Heart On Wheels
another cute tale of cubyiff
by Alex Reynard


AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is based on a true story. And by "based on a true story", I mean that one of the subplots in it was inspired by an article from a pee fetish magazine that I saw online years ago and now cannot find again. So we're talkin' 99% fiction. About the same as any blockbuster movie that also claims to be "based on a true story". ;)



~~~~~

*Chapter One*


Mr. Gary VanKressler had barely enough time to read the memo on his desk before the first of his students started pouring in.

The lean, handsome, dark-furred wolf scratched puzzledly behind his ears as he tried to figure out just what the little yellow note meant.

He'd been teaching at Mill Dale Elementary for seven years now, mostly intermediate grades. He was one of those teachers the kids either loved or hated. Lazy, mean-spirited kids detested him. Smart, good-natured kids adored him.

He was someone who believed fiercely in fairness. As he told all his students at the start of each year, he expected them to pay attention, to do their best, and to be decent to one another. Those were his only rules, and they were all he needed.

Kids that followed those rules earned a happy, exciting school year full of praise and rewards. The lengths Mr. VanKressler would go to to keep his pupils happy was legendary. They went on field trips constantly, often to places no other teacher would dream of. He played games in class. He brought in cupcakes for birthdays and threw pizza parties when grades were high. He gave out plenty of hugs and pats on the back. He was always there to lend an ear when any of his students came to him with a problem.

But equally legendary was the creativity of his punishments. The inky-furred wolf was a firm believer in the true meaning of the saying "an eye for an eye": 'Let the punishment fit the crime and go no further'. When he'd catch otherwise well-behaved students tossing paper balls or reading comics, he'd often reprimand them playfully, with a wink and a grin. When a student who was honestly trying their hardest still got failing grades, he'd give them special tutoring. But woe to any bully who was assigned to Mr. VanKressler's class. Within his classroom, cruelty was simply unacceptable. