The Bridezilla - Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Helena squirmed, trying to maintain the perfect balance between attempting to get away from Darcy's iron grip and not letting her diaper crinkle too loudly. It was hard to judge how well she was doing with the latter, but, judging from the way the former was going, she'd have guessed not well. More than likely, all she was doing was making herself look like a fussy little kid, unable to stand still.

Even beyond all the things Darcy had done to her, Helena didn't like being right by the bride-to-be's side because that meant she was the center of attention. "Thank you all for being here," Darcy told everyone else, from the raised stage at the front of the room, all eyes on her, and, by extension, Helena, who she had one arm draped around in what could have been mistaken as a friendly manner, to anyone who didn't know what had been going on with the bridal party during their past couple meetings.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get through this quickly," she said. "It shouldn't be too hard, and then, once we're done, we'll go get some food! How does that sound?"

Everyone let out a little cheer, and, for a moment, Helena thought she'd be freed, but Darcy only tightened her grip, pulling the girl in front of her, holding her there as the preacher gave his own speech. It obviously couldn't last forever, though Helena was starting to wonder if Darcy was going to keep her there for the ceremony, somehow, so she'd have to witness her vows to Caleb up close and personal, and know, without a doubt, that there was nothing she could do about it.

Jackie was given his instructions, and practiced them a couple times, with the spectators, waiting in the pews for their turns, whispering and smiling as they watched, talking about how cute he looked already, even without the suit he'd be in the next day. "Do you want to try being a flower girl?" Darcy whispered. "Or are you going to be a good girl?"

"I-I'll be good," Helena gulped, nodding. 

Darcy had her mother listen to the music she'd chosen for the processional, and had her walk down the aisle, but, since she was first, and the music started when she arrived, there wasn't much to worry about there. Caleb ducked into a side entrance with the preacher for a moment, stepping out onto the stage and giving Helena a smile that made her blush, praying he didn't notice the extra bulk under her dress.

There were some choices to make after that, so everyone else could know the order they were going to walk in, and where they'd stand for the majority of the ceremony. Helena had been friends with Caleb's family long enough that she knew all his brothers, but somehow, they felt more intimidating now that she knew she was going to have to be 'paired off' with one, to walk down the aisle with them, and dance at least dance with them at the reception... 

"All right, Wynonna," Darcy said, "You're with Shawn, obviously." That made sense... Wynonna was the maid of honor, and Shawn, the oldest of Caleb's brothers, was the best man, so of course they were together. Helena hadn't thought about that, though now, she felt silly for not knowing the mentally subtract him from the equation as she looked at the three of them sitting together, waiting.

That only left two, Joel and Brandon. Caleb was the middle child, exactly, right between Shawn and Nikki, and Joel and Brandon. Helena didn't mind Joel too much, as he'd usually keep to himself, preferring to read or play video games in his room when Helena came over to hang out. Whenever she did talk to him, he seemed nice enough, so she hoped he'd be understanding if, somehow, he found out about her diaper.

With any luck, he wouldn't... But that dress she'd been stuck with really made her worry. Maybe it was a joke, and Darcy wasn't actually going to make her go through with it... There had been another one made for Helena, after all, that fit in with the rest of the bridesmaids', and it would have been easy for Darcy to call the shop to get that one instead, after tormenting Helena at the store itself... Would she have, though? 

"Nikki," Darcy continued, "you're going to be with Joel."

Helena's stomach sank, even as Joel himself groaned, wrinkling his nose. She liked to think it was because he had wanted to be with her, however, she knew it was more likely he just didn't want to be with his older sister. Nikki was rolling her eyes, too, although it was hard to judge if it was because the feeling was mutual, if she was reacting to his reaction, or if it was just some good, old fashioned, family ribbing.

"Now, Helena," Darcy gave her shoulders a shake, "can you figure out who that leaves you with?"

There was only one more option, unless Darcy changed her mind and brought Jackie into this as well. Darcy blushed, glancing over towards Brandon, the youngest. There was a chance he'd matured some, since the last time Helena had seen him... She wasn't even sure if he'd graduated high school or not yet, though; at best, he'd just started college.

He'd always been a very typical younger sibling, wanting to constantly hang out with Caleb, being annoying, playing childish pranks on them if they refused to pay attention to him... He had to have outgrown all that by now, surely. She fidgeted in place, not wanting to look disappointed, and hurt his feelings, despite how much she would have rather been with Joel... Or, really, pretty much anyone. 

"Very good!" Darcy cooed, sending her away from her finally, with a pat on the bottom that made Helena's heart stop for a moment, positive everyone heard the rustle beneath her clothes. "Go be with him, then. Come on, everyone, to the back of the church!"

She wasn't actually with him, not yet, the boys and girls entering from opposite sides of the room, meeting in the middle before walking up the aisle, pair by pair. It looked like Darcy and Wynonna, of course, had already discussed what they wanted, Darcy cuing up some music with Wynonna waiting for just the right moment to start her movement, gesturing for Shawn to follow her, meeting up exactly in the center of the aisle.

