I guess if I had thought with anyone else's brain, I would have actually thought twice and made a different decision. But I was a brainless freshman in high school and though I will never say it out loud and didn't consciously think it then, I probably decided that bringing the green chick to school in my hoody was a great way to get attention.

So, pushing aside my fears that somehow I would be discovered and the nightly news would have a story about "chickens running rampant around Doherty High School!" I tucked the small, fluffy chick into my orange hoody, its bright green down-dyed in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday-acting as a hideous contrast.

"David Daley. Guess what is in my pocket!?" David raised his heavy eyebrow as we stood in the middle of the freshman locker bay. He glanced down to the pocket where my hands were nestled loosely around the small animal.

He wasn't the only one in the circle. But I had told him I would do it and so I wanted him to know I had. I don't back out on silly ideas. (Not something I really say with pride, as it turns out.) "Look!"

I turned sideways and nodded toward the pocket, which I opened as wide as it would go so the little chick could pop its head out. "It's my green chick!"

David Daley jumped back in surprise. "You didn't!"

"I did. And Mr. Roth already knows, but I'm hoping he's the only teacher that finds out. He'll probably tell. Mrs. Roth, but I don't have her till 4th period so no one will know between now and then.

I walked away as the bell rang, leaving David Daley and the people surrounding him with gaping mouths. I strolled into my Geometry class with an innocent smile at Mrs. Colgate and took my seat in the middle of the class.

Summer Winters leaned over to me across the aisle. He long stringy hair fell over her shoulder as her jutting jaw opened in a loud whisper. "Krista. I heard you have a green chick in your pocket! Is that true!?"

Showing Summer wouldn't hurt. She was a space case and I we had a good enough friendship as athletes in the school that she wouldn't rat me out. I opened my pocket as I had for David Daley and let her peek at the bird.

She back away in awe. "OH my GOSH. You actually have a chicken in your pocket! Where did you get that!?"

I held my finger up to my lips. "Sh! Don't let Mrs. Colgate hear I have a chicken in my pocket!" I glanced to the front of the room where Mrs. Colgate was absorbed in her notebook. "I got it at that Agri-Feed store across from the school. It's just down the street. But we get chickens every year so I've had this one for weeks."

Class started, but we hadn't even gotten past our first warm up problem with the isosceles before Mrs. Rainford, the Algebra teacher next door came in the room.

"Sorry, Steph," Mrs. Rainford said, looking at Mrs. Colgate, "but we've been notified that there is a live animal in this room and we're going to have to ask the owner to take it home right away."

The room froze. I looked anything but innocent with my wide eyes and hunched shoulders and I shot Summer Winters a look. Other people in the room who had apparently heard about the chicken started snickering and avoiding looking at my spot in the room. They were on my side. But I was in trouble. Nobody moved. I didn't say anything. I would take it home. I just needed to wait for Mrs. Rainford to leave the room.

Then the silence broke with laughter. It was Mrs. Rainford. "I'm just kidding! I just heard Krista has a green chick and I want to see it!"

I blew all my air out of me. "Mrs. Rainford, you scared the heck out of me!" Laughing along with the others, I walked to the front of the room as the two anxious math teachers huddled around my pocket. The chick let out a few complimentary chirps before the whole room wanted to see him and he came right out of my pocket and onto the overhead projector. If Dr. Martin didn't know about this by the end of the day, it would be a miracle.

Third and fourth period flew by. Turns out Mr. Roth did tell Mrs. Roth, and that wasn't it. David Daley told all his friends, who told all their friends, who collided with Summer Winter's friends, who already knew, who told their friends. Who, in the end, all went to Agri-Feed at lunch and bought, you guessed it, their own cardboard boxes of little round chicks.

I was horrified.

By 6th period the entire school was alive with little chirps in lockers and tucked away in the corner of classrooms. Why these hooligan high school children thought it was ok to go buy little chickens and bring them to school was beyond me, but it didn't matter. They had, and the fact was, it was my fault.

After school, I shuffled with a miserable soul to the locker room for track practice. Sanctuary. But then from the locker across the aisle I heard small chirp. Of course.

That night I laid in misery on my parent's bed for all the parents across the town who were undoubtedly lecturing their children on misappropriation of funds and the random inedible livestock in their kitchen. The news came on and I zoned past the TV screen as words came in my ears and left, my eyes taking in nothing.

"... and tonight's interesting story, chickens running rampant across Doherty High School!" The plastic news lady wore a concerned look and my eyes snapped to attention on the screen.

Jennifer, an angry parent, as the subtitle beneath her denoted, came on the screen. "I do not know how they just let high school kids go and buy chickens!"

Cold dread filled my body until from behind me came a burst of laughter. My parents and my sisters had all come to watch the TV and for such a miserable day, it actually turned out to be a pretty good idea to bring that little green chick to school.

(This will definitely be re-written becuase this version does not give this story justice. Sorry, Carol)