Prudence wanted him to trust her. She wanted to bond with him like his dog had. The urge gripped her with desperate need, like a junkie craved a fix. She needed to be with him. To learn from him. To bond and experience all the things she’d been missing out on.
She wanted to prove he could trust her. Let her take care of him. Protect him. “Like your diapers? They’re more than just a costume. You enjoy being a baby. An adult baby. It’s okay. Really. Wanna know my secret? I’m the real, the original, Prudence Piper. I’m a werewolf; that’s why I still look so young.” The truth rolled off her tongue as easily as lies. Her sincerity was true and pure, but her lies sounded so truthful everything came across as one and the same. Lies and truth blurred together in an unholy union.
Lucas jerked as if her words were physical blows. An arrow pierced his exposed heart. Hurt and adrenaline surged; the pleasant fog in his brain rolled away. Thoughts pounded his skull, jump starting his pulse to a pounding tempo. His chest tightened.
This whole night was just a joke to her. She’d come to toy with the big baby. He’d been obvious right from the start. Or Rosie put her up to it as a Halloween prank. Even for his cousin, this was cruel. Pru had been toying with him all night, having fun tricking the big, stupid, pants-pissing baby. Seeing how far she could go, seeing how stupid he was, while she laughed all the while. He’d believed everything she said. Naive baby. He was so, so stupid. She was a liar, just like Rosie. No wonder they were friends. And he was a gullible idiot. Well, no more.
Embarrassed, hurt, and angry at her, at himself…panic and anxiety welled up, lapping at his conscious like waves upon a shore. He threw his paci across the booth; it smacked off the pavement. He really wanted to throw it at her head. He yanked at his bib, but the ties held it firmly in place. His cheeks burned candy apple red in his humiliation. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
“You’re horrible. This is just cruel. What did I ever do to you?” He choked out before his tears fell faster. A sob tore his throat. He lowered his head. His shoulders shook.
“Lucas?” Pru’s face twisted as he suddenly crumbled back into the pain-filled boy she first met. “I’m not joking. It’s the gospel truth. I swear.”
Intense emotion sucked him under, into a world of self-loathing and recrimination. The outside world fell away. All he could do was feel as he fell helplessly apart. Little shards of him falling everywhere. “S-stop! J-Just stop!” It wasn’t funny. It hurt. He wanted to tell her that, but he was sure she already knew. She didn’t care; she found it funny. He didn’t hear her laughing, but he was sure he could feel it.
“Lucas. Please. Calm down. I’m not laughing at you. I’d never hurt you.” Her pleas sounded so genuine, he almost believed her.
He wasn’t going to fall for her tricks any longer. Fight or flight kicked in. Usually, when overwhelmed, he just shut down from the world. Fled deep within himself until no one but Cookie could reach him. At that point, without Cookie anymore, his aunt, uncle, or Rosie medicated him. No one was here for him now. He was on his own.
He wheeled himself backwards. “G-go away! Go!” He stuttered, pain cracking his voice. Tears streamed down his cheeks and onto his bib. His pretty doll face was a sobbing, crying mess.
“Please. Just listen. Lucas-” Her hand reached for him. He felt her palm press onto his abdomen. Same as earlier, when she’d calmed him. Just like Cookie used to do with her head.
“Leave me alone!” He smacked her hand away. He pushed his wheels, rolling to the very back of the shadowy booth so fast some tear drops fell onto the cement.