"God, what's this glitter doing in my bag? I thought to myself. Glitter...no, how could it be? I haven't touched or seen it in 5 years after what happened. A healthy amount of silver glitter was in my bag and started to suffocate all my other books with glitter. When I took out my book, it seemed drenched in glitter. 

"Arya!" the teacher yelled out. "You will have to pay for that book if it's still covered in glitter by the end of the semester."

Glitter...why now? We haven't had glitter since-

"Are you listening?" the teacher boomed.

"Oh, sorry, yes I'll make sure to clean it," I trembled. 

After class, my blood-red skirt was covered with glitter. I haven't even touched glitter, how is it in my bag!? My family has never bought glitter since that day! A trail of glitter was following me. 

"Hey, look it's Cinderella!" a boy yelled out.

I ran to the bathroom to see if there were any holes. Nothing. It seemed like she was coming back, but she wasn't because she was gone and she won't come back. A wave of sudden anger flowed through my body as I grasped the backpack and tears surged out of my eyes. No. More. Glitter. Please god, leave me alone, no more glitter. I washed my face but my eyes were still puffy and my nose was hot red. Small flakes of glitter were on my face, twinkling each moment. Glitter was scattered on my arms, and no matter how hard I tried, the glitter was as stubborn as her. No, it's been 5 years. I will not think about her. I need to move on.

During lunch, glitter on my sandwich. Walking down the halls, glitter on the floor. Sitting on my desk, glitter on the table. It seemed as if the shiny, beautiful, crisp clear silver glitter never wanted to leave. It followed me every day as if it wanted to drown me. I bought a new backpack, but no, the glitter was stuck to me. 

I went into her room after 3 years and it was still the same. Her remaining pills were scattered on her desk and her bed was unmade like always. I checked her closet, her drawers, and when it came to the art table, there was glitter completely covering the desk with no patch of the desk to be seen. It was smothered with glue and glitter and my heart felt like it was about to give up any minute. A feeling of deja vu came to me, my head spinning, watery eyes, and a sudden burst of tiredness came to me. I'm leaving, I thought to myself, no more glitter, please. 

"Honey, check your old backpack again to make sure you didn't forget anything before I throw it out!" my mom yelled.

"Ok," I mumbled quietly.

My old backpack was nothing but a deadly sea of glitter. I stuck my arm in it and felt a piece of paper crumple into my hand. I took it out and a swarm of panic surrounded me. A goodbye card from her. I opened it, my heart beating every minute, an urge to run away and forget everything, the plain, white paper she could turn into the most colorful piece of art with vivid colors flashing into your eyes. The intensity of colors shot into my eyes and as I opened the card, a mix of happiness and sadness came to me in a rush and it seemed as if it was happening too fast.

Dear Arya, 

Remember when I got my arms paralyzed? I could never draw again and I thought my life was going to end, and in that time of darkness you were my moon that was able to show me the way. I was suffocated, lost in the dark. Every time I looked it seemed as if everything was evil, but you were the only light that kept me alive. I remember your chubby, little hands grasping mine and how we would draw together. The warmth of your hand warmed me and kept me in peace. One day, you wanted to add glitter to a drawing and it was magnificent, and after that, we would always add glitter. It seemed as if you were the glitter, the spark that I needed to keep going until that day. I'm about to die soon, with a couple of hours left. The nurses are comforting me, but I already feel comforted because of you. People will die, Arya, and you will remember that moment whether you like it or not. Remember me as someone who you could count on, who you loved, who was the glitter in your life like you were in mine. To everyone else, I'm dead. I can't speak, but I'll always listen and I'll always be with you. I'll be the glitter in your life. You will see me one day, and on that day we'll play, we'll laugh again as we did before, but for now, remember me. I will always be a part of you and you will always be a part of me. We are a fire that could never die out, we are a phoenix that can burn to ashes but rise once more, we are a hurricane that can sweep out whatever we wish, and most importantly, you are the glitter that always seemed to shine in the darkest hour. For one day, you will die, but you will already have given the glitter to someone else and they will light up someone else. The meaning of death in exact words is, "the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism." This is not the end of my life but rather the beginning of it. To people, I'm dead, to our parents, I'm long gone, but people like you know that my firey heart can never be extinguished. It's still burning and it will forever. I am always going to be a part of you. They say to not say promises you can't keep. See you one day, and that day we will never part again. I promise, and that's a promise I can make.

-Angie

I didn't cry. I laughed. I burst out with the warmth beating my back and the glitter in my bag glistened each minute. I could feel Angie telling me, "Put more glitter!" I trembled and my stomach was in agony from the laughing. I held her card close into my hand. I'll remember you, Angie, because you're the glitter in my life, and you're the blazing heart that will never leave. 

I love you.