An Actress Prepares (Patreon)

Laila was doing her best to fit in, but it wasn't easy. Changing schools partway through her senior year made things hard enough on its own, and there were certainly days when she'd wondered if it was even worth it... Everyone already seemed to know everybody else, and trying to break into any of the pre-established friend groups was proving impossible.

So, when she saw the announcement for the school play, it had appeared to be the perfect solution. She'd always been the star, back at her old school, and maybe - just maybe - if she could get a lead role, show everyone what she had, that would impress them. And she'd probably make some new friends along the way; plays were usually good for that.

Unfortunately, like she was used to being the star, there were other kids who always got those roles at this school, and, despite what she thought was a good audition, she wasn't able to change that. Her heart had fell the moment she looked at the top of the cast list, didn't see her name there, and it continued to tumble the further down the list she read, until, finally, she found her role, almost preferring that she hadn't gotten in at all.

They couldn't be serious, could they?! Laila squirmed, wanting to run off to hide in the bathroom, peering back and forth at the other kids gathered around the cast list, praying, for once, that they didn't know who she was, that they hadn't seen what she was going to be. Instead, she stormed into the office of the teacher who was directing the show.

"I'm sorry," Laila told her, proud of her acting abilities for making it sound at all sincere. "I should have told you yesterday, but I'm not sure my schedule is going to work out after all, and..."

"Oh, no!" the teacher exclaimed. "Is there anything I could do to help? I had been so worried about filling that role, and so happy when I saw you come to auditions... You're the only one that seemed correct for it, and the show just won't work without the right person..."

Laila shifted in place, starting to feel guilty... And a swell of pride. Had she really been that good? It was definitely not the kind of thing she normally played, yet, perhaps that was a good thing... It would be a challenge, that was true, but what kind of actress was she if she backed away from a challenge? 

"Actually..." she said, "I might be able to move some stuff around..."

Laila was feeling pretty confident as she strolled into the first rehearsal, riding off the wave of the director's praise; it didn't last long, however, once she got the script and read her character description, and what her costume was supposed to be. The lines didn't help much, either... There weren't as few as she'd feared, but they were all so simple, so silly... It was hard to get through them without feeling ridiculous, and that was before she started to picture herself in the costume.

It wouldn't be as bad as she thought, she told herself. Just because it was written that way in the script, it didn't mean they'd stick to it... After all, there was no way they'd expect her to wear...

But then another character referenced the way Laila's was dressed, and it turned into a whole plot point, as Laila listened, sinking further and further into her seat, wondering what she'd agreed to. Had she made a huge mistake?! Was this really going to make her any friends at this school, or was it going to make her a laughingstock?! Because, at the moment, it was feeling a lot like it was going to be the latter...

The first rehearsal was mostly just a read-through, so it didn't take too long. She was hurriedly packing her things up to leave when the director stopped her. "Laila, dear," she said, "would you mind staying after for a few minutes?"

"S-Sure," Laila replied. "No problem..." What was going on? Had the director changed her mind? Was she going to get another part after all?

"Wonderful!" the woman smiled. "You're being such a big help with this... I'm so glad you came to auditions!"

"Y-Yeah," Laila fibbed. "Me, too..."

"Just come back this way," the teacher told her, leading her across the stage. "I guess you probably haven't seen backstage here, have you?" Laila shook her head. "I'll give you a full tour later... For now, the dressing room is right over here."

"What are we going in there for?" Laila frowned. "Do I already have a costume?"

"You do!" the teacher beamed, looking proud of Laila for figuring it out. "It's so specific, I was able to go ahead and put it together... And I thought you might want to start to work in it, because of how... unusual it will be for you."

Laila wasn't quite able to suppress her groan. Her one ray of sunshine in this whole ordeal was knowing that, whatever the costume wound up being, she probably wouldn't have to start wearing it until dress rehearsals, which typically didn't begin until right before the show... She wasn't really going to have to do it for the entire process, was she?!

And it only got worse when they got into the dressing room. On one hand, it was a private dressing room, one that normally would have gone to the star... That made her feel good, for the briefest moment, until she saw what was sitting on the counter, waiting for her.

"Do you know how to put them on?" the director asked. "I can help you, if you like..."

"Th-These are..." Laila sniffed, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "Th-These are baby diapers!"

"Of course they are," the older woman chuckled. "You're playing a toddler, Laila... And you were the only person who auditioned who seemed small enough to fit into them. If they don't work, we can figure something else out, but..."

"Th-They won't," Laila shook her head. "There's no way!" There couldn't be... She was a senior in high school! An adult in the eyes of the law! It was impossible to imagine that she would fit into these diapers made for an actual child!

"There's only one way to find out," the director shrugged. 

"B-But..." Laila pouted, staring at the package. "Fine," she sighed. "I-I think I can figure them out on my own..."

