Fuck.

Lizzie stared. She was at the side of her bed, looking down. Around her nether regions, her normally light blue pajamas were now several shades darker. Similar imprints were on both her sheets and blanket.

Fuck.

Despite being a bedwetter all her life, she rarely leaked, and even when she did, it was usually a few tiny spots on her jammies, perhaps a small speck on her sheets. But this…

What the fuck is wrong with me?

She didn’t have an answer to that question. Pulling up her sheets, she found her mattress wet underneath. What was she going to do about this?

Lizzie poked her head out of her room, just in time to see her mom heading toward the stairs. “Mom…”

“Lizzie, didn’t I tell you to get up fifteen minutes ago?” Her mom asked, hardly glancing at her as she continued.

“Mom!”

This time, Jennifer stopped. Upon seeing her face, her mom walked over. “What—” She froze upon seeing the scene.

“I… I wet the bed.” Lizzie stared at the floor, preparing for her mom’s questions, judgment, but most importantly, her anger.

Her mind rushed to prepare responses, reasons defending herself. But what was there to say? She didn’t even have so much as an excuse let alone a justification.

She shut her eyes, preparing for the worst.

“I can see that,” Jennifer eventually said. “Quickly go get showered and changed or you’ll catch a cold.”

When she didn’t move, her mom continued. “It’s alright Lizzie. Go get changed. I’ll clean everything up.”

Moving on autopilot, she grabbed some clothes before stumbling out her room. By the time she made it to the bathroom door, her mom was already walking out of the room with an armful of sheets.

“She what?” The voice down the hall was hushed, but peering out from a crack in the bathroom door, Lizzie could hear her parents’ conversation. “And she was wearing her goodnites?”

Lizzie felt herself blush.

Why?

The question sent a torrent of thoughts rushing through her mind. She hadn’t particularly drank a lot the night before. She’d even gone to the bathroom after dinner.

So then why had she completely soaked through her goodnites?

She stepped out of the car in silence, a slice of toast still in her hand. After her shower, she’d found her mother already busy dealing with her mattress. Her father had handed her a ziplock bag of toast and eggs, asking her to eat it on the car so they wouldn’t be late. Hardly a word was spoken on the ride to school. She’d spent it staring at her feet, watching her shoes swing back and forth.

Classes were a blur. Her teachers rambled on in the distance as her mind continued to race. Despite her best efforts to force her morning ordeal out of her head, a single thought kept creeping back.

What if it’s getting worse?

The thought horrified her. All her life, she dreamed about when she’d stop wetting. She’d wondered if it would be in a day, a month, or even a year.

Of course, she’d worried if it never got better, if she’d never be able to control her bladder at night. But she’d always held onto hope, believing that she’d slowly improve.

What she’d never considered was her bedwetting getting worse.

She’d never had to. It’d never been a problem before. The occasional leak once every few months was only a small speck on her sheets, something easily addressed by a quick laundry cycle. But the large spots from the morning were now seared into her mind.

What if this was the new norm?

No! It was just a coincidence! Her rational side yelled.

It must’ve been something weird in the food from the night before. Or maybe her body was just feeling extra tired that day. School had been hectic, right? With all the paperwork for the club and Ms. Morrison mentioning having to pick partners for the upcoming project.

She nodded. That had to be it.

Before she knew it, Lizzie was back on the car. The ride started with a ghastly silence. She almost wished her dad would blame her, talk about how disappointed he was. Give her an opportunity to apologize and explain herself. Because as they sat there acting like nothing had happened, the morning’s events only weighed heavier on her shoulders, causing her to squirm in her seat.

“So… How was school?” Her dad finally asked as they pulled into the driveway.

“Alright…” Why couldn’t she sit still?

“Lizzie, about the morning. Your mom and I don’t blame you at all. Leaks happen. It was an accident. You know that, right?”

“Okay…”

“I’m serious, Lizzie. It’s not your fault. I need you to know that.”

Lizzie buried herself into his arms. The chilly day suddenly felt warmer as she rested her head against his chest. The two stood there in silence for some time. She wanted to thank her dad but bit her tongue. Afraid to speak lest her voice quivered.

Back in the house, two suitcases stood waiting by the door. Only then did Lizzie remember that today was the day of their trip.

Her dad gave her a pat on the back, before scurrying off. As they busied about wrapping up their final preparations Lizzie noticed her father’s oily hair glistening alongside beads of sweat on his forehead. Her mom wasn’t better off. Her hair had been tied haphazardly in a messy bun as she raced about. One second she was holding a stack of papers, the next, toothbrushes.

Lizzie made an offer to help, and was politely but quickly turned down. She headed to her room, deciding it was best to stay out of their way rather than cause any more trouble.

In her room, traces of last night’s events had just about vanished. Her mattress was already back in place, the only difference being the fresh new sheets. She put away her school stuff, and made herself a quick snack in the kitchen. She’d barely sat down to watch Netflix when the doorbell rang.

A doorbell? If her parents were going today, then that meant…

“Hello Uncle Philip,” Ivie said as the door opened. “Hey Liz—“

She barely managed to finish her sentence as Lizzie rammed into her friend with a tight hug, nearly knocking off her glasses.

“What are those?” Lizzie asked after letting go, nodding toward the grocery bags she was holding.

“Oh, I just swung by the supermarket to grab a few items for the week.”

“Oh gosh, Ivie I’m so sorry. We said we’d ask for your grocery list but then there was the last minute visa stuff…”

“Hello auntie. Please don’t mention it. I know how busy you two are, it wasn’t a hassle. Really. Besides, I had a couple new dishes I wanted to try out anyways so had to grab some secret ingredients.” She winked toward Lizzie.

“Thank you so much. And let me grab those. But please, you must let us know how much it was so we can pay you back,” Philip said, reaching to help with the bags.

“Also we really appreciate you coming in early last minute, there’s just a few things we wanted to go over before we headed out. I wrote most of it down, but…” Jennifer’s voice trailed off as the two of them headed into the kitchen.

Lizzie began to follow, but Philip stopped her. “Do you mind helping us move these two luggages to the car? I’ve got to finish packing a few bags.”

“Sure!” Lizzie said, glad to finally be useful.

Her mom only emerged from the kitchen ten minutes later. She looked around frantically, a bag in her hands.

“Lizzie, did you see my luggage? It was the red one here.”

“Dad told me to put it in the car.”

Lizzie could’ve sworn she heard her mom swear under her breath. “Okay, thanks.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault.” Jennifer gave her a pat on the shoulder. “I’m the one that is sorry. Your father and I are just a mess.”

