Lizzie - Chapter 14 - A Hectic Beginning

Author's Note

I want to once again thank you all for your patience. Before starting this chapter, I spent several weeks combing through my outline. There were a few sections that were rewritten, but the direction and themes of the story are unchanged in my eyes. I simply believe that as I wrote out the second arc, parts of the story have grown clearer, and I was able to better articulate and outline what I want to happen, and how this story can take us to the end.

In a similar-ish vein to chapter 7 (dang, that feels like so long ago), this chapter isn't filled with any abdl content. In fact, there's hardly if any. I know this will disappoint some. Perhaps many. But I truly think this is the right method to deliver this story. Things will build up soon, quite quickly in fact, but I need to first get all the "pieces in place" so-to-speak.

This chapter took quite a long time to write. I guess the good news I can share is that I'm well into writing chapter 15 at the time of posting. It is a long chapter, but the wait will be shorter than this one.

Anyways. I hope you all still enjoy this evolution in Lizzie's story. And if you don't, I promise that this will be the final chapter without directly ab-related content, so hopefully you'll still stick around for the next one :)

---

“But I want to go too!”

“Lizzie, your father and I are going for work, not vacation. It’s going to be boring long meetings all week long. You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere or do anything fun anyways.

“Still, I just want to see China! I’ll even bring my homework, I can afford to miss a few days!”

“Begging isn’t going to make us take you,” Jennifer said, brushing off her daughter’s whining with a wave as she moved to clear their breakfast.

“C’mon soldier, it won’t be too bad. You’ll get to hang out with Ivie for a week,” Philip said, leaning in. “Besides, don’t you want a few days alone to demonstrate how independent you are?” he whispered with a wink.

“I guess…” Lizzie didn’t stop pouting. It irked her slightly that Ivie had begun babysitting her when she was her age, but her parents wouldn’t even let her stay at home alone.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you. We’d be fine with you staying alone for a few hours, but this is for almost a week. You wouldn’t be able to cook all your meals and buy yourself groceries, right? It’ll be safer if we know someone else is with you,” her parents had explained when she’d brought up her discontent.

She knew they were right. Ivie had gone and gotten a babysitting license when she was thirteen, and had a proven track record of being responsible.

On top of that, she’d been on slightly rocky terms with her parents ever since the trip. The morning after they’d gotten back, her mom had chewed her out on everything that had happened. From the diaper removal to the pranking of Charlotte. From taking off her seatbelt to even horsing around and getting injured in the snow.

She had expected to get grounded, but her parents let her off with a warning. However, something in their tone set her on edge.

Perhaps she was simply reading too much into it. Perhaps they simply thought she’d already been sufficiently disciplined at Aunt Mira’s. Nonetheless, she’d been on her best behavior ever since, carefully following their rules to a T. This meant that deep down, Lizzie was eager to escape this ominous tension, and spend a week alone.

Well, not exactly alone. Ivie would be there. But at least it wasn’t one of her other nannies, they were all old, boring moms, with their strict rules and snobby attitudes. In a way, it seemed like her parents were giving her the benefit of the doubt, trusting that she would be fine with a younger babysitter. Besides, it’d been a while since the two of them had caught up in person.

“Alright, hurry up and finish your juice, or you’re gonna be late for your first day back.”

Lizzie sighed under her breath. “Okay, I got it!”

***

“Remember to take two pills after lunch, and make sure to drink all your water.” Her mom called out as Lizzie stepped off the car. She rolled her eyes. Her mom had been getting on her case about drinking more water, something about it helping the vitamins work better. If only the pills could magically make her bedwetting go away too.

“And remember that we’re going shopping after and Ricci’s tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” Lizzie flashed her parents a smile, waving to them until they drove off.

In her classroom, Lizzie took her normal seat at the edge of the middle row. Far enough back to not be a nerd, forward enough to not be one of the slackers in the back, and off to the side to not attract the teacher’s attention.

She pulled out her notebook and pencil case, organizing them neatly on the desk before turning her attention to her phone.

“Yo girl, Happy New Year! How was your break?”