She could... And, to her horror, they fit, and didn't look the slightest bit out of place around her waist, other than the side stretching perhaps a little further than normal. She almost didn't want to show the director, though she was afraid that, for once, her acting skills would fail her, and the woman would know she was lying. The shirt she was supposed to wear with them was there, too, the infantile design on it making her wonder if it had come from the baby department as well, and she put it on, her stomach doing cartwheels when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Adorable!" the director declared when Laila worked up the courage to let her in. "I knew you were the right person for this role."

"Gr-Great," Laila could barely get the word out, much less make it sound convincing. 

"Now, you can go ahead and get changed and go home," the director said. "You do have a car, right?"

Laila froze. She should... She was a senior, more than old enough to have her license, but, shamefully, she still hadn't been able to pass the test, and her mother wouldn't buy her a car until she did.

"I'm sorry!" the director told her. "I just assumed... Most of the students your age do. It's a big help, since rehearsals run until after the buses stop for the day. I should have warned you, but I thought..."

"I-It's okay," Laila shook her head. It was a natural leap of logic for the woman to take.

"Can one of your parents pick you up?" That wasn't going to work, either. Her mother was the closest, and she was a lawyer, in the middle of a big case right now... It was hard to tell when she'd be done. "Normally, I'd be happy to wait until they got here, but I need to pick up my own daughter... But... I actually do have an idea..."

To say that Laila was not a fan of the idea would be an understatement, though, given the circumstances, that hardly mattered. "I can't just leave you here on your own," the director said. "And they're friendly over there... I'm sure they won't mind..."

"B-But..." Laila whined. "I-I can't..."

"You're already dressed for it," the director chuckled. "Besides, I think it'll be good for you... It can help get you in the right mindset for your character."

"B-But..." Laila repeated. "I-It's a... a daycare!" She was a senior in high school! How could one of her teachers be suggesting she go back to daycare?!

"I'm sure they won't be too busy this time of day," the director told her. "That'll probably make it easier."

"Y-You couldn't... drop me off at home?" Laila tried, but the director was going in the complete opposite direction. Like it or not, there was no good solution to the problem, other than being led, by the hand, into the daycare, like the toddler she was going to be portraying in the play.

She did get to wear her skirt over the diaper, thankfully, which made her feel a little better. It also made her worry that she'd be discovered right away, that everyone would know she was far too old for this; if anything, the opposite seemed to be true as she waddled around the place, trying her best to get used to the feeling of the padding between her legs, as nearly any time one of the workers passed by her, they lifted up her skirt to check her, until, finally, one of them declared, "This is just getting in the way, isn't it, sweetie?" and whisked it off of her, leaving her in only her costume once again, toddling around daycare with her baby diaper exposed for the world to see.

"This can't be happening," she mumbled to herself, mortified, positive that things couldn't get any worse, that she'd hit rock bottom...

But, obviously, she was wrong. Because she hadn't been to the bathroom since before rehearsal had started, and her bladder was beginning to feel awfully full... 

What was she supposed to do?! She could hardly look any of the workers in the eye when she had her skirt on, much less now, when her diaper was on display, after they'd pretty much all checked her... How was she going to get up the courage to ask them to take her to the bathroom? The diaper ensured they weren't going to ask her on their own, that they'd assume she was too little, too un-potty-trained to need it...

She thought she'd hit the jackpot when she spotted the potty chair, sitting beside one of the changing tables. If she could use that, maybe nobody would notice... Except, would a toddler know how to use one of those on her own, with no help? Was she going to make it more obvious - and, as much as she didn't want anyone to know, there was a part of her that hoped it was obvious she wasn't a baby, that she wasn't so tiny that she was fooling everyone - that she didn't belong here?

She was still trying to make up her mind when she heard the voice behind her, asking her, "Is everything all right, sweetie?" Her heart pounded, her hands quickly slamming the lid of the potty as she shivered.

She knew that voice. She'd heard it, plenty of times, at school... Had fantasized about it plenty more... 

It was Kayley. She was, in Laila's opinion, at least, the prettiest girl in school... She'd had a crush on her from the moment she'd seen her, and, despite everything else, seeing her had been one of the few things that had made switching schools almost feel worth it...

And now she was seeing her here, in a diaper, dressed like a baby. Laila hadn't even seen her here before, hadn't known she worked here, or else, she'd never have agreed to this in a million years. "I don't think you need to worry about that just yet," Kayley chuckled, kneeling down, slipping a pacifier into Laila's gaping mouth. Laila's hand drifted upwards, unsure if she was happy or sad that her crush seemed convinced that she was simply another toddler, that she apparently hadn't noticed her at school at all...

