This is the continued story of Simon’s Journal.
I would highly recommend you read the first volume of this story,

Simon’s Journal Thirteen Days – The First Crusade
before you begin this novel.

 

The following narrative is nearly a complete work of fiction.
Any similarity to actual individuals living or dead is completely unintentional.
If reading a coming of age story about boys wearing diapers and exploring their awakening sexuality is offensive or illegal in your area, then might I suggest you go read War and Peace or something equally stimulating.

 

 

Simon's Journal

Volume II

 

 

Thirteen Nights – After the Crusade

 

 

Written by

Danny
Author of Thirteen Days



 

Chapter - 8

PART 1 – Sunday, March 07, 2004 – Peace, the Greatest Victim of War

 

 

At exactly 4:57 AM I was awaken by a strange sound. Almost immediately I figured out that it was Jamie sitting at his computer and typing.

 

“Jamie?” I spoke in a parched morning voice.

 

He didn’t jump or act surprised; instead he turned and said, “Go back to sleep!”

 

“What time is it?” I asked.

 

It’s 4:57 now go back to sleep!” he turned back to his computer and went back to typing.

 

“What are you doing?” I asked.

 

His form appeared to glow from the light of the monitor before him. I saw his head fall forward as he again spoke, “I’m just chatting with someone online.”

 

“Who?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes.

 

“The President!” he said.

 

“Of what?” I asked not getting that he was being sarcastic.

 

Still whispering but sounding irritated he growled, “Would you just leave me alone and go back to sleep please?”

 

“I can’t sleep with you over there tapping on the keyboard so loud!” I growled back.

 

I saw the silhouette of his head fall forward again. Without saying anything else I heard him typing again but not for very long. I assumed he must have told who ever it was that he had to go because he turned off the computer, which put us back into the dark again. I expected him to get back into bed with me but he didn’t; instead he clicked on his bedroom light. It was so bright that it hurt and I had to pull the covers over my head to shield my eyes.

 

“JAMIE!” I yelled from under the covers.

 

“Will you shut up!” he said in a strong whisper.

 

“Then turn off the light!” I said.

 

I waited a few seconds that then tried to peek out from under the covers. The light was still on however not for much longer. Maybe half a minute later the light went out and still feeling irritated I said, “Thank you very much!”

 

There was no more noise from him. I listened but couldn’t hear anything at all. “Jamie?” I whispered but got no reply.

 

“Did you leave?” I asked, which I now realize was a pretty stupid thing to ask.

 

Despite trying, I could not get back to sleep and after a while I finally gave up, got out of Jamie’s bed and went in search of him. It didn’t take me long to find him. He was curled up on the sofa watching the television. He was wearing his robe which made me aware of the fact that I was only wearing a diaper and from the weight of it I must have wet more then once while I had been asleep.

 

I sat down at the other end of the sofa; his sock covered feet were only half a cushion away. “Are you okay?” I asked softly.

 

“Just leave me alone!” he said and I thought it sounded like he had been crying though he didn’t look like it.

 

“W-what did I d-do?” I asked trying my best not to be offended or to get upset.

 

“Nothing! Just drop it!” he rolling himself so that I could not see his face anymore.

 

I sat with him, without speaking, all the way through some stupid movie about a guy training monkeys in a libratory to fly airplanes that would drop nuclear bombs. I wondered to myself why he didn’t try to find something better to watch and maybe he would have if I had told him I didn’t like it but I chose not to say anything. I just suffered through the movie along with him; I mean, I guess he was suffering; I don’t know really.

 

When the movie was finally over, I got up and that is when I realized he’d fallen back to sleep. I couldn’t believe that I sat and endured that badly made movie for nothing. Not knowing what to do next, I decided to go back to the bedroom to put on some clothes before Marsha woke up.

 

However, when I stood up my diaper nearly fell off my hips. I don’t think I was surprised really, I just didn’t realize that I’d wet so much while I’d slept and while sitting watching the movie. I had obviously wet enough that my diaper was filled to its maximum capacity and was on the verge of leaking.

 

To keep it from falling off me, I had to hold the diaper in place and after checking the spot where I had been sitting for any wetness and happily finding none, I did a funny kind of duck walk back to Jamie’s room. As soon as I had made it back, I let go; the diaper fell off me and landed around my feet with a bit of a splat sound. Now I was in a bit of a pickle. It would be foolish of me to try and go around without a diaper given that I’ve been wetting myself without knowing anything about it and yet I wasn’t sure I could put a regular diaper on all by myself.