Lizzie’s surprise quickly turned to a smile as Madison took a seat next to her. Her friend was wearing a slightly oversized white sweater, a short wrap skirt, and shiny knee-high boots. The immaculateness never ceased to impress her.

“Girl, you there?”

Lizzie quickly shook herself awake, blushing slightly as she wondered if her friend caught her staring. “Oh yeah, Happy New Year! It was alright, just chilling with the family up in Pennsylvania, how was yours?”

“Not bad. Flew up to New York for a few days with my parents on their business trip, but spent most of it back here. You did miss out on a party and secret Santa though!”

“Yeah! I’m so sad I missed out, please tell me you’ll have more parties soon,” Lizzie gave her friend her begging eyes.

“Actually, I don’t have anything after school today, you wanna come over? I can ask some of the other choir peeps too.”

“I…” Lizzie started, remembering her family plans. But she was being invited to Madison’s! What if she never got the chance again? Ah, but she’d promised her parents!

“It’s okay, think about it. We can always do another day. But speaking of presents, I got you a little something.” Madison rummaged in her bag for a bit before pulling out a neatly wrapped present.

“Oh thank you, I…” Lizzie blanked, realizing she hadn’t even thought to get Madison a Christmas gift.

“What are you waiting for? Open it!”

“I… I just feel bad, I didn’t get you anything,” Lizzie said sheepishly.

“Oh no, it’s honestly just a small thing I saw in the store the other day. Just open it!” Madison looked at her with eager eyes.

Lizzie let out a small breath, flashing a smile at her friend. She made a mental note to find a gift for her later. Inspecting the package, it was a rectangular box and small enough to fit between her hands, but was somewhat heavy for its size.

Noticing her friend’s stare, Lizzie peeled away the paper, revealing a wooden chess clock.

“Do you like it?” Madison asked, twirling her hair between her fingers as Lizzie turned it around in her hands.

“Do I like it? I freaking love it, thank you so much!” Lizzie gave her friend a hug. “How did you know I needed one? This must’ve been so expensive!” She opened it to take a closer look.

“You mentioned not having one, which surprised me since you play so much. And it’s not real wood, so it’s actually a lot cheaper than it looks. But it is FIDE approved though!” Madison said with a smile. “By the way, I emailed Mr. Henning’s about the chess club stuff, he said we can talk to him about it at lunch today.”

“Oh, wow…” Lizzie paused. When Madison had joked about starting a chess club, Lizzie had agreed enthusiastically, mainly just happy that the popular girl even entertained the idea of doing something with her. But that’s all it had been right, a joke?

“Something wrong?”

Lizzie shook her head, “No, it’s just you’re so quick, I totally forgot about it over the break,” she said, a heat rising from within. She hated even attending events, let alone running them. How were they going to find members, organize events? What if people didn’t show up? How was she going to balance that with her schoolwork? Her heart began to race along with her thoughts.

Lizzie couldn’t concentrate as her worries continued to echo in her mind for the remainder of the morning. The thoughts were still bouncing around as she found herself walking alongside Madison toward Mr. Henning’s room.

She looked at her friend. How could she tell Madison about her fears without seeming like a coward? She’d be a loser. Madison would never talk to her again.

No, true friends would see past that. And Madison was a true friend, right?

“Mad—“

“Heya Mr. Henning!”

Lizzie looked up to realize they were already at the doorway. It was too late.

“Ah, yes, Madison, come on in! How are you?”

“Great! And this here is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Lizzie. She’s the chess genius! And I emailed last week about starting a chess club.”

“Hi Mr. Henning.” Lizzie cringed as her words came out quiet and slurred.

“Yes, of course. I’d be more than happy to help sponsor a chess club. In fact, I’m quite an avid player myself, used to run the chess club back when I was in high school. So I’m glad to see young ones like yourselves still interested in the game!

“Of course, in order to be a club, you’ll need at least six members. Then after that there’s some paperwork, and then it’s down to planning the events. We can do weekly fun games, school tournaments, and if you’re adventurous enough, we could even send our best to compete in the district officially.”

