The perfect and responsible Elizabeth Hurston had never once made a mistake in her life. Now, she finally realized what it meant to ruin everything.

ELIZABETH (February 2010)

She hid herself in her room, locking the door behind her. The perfect and responsible Elizabeth Hurston had never once made a mistake in her life. Now, she finally realized what it meant to ruin everything. 

“Open the door, Elizabeth!” her mom, Kelly, shouted from the other side of the door. She was getting angrier by the second. 

All Elizabeth could do was curse herself under her breath and wipe the pesky tears that escaped from her eyes. How could she be so stupid? 

“This is my last time asking you, open the door!” Kelly’s voice rang throughout the house. Elizabeth swore that she felt the room shake. 

There was no more time left. Elizabeth knew she had to face her reality. Removing herself from her desk, she opened the door to find her mother in a state of disrepair. Kelly’s dark curly hair wasn’t in its normally neat bun, but rather a messy one with coils spilling out on the sides. They framed her face, which was red from screaming, and to Elizabeth’s surprise, tears were traveling down her face. Of course, her mother wiped them away as soon as they appeared. Kelly never wanted Elizabeth to see her cry.

“I’m so sorry, mom,” Elizabeth said, struggling to get the words out between her sobs. 

Kelly took a deep breath. Elizabeth could see some of the tension releasing. “I know you are,” she said, wiping another tear. “But, ‘sorry’ doesn’t make what you did right.”

“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” Elizabeth truly believed her words. 

“That letter means—” Kelly stopped herself. “It meant everything to me. You had no right to take it.” With a look of disdain, Kelly slammed the door in Elizabeth’s face. 

ELIZABETH (January 2010)

Elizabeth and her mom never had a normal mother-daughter relationship. Kelly lived a life fueled by perfectionism, and she raised Elizabeth to do the same. The Hurston women never made mistakes—and they absolutely did not steal from their mothers. 

Elizabeth was going through her mom’s purse looking for a twenty-dollar bill. That’s when she saw the delicately folded yellowish paper. She almost didn’t unfold it because it looked like it belonged there. But she was tired of being perfect. Of always being what her mother expected. She took a deep breath and unfolded the letter. 

Dear Kelly,                                                                       December 15, 1992

I love you, and even if you’re scared to say it back, I know you love me too. We don’t have to be enemies because our parents can’t stand each other. If you agree, meet me in the library after your science class. I’ll be waiting. 

Yours, 

Jason Colbort 

Elizabeth read and reread the words. The Colborts were a family of politicians. ​​Oscar Colbort was once a popular mayor. He never expected another candidate to beat him, let alone a woman. When Elizabeth’s grandmother, Penelope, ran against him and won, he was furious. Oscar Colbort made it his mission to blacklist the Hurston’s. At every family dinner, Elizabeth would  always hear the story of Colbort v. Hurston and learn about the terrible things they had done. 

Elizabeth felt a wave of fury wash over her. Here was evidence that Elizabeth’s mother isn’t as perfect as she always projected. Kelly knew more than anybody what the Colborts put their family through. How could she keep this letter? Senselessly, Elizabeth tore the paper into pieces so tiny the handwriting was barely recognizable. With her heart nearly beating out of her chest, she took the fragments and left them on her mother’s desk. 

KELLY (December 1992)

Kelly Hurston never went to the library to meet the love of her life. It took every ounce of her willpower to not open the creaky doors. Instead, she took Jason’s letter and stuffed it in her backpack. She couldn’t betray her family, especially after everything Oscar Colbort put her mother through. Penelope took great pride in her high social status. Her popularity was the main reason why she was elected mayor. Oscar knew that—which is why he started spreading those horrible rumors. 

Jason never let the feud affect his relationship with Kelly, and she respected that the most. When she needed him, he was there. But now, when he needed her, she was turning on him. Kelly fought back the tears as she slammed her locker shut and walked away from the library. 

KELLY (January 2010)

Kelly always wondered  what would have happened if she met Jason in the library. Would she have been happier? But, everytime she posed the question, she rejected it. She was happy with her daughter, Elizabeth, and her small family. Even when it didn’t feel like enough, she found ways to glimpse happiness into her life. To keep everything perfect. 

Still, she kept the note in her purse. A part of her knew that one day the universe would bring them back together, and she would show Jason the note. She would show him that she waited for him, after all these years. 

Process

We got the idea of this piece from a prompt, and from there the characters just started to flow. It was very fun to write the piece from two opposing point of views, and to showcase Elizabeth’s and Kelly’s reasons for why they did what they did.

We really enjoyed the editing process too. It was hard staying within the word count limit, but we learned to not let it restrict us from telling the story the way we wanted to. We’re very proud with how it turned out, and we’re very excited to share it with you!