Tonya's face scrunches up. Leah gapes as she watched her best friend bend into a squat and begin to grunt. Tina sighs.
"Tonya, you're more mature than this."
"I- I can't help it," Tonya says between grunts. There's a series of farts, then a horrible smell reaches Leah's nostrils. "I- I don't know what's going on!"
"It looks like whatever happened to Leah must have happened to you, too," Tina says, sounding concerned. "Go wait in the family bathroom. I'll get you some protection, okay?" Tonya nods. She finishes grunting, stands straight, and hurries away. As Tonya runs to the bathrooms, Leah can see a massive lump in the back of her jeans.
Tina pushes the shopping cart to the baby supplies aisle. Even though Tonya is bigger than Leah, they still make toddler diapers in her size, which Tina throws into the cart. They make a detour to grab toddler clothes for Tonya, which Tina thankfully asks Leah's opinion on. Then a quick trip through the checkout line later, and Tina heads for the bathrooms. She knocks on the door of the family bathroom.
"Tonya, it's me. Open up."
The door opens. Leah and Tina both gasp. There's an enormous wet spot on the front of Tonya's jeans, and a horrid stench fills the room. Tonya sobs.
"I couldn't help it!"
"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart, I'll get you cleaned up," Tina says. Leah watches in morbid fascination as Tina helps Tonya out of her ruined clothes, wipes her down, and places her on the changing table. Huh, Tonya must be smaller than Leah thought, if she can fit on the changing table, and there's things for toddlers that fit her. Maybe it's just that she seemed taller to Leah because Leah is so small. Tina did remark in the baby supplies aisle and clothes area that the things for babies would fit Leah perfectly; it's the smallest toddler things that she's currently wearing. Between the two of them, Leah and Tonya represent the smallest and largest a toddler can be.
Leah continues to watch Tina diaper Tonya and dress her in the outfit Leah picked out: an adorable light blue, frilly sundress. When Tina is done, Tonya looks as much like a toddler as Leah does, just a big one. Tina washes her hands and grabs her phone.
"I'll call Mrs. Mason to see if you can be enrolled with Leah, Tonya," she says. She ducks out of the bathroom. Leah looks at Tonya, feeling shock, horror, and, honestly, awe. Tonya's taking this much better than she did.
"Tonya, what was that about?" she asks around her thumb, which she is still sucking.
Tonya shrugs before she responds.