Eager Beaver

Chapter Forty-Nine - The Festival

I could feel the tears trying to break out of my eyes, and I swear I could hear the menacing cackle of Nate laughing at me as I ran through the halls on my red and white candy cane socks. I could feel the cold tile floor on my toes, and the thick material between my legs, and the papery waistband occasionally tickling my tummy beneath my shirt; I could hear the rustle of the papery tabs with each shuffling step, and my panicked sniffles and little sharp intakes of breath, and the sound of the harness' leash dragging on the floor behind me like a tail.

I ran all the way to the gym, catching the eyes of many people wandering around the festival stall. I must have looked so little. They must have thought I was some lost toddler who ran away from some face painting booth..

"Cooper!" I heard the familiar voice of Laurie running up to me. His voice made it sound like he was having a good time. The once dour Alex also sported a smile as both of them held fancy looking candy canes - real handmade ones not like the ones you would get from the grocery store.

"Hi." I squeaked in my nasally voice, and wiped away any remaining tears from my eyes. Everyone was clearly in a good mood, and I didn't want to let Nate ruin everyone's good time. Besides, I couldn't tell them about what had happened. They were my friends. It was just too embarrassing.

"Zach bought us candy canes!" Alex said, and held hers up proudly.

Zach and Charlie came up behind them with Leo. Charlie had two Candy Canes and Zach held two unopened ones. Charlie was busy carefully opening one for Leo. Zach held one out for me. "I got you one too Cooper." He told me and cocked his head a little. "Isn't that a lot of straps." He commented and looked between the toddler reins and the outfit's suspenders.

"I-I guess." I stammered, still not sure how to explain it all. I reached out and took the candy cane, realizing I'd instinctively been hovering my hands in front of my crotch. I gulped, hoping I wasn't revealing any unusual conspicuous bulge. I was pretty sure no one could see. Zach had already unwrapped the candy cane in a way to let me suck on it without getting my hands sticky. I instinctively put the peppermint treat into my mouth and licked it. It honestly made me feel way better. "Thanks." I told Zach, who smiled at me.

"My Mom gave me some money for the fair." He explained vaguely and shrugged.

Laurie held his candy cane in one hand, the end of it licked into a sharp point, and pointed over towards the other side of the gym. "They have Buddy Bears Cooper, wanna see?" He enthused

"I do! I do!" Leo exclaimed, bounding over to Laurie's side like a needy puppy.

"Okay." I said in a small voice, still unsure of what a Buddy Bear was. Even with everything that had just happened, the colorful large booth that Laurie was pointing towards looked enticing to me. I took a curious step forward, but immediately heard the loud crinkle of the diaper. I froze still. Had everyone heard?! Did they all know I was wearing a diaper?

I looked back, eyes as wide as saucers, only to see the sound was actually coming from Zach peeling off the plastic of his own candy cane. I turned back around, skipping quickly to catch back up with Laurie and Leo. I cringed at the feeling of the diaper's waistband tickling against my tummy again, but no one seemed to have noticed anything unusual.

Zach, Alex and Charlie followed behind the three of us like dutiful chaperones. I hesitated, thinking that perhaps I should walk with the older kids too. I was the oldest afterall.. The feeling of the crinkly bulk beneath my pants reminded me that everyone thought I was very little. I bit back a frown. I wasn't even invited to Charlie and Alex's sleepover at Halloween, and they were way younger than me. I decided to step forward and walk in between Leo and Laurie. Even if they heard the crinkly diaper they wouldn't say anything, I was sure of it.