A Bedtime Story

A Bedtime Story
	My fingers darted about the keyboard, hitting keys and dotting the document with letters, spaces, and punctuation. My laptop illuminated the dark room, both lighting my face up and making the area behind the screen seem that much darker. I heard a rustle as one of my friends rolled in her sleep. Another, perhaps bothered by the light, pushed herself up and rubbed sleep from her eyes. Moaning in fatigue, she took a sudden look in my direction. She furrowed her brow into a glare, aiming her morning hatred at the light emanating from my laptop. Or at least I thought she did, her face was obscured by the chaotic hair that was splayed all over her. Devoid of the sun that kept the locks a brilliant blonde color, her hair seemed to wilt. She really wasn't a morning person.
	“Claire?” She asked though she probably knew the answer, my nighttime habits were a unique trait in the group. She sat up, groaning. “Why are you up?”
	“Writing.” I answered instantly, shaky hands taking hold of the mug in front of me as I took another sip. Blessed caffeine poured down into my throat to power my sleepless toil.
	She rubbed her eyes again. “Why? Did you even sleep?” I smirked, she was quite talkative, even prone to a lot of laughter, during daylight, but in moonlight she clearly wasn't capable of such a feat. I took a glance at the clock. 5 AM. I hadn't slept at all.
	“Couldn't. Inspiration. Writing.”
Okay, so maybe I wasn't the best talker when hopped up on caffeine and creative thoughts. She shut her eyes as she rose her arm to give them another rub. I knew she was trying to figure out why I'd forfeit sleep for what she probably saw as work. She opened her mouth to say something, but it wasn't her voice that I heard next.
	“Whatcha writing about?” An upbeat voice demanded from behind me, I could feel the unrelenting joy and zest with which it was never without. I jumped in place and slammed my laptop closed. The resulting sound echoed throughout the room, and I could have sworn it was loud enough to hear the echo as it caused another pair of eyes to snap open. The newfound darkness was merciful enough to hide my blush.
	“Nothing.” I answered. Within a moment I was cursing myself as I felt the ice-cold stare from the quieter girl.
	“Nothing? That's an interesting thing to write about!” The voice behind me hopped over the couch, sitting next to me. “You should show it to us!”
	The first speaker shook her head, her hands were swift about their attempt in fixing the messy hair that draped on her shoulders. She stood up and stretched, giving me a nice view of her belly as her pajamas parted. She never had been one to wear particularly long clothing. “I don't think she's writing about nothing, Mary.” She walked sideways to a chair a few feet from her, sitting down.
	Mary cocked her head. Even in the darkness, I could see that her pajamas, like all of her other sets, were dotted with animal faces. Today’s theme appeared to be cats. She grabbed me, pulling me across the couch cushion to her embrace. My blush may have burned a bit brighter as my cheek hit her chest, once more reminding me of my own size’s inferiority.
“But she said she was!” she exclaimed and give me a squeeze. She furrowed her brow. “You know, Sam, I don't think Claire would lie to me.”
	A sigh came from across the room. Another of my friends was waking up. The sense of dread only sunk deeper as Samantha chuckled. “Of course she would.” She said. “She always does that whenever she writes something. She'll probably tell you it sucks too.”
	“It does suck!” I spat out, warmth further filling my cheeks as she snickered.
	“See? Told you. And yet like always, it'll be a masterpiece.” She leaned in the arm chair she had been sleeping in. Her chin propped up with an arm and her legs crossed, she reminded me of a super villain.
	“You haven't read it, Jess, how would you know?” I countered, frowning.
	She rolled her eyes, as she had every time this conversation happened.
“Didn't you hear? That's what always happens. You act like it's the worst thing ever and it turns out to be great.” She tilted her head to both sides, stretching her neck muscles. She threw her arms up, moaning lightly as she stretched those out as well.
	I heard another groan as the last girl woke, releasing a high-pitched moan as she stretched. “What's Claire writing?” She asked as she stood up, nearly stumbling.
	“Nothing!” I yelled.
	“Nothing?” She repeated both lazily and curiously. She stretched again, allowing a wry smile to enter her lips. Her brown hair seemed almost black in the darkness of the room. “What kind of nothing?”
	I blinked, my heart was already racing, and I could hear my heartbeat. “The kind where you shut up, Beth!” I really needed to work on my banter.