Lizzie nodded, trying her best to hide her frown. Despite her mom’s apology, she couldn’t help but blame herself. If she hadn’t leaked maybe her parents wouldn’t be in such a rush.

Philip reappeared a few minutes later. “Alright, looks like it’s time to go. Take care and don’t cause Ivie too much trouble, okay soldier?”

Lizzie nodded.

“And remember, since Ivie needs to drop you off before going to school herself, you’ll need to get up earlier than normal.”

“Yes mom, you mentioned this like three times last week.”

“Remember to do all of your homework and chores. And remember, Ivie is in charge.”

“Alright… I got it!” Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

“We’ll miss you,” Philip said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll miss you too,” Lizzie said, grabbing both her parents in a big hug. The three held the embrace for a while, but eventually her parents peeled away, and headed out the door.

With the door shutting behind them, Lizzie turned to Ivie. “It’s time to party!”

“I think you mean it’s time to do your homework!” Ivie said, mimicking her enthusiasm.

“C’mon, can’t we just play for a few minutes first? I’ll do my homework after dinner. School just started so there’s barely any anyways. Please…” She tugged on her friend’s sleeve, looking up at her with her most adorable puppy eyes.

“Your parents’ rules are very clear,” Ivie said, undisturbed. She pulled out a sheet of paper. “Fun and games only after your homework and chores,” she pointed to rule number six on the sheet.

Lizzie groaned, although the response was not at all unexpected.

The sheet was incredibly long and detailed. Not that she wasn’t familiar with most of them, her parents had always had strict guidelines for her babysitters. What gave her pause was that, if anything, the littered page seemed to contain even more rules than normal. She shrugged it off, it was probably because of the longer than normal trip.

“You even said you barely have any homework, all the more to get it done early so you don’t have to worry about it, right?” Noticing her disappointment, Ivie continued, “I’ll tell you what. Your only chore today is mopping. So I’ll let you play on your Switch after you finish your homework until I’m done cooking dinner. After dinner you can mop the floor while I do the dishes and we can chill after, deal?”

Lizzie nodded, more than happy with that compromise, before bolting upstairs. The math worksheet wasn’t too bad. Her history assignment was even easier.

Downstairs, Ivie was chopping away at some vegetables.

“I finished.”

“You finished everything?” Ivie eyed her.

“Yes. You don’t trust me?”

“Of course I trust you. Besides, if you don’t finish your homework, it’s not going to be me who’s getting a spanking when her parents are back.”

Lizzie stuck out her tongue, causing her friend to giggle.

“Kidding… You can go ahead and relax for a bit, I’ll be ready in thirty to forty minutes.”

She sprinted off with a smile. Other babysitters usually checked her homework, going meticulously through each subject. Ivie was different. She knew Lizzie held herself to a high standard, and would never skip an assignment without reason.

After a bit of gaming, Ivie called her over to eat. On the table was a pot of spaghetti and meatballs as well as a plate of stir-fried veggies. There was even some freshly toasted garlic bread.

The two talked over dinner, discussing their winter breaks. Lizzie was surprised to find out how much time her friend spent studying, especially over the holidays. Was high school really that stressful?

Ivie listened keenly to her adventures in the snow, late night watching fireworks, and even the early morning gaming — the last of which Lizzie made her promise not to tell her parents.

Lizzie even found herself sharing the embarrassing church story, but was careful not to mention her Rosalina sleeper and snowsuit.

After dinner, Lizzie mopped the floor while Ivie washed the dishes. Once their chores were complete, the two played some Switch. They started with Smash, but the skill difference was evident, and Lizzie won with ease.

“Oh no,” Ivie said, as her Lucina fell off the map. Although she didn’t seem too dismayed at her second loss in a row.

“Do you wanna try something else? I got some new games.”

“Sure. Actually…” Ivie checked her watch. “I think you need to get ready for bed, it’s almost nine.”

“Can’t I stay up a little longer?”

“It’s a school night, Liz. Your parents actually wanted to give you an even earlier bedtime since you need to wake up earlier. But I managed to convince them otherwise.

“I’ll tell you what, the two of us can stay up later tomorrow since it’s Friday, maybe watch a movie or something, alright?”

“Only if you make some popcorn.”

“Deal.”

“Alright then.” Lizzie still let out a little sigh, before heading off to get ready for bed.

After her shower, there was a knock on the door.

“And before I forget, your parents told me to give you this for tonight,” Ivie said as Lizzie cracked the door open. She passed her a white bundle.

It was a diaper.

“Haha, very funny.” Lizzie moved to close the door.

But Ivie blocked it. “I’m not kidding Liz.”

“I use goodnites now, I thought you knew that.” Had it really been that long since Ivie babysat her?

“Your parents didn’t tell you?”

Lizzie shook her head.

“Interesting…” Ivie muttered under her breath, pondering for a second before continuing. “I know you usually wear goodnites, but your mom said you leaked a few times recently, including last night. So she wanted you to use diapers this week to be safe. She said you’ve used them recently so you should know how to put them on yourself.”

Lizzie’s face bloomed red at the mention, thinking back to the torturous week she spent stuck in diapers. “But…”

“Liz, I know what you’re thinking: you’re not going to leak again. And you might be right. I know it sucks, but your parents just don’t want me to end up having to cleanup your mattress if you do. And frankly, I don’t want to either. And I think you’d agree, right?”

Lizzie sighed. “Do I have to wear these the entire week?”

“Yes. Your mom even explicitly wrote it on the rule sheet. I can show you if you don’t trust me. But if you can convince your parents otherwise, I’m okay either way. That’ll have to wait until tomorrow though, since they’re still on the plane. So can you bare with it for tonight at least?”

“Fine.” Lizzie groaned, feeling like she didn’t have a choice. What else was she going to do? Throw a tantrum?

“Thanks Liz. And… I hate to ask, but do you need me to do it up or check the tapes for you?”

“No, I don’t!” The thought alone caused her cheeks to glow.

“Just checking,” Ivie said in a playful tone, which only made Lizzie’s cheeks burn hotter. The door was shut, leaving Lizzie to stare at the white bundle on the counter.

She glanced at her goodnites, the ones she’d been just about to put on before Ivie had knocked. Never before had she thought the day would come where she’d want to wear one.

Sighing, she wrapped the diaper around herself and dressed. The thick bundle bulged out prominently from underneath her pajamas.

The picture in the mirror was clear. Cute face, short stature, and now a ginormous diaper bump to top it all off.

