Baby Alex

Chapter 42

Alex felt a fresh wave of humiliation as Rachel secured him into the stroller, buckling the harness across his chest and fastening the restraints around his wrists. The plastic bit into his skin, a stark reminder of his newfound helplessness. Rachel's friends giggled, their eyes glinting with excitement at his predicament.

"Ready for some shopping?" Rachel cooed, pushing the stroller with an exaggerated enthusiasm. The wheels squeaked in protest as they rolled over the tiles, the sound grating on Alex's already frayed nerves. He nodded, his cheeks burning, the pacifier bobbing in his mouth. The mall was crowded with shoppers, their eyes sliding over him with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

The group moved through the throng of people, Rachel navigating the crowded aisles with ease. Each store they passed, Rachel would stop and point out baby products with an exaggerated excitement. "Oooh, look at the cute onesies!" she'd say, her voice carrying over the din of the mall. Alex's face grew hotter with each passing moment, his body squirming in his diaper, the fabric rubbing against his sensitive skin.

Mandy leaned in, whispering into Rachel's ear. Rachel's eyes lit up with a malicious glint. "Let's go to the toy store," she announced, pushing the stroller in that direction. Alex's stomach churned.

The toy store was a cacophony of color and noise, a stark contrast to the quiet dignity he had felt at Jenna's house. Rachel parked the stroller near the baby section, her friends surrounding him like vultures around a carcass. He could feel the eyes of the other shoppers boring into him, their smirks and snickers a painful reminder of his situation.

"Look, Alex," Rachel said, her voice a mockery of sweetness, "aren't these rattles adorable?" She held up a set of pastel-colored ones, jingling them in his face. Alex closed his eyes, the humiliation threatening to overwhelm him.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice—his heart skipped a beat as he realized it was Tim, his classmate from Professor Smith's math class. Panic set in as he opened his eyes to see Tim approaching the baby aisle, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the sight of Alex, strapped into a stroller, diapered and wearing a frilly pink shirt. Rachel noticed his distress and smirked.

Tim's eyes darted from Alex to Rachel, and then to the diaper bag hanging off the stroller's handle. "What's going on here?" he asked, a mix of confusion and amusement playing on his features. Rachel leaned in, her voice a low purr that seemed to resonate through the very core of Alex's being.

"Oh, you know," Rachel said with a wink, "just taking care of my baby brother." She ruffled Alex's hair, and he had to fight the urge to cringe. "He has a bit of a bladder problem, so we like to keep him in diapers," she continued, her tone sickly sweet. "It's just easier for everyone that way, don't you think?"

Tim's eyes widened even further, his gaze flicking from Rachel to Alex and back again. Alex felt like he was going to die of embarrassment. He could see the questions in Tim's eyes, the unspoken words of disbelief and disgust. Rachel leaned closer, whispering something in Tim's ear that made him snicker.