 

Not knowing what to do, I decided to do what I knew I could do. I picked up the wet diaper, rolled it up, used the tapes to secure it closed and then placed it in Jamie’s wicker trashcan. I had gone back to my bag and was getting out a new diaper when Jamie came walking into the room looking groggy.

 

“Boy I am glad you are awake! Can you help me put this on?” I held out the clean diaper to him but he walked right past me without saying a single word.

 

Something in me finally snapped, “W-why are you mad at m-me?”

 

He didn’t answer but instead pulled off his robe, tossed it into the bottom of his closet and proceeded to dress himself. When he sat down on his bed to pull on his shoes, I tried to sit next to him but he just stood up and walked out with one shoe on his left foot and the other in his hand.

 

Even though I tried calling after him, “Jamie wait?” he didn’t even slow down.

 

I sat at the foot of his bed trying to think of what I could have done to make him so mad at me but I could not reason it out at all. While sitting and trying to imagine what it might have been, Marsha walked into the room wrapped up in a black and gold oriental style silk house robe. Had her hair not looked as if it had been combed with an eggbeater, she would have looked good enough to go out on the town.

 

She walked in to see me sitting stark naked, holding a fresh diaper and looking despondent. Completely out of instinct I, like an idiot, tried to cover my nudity with the folded up diaper. Still trying her best not to make me feel embarrassed she simply said, “Come on, I’ll help you with that!” As she said it, she brushed several strands of hair out of her face and hooked them behind her right ear.

 

Embarrassment did not dare rear its ugly head at me this time. I was too upset and confused to bother with a stupid emotion like embarrassment. “M-Marsha? D-did I d-do s-s-someth-thing wr-r-r-rong?” I asked her.

 

Looking confused she asked, “What do you mean?”

 

“W-w-why is h-he s-so m-m-m-mad at m-m-me?” I hated that I started to cry, “W-what d-did I d-do?”

 

She bent down and held my head to her warm, silk covered chest. In a soft motherly voice, she said, “Simon, you didn’t do anything! Jamie is mad because he got in trouble. That is all. It has nothing to do with you.”

 

“W-why? W-what d-d-did he d-do?” I sobbed into her silky house robe.

 

She pulled me away wile still keeping her arms around me. As if she was trying to peer into my soul, her eyes appeared to be probing my own before she finally let out a held breath. “Do you know that Jamie idolizes you?” she asked.

 

I scrunched up my nose as I grunted my confusion, “Huh?”

 

“He does!” she nodded. “Each time he comes back after spending the weekend with you, he seems so happy and talks about you non-stop for hours!”

 

I had a hard time buying into what she was saying. Until just recently, Jamie and I had been mortal enemies; never missing a chance to get each other into trouble or to cut the other person down with our words. Heck, we’d fought so much that I think mom and dad were starting to have second thoughts about having us sleeping in the same room.

 

“Jamie wants to be just like you in every way!” she said.

 

I sniffled and asked, “B-but I-I-I a-alw-ways th-th-thought h-he h-h-hated m-m-me?”

 

“Have you ever noticed that he dresses like you, combs his hair like you and even scrunches up his nose just like you do when you are confused about something?” she brushed the tears from my cheeks.

 

“Th-then w-why is h-he b-being m-mean t-to m-m-me n-now?” I sniffled again.

 

Marsha took a deep breath and let it out again before telling me the reason. “Jamie wants to be just like you and I’ve caught him several times wearing your GoodNites here at our home.”

 

I started to grunt and scrunch up my nose again but having her comment on it made me aware that I did it, so I stopped myself. “H-He h-has a-alw-ways p-p-lick-ked on m-me f-for w-w-w-wetting m-m-my b-b-bed!”

 

Marsha scooted herself farther up onto the bed as she’d been sitting right on the edge of the mattress. “I think Jamie wants to be so much like you, that he gets frustrated at times and that makes him upset.”

 

I looked away from her for the first time and down to my dangling feet as I thought about it all before asking, “Why is he mad today? What did he do?” and as soon as I asked it, I knew the answer.

 

She cleared her throat, “I came in to check on you during the night and found him wearing one of your diapers. I made him get up and take it off. I told him that some people have real problems just like you and it isn’t right to imitate that sort of thing. He’s still brooding because I told him that he was grounded to the apartment for today as punishment.”

 

I suddenly felt like someone had stomped on my heart and smashed it into the mud. Yea sure, Jamie asked me to put the diaper on him, but I did it and now he is in trouble because I put it on him last night!

 

Without thinking I started to speak, “B-but h-he was onl-ly d-doing th-that s-so I-I-I w-w-would n-not f-f-f-f-feel b-b-bad or Emb-barrassed.”