	“Well, if you're going to act like a child,” Jess started, sitting next to me. “Maybe we'll start treating you like one.” She paused for a moment, before grinning and facing the room. “So who here has the strongest grip? If we’re going to treat her like a kid, we might as well get the punishment part right.” My heart stopped for a second, and I thanked the stars that the room was dark enough to hide the raging crimson on my cheeks.
	Beth giggled, “We all know it's you, Jess.”  The others nodded in agreement. I hung my head, wishing I was somewhere else. I felt a playful poke at my side.
	“Aww, don't feel bad Claire!” Mary announced like everything else, she always was the loudest one. “We're just joking with you.” She frowned, “But why can't you let us see it?”
	“It's just not done yet.” I answered, talking without thinking, “I still have to proofread it, and send it in to people to have them proofread it, and revise it some more, and-” Jess patted me on the shoulder.
	“Whoa, slow down there kiddo.” She spoke with a certain tone that inspired both silence and comfort. “But you still got the first draft done, right?”
	I nodded cautiously. “Yes...”
	“So what's the problem? Read it to us! We'll help you!” Her tone was sincere, and had it been any other subject, I'd give in and show them there.
	“I can't.” I said, shaking my head.
	I could hear Samantha sigh again. “And why can't you? Did you write about murdering us or something?” I shook my head again.
	“Did you write about your secret love?” Beth asked, sitting on an empty space on the couch. I blushed, but shook my head.
	“Ooh, ooh, I know!” Mary chanted, “Dinosaurs!”
	“...Dinosaurs?” Jess asked. “Why would she be so embarrassed over dinosaurs?”
	“I don't know,” Mary gave me the evil eye. “Why are you so embarrassed over dinosaurs?”
	“It's not dinosaurs!” I recoiled.
	“Then what is it?” Samantha was now seated to the left of Mary, filling the couch with the five of us. “Come on, you can read it to us. You know we won't tell a soul about it, and you need someone to read it.” I looked up but she rose a finger to my lips. “Don't deny either of those statements.”
	I gave a heavy sigh “Yeah, I…I guess.” I was mumbling my words.
	“So it's settled, read it to us!” Samantha chimed in victory.
	I slowly opened the laptop, suddenly wishing I had let the inspiration keeping me up die off instead of relieving it through writing. The document flashed in my eyes, blinding me with searing light. I took a deep breath, mumbling a few words.
	“You need to speak up.” I remained silent, unable to say anything. My eyes darted between their expectant faces. I shrunk back into my seat. I was no longer sure what I wanted to do. I'd love to show the story to someone, but at the same time...
	I pushed the laptop away from me, and then just sat there and blushed.
	“Well if you won't, I will!” A joyful arm tilted the laptop toward Mary, who stared at the screen, skimming several pages to try and pick out her storytelling voice for the night. Her smile slowly faded and her face began to wash red. She slowly tilted it back. “A-actually I think Jess wants to.”
	Their chosen hero exhaled an aggravated breath. “Seriously? You're really going to be babies about this?” She raised an eyebrow as we blushed. I cast my gaze down, Mary followed suit, hands folded on her lap. “Alright, fine.” She took the laptop, placing it on her lap. Beth took a cursory glance over, only to be pushed back in place by Jess. She ran her finger over the mouse wheel three times. Her other eyebrow rose and she looked back at us with what I hoped was not contempt.
	“Oh.” She uttered, taking a deep breath. “Well,” she paused again, giving me a long glance, “Okay...”
	“What?” Beth asked, “What is it?”
	“I'm getting to that, just let me read it.” Jess said, shushing her. Beth frowned, but sat back anyway. Jess looked about the four of us before taking another breath.
	She cleared her throat, reading off the title “Teacher's Pet.”
	“Teacher's Pet?” Samantha repeated. “That's an …interesting title.”
	“My, I can think of only two ways this could go.” Beth glanced at me accusingly. I squeaked in response.
	“Now, now, kids. We can make fun of her later,” Jess interjected, “But first, we need to have the material for it.”
	“Then just read it,” Beth shot.
	She sighed, “I'm getting to that, Beth.” She cast another annoyed gaze at her before slowly and clearly reading off the words.


	Silence filled the room, broken only by the jotting of a pen on paper as a rather young looking woman leafed through sheets of paper, marking here and there with a red pen. She worked quickly, as if in a hurry. A door creaked as an older woman entered the room. The younger at the desk regarded her with a nod, before straightening the batch of papers.
