Finding Love *Not Edited*

Chapter 10

            “It’s lame,” a boy said, crossing his arms. His attitude just said it all, his name was Ryan, and he was the bad boy in the school. “Nobody isn’t going to listen anything teachers say anyways.” Some students snickered at his saying as his friends high fived him.

            “How about we asked Diana that question,” he said, smiling at me and I stiffened as everyone’s attention turned to me.

            “Why would we ask the slut?” a ringing voice said somewhere in the class and I winced at the girls voice.

            “Do you have any real proof that Diana Red is a slut?” he asked the class and some people chuckled as the teacher said the world ‘slut.’ The room suddenly quiet as people started thinking hard on what to say. Nobody raised their hands or said a single word for five minutes straight as the teacher glanced around the room. “You have no proof, so why do you call her that?”

            The room that was once quiet stopped as Ryan snorted. “I guess she’s just a stripper bi—

            “We do not use that language in this class,” he scowled at Ryan and he rolled my eyes, sinking back into his seat. “Do you have any proof of her being that also?” he asked the class again and I was again answered in silence. “Does anyone know who started these rumors about Diana?”

            “I did,” a small voice said and we all turned and looked, seeing a slightly nervous Claire. “I started the rumors.”

            “Why did you do that Claire?” the teacher asked and I groaned to myself when I still did not remember his name but quickly turned my attention back to Claire who was about to explain why.

            “Because I was mad at Diana, I thought she didn’t trust me so I wanted to make her pay,” Claire mumbled, seeming embarrassed as she spoke.

            “So why are you telling us that you started the rumors if you want her to pay,” he asked.

            “Because I realized I was being a bad friend. I pushed her, I wanted to know what happened and I realized I should have just let her open herself up and tell me instead of pushing it out of her,” she told him and he nodded.

            “Do you have anything to say to her?”

            “Just that I'm sorry for everything.”

            “Diana, do you have anything to say?”

            “Not really,” I said. “Just that it’s going to take a while to forgive you Claire. What you did was awful.”

            “I know,” she said, wiping the tears off her cheeks and gave me a weak smile.

            The teacher turned to the whole class. “Don’t you feel ashamed of yourselves?” he asked. Everyone nodded, some mumbled yes and the room got quiet again. “I want all of you after class to apologize to Diana.”

            “No,” I said loudly, shaking my head. “That doesn’t need to be done. Many people are bullied every day and nobody apologizes, it just stops and that it all I would like. I do not need special treatment.”

            He nodded as the bell rang and people quickly hurried out of the classroom, wanting to leave and go home. I slowly got up, suddenly tired of running and decided to walk out of the school and home instead of running home with fright that I have been doing for almost two weeks now. “Diana wait,” someone screamed and I turned around seeing Tyson running toward me. He quickly slowed his pace as he got in front of me. “I am so sorry about last period. I did not mean to. I just got so hurt that you would do something like that and when Claire mind linked me, telling me what she did I feel horrible now but don’t worry, I already told me she’s getting punished.”