Diana was born to a very Christian family right in the Bible Belt city of Fallbrook, North Carolina. Her mother was a kind woman who worked as a professor at Cooper University and her father, while he was strict, was a very caring man and he worked as a lawyer for most of his daughter’s life. She was an inquisitive child, everything she witnessed, she always asked ‘why?’. From a very young age, she knew she would want to be an ally for all those who were treated differently for one reason or another. Her uncle Stan was a gay man, as well as mixed race and he faced a lot of criticism. ‘Why’ came to mind a lot when she saw how people treated him, because to her he was a normal person. So what if he kissed other men? It confused her to see all of the nasty words hurled his way. She was sitting with him in church the day he took his life, everything seemed fine. Later that day, she found her uncle passed out with a bottle of pills next to him and she was so innocent, she simply told her parents he was sleeping and wouldn’t wake up. It wouldn’t be until she was old enough to understand that she found out what happened to him.
Most people would think this would turn her into an angry young girl, but she was actually kind to everyone around her. Even those she knew treated her uncle terribly, she killed them with kindness. There was a particular woman she had it out for, but she had to uphold her sweet girl image in the meantime. Her plan was long term though, she didn’t want to react right away. It started by dating this woman’s son in high school. Was it terrible? Of course. They were seen as high school sweethearts to the world, so in love, so young, and so into one another. The truth was, she had always planned to hurt him, but the longer she was with him, the more she was actually starting to fall in love with the boy. But when the root of her interest in him was based on revenge, of course it was hard for her to make any real romantic connection with him. That didn’t stop her from having a child with him when she was going into college.
After twelve years of teaching English, she was promoted to Principal of the high school. She had built such a close bond with her students that the current class at the time as well as alumni came together and petitioned for her to be the new principal. This was probably the happiest moment in her life, second only to the births of her children. Of course, when her boss offered her the position, she happily accepted and was happy to be even more involved in the lives of her students. Her wedding was soon after, but instead of going through with it, she left him at the altar completely alone. Everyone wondered what was going on, but she couldn’t go through with the marriage knowing full well she didn’t love him. Was this the revenge she had been yearning for? Because if she was being honest, it didn’t feel good. And it would take years for her ex to even utter a word to her again, understandably so.
These days, she’s trying her best not to be the toxic girl she was in her youth, making amends with her past and working up the courage to be honest with those around her about what happened. She knows her youngest child will never forgive her when they find out and she’s willing to face those consequences when the time comes.
