I wasn’t very nervous about starting high school. There were only two middle schools in our district, each with about seventy-five kids who were going into Freshman year. The whole high school had a total enrollment of only about 575 students. Since I already knew half of the Freshman class and they already knew about my diapers, I wasn’t anticipating a big problem. What I hadn’t considered was that there were Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who already thought it was their right to harass Freshmen. Freshmen in diapers would provide a whole new source of entertainment.

Since Freddie, Billy, and I were all in the college prep/professional track we had almost the same schedules. The only difference was that I had chosen German as my foreign language while they had chosen French. We were all scheduled for the same PE class. (Years later the coach of that class told me that he had insisted that we all be in the same group. He thought that it would be better for us to have safety in numbers and better for him to have only one class of diaper boys to worry about).

On orientation day, in order to be certified for PE class, we had to get an athletic physical. We were told to strip to our underpants (but to keep our shoes and socks on) and we would be escorted to the waiting area outside the examination room. This was the first time we exposed our diapers to the PE class and I was amazed at how little was said. In fact (since this was the nineteen-sixties), it was the two boys in boxer shorts who got the cat calls. Frank, Billy’s next door neighbor, got the worst of it since his boxers were imprinted with little roses.

The Seniors who were supposed to escort us to the waiting doctors decided to have some fun. They deliberately marched us right outside the girls locker room where a group of Senior girls were ready to ambush us. As soon as we were lined up against the wall (to be called in for our physical, we thought), the girls came rushing from the locker room shrieking and laughing at us. Some girls even wolf whistled and pretended to faint in embarrassment at being exposed to scantily clothed boys. This wasn’t too bad since it was aimed at all the guys in my class, but it did seem that we three diaper wearers got more than our share of attention. Since we didn’t know where our physicals were really being held, we didn’t run away for fear of embarrassing ourselves even further. The girls coach came out to see what was going on and reprimanded the Seniors for their little prank, although a smile never left her face.

School was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess Billy, Freddie and I missed out on the math gene. By one month into school it was obvious that we were struggling in algebra. Henry now attended public school with us and he was a whiz at it. (Pete’s family had moved away during the summer and Henry said that all his other friends went to public school so his parents allowed him to transfer.) We started doing our homework together after school at one or another’s house. Almost immediately we were scoring better homework and test grades.

One day, after Henry had been absent from school, we were at Freddie’s house trying to figure out what distributive properties had to do with anything when, out of nowhere, Billy said, "If Henry doesn’t get some diapers pretty soon I think he’s going to go crazy."

"What??" Freddie and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"He told you this?" I continued.

"Of course not. But, you must have noticed," Billy explained, "how he reacted at the Labor Day fireworks and how he looks at us when we are at each other’s houses in just our diapers and plastic pants? I’m surprised he hasn’t poked a hole in his pants yet."

We hadn’t talked about it as a group but Billy was right. Henry would get instantly and obviously hard whenever he saw us without pants.

"So..?" I asked.

"I know what Henry’s going through." Freddie interjected, "Before I asked my parents to put me back into diapers I couldn’t look at a kid in diapers or a diaper ad without getting an instant hard on. It must be incredibly difficult for him to hang around with us wearing just our diapers and plastic pants and him not being able to talk about it or act on it."

"Alright," I persisted, "but what can we do about it?"

"Don’t jump all over my idea right away," Billy began, "let me tell you the whole thing first. Have you seen the poster for the Civic Center Halloween Party?" (We had.) "Well, there are prizes being offered for best individual and group costumes. There is a group category for thirteen to fifteen year olds. What if we asked Henry to help us form a group called the ‘Baby Beatles’? (The Beatles were still relatively new.) Suttee’s sells Beatle wigs in the novelty section; they’re not very expensive and that’s all any of us would have to buy."

"I don’t know," I said. "It’s one thing for the three of us to have gone around the neighborhood in our diapers, but there are going to be about four-five hundred kids there. I don’t know if I could appear in my diapers and plastic pants in front of a crowd. Besides, the party is only two weeks away- do you really think that Henry would be ready to do something like that?"

"I understand," Billy answered. "Of the three of us, you’re the only who didn’t have a pre-existing desire to be put into diapers. I know that I’m not too worried about appearing in diapers publicly like that. I mean, heck, we strip down to diapers every day in PE and go to the nurse to have our diapers changed several times a day. A kid would have to be living under a rock not to know that we wear diapers."

