The Error, by LittleMatt

Chapter 3
Chapter 3

Chapter Description: By LittleMatt

Chapter 3

Tom strode though the entrance of Stone Ridge Junior High. “Hey Tom” called out one of his friends. He joined up with his friends who were already hanging out in the hall discussing the usual teenage stuff. There was some talk of how great it would be once they got their learner’s permits which none of them were too far away from getting. Somewhere in the distance there was gentle music. It played so softly Tom didn’t so much hear it as sense it. Slowly it grew louder and more distinct, it was now clearly a nursery rhyme. Tom glanced around but nobody else seemed to notice. Eventually it grew to drown out the conversation. Tom stood up and covered his ears, nobody else reacting at all.

   Tom woke to the electronic screeching of his alarm clock. He reached over and smacked it back into silence, in the quite gray light of morning reality flooded back to him. His new school uniform freshly laundered and folded was already sitting on the chair next to him. He reluctantly went about the business of getting ready for his 2nd day of the fifth grade.

   He sloped down the stairs and into the kitchen trying his best to ignore his mother’s “isn’t he cute” looks as he sat down to breakfast

   “Aww honey, it’s not that bad is it?” she finally spoke up.

   “I just want to go where I’m supposed to go instead of spending all day with a bunch of little kids.” Tom groused.

   Karen ran her fingers gently through her son’s hair “I know you won’t like this but you might not be quite as grown-up as you think.”

   Tom scowled, feeling angry at his mother for making such a comment, but mostly because he was afraid she was right. Somewhere inside him he felt a glimmer of hope that somebody might really know the young adult he was always trying to look like, but he quickly pushed it back down and continued eating his breakfast.

   Karen rubbed his back “I know it’s no fun right now honey, but I think this might be for the best” she said before leaving the room to make a phone call.

   At Kiddie Town Karen explained the situation to Sarah who had been sure to inform Tom of how adorable he looked in his new uniform. Karen gave her son a good-bye kiss on his forehead and left him again care of Sarah and her staff. A she drove away she wondered if she would ever reach the little boy she knew was under her son’s defiant exterior.

   Tom found his seat from the day before still unhappy to be stuck in daycare but feeling somewhat less conspicuously mature now that he dressed like most of the other children. After a few minutes he heard a familiar voice behind him.

   “Hey, I thought you said you were a big kid.”

   Tom turned around and saw Johnny from the day before.

   “I am” John explained “In fact I’m a teenager.”

   “But you’re wearing a Sunny Brook uniform just like me, even though mine is sort of different cause I’m in the third grade.”

   “Somebody made a mistake I’m supposed to go to a different school.” Tom shot back defensively.

   “It’s OK if you’re not a big kid, you can still play with us over there” Johnny said pointing out some of his friends on the other side of the room.”

   “I don’t want to play. Why don’t you wet you diapers with your friends?” Tom snorted derisively.

    “Fine” Johnny said rolling his eyes.

   Tom turned back around and blinked. He realized how immature he looked in contrast to the third grader who wanted nothing more than to play with him. He shook his head and dismissed it all as a reaction to the stress he was under.

   At school Tom shuffled back into his classroom and found his desk still labeled “Tommy.” Mrs. Sanborn noticed him staring at it.

   “I’m sorry I forgot to change that, do you really mind being called ’Tommy’ so much?” She asked him.

   Tom to his surprise found himself answering “no.” It was a battle he was weary of fighting.

   Mrs. Sanborn smiled warmly “Well Tommy, we’re certainly glad to have you stay with us.”

   As kids filtered into the classroom nobody seemed very surprised to see Tom back in class again. It seemed that the entire world had quite easily accepted him as fifth grader. Class began and Tom could see that this day was going to be like the last. He struggled to gain even the faintest grasp of the material. How could these mere childrens be so far beyond him?

   Finally recess gave him a brief reprieve from his classroom struggles.  Today the playground seemed like an entirely different place. Yesterday he had assumed he was just a visitor. But today this was his playground, he was truly under the watchful eye of the adults who kept the students safe and behaved. He sat down again in a swing and watched the games goings on. After a few minutes he found himself absentmindedly swinging back and forth a bit. He caught himself and composed himself back into the teenager he felt himself to be, making a mental note to only do what little kid stuff was necessary to make it through this situation.

   The bell signaling the end of recess rang and Tom lined up, obediently joined the rest of his class  in a neat line as they waited for their teacher to bring them back into class. Mrs. Sanborn took a quick head count of her charges and led them back into class. On the way in Tom became aware of an urge from his bladder. Not wishing to make the fuss of asking his fifth grade teacher for permission to go he decided to hold it until lunch.

   But as class progressed the need to empty his bladder became increasingly dire. Finally he was forced to raise his hand.

   “Yes Tommy?” Mrs. Sanborn acknowledged.

   “I need to use the restroom.”

   “Now Tommy you should know by now that you’re expected to take care of that during recess. We only have 15 minutes until lunch and I think you need that time to catch up on your bounded harmonics.”

   For the next 15 minutes Tom fought his bladder’s desperate need for release. When his class finally let out for lunch he made a mad dash for the restroom. There he discovered something very odd. He hadn’t noticed before but the button on his pants had a weird sort of latch that had to be worked to open the fly. He sat and stared at it for a moment unable to quite figure out how to undo it. Around him his fellow students ran in and out of the bathroom seeming to have no difficulty at all with this complication. As he struggled he felt his bladder release. A warm wet feeling spread through his pants as he soaked himself helplessly. Along with a sense of utter embarrassment also came a wave of relief and a sense of dread as he realized what he’d have to do.

   He came out of the bathroom trying to pull his shirt down in a futile attempt to hide his accident. He found his teacher and, fighting back tears, tried to explain himself.

   She noticed his wet pants before he could even begin his explanation. “Oh Tommy, you couldn’t quite hold it dear?”

   Tom could only shake his head as he followed his teacher to the office. Once there he just looked at the ground while he was led in to see the school nurse. The nurse saw what he was there for immediately “Aww It’s OK honey, we’ll get you into some dry clothes” she said.

   “You can come back to class when you’re done here, Tommy” Mrs. Sanborn said as she left him in the nurses office.

   Tom turned to the nurse desperate to explain himself “It’s just because of these pants, they’ve got some weird thing on the button and I couldn’t get them off.” he pleaded.

   He was slightly shocked when she didn’t waste a moment reaching over and undoing his button. “Your clothes are just fine. You don’t need to make silly excuses hon, little boys have accidents it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

   “I’m not a little boy” Tom almost whimpered.

        “Uh huh” she replied as she helped him out of his wet clothes. Tom blushed deeply as he tried to cover himself. She dumped the soaked things into a plastic bag and grabbed a few things from the closet.  “Here you go hon, you can wear these.”

   Tom sighed slightly as he saw the cartoon print underwear he’d just been handed. He knew he had no choice in the matter so he pulled them on along with a pair of dry pants, this time he noticed these had the same sort of fly. “Thank you” he muttered feeling embarrassed at having been so dependent on her.

   “Anytime hon.” She said patting his head. “Now go get back to class, I’ll call your mom so she’ll know to pick up your wet things.” Tom nodded and headed back to class, suddenly feeling much more like a real elementary schooler.