Chapter Twenty
The theater itself was almost deserted; the only other occupants of the room were a mother and two boys who looked to be just a little bit younger than Erin sitting near the front. Hailey headed up the steps to sit more near the back, and the others followed her.
“After you,” Hailey said, gesturing for Emily to enter the row first. Emily walked in and started heading toward the middle of the row, before noticing that Hailey had sat down at the second seat in. She came back and sat next to Hailey, with Erin occupying the aisle seat.
With the theater this empty, an aisle seat wasn’t strictly necessary for Erin, but she appreciated Hailey’s gesture. Hopefully she’d be able to make it through the movie without needing to use the toilet, but if she had to leave, it wouldn’t be a problem. Her diaper was in no danger of becoming wet.
Erin wondered about Hailey’s diaper, though. As far as she knew, she was the only person who Hailey dared use a diaper in front of. Still, it wasn’t like Emily would find out even if Hailey did wet herself. Erin couldn’t ask Hailey what her plans were in the presence of Emily, but she could find out later.
After an excessive number of previews for movies neither Hailey nor Erin found as interesting as Emily did, the feature presentation began.
One of the advantages of a nearly empty theater was that it was possible to have a quiet conversation with one’s neighbor without disturbing anybody; indeed, this turned out to be quite useful as the movie they were watching was poorly written, leaving plenty of room for Hailey and Erin to make fun of it. Emily, of course, took the opportunity to claim the movie was good, and that the other girls “just didn’t get it.”
“Maybe if you were cooler, you’d understand.”
Hailey didn’t point out that if Emily was really all that much cooler than herself and Erin, then Emily probably shouldn’t be hanging out with them. After all, she and Erin were too overtly intelligent for the truly popular to be caught hanging out with. No, the reason Emily liked the movie was because it was written for someone of her intellect, who didn’t notice all the glaring plot holes due to her raging crush on every male actor in the movie. It only took a few minutes before both Hailey and Erin were tired of hearing how hot everyone was.
The movie dragged on, with Hailey and Erin ignoring Emily’s incessant chatter for the most part in favor of their own lampooning. The girls finished their popcorn, with Emily helping herself to Hailey’s bucket, and soon enough, each girl reached the bottom of her drink cup with a loud slurp.
It was just as well that the movie wasn’t all that good, as Erin’s bladder soon informed her that she should probably visit a toilet soon. At least she wouldn’t be missing anything.
“I’ll be right back, I need to go pee,” she informed her party.
Emily made a big deal of being grossed out. “Eew, I did not need to know that!” Hailey suppressed a laugh.
That’s right, remembered Erin. Hailey told me how much Emily was embarrassed by people using the toilet. She hadn’t meant to be a nuisance, even if she didn’t much care for Emily.
Her main problem with Emily was that Emily didn’t seem to think for herself. Every word that had come out of her mouth during the movie seemed to be based on a stereotypical view of how popular girls should act. Of course, that included the mild superiority complex over the nerdier girls that Erin and her cousin represented. Erin honestly didn’t mind Emily’s minor implications that she was doing Erin a favor by hanging out with her — she’d heard much worse from her stepmother — but the blind adherence to what Emily perceived as popular behavior was irritating. How could she stand letting other people dictate how she thinks?
Still, Emily’s character flaws weren’t a good reason for Erin to make Emily feel uncomfortable. She should be above that kind of behavior.
She made her way down the dark steps and out into the hallway. The women’s room was not far, and she quickly ducked into a stall. She pulled down her pants and diaper, being sure that the bottom of the diaper didn’t sit lower than the bottom of the stall door, and sat on the toilet.
Erin still felt a little exposed; the cracks on either side of the stall door were big enough that someone could see her through them if they stood close to the door. Of course, nobody would have the audacity to do that, but all the same, it bothered her that there was at least a chance that someone would be able to see the diaper around her legs.
She remembered seeing commercials for toddlers’ undergarments, and she realized what she was wearing would probably be called a pull-up, as it much more resembled underwear in its method of donning and removal than it did a traditional diaper. Of course, hers was noticeably plainer looking than those for the kids, but it had a very similar design.
But really, calling it a pull-up just seems to be sugarcoating it, thought Erin. There’s more stigma with the word “diaper” than there is with the word “pull-up.” They both serve the same purpose. I’m wearing a diaper, and calling it something nicer isn’t going to change that.
She was thankful, though, that at least she hadn’t needed to use the diaper; she finished depositing her urine in the toilet, redressed quickly, and left the stall to wash her hands.
Unbeknownst to Erin, her trip to the bathroom had reminded Hailey of her own need to pee, and she was trying to work up the confidence to use her diaper as Erin reclaimed the seat next to her.
