The Summer of Shelby - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Or... It was a version of summer babyhood, at least. She did stay in her diapers, of course. It was the most important rule, after all, and she certainly felt like she needed them when she woke up to the mass of soggy, clammy padding around her waist. For a moment or two, she forgot how she'd soaked it after she'd spent an hour or two tossing and turning boredly in bed, unable to go use the toilet, having no choice other than to pee her pants, and thought that, perhaps, she'd wet the bed unknowingly, that her potty training was already eroding. It was a great start, a phenomenal way to get into her role, even after she woke up enough to recall the truth.

Having to consciously remember to address her parents as Mommy and Daddy when they got home from work went a long way, too. She did, on occasion, slip up and call them that anyway, so they didn't seem to find it too strange when she toddled into the dining room for supper and greeted them with, "It looks yummy! Thank you Mommy and Daddy!" even though, to Shelby, it felt very much so now, feeling the bulk of her diaper beneath her jeans as she made her way to her chair, praying they wouldn't mention the bulge, or hear the crinkling, after she'd spent most of the afternoon sorting through her closet, finding what outfits would hide them the best, what she'd dare to wear around her parents.

She snapped a few more pictures of herself, showing Felicia what she was wearing, messaging her to let her know what she was up to, what cartoons she was watching, what she was eating for lunch, keeping up with her as if she was there, babysitting her. She wasn't, though, not really, which made it easy for her to make the choice not to mess her diaper the next day.

She had been tempted, yes, had even almost convinced herself to do it as she sat on the living room floor with her coloring book and sippy cup, squirming, feeling how full her tummy was, knowing she was almost out of time. She was so curious what it would be like, how she would react... But she got scared at the last minute, as she was on the precipice, starting to squat down, thumb in her mouth as she readied herself to push, and waddled off to the bathroom instead.

Felicia had always seemed to know everything, so Shelby had half expected to return to the living room to a message chastising her about it. Instead, that evening, after supper, she'd messaged, 'So, have you had any stinky accidents yet?'

Shelby had considered fibbing, saying yes, but in the end, she'd decided to tell the truth. 'No,' she wrote back. 'I used the potty. Sorry.'

Felicia hadn't seemed mad, thankfully, just told her, 'You know that's what your diapers are for, sweetie. But you can try again tomorrow, okay?'

Shelby had blushed, the phrase sounding so much more like what you'd tell a potty training toddler when they failed to make it to the potty in time. 'Okay, 'Licia,' she replied. It made her feel so very tiny, and babyish, being encouraged to do such a thing, in a way that she really liked.

So she did want to do as she had been told, like a good girl. She even had the perfect opportunity, again, her tummy beginning to hurt while she was playing with some of the dolls she'd rescued from the attic. She was already on her knees, diaper plopped between her feet, which wiggled in excitement, embarrassment, anticipation, ready for her to take the plunge...

"Come on," she urged under her breath, closing her eyes. "Just do it!" It couldn't be that hard... Babies did it all the time!

But she couldn't make it happen, try as she might. She was too scared, thinking about the mess it would make, wondering how long it would take her to get cleaned up, to get rid of all the evidence. She had plenty of time before her parents got home, surely... What if she didn't, though? What if they walked in on her like that?! It would be one thing to explain wearing a diaper... A messy one was something else entirely.

Felicia had been less understanding when Shelby told her about it that day. Shelby had thought about lying, hating that she'd disobeyed two days in a row... What if Felicia started to ask questions? She thought she had an idea of what it would feel like, probably just as much as Felicia did, but what if, somehow, she was wrong, and Felicia would be able to tell she was making it up?

'I'm really sorry,' she typed to her sitter. 'I tried.'

'It's all right,' Felicia said after a minute. 'I had a feeling you'd need a little more help with it. And probably with lots of other things, too. That's why you're going to go to your parents and ask them if I can be your babysitter again, like old times.'

"What?!" Shelby squealed out loud, forgetting, for a moment, that Felicia couldn't hear her right now. She couldn't be serious! Shelby squirmed, feeling the diaper encircling her bottom, knowing, thanks to the rules, that she'd have to be wearing it while she had that conversation.

'If you can't properly be a baby when you're home alone, then you need a sitter,' Felicia told her, before Shelby could figure out what to say. 'I could always recommend one of my friends if you'd rather have them.'

'No!' Shelby finally managed to make her fingers work. 'I'll ask.'