 

Marsha’s gaze changed. I felt as if she were searching to see if I was telling the truth now, which of course I wasn’t, but I’d committed myself to attempting to bale Jamie out and I wasn’t going to quit half way into the effort.

 

“H-honest! H-he w-w-was!” I said.

 

She continued to look at me quizzically before finally saying, “Come on! Let’s get you into that and dressed.”

 

The two of us stood up together. I went to the side of the bed and lay down and she taped the diaper into place after wiping me down with one of my baby wipes. She didn’t use the diaper cream or the powder this time and although I noticed I didn’t bother to reminder her. She was helping me into my pants when she called out, “Jamie? Can you come in here a minute please?”

 

My heart began to race! My plan to free him from his single-day of house arrest was in danger. Jamie appeared in the doorway to his room looking seriously miffed.

 

“Simon just told me that the reason you were wearing a diaper last night was because you were trying to make him not feel so bad about having to wear them around you. Is that true?” she asked him.

 

She was looking at him as she asked her question and I tried to catch his eye in hopes of passing some mental message but he never looked up from the floor. When he finally nodded his head I wanted to shout but that would blow our lie right out of the water.

 

Marsha stood up and looked at me and then back at Jamie. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”

 

Jamie looked up finally and said, “I don’t know.” which is, of course, the customary response all us kids are to give an adult whenever they ask us anything at all.

 

Without saying anything Marsha reached into Jamie’s closet and pulled out a large gray sweatshirt. Holding it out before me she said, “Arms up!”

 

I raised my arms as high as I was able to with my armor on and she slipped the shirt over my head and pulled it down into place. It was really big and actually hung down past my backside.

 

She turned to Jamie who was still standing quietly in the doorway. “Well, it was a nice gesture and you’re not on restriction anymore, but I don’t want you doing that sort of thing anymore!” She paused long enough to glance at me and then back to Jamie before telling him, “Why don’t you help Simon get his socks and shoes on and I will go get breakfast started.”

 

Jamie was smiling as she left the room. He walked over to me and looking me right in the eyes he asked, “Why’d you tell her that?” To which I shrugged my shoulders as much as my armor would allow. He looked toward the open door then tuned back to me, smiled again and gave me a quick peck on my lips, “Thanks!”

 

“So you aren’t mad at me anymore?” I asked.

 

Pulling his eyebrows down to a point in an attempt to look mean he said, “I wasn’t mad at you!”

 

I gave him a fake jab to the gut, “You sure had me fooled!”

 

After helping me to get my socks and shoes on, we went and had our breakfast. On the way out of his room he playfully swatted my diapered bottom which made a loud whopping sound. We had scrambled eggs with Texas toast and orange juice for breakfast. It was really good and I scarfed mine down in record time. I guess for some reason I was extra hungry this morning so I asked for another piece of the Texas toast and another glass of orange juice. Jamie was just polishing off his breakfast while I swallowed the last few drops from my glass.

 

There was a limitless numbers of things we could do today and for starters we tromped back to Jamie’s room for a while. “You think Ian might want to paint us today?” I asked as Jamie started to make his bed.

 

“Dunno, but we can stop by and see!” Jamie said arranging his pillows.

 

I started helping him make the bed as we talked. “I’d really like to see how he does those paintings.” I said.

 

“I seen him do it lots of times.” Jamie said.

 

“Want to go over there now?” I asked.

 

“He doesn’t get up this early; especially if he was out the night before.” Jamie said as he and I pulled the bedspread up over the pillows.

 

“Plus he might not be alone.” Jamie added.

 

Not catching his implication I asked, “What do you mean?”

 

Instead of using words Jamie looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. I giggled as the image of Ian in bed with another guy formed on the movie screen within my mind.

 

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

 

“I think you just did.” Jamie said with a mocked up innocent expression.

 

“Now don’t start that again!” I shook my fist at him and he acted like he didn’t even see me do it.

 

“What then?” he asked while smoothing out the wrinkles in the bed.

 

“Your friends and you?” I started to say.

 

He started to walk around the bed to my side, “Yea, what about us?”

 

“You guys really have a,” I dropped my voice so that I was barely audible, “sex club?”

 

Jamie let loose a rolling kind of chuckle, “Yea, we really do!”

 

Jamie started smoothing out my side of his bed while I asked, “You really do all that stuff you told me about before?”