“Yeah, I already went and grabbed the forms.” Madison pulled out a few sheets from her bag. “I already began filling them out, but we’ll need your signature here and…”

Lizzie barely had time to breathe as the conversation flew by her. Compete in the district? Her thoughts flew back to her one tournament, the entire thing was making her head spin.

“Cool, thank you so much Mr. Henning! Lizzie and I will submit the forms tomorrow, and we can come by lunchtime on Friday to discuss about the activities and other planning?” Madison shook his hand.

“Thanks,” Lizzie stammered, quickly reaching out as well, flinching slightly as her cold and clammy hand matched up with his large and warm one.

“Thanks girls, I’m excited. Maybe we can play a few exhibition matches on Friday too!” He smiled as the two left the room.

“Alright, now that’s done, let’s go eat, I’m starving!” Madison said, grabbing Lizzie’s arm. But when she didn’t return her smile, Madison put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you alright? You look a bit sick.”

“I’m… I’m fine, just a bit tired, back to school blues you know?”

After a short pause, Madison said, “Okay… Yeah, I get you. I had trouble waking up this morning too.” It was an obvious lie, but Lizzie forced a smile. The two continued walking down the hallway, Lizzie still clutching onto her jacket.

“No, wait.” Lizzie said, causing Madison to spin around, her large hazel eyes staring. How would her friend react? Every possible scenario flashing through her mind. She took a deep breath.

“I’ll… I’ll be honest, I… I haven’t done any of this club stuff before, so… I’m a bit afraid,” Lizzie stammered out, leaning against a set of lockers. “What if we can’t find any members? And even if we do, how do we plan events? What if things go wrong, what if no one shows up? I know this all must seem trivial to you, since you’re an exec on the debate club and all.” She exhaled, sliding down and sitting onto the floor.

“I…” Madison paused for a moment before continuing, “I mean, you’re absolutely right, there’s a lot of work to running a club. But you have to realize, you’re not doing it alone!

“Take the debate club for example. There’s like six execs, we all work together to plan everything. If I’m honest, half of the time I’m just twiddling my thumbs! Same with the chess club. You’ll always have me and Mr. Henning. And once we’re large enough, we can hire other execs too. I’ll always be there for you, okay?” Lizzie felt a hand on her arm, and looked up to see her friend kneeling in front of her.

Madison’s head tilted slightly as she stared intently at her. Yet her eyes spoke not of disappointment, nor of anger. They simply looked at her with a sense of compassion Lizzie couldn’t quite describe.

“Okay,” Lizzie said, biting her tongue to hold back her tears. “I’ll try my best,” she said, mustering as much energy as she had into the statement.

“That’s the spirit!” Madison helped her up. “Besides, we can start small, just some games during lunch times or after school once a week. Let’s give it a try, but if you’re still weary about it in a few weeks, we can always just back out, or hand it off to someone else, alright?”

Lizzie nodded. “Thanks,” finding it within her to flash a smile.

“Anytime,” came the simple reply. And the two resumed their journey to the cafeteria, grabbing their food before joining a table of choir girls.

The group was already busy in discussions about the break. Catching up on their various parties and vacations, showing off pictures to one another.

As soon as they joined the table, attention turned to Madison. Lizzie sat down, quietly eating her lunch as her friend talked about her New York trip and the parties.

“I heard you got invited to Darren’s party?” Anna asked. The question was met with a few whispers around the table.

“Wait, Darren Lowe? As in Lowe’s and Co? Aren’t they like loaded? Don’t they own a mansion on East End?” Morgan asked. The questions triggered another wave of murmurs.

“Yeah, that one. But it’s really not as cool as you guys think it is.”

“What do you mean? Most high-schoolers would be begging to get in, let alone us middle-schoolers!”

“Eh…” Madison waved it off. “High-schoolers are stinky. It’s honestly much more fun hanging out with you guys. Speaking of which, anyone wanna come over my place after school? My mom baked too many cookies.”

“Sure!” Anna said.

Noticing Madison’s gaze was on her, Lizzie realized she’d been too preoccupied with the club she’d completely forgotten to ask. “Yeah, sure, I just need to check with my parents real quick.” She turned to see Morgan giving her a weird look.