The fact that she’d chosen to wear one of her one-piece sleepers didn’t help with the mental imagery. The little mermaids swimming on the light blue fabric were far too cute for her at the moment.

Lizzie trudged to her room, hardly acknowledging Ivie telling her she still had thirty minutes before bed. The sooner she slept, the sooner she could wake up and tear her protection off.

She hopped into bed, but not before stripping out of her one-piece and changing into a more age-appropriate two-piece set. Unfortunately, that did little to change her mental self-image.

With the lights shut, she curled up onto her bed. Ivie had stopped by, but quickly seemed to get the message, and left her alone to sulk under the covers.

However, sleep didn’t come to her. Instead, she flipped over and over in bed, feeling the thick padding pressing against her every time she moved. The crinkling ringing loudly in her ears. The bulk tightly enveloping her in a suffocating feeling.

It’s not your fault. I need you to know that.

Her father’s words echoed in her head, and the more Lizzie thought about it, the more ridiculous she felt.

It was an accident. A coincidence.

A goodnite had been enough for most of her life. Why should one night of leaking invalidate that fact? Her parents’ new rule suddenly felt absurd. If it wasn’t her fault, why was she being punished for it? It wasn’t fair!

With that newfound resolve, she hopped out of bed. Stripping and carefully peeling off her diaper, replacing it with the much smaller goodnite, immediately feeling less encumbered.

She buried the diaper deep in her closet, before making a quick trip to the bathroom. Just to be safe.

Free from her bulky burden, she practically skipped back under the covers, happy to have corrected the injustice. After a few sips of water, it didn’t take long before she fell asleep.

***

“Liz…” Ivie’s voice seemed distant as Lizzie stirred. “It’s time to get up, we need leave in fifteen minutes or we’ll be late.”

“Five more minutes…”

“That’s what you said five minutes ago, please get up now.” The knocking on her door growing more persistent.

“Okay… In a bit,” Lizzie mumbled, rolling over. Her bed was so warm and comfortable. Besides, her alarm hadn’t gone off yet, why couldn’t she just sleep for a few more minutes?

“Liz, I’m coming in,” Ivie said and the door swung open. The lights soon flickered on, blinding her.

“Alright, I’m up!” Lizzie said, sitting up while shielding her eyes. “Tada!” She expected Ivie to leave her be, but her friend remained by the door. “What?” Lizzie asked, noticing her odd expression.

“Liz, can you get up for a second?”

When Lizzie flashed her a questioning look, her friend walked over, pulling her sheets away.

An icy feeling immediately washed through her. “Okay, I get it, I’m already up, you don’t have to give me a cold, gosh.”

“Liz…”

She traced Ivie’s gaze, her eyes eventually landing on her own crotch, where her sleeper had turned a dark gray. Similar dark spots marked her blanket and sheets as well.

Lizzie stared, stunned.

“Go get changed real quick before you get a cold.” Ivie broke the silence. “Clean yourself up and I’ll deal with this.”

Lizzie only nodded, taking a few seconds before trotting toward the bathroom.

Once was an outlier. But two nights in a row… And she’d even relieved herself before sleeping!

She cleaned herself quickly, returning to find her friend scurrying about. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

But whether she’d heard her or not, Ivie made no acknowledgement of her apology, instead only telling her to quickly get ready for school.

“So, what happened, did you mess up the tapes?” Ivie asked a few minutes into the car ride.

“Yeah…” Lizzie found herself replying, not sure if she was embarrassed or afraid to tell the truth. “I don’t know what went wrong, I was sure I did it properly and everything.”

“It’s okay. Diapers are harder to put on properly than they seem. I had to practice on some dolls before I was ready to use them when I was babysitting,” Ivie said with a chuckle.

Lizzie forced herself to laugh, but the reassurance did little to improve her mood.

“What are we going to do about my mattress?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

Somehow, the first half of the day flew by without her ruminating on the morning. Perhaps it was due to her efforts to distract herself. Or perhaps it was due to how Ivie handled the situation with such nonchalance.

But perhaps it was because she’d already processed everything the day before. The conclusion was obvious.

Her bedwetting was getting worse.

“Yo girl, you ready?” Madison’s voice woke her from her thoughts.

Lizzie lightly slapped herself on the cheeks, forcing herself back to reality. “Yeah.” It was lunch time and they were sitting in Mr. Henning’s room. She straightened herself up, checking her notes one last time as the students began filing in.

“Hey everyone, thanks for joining,” Madison said. The crowd of rowdy students quickly quieted down.

“I’m Madison, and welcome to our first chess club event! We’ll keep it simple so everyone can get into the games soon, but before we begin I’ll have my co-exec Lizzie here walk us through the rules.”

Lizzie looked up to see three dozen or so students looking back at her with keen eyes. Word had clearly spread about Madison’s new club. Still, she was surprised by some of the faces.

“Hey, I’m Lizzie… Well, I guess you already knew that.” She held up her notes to hide her face, but she could still feel the stares piercing through the thin sheet of paper.

This was a bad idea. Her, running a club. It didn’t make sense. What if—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she looked to see Madison smiling at her.

No. She could do this. Her friend needed her to.

Lizzie cleared her throat, taking one last glance at her notes before lowering it. “Our chess club has four simple rules.

“The first rule is that we ask everyone to treat the boards, pieces, and clocks with respect. Mr. Henning has graciously gone out and purchased these beautiful pieces, and we really do want to make them last. So that means while it’s okay to eat your lunch in the room, please make sure to keep your hands, pieces, and board clean at all times.

“Secondly, lunch sessions end at ten to. Once we call time, unfinished games must be stopped, but feel free to take pictures to continue next time. We also ask that everyone help put the chess sets and clocks back to the cabinet over there in the back.

“The third rule is that while you’re free to spectate, please refrain from commenting aloud during the games. Let the players focus.

“Finally, be respectful to one another, and have fun!”

“Oh, and one last thing, if you’re completely new to chess, don’t fret. Come over to the beginner’s corner here.” Madison pointed over to a group of desks. “Mr. Henning and I will be teaching the rules as well as some fundamentals, so you’ll be playing with the pros in no time!”

The kids soon scurried about. A few got up and left, quietly giggling as they did so. But Madison didn’t seem to pay them any heed, so Lizzie decided she shouldn’t either.

She soon forgot about them anyways, as several students raised their hands. Many had trouble setting up their clocks, and Lizzie — who had only figured them out the day before — jumped from desk to desk troubleshooting their issues.

After everyone was finally in game, Lizzie headed back to her seat. However, before she could sit down, new hands were raised.

