The Bedwetters Club (Chapters 1-16 Updated 270725) -- (Author) ilalilspacee

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 1, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Content: Preface
This is an English adaptation of one of my ongoing stories in Spanish, "El Club de las Mojacamas", but not a full 1-to-1 translation, in order to keep the narration and character's voices fresh and unique in both versions. I'll try to update as regularily as possible, but, as chapters are written first in Spanish in other platforms, the story in English might take a little bit more to update.

The diapers/ABDL stuff in this story is mild and subtle at times, but always present. Every kind of feedback is appreciated. Hope you like it!

Chapter 1 - Ten Years After

It was that random Saturday afternoon when a ghost from the past showed up on my phone.

She was the first person under the “Suggested for you” section on Instagram. Her profile pic showed a brown-skinned girl with two thick blonde braids, grinning at the camera in a navy-blue uniform.

Naomi Sereno. Nami.

My thumb hovered for a moment over the “Follow” button before tapping it. A few seconds later, she followed me back.

Nami and I had met in the first year of middle school, back in 2014. I often find myself replaying memories from that year again and again. The good stuff, the bad stuff, the really awful stuff...

Everything started on my thirteenth birthday, March 21st. Things went downhill the second Miss Caro walked in and told the class to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. It was like she’d asked to copy out a Revolution lecture twenty times in perfect cursive and perfectly spaced margins with a fountain pen.

Cue the groans and grumbles of annoyance.

They sang it, technically, but it sounded more like a funeral dirge rather than a birthday song. I think maybe two girls on the far side of the room tried to sing nicely and with some cheer, but the rest had bored faces and lifeless voices. I wanted to melt into my chair.

Later, Miss Caro tried to cheer me up. She gave me a small vegan cake with strawberry frosting she’d made the night before. I ended up eating it alone in the empty classroom while everyone else went out for recess.

I honestly don’t get how people say middle school is one of the best times in life. I’m pretty sure that those people are the ones who had a blast making everyone else’s lives hell. I mean, I guess I could get it if someone says it’s about “the friends you make” or “you’re only young once,” but come on. Eight hours a day in a sweaty, hormone-infested room full of yelling reckless kids? Hard pass for me.

That day ended with P.E. It was dodgeball day.

That’s when Adrián, one of the troublemakers of the group, decided to act up. He’d been on a group project with Nami and me, but (just as I had expected) he did nothing at all. A total dead weight. Nami and I gave him zero points on the peer evaluation, and well... one thing led to another. He and his little crew decided to make me their target during the game.

One of the balls nailed me right in the stomach. The worst part, however, wasn’t the pain.

When my classmates came over to see what had happened, I felt it. That warm, horrible dampness between my legs. And just like that, my fate was sealed. From that day on, my daytime accidents came back with full force.

The following Monday, during math, it happened again. I bolted from the classroom the second I noticed. Adrián’s voice followed me out, but I didn’t stop. I ran and ran, heading for the nurse’s office.

Rounding a corner, I crashed into someone. We both fell.

I wiped my face, trying to see who I’d just steamrolled, and there she was. Nami, who was heading back to class. She looked at me, then at my soaked skirt. Without saying much, she stood up, dusted herself off, and took off her oversized beige sweater.

“Here. Tie this around your waist. It’ll cover you up so you can walk easier.”

“B-but... your sweater.”

“You can give it back later. Don’t worry about it. Clothes can be washed.”

And just like that, she handed it to me and headed back to class. Before tying it around my waist, I smelled it out of curiosity. It had the smell of freshly baked bread.

Embarrassed, I covered my wet skirt with it and continued toward the nurse’s office.

That moment changed everything. Before that, Nami had just been a dependable partner for class projects. But that act of kindness left an everlasting mark on me. She treated me like a human being, even when everyone else started avoiding me after my accident. She became my first real friend.

Then suddenly, “ping!” A message popped into my inbox, snapping me back to the present.

“omg are u who i think u are? .”

“Nami? Is it you? ,” I replied immediately. My fingers trembled a little as I typed.

“LILIII ,” she answered with a crying kitten sticker.

That afternoon, we caught up on everything from the last ten years. First it was messages, then voice notes, then a full-on video call that went way past midnight.

“And guess what? I work part-time at the planetarium now,” she told me proudly. The coastal accent of her new city had stuck to her like gum to a shoe. “We do tours, run projection rooms, hands-on exhibits for kids...”

“Sounds like such a you kind of job,” I giggled.

I could totally picture her running around showing kids the hidden stories behind each star and constellation, talk about that huge volcano on Mars, or the endless Great Red Spot of Jupiter. And yeah, probably trying to guess the full birth chart of one or two people in the audience who intrigued her based on their vibes alone. Even though, for me, astronomy and astrology are two entirely different things, she always saw them as two faces of the same coin. It was both or nothing.

“Yeahh, I love it sooo much,” she said, bouncing a little. “You should’ve seen me when I found out they were building one here in Bahía. I almost passed out on the spot.”

“Oh, I believe you. Remember the sleepover at Secret Base? I was shook at how much you knew about space.”

“Okay, but like, you are the smart one” she shot back. “Astronomy is my thing, but who do you think helped me pass chem? And history? And...?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to look serious, though I was grinning the whole time. “You must be confusing me with someone else.”

“Ugh, stop being difficult. Just accept my compliment,” she giggled, squinting in fake indignation. Then her face changed. “Secret Base... wow. I haven’t thought about that place in forever. Do you think it’s still there? Or did they knock that old house down? Do you... know anything about the others?”

My smile faded, and I looked down. Nami and I were part of a group of six in middle school. Not long after my accidents started (and the bullying that came with them), Miss Caro pulled me aside for a meeting after school. Turns out, my parents had signed me up for a support group. For kids with incontinence. There was a girl from second year, a couple from the other first-year classes... and to my surprise, Nami too.

Of course, it took us a while to bond at first. It’s hard to open up about stuff like that, even with people who are going through it too. Still, time did its thing, and we became friends.

Then, near the end of the school year, Nami had to move to Bahía for her parents’ work. And half a year later, I moved away too.

“I didn’t really keep in touch with anyone after I left,” I admitted quietly.

“Yeah, I get it...” Nami said softly, swaying side to side in her chair. “That’s just what happens sometimes. Life pulls people in different directions.”

I glanced at my nightstand, where an old photo sat in a dusty frame. Six girls, arms around each other, smiling at the camera.

Nene. Auri. Mei Mei. Bel. Nami. Me.

“But hey” Nami said, perking up, “what if we... I dunno... fixed that?”

“Hm?”

She nodded.

“What if we go back? Like, to the town. I don’t know if we’ll be able to find the others, but even if it’s just us two... I’d really love to see you again.”

“Oh, Nami...” My voice cracked. “I’d love that too. I’ve missed you so much.”

And just like that, we planned a trip back to Rincón de Rosales, our hometown, for the beginning of summer. That place where our friendship had frozen for nearly a decade... but now, was finally ready to wake up once again.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Content: Chapter 2 - Back in Town

The dusty, musty smell on the bus seats scattered as the driver cranked the door open with a metallic groan. The dry heat hit me right away as I stepped out, wrapping around me in a tight embrace.

“Thank goodness I packed light clothes,” I thought.

There was a faded little sign at the station entrance: “Rincón de Rosales,” white letters barely holding on against a bluish board half-bleached by the sun. While I waited in line to grab my suitcase, a couple of kids bolted past me.

“Raúl! Sergio! Get back here!” their mom yelled, chasing after them with her arms full of bags.

I glanced around the station. The main hallway had many little stands along the sides selling sweets and snacks. In the back, past the TH and Bus Pronto counters, a Pan de Ángel café was completely packed. Typical whenever something new popped up around town. The whole place buzzed with people arriving to meet family or friends. There were hugs, loud chats, gossips... The air was full of warm town vibes.

In the taxi on the way to my grandparents’ house, we drove past the central plaza. It looked just like I remembered. Not many places had held up like that after all these years and changes.

Don Moncho’s Ice Cream Stand was still in its usual spot, under that same old tarp, with a long line of kids bouncing with excitement. I smiled. I used to be one of those kids. Every Sunday, my grandparents would take me there, and I’d always order a scoop of cookie ice cream in a cup. In my city, there was no shortage of fancy ice cream places: franchises, gelato spots, you name it. But none of them were nearly as good as a Don Moncho’s cookie scoop.

A little further down, across from the main kiosk, people were carrying lights, paper decorations, and streamers of every color. The smell of churros and corn dogs flew around every corner, and a vendor passed by with a huge stick loaded with cotton candy. Everyone was getting ready for the Founders' Festival. The biggest event in town.

At the house, my uncle met me at the door and showed me to the guest room. The light filtered through the half-closed blinds, gently swaying. Two beds were ready: one for me, one for Nami. I took a deep breath. Old wood and fresh-cut grass. That smell hadn’t changed, not even all these years after my grandparents’ passing. I grabbed my bag and stepped back outside, leaving the door open just a crack.

“Sweetheart!” my aunt called from the porch.

She was juggling some overstuffed grocery bags and a basket that looked ready to burst.

“Need help, Auntie?” I asked, walking over.

“No, honey, I got it,” she said, setting the bags on the table before pulling me into a hug. “I’m so glad you got here safe. Your uncle didn’t leave you waiting, did he?”

“Nope, he was right here when I arrived.”

“He better have been,” she said, hauling the bags into the kitchen. “Let me guess, ran off to ‘help’ with the Festival?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said.”

“Oh, please. That man calls anything an excuse to go drink with his compadre. Don’t fall for it.”

As she rambled about her husband’s so-called noble intentions with the Festival preparations while she unpacked the groceries, her eyes glanced at my purse.

“Heading out already?”

“Just a quick stroll through the market while I wait for my friend. Kinda wanna soak the town in again.”

She nodded and walked me to the door.

“All right, but don’t get lost.” She opened the door and kissed me on the cheek. “Dinner’s at eight. You two don’t show up too late, okay?”

Festival time meant the town was lively all day and night, especially downtown. Just thinking about the main Las Rosas market made me feel tense. Way too many people all zigzagging through tight hallways, stopping in the worst spots. Even on a normal day, I’d usually avoid it. I always liked the market on Bugambilias Avenue better. It was smaller, quieter, and just around the corner.

The stalls were decorated with white, pink, green, and orange garlands. The dim lights of the stalls flickered on as the sun dipped, and the vendors were chatting while organizing their stuff. The tempting aroma of fresh street pastries was everywhere. With no real plan, I just let my feet take me wherever they wished, guided by nothing but memory.

Near one of the fruit stands, I spotted a man with an elote cart. I walked up to him timidly to order one.

“Of course, güerita,” he said with a grin. “Want it with mayo, cheese, lime…?”

“Just salt and lime, please. Thanks.”

I paid and headed to the park across from the market. There, I sat on a bench, and was about to take a bite when a voice rang out.

“Cute dress!” It was kind of high-pitched and sugary.

My heart jumped. I turned, and there was Nami. Tall, with shiny planet clips in her braids and eyes that looked like sunset. Her face lit up when she saw me. She squealed, dropped her bags, and dashed over to hug me. I barely had time to save my elote from a tragic ending. Her hug was tight and warm.

“How’d you even find me?” I asked.

“My bus dropped me off nearby,” she said with a giggle. “Didn’t know you were here. I was literally texting you when I saw that dress. You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Aww, stop.”

I twirled, showing off my green dress with lace on the sleeves and hem.

“Wanna head to my aunt’s and drop your stuff off? It’s super close.”

“Wait! Now I want an elote too. Can I leave my bags with you for a sec? Pleeease?”

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be right here.”

We hung out at the market a while longer, finishing our elotes. In the last three months since we started talking again, so much had happened. I’d graduated in June, got my biology degree with honors, and applied to teach at a middle school nearby. I would start that same fall.

“Damn, look at you,” Nami said, bumping me with her elbow. “Miss Lili Cerzales, biology teacher.”

“You making fun of me?” I giggled.

“Nooo, I swear! It totally suits you,” she said. “You excited?”

“I mean... I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep them all in line,” I joked, “but I do love teaching. That part feels right.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

The market lights started switching off, one by one, leaving only the glow of the old lampposts. The street sounds mellowed out. Before it got too late, we headed back to my grandparents’ place. My aunt and uncle were waiting with dinner ready. I introduced them to Nami, we ate, chatted, and then headed to the guest room.

“Hey, Lili, where’s the bathroom?” Nami asked.

“There’s one right in here.”

“Oh, sweet.”

She set her bags down, grabbed her PJs, and ducked into the bathroom. I took my makeup off and changed too, then sat on my bed and grabbed a book.

“All done!” she said as she came out.

I looked up... and that’s when I saw it. Just the faintest bulge under her pajama pants. Anyone else would’ve missed it, but I knew. I knew that shape way too well.

She was wearing a diaper.

Was she still wearing them at night?

I wore them for years on end. Had trouble knowing when I needed to go. Preschool through early elementary, I wore them 24/7. The kids called me weird, avoided me. By fourth grade, I finally stopped needing them during the day. That first time I wore real underwear to school felt like I had conquered a mountain.

But nights… those was another story. I never did sleepovers. I didn’t want the few friends I had to find out about my problem.

Then came middle school. New school, fresh start... until that thing with Adrián. After my second accident at school, I went back to wearing them during the day too. Even after I moved to the city. It wasn’t until my second year of high school that I finally stopped needing them.

Despite that, they never fully left. I never told it to anyone, but, after that summer of 2014 with the girls, something shifted inside me. I started to feel comfortable wearing diapers. Those things had made me feel so embarrassed before, but now… I felt safe in them. I liked feeling that way. And it wasn’t a big deal. The girls got it. They felt the same.

But after I moved, doubt crept in. Why did I like this? Why couldn’t I just let it go? Was I messed up for still wanting to wear them? Was I... broken? Or some kind of pervert?

I was locked in that vicious mental debate for years, not knowing how to escape. Even after I got past my accidents, I still bought diapers occasionally to wear alone in my room, where no one could see or judge me. Except for that voice.

That night, I heard the voice in my head again. I stared at the little bump under Nami’s pants, frozen.

“What are you doing? Why are you looking? It’s not normal. Look how stiff you get when you see even just a glimpse of that thing. You should be ashamed of yourself…”

“Uh... Lili?” Nami’s voice snapped me out of it. She looked nervous. “You okay?”

“Y-yeah, sorry,” I quickly said, blushing hard.

She followed my eyes... and got it.

“Oh. Crap, I didn’t think it was that noticeable,” she said softly. “I hope it’s not... weird. I still kinda... need them at night.”

I shook my head fast.

“No, no, it’s fine. Really.”

“You still...” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “I mean, you’re good now? No more issues?”

“Yeah,” I said, almost too quick.

“Not incontinence issues, sure... but you still like them. That’s an issue for sure,” the voice added.

Nami nodded and gave me a little smile.

“I’m glad. That’s good.”

She undid her braids and sat on her bed. I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I just turned off the light and lay down.

After a while, she whispered, “Lili... do you maybe wanna go check if, y’know...”

“If Secret Base is still there?” I finished for her.

“Yeah... I’d really like to know what happened... and if the others still go there.”

“I hope so,” I said, pulling the blanket up. “I hope they’re okay.”

Still thinking about what I’d seen, I tried to focus on the ceiling, on the sound of crickets outside. I couldn’t mess this up. I couldn’t scare her off with my odd pastimes.

I closed my eyes and let myself drift.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 1, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Content: Chapter 3 - The Old Alleyway

The next morning, we walked into the heart of downtown. Little birds chirped up on the power lines and trees, welcoming the new day. Once we got to the central plaza, we went straight towards Don Moncho’s Ice Cream Stand.

“Morning, girls,” the old man said, pushing himself up from his squeaky plastic chair.

When he got a better look at us, his face lit up.

“Well, I’ll be! I know you two!”

“You still remember us, Don Moncho?” I asked, surprised.

“Sweetheart, I forget a lot these days, but never faces,” he chuckled. “What a treat seeing you both again. So, what’ll it be?”

“Small choco-mint in a cup, please,” Nami said.

“And I’ll get a small cookie one. Also in a cup,” I added.

Don Moncho laughed warmly as he reached for the cups and scooped up the ice cream.

“Some things never change.”

We chatted for a bit, then paid and waved goodbye. As we walked toward the kiosk, I pulled out my phone to check the time. 9:12 a.m. A cool gust rustled the trees. Nami and I glanced over at the decorated kiosk. The colorful ribbons, the market stalls, all the families out with their kids hanging around mere days before the Festival.

“Ten years,” Nami muttered, staring off at the plaza’s trees. “Still doesn’t feel real.”

I took her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“Yeah... I know.”

From the central plaza, Jardines de Rosales Street, one of the town’s main roads, stretched out ahead. It led to the market, the city hall, and a bunch of other places tourists usually go.

We followed Jardines until we hit Lirio Street, a narrow, slanted road climbing toward the base of a hill. A few minutes later, we were standing in front of a half-hidden alleyway behind an overgrown bush. Vines were everywhere, clinging to the walls, peeling off what was left of the old paint.

We just stood there for a second.

“Maybe we should make sure no one’s living there now,” I said.

“I’ll go check real quick.” And just like that, Nami darted off down the following alley.

I stayed put. The vines swayed like they were waving me in. Two kids ran past me on the street, kicking around an old cloth ball and giggling. Their laughter echoed into the alleyway, then faded out. I took a step forward. Something about the place just tugged at me.

Then Nami popped back out, slightly out of breath, but grinning.

“Still blocked off,” she said, eyes twinkling. “Pretty much just how we left it.”

“All right...” I sighed. “You ready?”

She nodded and pushed the branches aside to clear a path. We stepped through. The alleyway felt way narrower than I remembered. The vines wrapped around us, making it feel like some magical tunnel out of a fantasy movie, like the ones I was obsessed with since forever. The plaza noises and kids’ laughter faded, replaced by the crunch of our shoes on old gravel.

At the very end sat a dusty old trash container. Nami ran up and reached behind it.

“It’s still here,” she whispered.

She pulled out a long metal rod with a hook at the end. Then she lifted it and latched it onto a rusted ladder hidden behind the container. With a hard tug, the ladder clattered down with a loud creak.

“Let’s just hope this thing doesn’t snap while we’re on it,” Nami joked, giving the ladder a side-eye.

“It’s survived this long. We can probably trust it for one more climb.”

She went up first. The ladder groaned under her, but held. I followed carefully close behind, the cold metal biting into my hands.

At the top, we reached a little rooftop covered in weeds and bits of shattered tile. You could see the kiosk from up there, and the plaza stretched out like a postcard.

Bel, one of our friends, showed us Secret Base not long after we all met. It was an abandoned house that had been empty for ages. Even the town’s sketchiest folks avoided it. The front door was sealed tight, no one could get in. At least, not without knowing the trick. The alleyway ladder was the only way in.

Bel told us she found the place during the summer before middle school, while sneaking around with her older sister. They hung out there all summer, playing board games, napping, talking about everything... until her sister left for college.

“We’re back...” Nami murmured, staring at a worn wooden door across the rooftop.

We walked over slowly. The door was cracked, stained, and warped from the years. I reached for the rusted knob and turned it. It let out a groan. The door creaked open to reveal a staircase heading down into the house. A gust of air hit us. Stale and dusty, with a punch of mold in there. I coughed, pulling my shirt up over my nose.

Inside Secret Base, the walls were still covered in old photos and doodles. In the middle of the floor, six bean bags sat in a circle: pink, white, green, blue, brown, and red. The sunlight peeked through the faded curtains, leaving warm patches on the dusty wooden floor. The layer of dust on the floor, though... it looked a little too thin.

“Someone’s been here,” Nami whispered.

“Yeah... Thought the same thing.”

My steps stirred little clouds of dust as I walked toward the photos. Most of the pictures were blurry snapshots of flowers, landscapes, and six girls laughing. Right next to a copy of the same photo I had on my nightstand was a new one. The colors were crisp and fresh. Two older girls stood in a garden wearing white dresses: one short with red hair throwing up a peace sign, winking at the camera. The other had long, pink-dyed hair and was hugging her tightly.

“Wait... Bel and Nene?!” I gasped.