“I’m in.” Morgan said, her odd expression quickly vanishing. One by one, the rest of the table confirmed they’d be there. Notably, none of the others mentioned needing to ask for permission.

As Lizzie continued to finish her lunch, Madison fluttered between tables. Everywhere she went, she was welcomed with open arms, and Lizzie watched in admiration as her friend slipped into their conversations with such ease.

The remainder of the day flew by. Right after the final bell rang she ran out to meet her mom, who was already waiting in the parking lot.

“Mom, you really didn’t have to pick me up, all of my friends are bussing there together.”

“Well of course I do, I know you’ve talked a lot about Madison, and she sounds like a good girl. But I just want to quick chat with her and her parents before you spend the afternoon together.”

Lizzie let out a quiet huff, but kept her mouth shut. Her mom was usually not open to hangouts on such short notice, especially on a day where they’d already had plans. But for once, her mom seemed to have picked up on how important Madison was to her as a friend. It wouldn’t be too bad, Lizzie knew her mom would like Madison. “Thanks for letting me go though,” Lizzie eventually added.

“Yeah, of course.” Her mom flashed her a smile, but it seemed like something was bothering her.

“We can still go to Ricci’s. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Yes we should, but it might have to wait until we’re back. Your father needs to get a few things lined up and I got to finish the paperwork before we head out.”

On the way there, Lizzie realized it would be bad to show up empty-handed, especially as it was the first time meeting Madison’s parents. So, she got her mom to stop by a convenience store, where she went in to look for some snacks.

She browsed the aisles for a while, eventually settling on Doritos since they should be popular enough. Spicy sweet chili was her favorite, but she decided on the regular flavor to be safe. She then picked up a can of Pringles and a large bottle of coke as well.

The total came to just under ten dollars. That was nearly her entire week’s allowance, but Lizzie convinced herself it would be worth it.

The remainder of the drive to East End was quick, and they soon arrived at a nice looking house. It wasn’t a particularly big house, especially compared to some of the other ones in the neighborhood, but it was a nice-looking one. It had a mostly smooth white exterior with black and stone accents. As they walked up the steps, the door swung open.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Madison asked with a wave. “Oh, hello Ms…”

“Cooper.”

“Ms. Cooper, nice to meet you. I’m Madison, Lizzie’s friend,” she extended a hand.

“Hello, nice to meet you too! Lizzie’s told me all about you,” Jennifer said, shaking her hand. “And wow, you’re as beautiful and stylish as she claimed!”

“Mom!”

Madison let out a small chuckle. “Thanks Ms. Cooper. Please come on in. Feel free to put your shoes on the rack over there, and I’ll go grab my mum.”

“Thank you.”

Madison soon returned with her mom in tow. “Hello, I’m Deborah, it’s so nice to meet you Ms. Cooper.” She wore a fancy-looking grey suit. Her hair had the same copper glow as Madison’s, except it was straight instead of wavy.

“Oh, please call me Jennifer. And I must say, what a beautiful home you have.”

Beautiful was right. While the outside had been admirable, the interior was stunning. The entrance opened up to a high ceiling, where a magnificent glass chandelier hung over their heads. The combination of the large windows and white walls illuminated the interior with an energetic glow.

“You’re far too kind. Please, do come in, could I interest you a cup of coffee or tea?”

“Oh, are you still working or did you just return?” Jennifer asked, clearly having noticed her attire as well. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

“My apologies, I’m quite the mess recently. I got home around lunch but simply forgot to change. You’d think a semi-remote position would be easier, but all that means is bringing your work home with you!

“But enough about me. I just got these new beans from Ethiopia, please come in and try some, I do insist. And Lizzie, feel free to join the rest of the children in the basement while your mom and I have a quick chat.”

Lizzie looked toward her mom, who nodded. She didn’t have to be told twice, quickly grabbing Madison’s arm and heading downstairs.

The bottom of the stairs opened up to a large game room. Several girls were playing pool, while others were seated on a set of couches on the far end, facing a TV, which was playing some show. There were seven girls in total.

“Let me help you with those,” Madison said, taking the bag from Lizzie’s hands and heading toward a bar counter off to the side. “By the way, you really didn’t have to bring anything, I’ve got snacks too y’know.”

