Leah sleeps in the next day. When she wakes up, she’s confused by her youthful pajamas, before remembering what happened yesterday. She allowed Tina to revamp her entire wardrobe. Everything she has in her closet is designed for babies or toddlers, down to the training pants that have replaced her underwear. Desperate for a silver lining, she reminds herself that she didn’t accidentally end up in diapers.
At least she has the day off of school. Of course, so does Tina, and when their days off coincide, Tina either spends the day with Leah or forces her to go somewhere on her own. Maybe she can convince Tina to spend the day home with her.
Leah selects an outfit: a frilly, sparkly dress, tights, and ballet flats. She winces as she pulls on the training pants, but finds comfort knowing that the training pants aren’t obvious, since the dress isn’t formfitting.
After she’s dressed and ready for the day, Leah heads downstairs. Tina’s already doing the dishes from breakfast. Leah eats her breakfast, which has been left on the kitchen table for her. Tina looks over at her.
“Wow, you look adorable! Hey, how about letting me braid some ribbons into your hair?” Tina suggests. “It’ll really tie your whole look together.” Leah wants to turn her stepmother down, but knows that if she agrees, Tina will be in a better mood, and thus more likely to agree to stay home today.
“Sure,” Leah says, forcing a smile. Tina beams. While Leah eats, Tina braids her hair with sparkly ribbons that match her dress. Leah can already tell that the hairdo is only hurting any attempts she might make to seem like a teenager.
“And…done! Want to see?”
“Uh, no. I know you did a great job without looking,” Leah says, hoping to avoid reminding herself of how young she looks.
“Aw, thanks. Now, since we both have the day off, how would you feel about spending it together?” Tina asks. Leah nods. “Really? That makes me so happy! Do you have anything you’d like to do?”
“Stay home.”
“Nonsense. You just got a whole new outfit. We’re going out so that you can show it off!”
“But-”
“No buts.” Tina takes Leah’s empty plate and brings it to the sink to be washed. “We could go to the park, the mall, oh, the new swimming pool just opened up. Or maybe we could go get ice cream.” Tina looks expectantly at Leah. “Where do you want to go?”
Leah thinks quickly. Where can she go that has the lowest chance of her getting humiliated?