“What? What is it?” Nami asked, hurrying over.

“Here,” I said, still in shock, pointing at the photo.

Nami stared at it. She didn’t say anything for a second, like she was double-checking if it was really them. Then she smiled.

“Well, would you look at that,” she laughed.

“Good for them,” I said, grinning.

I reached out and gently brushed the photo. It slipped off the wall and floated to the ground.

“Ah!” I scrambled to catch it, but it slid under an old wooden trunk. “Nami, help me move this thing.”

We each grabbed a side. It wasn’t that heavy. Something inside shifted with a weird crinkling sound, like plastic and paper.

Nami grabbed the photo and put it back up on the wall.

But what was in the trunk?

Before I could open it, a loud thump echoed above us. Footsteps followed, getting closer.

“What now?” I whispered.

Nami motioned for me to stay quiet. We left the trunk where it was and ducked behind a wardrobe, barely breathing. The footsteps thudded with purpose, each one sending little vibrations through the concrete rooftop.

The doorknob turned. The hinges groaned again.

“Who’s there?” a woman’s voice called out. It was deep, serious. “You’d better come out right now before I call the cops.”

Nami and I locked eyes. The voice had us frozen. Should we stay hidden? Or come out and risk it?

“I’m not kidding,” she added, starting to come down the stairs.

I signaled to Nami. We had to come out. We couldn’t let this blow up. I stepped forward, hands up in the air. Nami followed me immediately, but her expression suggested this might not have been the best idea.

“We’re not trying to cause any trouble!” I said quickly. “We used to hang out here when we were kids. We didn’t know someone else…”

Then I saw her.

Short, solid build, hair practically crackling with energy. Bel.

“Oh. My. God,” she said, staring at us like we were ghosts.

Her phone, halfway to calling the cops, slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a dull thunk.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 1, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Content: Chapter 4 - Bel and Nene's Place

Bel hopped down the metal stairs and landed with a little bounce. Nami and I were already waiting in the alleyway. She used the same rod as before to shove the stairs up. They clunked into place and locked. Then she tucked the rod back behind the trash bin.

“You two scared the crap outta me,” she said, brushing off her sweatpants.

“Right back at you,” Nami grinned.

In the daylight, I spotted a couple white hairs peeking out in Bel’s fiery bangs. She stood up straight and, without saying anything, pulled us into a big hug.

“I’m really freaking glad you’re here,” she said, her voice a little shaky.

We stepped out of the alleyway and back onto Lirio Street. Parked in front of us was a shiny red truck. It was a bit dusty, and not the newest model, but it looked solid and taken care of.

“Is this yours?” I asked, nodding at it.

Bel pulled the keys out of her jacket and nodded.

“Yup. My trusty old pal. You wouldn’t believe the crap it’s pulled me out of.”

“Damn,” Nami said. “You’ve upgraded from that busted little bike with the wobbly training wheels.”

“Wow, thanks for that beautiful memory,” Bel said, squinting at her. “Get in.”

She unlocked the truck and we climbed in. Me up front, Nami in the back. A pair of fuzzy red dice swung from the mirror. Bel slid in behind the wheel and turned on the engine.

“Is your place far from here?” I asked, watching the street roll by.

“Nah, we live like five blocks from here,” Bel said, adjusting her mirrors. “By the way, um...” she hesitated. I think she realized she had spoken in the plural. “...little heads up but, umm, Nene and I...”

“We know,” Nami said from the back. “We saw the picture.”

“Oh. Uh... really?” Bel laughed awkwardly.

“We’re happy for you,” I added.

“Seriously, you two are adorable,” Nami chimed in.

Bel’s face lit up bright red.

“I swear, you two… Don’t get me all emotional again,” she muttered through her teeth, pulling into traffic.

The ride didn’t take long. Bel lived in a quieter part of town, away from the buzz of downtown. She parked in front of a white two-story house with a little balcony.

I stretched as I got out. Bel pulled out her phone and called someone, putting it on speaker.

“Yes, my dearest darling wife?” someone answered in a dramatic voice. “What can I do for you on this fine Monday morn?”

Bel’s face instantly turned red.

“Irene, you’re on speaker, for god’s sake,” she groaned.

Nami and I cracked up.

“Wait, what? Why?” Nene’s voice dropped the act.

“I brought you a surprise,” Bel said, side-eyeing us. “Come downstairs. We’re out front.”

“Is it mariachi? Are you finally proposing to meee?” Nene teased.

“That already happened, dumbass,” Bel said, rolling her eyes but failing to hide a slight grin.

“Hey, it was worth a shot,” Nene laughed. “Anygays, be right there!”

Bel hung up with a sigh and shook her head, grinning. A few seconds later, the balcony door swung open upstairs. Nene leaned over the railing, bright pink hair spilling out from under a black-and-white beret.

“No freaking way!” she shouted when she saw us.

She flew down the stairs and flung the front door open so fast she nearly smacked the wall. Then she launched herself at us, squeezing the air out of our lungs.

“I can’t believe this! Nami! Lili!”

She fixed her beret and grabbed our hands with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes were glassy. She turned to Bel, looking overwhelmed.

“I ran into them at Secret Base,” Bel explained. “And, uh... yeah. They know about us.”

“Oh.” Nene gave a tiny, awkward smile.

“Before that call from just now, I should add,” Nami jumped in.

“Nami!” Bel groaned.

I took Nene’s hands and gave her a smile.

“Congrats, you two. You really deserve this.”

And just like that, Nene burst into tears.

“B-but, Lili... th-thank y... ahhh...”

“Wait, what?” I laughed.

“I’m sorryyy,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “Don’t say nice stuff like that, Lili, I’ll end up bawling right here. I’m just... so happy to see you guys.” Her hands were shaking as she held mine. “Come on in. Make yourselves at home.”

The inside of the house was warm and cozy, full of little personal touches that could make you feel their lives there: a small, knitted blanket draped over the couch, framed photos of Bel and Nene on the walls, and various souvenirs from their trips on the shelves.

“My grandpa gave it to us as a wedding gift,” Nene explained. “We’re super lucky. We’re lucky to own a place at our age, especially nowadays.”

Nene was the youngest in a pretty well-off family that had been in town for generations. She was never snobby about it, though, unlike many other rich kids in school. That was part of what I’d always liked about her. So real and down-to-earth. And her house was the same. Comfy and sweet, nothing over-the-top. Just enough for a peaceful married life.

“He gave you the whole house?!” Nami blurted. “Holy sh... Hey Bel, can I marry Nene?”

“Excuse me?! And where does that leave me??” the redhead replied.

“If you’ve got something good to offer, maybe I’ll marry you too,” Nami smirked.

“Wow. Very materialistic of you, Nami. Tsk, tsk,” I said, wagging a finger. “And you can’t break them up. Can’t you tell they’re disgustingly in love~?”

Both of them blushed furiously at that last comment.

“Ugh, you’re right,” Nami said, crossing her arms. “They’re made for each other. Even when we were kids, you could cut the tension between them with a knife.”

“WHAAAT?!” they shouted in unison.

“T-tension?!” Nene squeaked, hiding her face.

“Oh, totally,” I said, trying not to laugh. “If this were a show, you two would’ve been the most obvious slow burn ever.”

“My god...” Bel mumbled, hanging her keys by the door.

Nami and I sat down in the living room chairs.

“Anyway, ignoring your very questionable love-life analysis, thank you very much,” Nene said, raising an eyebrow, “anyone want coffee?”

“Me!” Nami shot her hand up. “Little bit of milk, please.”

Nene looked at me.

“Oh right. You don’t drink coffee,” she said with a knowing grin.

“Boooo for the party pooper,” Bel teased, plopping down beside us.

“You want some green tea instead?”

I nodded with a laugh.

“Yes please. Tea’s perfect.”

“Coming riiight up,” Nene sang as she headed to the kitchen.

“How long’ve you two been together?” Nami turned to Bel.

“Since last September,” she said. “Almost a year.”

There was a picture of the two of them on one of the shelves, sitting by a lake at sunset, glowing with smiles.

“You both look really happy,” I said sincerely.

“We are,” Bel said, crossing her legs. “It’s been a ride, but... yeah.”

A few minutes later, Nene came back with a tray.

“Okay! One milky coffee for the fabulous Nami, one green tea for the elegant Lili, and… nothing for Bel, cause I forgot.”

“Excuse me?!” Bel gasped.

“Just kidding, babe. Yours is still brewing,” Nene grinned.

She dropped off the tray and disappeared again, returning with Bel’s drink and sitting down next to Nami.

I sipped my tea and looked at them one by one. First Bel, my old role model, always so bold and assertive. Then Nene, the princess, the silly-hearted sweetheart with the brightest laugh, who could get a good laugh from me even when she wasn’t trying. And Nami, sunshine incarnate. My first friend… and the first one we lost. Even sitting right there beside them, I still missed them.

“And Mei Mei and Auri?” I asked out of the blue. “Are they still around?”

Bel glanced at Nene, who pressed her lips together before answering.

“Mei Mei had some health stuff and ended up leaving school not long after you left,” she said. “We still talk to her sometimes, but it’s not really the same.”

She took a sip of coffee.

“Auri... was tougher. I don’t think she took you two and Mei Mei leaving very well. I graduated early, and Bel was kinda the only one left for her. She’s pulled away a lot since then.”

Of all of them, Auri worried me the most. She never liked showing how she felt. When Nami said she was moving, Auri acted super weird around her. Always forcing her voice, trying to sound calm and composed. But when she came over to my place, she bawled her eyes out. Mei Mei also said the same: Auri only cried with us, never around Nami.

Then it was my turn to leave, and the same thing happened all over again. She put on her calm façade to protect me. She didn’t want to be a burden. And I didn’t even want to think of how much she cried when I wasn’t around, but my goodness, I wanted her to let it out, just once. To cry with me instead of for me. But she never did. My last memories of her were cold. Distant.

“I see...” I exhaled and let my head fall back against the chair.

“But maybe we can talk to her,” Nami said. “If she finds out we’re all here...”

“With her, we’ve gotta take it slow,” Bel said. “It’s worth a shot. But we should probably reach out to Mei Mei first.”

“We’ll figure it out later,” Nene said, tapping something into her phone before slipping it away. “Let’s just sit for a bit. Too many feelings today. Let’s talk and catch up first.”

A few minutes into the chat, the doorbell rang.

“I got it!” Nene stood up and gave us a quick wink.

“Were you expecting anyone?” I asked Bel once Nene was gone.

“Not that I remember,” she said with a shrug.

Nene came back a moment later, holding three small pink boxes.

“A little something to celebrate you being back... and to relive the good ol’ days,” she grinned.

She handed me one box, gave another to Nami, and left the third on the coffee table for her and Bel. I smiled right away. I knew that logo the second I saw it.

After our first time at the incontinence support group, Nami and I started hanging out with Nene at recess.

Irene Esparza was the kind of girl who could get along with anyone. She was a year ahead of us, and before we were friends, I’d seen her sing at school events a few times. Her voice was stunning. She didn’t seem super close with anyone in her class, but people respected her.

During the group sessions, she mentioned she had bedwetting issues. Nobody in her grade knew. She didn’t really trust people, especially those from the rich-kid crowd always trying to pull her into their circles.

“That’s why I like being with you guys,” she’d say. “You don’t treat me like I’m some prize. You’re real. And I like that. Also,” she’d add dramatically, “I can’t let you go. You know too much already.”

One day, she brought cookies to share. Handmade ones, in a cute pink box with a ribbon. The lid was made of thick cardboard with a little clear window showing cookies of all shapes and sizes. The cursive logo on the front said “Loto.”

“Wait, no way!” Nami blurted after reading the label. “These are from Loto bakery? How much did they even cost?!”

“Are you sure you wanna share them with us?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nene said with a smile. “Go on, eat.”

She set the box in the middle of the tiny table we were sitting at. We could hear kids yelling from the basketball and soccer courts nearby. We were off by the high school parking lot, a quiet spot where no one really hung out.

When Nene untied the ribbon and opened the box, the smell of butter, vanilla, and chocolate hit us. Nami and I leaned in.

There were Angel Kisses, Walnut Kisses, strawberry tartlets, butter cookies... and others with cute pastel icing.

“Whoa...” Nami whispered.

She picked a star-shaped butter cookie with chocolate coating. It shimmered a bit when she turned it. Nene popped an Angel Kiss into her mouth and closed her eyes like she was in heaven.

“These are sooo good,” she mumbled, reaching for another.

I just stared at the box.

“You can totally have one, Lili,” Nene said. “Go ahead.”

“Oh! No, it’s not that,” I waved my hands. “It’s just... I don’t eat stuff made with animal products.”

“Ohhh, you’re vegetarian?” Nami asked with her mouth full, already reaching for another cookie.

I gave a shy smile.

“Even better! You’ve gotta try this one,” Nene said excitedly.

She grabbed a cookie from the middle of the box and handed it to me. It was wrapped in pink paper, shaped like a lotus on top.

“It’s their signature cookie. Made with margarine and coconut milk. Loto’s got more vegan stuff now. Not that I eat them all the time,” she laughed. “But this one’s seriously good.”

I held it in my hand, hesitating. It still felt weird eating something I didn’t pay for. Nene gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder. I stared at it a second longer, then took a bite.

Soft, sweet, and full of coconut and dark chocolate. I turned to Nene, not saying a word.

She cracked up. “What? Was it that good?”

I felt my cheeks get warm.

“I’ll get you a whole vegan box next time,” she said with a wink.

That morning of July 2024, I was holding that same gift again: fresh Loto cookies. Nene turned to me.

“They’ve got way more vegan options now. Hope you like ‘em. And I got your favorites too, Nami.”

“Thanks, Nene...” Nami and I said in unison.

We ended up chilling in the living room for a few hours, mugs and cups in hand, casually snacking and talking about everything. First came the wedding story. Nene and Bel got married while still in college. Their families told them to wait until graduation, but they were too excited to make it official. After school, Bel got a job at a local pharmacy, and Nene gave private math lessons for a while before planning to join the family business.

Then it was our turn. I told them about my soon-to-be job teaching at a middle school and my life in the city. Then Nami showed us pics and videos from the planetarium where she worked. The last one was a mural of the solar system painted on the building’s wall. Pastel planets fading into deep space, stars getting dimmer as they got closer and closer to the sun. Nami stood underneath it in a paint-covered apron, holding a brush.

“You painted that?!” Nene gasped.

“Damn. That’s talent,” Bel added.

“Some things never change,” I said, thinking of what Don Moncho told us that morning. Nami just smiled.

Back in school, Nami was always scribbling in a notebook. I used to see her in the back of the room, totally zoned out. Writing, sketching... Whatever it was, it clearly mattered more than whatever was going on around her. Eventually I learned she loved drawing. Landscapes, animals... and especially planets.

“Yeah... some things stay the same,” Bel said, leaning back.

“Like Secret Base,” Nami added, putting her phone away and turning to them. “It’s... exactly the same as it was ten years ago. How did you even manage that?”

We looked at each other.

“It was a promise,” I said. “When you left, we hoped you’d come back someday. So we promised to keep your spot in Secret Base, just like always. I just...” I turned toward Bel and Nene, “... didn’t think you all would keep it going after I left too.”

“A promise is a promise,” Bel said firmly.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 1, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Content: Chapter 5 - The Voice

“Liliana Cerzales.”

“Here, Miss.”

“Auriel Cruz.”

“Not here.”

“Irene Esparza.”

“Here!”

“Maribel Haro.”

“She’s not here either, Miss.”

“Mei Nava’s not coming either?”

The teacher glanced up from her laptop. Just me, Nene, and Nami sitting there. No one else had shown up for the third session yet.

The room we used for our group was in the basement of one of the elementary school buildings, looking out onto the side of the hill. Teachers usually used it for meetings and stuff, so it had a weird grown-up vibe. Us students didn’t use it much. It was wide, with windows on the wall across from the door that faced the staff parking lot. One corner had some shelves with preschool toys, all neatly stacked. Another had a bunch of chairs and round tables pushed against the wall. In the middle, one of those tables was set up with six chairs around it. A projector sat in front of it, turned off, with a rolled-up screen behind it. The lights buzzed softly and glowed yellow, and outside you could hear the hum of cars lining up to pick up kids.

“Well, at least you three made it,” the teacher said, checking her watch. “Let’s wait a bit longer, shall we?”

Right then, Bel and Mei Mei walked in.

“H-hey,” Bel gave an awkward little wave.

Mei Mei followed behind her like a shadow, super quiet. They sat down next to Nene.

“Long day?” Nene whispered, trying to break the silence.

“Yeah...” Bel sighed.

I kept my eyes on Mei Mei. There was an empty chair between us. Auri’s seat. Mei Mei looked up for just a second and met my eyes. Then we both looked away fast. I shifted in my seat and heard a soft crinkling under my skirt. My mom had made me wear that thing all week, just in case. I had been having more and more daytime accidents lately, and it was starting to worry me...

At 4:05, Auri showed up. She had a serious, apologetic look.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine, we just got started.”

The teacher moved aside so she could come in. Auri walked in kinda stiff, with her backpack on one shoulder and clutching a notebook tightly to her chest. She dropped her bag next to the wall where ours were and sat into the empty seat next to me.

“Alright, girls,” the teacher said. “Take out your journals and write about how you’ve been feeling this week, okay? I’m gonna run to the middle school office to talk to the principal really quick, but I’ll be back soon and then we can share a little.”

Although our friendship began because we were all blindly thrown up into that support group, we all sort of knew the school didn’t really know what they were doing with it. A lot of the time it felt more like detention or a homework club rather than anything helpful. The activities were super boring, awkward, and half the time just made us feel worse. The only time I ever kind of liked being there was when we had Miss Caro, an actual child psychologist who knew how to handle that stuff.

The teacher in turn left the room, and the six of us just sat there, kind of eyeing each other. I was the first one to start writing:

“This week, Adrián didn’t bother me much. But I’m still mad about what he did. I’ve started having accidents again because of him...”

I heard Nami’s pencil scratching, then Nene’s. The others didn’t move. Mei Mei just held her paper, staring at it. Auri was tapping her fingers nervously on the table.

Then Bel cleared her throat.

“Hey...” she said, real soft. “Can I say something real quick before we keep going?”

I froze. Her face was a little red and she was gripping her pencil like it was gonna break.

“Sorry we didn’t hang out this week. That’s it.”

Mei Mei and Auri looked down.

“Yeah... sorry,” Auri mumbled.

Mei Mei just nodded.

“But... are you guys okay?” I asked, putting my pencil down.

Bel slouched down in her seat and covered her head with her hands.

“Something happened on Monday. We were on our way to meet up with you, and... they saw us.”

“It was that guy, Adrián, and his friends” Auri added.

“That little shit,” Nami muttered.

That same Monday, Adrián had also messed with me. Right before recess, Nami had stood up and stormed over to him.

“What did you just say to my friend?” she growled.

“Friend? You mean this little pants-wetter over here?” he laughed.

“Yeah,” Nami said, not even blinking. “You got a problem with that?”

Nami doesn’t exactly seem scary at first, but even back then she was almost a head taller than Adrián. He stepped back a little, still trying to act cool.

“If I were you, I’d pick better friends. Ones that don’t piss themselves in class.”

“If I were you, I’d shut your mouth before I do it myself. How about it, huh?”

She took a step closer, and he clammed up. Since then, he hadn’t bothered me again. But from what Bel said, he’d just switched targets.

“They cornered us in the bathroom,” Auri said. “Told us to stay there all recess.”

Mei Mei pulled her feet up onto the chair and hugged her knees.

“They said maybe then we’d finally learn where the bathroom is,” she whispered.

Bel reached over and put an arm around her. I clenched my fists. All I could think about was that day in dodgeball, with Adrián standing before me and his friends laughing just behind. The emotions from that day came flooding back. Panic, humiliation, anger.

“I don’t think...” Bel started, “it’s a good idea for us to keep hanging out with you. We don’t want you to get dragged into this too.”

This had to stop.

“No,” I said, loud and clear. Everyone looked at me. I think they didn’t expect me to speak up like that. “It’s not fair. When the teacher gets back, we’re telling her everything. The school has to do something.”

