Virtually In Love

The Box

I fall back onto my bed.

I open my laptop and see 9 notifications from Dylan.

I close it. I don't want to talk to anyone. My mind is numb. I have to leave everyone.

I walk over to my dresser and rummage through my stuff like my mom had asked.

I pick up a homemade wooden box. It's chipped and tattered, and it's filled with bead and string bracelets.

Chrisy made me this box for Christmas the first year that I moved here. We were only ten years old. I had just moved to that school barely a month prior and I didn't have any friends. She gave that box to me with a bracelet and from there we became best friends. With her came Lex, one of her other friends. The next year we met Emily. Since then, we've been inseparable. Every friendship bracelet we ever made went in this box once it was faded and gross.

I'm not going to be able to see them any more. My heart feels empty. I lay on my bed and cry.

•••

I wake up and it's light out. I must have cried myself to sleep.

I look at the open box of bracelets still sitting where I left it.

I get the most cheesy idea all of a sudden, but I go with it. I grab my container of colorful string and begin to make four matching bracelets.

I text my three friends and ask them to come over.

"Mom!" I yell from my room, "Lex and Em and Chrisy are coming over."

"Okay, just make sure they're home by 5:00. A realtor is coming to check out the house." She answers.

About a half an hour later, everyone is in my room.

"So guys..." I start. "This is the most cliché thing ever, but I know we haven't made bracelets like this in ages. Since I'm moving, I wanted to make something that can remind you of me and of when we were younger."

I begin to hand everyone their bracelet. Everyone helps each other tie it on their wrist.

"Oh my god Holl, I almost forgot how many bracelets we used to make for each other." Lex laughs.

"I still have almost all of mine. I lost a few, though." I say as I grab the raggedy box full of pale bracelets.

We all begin to look through them and laugh at how disgusting some of them have become over time. We can tell which ones were the first ones made because they're horrible, but some are very intricate.

Chrisy looks up at me with glassy eyes, "Holland, I'm gonna miss you."

Sadness infiltrates the room. "C'mon guys, let's not think about that. Let's just enjoy the little bit of time we have left together."

"Yeah, I mean we still have Christmas and Alexis' birthday coming up." Emily starts.

That's when I remember that I haven't told them that I'm moving in two weeks. "Uh, guys... I'm moving on the 18th."

"Of when?" Lex gasps.

"This month." I answer.

"That's like less than two weeks." She screeches.

"I know. This move is tearing me apart. I don't want to leave you guys."

We spend the next few hours talking and reminiscing about the past few years we've spent together.

Around 4:30 my mom comes in and asks us to round up.

"I love you guys." I say as I close the door once they leave.