A stunned silence followed.
The bullies sat there, momentarily shocked. Then, realizing they were outmatched, they scrambled to their feet and ran out of the classroom.
But instead of retaliating, they chose a different tactic—playing the victim.
Moments later, they burst into the staff room, fake tears streaming down their faces.
Bully 1 sniffled dramatically. "Look, ma'am! What Mansh and Ankhush did to us! They waited for you to leave so they could hurt us."
Bully 2 pointed at his friend's swollen eye. "Look! My friend's eye is bruised!"
The teacher, already annoyed with Ankhush after his earlier outburst, barely took a second to consider their words. Her expression darkened, and without waiting for an explanation, she stormed toward Class 3-2.
The moment she entered, her piercing glare landed directly on Mansh and Ankhush.
They froze, feeling the weight of her anger before she even spoke.
Her voice was sharp, cutting through the silence. She scolded them harshly, her tone filled with disappointment.
But just as she was about to continue, Mansh stepped forward.
His voice was firm but respectful.
"Ma'am, they were trying to bully Ankhush first. I saw them and stepped in to stop it. Then they tried to hit me, so Ankhush just pushed one of them away. That's how they got hurt."
The teacher's eyes narrowed. Slowly, she turned toward the bullies.
"So… you two started this?" Her voice was low, dangerously calm. "You were trying to bully them first? And then you LIED to me?"
The bullies immediately shrank under the teacher's glare, their smugness vanishing in an instant. They looked down at the floor, shifting uncomfortably, knowing they had been caught.
The silence in the room was deafening.
