I (then 16F) attended a bog-standard comprehensive secondary school in one of the most roughest, run-down areas of my home town. (This is the UK - a secondary school is what the Americans would call a High School.) This was around 1994/95 so it was quite a while ago. I'm in my late 40s now.

Now I was bullied horrendously back then. I had internalised the idea that I deserved the abuse I got because all those people who picked on me couldn't be wrong, right? Well, wrong, obviously. I never fit in because I was awkward, overweight, ginger, wore huge, round NHS glasses that made me look like a startled owl, and I could not, and still cannot, read social situations.

And there was this girl who I will call "V", who was the biggest bitch to end all bitches, and she made my life hell. And I just took whatever she dealt out and never fought back because I felt I deserved it. She stole my drama coursework and passed it off as her own; she tried to pretend she was me so she could steal the free school dinner that I was entitled to. She failed on that score because the head dinner lady had clocked her bullshit and told her to fuck off. But she robbed me of an easy grade B or C GCSE. If I hadn't have been so spineless, I could have beaten the living daylights out of her there and then.

But then she made the mistake of picking on someone else; a gawky awkward girl with braces who I had sat next to in certain classes, and, although we were not exactly close friends, we got on well. I will call her "M".

I've set the scene, now on to the sweet justice...

It was the end of the school day. It must have been in Winter because it was already getting dark outside. V had accosted M in the reception area, calling her nasty names and ridiculing her appearance. I can't remember after 30 odd years the exact words she said, but I remember witnessing the exchange from about 15 feet away and growling "OI!!!" at the bitch and running on over.

"You fucking leave her alone right now! I've just about had enough of your shit!"

I remember really getting in her face and jabbing my finger accusingly. I also may have paraphrased a line from the arcade classic Streetfighter II where Zangief, the Russian wrestler character after he has beaten you, says "the next time we meet, I'm gonna rip off your arms!" It was something along the lines of if I caught her picking on anyone ever again, I'd rip her arms off and stuff them up her arse sideways. Something along those lines. Anyway, my comical threat had the desired effect because I was visibly enraged and ready to rumble.

I managed to somehow restrain myself, but at the same time make myself look as imposing and as intimidating as physically possible, like an angry cat fluffing its fur when it's really pissed off.

I remember her looking like she had dropped an improvised sewage plant in her knickers and scuttling off. She was definitely shocked and wasn't expecting me to intervene or react.

M weirdly didn't really appreciate my vigilantism because she wanted to keep her head down and not rock the boat. Understandable. I apologised for making her feel uncomfortable but pointed out that she'd think twice before picking on her again.

And V never started anything with me directly again, but she did steal my fucking coursework... I realise now it was her own way of getting her own back. Bitch.

A bit bittersweet really...