There’s no way Emily will ever know if I wet this diaper, thought Hailey. She won’t even know that I’m wearing a diaper at all, how could she possibly know if I wet? And yet, Hailey was unable to convince her body to start to pee, even though her urge to go was getting strong. She could probably make it until the end of the movie, but it was getting uncomfortable.
Well, maybe if she wasn’t sitting next to me, it wouldn’t be so difficult. It’s not like the movie’s great anyway. Plus, if I leave, it’ll give me a chance to annoy Emily. She was determined to be at least as dramatic about her need to pee as Emily was about her denial that people did pee.
“Well, Emily, I have to go piss right now, before I gush all over the seat! I’ll be back in a few minutes, once I’m done peeing!”
In retrospect, Hailey felt what she said was stupid. It was immature of her to try to embarrass Emily, no matter how annoying Emily was, and she felt slightly ashamed that she enjoyed doing it so much. Her actions certainly had the intended effect on Emily, who made a funny face and said “Go, you don’t need to tell me about it, that’s gross!”
Erin realized immediately what Hailey was doing. Despite her own objections to annoying Emily, it strangely didn’t really bother her that Hailey was doing it. She couldn’t explain why, either. She was mad at herself for accidentally embarrassing Emily, but she was condoning her cousin doing the same thing on purpose. [/i]Hooray for double standards, I guess.[/i]
It interested her that Hailey was going to the toilet, though. She must have decided not to risk wetting herself in front of Emily after all, she mused, as Hailey left the room.
As Hailey walked into the bathroom, she realized that she wasn’t exactly sure herself if she would be able to use her diaper. I can’t wet myself when I’m next to Emily, she thought, and yet I’m planning on returning to the theater and sitting down next to her while wearing a wet diaper. How is that really any different? What makes me think I can wet myself here if I couldn’t do it there?
Instead of going into one of the empty stalls, she stood in front of the shorter sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Staring back at her was a twelve year old girl, and just as before, there was no way to tell that the girl was wearing anything unusual under her clothes.
I can do this. There’s no way she’ll know. Her bladder teetered on the cusp of releasing its contents, still unsure that it would be okay, but a final conscious effort, combined with the reassurance of her secrecy the mirror afforded her, allowed her to urinate.
It was really odd to do this in front of a mirror, though. She could feel herself peeing, and yet looking at herself in the mirror, there was absolutely no indication of what she was doing. I guess that’s the point, but I never really thought of it like that before. I’m peeing, and the world has no idea that I’m doing so. This is kind of cool.
Satisfied, she left the ladies’ room and returned to her seat. “That was such a relief,” she announced to Emily. “I really had to go.” Emily squirmed but didn’t say anything.
Hailey got an immense satisfaction from making Emily uncomfortable. Well, maybe she does deserve it. If she’s going to be a bother to me for the length of a movie, it’s the least I can do. And Erin did it to her too, although she probably didn’t do it on purpose.
What was left of the terrible film went on without further incident, until Hailey stole a glance at Emily.
Emily had been speaking with noticeably less frequency towards the end of the movie; Hailey had at first cynically assumed that the girl had just run out of hot air. But now that she looked, she noticed that Emily was periodically shifting her weight in her seat, as if she were uncomfortable.
Well, she did have the same size drink as Erin and I, and both of us already had to pee, so she probably needs to go now as well. Emily didn’t look desperate, but she didn’t look like she was enjoying herself either. Actually, I wonder if she would excuse herself if her need to pee got too strong. Doing so would mean admitting she was going to the toilet.
Hailey suspected that Emily would probably wait until it was an absolute emergency before admitting that her precious body was capable of producing a substance as vile as urine. There was no way Emily would wait so long as to actually wet herself, though; after all, a visible accident like that in front of people who went to the same school would be social suicide in Emily’s eyes. Even if we’re not in the popular crowd, she’d assume we’d tell people and it would get to the popular crowd.
A cruel idea began to form in her mind. How long I can make her uncomfortable? I wonder. If she and Erin invited Emily to hang out with them after the movie, Emily would have to hold her pee for quite a while, all the while being unable to place any real blame on Hailey. Hailey had an empty bladder now, and Erin did as well; both of them could easily outlast Emily.
It was a mean thing to do… but she wasn’t really doing anything wrong, technically. If she hadn’t spent the week with Emily, she wouldn’t have known about Emily’s bathroom shyness, and asking her to hang out would be a perfectly innocent request. If I can make her say that she has to go, then I’ve won. That’s all I’m going for.
“That was such a great movie!” exclaimed Emily, her voice containing none of the sarcasm either Erin or Hailey would have used with the same phrase.
“Sure,” replied Erin, not wanting to get into an argument about it.
Hailey noticed Emily glance at the restrooms as they walked past. She’s probably planning on waiting until she gets home, then, since she’s not going to admit to us that she needs to pee.