It was the first time in my life I actually stood up for something. We left school at 5:20 that day. The session ended up being canceled. The teacher called the principal, and she came down to talk to us instead. I told her everything about Adrián bothering me, and Bel explained what happened in the bathroom. He and his friends got suspended for two weeks. Honestly, we were hoping for more, but at least it was something. After that day, the six of us started hanging out all the time. During recess, after school, even on weekends.

That’s when the Club started.

After hanging out and chatting over tea at Nene and Bel’s place, they invited us to grab lunch at a restaurant near downtown. On the way there, we started reminiscing about the early days of our friendship. Old times, dumb stuff we did, and of course, that situation with Adrián.

“Man, kids really were cruel back in the day,” Bel said, stretching as she started the truck.

“You sound like a granny,” Nene giggled. “‘Back in my daaaay...’”

“Oh, shut up!” Bel grinned and gave her a playful shove.

“Honestly though, I think it’s always been like that,” I said. “There’s jerks everywhere, all ages.”

“Yeah, but there’s good people too,” Nami chimed in. “Like Miss Caro.”

Right, Miss Caro. I wondered how my old first-year homeroom teacher was doing.

“You know anything about her, Bel?” I asked.

“I had to go back to school like, four years ago to get some papers that my college wanted,” she said. “She was still working there. I bumped into her in the hallway. We only talked for a sec, but she was super sweet, like always. She looked pretty much the same. Her hair up with that red bow and that knitted sweater she always wore. You guys remember it?”

“How could I not?” said Nami. “The one she said her grandma made it for her?”

“Yeah! That one,” Bel nodded.

We ended up going to El Trato, a well-known spot that served traditional food. Bel parked in a public lot and we walked over. Right next to the entrance was a chalkboard with the usual: “TODAY WE HAVE MOLE!!” The queue was long, as always, but since they were just opening up, we didn’t have to wait too long. The place was all decked out with old pics of the town and handmade clay crafts.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” said a waiter. “Table for four?”

“Yes, please,” Nene said, stepping in first.

He took us to this cozy little table by the window and dropped off the menus. After we’d ordered and started eating, Nami spoke up.

“So, are we talking to Mei Mei first?”

Bel nodded. “Yeah. She’s on break from college right now. Only thing is, she lives kinda far. Like, half an hour away from our place, in Bosques del Sur. I’ll text her, see if she’s down to meet up tomorrow or the next day. Fingers crossed she answers soon.”

She pulled out her phone and started typing while we all went quiet, watching her.

“There,” Bel said, setting the phone down in her lap and grabbing her glass. “Now we wait.”

Nami raised her horchata.

“To us finally hanging out again,” she said.

We all clinked our glasses in the middle.

“To us,” Bel added.

“To the Club...” I said, trailing off a bit.

“The Bedwetter’s Club!” Nene announced way too loudly.

“Nene!!” Bel gasped, cracking up.

“What? That’s what they called us at school!” Nene shrugged.

“Yeah, but we’re out in public! And that name is embarrassing.”

The whole time we were talking, my mind kept drifting back to that. The thing that had brought us all together in the first place. I figured no one really wanted to address the elephant in the room. After last night’s awkward moment with Nami, I didn’t think anyone was gonna ever bring it up.

But Nene cracked the door wide open.

“Hey, uh... if it’s not too weird to ask...” Bel said, lowering her voice and looking at Nami and me, “how’ve you guys been doing with...? You know. That stuff. J-just curious.”

Nami and I glanced at each other. My face started to feel warm. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d seen the night before: her diaper under her pajamas, the silence after, and how I barely got any sleep with all that in my head.

“Well...” Nami looked down at her drink and spun the glass slowly. “I still wear them at night.”

A second of quiet passed, but it didn’t feel tense. Bel just gave her a gentle nod.

“That’s totally okay,” she said. “I still wear sometimes too. Not as much as before, but... yeah, it’s still tough. Nene helps me a lot with it.”

Nene squeezed her hand.

“Gotta look out for my girl,” she said. “I stopped having accidents when I started high school, but I’ll always be there for Bel.”

“Ugh, stop being all sappy,” Bel sighed, leaning her head on Nene’s shoulder.

“What about you, Lili?” Nene asked.

My heart started pounding. Should I tell them the truth? Or keep it vague, like I did with Nami? What would she think if I opened up now, but not the night before when it was just the two of us?

“I... got over it in high school too,” I mumbled.

They smiled and congratulated me. I let that little voice win again. There was a big difference between them and me. Nami and Bel still wore them because they had to. I didn’t anymore.

“But can I be honest with you?” Nami said, barely above a whisper. We all looked at her. “After all those years, it’s like... you kinda grow attached to them? I know that sounds weird, but it’s hard to explain.”

Bel and Nene looked at each other.

“Oh, no, I totally get that,” said Bel. “Say what you want about the accidents, but wearing those things is actually really comfy.”

“A-actually...” Nene turned a little pink. “I mean, I don’t wanna go into detail, but... I sort of feel the same? I don’t need them anymore, but sometimes I borrow some of Bel’s.”

“So that’s what’s been happening” Bel said. “I could swear some were mysteriously missing from the packs”

“Shushhhh!” Nene laughed. “You’re the one who gives them to me, dork.”

“Nami, please call the cops,” Bel said, putting on a serious face. “I’d like to report a theft of private property.”

“Heyyyyy!” Nene grabbed Bel by the shoulders and shook her. They both burst out laughing, and Nami giggled too.

Then Nene looked at me and smiled.

“Sorry, Lili. Turns out your childhood friends are total weirdos. Hope we’re not freaking you out.”

“W-what?” I said. “No, I don’t think you’re weird...” I looked away.

Nami tilted her head and gave me a look.

“Then what’s up?” she asked.

I could feel my face burning again. Then, another voice spoke inside me. Not that creeping voice of doubt and judgement that had been with me my whole life. It was calmer, steady. It filled me with that same sensation I felt that time I first stood up for myself. And it sounded… like Nami. Like Bel. Like Nene.

“Come on, Lili. It’s time to speak up.”

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 2, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Content:

DLFez said:

This story is fantastic. I don't have much more to say at this point other than I can't wait to read more.

Edit to ask where the Spanish version is being posted.

[End of quote]

Thank you very much!!! I appreciate your comments a lot

The original one is over at Wattpad :3

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 2, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Content: Chapter 6 - No One Else

Bel’s truck rolled up in front of my grandparents’ house right at five. It was incredibly hot outside. The tires crunched over the cracked asphalt as the truck came to a stop. Bel turned around from the driver’s seat, looking at Nami and me in the back.

“Well, girls... I don’t even know what to say,” she said, smiling. “I’m just… really glad you’re here.”

“Don’t ghost us again, alright?” Nene chimed in from the passenger seat

“We’ve got your numbers now,” Nami added with a wink. “You try to disappear, we’ll find you.”

“Yeah, we know where you live,” I said, grinning.

“Okay, that was creepy as hell,” Bel laughed, giving a fake shiver.

“Hehehe.” I giggled and hid my face behind my sleeve.

My heart finally felt at peace.

Nami popped open the door on her side. I dug around in my bag for the key my aunt gave me and stepped out too.

“I’ll let you know what’s up with Mei Mei,” Bel said as we got out. “If she can’t tomorrow, wanna hit Secret Base?”

Nami and I both nodded.

“Kewl. It’s a plan.” Bel turned the keys and the truck came back to life. “See ya tomorrow!”

“Take care!” Nene waved as they drove off.

Nami and I stood there for a sec, just taking each other in. She smiled, calm and proud.

“Nami...” I said quietly. “Sorry I didn’t say anything last night. I was scared you’d think I was... I dunno, weird.”

“You are,” she said instantly, smirking. “But so what? You heard Nene, we’re all weirdos.”

She pulled me into a sideways hug, and we headed to the door together.

“Hey,” she said, squeezing my arm. “I know that was hard for you. You did great. And seriously, if something brings you comfort and it’s not hurting anyone? Don’t feel bad about it.”

“Thanks, Nami.” I took a breath. “I don’t even know how I managed without you guys all this time.”

“Same here, honestly.”

Later that night, just before we changed into our pajamas and went to bed, Nami looked over at me.

“You know,” she said, “it’s kinda wild... timing-wise, I mean.”

“Huh?” I pulled out my phone and powered it on.

July 22nd. Screen dimmed after a few seconds.

“Next Wednesday’s exactly ten years since I left town,” she said quietly.

“The 31st...”

I sat cross-legged on the bed.

“You thinking of staying till then? Is work cool with that?”

“They’re redoing the planetarium. I’m off till the 10th,” she said, unbraiding her hair and gazing out the window. “It’d be nice if we could all hang out that day.”

My phone buzzed. It was Bel.

“liliii”

“mei mei replied already”

“tomorrow’s good”

“how about I pick you up early?”

I held the phone out to Nami, and she gave me a thumbs-up. I texted back:

“Hiii, Bel~”

“Yay, glad she replied so quick!”

“What time are you thinking?”

Bel replied: “10 okay?”

“Sounds good! See you then. Sleep well ” I typed.

“All set,” I said, dropping my phone on the nightstand and stretching. “Tomorrow at ten, we’re off to Mei Mei’s.”

“Perfect!” Nami flopped her suitcase onto the bed. “Gonna change real quick.”

She dug through her stuff and pulled out the pajamas from last night. Then, with a soft crinkle, she took out a fresh diaper. Just a plain white pharmacy one. Thick, crinkly, familiar. My eyes locked onto it without meaning to. I couldn’t help it. Every time I saw one up close, it was like my brain short-circuited for a second.

“You keep all of them in there?” I blurted out.

Nami nodded. “Yeah, but I might need to grab more if we’re staying till the 31st. I brought a few, but now I’m down to three.”

She must’ve noticed me staring, because her smile softened.

“Want one, Lili?”

“Eh? You mean, like, umm... I...?” I blinked a bunch of times, looking literally anywhere else. Except I kept coming back to the diaper in her hand.

“Umm... is that okay?” I asked in a small voice.

“Of course.” She said gently. “Don’t worry about it.”

“A-alright... Thanks, Nami,” I sighed.

She turned back to her suitcase, grabbed another fresh one, and handed it to me. I ran my fingers over it a little.

“Nice and soft, huh?” she said, smiling. “I’m gonna take a quick shower. Be back in a sec.”

I sat there for a minute, holding it. The breeze outside rattled the window, and the soft murmur of water from the shower joined in.

“Well,” I whispered, “it’s not gonna put itself on.”

Just like I used to back home, I laid it out on the bed, smoothed it out, took off my pajama pants and underwear, and lay down. I couldn’t tell what brand it was, but Nami clearly knew what stuff to pick. The crinkle was soft and cozy. I quickly taped it snug and sat up, stretching and checking the fit. It hugged me just right. Plush, warm, comforting. I took a few small steps. Easy enough to move in. I stashed my underwear in a little bag in my suitcase and pulled my pajama pants back on.

It had been two and a half months since I last wore one. Being a broke recent grad doesn’t leave you with a diaper budget, not when you’re saving for travel, buses, meals out, and a summer reunion that’s been in the making for months. Thank goodness, I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay in, but I saved every cent my parents gave me for this trip. Diapers had to wait.

The water stopped. A few minutes later, Nami stepped out, skin pink from the heat, hair dripping. She saw me and raised an eyebrow with a little thumbs-up. I gave one back and nodded.

“Comfy? Hehe,” she asked, drying her hair with a towel.

“Yeah... really comfy,” I said, grinning.

“And to think, these things are the reason the six of us met,” she said, tugging at her waistband.

“Life works in mysterious ways...” I laughed softly.

“For real.” She climbed under the blanket. “Remember that first sleepover at Nene’s family lodge?”

“Oh god, don’t remind me,” I laughed, switching off the light. “I still feel secondhand embarrassment just thinking about her mom. We were such little exhibitionists in training.”

“‘In training’? Girl, we were already there,” she teased. “But still, it was sooo much fun. Looking back, it’s sweet how fast we built that trust with each other. Just a T-shirt and a diaper, no shame. I’ve never had that kind of vibe with anyone else. Ever.”

“Me neither,” I said into the dark. “No one else.”

“And the odds, right? Six girls our age, all with the same issue, same school?”

“It’s rare but not impossible,” I said. “There are probably more kids having the same struggles today. I think... that’s part of why I took that middle school job. I dunno... I wanna be there for someone the way Miss Caro was for us.”

I rolled over to face her. She was looking at me too, her face silvered by moonlight through the window. She smiled, sleepy and warm.

“You’re gonna do just great, Lili. You’ll see.”

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 3, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Content: Chapter 7 - At the Lodge

Saturday, April 26, 2014

I had everything packed up since the night before. The second the clock hit nine, Mom was driving me to the mall parking lot to meet the girls. From there, Nene’s mom would take us all to their family lodge. My very first sleepover ever.

The whole thing started when we were at Secret Base doing homework. Nami and Nene were like, “Hey, what if we all crash here at Secret Base one night?” It was a cool idea, but I wasn’t sure Mom would let me sleep over in what’s basically a full-on abandoned building downtown. Auri and Mei Mei didn’t look totally sold on it either.

So, I threw out a safer plan.

“What if we try it at someone’s house first? Like, test the waters. See what our parents say. Then maybe Secret Base thing later?”

“Oooh, sneaky!” Nene grinned like a cartoon villain. “I like it. Lemme check with my dad. I might know just the place.”

And just like that, the plan was in motion. That morning, Mom handed me some cash for snacks and stuff to share, and we headed out.

The parking lot was still pretty empty, or at least as empty as it could get on a Saturday morning. Over by the supermarket, I spotted Mei Mei’s car already there.

We pulled up nearby and hopped out. I rolled my suitcase over and gave Mei Mei a little wave. She had her hoodie up and was standing quietly next to her mom.

“Oh, hi, Lili,” she said softly.

Our moms wandered off, probably gossiping about support group stuff or something.

“Ready for today?” I asked.

“Um... I think so?” she murmured. “Sorry, never been to a sleepover before. Not sure what to expect.”

“Same here. Kinda nervous, too.”

Mei Mei was in class 103 along with Bel. I technically met her at the group, but by then, I had already heard some of the nasty stuff people said about her at school.

“Who-knows.” That’s literally what the jerks in her class called her. She barely talked, always kept to herself like a shadow. And she was good at slipping away from awkward situations unnoticed. So, to her classmates, that’s all she was, someone with no name. A “who-knows”. Just a passing afterthought when there was nothing else to talk about.

Maybe it was because I identified with her, but I wanted to believe that Mei Mei was way more than what she let on. I hadn’t gotten to know her much until now, but I really wanted to become friends with her.

We stood there a while, just watching cars roll in, until Bel and her mom showed up.

“Wazzup, girls,” Bel called. “Wait, Mei Mei, is that hoodie new? Where’d you get it?”

“Mhm,” Mei Mei nodded. “Mom went to the city recently and got it for me.”

“It’s SO good. Kinda miss your emo vibes from back in the day, though.”

“Ah... uhh.” Mei Mei tugged her hoodie down over her face.

“Emo?” I blinked.

“This girl and I, we were at the same elementary school since fourth grade,” Bel explained. “Didn’t really talk back then, but she had some killer emo fits. Shame she left that phase behind.”

Mei Mei straightened up and deadpanned, “It’s not a phase.”

“I back that,” I said, grinning even though I was blushing. “I’m not… emo, emo, per se, but I’ve definitely got some goth stuff in my closet.”

“Emo and goth are different,” Bel said with a shrug.

“Do you like My Chemical Romance?” Mei Mei whispered to me.

“Huh?” That caught me off guard. “Oh! Uh, yeah. I mean... yeah, I do.”

“Oh no,” Bel groaned. “Lili, please don’t fuel her. I’m begging you.”

Too late. Mei Mei and I immediately started geeking out about our angsty tween songs and bands. Bel just stared at us, totally lost, until Nami and Auri showed up.

“Looks like Lili and Mei Mei are bonding,” Nami whispered.

“At what cost,” Bel muttered.

Soon enough, Nene arrived in her mom’s truck. It was a brand-new gray truck, with enough room for all six of us and her mom.

“Here’s your cab, guys!” Nene yelled. “Let’s get those bags in.”

As we packed the truck, the parents started chatting. I was pretty sure it was the first time they were all meeting.

“Kinda weird seeing all our moms and dads together,” Nami said, watching them.

Eventually, they started leaving. Mom came up to me before heading off and whispered:

“You packed three diapers, right? Just in case? Don’t forget to check in on yourself now and then. Have fun, baby. I love you.”

I blushed hard but nodded and gave her a quick hug before running back to the girls.

Everyone said their goodbyes and waved. Nene’s mom was the last one left. She had long, slightly curly hair, a smile just like Nene’s, and slightly wrinkled eyes.

“Alright, ladies,” she said. “We’ve got time to stop at the store for snacks. Let’s roll.”

The plan was for Nene’s dad to show up later for a cookout. Since I didn’t eat meat, her mom was also going to make a veggie lasagna.

I’m not sure who suggested it, but we ended up split up into teams: Nami and Auri went for drinks, Bel and Nene grabbed chips and candy, and Mei Mei and I were on breakfast duty.

“So, you don’t eat animal stuff?” Mei Mei asked quietly as we wandered the aisle.

“For the most part. Mom wants me to at least eat eggs or fish now and then, but I quit meat and cheese. I eat honey sometimes too.”

“That’s wild,” she said, scanning the breads. “I don’t think I could do it. I love cheese too much.”

“Most people say that,” I giggled.

Midway down the aisle, Mei Mei turned to me.

“Hey... you mind if I put on my headphones?” she asked quietly. “I’ll still hear you, it’s just getting a bit loud now that more people are here.”

I shook my head.

“Go for it,” I said. “I get it.”

She pulled off her hoodie for a second. Her ponytail swung out, and I noticed the red-and-black headphones hanging around her neck. They looked super comfy and sturdy. She slipped them on and let out this tiny sigh, like the noise of the world had finally backed off and she could finally breathe. Then, she put her hoodie back on.

“What about pancakes?” I said, pointing at a box of instant mix.

She gave a nod and a smile. We grabbed some honey, fruit, and oats too.

As we turned the corner, we spotted Bel and Nene locked in a very serious snack debate.

“Cheese,” Nene said, holding up a giant blue bag of chips.

“No, spicy,” Bel shot back, holding up a purple one. “Objectively the better ones. No critiques allowed.”

“No brain activity allowed either, I suppose,” Nene teased.

Then they turned and spotted us.

“Lili, Mei Mei! Help us out here!” Bel said. “Which ones should we get?”

“Uh... why not both?” I blinked.

“Nope!” they shouted.

“We’ve only got enough for one plus popcorn for the movie,” Nene said. “And every good cookout I’ve ever been to has these, just so you know.”

“Well, maybe you could try something new for once,” Bel snapped. “Anyway, girls, help me...”

But it was too late. Before I could say anything, Mei Mei grabbed my sleeve and dragged me into the next aisle, leaving them to hash it out. They ended up getting both anyway. Nene’s mom chipped in, though honestly, I doubted we’d finish all those chips in one day.

After checkout, we got into the truck and hit the road. The lodge was a little wooden vacation house Nene’s dad built when he was young, about 25 minutes from the east-edge of town. Bel and Mei Mei sat way in the back. Me, Nami, and Auri took the middle, and Nene rode up front with her mom.

Eventually, the truck made a U-turn and turned off the main road. It got way greener. Fields, flowers, trees. In the distance, I saw a group of shaggy cows grazing. The truck rolled down a dirt road, passed a few little houses, and stopped.

“We’re here!” Nene announced, hopping out.

The lodge had a double metal gate and was surrounded by a brick fence. Instead of pulling the truck in, we got out there and hauled our stuff inside. The house had an old-school wooden charm, like time just stopped inside it. On the sides of the house was a yard with little trees and cobbled paths. There was a pool as well, but it was out of order. A patio with a grill and benches sat at the center of the yard, ready for the cookout.

Inside, Nene led us up a spiral staircase. There was a couch, a TV, and four beds (two doubles, two singles) arranged as best they could in the small space.

“Welcome to your royal chambers,” Nene joked. “May they be worthy of your greatness.”

“Dibs on a single bed!” Nami called.