"See?" the girl smiled, Laila flinching as she felt Kayley's hand move to her diaper, giving it a poke. Only then did Laila realize how far she'd gotten into character, how much seeing Kayley there had frightened her. "Someone needs some dry pants, doesn't she?"

This was a nightmare! An absolute nightmare... Laila shook her head, finding herself sucking on the pacifier automatically, the sensation soothing her, but only a bit. 

"Yes, you do," Kayley cooed. "I know a soggy diaper when I feel it, cutie!"

Laila's head swam at being called cute by Kayley, almost found herself taking the girl's hand in an offer to help her get to her feet... But the next step after that was going to be up onto the changing table, Laila knew, and she couldn't let that happen... She couldn't let Kayley, of all people, change her diaper... It was bad enough that she'd used it in the first place!

Not knowing what else to do, she clung to the girl's leg, holding on for dear life. She'd never felt more tiny, more helpless, than right now, and, as terrified as she was, she couldn't stop her mind from noting that, from filing it away to use for her role... If she didn't die of embarrassment before the next rehearsal.

"Aww, it's okay," Kayley stroked the girl's hair. "There's nothing to be afraid of... A fresh diaper never hurt anyone..." 

Laila shook her head again, whimpering behind her pacifier. Why hadn't she stuck to her guns, and told the director she couldn't do the show, after she'd seen she was supposed to be the baby?! She'd probably never have had a shot with Kayley to begin with, but after this, she definitely wouldn't. And what if Kayley told all her friends?!

Or... What if, even once Kayley had her on the changing table, got a good glimpse at her, she still didn't recognize her, didn't realize she wasn't one of her usual charges? Laila wanted to be right for the show, but she didn't want to look like that much of a baby, didn't want to be that immature when she was supposed to be an adult... 

"Hey," Kayley said gently. "It's all right... All you have to do is lie down up here, and I'll take care of everything else..." Carefully, she extracted Laila's arms from around her leg, helping her onto the changing table, her voice so sweet, and calming... Laila almost didn't notice, until she heard the ripping sound, how far things had gone, and by then, she was feeling the cool air on her exposed crotch, and it was too late.

She wriggled on the table as Kayley cleaned her up, desperately nursing her pacifier, staying as silent as possible, knowing that her only hope now was to completely commit to the part, to be as much of a baby as she could...

"Why don't we go with one of these?" Kayley suggested, pulling out a larger, even thicker, diaper from under the table. Laila swallowed, wanting to say she didn't need a diaper at all, then nodded, feeling light-headed as it was slipped beneath her bottom. "I thought so, too... These are perfect for big babies like you..."

Laila's eyes widened, catching the smile on Kayley's face. What had she meant by that?! Did she know?! Laila watched in horror as her crush finished the job, quickly powdering her, tugging the diaper up between her legs, sealing it into place, snug and crinkly and safe... 

"I-It's not what it looks like," Laila finally found the strength to speak when it was over, bashfully removing her pacifier. "I-It's..."

"It's okay," Kayley said, sitting on the edge of the changing table beside her. "I think it's cute... If I hadn't seen you at school, I would never have known."

"R-Really?" Laila wasn't sure which part she was questioning, how she wanted Kayley to respond. A part of her wanted to think she'd potentially fooled the other workers, since that meant she had a shot of doing well in the play, while another didn't want that to be possible, even for the sake of the show; the idea that Kayley had actually noticed her at school, however, filled her with joy, despite what she was wearing, what had just happened.

"Anytime you want to come here, I'd be more than happy to look after you," Kayley smiled. "I work after school most days..."

Was she inviting her to come back?! And... Was Laila actually considering it?! "I-I don't usually..." Laila looked at her diaper.

"Well, you should, then," Kayley grinned. "You look adorable in them."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I-I was thinking," Laila told the director the next day, "wouldn't it make sense if my character had, like... a pacifier?"

"What a good idea!" the director smiled. "I'm so glad you seem to be getting into this now... I was worried you were going to change your mind on me after yesterday."

"N-No," Laila shook her head. "I-I wouldn't want to let the rest of the cast down..."

"That's the spirit! Now, then, my daughter is with my ex tonight, so I'd be happy to drive you home, if you like."

Laila squirmed, feeling her cheeks warm. "O-Oh, that's okay... I-I think my mom's already waiting for me. Thanks, though!"

That was a lie; it would be hours, probably, before her mother was able to show up... But that was okay. Kayley had promised to keep an eye on her phone for her, to help her change into her regular clothes in time, so her mom would never have to know.

It was for the show, Laila told herself as she hurried over to the daycare across the street. That was all... And if she got to spend some more time with her crush, that was just a bonus. There was no way she actually liked it, of course... She wasn't really a baby, after all, despite the diaper she'd worn at rehearsal... And that she was already wetting before she walked in the door, so that Kayley could change her into one of the other diapers as soon as possible...