Before Laura can make a decision, she finds herself ushered onto the bus. A chaperone standing by the door asks her name, and when he doesn’t see it on the list, merely adds her to it. Reluctantly, with no other option, Laura walks onto the bus. She sits in the first empty seat she sees. A few moments later, a girl younger than her current age, but the age she is currently dressed as, sits next to her.
“Hi!” the girl chirps. “I’m Becky!”
“I’m Laura,” Laura tells her. Becky beams.
“Are you new?” Becky asks. Laura nods. “Ooh, exciting!” Becky claps her hands. Laura giggles a bit at her excitement. They strike up a conversation that lasts the entirety of the ride. The bus pulls up in front of a Catholic school. The preschoolers are taken off the bus first and ushered inside. As they pass a bathroom, Laura sees an escape opportunity.
“I have to go potty!” Laura whines to the closest chaperone. The chaperone looks down at her.
“Sweetie, you’ll have to hold it until we get back to the classroom,” the chaperone tells her. Laura’s heart sinks. That’s right. Rooms for preschoolers in a school usually have their own bathroom. Laura is tempted to try to tell the chaperone she’s not the age she seems to be, she’s six, but too much time has passed for the chaperone to believe her.
With no other option, Laura goes inside the preschooler classroom. Once inside, the chaperone brings Laura to the bathroom. Laura realizes suddenly that the chaperone will come inside the bathroom with her. She doesn’t want to be watched while she pees. She didn’t need to go anyways, that was a lie.
“Actually, I’m good,” Laura says. The chaperone pauses to look at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. But you better not have an accident because you decided to hold it,” the chaperone chides. “A big girl asks to go potty, she doesn’t potty in her pants.” Laura nods solemnly. “If you don’t need to potty, you can take a seat with everyone else.”
Laura walks over to a carpet in the classroom where all the toddlers are sitting. She spots Becky and sits next to her new friend. Becky grins at her. Laura smiles back halfheartedly. A young woman, presumably the teacher, walks to the front of the gathered toddlers and claps her hands.
“All right, bumblebees, time for…”