“Alright,” she started as she presented the stack of documents. “I got them all done.”
	“Already?” The older woman seemed surprised. “You graded those quickly,” she shifted through a few of them, “and at first glance seems correct too, but I’ll have to check over them, just to make sure.”
	“Of course, Ms. Ritz.” She nodded, proud of herself, “I hope it doesn’t take you too long.”
	“Oh, don’t worry about it Sara,” the teacher shook her head, “It should be done in half an hour easily.” She turned to leave “I’ll get to it then.”
	Sara nodded again, waiting to hear the door shut closed. “Thirty minutes?” she mused, locking the door and shutting the blinds to the wide office “That ought to be plenty of time.” she moved excitedly to her desk, opening up the bottom right drawer. Inside lay a folded white plastic object and numerous bottles filled with a variety of substances. A grin joined her lips as she pulled out the powder and plastic and opened it up. It spread with ease, doubling in length and having four wings which she unfolded as well. The soft plastic nearly crackled at the movement, its blue inside ready for anything.
	She had snuck the diaper and the babyish supplies in one at a time, always when no one else was around. She was going to make sure she put each of them to as much use as she could. The location was perfect, little was more childish than a classroom, in her mind at least. Granted, it was a high school, but she could always imagine it to be a kindergarten for adults.
	Setting the supplies down, she slid off her skirt and panties, placing them aside and laying down where she set the supplies, her bottom seat of the padding. Grabbing the bottle of powder, she gave it a shake, pouring the baby powder onto her front. Her fingers touched down on the white powder, rubbing it into her skin, a moan left her lips as she gently rubbed her more sensitive areas, spreading the powder evenly into her skin.
	A sigh escaped her as she shuddered, resisting the urge to just plunge her fingers in right then and there. She shook it off, finally pulling the front up. She reached to the side, fingering the tapes. The tapes stretched with a resounding snitch filling the room, holding the diapers front down, she slowly pressed the tape over, sealing the right flap onto the front. She ran a hand over the adjoined sections, and the plastic compressed to her touch. The other tape sealed onto her left just as easily, leaving her bottom covered in a thick white plastic, contrasting from her darkened skin.
	She almost giggled as she ran an open palm from the bottom to the top, grinning at the sound erupting off of it. She drew her legs together, finding she couldn't bring them together under the bulk. Her arm retreated, pushing itself against the ground as she stood up. She took a few slow steps, finding she had no choice but to waddle about.
	The soft padding between her legs crinkled at the slightest movement, filling the room with noise. With a childish giggle, she extended her arms as if she were a child keeping balance. The girl took a playful spin, her vision whirling. Suddenly her foot left the ground, sending her tumbling down onto her diapered rear. The plastic unleashed an explosion of noise in response, and though she had winced in preparation, the diaper had absorbed the entire shock. Her smile appeared instantly, as did a constant rustling as she rubbed her bottom against the floor.
	Sara leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment, and then back to the floral print of the thick garment encased around her lower regions. Her hand lifted itself from the ground, placing itself on her belly. Her tongue ran itself across her lips as her fingers inched down, disappearing beneath the white. Almost immediately her fingers felt moist skin, she almost blushed at how little time it took to moisten her up. Her arm extended further, drawing the fingers over the dampened crevice. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she dipped a pair of fingers inside, sparking a shudder. Her hips bucked forward, driving them further in, inciting a moan. Her bottom moved in circles, creating a fanfare that filled the room. The noise was accompanied by the rustle of her forearm against the plastic and her frantic breathing. She felt her left hand ball as her right pumped fingers in and out rapidly.
	Sara expelled a gasp, her head jerked upward and she found herself leaning back until she was lying flat on the ground. Her eyes shut as a leg gave a kick. Her back arced and she gave a long moan. Liquid spilled into the padding, drenching her fingers before they could escape. Her hand flew out and landed on the diapered front, slathering it in the slippery liquid as she rubbed and kneaded the surface.
	She was silent for a moment save for a deep breath, holding it for a second before releasing it in a sigh of pleasure. Her hand slowly fell to her side and she took another breath. She slowly opened her eyes again, wearing an almost goofy smile. She picked herself up to a sitting position, poking playfully at her padding.
