Aditya POV
The bell had just rung for lunch break.
The classroom burst into noise — laughter bouncing off the walls, snack wrappers crinkling, water bottles clicking open and closing. Swetha and charlotte were already deep into an argument about which anime character was stronger, their voices overlapping dramatically. Indhu sat nearby, scribbling something in her notebook with a look that screamed future trouble. Rohan was standing a little away, tossing bits of paper into the bin.
"New record," he announced proudly.
But me?
I was staring at the clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound felt louder than it should've been.
And then—
Everything froze.
No sound. No movement. No breeze. Even the pages of Indhu's open book stayed suspended mid-flutter.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And suddenly—
I was back in first period.
Loop 1 — Confusion
I stood in the classroom again. Same benches. Same sunlight. Same teacher writing the same heading on the board:
History of Colonial India.
My heart skipped.
"Didn't this already happen?" I whispered.
I nudged Rohan and told him everything. He stared at me for two seconds and burst out laughing.
"Bro," he said, "you definitely slept late."
I laughed along, pretending it was nothing.
But deep down… something felt off.
Loop 2 — Realisation
The lunch box fell again.
Swetha said the exact same dialogue.
Charlotte's pencil rolled off the same edge of the desk.
Every. Single. Thing.
"Okay," I muttered, gripping my desk, "I'm definitely in a loop."
I tested it.
I shouted randomly in class.
Wrote nonsense on the board.
Even hid the teacher's chalk.
No matter what I did—
The bell rang for lunch.
Tick.
Back to first period.
Loop 3 — The Explorer
So I stopped caring.
I ran through the school like I owned the place — explored corridors I'd never dared enter, peeked into the staffroom, unlocked the AV room, found an old music closet filled with dusty instruments.
Behind the garden wall, I even found a tiny kitten curled up asleep.
For once, there were no consequences.
The day would reset anyway.
Loop 4 — The Listener
In one loop, I did nothing.
I just listened.
Indhu talked about wanting to try a new drawing style.
Swetha admitted she felt nervous about public speaking.
Charlotte whispered plans to herself, eyes shining.
Rohan scribbled lyrics at the back of his notebook.
I realised how much I usually missed… just by being loud.
Loop 5 — The Perfect Day
I decided to make it count.
I said the right things.
Made everyone laugh.
Helped Charlotte with her notes.
Beat Rohan's trash-throwing record.
Complimented Swetha's new hairstyle.
And quietly, I left a tiny paper flower on Indhu's desk.
When the bell rang, I smiled at my friends.
"I wish this could stay forever," I whispered.
Tick.
The loop ended.
But this time—
It didn't restart.
"Aditya!"
A soft tap landed on my head.
I looked up. Indhu stood in front of me, holding her lunch box, eyebrows raised.
"Lunch break is over," she said. "You better get ready for the next class."
The classroom was normal again. Everyone was moving, packing up, complaining.
As Indhu turned to leave, she paused and grinned.
"Adi," she said, holding up my favourite chocolate, "I always knew you're a weirdo who'd even sleep during lunch break."
I laughed and lunged for the chocolate.
"Give it back!"
She stepped away, laughing harder.
"Nope."
I tried again. Failed again.
Indhu won. As usual.
And somehow… that felt perfect.