Dianna was among the first to board the high school bus that would take her home. Each student sat where they used to; so she did the same. Found her seat and made herself comfortable.

A few seconds later Ian boarded. Ian was a visual feast for any girl old enough to notice bad boys. Always in his tight fitting clothes, enhancing his sculpted muscular body even more. Ian looked at the empty seats on the bus. Usually, he didn't sit in the same place all the time. He chose one, and occupied it. Although, recently, he sat near one girl in particular. Emily, alias "Red Cow". The pariah of the whole school. A shy, fearful but also spectacular girl, whom practically the entire female collective inexplicably hated. Even some teachers. Despite being kind and respectful to everyone, almost all the girls hated her. Perhaps, they did so because, to most of the male collective, Emily was physically perfect. So seeing them drooling around her, was a regular occurence.

When only a few students were left to board the bus, the pariah finally appeared, followed by her most persistent pursuers; Beth and her group. Dianna watched out of the corner of her eye as they taunted Emily. For a second, she stopped feeling her irrepressible hatred for her. She didn't understand why, but she usually felt a sick hatred towards Emily.

Suddenly, the memory of her beloved grandmother made her feel guilty. Not because she missed her, but because of a phrase her grandmother often repeated. "We deserve everything that happens to us. Karma tends to return what we give. Whether it's love or hate."

Dianna felt uncomfortable when she saw the pariah sittting right in front of her seat. Emily didn't usually sit in the same place either. As soon as she saw Ian, she would sit as close to him as possible. Not because she wanted to flirt with him. She never talked to Ian. The reason was much more basic. To run away from her pursuers.

Dianna observed, again, that the conclusion she had lately come to was plausible. "It's obvious that Beth's group never messes with the pariah if Ian is around."

But Nina, Beth's friend, was just dumb, so she hadn't noticed that Emily had sat too close to him, and continued her pathetic bullying some more. "I know why you always smell like flowers, because you don't stop eating them, "Red Cow". Ha ha ha." Nina stopped laughing as soon as she realized she was the only one doing it. Then, she looked at Beth, without understanding why she was so serious. The latter indicated her to continue walking down the aisle of the bus, to the last seats. But Nina still didn't understand. "What's wrong? Isn't it funny?"

Beth pushed her again. But just as Beth reached Dianna's side, she looked at her for a couple of seconds. Then she looked at Emily again. She kept doing that for several more seconds. Dianna realized why she was doing it, and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Without delay, Dianna looked at Beth straight in the eye. Beth immediately realized that she was asking for trouble, so she continued on her way.

When Beth finally walked away, Dianna noticed how Ian was staring straight at her. His expression was one of disbelief. Dianna felt tremendously uncomfortable and dodged Ian's gaze, grabbed her cell phone and started looking at anything that might entertain her. She continued like this for most of the journey home.

When there was less than half of the route left, something caught her attention. She accidentally saw between the two seats what Emily was watching on her cell phone. It was the final part of the trailer of a video game that Dianna had also been following for months. Dianna frowned and looked out of the bus window. She didn't want anyone to see her snooping on what the pariah was watching on her cell phone. "I didn't know "that one" liked video games too. Especially that one. I don't get it. Every time I discover more and more things in common with her. First my looks, then my hair and my eyes. And now, my tastes? This is a fucking nightmare. At this rate people are going to start gossiping about it. Maybe I should change high schools".

Dianna looked at Ian out of the corner of her eye. She didn't like being caught looking at him, but she was incapable of going too long without doing so, having him so close. In class, he was several desks away. Today, on the bus, just two seats away. Too close. She imagined that someday, he would have eyes only for her, and propose to her. They would go out together and he would even carry her in his arms. She kept recreating herself with that thought for several seconds until she saw Ian looking at the pariah.

"Fuck! I think he likes that idiot. As bold and confident as he is, I don't understand why he doesn't tell her. Maybe they're secretly dating? Fucking bitch! You're so lucky!"

