Chapter 3: The Phone is Smashed

He picked up the heavy iron paperweight from his desk—the one shaped like a lion—and brought it down on my phone. My breath stopped. The clang of metal on glass filled the classroom, echoing like a temple bell. The sound of glass shattering made everyone jump. Even the usually tough guys in the last row flinched. The girls covered their mouths, a few gasped softly, and someone muttered, “Arrey baap re!”

The teacher squatted down and smashed my phone a few more times, completely shattering the screen. Each blow made my chest tighten. I wanted to scream, but in our school, shouting at a teacher is like signing your own suspension letter.

A boy in the last row muttered, “Bhai, ab toh ghar pe bhi pitayi pakki.” The smell of chalk dust mixed with tension. I was stunned.

Sir tossed the broken phone onto his table and said coldly, “Bar bar samjhata hoon, 12th ka time hai, yeh mobile ka nahi! Next time, saare phone tod dunga. Jao, bulao apne maa-baap ko, dekhte hain kaun kya karta hai!” Silence hung over the class. No one dared make a sound. Even the bell in the corridor seemed to pause out of respect.

I blurted out, not caring if my voice cracked, “Sir, aapko haq kisne diya yeh karne ka? Uski maa ko accident hua hai, hospital mein hai!” Everyone stared at me, eyes wide, the tension in the room suddenly alive again.

My classmate didn’t know I was trying to help. He was so angry that he picked up a book and threw it at me, shouting, “Mere maa ko mat bol! Tu pagal hai kya?” His voice echoed off the walls, leaving me feeling even more isolated.

Sir raised an eyebrow, voice dangerously calm. “Ab kya nautanki hai? Kya ho raha hai yahan?” The class held its breath.

“Sir, please listen—jaise hi aap phone leke gaye, uske papa ka message aaya, accident ho gaya hai. Hospital ka naam bhi likha tha, lekin aap phone le gaye. Ab kya karein?” My words tumbled out in desperation, voice shaking with urgency.

For a moment, Sir just stared, then he let out a dry, bitter laugh. It sounded wrong, like hearing a bhajan at a cricket match. He clapped his hands mockingly.

He scoffed, “Bada filmy hai, beta. Jaise hi phone gaya, maa accident ho gayi? Aur doosre ke ghar mein kuch ho toh tujhe kyu message karenge? Kya samajh rakha hai school ko?” Some of the class snickered nervously.