"That's right!" Darcy yelled from the stage. "Just like that, the rest of you!"

Helena gave Nikki a nervous look, and, for a moment, she saw the girl she'd known, growing up, an older sister, almost, instead of just another co-conspirator for Darcy, as she'd been lately. "You don't have to be nervous," she smiled. "It's just walking."

"And now!" Darcy shouted. Nikki turned away from Helena, walking to meet up with her brother. "No!" Darcy shook her head. "You were late! Helena, were you distracting her back there?"

Helena blushed, tugging instinctively on her dress, feeling everyone's gaze turning towards her again, now without the bride there behind her to draw their attention away. "N-No," she responded quietly.

"The sooner we finish, the sooner we eat!" Darcy reminded her, like she was just some naughty little girl, causing trouble on purpose. "Take the music back a bit."

They got it the next time, which left Brandon and Helena. It was only a rehearsal, and nothing that difficult... She wasn't sure why she felt so anxious, other than the diaper she was wearing. Maybe that was it... She'd started to get used to wearing it around the other girls, as embarrassing as that was to admit, but now there were other people there, all watching her walk down the aisle, all having a chance to spot an unusual waddle to her step, if not the bulge of the padding itself.

And, of course, there was the fact that the bride wanted to humiliate her. She waited, ready to spring into action, with Brandon on the other side of the room, looking rather disinterested in the whole affair, but she was positive that Darcy waited to say, "Now!" until it was too late. Brandon sauntered to his spot, his longer legs helping him out, while Helena didn't quite make it in time.

"Too slow," Darcy scolded. "Were you distracting yourself back there, Helena?"

Helena blushed, shook her head. "Try it again," Darcy sighed. The next time, Helena thought she'd made it, only for Darcy to stop them again. "Look at how you're standing," she ordered. "Do you think that's centered?" 

Helena looked around at the aisle, seeing that they were a bit closer to the pews on her side. She glanced up at Brandon, thinking that he would apologize, that everyone would see that he'd just walked in too far, but, obviously, Darcy wasn't going to let that happen. "If you weren't so slow, you would have met him in the right spot," she said. "Do it again!"

She still didn't quite make it on time, though she'd be sure it was close enough. "Come on, Helena!" Darcy fumed. "Use your brain! If your legs are too short to get there when I signal, then anticipate it!"

Helena stared down at her feet, face burning. "B-But you said..." she tried to explain.

"Do you just blindly do whatever someone tells you to do?" Darcy folded her arms. "Can you not think for yourself?"

"Hey," Caleb reached out, touching her arm. "I know this is stressful, but you don't..."

"Excuse me for wanting this to be perfect, Caleb!" she whipped around, glaring at him. "I thought that was what you wanted, too!"

There was a long, awkward silence, Helena feeling guilty, knowing she was the cause of it, and then, finally, Darcy sighed. "Let's try it one more time." It was actually another two before she declared it, "Good enough," and let Brandon and Helena link arms for their walk up the aisle.

"Nice work," Brandon snickered at her under his breath, apparently agreeing that it had all been her fault, and not his. Or, more likely, just being the same brat he'd always been.

Even that, she couldn't do right. As they split up, and went to their respective sides of the stage, Darcy shook her head, rubbing one of her temples. "Can you not walk a little faster, Helena? You're throwing off the whole rhythm." 

"I was going as fast as I thought I could without dragging her," Brandon threw her under the bus again.

"I know," Darcy nodded. "I'm not blaming you."

"I-I'll try," Helena promised, wanting very badly to hide behind Nikki, rather than standing in their line.

"We'll see about that," Darcy sniffed. "All right, Jackie, and after they get up there, that's when you do what we practiced earlier. Got it?" The little boy nodded. "See, Helena? He understands. And then, it's my turn, and obviously, I know what I'm doing, so... Do we want to do it all from the top?"

Nikki gave Helena's hand a squeeze as they retreated back to the other side of the room. "She's just nervous, too," she told Helena. "And taking it out on you. After tomorrow, it'll all be over."

"I know," Helena said. "But..."

"Helena!" Darcy stomped her foot. "Honestly! This is why you can't get it right, because you can't stop talking to pay attention!"

Helena flinched, hating how she was singled out again, when Nikki had been talking, too, hating how tiny all this scolding was making her feel, and how she felt like she had to say, "S-Sorry," despite not thinking she'd done anything that wrong.

"You will be, if you keep it up," Darcy grumbled. "Okay, mom, let's go!"

The church was deadly silent for a long moment as Darcy's mother took her position, and the music started, the rest of the procession following. Helena could hear Darcy give a dramatic sigh from behind her when it was her turn, letting her know it still wasn't perfect, but she didn't stop the show this time around, at least. She tried to speed up her walking, as much as she thought she could without it making her toddle - or her crinkle - more pronounced than it probably already was.

