Larry

I stood in my room for a long time wondering how I should dress for the barbecue at my uncle and aunt’s. Now that Mitch knew that I only wore my diapers and plastic pants on hot days should I bother wearing my pants? I wasn’t worried about being seen going from the car to his house because I don’t know anyone in his neighborhood. Even if he did wear pants, I figured that it would make him uncomfortable to see me in my diapers… and, I hoped, remind him that he was going to school in diapers the next day. My mom said that I could do what I wanted as long as I packed a shirt and pants in my diaper bag for when it got cooler later on.

Mitch didn’t seem surprised that I arrived in just a diaper, plastic pants, and shoes. Maybe it was because that was exactly how he was dressed. I had to be careful not to bait or taunt him while any our parents were around. I guess he sensed this because he stuck close to his dad all day. Once again, I felt jealous that his dad was paying such close attention to him.

*****

Mitch

I outsmarted Larry today. I knew that he was hoping to make me nervous about going to school in diapers. Well, it didn’t work… at least, not the part about his making me nervous. I was already nearly in a panic and I didn’t need him to remind me. Anyway, he never got the chance because I stuck to my dad all day. He was really cool about it. I wonder if he knew what I was up to. Whatever.

I’ve decided that tomorrow I’m going to leave early for school. I want to get there first so I can talk to my friends about what is happening to me. Not the truth, though… that would never do. I would die if they found out that I put on a diaper by myself just to see what it felt like. No, I’m going to tell them that the same medical problem that afflicts Larry is starting to affect me. They know that I was rotten to him because of it but I hope that I can be convincing enough so that they won’t turn on me. Hopefully, my parents will ease up on me and I can be ‘cured’ quickly, at least before the end of summer.

I slept a lot better than Saturday night. When my mom came in to change me I was already awake and eager to get off to school. I felt that it was really important that I get there first to break the news to my friends as they arrived one or two at a time. My mom was talking to me as she changed me out of my nighttime diaper but I was too busy to pay attention. It was much more important that I rehearse what I going to say to my friends. She was very surprised to see me leave twenty minutes earlier than normal.

“And don’t forget what I told you,” she said as I went out the door.

“I won’t,” I answered, clueless as to what she was talking about.

I lived too close to school to qualify for busing. As I walked down my street I became aware of how noisy my diapers were, even wearing plastic pants and normal pants over them. Now, if only I could explain myself before somebody noticed the bulge in my pants. The yard was practically empty when I arrived. I sat down on one of the outside benches to wait. Almost immediately I noticed that Les, a classmate (one of Larry’s friends, actually), was staring at me. I got very nervous as he approached.

“Hi,” he said eyeing me oddly.

“Hey,” I answered back.

“Um, can I ask you something? I probably shouldn’t but…”

I was really, really getting nervous. Had he seen my diaper bulge? What would I say if he asked me about it?

“You see,” he continued, “my parents made my visit my grandparents yesterday and I didn’t exactly finish my math homework…”

I let out a sigh of relief. All he wanted was to copy my homework. I knew that I shouldn’t let him but I figured it couldn’t hurt anything… and I might soon need all the friends I could get.

“Sure… but be careful,” I answered. “And be especially sure that that snitch Cynthia doesn’t see you.”

I was referring to one of the girls in our class who was always doing things like reminding the teacher that he hadn’t given us homework or turning in kids for breaking the rules. Everybody hated her. We were still laughing when I bent down to open my backpack. I was horrified by how loudly my diaper crinkled but Les didn’t seem to hear it. I unzipped the compartment where I kept my binder and let out a yelp as a disposable diaper fell out. I scooped it up and shoved it back in, only to have two more diapers and a pair of plastic pants fall out the other side. Les got to the plastic pants before I could. He was looking at me bug-eyed.

“You, too?” he asked.

“Please don’t tell anyone, I begged. Let me explain to the others first. Please!!!”

“Yeah, OK” he agreed as I shoved the items back inside. “Can I still borrow your homework?”

I looked around before carefully pulling out my binder. I gave him the homework and he wandered off to copy it. I looked around again and managed to get the diapers and plastic pants to the bottom. As my embarrassment ebbed, my anger at my mother grew. Why didn’t she tell me she had put diapers in with my books? I remembered that I hadn’t listened to her, but I wasn’t ready to admit it was my fault. She should have told me better. It was almost time for my friends to start arriving so I began reviewing my speech in my mind. Just as two entered the schoolyard, my teacher, Mr. Parker, came up to me.

“Mitch, come with me right now.”

I looked over to my friends who had stopped a few feet away. I shrugged my shoulders in a show of bravado and got up. I pulled my t-shirt as far down as possible and followed him into the building. We headed straight for Mrs. Pitton’s office where Les was already seated in one of the guest chairs. I knew that we had been busted. We were both going to get zeros on our homework and would have to bring notes home to our parents to sign.

“Mitch, are you going to make me drag it out of you or will you tell me the truth?” Mrs. Pitton asked.

I looked over to Les for a sign. Had he already confessed or had he made up some story to explain why he had my homework? Les shrugged his shoulders listlessly, which I took to be a sign of defeat.

“I guess I sort of lent him my homework…” I said tentatively.

“Mitch, either you did or didn’t give him your homework. Which is it?”