	“Now this just isn’t wet enough,” she announced to no one in a voice as enthusiastic as she could muster. The diaper-clad girl instantly burned up in a blush as she glanced back and forth, as if someone may have heard. “Heh, no one's here, just being silly,” she mumbled as her attention refocused to her padding. Her feet swished back and forth. The diaper shined from the liquid on the exit, and squished only slightly. She took another breath, closing her eyes gently again. Hands planted themselves on the ground. A smile turned to a labored frown.
	It started as a trickle. A little river that didn't so much as discolor the white plastic. Her eyes shut tighter. Liquid poured out, as if a dam had broken. It spilled onto the absorbent surface within, the vessel expanding to further spread her legs apart. Her padding instantly filled with a warmth that made her sigh. She snapped her eyes open, grinning in delight as yellow spread itself. A hand tested the outside as it continued to spread.
	“So warm...” Her muscles relaxed en masse, relief echoing from every inch of her flesh. The wetness spread without delay, pooling at the bottom. A small trickle escaped the now sagging plastic, traveling down her leg. She rolled back, lifting her bottom into the air and shaking it once. She gave off a satisfied moan as the liquid dripped down her bottom, a few drops flowing between the cheeks.
	It was a peculiar feeling, being soaked in one area yet feeling so dry in the rest. She gave her legs a squeeze, spreading them again as she saw more liquid wring out and down her legs and onto the thin carpet below.
	She had returned to squeezing her diapered front with an open palm when the distinct noise of someone trying to open a locked door filled the room. She stiffened, slowly turning to the door. An ominous jingle of keys followed shortly. Sara jumped up, shivering as more liquid squirted down her legs. Nearly leaping over the desk, she launched herself into the chair. Tumblers on the lock shifted, she knew someone was turning a key.
	Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil, Sara quickly scribbled out a shabby drawing. The door creaked as it opened.
	“Sara?” The voice was inquisitive, yet ominous. The mixture of worry and irritation. It was almost parental in nature, a notion that made Sara glad her dark skin could hide a blush.
	“Yes?” She called, her feigned confusion was betrayed by trepidation. Her toes scraped the ground, propelling her forward into the desk. She knew very well that her voice betrayed her.
	The knob turned, the door opening swift enough that Sara had to suppress a yelp of surprise, along with an apology born out of habit. An inescapable shake of fear accompanied her, too small for the eyes of others, but large enough to be thunderous on her nerves.
	She strode across the room, moving between desks. Every step from her stylish high-heeled shoes clacked against the wooden floor. Sara could feel herself sink back into her chair, almost releasing a squeak as the sopping wet diaper exuded a noisy squish. Her heart stopped, was it loud? Was it quiet?
	“Nervous? So I guess you know why I'm cross, don't you?” Her voice had an edge that could cut steel, its sharpness second only to that of her leering eyes.
	The assistant shook her head. “N-no, Ms. Ritz.”
	A white brick of paper flopped from the teacher's hand onto the desk, some of it sliding out of place. A tremendous slap reverberated about the room like thunder, startling the younger woman.
	“...Huh?” She blinked, picking up a paper. Her eyes glanced upward, both relieved and confused. “I don't follow.” The back of her mind immediately told her that that was the wrong answer.
	"You don't follow? Oh no, of course you don't, do you? Barely a single one of these papers was graded correctly!" She glared, talking quickly in a way that could have made Sara wet herself had she not already.
	“What, but I...” A deadly pause permeated the room, she had to think of something quickly, even if it was a lie. “I double checked!”
	An acidic scoff exited the woman, who snatched one of the papers and waved it in Sara's face. It was covered in ink, correcting the corrections. “With this kind of childish handiwork, I doubt you checked even once!” Another clack, louder than before. Ms. Ritz stepped from the front of the desk to the side. She glared right at Sara, her hand pressed harshly on the wooden surface.
	“But-” It was true, she had rushed. There was no denying that. All she had wanted was a little time to herself.
	“Buts? No. This isn't something you can talk your way out of.” Miss Ritz took another step. Sara resisted the urge to inch back, such an action would reveal her situation. “You were asked to do a task. A simple task, and you couldn't even do that!” Another step. She shivered, it was cold, right? “You know how many applicants-” her step stopped, she stared at Sara in disbelief. She could only help but look down, she had turned to see her and swiveled in her chair. “What the hell is this?”
	“I-”
	“This is what you were doing? This?! I gave you a job and you do this!”
	“Well, I-”
	“I entrusted you to do one simple little task and you're wearing those...things as some kind of perverse desire!” She nearly spat out those final words.