“I just didn’t want to come empty-handed.” Lizzie blushed.

“Oh silly, when you come to my place, you can eat my snacks, that way, when I go over, I can gobble all of your snacks without feeling guilty! But thanks anyway, I’ll just put these— Oh my god, Pringles! I haven’t had these in ages!”

“Yo, anyone want some snacks? Lizzie brought some. I also have juice and stuff upstairs if anyone wants.” Madison popped open the can of Pringles and ate one. “I’ll go grab some cups.”

“Oh Doritos! But oh, the normal kind… Thanks, I suppose.” Morgan said.

Yuck, how boring. The words weren’t spoken, yet the silent judgment rang loud and clear. Why hadn’t she just been herself? Now the others saw her as basic and uncreative.

“And here are the cookies too.” Madison returned, placing a large container on the counter.

As they were finishing their snacks, a voice called out from the stairwell. “Hey everyone, what are you all up to?”

Lizzie could only groan as her mom stepped into the basement with Madison’s following behind.

“Not much, just enjoying some snacks. Would you like a cookie?” Madison asked, holding out the box.

“Oh thanks, but no thanks. I was just coming down to say hi and look around. What a nice space you have here. Wow… there’s even a bar counter. I hope that alcohol isn’t for you kids!” Lizzie sank into the couch, wishing she could just disappear.

“Of course not, we’re not old enough yet,” Madison said with a hesitant chuckle.

“Ah yes, that’s for us adults, the kids aren’t the only ones allowed to party!” Madison’s mom added with a wink.

“Anyways, I still have some work to do, you kids have fun!”

“Thanks, Lizzie’s mom!” Morgan called out, flashing a smirk at Lizzie in the process.

“If you kids need anything, I’ll just be upstairs.”

“So, who wants to sing karaoke?” Madison asked after the adults left.

“You have a karaoke machine?” Anna asked excitedly.

The group of choir girls were instantly interested, gathering around. Madison handed out the mics and pulled out a tablet and started taking requests.

They soon got lost in the music, jamming to everything from Taylor Swift to High School Musical. Lizzie joined in on the singing, though she mostly refrained from dancing. There were impressive solos, harmonic choruses, and even epic sing-offs, but they always ended in giggles.

“Whew, is it just me or is it getting a little hot in here? I’m working up a sweat,” Madison said, excusing herself.

When she returned, she was no longer in her school outfit. Instead wearing a set of pajamas, the bottoms were a light blue with little crescent moons patterning the surface while the top was a light grey. At its center, a bear slept on a crescent moon.

“Nice PJs, but isn’t it a little early?” Morgan asked when Madison returned.

“It’s never too early for pajamas on a sleepover!”

“Sleepover?” Lizzie blurted before thinking.

“Yeah, I think most of us are sleeping over, aren’t you?” Anna asked.

“Oh…”

“If the problem is PJs, you could ask your parents to drop some off for you, or even borrow some of mine. But they might be a tad big.” Madison said, walking up to her. “Actually, we might be around the same size.”

Standing side by side, she was only an inch or so taller than Lizzie. Madison wasn’t particularly tall by any means, but Lizzie had always thought that her friend was closer to half a head taller than her. It dawned on her that Madison often wore boots with thicker soles, or even heels on occasion, which easily gave her a few inches.

“If you want, you can come up and try some right now?” Madison’s question refocused Lizzie’s attention onto the actual problem.

A sleepover. She’d need her mom to drop off goodnites, and then what? She glanced around the room, imagining herself in pajamas. What if one of them noticed a bump? What if they accidentally fell onto her during a pillow fight? What if her goodnites peered out above the waistline? And what would she do if she did end up wetting? She could feel the thumping in her heart growing louder and faster.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” This time, it was Morgan asking the question, the entire group’s attention now drawn.

Heat rose to her cheeks. “I… I already promised my mom to go home, she doesn’t let me sleepover on such short notice.”

“Dang your parents are strict.”

“You could say that again.” Lizzie let out a small sigh of relief as the others resumed their activities.

