughter like you."

The girls burst into laughter.

One more voice joined in.

"If she were alive today..."

"She'd probably be ashamed of you."

Everything...

Went silent.

Saru slowly stood up.

Her hands were shaking.

Her breathing became heavy.

For years...

She had tolerated every insult.

Every joke.

Every humiliation.

But not this.

Never her mother.

The leader stepped closer.

"What?"

"Going to cry?"

Instead...

Saru grabbed her by the collar.

The girl's smile disappeared.

The classroom exploded into chaos.

"Let go of me!"

She pushed Saru.

Saru lost her balance.

Her eyes landed on a wooden classroom chair.

Without thinking...

She picked it up.

Everyone froze.

The leader's face turned pale.

"S-Saru..."

With all the pain she had buried for years...

She threw the chair.

CRASH!!

The chair slammed into the wall beside the girl.

The classroom window shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Glass scattered across the floor.

Students screamed.

Some ran outside.

Others stood frozen in fear.

For the first time...

Nobody laughed.

"What is going on here?!"

The class teacher rushed inside.

She looked around in complete shock.

Broken glass.

Students crying.

A chair lying on the floor.

And Saru...

Standing completely still.

Her hands were trembling.

She looked at the broken window.

As if she couldn't believe...

She had done it.

Thirty minutes later...

Saru sat outside the Principal's office.

Her head was lowered.

She hadn't spoken a single word.

Inside the office...

The teachers discussed the incident.

"This has gone too far."

"We need to call her guardian."

The Principal nodded.

"Call her father immediately."

Nearly an hour later...

A man wearing a black office suit hurried into the school.

His breathing was uneven.

His tie was loose.

He had clearly left work in a hurry.

"Where is my daughter?"

The receptionist pointed toward the Principal's office.

He walked in immediately.

The Principal stood up.

"Mr. Sharma..."

"Please, have a seat."

He looked through the glass window.

Outside...

He saw Saru sitting alone.

Head lowered.

Shoulders trembling.

For the first time in years...

He noticed...

How lonely his daughter looked.

— To Be Continued...

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