“Same, man” Auri said, plopping onto one.

“Wanna share a bed?” I asked Mei Mei.

She nodded right away.

“That means you two are stuck together,” Nami said, pointing to Nene and Bel.

“Wait, what?” Nene gasped, stunned at how fast we’d set it out. “But I’m the host!” she protested.

“Tough luck, mate,” Nami shrugged.

“I’ll take the couch,” Bel groaned.

“Ehh, wouldn’t recommend it,” Nene warned. “One of the legs is loose.”

“So I’m stuck with you, then?” Bel grumbled.

“W-well, um... no choice,” Nene said, not meeting her eyes.

Nami cracked up.

“So, what now?” she asked, tossing her stuff on the bed.

“Wanna play some board games downstairs?” Nene suggested.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Nami said.

While they chatted, I quietly checked the diaper between my legs. Yup, wet. Not super surprising.

“Uh... sorry guys,” I mumbled. Maybe it was because I’d gotten used to how they taught us to speak at the support group, but I ended up admitting it out loud with a sigh. “I, uh, need a change...”

“Aww, it’s okay,” Nene said, squeezing my hand. “I’ll show you where the bathroom is. Anyone else need, um, a change before we play?”

Mei Mei silently raised her hand.

“Cool. The rest of you chill here. We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

A little later, after I got changed and put on a dry diaper, we all gathered in the downstairs living room. That’s when Nene, grinning like a gremlin, pulled out the heavy artillery.

“UNO?!” we all yelled when she held up the deck.

“Bruh, are you seriously trying to kill our friendship already?” Bel groaned.

“What’s the point of friendship if you can’t mess with each other? Spice it up a little, you know?” Nene shot back, clearly loving the drama.

“Oh, you want some spice? Cool,” Nami grinned. “Loser with the most cards at the end of each round has to do a dare. Nothing bad or awkward, just... spicy.”

“You’re evil, Nami,” Nene said, laughing. “I’m down.”

Right then, Nene’s mom walked into the room.

“Girls, I’m heading over to the neighbor’s for a bit. If anything happens, let me know, Irene. Be good.”

“Of course, mom,” Nene replied, all innocent and sweet.

“Terrifying,” Bel whispered. “How does she switch it on like that?”

We sat down around the coffee table, with its little woven cloth. Nene cracked open the box and gave the cards a good shuffle.

“Seven for you, seven for you, seven for you…”

I checked my hand: four green numbers, one green skip, one red, one blue. Classic UNO trash luck for me.

“So loser does a dare,” Nene repeated. “Winner gets to pick.”

We started off chill. The first round was easy, quiet even. Auri was on my right, Mei Mei on my left. She didn’t really remember the rules, so Nene explained as we went.

“You gotta draw two cause I put this down,” Nene said. “Unless you have another +2 to stack. Then the next poor soul gets four.”

Luckily, Mei Mei didn’t have one, because I was that next poor soul, and I could swear the +2s and +4s always followed me around like a curse.

About fifteen minutes in, Auri casually dropped a card and went, “Uno.”

“Already? What the heck?” Bel said. “Lili, stop her!”

“Uuuuu… what do I do??” I mumbled.

I managed to skip her when it was my turn, but it didn’t matter. Next time around, I had nothing else for her.

“Thaaank you,” she said in the flattest voice, tossing down her last card.

“NOOOOO,” Nene wailed. Her hand was overflowing.

“If you play with fire, you’ll get burned,” Nami said like a wise monk.

“Alright, what’s my dare?” Nene groaned.

“Hmmm…” Auri tapped her chin. “Okay. For the next round, you have to talk like a cat. Begin and end every sentence with ‘meow’.”

“PFFFFT,” Bel absolutely lost it.

Nene slapped her hands over her face.

“Meow, you suck, meow.”

“HAHAHA. And don’t forget to keep that up when you’re explaining stuff to Mei Mei,” Bel cackled.

“Meow, got it, meow…”

Auri turned out to be a total UNO menace. Another win, more of us down in flames. This time, they had wiped the floor with me.

“Lili, umm…” she said thoughtfully, “This round, you have to talk like Miss Lourdes.”

“Nooo, not the civics teacher,” Bel gasped.

I felt myself die a little inside.

Miss Lourdes was a soft-spoken sixty-year-old with the tiniest voice. Not even old-sounding, just dainty and high-pitched. Always calling us “sweetie” and “darling.” I remember once, Adrián came to get his civics test, and she just squinted, smiled, and softly said, “You failed, sweetheart.”

Just three words and a grin from ear to ear. I gathered all my mental strength not to burst out laughing. I still count that as a personal victory.

And now I had to become her.

“Alright, my dear,” I said in my best imitation, and everyone exploded laughing.

“Don’t let her stop talking,” Nami said. “This is gold.”

I kept getting demolished. Twelve cards deep. Then the order was reversed and Auri hit me with a +4.

“You good, Lili? No hard feelings?” she asked sweetly.

“Oh, my darling child,” I said in that teacher voice, squinting. “You have no idea how much quiet fury I’m holding in, sweetheart.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Auri gasped.

“HAHAHAHA.”

“I CAN’T,” Bel was rolling off the couch, wheezing.

Shock to no one: Auri won again. At least this time the loser was Nene once more.

“I’m just saying, someone else should start picking dares,” Bel said. “This is just Auri vs. the world now. My abs hurt.”

“Maybe you should try winning,” Auri teased. “But okay, fine. You pick the dare this time.”

“Me?!” Bel was still trying to breathe. “Um, hmm…” She put a hand on her chin and looked at Nene, then got this weird look. “No, no, never mind.”

“What?” Nene asked. “Spill it.”

“Nope. It’s too much.”

“Girl, you’re just making me more curious,” Nene folded her arms.

“Say it,” Auri joined in. “Or I’m giving dares to both of you.”

“Alright, alright. Fine,” said Bel, closing her eyes. “You don’t have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable, though.”

“Come onnn,” Nene said.

“Okay.” Bel took a breath. “I dare you... to spend the rest of the day wearing just your shirt and a diaper.”

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 3, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Content: Chapter 8 - Diaper Night

The room went totally quiet. Nene blinked a few times, taking in what Bel had just said. Then, to everyone’s shock, she gave a little shrug.

“So that’s how we’re doing things now, huh?” she said. “Alright, I respect that. I’m in. I’ll go grab one.”

Bel’s jaw dropped. “Wait, seriously? You’re really gonna do it?!”

“Uh-huh.” Nene had already started walking toward the spiral stairs. “But brace yourself, Maribel Haro,” she called over her shoulder, “because now… it is on.”

Bel just gulped as Nene disappeared upstairs. A few minutes later, she came back down, no longer wearing her black pants. Her white shirt with the floral print only half-covered the pearly-white diaper she had on now.

“Ahem, ahem,” she announced as she came down.

Seeing her like that hit me in a weird way. I’d never seen anyone other than me wearing one before. Much less someone my age. I sank into my chair a little, fiddling with my sleeve as Nene strolled back to the table.

“I can’t believe you actually did that,” Bel said, still stunned.

Nene flopped down with way too much elegance and picked up the cards for another round. And somehow, the luck flipped. She beat Auri the next round, and Bel came in dead last.

“NOOO WAY,” Bel shrieked when she saw her hand. “This is rigged.”

“You know what the dare is,” Nene said with a smug grin. “Not saying it again.”

“All day?” Bel’s voice cracked. “Like... the whole day??”

Nene just nodded.

Nami burst out laughing. “If you play with fire, you’ll get bu…”

“Yeah, yeah, we heard you the first time,” Bel cut in. “Ugh, fine. Gimme a sec.”

After that, the rules were clear: loser had to wear the big dare. Somehow Nami got Auri to lose next, and off she went. Then came a few chill rounds just to ease up, but Auri bounced back with a vengeance, and suddenly, Nami was the one headed off to change. Now it was just Mei Mei and me still in normal clothes.

“Last round!” Nene said. “Dad’s gonna arrive anytime soon.”

“Wait, but like... what are we supposed to do with…?” Nami glanced down at herself.

“Yeah, though, for real” Auri said.

“Relax,” Nene said, shuffling. “We’ll just throw our pants back on while he’s around. But the diapers stay on.”

“Fair enough,” Nami said. “Let’s do that, except for you.”

“Hey, what? Why me?!”

“It’s your dad, not ours!” Nami snickered.

“No wayyyy. Either we all do it or no one does.”

The last round was anticlimactic as heck. I played terribly, drew a million cards. Nami took the win. I knew what that meant.

“Lili!” she beamed. “Wanna take the dare?”

“You’re giving it to Lili?” someone asked.

“You can always swap it if you’re not up for it.”

The others chimed in as Nami gave me the dare. Mei Mei and I had lost a few times already, but nobody had dared us until now. Maybe they were being nice? Or maybe they didn’t know how to approach it. But Nami and I had gotten close. I guess this was bound to happen.

Still, I hesitated. “Uhh...” I glanced away.

As more and more of them ended up in just T-shirts and diapers, that weird fluttery feeling in my chest only got stronger. It felt kind of like stage fright: lots of nerves, a weird discomfort… but also a strange, fluttery excitement that I couldn’t quite figure out.

“Mhm...” My voice came out soft, shaky. I didn’t even know if it was nerves or... something else. “Okay. I-I’ll do it.”

I stood up, took a deep breath, and pulled down my skirt in front of everyone. Underneath, the diaper was plain to see. Nami gave me a big thumbs-up. I managed a tiny, awkward smile and sat back down.

“Well, Mei Mei,” Bel said, “looks like you’re the only lucky one tonight. Big round of applause for our real winner!”

We all laughed and clapped, but I noticed something in Mei Mei’s face behind her hoodie. She wasn’t smiling.

Then, out of nowhere, she stood up and yanked down her pleated skirt.

“WHAAAT?!”

“Mei Mei?! What the heck?” Bel gasped.

“I don’t know...” Mei Mei mumbled, shaking her head. “I just... don’t wanna be the odd one out anymore.”

Something tightened in my chest. Maybe that’s why I’d felt so weird this whole time. There I was, at my first sleepover ever, with this group of girls I’d only known for a month now. But they were like me. And now, sitting here like this, all of us wearing diapers… we were finally normal. This was where I belonged.

“Aww, Mei Mei...” Bel got up and hugged her tight.

I stood up too, my heart pushing me forwards. I paused for a sec, then stepped closer.

“C-can I...?” I asked softly, wanting in on the hug.

Mei Mei gave a little nod.

One by one, the others joined. We all huddled together, warm and close. I let out a long sigh I didn’t know I had been holding, and a few tears slipped down my cheeks. We just stood there, holding onto each other.

“This might be the first time UNO actually brings people together instead of ending friendships,” Nami muttered. breaking the silence.

And we all burst out giggling.

“Girls…” I sniffled, wiping my face. “Um… s-sorry if this sounds weird or cheesy, but…” I glanced down, “thanks for wanting to be my friends.”

“Liliii,” they all groaned affectionately, and Nami and Nene started sniffling too.

“Oh no, no, I’m not crying today,” Bel said, squinting her eyes shut, “But yeah. Same. Thank you all. I… I really didn’t think…”

She stopped. Any more and the waterworks would’ve started.

“Thanks for bringing us here today, Nene,” Nami said.

“And thanks for saying yes,” the oldest one replied with a smile.

Just then, the sound of a car rolled up beyond the brick wall.

“Crap, it’s Dad,” Nene said, pulling away from the hug. “Quick, girls, cover up! Time for lunch.”

“And after that...” Nami began.

“Back to diaper mode,” Nene finished.

“But what about your mom?” Auri asked.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Nene said, with a wink. “She’s used to my nonsense.”

A little later, we went out to meet Nene’s dad at the gate. He was tall and slim, with a thick mustache and little streaks of gray starting to show. Nene introduced us, and right then her mom showed up again. Time to prepare for lunch. Nene, Bel, and Auri headed to the patio to help Mr. Esparza set up for the cookout. Meanwhile, Nami, Mei Mei, and I followed Mrs. Esparza back to the cabin to throw together the veggie lasagna, a few salsas, and lemon water.

By three, we were all at the patio, ready to eat. Nene and Bel brought their prized bags of chips (which they had practically guarded with their lives at the supermarket) and dropped them right in the middle of the table.

“Whichever chips get eaten first wins,” Bel whispered, dead serious.

“You’re on,” Nene said, and they shook on it.

What they didn’t plan for was the downpour that would hit later that evening. We’d already finished eating and were just hanging out, chatting with Nene’s parents, when a crazy gust of wind came out of nowhere and sent napkins, cups, and, to their horror, the remaining chips flying.

“NOOOOO!” they both yelled at the same time.

Nene’s dad glanced up at the thick clouds overhead.

“You should probably head out soon, honey,” Mrs. Esparza said to him. “Before the road gets ugly.”

He said quick goodbyes and headed off while we scrambled to clean up and grab everything from the table. The wind kept picking up, and the sky got darker by the second.

“Lili, seriously, lemme grab half those plates,” Bel said, seeing me juggling all of them. She came over to help.

We just barely made it inside before the rain started for real. One minute it was a sprinkle. Next thing we knew, it was pouring. The rain hammered the cabin roof and windows at a steady pace.

“Well, girls, looks like we’re stuck in for now,” Nene’s mom said, hands on hips. “Wanna watch a movie or something? There’s a DVD player upstairs, and a whole drawer of options. Go on, sweetie, show them.”

“Yup, on it,” Nene said. “Let’s go, girls!”

She led us up the spiral staircase, but halfway up she turned and poked her head through the railing.

“Mom, just a heads up: we’re switching into diapers, so don’t freak if you come up later.”

I froze. My eyes darted to Mrs. Esparza. She blinked a little, but then just nodded like it was nothing.

“Already showing off your weird habits?” she teased.

“Moooom,” Nene groaned. “It’s not…”

“It’s just to be comfy, Mrs. Esparza,” Nami jumped in, trying to smooth things over. “We all agreed on it.”

Mrs. Esparza gave a small smile.

“Alright, then. Just don’t let this girl lead you all astray. She looks sweet as an angel, but there’s a little gremlin hiding in there sometimes.”

Nene’s face turned even redder, and she looked away. Her mom handed us the bag of popcorn and went back downstairs.

“A gremlin, huh? Didn’t see that coming,” Bel said with a smirk.

“Shut up,” Nene muttered, stomping up the rest of the stairs.

“So what movie are we thinking?” Nami asked once we were all up there.

“What about some horror?” Auri suggested.

“Yeah, fits the vibe,” Bel said, glancing at the rainy windows.

“What about you two?” Nami asked Mei Mei and me.

“Horror’s good,” Mei Mei said softly.

“Count me in,” I nodded.

“But first…” Nami said, eyeing everyone’s bottoms.

We all got the memo. Without saying anything, we ditched our pants and skirts, leaving only the diapers below. Nene turned on the DVD player, and Auri pulled three DVDs out of the drawer.

“Any of these work?” she asked.

The options were: “The Seer,” some mockumentary about a lady living in the woods; “Exit,” a thriller where a bunch of friends got trapped in a subway station; and “There,” some creepy Asian flick from last year I hadn’t seen yet.

“My sister bought that one,” Nene said, pointing at the last. “She said it’s kinda long, but totally worth it.”

Most of us had seen the first two already, so we went with that one. Nene grabbed some floor cushions (since the couch was busted), handed out light blankets, and we all circled up around the low table. Every little crinkle from our diapers echoed in the room whenever someone moved.

The movie opened with a foggy jungle village. The camera glided past the trees and stopped on an old house covered in vines, with two creepy wooden statues guarding the front door. Strange, off-key music started playing, while the real storm kept pounding away outside.

I curled up between Nami and Mei Mei on our cushion. Nami put her arm around me, and Mei Mei leaned her head on my shoulder.

The first part of the movie dragged a bit, but the tension built steadily, little by little. By the second act, the main character was creeping through a moldy hallway with just a flashlight. Then, something moved. A shadow behind a mirror. No music cue. No sound. The camera just… stayed there. Waiting.

“Girls…”

A whisper came from the stairs. We all screamed.

It was Mrs. Esparza, looking a little guilty, holding a tray. Nene hit pause.

“Mom!” she gasped, clutching her chest.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said, coming closer. “Brought hot chocolate. Weather’s bad outside.”

She dropped off the tray and went back downstairs.

“Holy crap, she nearly gave me a heart attack,” Bel muttered.

“Not as much as Auri,” Nami said, eyeing the black-haired girl.

“Huh-? What do you mean, man? What did I even do?” Auri asked, still wide-eyed but with her same monotone voice.

Auri was usually the chilliest of us, but that night, we realized jumpscares were her kryptonite. She liked creepy vibes and suspense, but as soon as something jumped out, it was game over. Ironic, considering that she’d been the one to suggest a horror movie.

The movie ended eventually. We just sat there for a while in silence, letting it all sink in.

“So?” Nami asked. “Thoughts?”

“Loved it,” Mei Mei said right away.

Total opposite of Auri, that girl was like 95% horror-proof. I felt her flinch once or twice while leaning on me, but the rest of the time she was completely calm, like she was watching a rom-com, or anything other than a horror movie.

“The ending dragged a bit,” I said, “but yeah, it was cool.”

“Just for the record, you two are not okay,” Nene mumbled, still shaking.

We headed downstairs later for a light dinner, still in our diapers, not even bothering to cover up. Nene’s mom fixed us something to eat, and later, we brushed our teeth and got ready for bed. Even though we had more stuff we wanted to do, our eyes were already giving up.

“You better not snore or I’m kicking you off the bed,” Bel told Nene as they got in together.

“I have host immunity,” Nene said, pulling up the blanket. “You can’t touch me. I am protected.”

“Knock it off, you two,” Auri muttered, already half-asleep on her pillow.

“Good night, girls,” Nami said. “Sleep tight.”

Mei Mei and I got into the other bed, side by side.

“So, what’d you think of today?” I whispered.

“I had such a good time…” she whispered back. Even in the dark, I could feel her smiling. “I really hope we get to do this again.”

“Yeah… me too,” I said, letting out a breath.

“You know, your voice is really soft. Makes me feel calm.”

No one had ever said that to me before.

“Th-thanks…” I whispered back, unsure what else to say. “Night, Mei Mei.”

“Night, Lili.”

That was the first of many nights like that with my friends. That was our first real night together. The first night I didn’t mind needing diapers. Maybe they were annoying sometimes, but they were part of me. And part of the story I was starting to write with the first true friends I ever had.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 7, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Content: Chapter 9 - Matching Necklaces

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

“And what am I supposed to do with this diaper now?”

That was the first thing that popped into my head when I woke up. I just sat there on the bed for a bit, trying to figure out what to do. And then Nami woke up.

“Ugh, I’m all wet…” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Lili, is it cool if I toss my diaper in the bathroom trash?”

I nodded. “I’ll take it out in the morning.”

She got out of bed and grabbed some wipes from her suitcase. I stood up and stretched. My pajama shirt rode up a little, showing the waistband of my diaper.

“You gonna keep that on?” she said, pointing at my waist.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, grabbing my glasses from the nightstand and putting them on. “Feels like a waste to throw it out… but we’re going to Mei Mei’s.”

Nami shrugged as she walked toward the bathroom.

“If you wear a skirt, no one’ll even notice,” she said. “But I really don’t think it’s a big deal either way. You know what Nene and Bel think, and I doubt Mei Mei would care if she notices.”

“Yeah… you’re probably right,” I sighed.

Nami suddenly turned around halfway to the bathroom and dug into her suitcase. She held up her last diaper with a grin.

“Make you a deal,” she said. “I’ll wear one too. For Mei Mei’s. We’ll match, mm?”

I gave her a small, thankful smile.

“Buuut…” She winked. “You better remind me to buy another pack later, hehe.”

I laughed. “If you want, I can chip in. We can buy a big pack to share.”

Nami raised her eyebrows, looking half surprised, half impressed.

“Well well well… that’s more like the Lili I know,” she said, backing into the bathroom with a smirk.

10:25 AM. The wind felt nice on my face as I looked out the window from the back seat. This part of town was still pretty new. Just a few neighborhoods built, and a bunch of empty lots where you could see the hills and open land at the edge of Rincón de Rosales. It was so fresh and light compared to the heavy air of the central part of town. We were just a few minutes away from Bosques del Sur, Mei Mei’s place.

