The Weekend Visit, Part 27

We had to wait a few minutes for the machines to free up. During that time, Kate decided that it would be more fun to have a friendly sister competition rather than watching me dance alone. Our cousins agreed right away, resulting in me stepping up to the raised platform along with Kate.

I hadn’t played this game in years, and standing there in the thick padding made me think about how awkward the coming activity would be even if I was trying to do my best to get a good score. Actively failing would be, like, so much worse. Since I was no longer trusted with the coins we had left, despite the plastic cup being nearly empty at this point, Kate took charge of setting things up for us.

As the music started playing, I took some solace in the fact that I didn’t recognize whatever she had selected. It would probably be easier to do poorly when I wasn’t mentally combating something I knew well on top of everything else. Starting things off by definitively hitting the wrong square with my foot on the very first arrow shown on the screen, I proceeded to take a random directional approach while also consciously aiming to be slightly off the beat.

I was continuously aware of the diapers, obviously, but I also noticed my high ponytail a lot more as it bounced around in response to my body’s movements. Meanwhile, Kate was close to perfect, and danced like the typical attractive eighteen year old would. I had observed plenty at school dances, as I generally preferred to sit on the sidelines and wait for the slow songs. As for glancing towards her, that was simple enough to manage when I didn’t exactly need to focus on my own screen. Since our outfits were so similar, I could imagine what anyone watching would assume about our ages. Only one of the two redheads dancing actually looked like a mature, young adult at the moment.

After what felt like about half the song, I went for the final arcade humiliation tasked of me.

Letting myself stumble in what I hoped looked organic, I tried to ‘catch myself’ in the most counterproductive way–firmly planting one of my feet just to the right of the raised metal platform. The difference in level did the rest of the work. I fell sideways and hastily took a few more steps that were natural in an attempt to balance against the momentum that ultimately got the better of me. Tumbling to the ground, landing against my shoulder this time in yet another absolutely graceless fall for everyone around me to see, I quickly started to right myself for both the sake of keeping my diapers from being exposed and to avoid anyone rushing to help me as if I was actually the helpless tween I looked like.

“Annie!” one of the twins exclaimed. While I could tell them apart by sight, their voices were a different story.

Kate was the one who ended up approaching me first, however. Leaving her platform and showing to those nearby that she was more concerned for her sister than she was for the dancing score she had been working on, she fast-walked over to me. “You okay, sis?” she asked. There wasn’t a trace of a smirk on her face, no doubt since someone on my other side might be watching her.

“Like, totally,” I giggled, countering the wince from how my right side was still a bit sore.

“You really need to be more careful,” she sighed. Offering me her hand, she added on, “Maybe that’s enough arcade time for you? Sitting might be a better activity until you get a little more coordinated.”

“Umm, yeah,” I agreed, “We can, like, go.” Partly because my general ‘path of least resistance’ tactic meant not pushing back on very many things, and also since I hadn’t really wanted to come to the arcade in the first place. While I looked like a younger girl, I was definitely too mature for something like this. I took Kate’s hand, knowing that right now wasn’t the time to be finicky about preferring my personal space.

By the time I was on my feet again, our cousins had come over to join us. “Everything alright?” Luna asked. When I had affirmed that I was fine for the second time, Lilah pointed out that we couldn’t leave quite yet. We still had to trade in my tickets for prizes.

If I could have picked out something myself, I would have ended up going with a collection of candy. Not because I wanted the sweets for myself, but because it would have been simple enough to set them out back at our relatives’ house and say that they were for anyone who wanted it. Mature, rather than childish . . . kind of. Now that I was being presented as younger, it wasn’t difficult to project how even something like that might come across as ‘cute’ more than anything else.

Rather than letting me choose, however, the twins each held one of my hands while Kate approached the counter with my winnings to ‘surprise me’ with something. After a brief discussion with the person working the booth, she selected a stuffed animal for me–a small, pink bear. “To go with your outfit,” she explained, with an amused smile as she handed it to me.

The silver lining was that I didn’t have to deal with the patronizing hand holding any more. Still, walking around with a stuffed animal was embarrassing in its own way. I was supposed to be twelve, wasn’t I? That’s not something a girl that age would normally do, especially not in public. But I didn’t argue or complain. At least I was done making myself look like the clumsiest girl in the arcade.

“So, what next?” Luna asked, “It’s your turn, Kate! Anything on the directory catch your eye?”

“Honestly, I might be good,” Kate replied, “My parents will probably kill me if I end up coming home with a second suitcase. And diaper girl here usually takes an afternoon nap around now.”

“Huh. Maybe that’s why she’s falling over,” Lilah suggested.

“No, Annie has always been a bit of a klutz,” Kate said, “Well, more than a bit. I keep telling her parents to sign her up for cotillion now that she’s old enough.”

“That thing where girls are taught to be ladies in the most outdated and old fashioned way possible?” Luna asked.

Kate shrugged. “I think they’ve adapted the model to the modern world. Not that I’ve ever done it. But it might be good for a girl like her, you know?”

The three girls continued talking about me right in front of me pretty much all the way back to the car. I was directly addressed every now and then, but only for simple questions regarding their own discussion. If my school year schedule would allow for a couple of afternoon sessions, if I would mind if we made a stop or two on the way back to the house, etc. For the most part, however, I was left out of the conversation. And if being ‘twelve’ and diapered wasn’t bad enough, now our cousins were under the impression that I needed a daily nap and that I had basically always been this clumsy. All things that were brand new as of today in terms of Kate’s games, yet cemented as part of the false history she was feeding to the twins.

I knew better than to correct her. The fact that I was currently wearing diapers was only the tip of the iceberg. As long as Kate had all that other dirt on me, including a number of absolutely mortifying pictures, I was in no position to do anything but continue to be her little sister.

I should never in a million years have put on those pull-ups, especially since they hadn’t done anything they were supposed to where my full name was involved.

The sight of the car was a relief. Though no one at the mall actually knew me, being in public while looking and acting like a middle school girl was still a lot to handle. I had to persist with the act, of course, and I had no sense of where I was in terms of the quota Kate had given me this morning. Between the pacifier muting me for a while, as well as the obstacle course humiliation and Kate sharing my underwearing situation with our cousins, I had been pretty thoroughly distracted over the last few hours. Hopefully Kate would cut me some slack for the former. I did keep it up every time I was included in the conversation both on the way to the car as well as on the drive, in an attempt to earn some good will. After our one-sided discussion in the mall bathroom, I was well aware that it would take a miracle to get back to my regular underwear in less than a week at this point.

The stop we made was for another round of coffee. At least Luna chose the drive-thru; I was secured in the booster seat like usual, and I didn’t need yet another instance of Kate fussing over me. Apparently the nap on my horizon was something that was actually going to happen, as my sister made a point to simply order me a hot chocolate. She smiled and promised me a mocha next time, but it wouldn’t make any sense to give me caffeine right now. Meanwhile, the other three girls got drinks that were more mature and closer to what I would have ordered for myself if Kate wasn’t making most of my decisions for me. When I was handed my childish drink, Kate made a point to remind me to thank Luna before I had a chance to do so of my own volition. Naturally, my gratitude didn’t sound as authentic when my ‘older sister’ cued it for me.

Then we were headed for the house, as our cousins said their other potential stop was too far out of the way. It wasn’t long before we were pulling into the garage; Kate hopped out of the car right when it was parked and circled around to start helping me out of the extra straps.

And, while the twins were busy unpacking their shopping bags, Kate leaned in and whispered, “I have a fun idea, Annie.”