Suddenly, Dianna noticed someone watching her, and looked right away. It was George, watching her from behind his huge glasses. His eyes were always leering and his face looked like that of a dirty old man. Dianna stared into his eyes, making one thing clear to him as she whispered. "I wish I could break every bone in your body. Disgusting asshole! I don't understand why no one has done anything to expel you yet."

George was shocked to hear that, so he turned to his right. Dianna was not afraid of an undesirable scumbag like George, and George didn't have the guts to stand up against her. In fact, few would meet Dianna's gaze. Not even Beth's group dared to do so. Not Beth, not Rebecca, and certainly, not Nina or the other two useless ones, who were like zeros to the left. But there was someone who could hold her gaze; Ian. Ian would hold the devil's own gaze. Most of the girls in high school loved that, Dianna not so much. She liked how attractive he was. "A face as beautiful as an angel's and a body worthy of Hercules himself." Sympathetic comparison the art and history teacher had made. It was obvious that teacher also liked a tender young snack like Ian.

Dianna left George alone and turned her focus back to Ian, as she murmured to herself. "Why do you like that pariah so much? You prefer scary girls so you can manipulate them to your will? I don't get it."

Dianna had only been living in this town for two years. A tricky subject she didn't want to think about more than ten times a day. But she ended up thinking. She turned and tried to see herself in the reflection of the bus windows. The sun was near setting. A faint dark tone enveloped the whole exterior favoring the light from inside the bus to reflect the entire interior into the windows. Dianna checked to see if her makeup covered the scar well. "I guess even though I've learned to do my makeup like a pro and my scars aren't noticeable, everyone knows they're there."

A shiver ran through her body and an immense wave of hatred swallowed her up. For an instant, she saw those horrible silhouettes again, and heard those voices whispering her not to move; not to scream. They warned her not to do so, if she didn't want things to get ugly. But she screamed, and things got ugly. Very ugly. She felt the sharp knife cutting the flesh of her face again. She felt again the blows and punches of those depraved men all over her body. She still remembered the hardness and filth of the floor on her bare skin with three monsters trying to force her. They hadn't actually done it, but it wouldn't have made such a difference if they had. She had suffered so much fear and so much despair, that, remembering it often, had changed her character even more. She was like a rabid dog.

She would never be the same. Now, she was rarely afraid or ashamed. She was more aggressive and scathing. She would face and argue anyone she thought might be against or attacking her. Even her relationship with the boy she had always been in love with, had gone down the drain.

All that remained was her love for the gym and video games. Without warning, as hatred consumed and devoured her, she saw someone's hand offering her a piece of gum. She looked up quickly, as her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Ian was looking at her and offering her a piece of gum. This was unprecedented. Only Ian made her feel that way. Helpless.

Dianna took the gum as if it were a kiss from Ian himself. Slow and gentle. She did it without a word. Not a "Thank you" or a "Much obliged". Perhaps because she felt a strange and annoying itch when she brushed against his skin. It seemed strange to her, but she just looked into his eyes, as if she wanted to get into his honey-colored irises. Then, she popped the gum into her mouth, slowly. Ian turned away slowly, as if nothing had happened, and Dianna continued with her gum. She savored it as if she were tasting Ian's muscular body.

Dianna, realizing that George might be watching her, looked over to where he was sitting. Indeed, George had not missed any detail. " Holy shit! What a disgusting guy." He was grinning lasciviously as if he thought she'd do it with anyone right now.

Dianna disgustedly whispered to him as she glared at him. " Poor naive bastard! Do you think anyone could feel anything different about you other than repulsion?". But this time George didn't daunted. He glared at her and got up from his seat.

Dianna watched him perplexed. "Where does this piece of shit think he's going?" But all George did, was sit next to Emily. George liked any girl, but especially the poor red-haired pariah. "I guess he thinks he has more chances with her, being a piece of shit just like him."

With every second Dianna watches him, she began to get more and more uncomfortable. On one hand, because George was a depraved bastard and it reminded her of the hell she had been through and was unable to forget. On the other hand, because if George made a move on Emily, Ian wouldn't allow the situation to go unpunished. That would made Dianna's jealousy skyrocket until burst.