The rest of the hour was spent answering chess questions, fixing buggy chess clocks, and solving disputes.

“Thanks for coming! And just a reminder, we’ll have games every Tuesday and Friday, but follow our Instagram to learn about upcoming events!” Madison called as students began filing out.

Only after the last student exited did Lizzie collapse into her seat. The exhaustion finally catching up to her.

“So, how was it?” Madison plopped down beside her.

“Tiring,” Lizzie sighed. She’d probably talked to more new people in the past hour than she had in the past month. “But fun.” While she hadn’t gotten to play, it was great seeing everyone gathered together. And it had been fun to spectate the games too. While many were beginners, there were quite a few decent players too.

“Well, most of them stayed til the end, so I’d definitely call our first meet a success!” Madison said, a grin on her face. And Lizzie couldn’t help but smile back.

***

Ivie picked her up after school. True to her word, when they returned home, her mattress had already been cleaned up.

To her relief, her friend didn’t ask any more questions about the morning, and Lizzie was happy to leave it at that.

Just like the day before, she started on her homework until Ivie finished cooking dinner.

“Do you like it?” Ivie asked as Lizzie dug in for dinner. Tonight, she’d made a creamy bean stew. In it were a slew of veggies and sausage bits.

“It’s amazing, you should come cook for us every day!” Lizzie joked.

The two chatted about their day, and Lizzie talked about her new club, and their first successful event.

“Wow, I’m happy for you! Are you planning to host any tournaments?”

“We’re looking into hosting some, especially if we keep up the current member count. I don’t know about local tournaments though, I’m not sure any of us are good enough to win.”

“Well, I’m sure you can just attend for fun as well, you don’t have to win.”

A little after dinner, Lizzie received a video call from her parents.

“How was your flight?”

“It was good, your mom fell asleep an hour in, and was snoring the entire ride. But I got some hilarious pictures.” Philip said, receiving a playful slap from Jennifer.

“How are you doing?” Jennifer asked.

“We’re doing good.” Lizzie went on to describe their first event, which seemed to impress them more than she’d expected.

“Wow, does that mean we’ll see you at the tournaments soon?”

“Why does everyone ask that!” Lizzie exclaimed. “But if we get good enough, maybe. I don’t want to go just to lose every game.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. By the way, you haven’t been giving Ivie a hard time have you?”

“She’s been good.” Ivie appeared from behind with a wave. “In fact, she was helping with the dishes right before you called.”

“That’s good to hear, well, sorry for cutting this short, but we do need to hop off, the first meeting is in a few hours and we haven’t checked into our hotel yet. But if you need us, just call.”

“Alright, talk to you soon,” Lizzie said before everyone exchanged their goodbyes.

“Thanks for not mentioning the bedwetting,” Lizzie said as soon as they hung up.

“I do have to tell them, but it doesn’t have to be today. I know it was an accident, just be more careful tonight, okay?” When Lizzie nodded, Ivie continued, “Alright, I’ll let you finish up the dishes, and then since it’s a Friday, you can go ahead and relax. I’m going to do some other chores upstairs, and we can watch a movie around eight, how’s that sound?”

“Okay! I’ll look for the movie.”

Lizzie sat on the couch, idly browsing Netflix. It was already eight thirty. What was taking Ivie so long? She’d gone up to bug her earlier, but Ivie had been on the phone and had waved her away.

“What took you so long?” Lizzie asked when Ivie finally stepped back downstairs. “I almost started watching the movie without you!”

“Liz, we need to talk.” Ivie took a seat next to her, her lips were pressed together.

“What, why so serious?”

“Why did you think you leaked last night again?”

Lizzie took a deep breath. A part of her knew she should come clean and tell her friend the truth. But Ivie’s stare gave her pause. She didn’t want her friend to get angry at her. She hadn’t done it on purpose, and she’d already decided that she would properly wear her diaper for the rest of the week, despite how ridiculous it felt.

“The tapes were probably loose. I must’ve messed it up somehow. We talked about it this morning, right?” When Ivie didn’t immediately respond, Lizzie continued. “If you don’t trust me, you can check them tonight to make sure they’re done up properly.”

In truth, she hated the idea of her friend checking her diaper. It was childish and embarrassing. But she also knew that after the morning’s events, Ivie would feel obligated to, and so Lizzie had decided to volunteer for it, hoping it would help her win some trust.

However, her friend only frowned. “Liz, I want to trust you. I really do. But can you explain to me why, as I was cleaning out the trash just now, I found a soaked-through goodnite, but no diaper anywhere?”

“I…” Lizzie’s brain raced to find an excuse. Perhaps she could claim the goodnite was old and she threw out her diaper separately. She could claim it was because the diaper smelled bad so she’d bagged it separately. “I threw—“

“Are you really going to keep lying to me?” Ivie’s voice low and quiet. The sudden vehemence halting Lizzie’s feeble attempt at a lie.

She looked up at her friend, gone was the usual soft glimmer in her eyes, and in its place was a death stare that sent a shiver up her spine.

“I…” Lizzie sighed, knowing she had no choice but to tell the truth. “I was embarrassed to wear it, and I didn’t think I would leak. So… so I switched to wearing goodnites instead. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“I appreciate the apology. But fact of the matter is that your actions have consequences. I already talked about this with your parents, and we agreed that you should have an earlier bedtime tonight. On top of that, I will be inspecting your diaper to make sure you have it on properly and that you don’t take them off at night.

Learning that Ivie had already talked to her parents meant that she must’ve known that she was lying from the start. Meaning that Ivie’s questioning had intentionally been to test her, seeing if she was willing to lie further.

It felt unfair, but Lizzie forced her mouth shut. Reminding herself that if she hadn’t lied in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. She hung her head until Ivie finished her lecture.

When she finally did, Ivie handed her a fresh diaper, and told her she’d be over to check once Lizzie was done showering.

After her shower, Lizzie fastened the diaper as best she could around herself. She’d left her pajama pants off, wearing only her top, since Ivie would need to inspect it anyway. Unfortunately, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The top hardly covered her diaper, rendering its large bump in plain sight. The imagery was painfully obvious.

Ivie came in, and Lizzie held her tongue as she was inspected, just wishing to get it over with quickly. Ivie refastened one of the tapes, but mostly just nodded her head.

“Alright, that looks good.” Lizzie let out a small sigh of relief. “Before I forget, your parents also wanted me to give you these for tonight.” Lizzie noticed a bag that Ivie had brought in, and watched as she pulled out something light blue.

She immediately recognized her Rosalina sleeper. The inescapable back-zip pair she’d gotten from Lucas for Christmas.