Indeed, Emily soon confirmed Hailey’s theory. “Well, I should be heading home. I’ll see you nerds some other time.”
“Actually,” asked Hailey, “why don’t you hang around with us for a while? We were going to go get something to eat at the mall’s food court. You came on your bike, right?”
“No, my mom dropped me off. I’m supposed to call her when I need a ride.”
“So call her and tell her to pick you up from the mall instead in like an hour and a half. We’ll just walk there, since you don’t have your bike.”
Emily hesitated, apparently unsure if she’d be able to go the next hour and a half without letting the other girls know that she had to use the toilet. “I don’t know; my mom kind of wanted me home…”
“And you’re going to let your mom tell you where you can and can’t go?” asked Hailey. “We thought you were cooler than that.”
The appeal to Emily’s perception of being cool worked. “I’ll call her,” she said.
The theater was in the same general area as the mall, so it only took fifteen minutes for the three girls to arrive there, all three walking, with Hailey and Erin pushing their bikes.
Hailey didn’t really feel like being at the mall; what was left of her twenty dollars after the movie wouldn’t really go that far, and she’d never been one for looking at things she wouldn’t be able to buy. But the chance to pay back Emily was too good to pass up.
Pay back? What am I paying her back for, being annoying? I guess that’s not really a good reason. But then, what I’m doing to her isn’t all that bad either. I know she’s really embarrassed about people knowing that she’s using the toilet, so setting it up so she’s forced to let us know isn’t exactly nice, but it won’t be the end of the world, either. It’s not like she’s going to actually go so far as to wet herself.
Like I have a right to talk about wetting, anyway. I’m in a wet diaper right now. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to wait this long to change, but there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it now, with nothing to change into. She supposed it would technically be possible to change out of the diaper and put her pants back on with nothing under them, but that still didn’t solve the problem of the awkwardness of changing in a public restroom stall.
“So, what do you all want to eat?” asked Hailey, as they entered the food court. “I was just thinking a snack and a drink, but I don’t know how hungry you are.”
“Well, why don’t we get some cinnamon rolls?” Emily pointed along the food court to the counter with the pastries proudly on display, and the aroma emanating from there was more than enough to convince the others that her suggestion was good.
Unlike her comrades, Emily did not purchase a soda with her cinnamon roll. The girls sat down at a table. “Why didn’t you get a drink?” asked Hailey, knowing perfectly well the reason as Emily shifted in her seat.
“I wasn’t thirsty.”
Yet again, Erin was surprised at her own lack of revulsion at Hailey’s actions. Hailey was deliberately trying to bother Emily, and yet Erin didn’t want to do anything more than watch with bemused interest. Is it really because I don’t like Emily? She remembered that she had secretly wished harm upon her stepmother several times, but she’d never acted on those wishes. Or maybe I just trust Hailey to do what’s right. Is that wise? She’s always willing to help me out, but if I’m just blindly assuming everything she does is right, then I’m no better than Emily as far as thinking for myself.
How far did she plan on taking this, anyway? It’s not going to be easy for her to go to the bathroom with us around, but will she eventually give up and go, or will she hold off until she wets her pants? I hope it’s not the latter, even she doesn’t deserve that. Erin certainly knew what it was like to be forced into having an accident. In Erin’s case it was usually because going to the bathroom meant angering her stepmother, whereas Emily couldn’t go to the bathroom because of some odd shame about her bodily functions, but the principle wasn’t that much different.
But there really wasn’t anything Erin could do about it at this point. For better or worse, Emily was stuck with them until her mother came to pick her up, so even if Hailey did nothing further, it was still possible that Emily would continue to refuse to use the toilet until it was too late. The only possibility was to tell Erin to go off on her own somewhere and meet back later, but casting her aside like that was too rude for Erin to do, even if it was for Emily’s own good.
Well, all I can do is hope she eventually overcomes her embarrassment about us knowing she’s using a toilet. I’d think that would be less embarrassing than having an accident in the mall.
Hailey checked her watch. “Looks like we’ve got about twenty minutes until your mother is going to pick you up. We should think about wrapping it up soon.”
Emily nodded. She had been less talkative than usual as they’d started to venture through the mall, but for the last few minutes, she’d been nearly silent, and was noticeably fidgeting. She has to be desperate by now, surmised Hailey. Why hasn’t she gone to the toilet yet? She must be more embarrassed about us knowing than I thought.
Hailey herself was becoming less comfortable. Her diaper had done a decent job of absorbing her urine at the theater, but she could still feel her skin becoming irritated from the dampness. She was usually so eager to wear a diaper, but this was the first time she could remember that she so strongly wanted to change out of one.
Oh, well, twenty more minutes and then a bike ride home and I’ll be able to change. Next time I’ll need to plan this a little better.
