She cut the bracelet just below the knot, freeing it from her wrist. The four strings that held it together sprung apart and lay curled on the desk in the shape of her wrist. She didn’t quite know what to do with it now that it was off her person. Her wrist looked bare.

Eliza had worn the bracelet since the day it was given to her by her best friend Margret, nine years ago. The colors had faded after constant exposure to Eliza’s daily routine, but she could still distinguish between the four shades of blue.

A knock on her door.

“Hey, the Stricklands are here,” her mother said.

“Yup.” Eliza picked up the bracelet and threw it in one of her desk drawers before heading downstairs.

She heard them first, in the kitchen, then saw their rain coats piled up on an unused chair before actually seeing them. Drinks had already been passed out, so Eliza helped herself to one, pouring a glass of the juice her mom used to make mixed drinks.

Margret was ignoring her, which was no surprise. She had cut off her own bracelet just before summer started. Eliza kept her eyes on her rapidly depleting drink, but her eyes kept wandering to the thin tan line on her wrist.

The parents had moved into the dining room to play cards, and Margret moved with them, pulling up a chair to watch. Eliza began to wonder why she hadn’t just stayed in her room. Her parents knew everything that happened, it was kinda hard to keep a secret when they see Margret’s parents every week for drinks and games.

“So I heard you passed your drivers test. That must be a pretty exciting.” Eliza’s fathers voice carried from the other room. Margret either didn’t respond or spoke quietly because she couldn’t hear her reply.

“It sure is nice to have a designated driver if we ever need one!” Mr. Strickland laughed.

Eliza poured herself another glass of juice and walked into the dining room.

“Don’t have too many of those, we need them for our drinks,” her mom said. Eliza nodded and took her place at the corner of the table behind her mother, where she could watch.

“Have you visited any other colleges yet Eliza?” Mrs. Strickland asked, rearranging the cards in her hand.

“Only the one.” It had been the one she and Margret had gone to together. She stole a glance across the table, but Margret wasn’t looking at her but instead the glass she held in her hands. Even from across the table Eliza could see that the tan line from her wrist was gone. Part of Eliza had hoped to see it, a remnant of their friendship, a scar. After all the time Eliza spent making it and Margret spent wearing it she’d thought that it would have left a bigger impact. But no, all traces had disappeared within weeks.

Eliza walked back to the kitchen, already bored of the slow-moving game. Her drink was empty, and there was food there. It seemed as good a reason as any to leave. She grabbed a plate and filled it with the take out they had ordered before sitting down at the counter. The laughter from the dining room echoing in the kitchen.

Eliza scrolled through Instagram on her phone, not really looking at what she was scrolling by. By the time she had finished her dinner everyone else was just coming in to get theirs. She got up, cleared her plate, and sat back down. As per usual the grown ups were in a good mood.

“Do you mind if I change the channel on the TV?” Eliza asked.

“If you get the speaker from your room,” Her mother replied. Eliza got up, noticing the quick glance Margret sent her way before filling her plate.

With the parents blasting music from the dining room Eliza was able to watch TV in peace, with the sound of laughter and conversation being drowned out by the beat of 80’s and 90’s music. Eliza had grabbed the friendship bracelet from her drawer when she had gone upstairs to get the speaker, and she absent-mindedly traced the candy-striped pattern with her fingers as she watched the new episode of the sitcom.

Through the layers of sound Eliza heard a dish being put in the dishwasher, and turned her head to see Margret looking at the TV. Neither of them said anything as she walked over and took a seat at the opposite corner of the L-shaped sofa. Eliza pulled her legs up under herself, and hid the bracelet in a fist that she buried in her lap. Though she was sure the Margret had seen it.

“This is a good episode, I watched it last night,” Margret finally said.

“I haven’t seen it yet.”

“I won’t give anything away then.”

Eliza could feel her clasped hand sweating as she tried to keep from looking over at Margret. The bracelet grew warm and moist, and she wondered if like an m and m kept in the hand too long the strings would stain her hands with a rainbow of faded blue.

The episode ended, leaving Eliza to wonder what exactly had happened before she put on a movie that had been recorded earlier in the week. She forgot if it was one she had gone to see with Margret or not.

Eliza unclasped her hand and wiped the sweat off on her shorts. The bracelet had fallen onto her left leg by the arm rest but at this point it was clear that Margret had seen it.

“I thought you were going to wait for yours to fall off,” she said. Eliza picked it up and threw it on the coffee table, sighing.

“Not much point in keeping it on if I’m the only one wearing it.”

“They weren’t supposed to last as long as they did. I thought they’d fall off after a year or so.”

“What wish did you make when I tied it on?”

“I was seven, I wanted to be a princess.” Eliza knew this, but she wanted to ask again, wondering if her friend hadn’t secretly made the same wish that she had. But of course, Eliza’s wish was beyond granting, it was beyond granting as soon as Margret cut off her friendship bracelet.

“It was silly anyway, who wears friendship bracelets at our age.” A lot of people, Eliza wanted to say. Margret leaned over and reached across the coffee table to pick up the bracelet, and Eliza let her. She watched as she inspected it, turning it over a couple of times before laying it back down on the table.

“Did you throw yours away?”

“It was so faded there much point in keeping it.” Eliza had wondered if that was her fault. She had chosen pastel colors for the bracelet, the type of colors that fade more rapidly than others. The chevron style bracelet had looked monochromatic by the end. Eliza saw Margret looking at the wall clock. It was almost eight. Margret got up and went over to the chair that had all their coats on it.

“You’re not staying?”

“I’m meeting up with some friends at a café in the next town over.”

“How are your parents getting home?”

“I took a separate car.” She put on her rain jacket and pulled the keys out of the pocket. “Mom, Dad, I’m heading out!”

“Call me when you get there! And remember-”

“Back by ten, I know!”

“Are they really that much better than me?” Eliza didn’t mind the silence that followed her question. She felt just as shocked as Margaret looked at the question. Margaret looked everywhere but at Eliza, different and undiscernable emotions filtering through her face.

“Don’t do that… It’s not fair.” Margaret finally replied.

“I have a right to know, don’t I?” Eliza whispered, hoping that her voice could be heard over the music blasting from the dining room.

“You already know, you just don’t want to accept it.” Eliza watched as she closed the door behind her, and wondered why she had come in the first place. Of course Margaret was right, they weren’t the same people they were when they were kids. They grew up, but their relationship didn’t. She wondered if Margaret’s parents had forced her to come, or maybe she had just wanted to get some dinner. Either way, she hadn’t been there for the reasons Eliza had stupidly hoped.

The longer the movie dragged on the more time she spent staring at the friendship bracelet that Margret had left on the table. It lay flat now, some of the knots at the top coming undone. The movie had just reached its climax when Eliza had gotten up, grabbing the bracelet and walking into the kitchen.

The music was still thundering from the dining room, a round of some card game fully underway and the parents took jabs at one another. Eliza opened the trash can, and after a moment of hesitation, dropped the bracelet into the trash can.

“What are you doing honey?” Her mother asked after she hadn’t moved for a little bit, the trash can still open.

“Just throwing something out,” she said, closing the lid.

After all, what was the point in keeping some useless knotted string.