	“But-”
	“Maybe I was right to call you childish! You clearly seem completely inept at doing your job!” There was a fire in her eyes, and for once Sara feared for more than her job. The teacher’s hand moved from the desk to her hip, gripping at it with anger.
	“I am not inept!” Sara yelled, shutting her eyes. She took a breath, almost mumbling an apology.
	“Oh? Than why did I have to fix all your corrections? You got maybe three out of twenty correct!”
	“Well I-” She paused. She couldn't tell the truth, she couldn't lie. She couldn't say anything.
	“You what? What did you mean to say Sara?” She took a step forward, her hand slamming on the desk. The shattering of the silence forced Sara to jump and quietly release what little liquid she had left. She could only pray the tiny river pouring from her leg went unnoticed.
	“I...” she mumbled, looking down. “I rushed.”
	“Oh? You rushed, is that it?” The woman repeated, the desk creaking under the pressure her arm exerted. Sara nodded, her terror-stricken eyes now locked on her teacher. She was too scared to look away, lest Miss Ritz strike out at her. “Unbelievable.” She shook her head in disgust. “All so you could dress up like...that?” Another nod. “Well, fine.” The venom dripping from those words sent shivers down the assistant’s spine.
	Sara looked up, about to ask what she meant just as a strong hand pulled her by the arm. Within moments she had been thrust to a standing position, trying to whirl around and ask what was going on. With a simple kick and a low screech of metal on wood, Ms. Ritz had pushed the chair out. With almost meteoric speed, she sat, bringing her hapless assistant down with her. Sara yelped as her stomach impacted knees, throwing her head forward. A strong push lurched her forward so her padding was all that separated her from the knee.
	“Wait, wh-what are you doing?” She raised a hand, trying to get out. Another scream escaped her as the arm was grabbed with an ironclad grip, twisting it and clamping it to her back.
	“Must I explain everything to you? Considering your recent decisions, I think it would be a waste. I will simply have to demonstrate.” A scritch sparked off as one of the diaper tapes was violently undone. She wiggled, she squirmed, yet she couldn't escape that demonic grip.
	“I'm-I'm sorry!” Sara yelled, eyes already watering with tears.
	“Oh? You're sorry? You would be, given the consequences. Would you be sorry otherwise?” Scritch. Her right side sagged, exposing the skin to cold hostile air which nipped at her.
	“I only wanted a break!” She pleaded.
	“Oh, a break you shall have. Perhaps longer than you intended.” The foul tone was no less forgiving than the fingers that reached to the fastened tape. Scritch.
	She froze. “N-No, p-please, I-I-”
	“Oh, shut up with your filthy excuses!” Scritch. The backside of the padding drifted, falling between her legs and displaying the yellow stain nicely. Sara shivered from the cold, her legs folded over each other in a pale attempt to hide the mixture of liquids that helped only to further chill her. Her mentor must have known it too, because she released such a sigh of disgust. Sara was breathing erratically. She knew what was coming, and maybe a small part of her admitted she deserved it. Her breathing stopped as she heard the sliding of wood on top of wood.
	“Ms. Ritz, you don't have to-” The ruler came crashing down, whistling through the air and hitting both cheeks squarely. Sara yelped, giving a small kick over her legs, then a bigger one, and then openly thrashing fruitlessly atop the elder's knee. The ruler rained down, over and over again. “Ms. Ritz, ah!” She begged and pleaded, but to no avail. The ruler, merciless and vile, continued its assault. It deviated only in trajectory, wandering to ensure every inch of the soft bottom shared the pain. Her thrashes yielded no reward. Her pleas turned quickly to unintelligible blubbering.
	The punishment only intensified as Ms. Ritz felt a trickle of liquid flow down her leg. A new fire erupted from the woman, something Sara new was coming as the iron grip on her arm turned almost bone-crushing.
	“You fussy little child!” She yelled, she slapped a kicking leg, “Hold still!” Despite the pathetic whimpers that leaked from her assistant, the legs shot down. Sara continued to cry apologies repeatedly, but it wasn't enough to end her torment.
	Ms. Ritz gave a flick of her arm, fatigue starting to build. She rested the ruler on the tenderized bottom of the sobbing girl. “So you're sorry, hmm?”
	Unintelligible apologies met her ears as the head bobbed up and down, the sobbing dominating everything that came out of the girl’s mouth.
	“I'm sorry, what?” She raised the ruler.