Emily took that moment to gasp, drawing the attention of Erin and Hailey, both of whom expected that such a gasp would be a reaction to an accident. When a wet spot failed to materialize on Emily’s shorts, Hailey spoke up. “What’s wrong, Emily?”
Emily’s face turned red as her fidgeting picked up rapidly. “I have to, um, I’ve gotta…”
“You have to what?” queried Hailey.
“I have to go to the bathroom!” squealed Emily, speaking so rapidly that her peers likely would not have been able to understand her if they didn’t know what she was going to say.
“Well, the nearest bathroom to here is probably back in the food court,” noted Hailey. “Come on, let’s go.”
Erin was relieved that Emily finally gave in, although from Emily’s behavior, she didn’t have much time. I hope she makes it. I really wish she’d spoken up just a bit sooner.
The girls speed walked to the food court. “Please don’t come in with me,” Emily pleaded as they approached the corner with the hall leading to the bathrooms. Hailey and Erin both nodded; Emily had been distressed for long enough. She was sufficiently embarrassed by admitting her need in the first place; there was no need to antagonize her any further by following her in. Emily ran into the women’s room with a hand clutching her groin as Erin and Hailey took a table in view of the restrooms’ hallway.
“I’m glad she made it,” admitted Erin. “Tell me honestly: did you expect her to have an accident, or were you just trying to make her uncomfortable for as long as possible?”
“I thought she’d use the toilet way before she did. I was just trying to use her prudishness to annoy her for a while; I didn’t expect her to take it this far.”
“Well, at least she did eventually go,” said Erin. “She was annoying, but even she didn’t deserve us forcing her into an accident.”
“Yeah,” agreed Hailey. She could see that Erin wasn’t as enthusiastic about bothering Emily as Hailey had been, and to be honest, she probably shouldn’t have taken advantage of Emily like that. But it wasn’t a discussion that Hailey really wanted to get into right now; she knew what she did was wrong.
Hailey lowered her voice slightly, and said, “I just want to get home myself soon. I kind of want to get changed; my skin’s starting to itch.”
“You wet your diaper? When? You went right after me at the theater, and I don’t really have to go yet.”
“Well, I didn’t actually use the toilet at the theater. I went to the bathroom, but I wet my diaper in the bathroom.”
“Oh. Couldn’t do it in the theater or something?”
“I think it was because Emily was sitting next to me. I knew she wouldn’t know if I was wetting my diaper, but I still couldn’t convince my body to do it.”
“Ah,” said Erin.
“But anyway, I’ve been wet quite a long time, and it’s getting uncomfortable. Next time I think I need to either bring panties or another diaper to change into, although I still have to figure out how I’m going to change discreetly in public.”
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” consoled Erin. “Anyway, what’s taking Emily so long?”
Hailey thought for a moment. Erin had been in there for a while. “Maybe there was a line, or she had to poop or something.”
“Do you think she might not have made it? I mean, if she did have an accident, she’d probably be in there right now trying to figure out a way to dry herself off.”
“Well, she told us to wait out here,” Hailey said, “and we should respect that. If she doesn’t come out by the time her mom is supposed to pick her up, we can go in and find out what’s happening.”
Erin agreed with the plan. Sending a rescue party into the bathroom ultimately turned out to be unnecessary, as Emily emerged from the restroom a few minutes later.
Emily’s shorts looked like they possibly could have been slightly damp, but the shadows cast on the shorts made it almost impossible to tell for sure. If she hadn’t made it on time, she’d done a good job drying her shorts off.
“What took you so long?” asked Hailey. “Did you have to poop?”
“Eew, no,” said Emily, her face yet again turning red.
“Did you not get to the toilet in time or something?”
“No!” exclaimed Emily, far too quickly.
Hailey and Erin exchanged glances. Maybe she did have an accident. Her reaction seemed to indicate that, but there was still no way to be certain.
Well, since I can’t tell for certain, I’m going to assume she didn’t wet herself, thought Erin. There was enough doubt that she could convince herself not to feel guilty for what she’d allowed Hailey to do.
Hailey, too, decided to accept her doubt. I never intended to make her wet her pants, and I don’t know for sure that she did. She said she didn’t, anyway. Of course, she would have said she didn’t either way, but it was sufficient for Hailey to soothe her conscience. Still, I don’t think I’ll be trying a stunt like this ever again.
“Well, let’s head to the entrance where your mom’s picking you up,” said Hailey, glancing at her watch. “She should be here any minute.”
“I can head there myself,” Emily said meekly. “I’m tired of hanging out with you nerds anyway.” Her words didn’t sound as confident as they normally were.
Erin and Hailey shrugged off the mild insult, and walked to the rack where their bikes were stored.
“I don’t think she had an accident,” Hailey said, strapping on her bike helmet.
“Yeah, she probably made it on time,” conceded Erin.
The cousins said nothing further to each other for the duration of the ride home.