“What are those for?” The spite in her voice showing despite her best efforts.

“They’re your pajamas for tonight,” Ivie replied matter-of-factly.

“But—“

“Before you complain, your mom said this was the only way to guarantee you didn’t tamper with your diaper. Since you’ve proven that you can’t be trusted to not do so otherwise.”

“But—“

“Liz. Before you continue, think about what you’re about to say. Uncomfortable or not, the diapers were your parents’ rule, and we explicitly talked about wearing them for the night. So, if you weren’t going to listen then, do you actually have a good reason why I should trust you tonight?” Ivie placed the sleeper on the counter, gently folding her arms.

Lizzie wanted to scream, feeling an urge to tear off her diaper and throw it out the window. She clenched her fists, wishing she could run away and disappear because she knew she didn’t have an excuse. She’d not only broken the rules but also lied about doing so. And now the consequences had caught up with her.

I acted just like a little kid. The thought shook her to the core.

“No, I don’t.” Her voice was practically a whisper. Head drooped, she picked up the sleeper, and began changing into it, feeling her eyes beginning to water.

Ivie didn’t leave, but politely turned around as Lizzie took off her pajama top and slipped the fleece over her shoulders. The warm and soft fabric only serving to mock her as she let Ivie zip her up. A dull pop indicated that it was secured for the night.

Keeping her head lowered, Lizzie grabbed her discarded clothes in a bundle and began shuffling out the door.

“Liz.” The voice stopped her. “I really didn’t want to do this, but rules are rules. If you behave, I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

Lizzie nodded. Beneath her anger, she knew it wasn’t her friend’s fault, she was just doing her job. “Okay.” Was all she said before scurrying off, worried she couldn’t hold back the tears for much longer.

As she curled up on her bed, Lizzie couldn’t help but feel like the little girl she was.

And the worst part was she had nothing to say about it. She had acted like a kid, and so now she was rightfully being treated like one.

She felt the bulky diaper secured tightly around her waist. Underneath her sleeper, the simple tapes that held it together were no longer accessible.

It was just as her mom had said. Tonight, her naughty hands would not be able to remove her protection.

She wrestled and strained with the fabric, but it easily withstood her tantrum, hardly even stretching. Rosalina looked up at her from her chest, as if amused by her pathetic attempts. The smirk made her want to grab her scissors and show the sleeper who was boss.

But she pushed the silly urge away, knowing she was already in enough trouble.

Checking her phone, it was only nine. Her thoughts began to drift. What would Madison be doing at this time? What would any normal thirteen year old be doing? They certainly wouldn’t be lying in bed, pawing furiously at a diaper they couldn’t take off.

Burying herself in her pillow, Lizzie let out a scream, punching her mattress with all of her anger. Frustrated tears began pouring. The emotions cascading out of her until she eventually fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

***

Unfortunately, that night, the dream world wasn’t a pleasant escape. Lizzie tossed and turned as she lost count of the embarrassing diaper reveals and public wettings.

Things were finally looking up when her dream shifted to the school dance. Nathan had asked her out, and she’d spent all day dressing up and perfecting her makeup. But as she stepped out onto the dance floor, she was met with giggles and pointed fingers.

Looking down, Lizzie realized in horror that her beautiful dress had been replaced by her Rosalina sleeper. Flashes blinded her as Morgan and the others wasted no time capturing the moment. Lizzie turned around just in time to see Nathan step through the door.

***

Lizzie jerked awake, relief flooding over her as she realized it was just a dream. As she caught her breath, she felt a sudden urge to pee. Bad.

She hopped up, racing to get to a toilet, but tripped over something in the dark, landing face flat on the carpet.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a bad fall, but as she sat up, she felt a moist feeling spreading between her legs.

She squeezed them together, willing herself to stop. But the floodgates had already opened. She tore at her diaper, but safe behind her sleeper, it did nothing to stop the flow that was escaping her.

When she was finally able to stop the stream, the warm liquid had already seeped all the way around the diaper, surrounding her in its mocking embrace.

She groaned, tugging in a futile attempt to remove the uncomfortable dampness that hugged her. Being unable to take off the wet diaper made it all the more humiliating. If she’d only woken up a bit earlier. Lizzie felt hot under the collar as she continued lying on the ground, only dragging herself up a few minutes later.

“Ivie?” Lizzie knocked gently on the door of the guest room before cracking it open.

“Liz? What are you doing up so early?”

“I need to change.”

“Oh, did you need a new diaper? It’s in the closet by the stairs, would you be able to grab it yourself?”

“No, I don’t need another diaper, I just need to take off my sleeper.” Lizzie could still feel the burning in her cheeks.

“Uhh, okay, then just do that?” Ivie asked sleepily, rolling back around.

“Ivie!” Lizzie said, raising her voice. She turned around, pointing to her back.

“Oh. I’m sorry, yeah, I forgot.” Ivie sat up. She got behind her and soon popped open the tab, pulling the zipper down. Lizzie prayed her friend wouldn’t notice she’d wet.

However, whether or not she did, Ivie remained silent, instead just lightly tapping her shoulder when she was done.

“Are you going back to sleep after?”

“No.”

“What are you going to do at seven though?”

“I don’t know, I’ll figure it out,” Lizzie said. She scurried out, not liking how her babysitter was questioning her every move.

In the bathroom, she peeled away the icky contraption around her waist. The weight confirmed what she’d already assumed from the bulk: she’d peed a lot. Perhaps enough to leak had she been wearing just goodnites. That was now three nights in a row.

She sat in the shower, letting the water run down her face and pool underneath her as her worries and fears from the previous days came crashing back.

What if this was the new normal?

If she wet enough every night, she’d have to transition back into diapers. While she’d worn them for the Christmas trip, that had been nothing more than to satisfy her aunt’s overcaution. But it was beginning to feel like it hadn’t been such an outrageous ask after all.

Only when the water began to turn cold did Lizzie drag herself out of the shower. As she grabbed a towel, she accidentally knocked her shorts into the toilet.

She cursed, wrapping the towel around her in a makeshift skirt. Her day couldn’t have been off to a worse start.

As she wondered what she would do this early in the morning, she caught a whiff of something coming from downstairs. In the kitchen, Ivie was already at the stove, frying some bacon.

“Why are you up so early?” Lizzie asked.

“Well, you’re already up, so I can’t just let you roam around unattended.”

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed, why couldn’t anyone trust her?

“I’m kidding silly. I just didn’t want you to be bored, come on, help me make some breakfast.” Ivie gave her a smile. “I heard from your dad that you’re quite the chef now. He said you made the best scrambled eggs he’s ever had.”