	“Y-YES!” She exclaimed, quivering and whimpering only a moment after.
	“Good. Now I'm going to give you one more chance, and you will do as I say and do it right next time. Got that?”
	“Y-yes.”
	“Good, get up.” The fiery tone cooled to a frozen tone no less venomous and only more dangerous than before. She grabbed Sara again by the arm, pulling her up. The soaked diaper fell to the ground, impacting with a loud squish. “Now, pick that up, throw it away.” Sara complied, careful not to put too much stress on her bruised behind as she rubbed it. She carefully took her steps as she walked to the trashcan, dropping it inside. The cold air of the classroom chilled her skin, and she shivered as she stood.
	She was looking down, avoiding the gaze of her irate teacher. Her hands shamelessly massaging away the pain as best they could, which wasn't very effective. In fact, it was all she could do not to grasp at it and hop around in pain. She sniffed, wiped her eyes and swallowed excess saliva in an attempt to appear at least somewhat presentable.
	“Now do you understand what you did wrong?” Her tone shifted yet again, now sincere, if still irritated.
	“Yes, I-” Sara started, being cut off instantly.
	“Just yes, Sara.” Miss Ritz was certainly less angry, the girl’s sobs seemed to have a dampening effect on her temper. It helped that she was just a pinch or a tap away from openly sobbing yet again. “Now you hid these...diapers here?”
	“Yes.” Sara answered, once more wiping her tear-stricken cheeks.
	“Anything else? Other supplies?” The teacher’s hands were on her hips, and she rose an eyebrow.
	“Yes.” She answered again.
	“Retrieve them.” The teacher took a pair of steps to the side, watching over her charge as she retrieved them from her personal desk. She struggled to keep them all in her arms. A changing pad, two extra diapers, powder, oil, wipes. If anything, her mentor was impressed she could keep a stash hidden at all.
	“Place them on the desk.” Once more, Sara complied. She turned to face her superior, adverting her eyes. A bright blush covered both sets of cheeks, the lower of which stung and screamed out with every step. She still swayed minutely as she attempted in vain to find some position that lessened the pain. “Good. Now lay down.” Sara sent a worried yet confused glance.
	“What?”
	“Do it.” She slapped her knee. “Unless you need more convincing, you’ll do as I say.” She received an instant and terrified shake of the head as the girl carefully lowered herself to the ground, wincing as the motion reignited her bottom. She lay next to the desk, hands folded over her stomach; her mentor slowly raised from the chair, taking a few steps and placing her hands on the desk. She winced as she heard the rustle of her supplies. She’d have pouted had she not been trying desperately to keep her face serious and unperturbed. It had taken Sara quite a while to procure any supplies at all without anyone figuring it out, losing even a few diapers would be disastrous for her.
	A cold hand grasped her leg, jarring her from her thoughts. She yelped as it rose her leg upward.
	“Hey what are you-ah!” A swift hand slapped the sorest area on her bottom. A few tears she had been holding back managed to make their way through as her whimpering resumed.
	“Silence, girl.” A soothing cold touched her sore cheeks, broken only by the sheer roughness of the touch as a wipe was run across her skin. It glided across her front, knowing no gentle notion. As it pressed over her slit, all her willpower, aided by the sharp pain on her backside, was needed to keep from releasing any sort of moan. “If you wish to dress like a little toddler, then surely that's what you must be. And as you have already proven, I cannot trust you to do anything on your own. So if you wish to wear diapers, you may. You must, even.” She tossed the wipes away. Again, Sara was lifted by her leg and dropped suddenly, her bottom landing on a soft surface that crinkled at the impact. Despite the softness, she still yelped from the jolt of pain. Her eyes reflected a fear as the older woman poured a small dab of oil onto her hands, spreading it between them. The thought came to her that it must be a dream, a nightmare, but the pain was certainly real.
	The hands descended, once more roughly pressing into the flesh, spreading the baby oil. “You will show up early from now on, you will be diapered, and you will hope none of the class members find out about your little secret. We will repeat this little scene with more than just a ruler if you in any way make my day difficult. Do you understand?” The terrified assistant nodded slowly. “Good.” The hands retreated. Despite the warmness on her bottom, Sara shivered. The flesh, now wet with oil, seemed freezing in the conditioned air. Standing up, Ms. Ritz grabbed a wipe and cleaned off her hands. The bottle of oil clacked onto the desk as the one filled with powder was lifted off of it. She spilled it over Sara's front, not bothering to rub it in before taping up the diaper.