"I know," I continued, "it’s just that not every kid has seen me in my diapers. There’s a big difference to me between their having heard about me wearing diapers and their actually seeing me in them."

"I understand, too, Marc," Freddie said, "I’m not so sure I want to go the Halloween party in diapers but we should be talking about Henry, not about you or me. I agree with Billy that we need to help Henry out. We haven’t even decided if this is a good idea or not; and even if we think it is, Henry hasn’t said ‘yes’ yet," he concluded reasonably.

We discussed Billy’s idea and possible alternatives for about a half hour (happily leaving aside the distributive properties of numbers). In the end, we decided that the Baby Beatles was a pretty good idea, that we should present it to Henry the next time he was with us for a study group, and that, most of all, we wouldn’t put pressure on Henry to say yes. It would have to be his free choice.

Henry was back in school the very next day. (He had had a twenty-four hour stomach virus. I thought that it was ironic that on the day we had talked about him and diapers he had been having bowel and bladder problems.) We told him that we needed a study group because we hadn’t understood last night’s homework and that tonight’s was even more complicated. We agreed to go to Freddie’s house again.

After about thirty minutes we were done with the math homework. That was Billy’s cue to bring up his idea.

"Are you guys interested in going to the Civic Center Halloween party?" he asked innocently.

"Why?" I asked, responding to my cue.

"Well, I was thinking that we could go to Suttee’s and buy some Beatle wigs and go as the Beatles."

"Naw," Freddie chimed in, also on cue, "That’s not very original. I bet there are going to be twenty ‘Beatles’ at the party. Besides, we need four people to be the Beatles and Henry hasn’t said if he’s interested in joining us."

I hoped that Freddie hadn’t moved too fast. His claim that all we needed was a fourth was rushing things a bit. Anyway, Henry didn’t notice because he said he thought it might be fun to go together as a group.

"I know what- I’ve got a great idea," Billy exclaimed. "Just trust me for a minute and let me give you the whole idea."

He then restated the Beatles idea, only this time he changed it to the ‘Baby Beatles.’ (I made a mental note to remember how good an actor Billy was. If I ever needed coaching on how to convince my parents about something I would definitely seek out his advice. By the end of his description even I began to believe that this was a brand new idea.) Freddie and I gave tentative sounding approvals and objections but nothing designed to swing the discussion one way or the other. Henry made the first definitive comment.

"I think it’s a very funny idea. Once we have the wigs on, it’s like being in costume. We’ll just be having fun with the Beatles. You guys are the ones in diapers all the time, if you’re willing to do it, I say we do it."

Next to come was the decision about wearing daytime (thinner) or nighttime (thicker, more obvious) diapers. Once again, Henry decided the issue.

"You guys were wearing nighttime diapers at the fireworks, right? Well, those would be funnier than what you’re wearing now."

So, that was it. The decision was made. I guess Henry didn’t realize all the information he was giving us. Not only did he remember what we were wearing at the fireworks show more than a month ago, he was also asking to be put into the thickest, most obvious diapers possible. None of us thought that it would be hard to convince Henry that he would need to wear them several times before the party so that he could ‘get used to’ them.

These decisions were made on a Thursday and Freddie asked us if we thought it might be fun to have a sleepover at his house on Saturday so that we could discuss our Halloween plans further.

Freddie got permission from his mother and the rest of us let him know the next day that we were coming. The Beatle wigs were also purchased on Friday.

At 2:00 Saturday afternoon we were all assembled in the Zymmers family room after we had dropped off our sleeping bags and other stuff in Freddie’s room. Of course, Billy, Freddie, and I had left our pants up in the bedroom. We were trying on the Beatle wigs and trying to decide how to act and whether or not we should try to mimic their accents. Everyone else thought that I should be good at it but I pointed out that my mother wasn’t from Liverpool and that I could barely even imitate her London accent. Freddie decided to push for the moment of truth at this time. Henry was still in his regular underwear and pants. Freddie’s whole family, including Timmy (running around in and out of the house in just his diapers), was at home. (I think Tinker was there because she wanted to see a new diaper boy get initiated.) Would Henry chicken out on being put into diapers?

"You know," Freddie declared, " this rehearsal would run a lot better if we were all completely in costume. That way we could figure out who should stand where and what kind of poses we want to take."

Anticipation, fear, pleasure, and anxiety ran across Henry’s face. His moment had arrived; what would he do?

"I don’t know how to put a diaper on," he said sheepishly.

