As I approached my front door, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. It was well past my curfew, and I knew that I was in for it if my parents found out. Slowly, I turned the doorknob and tried to slip inside as quietly as possible. I tiptoed up the stairs, careful not to make any noise that might alert my parents to my presence. Once I reached my room, I let out a sigh of relief and quickly changed into my pajamas. Exhausted from the night's festivities, I crawled into bed and quickly drifted off to sleep, hoping that my parents wouldn't find out about my late-night escapades.

I  rubbed my eyes and sighed as I checked the time on my phone. 7:30 AM. I had slept through my alarm again. I threw off my covers and jumped out of bed, my heart racing with panic. I had a rehearsal for the Romeo Juliet  in my first lecture , and if I was late,  I would miss it.

I quickly ran for a bath got dressed and checked my phone again and saw that I only had 30 minutes to get to school. I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, but as I was about to leave, I realised that I  had forgotten my phone charger. I ran back to my room and grabbed it, cursing under my breath.

"Honey don't miss your breakfast " mumma says while I was exiting .

"I'll grab something mumma" I say rushing over to my car

I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I knew that I was going to be late, and the thought made me feel sick. I had never been late for school before, and In didn't know what the teacher would say.

Finally, I  arrived parking my car . I ran to the   locker room and grabbed my books panting out of breath, then sprinted down the hallway towards the classroom. As I turned the corner, I saw that the door was closed, and my heart sank. She had missed it.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, hoping that the teacher would let me in. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, and she  looked at me sternly.

"Sarah you're late," she said.

"I know, I'm sorry," I replied, panting.

"You missed your turn ," she said. "You'll have to pair up with someone else"

I looked around the room, trying to figure out who was left. Just then, Neil stood up, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I had been so worried that I would be paired up with someone I didn't know, and the thought had made me nervous. But Neil was one of my friends, and I knew that we would work well together. As he walked over to my desk, I smiled, feeling grateful for the opportunity to make things right.
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Sarah sat nervously in her seat as her teacher announced that she and Neil would be playing the lead roles in the school play. She had always loved acting, and the thought of playing Juliet made her heart race with excitement.

But as the teacher continued to talk, Sarah noticed Jake staring at her with a look of jealousy in his eyes. She knew that he had wanted to be paired up with her, but she had been assigned to work with Neil instead because she was late.

Sarah felt a wave of nervousness wash over her as she realized that it was her turn to perform in front of the class. She took a deep breath and stood up, feeling Neil's reassuring presence by her side.

Together, they walked to the front of the class, where a makeshift stage had been set up. Sarah took her place behind the podium and looked out at the sea of faces in front of her.

She cleared her throat and began to recite her lines, "Romeo , what are you doing here" she asked keeping her voice steady feeling the words flow from her lips with a newfound confidence.

Neil watched her with admiration, his eyes never leaving her as she delivered her lines with passion and conviction.

"I couldn't stay away," he replied, taking her hand. "I had to see you again."

Sarah felt her cheeks flush as Neil leaned in to act for kiss her.

But as they pulled away from each other,

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"will find a way, he whispered I promise"

As the scene drew to a close, Sarah felt a surge of emotion welling up inside her. She looked up at Neil, who was beaming with pride, and felt a sense of connection that she had never felt before.

Together, they took their final bows, soaking in the applause and cheers from their classmates.

After class, Jake came up to her and asked her if she would be willing to switch partners with him. Sarah didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she knew that she couldn't give up the opportunity to play Juliet.

When Jake asked Sarah to switch partners with the girl he was paired up with, Sarah politely refused. She explained to him that it wouldn't be fair to ask the teacher to switch partners now, and that she was excited to be playing Juliet.

Jake didn't seem happy with her answer, and stormed off, cursing under his breath. Sarah felt guilty for hurting his feelings, but she knew that she had made the right decision. She hoped that Jake would understand.
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As I searched for Uzma over the past few hours, I couldn't find her, and she hadn't replied to any of my messages. This was unusual because she usually responds quickly. I was getting worried, so I decided to drop by her place after school to check on her.

I walked into the corridor, I could hear Rebecca's voice rising above the usual chatter of the hallway. I followed the sound and saw her standing in the middle of a crowd of students, her face red with anger. She was shouting at Jake, who was standing a few feet away, looking uncomfortable.

"What is so good about her that you talk to my sister but not me?" Rebecca screamed. "Isabella is just like me. She's my sibling. Why are you so good to her but not with me?"

I could see the hurt in Rebecca's eyes, and I knew that she was struggling with something deeper than just jealousy over her sister. I walked further as I wanted to pass the corridor and go that side.

As I approached, Rebecca's voice rang out clear and cutting. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. You and Isa have made it your mission to make my life miserable, haven't you?" Her finger jabbed in my direction, and I felt the weight of everyone's gaze on me.

As I walked past Rebecca, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness and frustration. Why did she have to be so mean to me I  have never done anything to hurt her, but for some reason, she seemed to have it out for me.

I tried my best to ignore her and keep walking, but she wouldn't let it go. "Who do you think you are?" she sneered, grabbing me by the shoulder and spinning me around to face her. "I'm talking to you."

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, even though all I wanted to do was scream at her and tell her how unfair she was being. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rebecca just laughed, a cold, bitter sound that sent shivers down my spine. "What do I want? I want you to leave me alone. I want you to stop making my life miserable."

I felt my face flush with anger. "I'm not doing anything to you," I said, my voice rising. "Why are you always picking on me?"

Rebecca shrugged, a cruel smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe it's because you're so easy to pick on. Maybe it's because I like seeing you squirm."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn't going to let Rebecca see me cry. "You're a bully," I said, my voice shaking with anger and hurt.

Rebecca just laughed again. "Maybe I am," she said. "But what are you going to do about it?"

I didn't have an answer to that. All I knew was that I couldn't keep living like this, always looking over my shoulder and wondering when Rebecca was going to strike next. Something had to change, but I didn't know what.

As Rebecca's finger jabbed towards me, I felt the weight of everyone's gaze on me. It was as if the world had stopped turning and all eyes were fixed on this moment, this confrontation, this reckoning.

But I didn't back down. I met Rebecca's eyes with a steely gaze and said, "You need to stop. You have been making my life miserable for too long. It's time to end this."

The words hung in the air for a moment, and then the dean appeared out of nowhere. "Rebecca," she said sternly, "come with me. We need to have a talk."

Rebecca looked shocked and confused, but she followed the dean obediently. I watched her go, feeling a strange mix of relief and apprehension. Would this be the end of the bullying, or just the beginning of a new phase?

Only time would tell. But for now, I felt a sense of pride and empowerment that I had never felt before. I had stood up for myself, and I had won.

As I walked away from Rebecca, I made a vow to myself. I wasn't going to let her win. I was going to find a way to stand up to her and make her stop. It wouldn't be easy, but I was determined to do it.
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