	“Get up.” Brushing her hands off her pants, the teacher turned away, pulling a stack of papers from her bag and holding them out to the slowly ascending assistant. “Now since I had to finish your work, you will finish mine.” The pouting girl took them wordlessly as the teacher brushed past her and made her way toward the door. “And if you mess up this time, well, that would make my day difficult. Do you understand?”
	“Yes.” She managed, stuttering as the teacher’s stare bore into her.
	“Good.” The door shut behind her, leaving Sara alone in the room. She rose an arm, brushing tears from under her eyes. Her cries returned as her privacy was returned to her. She scrunched her legs, the plastic hugging her skin seemed less friendly this time. She placed the stack down, very slowly sitting on the chair, but unable to avoid a severe wince and several more tears. It took her several minutes to quiet her weeping, not even able to imagine what Miss Ritz would do if the stacks of papers had tear marks on them.
	She sighed, finally composing herself. She grabbed a pen and clicking it on the desk. The pen slowly graced the paper, sure and careful in its efforts.

	Silence dominated the room. We sat on the couch with red-tinged cheeks. Even Jess, now finished with her reading, which had started loud and had grown quieter with each paragraph, merely sat back and averted her eyes. I was sure my face was the reddest, my heart was racing and I had to constantly resist the urge to grab my computer and run.
	“Well, that was...” Beth started, drumming her fingers slowly on her elbow. “Something.”
	“It wasn't, uh, the worst thing I've heard...” Samantha mumbled. She seemed almost nervous, toying with her hair endlessly.
	“Yeah...” Jess nodded. “I mean, it wasn't bad or anything...” Her voice dropped. “Could fix a few grammar issues and lines though...”
	“I wouldn't mind being Sara...” A cold silence returned to the room as the four of us turned slowly to the speaker. Mary froze, flushed red. “Uh-I mean-”
	I only now realized I had my arms around my knee. My grip tightened.
	“Oh? I didn't think you'd be into that...” Samantha smirked, flicking her hair.
	“W-Well, I-” Mary put a finger to her chin, searching for an excuse.
	“So should we take that as an invitation?” Once more the group snapped their attention to Jess.
	“W-what do you mean by that?” Mary stumbled as Jess leaned over to her, flashing a wolfish grin.
	“Oh, you know just what I mean, I'm sure Claire there will happily join you!” Jess said. Samantha laughed, breaking the silence of the room.
	My hands shot up, waving. “H-hey, leave me out of this!”
	Beth snickered from behind me. Samantha followed with a burst of uncontrolled giggles. I turned to the girl, arms crossed over my chest. Her laughter died down, a dangerous smile showing even in the dark room. “Now why would we do that? After all, you're the one who wrote the story.”
	“Yes, but I-”
	“And gave us the idea.” Jess added.
	“But-”
	“And you know you'd enjoy it.” Mary finished, speaking quietly. I sat, stunned. Couldn’t go down alone, could she? I knew Samantha was laughing at me.
	“Well um, I think I'll go home for a bi-” I stood up to go, yelping as an arm grabbed me and pulled me back. I fell, landing on Beth's lap. She closed her arms around me, keeping me from movement. “H-hey!”
	“Nu-uh-uh, children can't go out late!” She snickered. Jess did, as well. Even Mary seemed to smile as she suppressed a giggle. Samantha clutched her sides as she rolled, falling on the floor as she laughed ever harder.
	Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mary start to inch away. Carefully lifting herself off the couch, she took a step. As the wooden floor creaked, Jess shot her arm out, grabbing the redhead and pulling her into the same predicament I found myself in.
	Jess smirked. “My, I certainly shouldn't be surprised Mary here enjoyed your little fantasy. She's always been the baby of the group.”
	“I have not!” Mary squirmed, unable to escape Jess's iron hard grip.
	“Oh? You don't agree? That's okay, you will. I'm very good at convincing people of things.” She playfully tapped Mary's bottom, eliciting an eep of surprise. Samantha's laughter died down a little as she tried to get her wits about her. She stood up on her knees, a stupid smile across her face as she struggled to speak.
	“W-well maybe you should give Claire the same chat!” She fell back to the ground, laughing more. I took a moment from my embarrassment to wonder how much air could exist in that woman’s lungs.
