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.

Luckily, George was quite still and didn't bother the girl, other than to make her suffer from his hateful presence. Dianna watched as Ian grew more restless as his and Emily's stop approached. "If all goes well, Ian would set George straight. If it all goes wrong, I'll regret not having some popcorn to watch the show."

The bus was approaching its penultimate stop. George looked to his right, realizing that Ian wasn't taking his eyes off him. He was glaring at him with a visible threatening look. George looked back and saw Dianna, who wasn't missing anything. Dianna felt discovered. "This bastard knows I like Ian. He wants me to die of jealousy, watching Ian defend that crybaby when he tries to touch her ass while she's trying to get off the bus." Dianna felt a shudder and tremendous disgust, climbing up her throat.

As Ian started to rise up from his seat, Dianna brought her face close to George's. She motioned with her hand for him to bring his ear closer. He obeyed as she whispered something almost inaudible. "Be polite and let that stupid off first or I'll rip your dick off when we reach our stop."

George started to feel harassed, especially when he saw Ian watching him like a wolf watches a fawn. Before the fearful girl got up, George had already disappeared, moving several seats back.

Dianna watched as Emily thanked Ian the fact that George was no longer harassing her. For some reason, Ian didn't answer. She watched them get off the high school bus. Then, Dianna quickly switched to the seats on the right, so she could watch them part ways as they reached the street; without saying anything to each other. Ian hadn't even look at the pariah as she walked away.

Dianna kept watching as the bus continued on its route. Eventually, she noticed the pariah turning to look at him. "Damn coward! As tall and grown up as you are... You're just stupid! If I were you, I'd smash the faces of all those assholes harassing you. Useless piece of shit! How little confidence you have in yourself! How can Ian like a piece of shit like you?". Dianna could barely contain herself. Her blood seemed to be boiling.

Abruptly, someone spoke to her from the other seats of the bus. It sounded like the voice of an old woman. "What a pity little girl! So much wasted potential."

Dianna was puzzled, seeing the old woman sitting on the high school bus. It wasn't the first time she had seen an old man sneak onto the bus to save a buck until the next stop. "What the hell is wrong with this old woman's head? Does she even know me to talk to me like that? Why would I feel sorry for that loser?".

The old woman smiled and blurted out with some hypocrisy. "You're so foolish that you think I'm referring to the poor girl who just got off the bus, don't you? The one you so graciously nicknamed 'RedCow'. Remember?" Dianna was perplexed as the old woman kept showing her how much she knew about them. "It was that day Nina asked you if the pariah was related to you, wasn't it? After that long summer, she asked you if you dyed your hair red and if you wore contacts to look like her."

Dianna seemed to remember every word that had come out of stupid Nina's mouth. "Look at you! Those boobs of yours have gotten enormous and you've grown a lot. Now you're almost as tall as that weepy redhead." Beth interrupted with her peculiar lack of respect for any living thing around her. "That's right! You look like a cash cow with those huge tits. You're going to have all the guys drooling."

Dianna didn't know what was worse. That those assholes were talking to her with such confidence or that they were comparing her to the pariah. Dianna was furious. She grabbed Nina and Beth by their clothes and screamed at them just an inch from their faces. "What the hell are you insinuating, you pieces of shit? Are you telling me I look like that stupid Red Cow?".

The old woman finished the sentence, bringing her back to the present. "Your old group of friends turned so pale they almost shit themselves. But, they liked the nickname you gave the pariah so much, that they automatically kept it." The old woman turned serious. "Did you ever apologize to her for all you've contribute to that girl's misery?".

Dianna received those words as if they had been spat in her face. "I don't know who you are, and I don't know who told you that bullshit, but you don't have the right to throw anything in my face. I haven't contributed to anything to do with her and I've never been friends with that fucking bunch of idiots."

The old woman interrupted her as if she hadn't heard anything. "Tell me the truth! When you started hating her... Did you already know Ian?"

Dianna didn't understand what the old woman was getting at. "Is she your granddaughter? If so..."

The old woman's voice changed to one from beyond the grave. "No dear! If she were my granddaughter, considering what I know you've done, you would have been compost for the plants long ago." Dianna paled at the sound of that voice, beginning to take the old woman very seriously.

The old woman looked ahead, distracted, as if she hadn't threatened to kill her. "Can't you see that Ian is also watching you? I can understand that you are unaware that she was his best friend in childhood." The old woman paused for a long moment while Dianna digested all this without changing her tense rictus. Then, the old woman continued, arrogantly. "Do you know how it is to have a best friend? That someone cares about you? That someone appreciates you? All this with no more interest than seeing that you're okay? What would you know? Not even dogs come near you. I can feel it."

Dianna felt that every word was a punch of reality. The old woman continued as if she enjoyed crushing her. "Ian is a burning heart that hates injustice. How do you think he would react if you hated his former best friend like that? Why do you have this fixation with Ian? He doesn't and will never fill the emptiness left by the love of your life. Where is the one who really makes you feel something special? Why did you leave him behind?"

Dianna could no longer contain herself, every word from that old woman made her more and more furious. "What the hell is wrong with this damn old woman?! How dare she talk to me like that! How the hell does she know all those things?! Is this a fucking hidden camera show?!"

The old woman whispered. "All because of those bastards, huh? They had their eye on you for a while, following you for days to see what route you took on your way home. All to know which was the best place to kidnap and rape you.

Dianna felt a twinge of terror when she heard those words out of the nosy old woman's mouth. "How the hell does she know that?"

The old woman didn't even hear her. "You were assaulted almost at the doorstep of your house. In that damned alley that only you had the guts to go through. So much courage and bravery only to have your life fall apart in a second. Like a house of cards in the hands of a capricious child. What a pity! Your father even made you move to another city when you no longer wanted to go out. And so, the boy who made you smile was left behind."

Dianna stopped listening to the old woman for a second, realizing that this was extremely serious. "What do you want from me?"

The old woman's eyes turned completely black. As if the pupil was all-encompassing. "I'm not here to talk about Ian, or Emily. I'm here to find out why inside you there is so much hatred for Emily, and, ... well ... something else. Something you shouldn't have."

Dianna leaned back in her seat, feeling tremendously disgusted. " W-What the hell? How did she do this?"

In that instant, she realized that outside the bus it was pitch dark, and, inside the bus, there was only them on board. Then, startled, Dianna jumped up from her seat, realizing that not even the driver was there. No one was driving. When she tried to ask the old woman what was going on; Dianna saw that, the old woman, had also disappeared. A horrible shudder ran through her body. "What the hell is going on?"

The bus stopped and the back door opened. Dianna ran out after quickly grabbing her things. She ran down the aisle as if the devil was chasing her, trying to catch her from behind. When she was about to go down the exit stairs, the old woman was waiting for her on the sidewalk. But her countenance was different. Much darker. "That's the way I like it! I'm in a bit of a hurry, brat. Come with me! We need to discuss an important matter."

Dianna didn't move an inch. "This gives me really bad vibes."

The old woman had started walking away, believing that the girl would catch up her soon. Realizing that was not the case, she stopped and turned around. She seemed to be getting angrier with every second. Suddenly, Dianna heard a shocking truth from the lips of that strange being. With a monstrous voice she blurted out. "I've come to take all of you who are going to die tomorrow on that bus. On that shitty excursion you don't feel like going on. I'm going to give a second chance to some of them. I want to see if you deserve a second chance or I'll let you disappear like dust."