 

“Yea, sure do!” he said and totally by accident he was moving his arm backwards in a sweeping motion and his elbow caught me right in the crotch. Thanks to my diaper it took most of the blow but it was still hard enough that my poor little boy marbles began to ache and drew back up into my body for protection. I doubled over and fell forward onto the bed.

 

Jamie began to laugh and with no sympathy at all said, “Hey! I just got all the wrinkles out of that!”

 

As if it would help at all, I was holding the front of my pants and moaning. “You jerk! You got me right in the privates!” which only made Jamie laugh that much more.

 

Now Jamie had done it on accident and really didn’t hit me as hard as he might have had I not been wearing the diaper, but when I rolled over and sank my fist into his groin, it wasn’t by accident or as slight hit as his had been. I nailed him dead in his boy jewels. He fell right to the floor, his body curled instantly into the fetal position and his eyes were squeezed completely closed. I don’t think he was breathing either. I started to laugh while still holding my own jewels as they still hurt.

 

“You are so dead!” he groaned without moving his mouth at all.

 

“Serves you right!” I laughed.

 

Groaning as if the words were being gargled out from the back of his throat “Oh you butthole! I didn’t mean to hit you!”

 

“I didn’t mean to either!” I laughed.

 

He opened his eyes and moved for the first time, “You absolute jerk! You did too mean it and you know you did too!”

 

“You want me to kiss it and make it all better?” I teased and he tried to kick me but when he moved his leg it only caused his injured boyhood hurt even more.

 

“I’m so going to kill you when I get up!” he said and this time he sounded more like his normal self again, which told me is would be getting up any second.

 

I jumped to my feet and ran from his room, through the living room and into the kitchen to where I assumed I would find Marsha but she wasn’t there. I turned and looked back out of the kitchen to see Jamie hobbling slowly my way. He was dragging one foot as if it was partially paralyzed and was all hunched over, clutching his groin. He resembled some junior version of an old horror movie monster. I was reminded of Lowell’s story and envisioned Jamie chacing me through the ancient tomb bound up in mummy wrappings and moaning, “Must eat brains!”

 

I ran out of the kitchen and positioned myself so that the table was between Jamie and me. If he would move left I would move left too making it impossible for him to get a hold of me.

 

I was giggling like mad as I tried to apologize, “Okay! I am sorry! I am sooooo sorry!”

 

“Not as sorry as you will be when I catch you!” he growled and almost smiled.

 

“Jamie I am very, very, very, very, very times a thousand, sorry!” I was still giggling, “Please don’t kill me okay?”

 

“Let me ‘Frog’ you twice and I’ll call it even!” Jamie offered.

 

“No way!” I protested, “You hit me first anyway!”

 

Jamie moved two steps to the right so I too moved two steps to my right. “I didn’t mean to do it! You did!” Jamie said as he suddenly moving halfway around the table making me move just as fast to keep him at bay.

 

I tried to out think him, “I thought we were supposed to be at peace and not at war!”

 

“You are the one that broke the truce!” Jamie jogged left two steps and then back right all the way around the table one before stopping again.

 

“Stop!” I said laughing.

 

Marsha came out of her room with her hair wrapped in a towel. “What’s going on?” she asked.

 

This time Jamie lied to her, “We’re just playing mom.”

 

“Well you’re being too loud! Take it down a few notches.” She said and went back to her room.

 

I looked back at Jamie who, while I had not been looking, had taken the chance and moved to where he was almost on my side of the table. Since I was closer to the living room I turned around and made a desperate attempt to reach his bedroom. I made it and got the door closed and locked before he got to it. I heard him slam into the door and then a thud that I guessed was him falling to the floor.

 

Concerned that he might have really hurt himself I unlocked and opened the door again only to have him barge in and nearly knock me over in the process.

 

“Now Jamie! Remember, I have broken ribs!” I said holding my hands up to keep him at arms distance.

 

He balled up he fists and raised his middle finger so that the knuckle was sticking up from his fist. “Where do you want your first ‘Frog’? In the arm or the leg?”

 

“Jamie please I am really sorry!” I said backing up until I was against the other wall.

 

In the distance I heard the phone ring but Jamie still stood there waiting for me to choose, “If you don’t pick one then I will!” he faked a jab at my arm.”

 

“Please don’t!” I dropped to my knees and pleaded for mercy.

 

“Jamie, phone for you!” Marsha called out.

 

“I’ll just have to get you later then!” he said and ran out of his room to go get the phone.

 

I stood up and raced after him. He was in the kitchen talking into the phone, “Yea but not very long.”

 

There was a pause as Jamie listened to the caller before he spoke again, “Okay, let me ask.”