It made sense that she moved somewhere like this. On the way over, Bel filled us in on what had happened to her. It all started right after spring break in the second year of middle school. Mei Mei started acting different. She always looked drained, exhausted. Not just during classes, she was out of it even when they were just hanging out. The rest thought maybe she was depressed, especially since it had only been three months since I left… but no, something else was going on. Soon, a dry, persistent cough settled in her throat.

“I remember she’d sweat a ton, even when it wasn’t hot,” Nene said. “And she barely ate at school. Like, no appetite at all.”

Then, on April 28, it happened. In the middle of an English class presentation, she just started coughing nonstop. And when she stopped… she looked down at her sleeve and saw blood.

They rushed her to the hospital, and she never set foot in our school again. It turned out that it was active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Auri, Nene, and Bel tried to visit her, but Mei Mei’s mom said no. She was contagious by then and had to stay completely isolated, stuck in her room for weeks.

Mei Mei’s mom was in close contact with the other girls’ parents. So, around the time when the girls got their first phones, she got one for Mei Mei too, so she wouldn’t feel so alone.

“We made a group chat,” Bel said. “Sent her memes, selfies, dumb stuff… did video calls every now and then. She didn’t talk much, just listened to us rant about school and life.”

“She looked so sad, though,” Nene added. “You could tell, just from her eyes.”

And that’s how she slowly drifted away from the group. When she finally recovered, she had to repeat the grade, but her parents transferred her to a smaller middle school closer to home.

Less stress, less health risks.

“Oh, Mei Mei…” I sighed.

“The good thing is she got better,” Bel said. “She can’t run around or sing as much as before, but she’s been fine for a while now.”

“That sucks though,” Nami said, leaning back in her seat. “She used to sing all the time when she felt comfy around someone.”

“I know. She told me she’s thinking of taking lessons again once she’s out of college,” Bel said.

At the gate of the neighborhood, Bel spoke to the security guard.

“Good morning! I’m heading to house #174 on Moras Street. Maribel Haro.”

Moras Street was the first right. The houses all looked neat: white walls, red-tiled roofs, cute little front yards. We pulled up in front of a house with a big jacaranda tree out front. “This is it,” Bel said, unbuckling.

The four of us got out and walked up to the door. As I stepped down, I felt the soft brush of the diaper under my skirt. Nami came up and took my arm with another quick wink.

“You’re good,” she whispered.

We stood by the door. Instead of ringing, Bel pulled out her phone.

“She told me not to ring. Her dog goes nuts,” she said, texting her.

Then a thought hit me.

“You did tell her Nami and I were coming, right?”

Bel froze.

“…Oh shit. No. Crap.”

“WHAT?!” Nami and I shouted at the same time.

And then, we heard the door unlock.

Standing there was the silhouette of a girl, a little shorter than me. Hair tied in a ponytail, exactly how she used to wear it. Black band tee, and old red headphones hanging around her neck. Her eyes scanned Nene and Bel, familiar faces, and then locked onto the two girls behind them.

She gasped.

23-year-old Mei Mei took a step back. Didn’t say a word. Her eyes were moving fast, taking everything in. Every single detail of Nami and me.

“Mei…” Bel tried to say something.

Still silent, Mei Mei slowly walked up to us. Nene and Bel stepped aside, and then she hugged us.

No crying. No talking. Just a tight, warm hug filled with the weight of memory. Nami and I looked at each other and smiled, hugging her back. I gently rested my hand on the head of my dear friend. I could feel her holding on tight to the back of my dress.

“Girls?” came a voice from inside. “Is everything alright?”

Her mom. Same thick hair as her daughter, with her reading glasses on. She came up looking worried, until she saw Nami and me, still hugging Mei Mei.

“Liliana? Naomi?” Her face lit up. “Oh my, look at you two! You’ve grown up so much!”

Mei Mei let go and squeezed herself between Nami and me, grabbing both our hands. I squeezed hers tight.

“Go on, come in,” her mom said.

Bel and Nene were already crying, wiping each other’s tears as they stepped inside. The rest of us followed hand in hand. We all sat in the living room while her mom went to make tea. We were still holding hands when Mei Mei finally spoke.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she whispered.

Nami leaned on her shoulder.

“We’re back, Mei Mei.”

She turned to me and met my eyes.

“I missed you so much,” I whispered. My voice was shaking a little.

I could see a few teardrops peeking beneath her eyes.

After about an hour of chatting with Mei Mei and her mom in the living room, Bel said:

“Hey, I was thinking… How about this?” She glanced at her phone. “I work the afternoon shift at the pharmacy today, 2 to 9, at the Punto Rosa location. I was thinking, I could drop you all at the plaza to hang out. Y’know, eat something, maybe shop a bit. Then when I’m done... we catch a movie?”

“That mall still exists?” Nami said.

“They remodeled it,” Bel said. “They say it’s called a ‘plaza’ now. But yeah, same spot.”

“I’m down,” Nami said.

“Me too,” I said, then turned to Mei Mei. “You wanna come? Girls’ afternoon. All of us together.”

Saying all of us felt heavy. We were still missing one. But for now... this was what we had.

Mei Mei glanced at her mom, then down to the floor. We waited. Soon, her lips curved into a small but sincere smile.

“Your voice still makes me feel calm,” she said softly. Then she looked up again. “Yeah. I wanna go.”

“Yay! Let’s gooo, then!” Nene jumped up from the couch.

Between the drive and traffic, we made it to the plaza around 12:30. As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted the old supermarket. Our classic meetup spot back in the day before sleepovers at Nene’s cabin. It looked brand new now. The janky old sign was gone, replaced by a shiny new logo. The building was painted a fresh light green instead of the faded ash green I remembered from our childhood.

“Are we even in a town anymore?” Nami asked, eyeing the plaza.

Bel pointed to a horse-drawn carriage passing by outside. “See that calandria over there? I think that answers your question.”

“That horse is gorgeous,” Mei Mei said, watching the chestnut-colored horse go by.

“Yeah… it just sucks they still use them like that, though,” I added, watching it disappear down the road.

We headed for the main entrance. There was a fountain in the middle, surrounded by flowerbeds full of white and pink flowers. The water made a soft splashy sound that blended with the chatter of the people walking by.

Since Bel still had time, we wandered around for a bit, checking out some accessory and stationery stores. In one of them, Nami spotted a shooting star keychain and bought it without thinking twice.

“At least you’ve kinda outgrown that impulse shopping thing, huh?” Nene teased.

“You’re one to talk!” Nami shot back. “Cause those stickers you bought earlier are essential household supplies, right?”

Nene looked away, red-faced.

“I’m giving this one to Nami,” Bel said.

“Shut uuuup, you!”

While they kept bantering, Mei Mei and I wandered over to the jewelry section. There, I spotted an adorable pair of matching chain necklaces: each had a tiny silver tree, split in half. One side was connected to a little crescent moon, and the other had an owl perched on a branch.

“These are adorable,” I said, grabbing the moon one.

Mei Mei picked up the owl. She held it up under the store lights and watched it sparkle. We locked eyes. I already knew what she was thinking.

“Wanna get them together?” I asked.

She nodded, smiling.

We went to pay. As soon as we got them, we took them out of the boxes and put them on right then and there.

Back when we were kids, there was always something very special about my bond with Mei Mei. I mean, I could probably say that about all five of my friends in different ways… but I felt that Mei Mei and I were on the same wavelength. We were both quiet, more on the calm side. But once we got comfortable, though, we’d get lost in long, deep convos about animal facts, science, bands, movies, drawing… It was thanks to those things that us two quiet little weirdos had adopted each other as friends.

Having her back now… it honestly made me feel at peace.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 10, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Content: Chapter 10 - A Quick Stop for Supplies

“Later, girls!” Bel waved as she turned to go. “Have fun!”

“Your break’s at five, right, babe?” Nene gave her a quick kiss. “Wanna grab something to eat then?”

“If you want, go ahead and order a bit before I clock out,” Bel said. “I only get half an hour. I’ll meet you there.”

“Cool, we’ll text you where we are,” Nene said.

Bel headed up the escalator to the second floor. When she got to the top, she turned right and hurried off, disappearing into the crowd.

“Wanna keep looking around?” Nami asked.

We spent the first couple hours browsing clothes. There weren’t as many options as the malls in my city, but it was alright. There were still a ton of cute things I would've totally bought if I had a little more cash to spare.

Mei Mei stuck with me most of the time, though she’d occasionally wander off with Nami or Nene to check out some tops, dresses, or shoes. Eventually, she slipped on her noise-canceling headphones to block out the crowd noise.

At one store, Nami and Nene went into the fitting rooms with a handful of clothes, while Mei Mei and I stayed outside on the little bench, chatting.

“Hey, look,” she said.

She scrolled through her phone and held it up. It was a picture of her on a boat in the open sea, throwing up double peace signs with a giant smile, while a pod of orcas swam by in the background.

“We went on a trip in December, me and my parents, and, and...”

“No waaay!” I put a hand over my mouth. “They swam right past you?”

Mei Mei nodded. Her legs were swinging back and forth like a kid.

“They’re majestic up close. I love them.”

Later in the afternoon, we headed up toward the food court. That’s when something hit me.

“Nami...” I whispered, walking beside her.

She gave me a curious look. “Yeah?”

“If we’re staying till late, when are we supposed to get... you know?”

Her eyes widened. “Shoot. Right. Totally forgot.”

“You girls good?” Nene asked, noticing our weird faces.

“Yeah, it’s just...” Nami scratched her head. “I forgot I need to get some... supplies. Like, urgently.”

Nene gave her a look and immediately got what she meant. Mei Mei tilted her head.

“We should go to Bel’s place then. It’s the only pharmacy nearby,” Nene said.

“Oh, you still use them, Nami?” Mei Mei asked, totally deadpan now that she was connecting the dots. She’d always been very direct about this kind of stuff.

Nami went a little pink but nodded. Mei Mei smiled and gently linked arms with her, expressing her support.

This was the third time I’d seen Nami explain this to one of us. She always looked a bit embarrassed, naturally, but she never lied. Never tried to dodge the truth. She just... owned it. I didn’t know how she did it, but I really admired that about her.

“Alrighty, let’s go,” Nene said, already heading toward the pharmacy.

Bel worked at a SANI Pharmacy, tucked between an optical place and a laser hair removal clinic. It wasn’t super big. White walls, narrow aisles… Felt more like a convenience store or a mini-mart rather than a pharmacy. The register was in the back, probably where Bel was.

The four of us stood outside for a sec.

“You want us to wait here?” Nami asked. “Lili’s coming in with me.”

“Hmm… I dunno,” Nene said. “What do you think, Mei Mei? Wanna gang up on Bel?”

“Sure.” Mei Mei shrugged. “Don’t mind.”

“Let’s see how she reacts when she sees us.” Nene giggled.

We walked in one by one, Nami in front. First aisle on the right had baby diapers and maternity stuff. And right next to that, the adult diapers. As soon as I spotted them, that weird feeling kicked in again. The little voice in my head started creeping in, but this time, I cut it off quick:

“Come on, Liliana. You’re literally wearing one right now. Keep it together.”

I took a breath, pushed forward, and followed Nami. Halfway down the aisle, she turned.

“Hmm... they don’t have the ones I usually get. Hey, Lili, help me pick ones.”

“Huh? M-me?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you say you’d chip in?”

“Oooh, really now, Lili?” Nene teased behind me.

I jumped a bit and turned to find Mei Mei watching me.

“You too, Lili?” she asked, no hesitation.

“Uh, I, um…” I fumbled.

Then I felt Nami’s hand on my shoulder. A light and calm touch.

I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to keep hiding anymore. I needed a bit of Nami’s courage and confidence to pull through.

I took a second, stood up straight, and looked Mei Mei in the eye.

“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t need them like Nami anymore, but... I like wearing them sometimes.”

“Oooh, I see. Same as Nene.” Mei Mei nodded, tapping her chin. Guess she already knew about Nene and Bel. “It’s okay. I think it’s kinda cute.”

I smiled. Behind her, Nene gave me a thumbs-up, and Nami gave my shoulder a soft squeeze.

In the end, Nami and I didn’t pick the diapers. It was Nene who did the picking for us. She reached for a pack from the top shelf. Not a brand I’d seen before. Pastel pink waistband, matching tapes. They didn’t look like any other medical diapers, but rather cute and cozy. She handed them over with a cheeky grin.

“Just make sure you go to the redhead cashier, hehehe,” she whispered with a smirk.

We made our way to the register. There, chatting with an older cashier, was Bel in her blue-and-white uniform. Right on cue, the other lady stepped into the back. That’s when Bel spotted us… and the giant pack in Nami’s hands. She froze.

“What the…!?” Bel nearly choked.

Her eyes darted between us and the diapers, and her face turned the exact same shade as her hair.

“Good afternoon, miss,” Nene stepped up. “We’d like to buy these, please.”

“O-of course,” Bel mumbled, looking anywhere but at us. “I’ll ring it up...”

Nami dropped the pack on the counter. Bel tried to stay professional while she scanned it. I handed Nami my half, and once we were done, Bel gave us a big bag for it.

“ARE YOU GUYS OUT OF YOUR MINDS!?” she hissed when she met up with us at the food court on her break.

We’d already stashed the pack in her van, since Nene had a spare key, and grabbed food while we waited for her.

“Okay, whose idea was it!?” she demanded, flustered.

Nami, Mei Mei, and I all pointed at Nene.

“Wow. So this is what betrayal feels like,” Nene said dramatically.

Turned out that brand was Bel’s nighttime go-to. We kept up giggling up the whole time we ate, teasing the poor thing about it while she pouted over her food.

Once Bel was off work, we crossed the mall toward the movie theater.

“They built this like five years ago,” Bel explained, holding Nene’s hand. “It’s the only one in town now, since they tore down the old one from downtown.”

“They tore it down?” I asked.

“Yeah, nobody went anymore,” Mei Mei confirmed. “Wasn’t worth keeping, I guess.”

“That’s sad…” Nami said softly.

“Yeah, we had some fun memories there,” Nene added with a sigh.

We were halfway to the theater when two women walked out of a restroom ahead of us. One of them was around fifty, long black hair down her back.

Then I saw the other one… and froze. I felt the others do the same. Her straight hair, the same shade as her mother’s, reached just above her shoulders and was held back with a simple white headband. Her face was delicate, her eyes deep, and she was nearly as tall as Nami.

It was Auri. And she had seen us too.

What I first thought was surprise and disbelief on her face quickly faded into deep hurt. You could tell what she was thinking: the five of us together after all this time, heading to a movie… and nobody had even told her.

“We’re going, Mom,” she said flatly.

She tugged her mom’s sleeve and pulled her away. Her posture was stiff, and her neck slouched. Her whole body had tensed up. Her mom looked over at us and raised an eyebrow, still confused.

“Auri, wait!” Bel called out. “Let me expla…”

“Let’s go, please,” Auri cut her off firmly, then walked away with her mom.

I wanted to chase her. I think we all did. But it was like our legs had rooted to the ground, just watching her disappear into the crowd on her way to the parking lot.

“…Let’s go home,” Bel said quietly.

No one argued.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jun 19, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Content: Chapter 11 - Welcome Night

“She’s still not picking up,” Bel mumbled, sitting down on the old wooden floor of Secret Base with a defeated look.

It had been two days since we ran into Auri, and we had agreed to meet early at Secret Base to figure out how we were gonna talk to her.

“Don’t call her again, Bel,” I said, slowly pacing the room. “We’ll just gonna stress her out more.”

“But we haven’t even explained what really happened,” she said, brushing her hair back with shaky fingers. “W-we didn’t mean anything bad. We were just… trying to figure out how to ease her into it…”

“I know. I know.” I said softly. I sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug.

Mei Mei was curled up on one of the bean bags, completely focused on her phone. She kept typing for a bit, then finally looked up.

“Okay, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner,” she said, shifting in her seat and lowering her phone. “I still have her mom’s number. I just messaged her.”

“Did you tell her what’s going on?” Nene asked from across the room.

“Not everything,” Mei Mei admitted. “Just asked if she could help us talk to Auri.”

“I think we should do it ourselves,” Nami chimed in, settling onto another bean bag. “Can you ask her mom if it’s okay for us to come over?”

Mei Mei nodded and turned her phone screen back on.

“I should’ve just told her right away,” Bel sighed beside me.

“There’s no way we could’ve known we’d run into her like that,” Nami said gently. “Let’s just try to stay calm, okay?”

“Nami’s right,” I added. “It’s nobody’s fault.”

We’d never actually said it out loud, but it was obvious that Bel was the leader of our group. Despite her tiny height, the girl had a whole lot of responsibility packed in her. Sometimes, though, that sense of responsibility made her worry a little too much… especially when it came to other people’s problems.

“There’s not much we can do right now anyway. We have to wait to hear back from her mom,” Nene said as she walked over and reached a hand out to Bel. “C’mon, let’s try to distract ourselves a bit. Whatever needs to happen will happen.”

Bel swallowed hard. With Nene and me helping her, she stood up slowly. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and let out a sniff.

“Feeling a bit better, babe?” Nene asked, brushing a thumb over her cheek.

“Mm-hmm…” Bel gave a tiny nod and rested her hand over Nene’s.

Watching them made my chest feel warm. They’d come a long way since those dramatic teen years when they used to argue constantly… Okay, maybe they still did that, but underneath it all, you could feel their deep love and conviction to protect one another. I couldn’t wish for anything better for them.

Nami stood up and slowly wandered toward the wardrobe we’d hidden behind a few days ago. Next to it was the narrow staircase going downstairs. She paused at the top step, looking curiously.

“I’m gonna go check out the treasure room for a bit,” she said softly. “Kinda wanna see how it’s holding up.”

“I’ll come too,” I said, moving to join her.

“Let’s all go,” Nene added. “Might be fun to poke through some of our old stuff while we wait, yeah?”

The lower level of Secret Base wasn’t a place we’d hung out much as kids. The house didn’t have water or electricity, so the kitchen and bathroom were basically useless. But there was a little room next to the foyer that we turned into a sort of treasure room that symbolized our friendship. Board games, little keepsakes, and all the random stuff we didn’t know where else to put.

We went down the creaky stairs into the foyer. Even though the wood was worn and scratched after all this time, everything was clean. No mold, no dust clouds. I think there was just a single spiderweb in one corner, but that was it. Bel had definitely been taking good care of the place.

The treasure room didn’t even have a door. It was just an open frame and a window that let in soft morning light. Along the far wall stood our makeshift altar: a stepped wooden shelf full of tiny treasures and mementos from our childhood.

I was the first to walk up to it. Every object there held the soul of some little piece of our past. One in particular caught my eye, and I reached out, gently picking it up and blowing off the dust.

It was a toy hourglass. Its black caps were decorated with tiny clay roses. I remembered it perfectly. It was the one Auri and I had won together during Welcome Night.

Welcome Night happened at school every year in early May. It was run by the student council and the third-years from middle school (obviously, with the help of a bunch of teachers). Part of it was to help the new first-years bond a little more, but the main point was to welcome the sixth graders from elementary school, since they’d be joining us soon. Since I had only started going to that middle school, it was my first time attending.

That Friday, my mom dropped me off around 7 p.m. I had a little backpack with a water bottle, some snacks, and an emergency diaper, just in case, which was way at the bottom, hidden in a black bag. The security guard at the gate smiled and waved me in.

School felt kinda weird after dark. All the classrooms were locked and totally black. Some dim white lights lit up the outer wall. There weren’t many cars passing by at night either, since the school was up on a hill.

Soon, I ran into Nami, Bel, Mei Mei, and Auri on the way to the auditorium. Nene hadn’t come. Second-years weren’t technically invited, plus she had a big project due anyway.

Among all the familiar faces from first and third year, I spotted groups of sixth graders excitedly whispering and giggling to each other. After all, staying at school after dark was a big deal. And they probably felt like they were finally hanging with the “big kids” now.

“Did you guys come to this thing last year?” I asked.

“I did,” said Nami, grinning.