Lizzie couldn’t help but blush slightly at the compliment.

Making breakfast was fun. Ivie gave her a lot of freedom, allowing Lizzie to order her around as the two scurried about to make a delicious meal.

When they finally sat down, Lizzie couldn’t help but feel impressed. On her plate were portions of bacon and spinach, a slice of toast cut into small triangles, and a clean assortment of sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, and avocados. Alongside of course, was a healthy scoop of her special scrambled eggs. To top it all off, there was a second plate consisting of buttery pancakes surrounded with blueberries and strawberries with a drizzle of syrup on top.

She had meticulously plated the components, and the two snapped several pictures of their finished masterpiece, making sure to take selfies with their accomplishment as well. As they ate, Lizzie made a rare post of the meal, without their faces of course.

After the meal, Lizzie headed back to her room, wondering what she would do for the rest of the day. She idly flipped through her socials, jealous that her classmates all seemed to have plans for the weekend.

But Ivie soon showed up at her door, announcing that they were going shopping, and dragged her to the nearby mall.

Shopping with Ivie was much more fun than with her parents, since her friend actually understood her style. Even though Ivie herself dressed quite plainly — always mentioning that she didn’t care too much about fashion — she still patiently let her try on a bunch of clothes and provided feedback on the outfits.

Of course, Lizzie didn’t end up buying too much, after all, she only had so much allowance. But she managed to snag a cute top and a chic skirt.

Afterwards, they went to the supermarket. Normally, this was a boring experience, following her mom up and down the endless aisles. However, Ivie actually included her the meal planning, and let her pick out ingredients for some mini-pizzas.

Returning home, Lizzie was afraid the fun had come to an end, and was debating on which brainless show to binge until dinner. However, after putting away the groceries, Ivie pulled her back into the car.

They drove off, with Ivie refusing to tell her where they were headed.

When the karaoke place pulled into view, Lizzie squealed with joy.

While singing with her friends had been amazing, singing with Ivie was exceptional. The two worked in perfect sync, propelling each others’ voices to new heights. Their duets would’ve made Ms. Taylor proud.

Hype dance songs, sappy romance songs, emotional slow songs, the two sang them all. Lizzie sang with all of her heart, venting all of her emotions from the past few days into the mic.

They sang and sang, ordering food to their booth when they got tired, before singing even more. They only stopped when Lizzie’s voice couldn’t handle it anymore.

She could hardly keep her eyes open as they drove home, and she didn’t even argue when asked to get ready.

As soon as Ivie zipped her up, she collapsed onto her bed.

“Good night, Liz.”

“Thank you, Ivie.”

“For what?”

“You know.”

“I’m glad you had fun, now sleep and we can have more fun tomorrow.”

It was a welcome surprise to wake up dry the next morning. Lizzie was somewhat surprised to discover she was wearing the back-zip sleeper, hardly remembering changing into them the night prior. For some reason, it hadn’t bothered her as much this time around.

Downstairs, Ivie was already awake, a simple breakfast today of waffles and fruit in front of her. Lizzie still blushed as Ivie unzipped her, but her friend hardly batted an eye.

Happily discarding her sleeper, she quickly changed before returning downstairs.

Sunday was a quieter day, as both girls had homework to catch up on. They called Lizzie’s parents in the late afternoon. They showed a quick tour of their hotel but didn’t talk for long as they had a long day of business meetings.

For dinner, the two baked mini-pizzas. They had a lot of fun making a variety with their various toppings.

Fresh from the oven, the pizzas were absolutely delicious, and Lizzie wolfed them down until she was stuffed.

“Since you finished your homework and it’s still early, did you want to watch a movie?” Ivie asked after their dinner cleanup.

“Which movie?”

“Well, you mentioned you hadn’t seen Catch Me If You Can. It’s only on HBO Max but I might be able to borrow my friend’s account, so you in?”

“Yes! I’ll make the popcorn!” Lizzie headed for the cupboards.

“Not so quick, Liz. I can make the popcorn, I need you to get changed first.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, this movie runs for nearly two and a half hours. Now, that means it’ll run slightly into bedtime, but very much over your get-ready-for-bed time. So you’ll need to get ready sooner or later, why not do it now rather than interrupting the movie midway? Besides, you’ll be more comfy in your PJs, right?”

“Fine…” Lizzie pouted, noting that her friend conveniently left out the fact that changing earlier meant she’d be stuck in her diaper for longer.

She hurried off to shower and change, reluctantly letting Ivie zip her into her Rosalina PJs. She continued to pout as she crept down the stairs, unable to unhear the faint crinkling.

The living room was already set up with blankets and popcorn. Once they snuggled under the blankets, Ivie flipped the movie on, and Lizzie soon forgot all about her sleeper and protection.

***

“And then we watched Catch Me If You Can.”

“Oh, is that the one where Leonardo DiCaprio keeps evading the police?”

“Yeah! He’s so cunning, always two steps ahead and fooling everyone around him.”

“Yeah, I loved that movie too! He got super rich from basically nothing. You should watch Inception next. It’s a confusing one, Marco and half of the others couldn’t wrap their heads around it, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”

“Sure, maybe we can watch it for our sleepover.”

“Down. Speaking of which, did you figure out a date yet?”

“I think my parents said this Friday might work as long as your parents are okay.”

“Yeah, they’ll be okay.” Madison waved like it was no big deal.

“My mom’s gonna need to call and confirm.”

“Your mom’s so serious, but I get it. I’ll give mine a heads up, we’ve got nothing to worry about!”

“Alright class, settle down.” Ms. Morrison called out. “Like I mentioned last week, today, you’ll be picking your partners and topics for the upcoming term project. You have until the end of the class to fill out this form with your ideas and partner. And make sure you choose well since this project is worth a third of your final grade.”

“You and me, right partner?” Madison asked with a smile.

“Oh,” Lizzie paused, realizing she hadn’t thought about the project at all. She glanced at Nathan who was sitting at the other end of the classroom. The two had partnered last year, and he’d gone above and beyond for their project. As a result, they’d gotten the highest mark in the class. Besides, the thought of getting to hang out more with Nathan was…

“If not…” Madison started.

“No… I mean yes of course we’re partners.” Lizzie stuttered out.

“Great, I’ll go grab the forms then.”

Even though Madison was a great friend, was she really the right choice for a school project? While she was sure her friend did fine in school, she didn’t exactly seem like the academic type.

