Dear Twilight,
It has taken me a long time to get to this point, and I don’t exactly know how best to say this, so I’ll just cut to the chase.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of the mean and hateful things I have said about you and to your fans throughout the past ten years or so. I’m sorry that I did not have a more open mind when I first heard about you back in my middle school days. I’m sorry that I believed in the false dichotomy that a person either likes Twilight or Harry Potter and did not realize that the two series are nothing alike. I’m sorry that I adhered to the popular opinion held by many of my friends: to hate you without even giving you a proper chance first.
I’m sorry that I mocked my high school friend, Stephen Kelly, when I found out he had read all of your books and enjoyed them. I’m sorry that I thought less of Robert Pattinson when I first heard that he was going to play Edward in the film adaptation of the books. (I’m not sorry for Taylor Lautner’s performance as Jacob Black though, you guys should’ve known better).
I’m sorry for dismissing you as poor writing while I continued to read The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner series, which I admittedly said were bad writing. I’m sorry for rolling my eyes at my female friends whenever they went to one of your movies’ midnight premieres. I’m sorry that I was wrong for all those years. I’m sorry it took me so long to even give you a chance.
Was it fate that brought me to the Goodwill in Brevard, North Carolina on June 28, 2016? I decided to look at the book section when you caught my eye. There you were, three paperbacks and a hardback. I was hesitant at first, but then I realized that for only six dollars, I would never have this opportunity again. I confidently scooped you up in my arms and took you home with me.
After one week, I had already finished book one. It was then I knew that this was for real. I realized what a fool I had been all those years prior. I thought I was too good for Twilight, but I just could not put you down. I was Team Edward, then Team Jacob, and then back to Team Edward again. At every twist and turn in the series, I was right there reading feverishly to find out what came next. I finally got what all the hype was about. Were your stories believable? Absolutely not! Were there cheesy and sometimes very stupid lines in your pages? Without a doubt! But since when are these good criteria for writing off an entire fictional saga? If we expect perfection from a book series, we’re never going to get it, and I see that now.
You may not be perfect, but I surely enjoyed our time together.
As I finally watched Breaking Dawn Part 2—literally last night—I felt sad when it ended. It was the same kind of sadness you might feel at the end of a great summer: sad that it is over, but very glad that it happened. I laughed to myself as I remembered how I used to feel about you and how much I have changed since then. I’m glad I gave you a chance, and I hope that one day you can forgive me for the way I used to treat you.
Forever a Twihard,
Stephen