Time is a strange thing, as if it has a will of its own. And us? We are merely passersby in its endless whirlwind. I didnt know my world was ready for change... until the day i heard the words that would turn everything upside down.
It felt as if time had stopped while i stood at the crossroads between the past and the future. I could feel the invisible threads of fate weaving around me. I couldnt predict where these paths would lead, but i know i was ready to step into the unknown.
- 2012. Serbia, Pančevo city.
The clock on the wall of the small principals office made an irritating ticking sound as the seconds passed. Sunlight coming through the window lit up the entire room. The walls were freshly painted white, and old framed pictures filled the empty spaces.
„Sir, your son has started another fight. The fifth one this month", the school principal said. Mechanical School, Pančevo.
While my dad stared silently into the principals eyes, the tension in the room kept building. The principal retold what had happened that morning in front of the school, how i got into a fight with a guy who provoked me.
„Everyone at the school staff meeting voted to expel him. That could ruin his life, which is why i decided to give him one more chance. This time, the last one. If something like this happens again, unfortunately, theres nothing more i can do to save him".
He took a deep breath, loud enough for both of us to hear. „He will be transferred to the Economics School, where a good friend of mine works. Its a private class, the kids there come from some of the most respectable families in our city. If that doesnt help, i honestly dont know what will".
„Thanks you, sir, for giving him another chance. I will deal with my son when we get home", my father said, almost bowing to him.
I rolled my eyes. The thought of spending another year surrounded by spoiled rich kids, mamas boys and daddys princesses, made my blood boil.
„I understand your situation, being a single fahter and all", the principal continued. „But if you cant control your son, there are services that can take care of that without any issue".
Who the hell did the think he was, talking to my father like that? My father looked like he was about to cry. And now this idiot was threatening us?
„Theres no need for that, sir", my father said quietly. Sir? my ass, i thought.
They shook hands, and we left his office. I was the last to walk out, slamming the door behind me before storming down the hallway. My father rushed after me like a dog chasing the owner.
„Stefan!" he shouted, furious. I stopped and turned around. His face was full of anger and sadness. [Stefan a Serbian male name].
„Son... I know its hard. But if you mess up one more time, thats it. You will spend the rest of your life on a construction job, working like dog everday!".
I listened carefully to every word he said. He wasnt wrong, without a diploma, you are nobody. A slave to the system, simply put.
School could give you another chance, maybe even a new life. But not for everyone. Connections always pushed someone ahead, and that made life even harder for people like us, the small ones.
„I know... i know, Dad. But it hasnt been easy since shes gone", i said quietly, just enough for him to hear.
He didnt say anything. He just hugged me tightly, something he hadnt done in a long time. That hug meant more than anything in that moment. Maybe we were both broken after moms death. That damn illness tok not just her life, but the smile out of our home.
Nothing was ever the same after that day. Dad was never the same man again. He often said he wished it had been him instead of her. He found comfort in alcohol, and sometimes i catch him sitting at the table, staring into nothingness.
He hold her coffee mug in his hands and just sit there in silence. And me... i pretend not to notice, beacuse i didnt know how to help him, or myself.
Back then, i didnt know that the private school they were sending me to would be the start of everything. Love, hate, blood... and everything in between. The derby of my life was just beginning.
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and then Add to home screen.