But Lizzie had quickly decided their friendship was more important. Besides, she could just spend a few extra hours to cover whatever Madison couldn’t, and she knew her friend would be great in the final presentation.

“Hey.” Lizzie turned around to see Nathan standing behind her, slouching slightly. “Did you want to be partners again this year?” He glanced off to the side as a hand scratched the back of his head.

“Oh…” Lizzie frowned. “Sorry, I already promised Madison.”

“I see, nevermind then.” He scurried off.

“What was that about?” Madison asked upon returning.

“It was… nothing. Anyways, what did we want to do?”

***

After school, Lizzie poked her head in by Mr. Henning’s doorway. He was sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer.

“Ah, just who I was looking for. I hope you weren’t standing there long, Lizzie. Please come in and have a seat.”

“Is this about the club? Is anything wrong? Did something happen during the last event?”

“Oh no, no, please, you’re not in trouble. Nothing of the sort. I was just curious if you wanted to play a game.”

“A game?”

“A quick game of chess! We can do rapid, or blitz if you’re in a hurry.” Noticing Lizzie’s raised eyebrow, he continued, “I got a chance to play with Madison the other day, but noticed you didn’t get to play the entire hour. She’s pretty good, but she’s been singing your praises, so call me curious.”

“Oh, but I haven’t practiced or anything.”

“There’s no pressure, just treat it like a fun match. There’s nothing on the line.”

Lizzie hesitated for a while before finally agreeing. The two laid out the pieces, setting the time for ten minutes without increment.

Mr. Henning gave her white, and Lizzie thought for a bit before opening with e4, to which he immediately responded with c5, the Sicilian Defense.

Madison had told her about their game last week, stating that Mr. Henning was a careful and methodical player, never falling for any of her traps. They’d gotten into a closed position where she slowly got squeezed and lost the game.

Lizzie’s hand hovered over the pieces, trembling slightly as the seconds ticked away. The safest play would be to start slow, setup a strong defense and aim for a draw. Against her teacher, a draw would already be an impressive outcome.

No. A voice inside her called out. She had white, she would either win or die trying. She played d4. As her pawn was captured, she followed immediately with c3. The Smith-Morra gambit was on the board.

This was a risky opening, giving up a free pawn in exchange for control over the center and faster development. She would need to crush this game before Mr. Henning could build a defense.

“Hmmm.” Lizzie glanced up to see Mr. Henning adjusting his glasses, before resting his chin on his hands. Apparently, he hadn’t expected this line of play. “Alright, I accept your challenge,” he said, capturing the pawn.

Lizzie recaptured, taking a deep breath. Memories of studying this opening late at night flooding back into her mind as she blitzed out the next few moves.

Down a pawn, every move was critical. She had to keep applying the pressure, a single misplay and her tempo advantage would be lost. Her opponent would solidify their position and the game would be over.

She castled early, and began shifting her pieces to build up an attack in the center.

Her eyes darted around the board as she kept pressuring with her attack, eventually winning back the pawn. However, Mr. Henning was no slouch, and while he lost the pawn, he was able to regain footing, managing to castle away from danger.

The two continued maneuvering around the board. Lizzie glanced at the time. They each only had around fifty seconds remaining. She could feel her heart thumping as she continued to analyze various lines.

She recoordinated her pieces, attempting to attack while simultaneously addressing her opponent’s threats. They traded, and eventually they found themselves in an endgame. Each had a rook, knight, and two pawns. It seemed even, but the game was far from over.

The two continued to maneuver in circles, both seemingly afraid to overstep. Eventually, with seconds on the clock, the two traded everything, and agreed to a draw.

“Wow…” Mr. Henning wiped his forehead.

“Hm?”

“That was a bit more intense than I expected, I’m sure you already know this but you got some incredible skill. I can tell you’ve played a lot and had a great teacher.”

Lizzie felt her cheeks heating up. Not sure why she was getting so much praise, she hadn’t even won.

“Did you want to play another?”

“I…” Lizzie suddenly noticed a pressure on her bladder. “I have to go, but maybe next time?”

“Sure, but before you leave, I just want to say. That really was a great game. You showed attacking and tactical skills beyond your years. Your friend Madison as well. But more importantly, I can see the passion you two have for the game, so I would really love to sign you two up for some local tournaments.” He handed her a form. “They’re in a few weeks, what do you say?”

“I…” Lizzie hesitated, her thoughts jumping back to her only tournament experience.

“There’s no pressure, but I do highly encourage it. I know it would be a great experience, and there’s no harm even if you don’t do well. It would still be a chance to see how you stack up against some of the other players in a competitive setting. Promise me you’ll think about it?”

Lizzie nodded, muttering a thanks before scurrying off to find a bathroom. As she relieved herself, she let out a long sigh. After replaying their game in her head, she felt decently happy with her play. However, her sense of accomplishment was diminished by another thought:

Why hadn’t she realized during the game that she needed to go?

***

“You excited for tomorrow?” Ivie asked as she handed off the last plate for Lizzie to dry.

“What? And not be able to cuddle and watch movies or karaoke anymore? Are you that eager to get rid of me?”

“No, of course not. And we can always still get together and hang.”

“But you live so far away now.”

“Hey twenty minutes isn’t too bad. But I promise we’ll hang out, maybe even do a sleepover if you want, alright?”

“Alright…”

“Is something else on your mind?”

Lizzie sighed, how did she always know? “You remember Mr. Henning?”

“Isn’t he your chess club sponsor?”

“Yeah, he asked me to play in a tournament in a few weeks. He says I’m one of the most talented players he’s seen in years.”

“And…?”

“And I guess I’m worried about it. You know, because…”

“Ah.” Ivie sat down in the living room sofa, and waited for her to do the same before continuing, “Liz, I’m not going to pretend like I know what it’s like, but…” she paused, adjusting her glasses.

“Do you like dogs?”

“Yeah, of course! I love Bailey! I wanna get one but my mom keeps saying it’s too much responsibility.”

“Do you remember that you used to hate dogs though?”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, you used to be terrified of them. Actually, I might have the video still.” Ivie fiddled around on her phone, before showing it to her.

A video played of the family all at a large park. There was a cute little Yorkie running around with her cousins and family friends. But in the corner, Lizzie saw her preschooler self hugging the leg of her mom, her face seemed close to tears.

“What, that was me?”

“Yeah, you used to hide behind your parents just like that whenever a dog was around. I think you basically clung on to your mom’s leg that entire barbecue. From what your parents told me, it’s because a puppy jumped on you and licked your face when you were a toddler, and ever since you were terrified of them.”

“Wow, what happened after?”