“Same,” Auri said, leaning back against the wall. “Pretty sure you three are the only new ones between us.”

“So… what are we actually doing tonight?” Bel asked, looking around.

“They change it up every year,” Auri explained. “No clue what they’ve got planned this time.”

“I just hope we get the bonfire thing again,” Nami said. “Last year that was really fun.”

Once we made it to the auditorium, a guy from student council was standing with a list. He asked for our names, and a girl next to him handed out glow bracelets and tiny flashlights as we got checked in. Auri and I got blue bracelets, the others got red.

“Naomi, Maribel, and Mei; you’re in the first group,” the girl said, pointing toward a bunch of kids sitting on the floor. “Liliana and Auriel, you two are in the second.”

Auri and I waved goodbye to the others and headed to our group. A few minutes later, the student council and third-years welcomed everyone and explained how things would go down. Each group would take a spooky night tour of the school, and two third-years would guide each group and tell us ghost stories as we walked around. While one group went exploring, the other would do bonding activities back in the auditorium with the sixth graders.

“I hate those dumb games,” Auri muttered to me.

We were sitting a bit off to the side, away from the rest.

“Yeah… same. People scare me,” I said. “Is anyone here from your class that you don’t get along with?”

“Nah. I mean, I don’t really talk to most of them anyway. You… you know why.”

By then, our friend group had that reputation already. Everyone in middle school knew we were the “bedwetters.” The only ones whose situations weren’t public were Nami and Nene, but even they started getting avoided just for hanging out with us. The rest of us were pretty much avoided like we had the plague.

Auri had it worst. She’d been at the school the longest, and while her accidents only happened at night now, elementary school had been rough. Too many embarrassing moments, too many rumors. People saw her as the source of this whole “bedwetter epidemy”.

“But honestly,” she added, crossing her legs, “these ‘bonding’ things are stupid. It’s just fake. Like, they want you to make friends with random kids just for the sake of it.”

“I think only extroverts actually like this stuff,” I said, laughing a little. Auri’s brutal honesty always cracked me up.

And sure enough, when the games were over, I left with the same number of friends I went in with: one. It was all the same old boring icebreakers. Nothing meaningful at all.

But just when I thought it had been a mistake to come to the Welcome Night, our spooky tour began. The other group came back to the auditorium, and the third-years called us up and led us outside.

We all walked downhill together, toward the elementary side of campus. Even though they gave us flashlights, the third-years told us not to use them yet.

“You’ll need them later,” one of them said. “For now, this one’s good enough.”

He flicked on his own flashlight. It was way brighter than the tiny ones we’d gotten.

I stuck close to Auri, walking slow. The path got flatter the further we went, and soon we were down by the elementary classrooms.

“Has anyone heard about Alejita?” the boy asked, lowering his voice dramatically.

He started telling us about this girl who had gone to the school and died under mysterious circumstances. Apparently, her ghost still wandered around at night, turning on lights or moving chairs, balls, or other stuff into weird places.

“My cousin told me about her too,” Auri whispered, while the guy kept talking. “She said back when she was in high school, she tried to do a whole report on Alejita for a class project. Like a coverage of some sorts?”

“Did she find anything?” I whispered back.

“Not really,” she said. “The principal quickly found out and shut it down. Made her change topics.”

“Yikes. That’s creepy,” I said, shivering a little.

“Or just super bitchy. Depends how you look at it,” Auri didn’t care much about holding back.

We kept walking around the elementary buildings After looping past the courts and around the back of the cafeteria, we headed uphill again, toward the middle and high school courts. The third-years took turns telling creepy school legends and ghost stories from around town. We all just followed the beam of light through the dark, all huddled together.

My heart was pounding the whole time. It was that kind of creepy feeling that could make your whole body go on high alert. You’d start thinking you saw something move, or swear you heard a sound, even though there wasn’t nothing there. However, it was weirdly fun and personal… especially with one of my best friends next to me.

A few minutes later, the tour wrapped up, and they led us back into the auditorium to explain the next activity: hide and seek in the dark.

We had to find a hiding spot, but we were only allowed around the middle and high school area, plus the nearby courts. They’d count to one hundred, and then the third-years would come looking with flashlights. If you made it back to the auditorium after ten minutes without getting caught, and you were one of the first three, you’d win a prize.

“Pssst! Lili, let’s go,” Auri waved at me the second the countdown started. “I’ve got the perfect spot.”

“W-wait, shouldn’t we tell the others?” I asked, looking around. “Maybe they wanna come too?”

But Auri just grabbed my hand and tugged me out.

“Bel and Nami are way too loud. They’ll get caught real quick,” she said. “Poor Mei Mei, but… we gotta ditch her this time. Don’t tell her I said that.”

She led me quietly down the hallway between the courts and the high school parking lot, with our flashlights dimly lighting the way. The lot itself was a patch of dirt carved into the hillside. In the middle, there was a stack of firewood. It was probably for the bonfire Nami had mentioned earlier.

“This way.” Auri pointed to a dirt slope at the end of the hallway, leading up to the edge of the parking lot, where the hill rose up like a natural wall.

“Wait... are we even allowed to be here?” I whispered, a little unsure.

“It’s still part of the high school area,” Auri said with a shrug. “And no one’s gonna look here.”

We climbed up the slope carefully so we wouldn’t fall. Once we got to the top, Auri turned to me and said:

“Lie down.”

Just then, a voice echoed from the auditorium, a guy shouting through a megaphone:

“Ready or not, here we come!”

I dropped down immediately, even though I didn’t wanna get my clothes dirty. Auri lay the other way, our heads pointing toward each other. For a while, we just stared up at the stars in silence.

“So, how did you even find this place?” I asked after a bit.

“Eh, I dunno, man. Just wandered around a lot, I guess? I used to come here a lot… to eat alone during recess. Y’know, before I met you guys.”

“It’s really peaceful up here. The breeze is nice too.”

“Yeah, and during the day you can see almost the whole school from here.”

“You probably miss that view now that you hang out with us,” I teased, smiling.

She paused. “Hmm… I mean, I guess I do like the view. But I dunno, I have fun with y’all.”

“Aww, really?” I grinned. “Even with Nami and Nene driving you crazy all the time? Or even me?”

I knew I wasn’t like Nami or Nene at all, but messing with Auri was fun. Around her, I could be silly and just enjoy myself.

“Hey, that’s just normal stuff. You know, goofing around a little,” she said. “I dunno. I guess I don’t really miss this spot that much anymore, cause I’m with… I dunno. Ughhh, what’s wrong with me? I keep saying ‘I dunno’ way too much.”

She groaned and messed up her own hair.

“Sorry, Lili. I’m not good with words. It’s just… fun. Hanging out with you guys.”

“I get it,” I said, smiling and putting my hands on my chest. “Even if it’s hard for you to say it, I’m really glad you’re with us. There’s a lot about you that I really respect and admire.”

“Oh my god, it’s not that deep,” she said, covering her face.

“No, I’m serious!” I laughed. “Like when we went to Punto Rosa with Mei Mei and they messed up our food and put onions in it. We were too scared to say anything, but you just got up and asked them to fix it with no hesitation.”

“I think you could’ve done it too if I wasn’t around,” Auri said.

“Maybe,” I said, “but it was cool knowing that you’ll always have our backs.”

“Wow, man, so dramatic. Chill,” she giggled, then continued in a monotone voice. “But… I guess I try to be the kind of person I’d wanna have around. Not for everyone, though. Just for people I trust.”

“I see. Guess we’re lucky then, huh?”

Before I could say anything else, the megaphone voice came back:

“Time’s up! First three to make it back win a prize!”

“What? Already?” I gasped.

“C’mon, Lili, let’s go,” Auri said, pulling me to my feet.

We snuck back the way we came, creeping between the lot and the courts, crouching behind cafeteria tables so no one would spot us. When we saw the auditorium door and realized no one else was there yet, Auri grabbed my hand again and we ran. We came in third.

After the game, everyone gathered in the auditorium again and they handed out prizes. Since Auri and I tied for third, we had to share.

“Alright, alright, show us the stuff!” Nami said, clapping as we walked over.

“Bruh, you’re literally the last person who should say that,” Bel said beside her, snapping her fingers. “You’re the reason we got caught in, like, five seconds.”

“Told you” Auri whispered.

“Hehe, smart call,” I whispered back, grinning.

The prize for third place came in a little paper bag. I peeled off the sticker and looked inside. A few chocolates (milk and dark), a small card, and a gorgeous little hourglass decorated by hand. We shared the chocolates with everyone, and I handed the hourglass to Auri. She turned it over and watched the sand start to fall.

“Whoa. It’s sooo pretty,” Nami said.

“Yeah, but like, what do you even do with an hourglass?” Bel asked.

Mei Mei noticed the card in my hand and pointed at it. “What does it say?”

I held it up so Auri could read with me. The text was in blocky letters, written in blue ink. I pushed up my glasses and started reading:

“With this hourglass comes a little reminder. Keep this card for when you need to come back to it. It’s better...”

Auri jumped in with me, and we finished reading it together:

“It’s better to waste time with friends than to lose friends to time.”

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jul 1, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Content: Chapter 12 - The Founders' Festival

Auri’s mom texted Mei Mei back not long after, while we were still rummaging through more of our old stuff in the treasure room.

“I’m gonna call her,” Mei Mei said, sitting up and tapping away on her phone. “She said Auri’s barely come out of her room these past couple days. I’ll explain what’s going on.”

I clutched the hourglass gently. The whole room seemed to let out a sigh that faded into the rest of the house. Mei Mei put the phone to her ear and waited. After a few minutes on the line, we got an answer.

“She can see us either this afternoon or tomorrow,” Mei Mei said once she hung up.

I glanced at the others and gave a little nod. “Let’s go today.”

Auri’s place was over by the bus station, not far from downtown. It was a four-story condo on a narrow but quiet street. Normally, I might’ve suggested taking Bel’s truck there, but the traffic that day was gonna be a disaster. Downtown was already swarming with people. It made sense: the Founders’ Festival was starting off that night.

So when the afternoon rolled around, we headed out on foot. I held the hourglass and the letter like they were good luck charms. If there was ever a time to hope for a miracle, this was it.

“Hey, girls. Come on in, come in.”

Auri’s mom greeted us at the gate when we showed up fifteen minutes later. She looked tired, but smiled warmly. I looked away a little when she greeted me. Knowing what was going on with Auri made it kind of awkward, even if it was just a misunderstanding.

She led us up to their apartment on the second floor. We dropped our stuff on the couch, and then quietly walked over to Auri’s door.

“I’ll give you all a moment,” her mom whispered before heading off.

Bel was leading the group, but she turned and gave me this unsure look. I smiled and touched her shoulder, and she took a breath before knocking.

“Auri…” she said gently. “Your mom let us in. We just… we wanted to talk.”

Complete silence.

“Look, this whole thing is just a misunderstanding. We didn’t mean to leave you out, or keep you in the dark, it’s just…” Bel hesitated.

“We were really worried about you,” I added softly. “Nami and I got back a few days ago and wanted to hang out with everyone. We weren’t sure how you’d react, and, well… we kept putting it off until we figured out how to approach you. I’m sorry.”

I stepped back. Nobody said anything else. We just stood there, waiting.

After a few seconds, we heard Auri’s voice through the door, flat and coarse.

“I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re back, but… I can’t see you right now. That’s all.”

My chest felt tight. We all looked at each other. Nene shook her head.

“Don’t push it,” she whispered.

So, we turned and walked back to the foyer together. Auri’s mom came back a moment later.

“I’m really sorry I couldn’t help more,” she said with a sigh. “Take the rest of the day to clear your heads. You should go to the Festival if you feel like it. I’ll try to talk to her later, but… she hasn’t really been doing great since the thing at work. Don’t take it personally, okay?”

What thing at work? The rest of us looked just as confused, but nobody asked. We just thanked her, grabbed our stuff, and left.

“Wait, did she lose her job?” Nami asked once we were outside.

“Or maybe something happened with her boss?” I guessed, though I knew Nami was probably right. “Or a coworker?”

“She never really talked about work with me,” Mei Mei said, frowning.

“Same here,” Nene added, holding Bel’s hand. “It’s always been kind of a touchy subject with her.”

“Everything is a touchy subject with her,” Bel muttered, then winced. “Ugh. Sorry… I didn’t mean it like that. I just really thought she’d hear us out.”

“We tried, babe. We can’t force her,” Nene said. “We can’t make miracles happen.”

Miracles…

“Wait. Oh, no.” I stopped dead in the street. My hands were empty.

“What happened, Lili?” Nami asked.

“I think I left the letter and the hourglass at her place.” I frantically checked my bag. Nothing. “They must’ve fallen out or I forgot them or something…”

Mei Mei texted Auri’s mom again, but she told her that she was already out running errands. Only Auri was home now.

“She says that, if they’re there, we can go back tomorrow and grab them,” Mei Mei whispered and gave me a little side hug. “I’ll let you know when she replies.”

Just like her mom had suggested, we decided to distract ourselves and head to the Festival. We grabbed food downtown and wandered to the plaza just as golden hour hit.

The church bells rang out at six. A huge crowd had gathered around the gazebo to hear the mayor’s speech and watch her cut the ribbon, officially starting the Founders’ Festival. Once people started to wander off, we headed to the food stalls. We tried to shake off what happened with Auri and just… be normal for a while.

“Lili, Lili! Look!” Nami pointed across the street. “Don Moncho!”

Sure enough, there was the old man in his ice cream stand, putting a banner that read: “ROSE PETAL ICE CREAM – FESTIVAL SPECIAL.”

“Should we?” I asked, and Nami immediately grabbed my hand. “Who else wants ice cream?”

“Vegetarian Lili eating ice cream? Shocker,” Nene teased.

“Hey, it’s rose petals, not a double cheeseburger,” I grinned. “Besides, I do eat dairy sometimes.”

After the ice cream, we went to a corndog stall. Nami and Mei Mei each got one, and I grabbed some mushroom empanadas from next door. Meanwhile, Nene and Bel came back with a giant huarache that barely fit on the plate.

“Whoa,” Nami blinked. “You two are really gonna eat all that?”

“Hey, it’s the Festival,” Nene shrugged. “Go big or go home.”

By around seven, we found a table near the gazebo to sit at. Opening night was always the most chill. The next few days, downtown would be packed with more food stalls, crafts, clothes, and chaos.

A bolero group climbed up into the gazebo and started playing. I looked up at the sky. The first stars peeked shyly through the blue, and soft scattered clouds glowed with the last bit of daylight. I wondered if Auri was watching the same sky from her window. Maybe thinking of what we had told her?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure step out from behind the garland-covered trees. She approached us slowly, almost unsure. I stood up suddenly, and everyone turned their heads.

“Auri?” I whispered.

She stopped a few feet away. She wore dark blue jeans and a white blouse, with her head down. Her hands were clasped in front of her, holding something I couldn’t quite make out.

“Hey. Mom said you might be here,” she said quietly. “I came to… return these.”

She stepped closer and held out the hourglass and letter.

I stood in front of her and reached out. She placed them in my hands like they were fragile… or maybe like she was the one who felt fragile.

“Thanks, Auri.” My voice came out gentle.

She nodded, still not meeting my eyes.

“I… thought about it for a bit,” she said. “Can I sit with you guys for a while?”

“Y-yeah, of course!” I said.

Nami and I scooted over and pulled an extra chair for her. Everyone made space without a word, smiling softly.

Auri sat down, shaking just a little. A few seconds passed with only the music and the soft crowd noise around us.

“Sorry about earlier,” she said after a moment. “And the other day. I’m really glad to see you again, Lili, Nami.” She looked us both in the eye. “I kinda… jumped to conclusions, seeing you all together, you know…”

“It’s okay,” Nene said. “We thought that too. It was just a misunderstanding. No need to apologize.”

“I know, but… still. I’m sorry. I haven’t been the best friend lately. Reading that letter again made me realize it.”

“I forgive you,” Bel said, suddenly. She’d barely spoken all evening. “And I wanna be real with you. If we wanna keep being friends, we gotta be better at communicating. It’s fine to be private, but if we’re not honest with each other, we’re just gonna keep hurting each other. Like when Nami and Lili left and you acted like you didn’t care.”

“Bel!” Nami and I said at the same time.

“I don’t think that’s…” I started, but Auri cut in.

“No, no. She’s right,” Auri said with a deep breath. “I’m sorry, girls. I want to be a better friend for you little by little to compensate.”

She reached out and grabbed my hand, then Nami’s. I squeezed hers gently. It was warm and soft.

The band finished their set with a slow, bittersweet tune. People clapped and whistled, and the musicians bowed gratefully

“In that case...” Bel said as the noise died down, “what if we spend the weekend together at the Festival? Maybe hang at Secret Base first, then come back here?”

“Do you have any plans?” Mei Mei asked Auri.

She shook her head.

“Ooooh, what if we do a sleepover here?” Nene asked, all excited.

“Here? On the street?” Nami laughed.

“Nooo, silly. At Secret Base!” Nene said. “We only did it there once as kids. I’ve always wanted to do it again.”

“I’d love that,” I said, brushing Auri’s hand. “What day works best?”

Nami and Nene exchanged a look.

“The whole weekend?” they said in sync.

“What?!” I laughed. “Like… full-on, breakfast-lunch-dinner?”

“Uh, girls,” Auri said quietly, “I’m not sure I can afford eating out a lot. I… got put on hold at work. So money’s kinda tight.”

“Oh no. I’m sorry,” I said. “So… you’re not working right now?”

“Nope,” she said. “Not officially fired or anything, but… budget cuts. They said they’d call me if things improve but you know how that goes.”

“That sucks…” Mei Mei murmured. “I hope they don’t take too long.”

“Yeahhh, same, man. But, umm, if you wanna come to my place instead for breakfast I, umm, think it’d be better.”

“Sweet!” Nene grinned. “We’ve got options. But when we do go out, don’t worry about money, Auri. I’ve got it covered.” She winked.

“Wanna pay for all of us as well?” Bel raised an eyebrow.

“Dummy,” Nene nudged her. “Buuuut we can invite you all to our place one of these days. Our cook makes amazing food.”

“You have a cook?!” I laughed. “Okay, fancy.”

“She means me,” Bel said, arms crossed.

“You can cook?!” Nami gasped.

“Of course I can! Rude” Bel said. “Tell you what: tomorrow and the next day, we eat at ours. And Sunday, I’ll cook dinner.”

With our newly formed plan, we all stood up. It was getting late, so we split up to grab our stuff. Nene and Bel took Mei Mei home. Nami and I went with Auri to her place, and she’d drive us to my grandparents’. The plan was to meet at Secret Base by ten.

Before we left, we took a group selfie by the gazebo. Nami held up her phone. Auri stood in the middle, a little shy. Mei Mei hugged her from behind and I stood next to them flashing a peace sign. Nene and Bel hugged each other, making silly faces next to Mei Mei.

That moment made me think of the old photo on my nightstand, in a city miles away from there. I thought of thirteen-year-old Lili, thrilled to make a new memory with her first friends. And when Nami showed us the final picture, I could feel that same little Lili right there, happy and full of love for these girls, all over again.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jul 7, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Content: Chapter 13 - For Old Time's Sake

“Mom’s probably chatting it up with the neighbor downstairs,” Auri said as she slid the key into the lock and gently pushed the door open.

The inside was pitch dark, wrapped in a serene silence.

She pulled out her phone, typed a quick text to her mom to say she’d be staying with us for the weekend, then flicked on the hallway light and led us to her room. It was a simple, minimalist bedroom, with white walls reflecting the yellowish glow from the hallway bulb. Her bed was half-made but tidy, and an old laptop and a blinking clock sat on her desk.

Auri opened her closet and pulled out a little wheeled suitcase, then started tossing in three outfits, two pajama sets, and a jacket.

“Need a hand with anything?” I asked.

“Ah… um… thanks, Lili,” she said with this tiny smile. “I’m gonna grab my toothbrush. Can you help pack stuff in the meantime?”

“On it!” Nami said with a grin, and we got busy folding clothes while Auri disappeared.

When she came back, she added her toothbrush, some underwear, and a flashlight, then zipped the suitcase shut and set it down. When she looked up and saw us both watching her, her eyes darted away awkwardly. She rubbed her shoulder and let out a breath.