"That’s OK," Freddie answered, "my mom, or Tinker if you want, are real experienced at diapering. Although, Tinker usually only does my brother and me."

"Uh,…" Henry stammered, "I guess it would be OK if your mom did it."

"Cool," Freddie affirmed, "it’s too early to get into nighttime diapers, so I’ll ask her to put you into one of my daytime diapers."

I thought Henry was going to faint from anticipation and excitement. He got up and staggered over to the stairs to go up to Freddie’s room while Freddie went to get his mother (who already knew about the Halloween plans). Five minutes later he came down in diapers, plastic pants and the Beatles wig. He had such a look of ecstasy that it was obvious that he was getting what he wanted. We all complimented him on how he looked and Tinker made him blush by giving him a couple of pats on his diapered bottom as she went by. We spent a half-hour going over how to act during the costume judging part of the party.

Indian summer was in full swing and Freddie suggested that we go outside to throw a ball around for a while. Significantly, Henry came with us into the unfenced yard even though he was putting himself at great risk of being seen by someone he knew, although nobody saw him that first day.

At sunset it started cooling down fast so we went back inside to watch TV until dinner was ready. Henry made no attempt to get changed back into his regular clothes even though it was obvious that our "rehearsal" was over for the day. A little while later Henry leaned over to Freddie and whispered something to him. Freddie answered a little more loudly, "Of course you can. I can guarantee that you won’t be the first person to pee in them." A minute or so later another look of ecstasy came over Henry’s face as he peed his first diaper as a teenager. All I could think of was the Alleluia Chorus.

That evening as we were taking our showers and going to the bathroom before getting put into nighttime diapers Henry insisted that the rest of us go first. We all knew that he wanted to stay in his wet diaper and plastic pants as long as possible. No doubt he thought that he would just wear his regular pajamas after showering but Mrs. Zymmers surprised him as she was unpinning his diaper by saying, "Hurry up and shower. After I’ve finished getting you into your nighttime diaper and plastic pants I need to go downstairs to make popcorn for you guys while you watch tonight’s TV movie."

"Really?" he exclaimed, "I can wear a diaper all night?!"

"Of course, dear," Freddie’s mom answered, "all the boys around here sleep in their diapers. I don’t know why you should be any different."

Once again, I was probably the last one to figure out the obvious. Freddie had a good relationship with his parents and he had evidently told them about our plan for Henry. She was giving Henry every opportunity to experience what he longed for.

The next morning we got up late because we had spent so much time talking after we had supposedly gone to bed. We had all slept in our sleeping bags in the family room because it was the room the farthest from the bedrooms.

Just before we started getting changed into daytime diapers, Mrs. Zymmers handed Henry an envelope.

"This is from your parents," she said.

A worried look crossed his face but he glanced at us, shrugged his shoulders, and tore open the sealed envelope. Suddenly, just as if he were a cartoon character the color drained from his face and his knees visibly started shaking. He steadied himself against the wall and then ran out of the room saying the he needed to go outside for a minute. We all wanted to follow him but Mrs. Zymmers told us to leave him alone for a few minutes. She asked us to stay in Freddie’s room until we had all been cleaned up and changed into daytime diapers. I didn’t know what to think. What had Henry’s parents told him in that letter that had upset him so much. And why had they written him a letter in the first place? I didn’t get it. Finally, we went downstairs to the family room. Through the sliding door we could see Henry sitting in a patio chair, thinking. We wanted to go outside to do some batting and fielding practice but Mrs. Zymmers told us that we would have to wait until Henry was finished doing his thinking. Despite the fact that we were worried about him, we nonetheless managed a halfway decent discussion about which girls in our class padded their bras and which girls were already developed. Finally, Henry came inside and asked if he could be changed into a daytime diaper. We played ball until lunch and then played indoor games while waiting for our parents to pick us up.

Mrs. Zymmers asked if anyone needed changing and we all said that we did, including Henry. One thirty rolled around, then one forty-five- naturally neither Freddie, Billy, nor I were wearing any pants. Freddie asked the question everyone was dying to ask.

"Um, Henry…," he questioned, "aren’t you going to get out of those diapers before your parents show up? Either that, or we can all put on our Beatles wigs and pretend that we’re having a rehearsal for the Halloween party."

"No, it’s too late for a rehearsal anyway," he answered. Then, as if smiling at an internal joke he had just told himself, he walked over to the small bag that contained the stuff he had brought with him and pulled out his parents’ letter. "You guys can read this," he said handing the letter to Billy.