Les let out a loud sigh. I guessed that he had already confessed.

“I gave it to him,” I said.

“Why?”

Les was really squirming in his seat. I really didn’t know what to say now.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“Of course you know!” she said impatiently.

“His parents made him spend all day visiting his grandparents. It wasn’t fair that he didn’t have time to finish his homework.”

“OK,” she replied. “I guess I get the picture. Les asked you to give him your homework and you did, even though both of you knew that it was wrong to ask someone for homework or to supply it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” we answered unison, hoping to forestall a long and boring lecture.

“Very well. You know the penalties. Mr. Parker will give no credit and you will receive a note from me to take home this afternoon. Make sure I get it back with your parent’s signature tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am,” we agreed.

She dismissed Les and asked me to stay. Even before she said anything else I knew that she knew about my diapers.

“Have you seen Mrs. Keller yet?”

Mrs. Keller was the school nurse. I guess she knew, too. I should have seen this coming. Larry went to the nurse’s office for his diaper changes. Now I vaguely remembered my mom mentioning something about the nurse when she was changing my diaper this morning.

“Not yet,” I answered. “I just got here.”

She looked at me skeptically. Obviously I hadn’t just gotten here if Les had already had time get my homework and start copying it.

“Well, get down there right away and give here your supply of diapers and plastic pants. Mr. Parker already knows that you may have to leave class to have your diapers attended to.”

As she was speaking I heard someone snickering outside the open office door. Mrs. Pitton looked embarrassed. She realized (as I did) that she had just informed someone about my diapers, albeit accidentally.

“Whoever is out there will please step into the office,” she called.

My stomach dropped and my eyes filled with tears as Cynthia walked in. She had her hand over her mouth as she tried not to snicker.

“Cynthia, behave yourself,” Mrs. Pitton said.

I couldn’t take it. I ran out and headed for the nurse’s office, barely holding back the tears. Everybody was going to know! Cynthia would blab it all over the place even before the first bell rang. I walked into Mrs. Keller’s office and lost it. Mrs. Keller led me to the back room where there were two beds. She sat me down on one and knelt in front of me, trying to console me.

“There, there,” she cooed. “I know it’s very upsetting but there’s nothing to be done about it. Crying won’t help. You have to be strong and accept things as they are.”

She gently stroked my hair and I started calming down. I was vaguely aware that the bells had rung and that kids were filing into their rooms. She had me lie down, saying that she would call my mother.

“No, please don’t. I don’t want my mom to come.”

That would have been fatal. Things were bad enough as is. I could already hear the taunts of kids saying that not only did I need diapers but I needed my mommy, too.

“OK,” she agreed. “But you’ll have to go class in a few minutes. I think your diaper is pretty wet. You’ll need a change before you leave.”

It was true but how did she know that? I must have looked startled.

“I’m a nurse,” she said cryptically.

I remembered that I left my backpack in Mrs. Pitton’s office. She volunteered to get it. I used the opportunity to splash water on my face and to look at myself in the mirror. Maybe I could stall for more time. If I went to class right away, everybody would be able to tell that I had been crying.

“OK,” Mrs. Keller said cheerfully, “let’s get your things organized into this bin.”

I opened my backpack and discovered that I had a dozen diapers, eight pairs of plastic pants, a tube of diaper rash cream (which made me blush crimson), and baby powder.

“You mom will send you with another big supply of diapers tomorrow. Then, you won’t have to bring them in every day. All you’ll have to do daily is take your used plastic pants home. This is what your cousin does… Now, your mom tells me that you haven’t learned to change yourself yet…”

Mrs. Keller asked me to undress down to my diaper and socks. I lied down on the bed and she removed the diaper. I was a lot calmer than I thought I would be. She efficiently cleaned my diaper area and then asked me to roll over. By the time she slid the fresh diaper under me, I was beginning to get excited but I don’t think she noticed. She taped me up and handed me my plastic pants.

“I think that these are still OK for the rest of the morning. Make sure you come back here at lunchtime, if not sooner,” she said.

I picked up my backpack and headed for class. My knees felt weaker and weaker as I continued on. I got to the door and hesitated for several seconds. Finally, I got the courage to walk in. It was obvious that everybody knew. The snickering started immediately and grew as I made my way to my desk. The only good thing was that the snickering had become so loud that only a few kids heard my diaper crinkle as I sat down. Mr. Parker tried to come to my defense by giving the class a talk about respect. I knew that he meant well but that his talk would have exactly the opposite effect: it would emphasize how weak a target I was since I needed an adult to protect me.

*****

Larry

I was disappointed that Mitch was absent when I arrived in the schoolyard. However, my friend Les told me that he and Mitch were in trouble with Mrs. Pitton. She had dismissed him from the office but kept Mitch behind. Suddenly, the best news of all started spreading! People knew about Mitch’s diapers. People were laughing about it and making jokes. I guess I should have been offended by what they said because it related to me, too. However, this was my day of revenge… a day to see Mitch get back all the cruel stuff he had done to me… so I didn’t care. He still hadn’t shown up when class started. I began to worry that he might have been sent home. That would have ruined everything. Then, just before 8:30, Mitch came into the room. The snickering and comments started immediately. His pants looked even puffier than mine. This was the start of a great day!