Once upon a time, long long ago and far far away there was a girl. She was very small, petite, with jet dark hair and porcelain white skin. She was very pretty. I would see her out and about and would always be impressed with her. She always seemed to have a smile for everyone and she seemed to be very, well, cool. But for some reason, people really disliked her. I never knew why though, I just knew that girls who I was acquainted with would call her names, say that she was trouble and to watch your back. Even men seemed to dislike her, whether it was because she would not give them much attention or perhaps there was just something about her that they were put off by. I never really spoke to her, not out of being rude but simply because we had never been introduced and even in the informal and intoxicated Cincinnati music scene I still had a hard time approaching strangers without introduction. I had a friend who went out with her a few times, it didn't work out, but he never said anything bad about her. There was a clique of girls and I would watch them stare her down, whisper about her, make fun of her when she was drunk at a show. All the while I was very confused as to where all of this animosity came from. Oh, I am sure she was not perfect, but hell, that's no reason to immediately dislike someone. I am sure she had ex-boyfriends who cared torches and broken hearts and hurt feelings because of her (she was really quite pretty) but whose business is that of ours? And I am sure that she argued with people, had friends that she fought with, had family that she didn't always get along with, but none of that seemed like any reason to dislike her. That pretty much sums us ALL up.
But I am fooling myself, and most likely not you. I bought into it. I listened to those girls, to those men. I didn't like her either. If everyone thought she was trouble she MUST be. If that guy said that he saw her kissing two different men in two different days, well, then she must be a terrible person. Oh that haircut? Terrible. And how pathetic is it that she is at the show alone? Who does she think she is, walking around like she is so hot to trot?
People can be very terrible to each other.
What I remember most though, is feeling bad after a time. Because there she was, time and time again out and about. Always just as charming, always smiling, and somehow, never seeming to be bothered by the assholes (including myself). I think she probably was bothered, but she did an excellent job of never showing it. I wish I had got to know her, I bet she had a wicked record collection.
I would like to give her a high five.
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