 

He pulled the phone from his mouth and asked Marsha, “Can we go over to Paul and Noah’s?”

 

Marsha was making herself a cup of tea, “I wish you would!” she said.

 

Jamie put the receiver back to his mouth, “She said yes! We’ll be right there!”

 

He paused for a moment before saying, “Okay, bye!” and then hung up the phone.

 

“Come on!” Jamie said taking half a step away from the phone.

 

“You two check in every hour!” Marsha said.

 

Jamie grabbed me by my arms as he said, “Okay see ya mom!”

 

We were out the door in less then a second and Jamie turned and before I could react, he gave me a ‘Frog’ in my right arm that hurt so bad it felt like I was going to die.

 

“Oh you are such a punk!” I said rubbing my arm.

 

“You got one more coming!” he laughed as he moved several steps backward out of my reach.

 

“No way! I only hit you once!” I said.

 

“Okay, then we are even!” he said still moving away but not turning his back on me.

 

I wanted to run up to him, grab him by his ears and shake the crap out of him but I was too busy rubbing my lifeless arm. “Dang Jamie that really hurts!”

 

“Oh stop belly-aching and come on!” he said from half way down the hall.

 

I was cradling my arm and trying to wiggle my fingers as I walked. “You know something?” I asked as the two of us stepped into the elevator.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

I shook my still throbbing arm and said, “We sure suck at keeping the peace going between us.”

 

As the elevator doors opened Noah and Paul were there to greet us, “Hi Jamie! How's it going Simon?” Paul said.

 

“Hey guys!” Noah said as Jamie and I walked out of the elevator.

 

I waved at the same time Jamie asked of them, “What are you guys doing out here?”

 

“Had to take the trash to the chute.” Noah answered.

 

Not missing a beat Jamie said, “But Paul is still here?”

 

Paul started slap-boxing with Jamie, “Oh you are so not funny!” Paul said.

 

I must admit that I got some satisfaction when Paul accidentally cold-cocked Jamie upside his head. Jamie started to stagger and nearly fell over had he not staggered into Noah.

 

“Oh sorry! Are you alright? I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.” Paul said helping to steady Jamie. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from busting out laughing. When Jamie recovered, he was rubbing his jaw and trying to act as if it didn’t hurt but I knew it had especially since it had only been a few days since I’d given him a shiner.

 

Jamie tried to look macho and dazed as we walked down the hall to their apartment. Despite being in the same building and having the same overall floor plan, I was surprised how different their apartment looked from Jamie’s’. Where Jamie’s mom had decorated theirs to look very modern and clean, Paul and Noah’s had a much more lived in look. The floors were covered in a multi-shaded brown carpet; the walls were all painted in a generic off white with tons of pictures all over the place of Noah and Paul at various ages. There were also a lot of plants, plants hanging from the ceiling, some on shelves, several here and there on tables and an absolutely huge palm kind of tree that was so tall that, to keep the tops of it up, someone had tied the top of the tree to three hooks that were in the ceiling. Now that I think about it, maybe that was to keep it from being knocked over. I think the thing that made there apartment look so different is that there were no walls separating the Living room, Kitchen and Dinning room areas. It was like one big grand living space.

 

A frumpy sort of woman, with hair that looked to have been over bleached, came walking out of the kitchen dinning room area carrying a laundry basket full of freshly washed and folded clothes. As if she didn’t even see Jamie or me she said to Paul and Noah, “There you are. I was calling for you.”

 

“We were taking out the trash!” they answered in unison.      

 

“Well now you can go get your clothes off the washer and take them to your rooms. Put them away where they are supposed to go, folded neatly and not just stuffed into any old drawer or dropped on the floor!”

 

Paul and Noah looked a little uncomfortable and didn’t put up any argument as they started toward the kitchen. With no walls to obstruct the view I saw that on the far side of the kitchen were two bi-fold louvered doors that were open revealing a tired and un-matching set of washer and drier.

 

“Leave your dress shirts in there! I will iron them later today!” she shouted which caught me off guard and maybe startled me a little. She was almost to the other side of the living room before she bothered to recognize that Jamie and I were even in the apartment.

 

The way she addressed Jamie made it sound like he was one of her own children and not just a friend. “Jamie? What have you been told about wearing shoes in the house?”

 

“Sorry!” Jamie said kicking off his shoes. Not wanting to get verbally chastised to I quickly kicked my own shoes off as well.

 

When I looked back up she was gone and Paul and Noah were walking back toward us, both carrying armloads of folded clothes. I looked down and for the first time noticed they were both in their socks, which I realized was why they didn’t get yelled at for wearing shoes in the apartment.