We gathered round as Billy unfolded it.

Dearest Henry,

We know that it is sometimes very hard for kids to talk about important things to their parents. We want you to know that it is also sometimes hard for parents to know how to talk openly with their children. For some time now we have observed how you behave around your friends Marc, Billy, and Freddie. It seems to us that you perhaps envy their freedom to wear diapers. Maybe you are afraid that we would think less of you if you told this to us. Over the years that we have been privileged to be your parents you have made us proud of you. If you want to join your friends in their enjoyment of being in diapers that is OK with us. Of course, you do not have to make any decisions now. The point of this letter is simply to let you know that we trust you and that whatever will make you happy without endangering you is what we want, too.

Your loving Mom and Dad

P.S. The diapers that you have been wearing this weekend do not belong to anyone but you. If you want to keep them, tell Mrs. Zymmers and she will pack them for you to take home.

I couldn’t contain myself. "Well, what have you decided?"

Pointing down to his diapers with both hands he smirked and said, "Do these look like blue jeans that I’m wearing home?"

We laughed and welcomed Henry into the unofficial diaper and plastic pants club.

"But, what about school?" Freddie wondered.

"Yeah, I know," Henry mused, "all hell will break loose if I show these off in PE class on Monday. Still, if I were you, I’d be ready for all hell to break loose!" he giggled. More seriously, he continued, "If you think that I’ll spoil our chances to win a prize at the Halloween party I won’t wear them to school at all."

"I don’t think anyone cares about the prize. If you want to wear diapers like us, we’re happy to have you in our group," Billy answered for all of us.

The doorbell rang. It was Henry’s mother and father, Mr. & Mrs. Walker. They were a little early and I wondered if they simply couldn’t wait to know what Henry had decided or if Mrs. Zymmers had already alerted them to his choice. In any case, Henry seemed to be momentarily embarrassed as his parents walked in but he relaxed when he saw their smiling faces. They made no comment on his attire.

"Are you ready to go?" his father asked.

"Yeah, sure," Henry answered.

Henry thanked Freddie and his parents for a nice sleepover and Mrs. Zymmers handed him two bags.

"These are you clean diapers and these are your wet diapers," she said to a crimson-faced Henry.

"See you guys in school," Henry called over his shoulder as he left with his parents.

"I wonder if Henry really will wear diapers to school," I mused.

"I’m positive he will," Billy said.

"How do you know that?" Freddie asked before I could.

"Last year, I left my glove on the ground after a game and Henry called me to say that he had it. I went to pick it up and that’s how I found out that the Walkers own an apartment building and that that’s where they live. The tenants, including the Walkers, park their cars in a carport that is kind of far from the building. In addition to that, there is a playground area where the kids gather and there are bound to be a lot of kids playing or hanging there out on a Saturday afternoon. Everyone will see him- Henry and his parents obviously know that. If he’s willing to be seen in his neighborhood, he’ll be willing to wear diapers and plastic pants to school."

"Wow," was all that I could think to say.

At lunch on Monday I finally got the chance to question Henry. Freddie was there also.

"Well," I asked impatiently, "are you?"

"Am I what?" Henry asked back, a broad smile on his lips.

"You know," I whispered, "your diapers."

"Oh, my diapers," he said out loud, "Of course I’m wearing them. Where have been all morning? There practically isn’t a single kid in this school who doesn’t know about my diapers."

"But, how?" I asked densely, "We haven’t had PE yet."

"Because I told them," he said flatly, "Look I don’t want to criticize anyone," he looked at both of us, "but, if you, Freddie, had been more open about wearing diapers Marc wouldn’t have tried to humiliate you publicly by taking away your pants. I just thought that if I were really open about it most people wouldn’t say anything else about it. So far, so good."

Henry was right. Later that day, he got teased during PE (and for a few days that followed) but nothing like what had happened to me. In fact, I thought that maybe some of the guys who defended him would like to have been in diapers also. (In our Junior year, this was proven to be true for two guys I would have least expected it from, but that’s a whole different story.)

Halloween came and went. We won an honorable mention for our "Baby Beatles" costumes. The $50 first prize went to two guys who dressed up in their sisters ballet tutus. I have to admit that with the make up and everything I thought they were just a couple of girls who didn’t have a very original idea. Since so many people had already seen us in diapers around the neighborhood and at school, I suppose it was fair that the other guys won. For sure, I would never have dressed the way they did. It was a good thing for them that they were the school’s best JV basketball players.