Nikki gave her a smile as she stepped into position, and they watched Jackie make his way down the aisle. There was a shift in the music, and Helena could picture the whole crowd getting to their feet, turning to see Darcy as she made her grand entrance.

It was a pretty mean, uncharitable thing to think, but Helena couldn't shake the idea that Darcy was glad her father was dead, that he wasn't there to escort her down the aisle. She could have found somebody else to do it, of course... The fact that she hadn't made it obvious to Helena that Darcy didn't want anyone else there, didn't want to have to share the spotlight as, even when her audience was imaginary, she still milked it for everything she could, taking her time, soaking in the attention as she made her way up to the altar, where Caleb was waiting for her.

To Helena's surprise, as soon as Darcy was up there, she turned, grabbing Helena by the arm, yanking her out of her spot, holding her in front of herself again. "You're going to stay there the whole time during the ceremony, obviously," she said. "But I clearly need to keep an eye on you today... And this will keep Caleb from trying anything. We're waiting until tomorrow, remember?"

Helena couldn't meet Caleb's gaze, even though she was positioned to be looking right at him now. Had Darcy really needed to use HER to assure that? As if she was so unappealing, she'd guarantee Caleb wouldn't even imagine wanting to touch the person who was about to be his wife the next day if he had to do it around her? She blushed, feeling a slight warmth growing in her diaper, the stress and humiliation of the whole affair starting to get to her.

As the preacher gave a quick rundown of his part of the ceremony, Helena started to wonder if, perhaps, this positioning wasn't meant purely as an insult to her, but as a final twisting of the knife... Even without the suits and dresses, and with barely anybody sitting in the pews, it was easy to imagine this was the real thing, that they were at a wedding... And that Caleb was looking, rather than right above her head, at Darcy, at her. There was definitely a time when she had hoped, and dreamed, that was what their friendship was going to lead to... If she was being totally honest, that time hadn't been all that long ago...

Darcy did, eventually, have to put Helena back with the other bridesmaids so they could do the recessional. She didn't seem as interested in that... Maybe because she got to go first this time, rather than everything leading up to her appearance, or maybe she just thought she'd tortured Helena enough for the day.

Except, of course, that the day wasn't over yet. She didn't even have the option of skipping the rehearsal dinner, since Darcy had driven her to the church, and was taking her to the restaurant as well. They were silent as they buckled up, though, before Darcy started up the car, she flipped up Helena's skirt, giving her diaper a squeeze, right there in the parking lot.

"Darcy!" Helena gasped, pushing her dress back down, looking out her window nervously, seeing everyone else milling around, heading to their own cars.

"Wet already," Darcy chuckled. "I guess I should have known. Do you think I should give you a change here, or will you be all right?"

"I-I'm fine!" Helena told her.

"Are you sure?" Darcy grinned. "I could open up my back door, lay out the changing pad in the seat there... Maybe Brandon would like to help get you all cleaned up."

"No!" Helena blushed, shaking her head. "I-It's not that wet..."

"You've gotten so used to your diapies," Darcy teased. "I bet you're going to keep wearing them, even after tomorrow."

"No, I'm not!" Helena sulked. "I'm never wearing these stupid things again!"

"If you say so," Darcy shrugged. "Sure sounds like you don't mind being soggy..."

"I just don't want you to change me in the parking lot!" Helena growled at her. "I'm not a baby! I don't need..."

She clammed up, seeing her window start to creep down, realizing Darcy had been trying to get her to yell about her diapers with it open. Honestly, she'd probably already been too loud about it, but she definitely wasn't going to say anything when there was an even bigger chance that the people outside could overhear.

"What was that, Helena?" Darcy asked smugly. "What were you saying?"

Helena gave her a dirty look, sinking down in her seat. "Nothing," she mumbled.

"So you agree with me, then?" Darcy stared down at her, daring to re-start the conversation. When Helena stayed silent, she said, "That's what I thought," and turned the key, finally setting them on their way.

It was a short drive, barely long enough to help Helena calm down, though, when Darcy asked, "Do we need to stop by here?" as they passed the bathroom on their way in, Helena was able to answer with a polite, "No, thank you," determined not to give the other woman what she wanted. She wasn't going to make a scene, or argue with her about it... And she definitely wasn't going to let her change her in a public restroom.

That was the secret... It was difficult to do, especially surrounded by so many people who didn't know Helena's secret, who she didn't want to have fine out about it, but if she didn't react, didn't feed into it, then Darcy was sure to get bored, and leave her alone. So, that was what she was going to do, no matter what Darcy tried to pull.

That resolution stayed true until they reached the party room that had been rented for the rehearsal dinner. Helena saw the high chair right away, told herself not to over-react, that it was probably for Jackie... Until Darcy led her right to the table where it was sitting. "This is the table for the bridesmaids," she informed her. "Which means, of course... This is your seat." She gave the back of the high chair a pat. "Do you want me to put you in it now, or would you rather wait for Wynonna and Nikki to do it?"