Time's Cruel Twist: A Second Chance Amidst the Ruins

*Whistle!*

The piercing sound cut through the air, sending shivers down my spine. "Everyone makes four lines and stands according to your heights!" Our PT sir, Subash, barked, his voice echoing across the field like a thunderclap.

Tension hung heavy in the air as we scrambled to obey. Subash sir was known for his iron-fisted discipline, second only to the infamous Hailey ma'am. But even Hailey's icy glare couldn't compare to the hatred between Subash sir and Sophia had for each other. It had started years ago when Sophia had dared to defy Subash sir's iron-fisted rule.

It was a summer day. Sophia, her long hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, stood before Subash sir, her eyes blazing with a mixture of defiance and determination.

"I'm not attending PT today, sir," she announced, her voice clear and unwavering. "I have a dance competition tomorrow, and I don't want to risk any injuries."

A hush fell over the class. No one had ever dared to challenge Subash sir's authority before. His face darkened, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Rules are rules. You shouldn't have come to school if you didn't want to join the PT." he hissed, his voice like the crack of a whip. "Since you're present, you have to take the class."

"I'm sorry, sir but please pretend I'm absent today because I'm not going to attend PT at all cost," Sophia retorted, her voice trembling slightly but her eyes holding firm. "You might be the teacher but I've every right to choose what is best for me."

Subash sir's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Very well," he said. "If you refuse to attend PT, you will face the consequences."

"Consequences? Pft- haha!" Sophia laughed. "What are you going to do, sir? Give me detention? Suspend me? Expel me? I'm not afraid of you."

"You think you're above the rules, do you?" Subash sir hissed. "Just because you're popular with the students doesn't mean you can get away with anything."

"Oh, I don't know about that, sir," Sophia said with a smirk. "I seem to be getting away with quite a lot right now."

Subash sir's face darkened with anger. He had never been mocked by a student before. He was determined to make Sophia pay for her insolence.

"And don't forget sir, there is a life outside of the school too." Sophia smiled, a threat hidden behind her words. Then she turned and walked away, leaving Subash sir alone in the field.

Section A student's burst into laughter, humiliating Subash sir even more. It was a bitter and humiliating defeat for him, and he never forgot it.

"You, stand at the front," Subash sir commanded, his voice dripping with venom as he addressed Fred. Fred's jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with defiance. "Sorry sir, it's not my turn today," he retorted, his voice unwavering.

Subash sir's grip tightened on the stick he carried, his knuckles turning white like the bones of a skeleton. His eyes narrowed into slits, radiating pure rage that seemed to affect the very air around him. "I'm your teacher," he hissed, his voice a venomous whisper. "Do you think you have the right to-"

Before he could finish, I raised my hand, my voice cutting through the suffocating silence. "I volunteer!"

All eyes turned to me, some filled with pity, others with scorn. But I didn't care. In my previous life, I had witnessed the chaos that happened when Fred refused to obey. Subash sir had hit him in a fit of anger, causing Section A to raise their fist against Subash sir. Section A's boys had been suspended for months, their absence casting a dark shadow over the entire school because girl's also refused to attend the class without boys.

I couldn't let that happen again. I stepped forward, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum, determined to defuse the rising tension before it exploded into violence.

Subash sir glared at me, his eyes burning with anger. I gulped and avoided eye contact, taking a step back in fear.

"Did I ask you to speak?" he hissed, his voice laced with venom. He stalked towards me, his presence like a suffocating weight.

"I-"

"Today is my turn to be at the front. She was just speaking up for me," Demi said, stepping in front of me.

Subash sir's gaze shifted to Demi, his anger growing. "So you two want to rebel?" he asked, his eyes blazing with fury. "Show your palms!" he shouted, his voice filled with rage.

Our bodies trembled under his gaze. "I said show your hands!"

We flinched as we extended our palms, closing our eyes in fear.

*Whoosh*

We waited for the inevitable pain, but it never came. Opening our eyes, we saw Seth grabbing the stick in mid-air, Fred standing beside him.

"Sir, put your ego aside and act like a mature teacher," Seth said, his voice calm but firm. "Otherwise, if we put our egos first, no one can imagine what'll happen here."

With a flick of his wrist, Seth pulled the stick from Subash sir's grasp and snapped it in two. His eyes were even more terrifying than Subash sir's, burning with a cold fury. In front of these three boys, we two girls felt like nothing more than insignificant ants.

"Are you threatening-"

"Threatening? Please sir, we're respectfully warning you," Fred interrupted.

After a long, tense moment, Seth and Fred returned to their line. Subash sir clenched his fists, the humiliation washing over him. He turned to lash out at the boys, but before he could speak, Amaya's scream cut through the air.

"Seth dodged right!"

We all turned to see Seth dodging to the right, causing Subash sir to fall to the ground with a thud. Amaya, Elli, Sophia, Somiya, and Hailey ma'am were standing behind us.

Elli and Sophia rushed to Seth's side. "Are you alright!?" they asked, their feet stepping on Subash sir's fingers. It was clear as water that it was intentional.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Sir," Sophia panicked, her eyes narrowed. She paused for a moment, then slowly smirked looking down at Subash sir. Her voice dripped with sarcasm, "Who thought you were so good at impersonating a trash."

They stepped off his hands with smirks, their eyes blazing with defiance.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Amaya.

"Well look, Who is here? It's two little princesses," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did the little princesses get their feelings hurt? Did the big bad teacher hurt your little feelings?" Why is she talking like that with me? All I was trying to do was stop it from getting worse then why is she getting angry with me?

"We just thought Sir was being unreasonable with Fred," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Oh, And what makes you think your opinion matters? Are you the queen of the world now? The president of the universe? Who died and made you the expert on what's reasonable and what's not?" I could feel her suppressing the anger rising inside her. I couldn't understand why she was angry with me all of a sudden but somehow it made me feel like crying instead.

"I... I don't know," I stammered.

"That's right, you don't know. So why didn't you just shut your mouth and let Fred and Seth handle this? Who told you to meddle between them!?" I flinch, her loud shout grabbing everyone's attention.

"She just wanted to stand up for what's right, Amaya. Who even gave you the right to scold her in the first place!? She is not your property!" I heard Demi stood up for me. I could feel her hatred towards Amaya rising each second more and more. Afraid, Amaya might see tears in my eyes, I kept on lowering my head, biting my lips to stop making noise.

"Oh, And what exactly is 'right'? Is it whatever you say it is? Are you the judge of all that is good and just in the world?" She asked, her voice still bitter.

I never expected Demi to stand against Amaya openly. My heart raced in fear, afraid Amaya might do something to Demi. Did they ever fight in past life? I don't remember…

"I don't feel obligated to answer you. Please stay away from us," she hissed at Amaya. "You're nothing but a bully who thinks she's above everyone else."

Amaya's face twisted into a mask of fury. She took a step towards Demi, but then stopped herself. She knew that if she attacked Demi, she would only make things worse.

"Fine," Amaya said through gritted teeth. "I'll leave you alone. But don't think this is over."

"We'll see about that." Demi also gritted her teeth.

"You are going to regret this." With that, Amaya turned and stormed away. Demi's eyes were also full of anger and frustration as she pulled me away from the crowd. I could feel her trembling with rage.