 

“Come on!” Noah said leading the way for Jamie and I. Paul had raced a head of us and was already in their room.

 

The three of us were just crossing the living room when a man came out of Paul and Noah’s room carrying a cordless screwdriver. Seeming surprised to see Jamie and I he said, “Oh hi there Jamie, and this must be your brother Sampson?” he stuck out his free hand to shake mine, “The boys have told me all about you! Sampson! That is a great and noble name! It’s from the bible you know?”

 

I shook his hand and politely corrected him, “Actually my names Simon.”

 

“Oh yes! Well, Simon you say? Oh well there’s nothing noble about that?”

 

He turned to look at Noah for a second, who looked positively horrified. Then turning back to me he raised his cordless screwdriver as if he were attempting to rob Jamie and I, “Oh wait, wasn’t there a Simon in the bible too?” and raising his cordless screw driver high into the air he announced, “Ah yes, one of the twelve! Yes, Yes! Simon is truly a noble name! I shall never forget again!” and walked off rustling Noah’s hair in the process.

 

Noah had turned to bright red that I expected his head to pop like a balloon. Not making eye contact he said, “That was my dad. Everyone calls him Buzz.”

 

Jamie laughed, “Yea their dad’s nuts but he’s cool!”

 

“Glad you think so!” Noah said turning and walking into his room with Jamie and me following behind.

 

Their room looked like someone had set off a bomb. There was stuff everywhere; toys, games, clothes and books, all scattered everywhere.

 

“Wow!” I said at seeing the mess, “My mom would kill me if she ever saw my room like this!”

 

I noticed that Paul, who was sitting on the bed, had not put his clothes away like he’d been told but had instead dropped them on the floor in front of the dresser. Noah on the other hand did put his clothes away but not before kicking Paul’s stuff out of the way so that he could open the bottom drawer of the dresser.

 

“Dad screwed the shelves to the wall so they won’t fall over again.” Paul said which drew my attention to the fact that the shelves on the far wall had nothing except for what looked to be a pair of dirty underwear just sort of hanging two-thirds off a middle shelf.

 

After using his foot to push the bottom drawer back in, Noah said, “Yea, mom used to yell at us all the time to clean up but she hardly ever does now.”

 

Paul jumped in, “Yea, she said as long as we bring home B’s or better on our report cards she won’t say anything about our room.”

 

“How did the shelves fall over?” Jamie asked bending down and picking up a Gameboy from the floor.

 

“Butthead over there.” Paul started to say.

 

Noah picked up one of Paul’s’ clean shirts that Paul had just carried in and threw it at his brother, “You’re the Butthead that threw my bear all the way on top!”

 

“Bear?” I said and wished I hadn’t as soon as the word was past my lips.

 

Noah again blushed and Paul, not willing to let the subject pass without taking another stab at Noah said, “Yea little baby Noah can’t go beddy-bye without his Teddy Bear!”

 

As if he had rocket implants in the soles of his feet Noah launched himself into the air and came down on top of Paul with his fists flying in from every direction.

 

“Get off, you dweeb!” Paul groaned as he tried to fend off Noah’s attack.

 

“You promised you’d never tell!” Noah said landing a swinging left into Paul’s stomach and ending the battle . . . for now.

 

I felt really out of place, like I should leave but I also felt like it would be rude to just walk out. Jamie, who had not even paid any attention to Paul and Noah was standing beside me playing with the Gameboy, he finally looked up at me and said, “Don’t worry, they always fight like that!”

 

I was concerned for Paul who was curled into a ball on the bed clutching at his stomach and gasping for air, “You okay?” I asked.

 

Noah answered instead, “He’s fine except he’s a butthead!”

 

A couple seconds later Paul raised himself up in time to kick Noah in the back, but it must not have hurt because Noah didn’t even flinch.

 

“You jerk! You nearly knocked the air out of me!” Paul then rolled himself off the bed and stormed out of the room.

 

“I think you really hurt him.” I said to Noah.

 

“No way!” Jamie said, “I seen them fight worst then that!”

 

Noah was still looking a little embarrassed over the Teddy Bear comment but soon got over it, or at least acted like he did. Noah tried to change the subject, “Which one you got there?”

 

“Pokemon Gold.” Jamie answered without looking up form the game.

 

As if it really mattered Noah said, “That one’s mine, you can play it.”

 

I noticed that on the wall separating their room from the rest of the apartment there were two movie-sized posters for Star Wars Episodes 1 and 2 taped to the wall.

 

“You like Star Wars?” I asked.