“Girls… about what Bel said earlier,” she mumbled, “I just… wanted to say sorry again. Now that it’s just us. I didn’t know what to do when you said you were leaving back then. I didn’t wanna… bother you with how I felt. But I’ve missed you guys. A lot.”

“Aww, Auri…” Nami reached for her hand.

“We were just kids,” I told her softly, stepping closer. “Honestly? Sure, maybe things could’ve gone differently. But our heads were all over the place. Honestly, they still are sometimes, even as adults,” I smiled at her. “Thanks for the apology. I really appreciate it. But maybe it’s time we just move forward, yeah?”

She gave a quiet nod. Her shoulders dropped a little, and I saw the moonlit glint of tears starting in her eyes.

We gave her a moment, wrapping her in a soft group hug, breathing slow and steady, and feeling our hearts sync up. Outside, the hum of the Festival and cars mixed with the soft breeze slipping through the window.

After a bit, we headed down to the condo parking lot. Auri opened her trunk and tossed her suitcase in.

“Hey, Auri,” Nami asked as we climbed in, “uh… not to be nosy or anything but… what’s your job? Like, the, er, latest one?”

Auri paused for a second, fingers hovering over the ignition.

“Uh… well… I guess I can tell you,” she mumbled with a crooked smile. “I don’t usually bring it up, but I was working at a call center.”

“Oh god,” Nami blurted.

“Yup. Talking to people sucks,” she muttered, shrugging.

“Well, at least your voice fits,” I teased, laughing.

“Right?” Nami grinned. “Come on, say it: ‘We’re sorry, the number you dialed doesn’t exist.’”

“Or like: ‘Please hold for the next available agent,’” I chimed in, copying her tone.

“Wow. We’ve barely been back together and you’re already roasting me, man?” Auri groaned, then started laughing.

“C’mon, you know how we are, Aurita,” Nami laughed.

“It’s about keeping old traditions going,” I added with a giggle.

When we got to my grandparents’ place, my aunt let us in without much fuss. I introduced Auri quickly, and said we were having a sleepover with friends. She waved us through and asked no questions, still half-asleep.

We headed straight to the guest room to sort out my suitcase and Nami’s.

“Hey, if you want, I can take stuff out of my suitcase and we can fit both our things in here,” I told Nami, unzipping it carefully. “We don’t need to bring, like, everything everything.”

Auri flopped down on the bed and helped us empty the suitcase while Nami and I picked our clothes for the weekend.

“Hey, um… Lili,” Nami whispered suddenly. She reached under the bed and pulled out the new pack of diapers, mouthing: “Should we tell her?”

Right then, Auri glanced up at Nami.

“Do you already have the clothes you…?” she started, but her voice faded when her eyes landed on the pack.

She blinked, obviously surprised, but she didn’t say anything.

Here we go again, I thought.

By now, I had done this enough times that I was getting good at it. Nami just said softly that she still had accidents sometimes, but I was the one who explained it properly: how I actually liked wearing them, how they made me feel comfy and safe, even though I didn’t really need them anymore.

“Gotcha,” Auri nodded slowly, like I’d just told her I liked lemon ice cream or something. “But, uh, do you think three each will fit in that suitcase?”

“Wait, each?” I said, blinking. “You mean… me and Nami?”

“Don’t you wanna too, Lili?” Nami asked, giving me those big sincere eyes. “It’d be fun. We could maybe ask the rest too? Or are”

“No, no, it’s not that,” I said quickly, waving my hands. “It’d actually be kinda cute... just, uh, we’d have to carry the whole pack.”

Nami grinned. “Hey, Auri, you in?” she asked, half-teasing, half-hopeful.

Auri laughed nervously, fidgeting with her pockets.

“Have you ever… you know… felt like that too?” I asked her.

“I mean… since I stopped wetting the bed at like, fifteen, I haven’t worn one,” she paused for a moment, blushing at the sight of the diapers. “But, um… I guess the thought’s crossed my mind a couple times… I dunno.”

“I’ll take it as a yes, then,” Nami giggled, playful. “In case it crosses your mind again.”

So we stuffed the whole pack in a pharmacy bag and Nami carried it while I pulled the suitcase. Auri just quietly followed us, shutting the door behind her.

When we got to Secret Base, already kinda late, downtown was still buzzing for the Festival. Auri parked on Lirio Street, right in front of the alleyway, and a few minutes later Bel and the rest pulled up in her truck, just like we planned.

“Ready?” Nene called from the passenger side.

“Let’s dump the bags in first,” Bel said, hopping out. “We’ll come back for the rest.”

“Oooh, what’d you bring?” Nami asked, her eyes lighting up.

“No spoilers yet,” Nene smirked.

Bel and Nene had a shared suitcase too, and Mei Mei had hers. We stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the bush, each of us holding our bags, soaking in the moment. First time in ten years we were all back here.

“I haven’t been here in forever,” Auri whispered.

“And the inside looks just like it did back then,” Mei Mei added. “Thanks to Bel.”

“You really killed it, kiddo,” Nami teased with a grin.

“Pff, nah… it’s nothing,” Bel mumbled, but then her voice caught, and she glanced down. “I just… I did it thinking about you guys. I didn’t think this day would ever happen. I’m… really happy.”

“Told you not to lose hope, babe.” Nene pulled her in for a side hug and kissed her cheek.

“Girls,” I mumbled. “I love you all so much.”

“Thanks for waiting for us two,” Nami added, squeezing my hand.

“Welcome back,” the others echoed softly.

Bel led the way. We ducked into the alley, past the overgrown bush. She grabbed the hook behind the trash can and lowered the old ladder.

“Who’s helping me with the basket?” she called as she climbed.

“Me,” Mei Mei said right away.

She took off her headphones, dropped her suitcase, and climbed up behind Bel like it was nothing. Once the two reached the rooftop, they lowered a plastic basket, like the ones used for laundry, held by two wide, dusty ropes.

“Two bags at a time, girls!” Bel called.

We sent up the suitcases in two rounds. Then Nene said, “Okay, let’s get the rest.”

We went back to the cars. Nami grabbed the diaper pack from Auri’s car, and the rest of us helped Nene unload stuff from the back seat of the truck.

“What’s this?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as Nene gave me a big roll of fabric and what looked like a tripod.

“Our movie screen,” Nene said, pulling out a tiny projector and DVD player. “What, you thought we’d just sit around and do nothing all night?”

“Dang, so we’ve got production value now, huh?” Auri teased.

“And what’s that you’ve got, Nami?” Nene asked, but as soon as she saw the white pharmacy bag, I could tell she’d put two and two together.

“No spoilers yet,” Nami grinned.

“Aghhh, you’re so annoying,” Nene laughed, nudging her. Then she side-eyed Auri. “They tell you what that is yet?”

“What do you think?” Auri muttered and turned away, face pink.

“Oooh my…” Nene laughed. “I don’t know how they talked you into this, but this is gonna be amazing.”

“Keep teasing and I’m backing out,” Auri warned, smirking.

“Nope, nope, I’m done! Promise!” she said quickly.

“Good,” Auri took the projector and DVD player from her.

Nene ducked back into the van and pulled out a bag of movies.

“Bel obviously needs one for tonight, and you too, Nami, but do you think Mei Mei’s down too?” Nene asked.

“Only time will tell,” I said.

“Or peer pressure,” Nami suggested.

“You’re evil, Naomi Sereno,” I giggled. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, though.”

In order not to “spoil” the surprise plan, Nene gave us a big cloth bag for the diaper pack. Nami tucked it in and slung it over her shoulder. With everything packed, we headed back into the alleyway. Bel and Mei Mei helped lift the rest of the stuff with the basket, and then, the rest of us climbed up one by one.

I stopped for a second as I reached the roof, looking up. The night sky stretched wide above us, covering the festive town in a starry blanket.

“Hey, Nami,” I whispered, pointing east, over the silhouettes of the distant hills. “That constellation there… Is that Lyra?”

She squinted. “Look at you! Yeah, it’s the one that looks like a squished diamond.”

“That’s the first one you taught me that time we stayed here,” I smiled.

“Awe! I’m happy you remember it from then!” She gave me a side hug. “Look, the brightest star in Lyra is Vega. And over there, in the Eagle constellation, there’s Altair.”

“Wait, Vega and Altair… aren’t those from that Tanabata legend?” I said, excited.

“Neeerd alert,” Bel teased, pulling us both into a hug.

“Bel, I don’t think any of us are really in a position to call anyone that,” Auri chuckled.

“Especially you, Miss Otaku Supreme,” Nene teased, pushing the rooftop door open.

“Can we not call each other out for five minutes?” Bel groaned, blushing pink.

“Aww, Bel,” Mei Mei giggled, enjoying her friend’s predicament.

“You started it,” Nami grinned.

“Whatever, let’s just go inside,” Bel huffed, crossing her arms.

“Hey, I brought a flashlight,” Auri said, grabbing her suitcase and rummaging through it until she found the handheld flashlight. “Still no power in there, right?”.

“Nope,” Bel said, pulling two more flashlights from her own suitcase and handing me one. “Lili, you and Nami can share.”

We turned on the flashlights one by one and crossed the door into Secret Base’s interior. The wooden steps creaked with each step we took, and the shaky beams of light from the flashlights slowly revealed the inside.

We always figured the second floor used to be like in any normal house before: bedrooms, hallways, maybe a bathroom, maybe even a tiny sitting area. But from the looks of it, the old owners had torn down all the interior walls, and the result was this big open space that, without our stuff and the leftover junk furniture, could have totally passed as some kind of dance studio or something similar.

“All right, ladies!” Nene called, snatching Bel’s flashlight and facing us like a master of ceremonies. “How about we officially kick off our movie night?”

“Woooo!” we clapped and cheered, the echoes bouncing around us.

“But first,” she grinned, “to keep up old Club tradition, Nami and Lili have a… tiny proposal to make. Go on, girls!”

“Wait… Now?!” I squeaked.

Nene just pointed at the cloth bag Nami was holding tightly. We looked at each other, knowing exactly what Nene wanted us to do. Nami hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she gently set the bag on the floor.

We crouched down, and together we revealed the contents to Bel and Mei Mei. The flashlight beams shone over the package of white and pink diapers.

“Do you guys wanna… wear these again? For old time’s sake?” I asked with a shy but warm smile, holding the diapers out in front of everyone.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jul 15, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Content: Chapter 14 - Mutual Changes

The walls of the abandoned house absorbed the gentle crinkles coming from inside. Our flashlights were pointing up at the ceiling, hoping that might help light the place just a little more.

There we were, all six of us, in the dimness of the night. We'd all agreed on this unanimously. One of us grabbed the plastic pack, pulled out a fresh diaper, and passed it on. Even Mei Mei took one without saying a word. Just looked at it, then handed the pack to Bel like it was totally normal.

“This is totally insane,” Bel said, shaking her head as she grabbed hers and plopped the pack on the floor. “Sooo… what now? We take turns going downstairs to change or what?”

“Wouldn’t that take forever?” Nene ran her finger around the edge of her diaper. “I mean… if nobody minds, we could just change here? There’s space, and it’s dark.”

“Now I get what your mom meant about your ‘weird habits,’” Bel teased, grinning.

“Heyyy! What weird habits?” Nene shot back. “We’re all comfy around each other. What’s the big deal?”

“Weirdo,” Bel muttered and looked away, but she was kind of smiling too. “Though… I guess I don’t really mind either.”

“Make that three,” Nami said without missing a beat. “You guys cool with it? Like, it’s fine if you're not. No pressure.”

“You didn’t say that earlier,” Auri said, raising a brow with a tiny smirk.

Auri, Mei Mei, and I shared a look, then nodded.

“Yaaay,” Nene beamed. The, she scooted over to Bel and whispered something to her, but it was just loud enough that the rest of us heard it, “You wanna change by yourself tonight, babe?”

“WHAAAAT?!” Bel’s face went full tomato.

“Tonight?” Mei Mei echoed, raising an eyebrow.

Hiding behind her hands, Bel mumbled, “Nene usually helps me change…”

“Awww, Bel,” I said, patting her head. “That’s adorable.”

“And it helps make sure it’s on tight. No leaks,” Nene added with a wink.

“Oh yeah,” Nami chimed in. “Ever since I started doing it myself, I’ve had way more leaks than when my mom used to help me as a kid.”

“What if…” Mei Mei whispered, “we changed in pairs?”

“Do we really wanna go down that rabbit hole?” Auri asked, but there was a curious glint in her eyes.

“Well, we’re already here,” I shrugged. “And honestly? If it’s with you guys… I’m okay with it.”

“Same,” Mei Mei nodded. “I mean… I wouldn’t even be holding this thing if I wasn’t.”

She gently wiggled the diaper in her hands.

“You’re right,” Bel cleared her throat and straightened up. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

She grabbed one of the flashlights and headed to the old wardrobe. When she opened it, she pulled out a couple of rolled-up fluffy blankets and a bottle of baby powder.

“T-there’s also wipes here,” she said quickly. “Y’know… f-for anyone who needs a change tomorrow.”

She handed one blanket to Nami and me, one to Auri and Mei Mei, and one to Nene. The last one, extra big and soft, she spread out over the carpet, so we could all cuddle during the movie later. Each pair laid their blanket on the floor, side by side, and just like that, our changing area was ready.

“Okay, who’s going first?” Nami asked, patting the blanket.

“Uhh… I-I will,” I said, raising my hand halfway.

“If Lili’s going, then I’m in too,” Mei Mei said softly.

“I’ll go,” Bel added, already lying down on her back like it was second nature.

Nene grabbed Bel’s diaper, opened it up, and started patting it like a pillow.

“What’re you doing?” I asked.

“Fluffing it up,” Nene said, folding it in half. “Bel and I found out a while ago that some people do this. Makes it feel softer and less stiff when walking.”

“Whoa, really?” Nami blinked. “Show us how?”

Nene showed us the little trick, and then I laid down next to Mei Mei. As modest as I could be, given the situation, I took off my underwear and pulled my skirt up. Once I was set, I reached over and took Mei Mei’s hand. She squeezed back, and I looked over at Nami, who smiled at me all soft and warm.

“Ready, Lili?” she asked.

“Mhm,” I nodded, face heating up.

After years of doing it myself, I had kinda forgotten what it felt like to be put in a diaper by someone else. Nami guided me through with a calm and steady voice. She lifted my legs and slid the fluffed-up diaper under me. She, Auri, and Nene passed around the bottle of powder to use on the three of us lying down.

“If anything feels weird, just tell me, alright?” Nami said as she pulled the diaper up and over.

“Sure, Nami,” I said in a little squeaky voice.

But honestly, it was quite the opposite. I felt cozy. Safe. Like when I was eight again, snuggled up while my parents told me bedtime stories in a winter night.

Once I was taped up, I rolled to my side and saw Mei Mei and Bel already diapered too.

Then it was the other girls’ turn. I fluffed one up for Nami while she laid back and set aside her underwear.

“If anything’s weird, let me know,” I said, copying her words from earlier.

“Aye aye, captain,” she grinned.

Even with her being taller, it wasn’t hard to help her get comfy, lifting her legs and sliding the diaper underneath. A few minutes later, we were all in diapers.

“Not bad, babe,” Nene said, patting her own with a little wiggle as she stood up.

“How was it, Auri?” Mei Mei asked.

“Thanks, Mei Mei,” she said. “It’s… really comfy.”

“You were great too, Lili,” Nami whispered in my ear. “With that soothing voice of yours, it felt like a live ASMR video.”

“Oh, shut uuup,” I elbowed her, blushing.

“Anygays!” Nene darted to the rug and started setting up the screen with Bel’s help. “Let’s watch some movies!”

Auri helped get the projector going while the rest of us tossed the beanbags into a semi-circle.

“What are we feelin’? Horror? Mystery?” Bel asked, holding up a bag of DVDs.

“Battery’s only good for two movies,” Nene warned. “Choose wisely.”

“Can we skip the scary ones for today?” Auri said quickly.

I giggled. Classic Auri.

“Romance or drama?” Nami suggested.

“Oh my god,” Bel groaned. “Let’s go full-on cheesy romcom. Like, painfully straight-girl flicks.”

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re all soooo straight,” Nami said with a snort.

“Hey, let us dream,” Nene shrugged. “Maybe one of us likes dudes.”

“My parents raised me to try everything,” I said, raising my hand proudly.

Everyone cracked up.

“Said the vegetarian,” Nene teased.

We picked our first movie and piled under the big fluffy blanket. I nestled between Auri and Mei Mei, with my head on Auri’s shoulder and my arm wrapped around Mei Mei’s hips. The soft crinkle of our diapers whispered with every little wiggle. Bel hit play and ran to sit on Nene’s lap.

The movie was a classic American romcom from when I was eleven. It used to air on broadcast TV all the time, but I’d never seen it all the way through. It starred two big actors from back then, the kind who always played the same characters no matter the movie. They had decent chemistry, not gonna lie, but there were tons of scenes where we just laughed at the cheesy lines and flat acting.

“You don’t get it!” Bel cried dramatically. “They talk like that because they are madly in love!”

“It’s the power of love!” Nene echoed.

“Love! Love!” Mei Mei and I chanted.

“Good grief…” Auri groaned jokingly and rolled her eyes. “Did we really use to watch this stuff as kids?”

“The magic of childhood, Aurita,” Nami said, squeezing her hand.

“More like the curse of adulthood,” I muttered.

Eventually, after some big airport confession-in-the-rain moment, the movie ended. I shifted a little, and Mei Mei snuggled even closer.

“Okaay…” Bel got up and dug through the movie bag. “Let’s wreck our emotions now. What about this one?”

The cover showed a Golden Retriever staring into the distance.

“Noooo! Not that one!” Mei Mei yelped and hid in my side. “Don’t you dare, Bel!”

“I cry over literally anything with animals,” I said, said, giving Bel puppy-dog eyes and pouting and wrapped the blanket over Mei Mei and me up to the neck.

“That’s what you get for bringing the idea of changing each other’s diapers,” Bel stood proudly with her diaper on display.

She popped in the DVD and flopped back into Nene’s lap.

“Ugh, we should’ve brought snacks,” Nami groaned.

“Yeah, we kinda winged this whole thing,” Nene added. “And these flashlights aren’t great either.”

“We could swing by the bazaar by my place tomorrow, huh?” Auri offered. “Might find something better to light this place.”

“Oooh, can we also stop by the craft stalls at the Festival?” Mei Mei whispered. “I think they start tomorrow on Azahares Street.”

“Yesss! I wanna go too!” I said.

“I gotta hit the pharmacy in the afternoon, but I’ll tag along in the morning,” Bel added. “For now… brace yourselves. This one’s gonna hurt.”

Hurt was the understatement of the year. The movie wrecked us. Even Auri ended up with puffy eyes from crying so much. I got a headache, feeling a hole sink in my heart just imagining that dog from the movie was instead one of my cats back at home. Bel got up and pulled out a box of tissues from somewhere I couldn’t see, as my eyes were half-shut from crying, and passed one to each of us. Then she grabbed three for herself and blew her nose loudly.

“Bad idea. Bad idea,” she kept muttering with a stuffed-up nose, shaking her head.

The screen faded to black after the credits. We turned on the flashlights again, and Nene shut off the projector.

“Girls, let’s sleep all together?” I asked, still sniffling and wiping my tears with my sleeve.

“Mhm mhm,” Mei Mei hummed, curled up against me with her eyes closed.

We cleared the blanket area and lay down after putting our pajamas on, huddled under the big blanket in a pile of crinkly diapers and leftover sniffles from the movie. One by one, we drifted off, breathing slow and calm, holding each other close. And just like that, our first night of the Festival at Secret Base came to an end.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jul 26, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Content: Chapter 15 - No More Hard Feelings

“I should’ve gone to the bathroom earlier. They could wake up any sec…”

“Chill, babe. If you keep fidgeting, this is just gonna take longer. Look, almost done wiping... aaand there. All clean! Go change while I toss this.”

“Th-thanks.”

“No worries, baby girl.”