“That’s a bummer. Sorry, I forgot to mention it was a sleepover earlier,” Madison said, her eyes a bit downcast.

“No need to apologize, it’s not your fault!”

“No no, I promised you a sleepover, but didn’t think to plan it earlier.” Madison pondered a bit before leaning in. “How about this, let’s have one, just you and me, sometime next week?”

“Sure, we can do it at my place. But it’ll have to be after my parents come back, since I no way they’d let me have someone over while they’re gone.”

“Sounds good,” Madison said after a moment.

The girls went on to enjoy the afternoon. With some playing pool, some playing board games, and others just chatting and gossiping.

“Hey Megan, what’s up?” Lizzie looked up from the game to see a slightly younger girl at the base of the stairwell, staring at her phone.

“I’m just grabbing something from the garage.” The girl hardly looked up from her phone as she continued.

“You busy sis? Want to join in on a game of Ticket to Ride?” Madison asked.

“Yuck, no thanks,” came the reply. When Megan returned from the garage, Madison tried to offer her sister a cookie, but was dismissed with a wave. Lizzie chuckled as her friend was left awkwardly hanging for a moment.

“Sisters, amirite?” It seemed that even Madison couldn’t win over everyone.

They soon resumed their game. With the experience from playing with her cousins, Lizzie had developed a strategy, and soon won the game by a landslide. They were halfway through cleaning up when a growl emanated from her stomach.

“Maybe we should figure out what’s for dinner?” Anna asked with a giggle.

“Good point, don’t think my mom’s cooking. Let’s get some pizzas?” The group agreed, and Madison, ever efficient, quickly took charge and figured out the flavors.

She grabbed some of the discarded plates and cups and headed upstairs. Lizzie scurried to help.

As the two walked down the hall, they saw Madison’s mom in her office, bent over her laptop. Stacks of papers were spread all over a large mahogany desk. “Oh, I was just about to go clean those up for you, thanks for bringing them up girls,” she said upon noticing them.

Lizzie smiled, stating it was no problem, and secretly wondering why Madison’s mom should be the one cleaning up after their party.

“Hey mum, can you gimme some money for dinner? I’ll order it in.”

“Sure.” Madison’s mom handed her a black rectangle. Lizzie blinked upon realizing it was a credit card and that she’d handed it over without even asking what they were ordering.

“Thanks!” Madison took it, and went ahead and called in the pizza while Lizzie waited.

“Does your mom always do that?”

“Do what?”

“Just give you her card and let you order like that?”

“Oh, I guess I never thought about it. It’s for dinner with friends though, and she trusts that I won’t do anything bad with it. I’m sure your mum would do the same?”

“She would,” Lizzie lied. “But she’d probably ask me exactly what we were ordering, how much it was, and then complain we weren’t getting a good deal. She’s an accountant after all,” Lizzie said with a chuckle.

“That explains it then.” Madison returned the laugh.

The pizza soon arrived, and Lizzie joined Madison to pick it up. As Madison paid, Lizzie grabbed the boxes and began heading for the kitchen.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“The dining room?”

“It’s fine, we can just eat in the basement.”

“Oh,” was all Lizzie could say. The concept of eating away from the table was foreign to her. Sure, she’d done so before New Years, but that had been an act of rebellion. Not something an entire group would do. How would they handle the crumbs? Where would they even put the plates as they ate?

“Mum, can you bring us some cups and plates?” Madison called out.

“Sure thing, sweetie!”

Madison’s mom soon showed up in the basement with a bunch of plates and cups, handing one to Lizzie.

“Thanks, Ms. Windsor.”

“Please, no need for such formalities, feel free to call me Deborah or auntie.”

“Thanks auntie,” a bunch of the others called as they grabbed their utensils. Lizzie watched as some of her classmates even called Madison’s mom by her first name, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Lizzie shrugged, righting her crooked head, and went to get her pizza. The All-Meats and Veggie Supreme pizzas were already half gone. The Hawaiian pizza, which had been Anna’s suggestion, only had one slice taken so far.

“Ew, pineapple on pizza, why would anyone voluntarily eat that?” Morgan commented as she went to pick up her slice, just loud enough for Anna to hear.