“When you were in first grade, your parents really wanted to help you get over your fear of dogs. I remember they brought you over to my place to meet Bailey. We all spent what must’ve been an hour helping you build up confidence. But eventually, you mustered enough strength and reached out to pet her.”

“Oh, I remember! Bailey seemed so big and scary. I was so afraid, but after petting her I realized she was really super gentle.”

“And by the end of that day the two of you were inseparable. I think you cried when you had to leave.”

“So, you’re saying the tournament can be like that?”

“I think so. I know you had a bad experience before, but that shouldn’t haunt you forever. We all know you’re passionate about chess, so maybe you can try and muster up that courage and give it a go?”

Lizzie thought for a while, before replying, “You know what, you’re right. And I can get Madison to join too.”

“Wait, Madison, as in Windsor?”

“Yup! Didn’t I mention she’s running the club with me?”

“You mentioned a friend, I must’ve missed the name.”

“Well, we’ve sorta become pretty close recently.”

“Interesting…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.” Ivie brought a hand to her chin.

“It’s clearly something, what’s up?”

“I just didn’t think you two would get along.”

“That’s what I thought at first too. But she’s not at all like that though. So we got roomed together for our choir trip…”

Lizzie went on to tell her about Madison. While Ivie still seemed a little skeptical, by the end, she told her she was happy for her.

They chatted into the night, until it was time to get ready for bed. Ivie handed her the now familiar white package, which Lizzie took without complaint.

When she was done showering, she realized Ivie had forgotten to give her her sleeper, and called out to her.

Ivie soon showed up. As Lizzie took the pajamas from her, she realized it wasn’t the Rosalina ones, but instead her red one with black cats.

“Now, I think you’ve demonstrated good enough behavior over the last few nights. I’ll let you wear some normal pajamas for our last night. Unless of course you prefer the other ones,” she said with a wink.

“No, I’m good! Thank you!” Lizzie quickly said while shutting the door. Practically yelping in glee as she changed. Never before had these PJs felt so good.

Of course, the bump around her crotch did dampen her spirits a bit. But she was still ecstatic to have earned back her friend’s trust.

The two hung out for a bit more, practicing some chess puzzles. Although it was mostly her teaching Ivie. Eventually, her bedtime rolled around, and Lizzie headed off to bed.

As she lay in bed, her thoughts drifted back to the chess tournament. While she agreed with what Ivie had said, she couldn’t help but remember the horrifying experience from before. The game today only casted further doubts in her mind. With a sigh, she decided to sleep on it, she would make the decision later.

***

Oh no.

Somehow, Lizzie knew something was wrong before she’d fully woken from her dream.

But she was wearing a diaper, how could…

No. The feeling was unmistakable. She rolled over. As the bottom of her shirt touched her back, an icy cold sensation sent a shiver up her spine.

Looking down, there was a round spot right underneath where her butt had been.

She had leaked.

Lizzie tore off her pants, tossing them aside as she examined her diaper. The right side had come loose, leaving it hanging sideways.

How… How did this happen? She had taped it tightly the night before. Right?

“Liz, breakfast is ready!” Ivie’s voice called out from downstairs.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” Lizzie called back.

Shit shit shit. She scrambled, tearing off her diaper and tossing it in the trash.

Tearing off her bedsheets, she analyzed her mattress. Thankfully, the spot wasn’t too large, she could clean this up herself. Some Bounty and cleaning solution would do the trick.

As she reached for the doorknob, Lizzie caught herself, rushing back to get some clothes. Before that, she tossed her soiled ones into the bin and quickly cleaned herself with some wipes. She tossed on the first clothes she could find, she’d have to skip the shower for now.

She ran to the washroom and back, and began working on the spot. But as she flipped over her blanket, she found a massive spot on it she hadn’t noticed earlier. They would need to go in the wash too. She gathered all the dirtied laundry together, hugging the mass of fabric in front of her as she raced toward the door.

“Oof!” Lizzie fell backwards as the door swung open, landing on her behind. A similar sound came from the other side of the door.

“Ow. I’m sorry Liz, are you…”

Lizzie looked up in time to see Ivie staring at the scene spread in front of her.

“What in the…” Lizzie followed her gaze. Her sheets, blanket, and clothes were scattered all around her. The bottle of cleaner laid toppled on her bed, a wad of tissues covering the spot. To top it all off, her trash had flipped over, leaving her dirtied diaper in plain sight on the carpet beside her.

“I can—”

“Don’t.” Ivie cut her off. Her lips pursed as she put a hand on her forehead. “Just… go downstairs and eat your breakfast. We’ll talk about this later.”

Lizzie opened her mouth again, to explain that she had it under control, but Ivie’s glare froze her in her tracks.

Dragging her feet, she muttered a quiet apology before making her way downstairs.

Again, she felt like a little girl in trouble, sent away so her guardian could fix the damage.

But Lizzie hadn’t done anything wrong this time. She’d worn her diaper as expected but it had somehow still leaked.

She was still picking at her eggs when Ivie eventually came back downstairs.

“I—”

“Sorry Liz, but we’ve got to go, you’re already late for school, and I’m super late.”

On the car, Lizzie tried once again to explain herself.

“I didn’t take off my diaper last night, I promise.”

“Liz, I want to believe you…”

“You saw the diaper in the trash right? That proves I was wearing it!”

“It only proves that you wet it. You could’ve wet them halfway through the night then took it off instead of asking for a new one. It’s hard to imagine you leaked that much with the diaper.”

“But I didn’t! When I woke up I found the tapes broken off on the right side, that must be why it got everywhere.”

“I see… That could explain it. I can’t tell for sure because you’d already taken them off by the time I saw it. The tapes weren’t broken, but if it was loose I guess it could’ve fallen off while you slept…” Her voice trailed off.

Lizzie glanced at her babysitter. Despite agreeing with her, Ivie didn’t seem all too convinced with the argument.

She knew how it looked. She had wet the one night Ivie hadn’t checked her diaper and made her wear the sleeper. Even she could see that it seemed too much to be a coincidence.

“What are you going to tell my parents?” The question came out as a whisper.

“I’ll tell them the facts. It’s not up to me to make the verdict. Of course, you should tell them your side of the story too.”

Lizzie looked down. A part of her had hoped that her friend would be willing to keep it a secret or at least help explain that it was just an accident, but she already knew Ivie was far too principled for that.

“I’m sorry.”

“It happens.” Ivie flashed her a faint smile, but Lizzie could tell her friend wasn’t happy. “Hurry now, you’re already late. We can chat more later.”