Chapter 11:Diapered Arrival

We pulled into the driveway, and Scott stepped out onto the porch just as Jenny popped the trunk. He spotted me still strapped into the car seat, then noticed the bags piled in the back — blankets, wipes, creams, and yes, the diapers. His eyebrow lifted in this subtle, confused-dad way.

He didn't ask me anything. He just walked straight to Jenny.

"What's going on?" he murmured.

"I'll fill you in once we're inside," she said quietly, already grabbing the bags.

They hauled everything in — bed coverings, the Spider-Man stuff, and all the "baby supplies" — leaving me and Jonny sitting in our car seats for a moment like cargo they hadn't unloaded yet.

A minute later they returned. Scott got Jonny out. Jenny got me. The second my feet hit the ground, the bulk between my legs made me wobble. I hated how obvious it felt.

Inside, the baby stuff was sitting out in the open next to my new Spider-Man decorations — and Josie was already rummaging through it.

"Josie, stay out of that," I snapped.

"Who's all this for?" she asked, too curious for her own good.

I ignored her, scooped everything up fast, and rushed it into my room before anyone else came through the hall. I started making my bed, putting on the new blankets, smoothing out the sheets — anything to keep my mind busy. The Spider-Man decals were spread out on my desk, waiting to be hung. For a moment, being alone felt like the only good thing that had happened all day.

Down the hall, I caught a glimpse of Jenny and Scott slipping into their room. That had to be the explanation moment. Sabrina and Josie were somewhere nearby, laughing while unpacking their things. Katie wasn't around — probably in her room or downstairs resting.

Even after I finished my whole room, I couldn't bring myself to go back out. I just sat there on my bed, staring at the superhero walls, trying to process everything. Trying to accept that... yeah. This was my life now.

Then I heard the front door.

Brianna was home.

She said a quick hi to her parents. They told her to go say hello to us and check out everyone's rooms, to be polite. She sounded annoyed but went anyway.

I froze.

I shoved all the baby supplies under my bed, then sat down fast like nothing was up.

She visited my sisters' room first. They showed off their stuff — she acted interested enough. And then her footsteps headed my way.

She stepped into my doorway and stopped, taking in all the Spider-Man gear.

"Big Spider-Man fan, huh?" she said, scanning the walls.

"Yeah, I guess," I laughed nervously.

"Let me see the bed real quick."

She meant I should stand up.

I did... and the diaper gave the loudest crinkle in human history. I was sure of it. Somehow she didn't notice — she just ran her hand over the bedspread and nodded.

"Pretty cool. My dad's into superheroes too."

She moved toward the door.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and play the Wii. My friend let me borrow a couple games. You wanna join me?"

My stomach dropped. Movement. Jumping around. A diaper rubbing and crinkling the whole time.

But with the music on... maybe she wouldn't hear it.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll be down in a minute."

I stayed sitting for a moment, hoping maybe everything that happened today could just disappear if I acted normal long enough.

Eventually, I headed downstairs.

Brianna was already loading a game.

"You ever play Just Dance?" she asked, handing me a controller.

That was exactly what I was afraid of. All that bouncing and twisting? I was a walking bag of chips.

"No, but I've heard it's fun," I said. "You follow the dancer, right?"

"Pretty much. Whoever gets the moves right wins."

She picked a song. The music kicked on. We started playing.

The first few rounds, I could feel the padding with every movement — a constant reminder. But eventually... the music was loud, Brianna was laughing, I was actually enjoying myself. I even forgot about what I was wearing for a minute.

Then Katie crutched her way downstairs.

"Oh, come on," she groaned. "You guys get Just Dance after I break my foot?"

"Sorry," Brianna said. "Are you okay though?"

"Yeah. It hurt, but they gave me something for it. I'll just watch."

She sat down behind us.

That made me self-conscious again — her staring at my back while I danced around in a diaper.

I tried to play more carefully, smaller movements. We finished a few songs, and then one track ended with us stretching our arms straight up into the air.

That's when I heard it:

A tiny, involuntary giggle behind me.

I turned.

Katie was covering her mouth, huge grin on her face, eyes locked on my lower back.

My stomach dropped.

I looked down — my shirt had ridden up. And sticking out above my waistband, plain as day, was the top of the diaper.

My face went nuclear.

I yanked my arms down and covered it with my shirt fast.

Brianna gave me a confused sideways look, like she saw something but wasn't sure... then turned back to the game.

"You wanna do another round?" she asked casually.

"No. I... uh... I think I had enough dancing for now. I'm gonna head upstairs."

I hurried up the stairs and when I reached the top I heard the girls giggle behind me as I reached the top.

I didn't want to know what they were laughing about.

But I had a pretty good guess.