	“Sh-shut up Sam.” I mumbled, I tugged at Beth's arms, but it was no use. She was two years above me and I couldn't escape. Panic set in. “Y-You guys are joking, right?”
	“Could be.” Said Beth.
	“But don’t count on it.” Responded Jess.
	“I hate you guys.” They chuckled at my seething. Sam finally rose up, patting her hair and clothes.
	“Well then, are you?” I could tell she was trying to keep from laughing again. Her voice was a tad higher pitched and she had a stupid grin on her face.
	“I'm not.” Jess answered, shrugging like it was a casual situation. Mary nearly flipped around, eyes filled with alarm.
	“Me neither.” Beth added. I felt my heart race.
	“Hey, wait-” Mary spouted at the same time as I launched my own protest.
	“You can't just-”
	“Well then!” Samantha clapped, interrupting our pleas. “As the host, I suppose it is my job to make sure everyone is supplied for every occasion. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the store.” She met a pair of nods and a pair of pleading eyes before turning and leaving. She stopped at the door. “Can't have them spilling on the floor or wetting the bed, after all.” She unlocked the door and opened it with one swift motion before stepping through.
	“Samantha, wait!” I called, throwing my arm in her direction. I received a shut door in response. I froze, my heart sank, and my life was over.
	“Oh relax, kiddo. You'll be fi-“ Beth paused, correcting herself. “It'll be fun! For me, anyway.” Air was squeezed out of my lungs as Beth's arms closed in. Mary was similarly restrained by Jess, who swayed her side to side slowly. Beth stopped for a moment, as if suddenly inspired. “Hey Jess, you come here a lot, right?”
	“Mhmm.”
	She smirked. “So, you know where they keep, you know, the belts?”
	A small grin spread across Jess's face. “Down the hall, first door on the right, top left drawer.”
	“Hold my hostage, will you?” Mary was shifted to the side just before I was shoved across the couch, once more grabbed with a grip of iron. Beth nearly skipped out of the room, humming to herself.
	“H-hey, wait, Jess, you're not really going to do this, are you?” I managed in panicked breaths.
	“Hmm?” She seemed to think it over. “I don't know, probably. Well, probably if we're talking about you. Mary on the other hand…” she gave her a squeeze, eliciting a worried yelp from the girl, “Well, I've been wanting to do something like this for quite a while.”
	“What?!” Mary exclaimed, jerking upward. “Why? Why?!” A look of horror and utter disbelief sprawled about her face,.
	She leaned back, musing her thoughts around for a moment. “No particular reason. I just think it would be fun. And if I get to put my two favorite freshmen into a humiliating situation, well, that's even better.”
	“But-”
	“But what, Claire?” She interrupted, I could feel her grin. The thought came to me that she was enjoying this way too much.
	“We're in college! That freshman stuff ended with high school!” I plead, squirming in her grasp.
	“But you are still a college freshman, right?” Jess said.
	“Well, yeah, but-”
	“Then we are in agreement!” She gave a cheerful squeeze of my belly. “After all, it's my duty as a senior to put you in as much pain and-or shame as possible.”
	“No, it's not!” I snapped, fruitlessly trying to turn to glare at her. She giggled, I imagined I was only encouraging her. I continued to struggle against her hold, making no progress in the slightest. I thought briefly on the ordeals I had forced my character through, and then of Jess's habit of overdoing things. My squirming doubled in desperation. There was a small part, just a small part, I swear, that was excited. I quickly let my fear silence that voice.
	“My, lively this morning, aren't you?” The older woman chided. I heard the creak of wood as Beth reentered the room, holding a belt out happily.
	Jess raised an eyebrow “Only one?”
	Beth nodded. “Only one I could find. Dibs on Claire, by the way.”
	“You can have her, I got the cute redhead.”
	If blushes could be lethal, I was certain Mary would have keeled over then and there. The regularly perky girl buried her face behind Jess. I could only imagine how my face looked.
	“W-wait, Beth, can't we talk about this?” I looked the woman over, pleading with my eyes. Surely she had to realize that this was a bit too far.
	 Beth chuckled. “Yes, actually.” I nearly sighed in relief before she knelt down and grabbed Mary by the shoulder, turning her to face Beth. She wore a sadistic smile, her eyes glinting dangerously in the light.
	She cracked the belt in the air, causing us both to flinch. She grabbed the end and stretched it out. “So let's talk about this, girls. Who wants to go first?”