As humiliating as this was going to be, it would be better than letting someone who didn't know her look after her. She'd much, much rather have it be Felicia... She had no idea if Felicia would have told her friend everything, or let them believe she was a little kid, nor which possibility would have been better. She just wished she didn't have to talk about it to her mom and dad.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, adjusting her shorts, her t-shirt, before she convinced herself to leave her room, to crinkle her way to her parents in the living room, where she stood in the doorway and stared at the backs of their heads, instead, for another long while. Not nearly as long, however, because she was interrupted by her mother turning. "Yes, dear?" she smiled. "What do you need?"

"Umm..." Shelby squirmed, eyes turning downwards towards her bare feet as her father looked at her, too. She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks warming. "I-I, uh... I was thinking... I-I know it sounds silly, but... I-I've been trying to get packed and get ready for college, and I'm having a lot of trouble on my own, a-and I don't want to bother you guys, so... I-I thought... D-Do you remember Felicia?"

"Of course," her mother interrupted, giving Shelby a moment or two to collect herself a bit more. "She was a wonderful babysitter, wasn't she?"

Shelby gulped, heart thumping. She couldn't know... Could she? "Y-Yeah," she agreed nervously. "F-From what I remember, anyway... I was thinking... M-Maybe I could see if she could come over to help me out? L-Like old times?" She maybe could have left it at that, and it would have been easier, but she wasn't sure that would quite count as doing what Felicia had asked her to. "I-I don't really know her all that well, and I bet she's busy, so I wouldn't want to ask her to do it for free... I-I just thought... Y-You guys could call her and hire her to... babysit me..."

She flinched preemptively, certain they'd see through her lies, know what she really wanted, that the request would make them notice her diaper immediately. Instead, her mother nodded. "I think that's a great idea, Shelby. I bet she'll be a big help. I'm pretty sure I still have her number, too, so I can give her a call and see if she's available."

"R-Really?" Shelby's eyes widened, hardly even struggling at all to remember to address her mother correctly, according to the rules. "Thank you, Mommy!" 

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

Felicia wasted no time, and had even texted Shelby to tell her, 'Good job, sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow,' before the girl's bedtime. Still, Shelby was surprised to be woken up the next morning by the feeling of somebody gently pushing aside her covers, reaching into her PJ shorts. She squealed in shock at the invasion as her eyes blearily opened, then gasped as she saw who it was.

"'Licia!" she smiled.

"Good morning," Felicia chuckled. "Look at my sweet girl, waking up wet, just like she should."

Shelby blushed. "Well, I'm not s'posed to use the potty..." she said.

"No, you aren't," Felicia agreed. "And now that I'm here to look after you, you won't."

Felicia changed her into a dry diaper, getting her dressed, much less concerned with picking out things that would hide the bulge of her diaper than Shelby herself was, then picked her up, carrying her downstairs. Shelby wiggled anxiously in her arms. "A-Are Mommy and Daddy still home?"

"Of course not," Felicia chuckled. What was waiting for Shelby, instead, was a high chair in the kitchen, Felicia slipping her into it, handing her a baby bottle of orange juice to drink while she made oatmeal for her, which, of course, she fed to her, rather than letting her eat it on her own, following it up, to Shelby's surprise, with another bottle of juice before she declared that it was time to get going.

"G-Going?" Shelby frowned. "Going where?"

Felicia smiled. "Oh, I've made some arrangements... I've been working part time at the daycare, and the head teacher is on vacation right now... So nobody will notice my adorable new student."

Shelby blushed. "M-Me?! N-No! I-I can't go to daycare!"

"Of course you can," Felicia told her. "I promise, it'll be fun... If it isn't, we only have to do it today."

"B-But..." Shelby whimpered, remembering her rules, how she had to act and talk like a little kid with anyone she didn't know... How she wasn't going to be allowed to use the bathroom anywhere other than her diaper...

"Come on, Shelbs," Felicia urged. 

She sighed, reluctantly nodded. "Okay," she caved in. "I-I'll try it..."

"What a good girl!" Felicia beamed, kissing her on the forehead. "Let me get you another refill for the road!" She carried Shelby, and her bottle, out to her car, where a car seat was set up in the back for her. Shelby was strapped in, given her bottle, which, as sick as she was starting to get of orange juice, she sipped on anyway, feeling the engine as it turned on, making her feel more anxious than ever at the idea of going out anywhere dressed like this, wearing a diaper... All she could do was hope that all would end well, and that her babysitter truly did know best.