Gemotions

The envelope felt heavy in her trembling hand. It was addressed to her childhood best friend, Sarah, and bore her own teenage handwriting, scrawled with an almost frantic energy. She ripped it open, her breath catching in her throat as she read the letter.

A wave of bitter regret washed over her as she took in the words. Her younger self, so full of youthful, unrestrained fury, had poured out all her resentment towards her mother onto the page. The words were a torrent of accusations, each one sharper than the last. She remembered the arguments, the slamming doors, the unspoken resentments that had festered.

She folded the letter slowly, the edges digging into her palm. How could she have been so cruel? The weight of it settled in her stomach, a dense, unpleasant thing.