The Weekend Visit, Part 42

Author's Note: This was supposed to be up on Tuesday. Sorry! All the more reason to switch to my SubscribeStar, but I'll still endeavor to parallel every post on here. Thanks to Kal for letting me know that this part slipped through the cracks this week.

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At first, I didn’t realize what Kate had in mind.

The pink tee was yet another outfit piece from the collection of our cousins’ old clothes, and I was barely given enough time to stand up and pull it on before Kate was opening the bathroom door. Though my rational side knew that it wasn’t as if anyone would be standing right outside in the hallway, I was also bottomless save for a fresh set of bulky diapers. “Kate!” I whisper-yelled, doing my best to cover my lower half. It really wouldn’t have made a difference if someone was looking at me.

“Annie!” she replied, mirroring my tone and volume. It only took a step or two for her to come back over, where she took my hand and tugged me forward, “Come on. It would be rude to just go to bed. You need to thank our aunt for that nice dinner. And what about Luna and Lilah? They took us out to the mall; you had so much fun with that obstacle course and arcade, didn’t you?”

But, I already thanked Aunt Miranda for that. Kate had prompted me to do so, just before the diaper change. I couldn’t remember if I had expressed the same about our mall outing. My main concern, however, was how I was currently dressed. She didn’t plan on taking me to see our relatives like this, did she?

Apparently she did, considering how I was led towards the stairs, rather than our bedroom. “No, wait!” I exclaimed, still in a soft tone. The quiet of the upstairs hall made it feel like simply being overheard would make someone appear. It was just as illogical as my recent worry of Kate opening the door when I wasn’t fully dressed, yet a bit more valid as we left the more private section of the house that we were staying in.

Kate let out an annoyed huff. “What?”

I couldn’t help but blush. With a single word, she once again implied that I was acting exactly like the brat she kept making me look like since our arrival. “I need- clothes . . . ” I muttered. It felt so stupid to say out loud, considering how obvious it was from my perspective.

My sister didn’t seem to share my concern. “You’re fine, Annie. Besides, we don’t have time for that. Your bedtime is 8 PM sharp tonight.”

Hearing that out loud was enough to distract me for a few seconds. The concept of being put to bed early at my age had been embarrassing, but it had also been vague. Now that Kate had specified when, my impulse was to push back on that. My memory of middle school was a little hazy when it came to details like that, though I was pretty sure I was up until at least 10 PM most nights.

And, as always, I needed to pick my battles. Anything I complained about could be spun as me being immature, and there was also no time at the moment. We were approaching the top of the stairs, and my diapers were totally on display.

“But, they’ll see,” I said, lightly flushing at just how meek and nervous I sounded. It was a far cry from the Annelise I knew a few days ago.

“Annie.” Kate turned to me with a serious expression. “We all know that you need diapers. It’s really not a big deal.”

That reminder alone wasn’t particularly reassuring. And there was a difference between knowing and seeing. Considering how Aunt Miranda spoke to me back at the country club, I really didn’t want her perception of me to get even worse. This was a surefire way for something like that to happen. I was supposed to be a mature college girl, not a diaper-clad tween.

I couldn’t think of a good response right away. At least, not one that didn’t sound whiny. Kate took that as a sign that I was done arguing. “Come on, little sis.” She took the first step down the stairs and pulled me along with her.

My heart was pounding. This wasn’t actually happening, was it?! If our aunt saw me in diapers, or our cousins . . . But also, falling down the stairs wouldn’t be a great look. Potential injuries aside, I would look even more clumsy than Kate had already made me seem. If I didn’t keep up with my sister, there was a good chance something like that would happen if I tried to play Tug-of-War with my arm as she continued descending towards the main floor.

Kate must have been well aware that I was looking for one last window to voice my concerns, as she didn’t slow down in the slightest. When we reached the base of the stairs, she tightened her grip on my hand and gave an assertive tug towards the living room. “This way, Annie!” she exclaimed, clearly in a more relaxed and enthusiastic mood than I was.

The thick padding between my legs caused me to stumble a little bit from the unexpected momentum. Thankfully no one besides Kate was around to see it happen. Just before we reached the threshold of the coming room, I squeaked out a nervous, “Wait!” But it was too late. Whether she registered my belated protest or not, I was walked right in.

Aunt Miranda was sitting on the sofa, working on something on her laptop until she noticed the two of us. Whether it was from the sound of my voice or seeing us in her peripherals, she glanced up as we stepped into the room. Her gaze lingered on me, before she muttered, “Doesn’t look like a college girl to me.” Just like when we were back at the restaurant, there was no mistaking the judgment in her tone.

I knew my sister well enough to guess that such a comment would be amusing to her, but she managed to keep a straight face. “Doesn’t act like a college girl, either,” Kate said. Before I could say anything in my own defense, she went on, “I’m about to put Annie to bed; she just wanted to say ‘good night’ to everyone first. And to apologize for being so difficult all evening. Well?” She gave me a nudge, “Go on, Annie.”