 

“They are only the best movies ever!” Noah said.

 

From off in the distance came his mothers’ shrill cry. “Noah! Stop hitting your brother!” to which Noah only rolled his eyes.

 

Paul came back into the room later looking as if he might have been crying. “Tattle Tail!” Noah said to him.

 

Paul then countered with, “Least I’m not a diaper baby that sleeps with a Teddy Bear and sucks his thumb!”

 

I felt myself flush with embarrassment at those words, “Diaper baby,” and Jamie surprised me by suddenly whipping the Gameboy at Paul and hitting him right in the chest.

 

“Ouch! Dang Jamie that hurt!” Paul cried out.

 

Jamie looked like as if he was seeing red. He positioned himself in front of me as if protecting me from an impending attack. He had both hands raised defensively, “You better watch what you say or I’ll bust you right in the mouth!”

 

Noah took a step away form Jamie, Paul was rubbing and holding his chest where the game had hit him hard and not realizing what he’d just said he asked, “What did I say?”

 

Noah suddenly realized why Jamie was so mad and gave Paul a shove! “You jerk! You know Simon has to wear Diapers!”

 

I couldn’t believe what was being said and all I wanted to do was run away which is exactly what I did. I was at their front door, shoes in hand before the three of them caught up to me. With tears streaming down my face I grabbed the knob and started to turn it but Jamie barged in front of me, effectively stopping me from opening the door.

 

“Get out of my way!” The words flew off my tongue as if strapped to a missile.

 

“Jamie wait!” I heard Noah say from behind me.

 

Seething I said to Jamie, “You told them!”

 

Jamie tried to touch my arm but I batted his hand away, “I only told them so they wouldn’t say something to embarrass you last night.”

 

I don’t think I’ve ever been as mad in my life as I was at that moment. Much like had happened the morning I had taken on Peter and his friends all by myself I suddenly lost control and with a single punch to his stomach, Jamie tumbled over. I turned the doorknob and was out the door and Paul followed me out.

 

“Simon stop! Please! I didn’t mean anything by that! I . . .” he stopped midway though whatever he was going to say when I turned and had a shoe raised into the air ready to strike him down.

 

Paul had his hands raised to try and block me if I chose to swing, “I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking I was just mad at Noah!” he said.

 

I threw my shoe at him and he ducked out of the way. I threw the other and missed him only by a fraction of an inch. I then turned and ran down the hall and to the stairs. I expected him to come running after me but I didn’t hear him. I took the stairs back to Jamie’s floor and was going to go through the door when I noticed the grate on the wall was not fastened correctly.

 

Not really thinking about what I was doing, I took hold of it and it lifted open. I slipped into the duct behind the grate and lowered it back into place. After making my way all the way to the big metal door that led to the garden, which I found was not closed all the way I stepped in to find Becky inside watering the plants.

 

I startled her so much that she screamed when she saw me. “AAAAHHHH!” and dropped the watering can which hit the concrete floor with a clunk and spilling water everywhere.

 

Having hoped that I would find the place empty so that I could sit myself down for a good cry and finding that was not going to happen I turned and started to leave. Becky must have seen that I was crying because she ran over and caught me by the back of my shirt. “Wait Simon, what’s wrong?” she asked sounding genuinely concerned.

 

All I could say was, “Please let me go!”

 

She pulled me back a half a spet, enough that she could get around in front of me, “What’s the matter?”

 

“I just want to be alone, please!” I said before totally breaking down which didn’t help the way I was feeling given that I didn’t really even know Becky and didn’t want her to see me crying.

 

She stopped trying to get me to tell what was wrong but instead put her arms around me and patted the back of my head affectionately while I sobbed into her fuzzy sweater. I suppose it was because Becky is several inches taller then me and the way she was holding and shushing me that made her seem kind of motherly. I imagine that is what it must be like to have an older sister to run to.

 

I was able to get all my tears out before the two of us were interrupted by the clank of the metal door being opened again. As it swung open Becky and I had to move out of the way. She released her embrace and I turned so that my back was to the door while wiping my eyes and nose on the sleeve of Jamie’s sweatshirt that Marsha had put on me this morning. In an odd sort of way I felt kind of good to be wiping my own snot on Jamie’s shirt.

 

“There you are!” Noah said as he came in.

 

“What’s going on?” Becky asked sounding angry, “Why’s Simon crying?”

 

Noah ignored Becky and said, “Simon? We’re sorry! We didn’t mean too, I mean . . . uh, we shouldn’t have said those things! We weren’t thinking!”

