Was I the A hole for getting back at my primary school bully in high school??

I (23F) told this story to my bf (26M) and he said I was a major asshole for this. (PS; I feel I was valid in this situation, but my bf can be objective when need be so I'm genuinely curious)

For context, my ex-bff and I went to the same middle school until gr. 8 then went to different high schools. I got bullied by "Tatum" throughout middle school, and it was so bad that I would sometimes go home crying, but never did anything about it. I tried reporting her to teachers once... MASSIVE mistake!! It made everything worse!! Tatum didn't really pick on my ex-bff, but she did face Tatum's wrath a few times. We did start talking less and less in high school, but I thought we were still close.

My ex-bff and Tatum went to the same high school while I went to the same private school father went to. This private school is the type of private school you see on TV. Think horse polo, and snobby kids, the type of school you go to for networking not education, and small classes (there are 10 of us per grade). Because the classes are so small gossip gets around really quickly. This is also a school that has students from primary school to high school. When I started there, I didn't really speak to anyone on the first day. They were more into gossiping about me and why I wasn't there from Gr. 1 like ALL the legacy students were. It took some time but eventually I found my footing. Now, I've known since I was 8 years old that I wanted to be a fashion designer. I did a lot of fashion summer camps and competitions and when I started high school, I made a name for myself as the go-to for winter formal, prom or cotilion dresses. Or anything really. I was the chairlady of the fashion entrepreneur club and the home economics class go-to for help with fashion practicals.

All the students are really close-knit and loyal to their own. We also don't do well to outsiders, hence the extensive gossip train. Despite fitting in at the private school, I still tried to keep in touch my ex-bff. When her birthday came around, I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. I get to her house and she and Tatum are sipping alcohol-free mimosas by the pool, chatting like they've been friends forever. The same person who pep talk me after Tatum told the whole class an embarrassing secret about me, who always had tissues for me whenever Tatum made me cry, who gave me a whole box of tampons after Tatum pointed out the stain on my pants to EVERYONE was now laughing and making inside jokes with her. I was angry or jealous. I was just hurt.

Of course, Tatum saw me first and got her goons laughing at me crying with the present in my hands. Ex-bff tried to explain that Tatum was the only she knew at her high school, and that they were both scared and band together. Mind you, we've been in high school for SEVEN MONTHS, and not once did she ever mention that. I left and blocked ex-bff and put them both behind me.

Then, at the end of gr. 10, my school heard rumours of a scholarship student starting gr. 11 with us. (One of my classmates was moving abroad, so we had an open seat). At this point, I was acclimitised into the gossip chain and the school's culture. One thing that is ALWAYS the butt of the joke is the scholarship kid. Again, this is an elite private school with kids who have rich parents so the scholarship kid is seen as a peasant. I reminded my friends (50% of my class) that I was the new kid once and that our way of approaching new kids is very cold and rude. While I was at summer camp, we kept in touch on ways to make the new kid feel welcome, which was basically just "what do I (OP) wish happened on my first day at this school?" I love girls and how open they were to really trying to break the cycle.

Then Gr. 11 started, and who should walk in but the one and only Tatum. From what I can remember, her dad got a new job so they moved to a closer neighbourhood because Toronto traffic is UNGODLY! I gathered my girls and said "screw it" and we upheld our school's very hostile welcome. I remember when I was the new kid that I sat alone at lunch, kept looking at my shoulder because people were whispering about me and pointing at me, I cried in the girls' room, even some of the teachers stared because new students are just not a thing. Seeing Tatum go through it was very, very, very, VERY satisfying. Knowing that my friends knew who she was, was made it even sweeter.

When Tatum asked to sit with me at lunch, we all ignored her and went back to paging through magazines and my sketchbook because we were designing our winter formal dresses. When she needed a partner in chemistry, my girls got together and I partnered with my bf at the time. When we had our school trip to London, she had to be assigned a roommate (my friend L, who spent more time in my room so Tatum was alone most of the time). Honestly, she went home crying most days and it was so bad that she was only there for one semester. I know from the way it sounds, I got back at Tatum because of ex-bff, but I look back at that semester and feel at peace that the shoe was finally on the other foot.

Not sure if this relevant but the only reason I told him this story is because we're visiting my home country (I'm Canadian living in France & my bf is French) and my bully was our taxi driver from the airport, but I didn't recognise her until she told me her name and said something along the lines of, "of course the bully forgets her victim."

So was I the asshole for literally doing nothing??