“Yeah, who would want fruit on pizza? We should’ve just gotten a pepperoni or something,” another girl joined in on the complaining. Anna sat, the normally chatty girl suddenly quiet.

“I don’t mind it,” Lizzie said, grabbing two slices herself to prove her point.

“Yeah, it’s surprisingly good, especially the ones from this place. They’re known for their Hawaiian. You two should give it a try,” Madison said.

Morgan opened her mouth, but said nothing, leaving to sit on the couch. Anna flashed them a smile and Lizzie grinned back, happy to win one over Morgan.

Halfway through eating the doorbell rang, and Marco soon showed up downstairs.

“Hey,” he said, in a surprisingly timid voice as he saw the entire group staring at him. A few whispers went around the room.

“I asked him to come over and help finish the pizza,” Madison explained. Seemingly oblivious, she ushered Marco over to the table where the two began chatting.

“See!” one of the girls whispered with an excited nudge. They continued whispering and giggling.

Lizzie sat back, remembering what her friend had told her during the trip. She observed the way Marco leaned casually against the table, saying something that made Madison laugh. The two simply seemed comfortable with each other.

After eating, they resumed with activities. Some of the girls went to shower and change into their sleepwear. The others continued to play games or just chat. A few even found Madison’s nail polish and began painting each other’s nails. Marco joined in on the fun, much to many of the girls’ delight.

Unfortunately, Lizzie’s day soon came to an end as her mom returned to pick her up. She rushed up as soon as she received the text, not wanting to risk another embarrassing interaction. Madison walked her to the door.

“Thanks for having me, and let me know how much for the pizza.”

“Thank you for coming! And don’t worry about the pizza.”

“But…”

“Seriously, girl, don’t worry about it. It’ll be your treat when I sleep over at yours though, alright?”

“Sure.” Lizzie smiled. “I’ll text you once I figure out the details with my parents.”

“Later girl,” Madison said, opening the door, waving to Jennifer as Lizzie hopped into the car.

“Did you have fun?” Jennifer asked as they pulled out of the driveway.

“Yeah!” Lizzie said, going on to recount the day’s activities.

“By the way, can Madison sleepover after you and dad are back?”

“She seems like a good kid, so if her parents are okay with it, then I don’t see why not. But are you sure you want a sleepover?” The intentions behind her mom’s question were obvious.

“I can hide them, mom,” Lizzie said, hoping her dismissiveness came off as confidence.

“Okay then, you can plan for a day once we’re back.” Lizzie eyed her mom, surprised she didn’t have more to comment.

Back at home, Lizzie went through her nighttime routine. After showering, she put on her goodnites while staring at herself in the mirror.

She wondered what the other girls were up to. Probably playing truth or dare or telling scary stories as they snuggled up on the floor.

She sighed. She couldn’t hardly remember the last time she’d been to a sleepover. It had to have been before middle school. And even then, the stupid thing around her waist was always the thorn in her side. The itching feeling a constant warning that a simple misstep would lead to her entire identity being ruined.

But it was about to happen soon. The most popular girl in class wanted a private sleepover with her. Obviously, Lizzie wanted it to happen, but there was still a seed of worry deep in the back of her mind.

Even though Madison already knew about her goodnites, what if she found out the true reason she wore them?

For one reason or another, Madison saw her as a friend. That much Lizzie was sure of after today. But what would Madison think if she realized she was hanging out with a baby? A little girl who couldn’t even keep herself dry at night. Any semblance of her image would be shattered.

She slapped herself on the cheeks, shaking her head awake. The sleepover wasn’t for a while yet, she would be fine. No one else outside of her family had found out about her goodnites, even back when they were kids.

Yes. She would be fine. She just needed to be careful and take the appropriate precautions. She slipped into her sleeper, a yawn escaping her, only now realizing how tired she was after the long day. Head resting on her pillow, Lizzie quickly drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

---

As always, looking forward to hearing your feedback. In particular, I'm curious if this chapter was enjoyable for you, or if the lack of ab-content (or any other reason) meant you had to drag yourself through this chapter. Please let me know below!