I reached for my glasses from the bean bag and slipped them on. Nene was standing nearby holding a little black trash bag. Bel was across the room halfway dressed. Neither of them was wearing their diapers anymore, and the air still had that faint, telltale smell of ammonia.

“Morning, sunshine,” Nene greeted.

“Morning, girls,” I mumbled with a yawn, rubbing my eyes. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Woke up soaked. To no one’s surprise,” Bel said, tugging on some sweatpants and cracking open the window.

I got up from the floor where the others were still sleeping. My pajama top had ridden up, leaving most of my diaper showing.

“You took yours off too, Nene?”

“Go on, tell her,” Bel teased, giving her a side glance.

Nene blushed and let out a nervous little laugh.

“Not exactly… I kinda had to go when I woke up, and, well, the toilet here doesn’t work, sooo…”

She trailed off, and I got the picture. I wasn’t even surprised, but still, the thought of prim-and-proper Nene purposely wetting herself made me chuckle a little.

I was about to tease her when I felt a pressure in my stomach. Oh. Right. I had to go too.

“Right… the bathroom,” I muttered.

Catching on, Nene crossed her arms and looked at me.

“If you need to go, Lili, just use that portable potty between your legs. That's what it’s for. Don’t hold it in till we get to Auri’s.”

Of course, I’d kept using diapers for their intended purpose from time to time after I’d stopped having full-on accidents. It was inevitable. If I didn’t use them, they would’ve just gone to waste. Even the one I wore the day we met back up with Mei Mei, I used it in one of the bathroom stalls at the mall. But doing it now, right in front of my friends… it felt kinda weird.

Still, the pressure gave me another nudge. I looked over at Nene and Bel, feeling a little awkward.

“Hey, Nene. Come here a sec?” Bel called. “Help me do my hair while Lili does her thing.”

“On iiiit~” Nene sang, giving me a playful wink. “Just pretend we’re not even here.”

She turned and started doing Bel’s pigtails. Both had their backs to me now. I took a breath, closed my eyes, and stood still. Legs slightly apart, I pushed gently. A small trickle started, warming up the diaper slowly with a soft hiss. The pressure faded little by little, and I let out a tiny breath once it was all out.

I peeked down. It hadn’t taken long, but the diaper was even puffier now and had gone a faint yellow.

“Mooornin’,” Nami mumbled behind me, her hair a mess and eyes still half-closed.

I jumped a little and slapped a hand over my mouth.

“Oh my goodness, Nami… Don’t sneak up like that!”

“That’s on you, Lili,” she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

As she stood, I noticed her diaper was fairly swollen too. She glanced at me, her eyes going straight to the one around my waist. Her expression shifted to concern as she stepped closer.

“Lili, are you okay? Did you have an accident?”

“Pfft,” Nene giggled, and Bel gave her a gentle smack.

“No, no. I'm good,” I said quickly. “I just woke up needing to go and… didn’t wanna hold it till we got to Auri’s.”

“Girl, don’t scare me like that,” Nami said, exhaling. She gave my diaper another look. “Dang, you really had to go, huh?”

I smirked. “Look who’s talking.”

“Oh crap.” Nami looked down, finally noticing hers. “Bel, where’d you leave the wipes?”

“In that bean bag by Lili,” Bel said. “You guys can use the downstairs bathroom to change.”

“Oh, by the way…” I waddled over to my bag and pulled out a little bottle. “I brought hand sanitizer. For after changing.”

“Nice, gimme some,” Bel said, and I handed it over.

“Hold up, before y’all go,” Nene cut in, holding up the trash bag. “Toss your diapers in here when you’re done. You can just leave the bag downstairs… might be two more soaked diapers to add in a sec.” She raised an eyebrow and nodded at Mei Mei and Auri, still knocked out and cuddled together.

Sure enough, Nene was right. By the time I had changed and disposed of my old diaper, clean and in regular underwear, Auri and Mei Mei were in line behind Nami. Auri looked a little pink, and Mei Mei was playing with her fingers while chatting with them.

“Heey~” I grinned. “Nene got to you guys too?”

“You could say that,” Auri replied.

Mei Mei just shrugged.

“Didn’t take much convincing, huh?” Nami giggled.

“Alright, you, scoot,” Auri said, nudging her with an elbow.

“Going, going,” Nami replied, and I stepped aside to let her through.

Once we were all cleaned up, we headed over to Auri’s for breakfast. The early morning streets were still quiet. We walked past the bus station and into Auri’s street. Her mom was already waiting for us in the doorway, wearing a kitchen apron and looking way calmer than last time.

“You’re right on time, girls. Auri told me last night you were coming. I made some Sopes Rinconeros for you all. Come in, come in.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” we said together as she let us in.

“Thanks, Mom,” Auri added with a smile.

Her mom gently cupped her cheek.

“I’m happy to see you happy,” she said, then let her walk in with the rest of us.

“Wash your hands,” Auri reminded us, pointing toward the bathroom.

We helped set the table even though her mom insisted on doing it all herself. Before we sat down, Nene asked if she could plug in the DVD player and projector she’d brought from Secret Base to charge.

The table was small, fit indeed for an apartment and nothing more, but we squeezed all six of us in. Auri’s mom served us plates with four sopes each, stacked with grilled veggies, beans, and a little molcajete salsa; a traditional dish at Rincón. Then she sat and ate with us.

“Ma’am, you’ve got magic hands,” Nami said after one bite. “This is delicious.”

“You really miss this stuff when you move away,” I added, practically melting in my seat.

“I’m glad you like it,” Auri’s mom smiled. “And it’s nice seeing you all together again. You girls are good for each other.”

“Even if we’ve got a devil or two whispering in our ears,” Auri said, eyeing Nami and Nene.

“Hey! What’d we do?” Nene laughed.

“You really gotta ask?” Bel teased.

After eating, we washed our plates and thanked Auri’s mom. She said she’d cook something yummy for the next day too. We said our goodbyes and headed to the street bazaar.

It filled the whole square behind the station. Colorful garlands hung up, obviously coming from the nearby Festival, and stalls lined up in rows. Auri walked in front, leading confidently. Mei Mei walked next to me, headphones on, eyeing the stands curiously as we passed through.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Bel asked. “Candles? Gas lamps?”

“A time machine to send you back to 1800s?” Nene snorted.

“HEY!”

“Cut it out, you two,” Auri said flatly, knowing the drill.

“There should be solar lamps around here somewhere,” Nami said. “The ones that you charge during the day.”

“And hang from walls or the ceiling,” Mei Mei added.

I spotted a little stand a couple rows away with a mint-green awning, full of home goods. Garden decorations, power strips, and some lightbulbs and lamps.

“What about over there?” I suggested, pointing at the booth.

We headed over. A white-haired lady greeted us.

“Morning, girls! What can I help you with?”

“Got any solar lamps?” Auri asked.

“Oh, sweetie, yes! They’re in the car though,” the lady said, turning. “Mijo! Come help these young ladies, please!”

And then he walked out.

Skinny. Curly hair and stubble. About Auri’s height and wearing a button-up shirt. The moment I saw him, my fists clenched. My jaw tightened- Almost instinctively, Nami and Nene slid to the front, flanking us and forming a wall between him and the rest of us. Bel grabbed Auri’s hand. Mei Mei laced fingers with mine.

We all knew who he was.

He recognized us right away too, and the color drained from his face.

“Take these nice young ladies to see the solar lamps in the car, Adrián,” the woman said, totally oblivious.

“S-sure, Ma,” he replied, his voice shaky.

Our old middle school bully stepped out. He tried to act professional, leading us to the parking lot nearby, eyes glued to the ground.

“That’s him, right?” Mei Mei whispered, taking off her headphones for a second.

“Has to be,” I said. “He’s skinnier, but that face… It’s the same.”

Every now and then, Adrián glanced back at us and looked away quickly. Nami and Nene were totally silent now, standing tall and firm in their wall formation.

We reached a parking lot next to the plaza where vendors and some customers had their cars. A few people were unloading or waiting to pay for parking. He led us to a beat-up old car with some faded spots on the doors and trunk. He opened the trunk and showed us the lamps in cardboard boxes.

“Th-these are the ones,” he said, voice trembling.

He avoided eye contact but explained how they worked. His voice stayed low and nervous, basically screaming, “I know that you know that I know.”

“I think two of these would work,” Nami said firmly, checking the ones that hang from ceilings.

Adrián took one out and showed her it was in good condition.

“How much?”

“Five-fifty pesos each,” he said. “B-but I’ll do two for the price of one.”

“Won’t your mom mind?” Auri asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’ll… pay the second one myself. It’s the least I can do.”

He looked down, voice low. My chest tightened hearing him say that.

“No, we don’t need your discount. Just charge us full,” Nene snapped.

She immediately pulled the cash from her wallet and handed it to him in exchange for the lamps. She thanked him quickly and we turned to leave.

“Wait! Girls!” he called out suddenly.

We stopped. I turned first, the others right behind me.

“I just wanted to say… I know I was a total asshole in middle school. Violent sometimes, even. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just… needed to say that.”

A heavy silence fell over us. I didn’t know if the weight in my stomach was from the awkwardness or the emotional scar of the time he hit me with that soccer ball on my birthday… the day my accidents came back because of him.

I looked at my friends one by one. Nami had her arms crossed, but her frown softened a bit. Nene pressed her lips together, stealing glances at her wife. Auri looked down and sighed. Mei Mei narrowed her eyes, resting a hand on her headphones but not putting them on. Bel gave me a subtle look, silently asking if I wanted to say something.

I looked ahead again. For a second, I felt like I was back in the schoolyard. Thirteen-year-old Adrián was there, full of rage after getting suspended two weeks for locking Bel, Auri, and Mei Mei in the bathroom.

“You fucking pissy bedwetters,” little Adrián muttered, glaring at us with anger and superiority.

But then that boy disappeared, leaving behind twenty-three-year-old Adrián. Hunched over, ashamed. Nothing could undo what he did or the danger he put us in. But the kid I wanted to lash out on didn’t exist no more. That, too, couldn’t be changed.

I let my shoulders drop and stepped forward, hands over my chest. “Take care of your mom,” I said softly, “and… have a good life.”

We walked out of the lot. Passed by his mom’s booth to thank her and headed back to Secret Base to drop off our stuff before going to the Festival.

“I’m proud of you,” Nami said, calmer now, walking hand in hand with Mei Mei and me.

“I… I’m proud of me too,” I replied.

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Author: ilalilspacee
Timestamp: Jul 28, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Content: Chapter 16 - Bel's Announcement

When we got back to Secret Base to drop off the lamps, Bel’s phone buzzed. She checked the screen, and her face tensed up for a sec.

“I need to take this call,” she said, already heading for the rooftop.

“Everything okay?” I leaned toward Nene and asked quietly.

“Huh? O-oh, yeah,” she said, sneaking a quick peek at her phone before locking her hands behind her back. “All good, Lili. No worries.”

I frowned. Nene always talked with her hands. Every single sentence came with a gesture or some kind of motion. When she hid them like that, something was definitely up. Not necessarily something bad, but still…

I was about to say something when Nami jumped in out of nowhere.

“So, where do we want the lights?” she asked, already pulling them out of the package.

“We could hang them across like this,” Auri said, pointing up at the ceiling. “And maybe stick the panels on that window over there.”

“Oh, Bel’s got a toolbox here somewhere,” Nene gave me a quick smile and walked over to the other girls. “It’s downstairs.”

“Sounds good,” Auri nodded. “Let’s install them in the afternoon after lunch then.”

A few moments later, Bel came back down.

“Hey, sorry girls, but I gotta head out,” she said. “Forgot I’ve got a few errands before work.”

She gave Nene this little smile I couldn’t quite figure out. Nene just nodded.

“I’ll cook for us tonight,” Nene offered. “Auri, can you give us a lift to my place later?”

“Sure,” Auri replied. “You going far from here, Bel?”

“Nah, near Punto Rosa,” she said. “Anyway, I gotta run. Nene, try not to poison them.”

“Excuuuse me?” Nene said, pretending to be offended.

Bel gave her a cheeky smirk and jogged back upstairs.

“See you tonight! Have fun!” she called out.

Well, at least it didn’t look like the phone call was anything bad. But Nene’s reaction still bugged me. It had that whole “we’re totally not planning something, wink wink” vibe. Like when your family’s trying to keep a surprise party secret even though you already figured it out.

“I’ll ask Bel about it later,” I told myself.

“Um…” Mei Mei said softly, fiddling with her fingers. “We’re still going to the craft stalls, right?”

“Yep! Let’s go check them out while we wait for the afternoon,” Nene said.

The Founders’ Festival was the town’s way of showing off its culture. Food stalls, live music on practically every corner downtown, games for kids, art exhibits, craft stalls, and even a local wine tasting that opened that very night on Lavandas Street.

We strolled along Azahares Street and a few nearby alleys for a good while, admiring the handcrafted artworks. Little figures made of clay, wood, and even glass shaped like animals, with smooth textures and intricate designs that seemed impossible to have been handmade. Colorful garments, woven in countless patterns and combinations that reflected the local nature: from plants and animals to full scenic vistas, like the sun setting behind the hills surrounding the town. Necklaces, rings, and more decorated with semi-precious stones; dolls and toys for kids; clay dishes and even tiles adorned with traditional characters…

Mei Mei and I basically walked hand-in-hand, stopping at every stand to admire the crafts. Auri and Nene were chatting behind us, and Nami was off in her own world, sketching in her notebook as we went.

After a good while of exploring, we headed back to Secret Base. I had a plastic bag with some little wooden cats for my parents. Mei Mei got bracelets for her cousins, and Nami picked out a couple glass-star necklaces for herself. We all piled into Auri’s car, and she drove us to Bel and Nene’s place.

When we got there, Nene opened the door and let us in.

“Need help cooking?” Auri asked.

“Just in case so you don’t let the water catch fire,” Nami teased.

“Woooow, Nami, so original,” Nene squinted. “But yeah, sure. Let’s cook together while Bel’s not around. Tomorrow she won’t even let you near the kitchen.”

“What are we making?” I asked, dropping my stuff on the couch.

“Uuhh, I just learned how to make Japanese-style curry. Still have some roux left,” Nene said.

“Back to your roots, huh?” Nami grinned.

“Obviously,” Nene winked. “We don’t have the right rice, but white rice’ll do.”

“I call dibs on rice duty!” Mei Mei sang.

“Auri, Lili, help me peel and chop veggies?” Nene asked. “There’s no way I’m letting Nami handle a knife.”

“Hey!” Nami yelled. “I’ll have you know, I’m an artist with surgical precision.”

“You can help me with the chicken,” Nene said. “We add it later, since Lili doesn’t eat meat.”

“Fair enough,” Nami shrugged.

As we cooked, I noticed Nene kept checking her phone. Just a quick glance each time before slipping it back in her pocket. Once we finished prepping, we all gathered to learn from Nene how to make the curry properly.

Before long, it was ready. We each grabbed a plate, and Nene served us generous scoops of curry and rice. We lined up to set our plates on the table.

“Nice work, team,” Nene said with a big smile.

“We should totally open a restaurant,” Nami laughed.

“Hey, not a bad idea,” Nene said, just about to sit down when her phone buzzed again.

She checked it, eyes widening just a little. Then she let out a breath and turned to us, lighting up.

“Girls…” she grinned. “Bel and I have something big to tell you later tonight. Once we’re all together.”

“You guys getting married?” I teased, though honestly, I was fishing to see if she’d say more.

“Dummy,” she said, grinning. “Bel would kill me if I spoiled it. But… no, that’s all. I’m keeping my mouth shut. Let’s eat!”

Evening crept in faster than I expected. We cleaned up, then got in Auri’s car and drove back to Secret Base. My heart was thumping. I think the others felt the same. None of us spoke much on the way. What were those two planning?

Once we arrived, we finally got to installing the solar lights. We’d left the panels in a sunny spot while we were out, so hopefully they’d be charged enough to last the evening.

Around 9:30, we heard fast, firm footsteps on the rooftop. Bel came rushing down the stairs. Her hair was a bit messy, and she was clutching a plastic folder in her hand.

“Whoa, the lights look awesome,” she said, slightly out of breath.

She took a second to collect herself, then Nene walked over.

“Ready?” she asked.

Bel straightened up, puffed her chest, and looked at us all.

“Girls, can we all gather here, please?”

We had been relaxing on the bean bags after finishing the lights, but we immediately stood up and circled around them.

Bel opened the folder and pulled out a sheet of paper, holding it for us to see.

“‘Letter of Intent to Purchase Property,’” I read out loud.

“What’s this, Bel?” Nami asked, blinking.

“A while ago, I started… looking into this house at the Public Registry and land records,” she explained. “The owner passed away like fifteen years ago, but I tracked down the heir and, well, today we made a deal.”

“WHAT?!” we all yelled at once.

“So… you’re buying it?!” I asked.

I couldn’t believe it. Even with all the time we’d spent in that house growing up, and again these past few days, the thought of actually buying it had never crossed my mind. I covered my mouth with both hands, feeling tears in my eyes as my glasses fogged up.

“But how? How much?” Auri asked, and her usual stoic expression cracked.

“Uhh…” Bel chuckled nervously. “My sister, the lawyer, is helping with the legal stuff,” Bel said. “The heir doesn’t even live here. He just wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. He’s letting it go for four hundred thousand.”

“That’s basically nothing,” Mei Mei whispered, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

“Especially for this area,” Auri added.

“We’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” Nene said. “But now that the six of us are back together, we wanna share it. If you’re cool with it, we all sign as co-owners. We’ll get water, electricity, decorate… even if someone wanted to live here, they could.”

A brief silence followed.

“I… I don’t even know what to say,” I whispered.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this trip to reconnect with Nami in our hometown would lead to something like this.

“What about Nami and me?” I asked, my voice trembling as Nami hugged me from behind. “We live in other cities and all… would that be a problem?”

“You don’t even have to ask that, Lili,” Bel said. “This place is yours just as much as it is ours.”

“She’s right,” Auri added, looking into my eyes. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you two.”

“So?” Nene asked. “What do y’all say?”

“I’m in,” Mei Mei murmured, grabbing Bel’s hand.

“Same,” Auri said, her voice shaky but sure.

Behind me, Nami nodded. I did too.

And just like that day at Nene’s lodge ten years ago, we all hugged for a long, long time.

“Easy on the squeeze, I’m holding the paperwork,” Bel joked, and we all cracked up.

“I say we go celebrate,” Nene said. “How about that karaoke bar on Romeros Street? Dinner’s on me, Auri.”

“You’re out buying houses and still treating me to dinner?” Auri snorted.

“What’s money for if not for spoiling the people I love?” Nene grinned. “Let’s do a singing contest.”

As soon as she said that, Mei Mei perked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Yessss,” she raised her voice. “Can we do a duet, Nene?”

“Obviously.”

We wrapped up the hug and grabbed our bags. As we headed toward the stairs, the diaper pack caught my eye.

“Girls!” I called out.

Everyone turned to me. With a mischievous grin, though still red from crying, I grabbed the pack and waved it in front of them.

“Karaoke night… in diapers?” I proposed.

No one said a word. They just dropped their bags again. Bel went to grab the blankets.

“But let’s switch partners this time,” Nene said.

She picked Nami, Bel teamed up with Mei Mei, and Auri paired up with me.

“Are we wearing some again tomorrow too?” Auri asked, lying down on the blanket for me to change her. “I-I mean… there’s not many left in the pack.”

“Not a problem,” Bel said, opening the old wooden trunk by the photo wall.

She pulled out another package of the same brand diapers and placed it next to the first.

“There’ll always be diapers available at Secret Base for anyone who wants them,” she said proudly, arms crossed.

“Hurry up and get changed so we can watch a movie after karaoke,” Nene said, already being changed by Nami.

“And this time, let’s make it a scary one,” I teased as I gently taped Auri’s diaper closed.

“Wow, Lili, you’re so evil,” Auri said flatly.

“Just a little,” I smiled, helping her sit up so she could diaper me next.

And as she taped it on, I pictured everything ahead. us watching movies, cooking, playing video games, and building more memories together in a renewed Secret Base. A place just for us. A place I could come to during vacations once I started working as a teacher. A place to reunite with my friends from now until we were old and had a full life behind us.

And that future was now right within my reach.