 

“Why? What did you say?” Becky asked still sounding mad.

 

“Becky would you just shut up for a minute! This has nothing to do with you!” Noah said in a very nasty way to Becky.

 

I heard a thump behind me and then Noah cry out! “Ouch Becky! What you stomp on my foot for?”

 

“Because you are a jerk! Now get out and leave us alone!” Becky said.

 

“Stop pushing!” Noah said.

 

“Out, and don’t come back!” Becky shouted and then I heard the metal door clank closed again.

 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and then saw Becky’s arm reach around me from behind and taking hold of my elbow turned me around and embraced me again. “You okay?” she asked in a soothing voice and I found it remarkable how she could go from sounding so violent one second and gentle the next.

 

I had nearly stopped crying and Becky loosened her grip on me. “You want to talk about it?” she asked.

 

I shook my head no.

 

“Want to help me water the plants?” she asked as if talking to a small child.

 

I nodded.

 

“Okay, I’ll have to go get some more water. Will you be alright while I’m gone?” she asked as if she were going to be gone more then a few seconds. I remember Jamie telling me that there was a water faucet in the room with all the pipes and ducts, which was just on the other side of the storage room.

 

After I nodded again she picked up the watering can and went to go fill it up. She was back after a minute or two but she wasn’t alone. Noah was with her and was looking very humbled. I also couldn’t help but notice that he was limping slightly due to Becky having tromped on his foot and he was still only wearing socks.

 

“Noah just told me what happened.” Becky said softly.

 

I spun back around so that I did not have to look at either of them, “I don’t want to talk about it.” I said.

 

I could not understand what Becky said next because she said it so softly but afterward Noah spoke, “Simon?” his voice cracked.

 

When I did not respond I heard Becky say, “Noah, tell him or I will do it for you!”

 

Noah cleared his throat and said, “Simon, I used to wet the bed too!”

 

I heard Becky say, “Tell him the whole truth!” while putting an emphasis on the word whole.

 

Noah sighed heavily, “I . . . I still do sometimes!”

 

When they had come back into the garden they had not closed the metal door so we heard when Jamie and Paul were coming through the grate the lead into the storage room.

 

I turned to see that Jamie was the first in, “He’s in here!” he whispered to Paul who came in too and closed the metal door behind him.

 

Instead of addressing me Paul turned to Becky, “We could hear you all the way out by the stairs! Why didn’t you have this door closed?”

 

Jamie spoke up next, “I bet everyone could hear what was being said.”

 

I was looking right at Noah when Jamie said that and I saw as every bit of color washed out of him and he started to look like he was going to pass out or something. I don’t think any of us expected him to do what he did next. With no warning whatsoever Noah leaned forward and puked right there on the concrete floor. The smell quickly overtook the rest of us and I could see everyone turning various shades of green. Becky went over behind a tall concrete pillar and opened a window that allowed fresh air to blow in swiftly.

 

Jamie and Paul had taken Noah over to the grass to lie down and Becky was trying to use the watering can to wash the bile down the floor drain a couple feet away. When she went back out to get more water I slipped out behind her but she didn’t know it. I managed to hide behind a stack of boxes until she re-entered the garden room and closed the metal door. I went through the grate, through the plumbing room, back into the ducts and out the grate by the stairs and made my way back to Jamie’s apartment.

 

However when I reached the door I found it locked and so I had to ring the bell. When Marsha answered the door she looked a little confused, “Where’s Jamie?” she asked.

 

“Oh he’s still at Paul and Noah’s.” I lied.

 

Then a look of understanding came about her, “Oh, you need a change?” she asked.

 

Now I honestly had no idea but I figured there was a really good chance that I did so I nodded that I did. She escorted me to Jamie’s room and when I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants I saw that I was wet, maybe not wet enough to warrant a changing just yet, but I went a head and assumed the position on Jamie’s bed without saying anything.

 

Marsha unfastened the tapes to my diaper and without removing it from under me was cleaning off my front diaper area when the intercom buzzer sounded which I had learned meant that the security guard down in the front lobby was buzzing up.

 

“Don’t go anywhere!” Marsha said with a funny grin and I must admit that it was funny.

 

 

Next Installment:

Chapter 8 – Part 2 – A League is Formed and a Toe is Broken

 

 

** For the latest news on how each installment is coming along as well as answers to questions asked by other readers and so much more, visit me at www.talkhard.5u.com.  As always, your thoughts matter to me very, very much, so please send any comments, questions, suggestions, or criticism to me at: [email protected] and I promise that I will reply personally to everyone that takes the time to write to me!  **