As a human, Kirsten Black existed- that is, she functioned in the way one might expect a human to do. As a person, Kirsten Black was no better or worse than any other normal, rational human being. As a girl, Kirsten Black was probably better than average. She wasn't classically pretty, but she had something that made up for it, and she wore dresses all the time, which was more than most girls could say in this post-feminism world. As a friend, she wavered somewhere between average and not exactly the best choice.
You see, Kirsten didn't really have verbal boundaries. They didn't exist in her mind. The things that came out of her mouth could certainly be construed as racist, sexist, ageist, or just plain rude. And most of the time people found what she said funny or thought "That's just Kirsten." But the problem was the line that most people don't cross, Kirsten had no qualms about crossing. There are certain things you just don't say and Kirsten just came right out and said it, regardless of what people might think.
Now honesty is an admirable quality and everyone sometimes thinks things that are the farthest thing from politically correct; it's normal, it's natural, and it takes guts to say those things. But Kirsten was abrasive. Abrasive, loud, obnoxious, annoying. When Kirsten came into the room, her opinion was the only one that mattered because hers was the only voice you were able to hear. The quiet voices with the well-thought arguments and rationality were drowned out by Kirsten's explosions. A person could get lost easily when Kirsten was around. It wasn't just that she was the center of attention. No, Kirsten didn't just sit in the center of attention, she OWNED it- sat there with the deed to the land and looked at you as if you were a squatter if you tried to say something. Because you were a squatter, she couldn't do anything about it, but you were a serious inconvenience to be taken care of at the earliest opportunity.
She had her moments though. She was fun and whip smart. Sparring with her was a challenge and kept you on your toes. And when she invited you to share in that spotlight, invited you onto the Kirsten Black estate- you felt like you were part of something. Good or bad, you were smart, you were funny, and you were accepted. And if you had to have "YOU'RE A WHORE" yelled at you every few minutes when you said something she couldn't respond to, well, that was okay. Because in that moment, YOU were the one who had the spotlight and that made it worth it. No matter how pathetic that was.
You see, Kirsten didn't really have verbal boundaries. They didn't exist in her mind. The things that came out of her mouth could certainly be construed as racist, sexist, ageist, or just plain rude. And most of the time people found what she said funny or thought "That's just Kirsten." But the problem was the line that most people don't cross, Kirsten had no qualms about crossing. There are certain things you just don't say and Kirsten just came right out and said it, regardless of what people might think.
Now honesty is an admirable quality and everyone sometimes thinks things that are the farthest thing from politically correct; it's normal, it's natural, and it takes guts to say those things. But Kirsten was abrasive. Abrasive, loud, obnoxious, annoying. When Kirsten came into the room, her opinion was the only one that mattered because hers was the only voice you were able to hear. The quiet voices with the well-thought arguments and rationality were drowned out by Kirsten's explosions. A person could get lost easily when Kirsten was around. It wasn't just that she was the center of attention. No, Kirsten didn't just sit in the center of attention, she OWNED it- sat there with the deed to the land and looked at you as if you were a squatter if you tried to say something. Because you were a squatter, she couldn't do anything about it, but you were a serious inconvenience to be taken care of at the earliest opportunity.
She had her moments though. She was fun and whip smart. Sparring with her was a challenge and kept you on your toes. And when she invited you to share in that spotlight, invited you onto the Kirsten Black estate- you felt like you were part of something. Good or bad, you were smart, you were funny, and you were accepted. And if you had to have "YOU'RE A WHORE" yelled at you every few minutes when you said something she couldn't respond to, well, that was okay. Because in that moment, YOU were the one who had the spotlight and that made it worth it. No matter how pathetic that was.
