Chapter Three: Where There's Pink Glitter

Feeding the chickens was something I dreaded doing every day. We had two roosters that helped guard the nine chickens from predators and they took their job very seriously. I had lost count on the times I had raced out of the chicken coop in pure, unadulterated terror with them gunning it after me.

I hadn’t done my research very well when I asked for them last year for my birthday, so I was in for the shock of my life when they grew out of cute little chicks into adults. Males had spurs on the back of their legs they used to literally stab people with. It wasn’t a very fun feeling to have a two-foot rooster chasing me out of a chicken coop. In fact, it was downright embarrassing considering I was usually screaming too.

I stood in front of the coop in hesitation, attempting to read whatever body language they would bless me with this time. Today they only looked mildly suspicious and agitated, which was good enough for me. They probably wouldn’t chase me out.

I unlatched the door carefully, walking slowly over to the food trough and filling it up. Then I poured the water into their drinking spot and avoided the rooster who was sizing me up in the corner. The other one was in the fenced in part outside, as were most of the chickens. I stared at him a moment longer before reaching into the hay to grab the eggs. This time there were eleven eggs for us.

We always had a surplus of eggs. Mom was always trying to figure out creative ways to use them, but when you average around a dozen eggs each day that was tough.

Lucky for me my mom’s boss was very understanding of her bringing in her daughter’s crafts and foods, so she sold them during the day at work. I didn’t make too much money off of them considering I had to buy the chicken feed and hay for them, and my family along with grandpa did eat a lot of eggs, but it was gas money and a snack while I was at it. Plus, they weren’t that high maintenance. They usually looked out for themselves unless something like a fox managed to get into their cage. Then I was stuck with my dad attempting to fill whatever hole the fox had made and getting the paltry amount of chickens that had managed to get out back inside their coop.

I placed the eggs in the fridge, hurrying to wash my hands so that I wouldn’t be late for school. I grabbed my backpack on the way out, pulling my keys off the stand. When I got inside the car I pulled the sun visor down and looked at myself in the compact mirror. There was nothing like heading to school with gunk in your teeth.

Brown eyes stared back at me, along with thick, dark brown hair that I had french braided to keep out of my face. I glared at the zit that had popped up on my chin, putting my key in the ignition and starting the car.

Something similar to dust flew out of the air vents and I choked, rushing to turn the car off. I blinked, staring down and realizing with dismay that what I originally thought was dust was actually glitter. Pink glitter. An abundance of glitter that would never come off.

Kaeun.

“Are you freaking kidding me!” There was no time to take a shower. Just changing clothes would make me late, but I certainly couldn’t go to school looking as if the pink glitter monster had barfed all over me.

My mom picked up on the third ring.

“Mom! Kaeun took my keys and shoved glitter into my vents!” I ranted, slamming my car door. “I’m going to be late!”

“Oh Ara, come on. How would your sister even know how to do that?”

“Oh gee, I don’t know,” I grumbled sarcastically. “Maybe she just shoved it in the vents! It’s not that hard!”

“How would she even think of that? Seriously Ara? Your sister is six-years-old. She’s not a mastermind. I’ll call the school so they know you're excused.”

“Mom, Kaeun is obsessed with youtube. I’m sure she saw it somewhere on there. Besides, it was pink glitter, and who else would take my keys to do that?”

Everyone knew about Kaeun’s obsession with pink. Her walls were pink. She had a pink rug, and every day she made sure that there was something pink on her person. Whether that be earrings or a belt or hair clip, she didn’t care. There just needed to be something pink.

Living with her made me hate pink. Who wants to see pink every waking second of the day?

“I don’t know Ara, but it wasn’t your sister,” she said firmly. “Don’t worry about it,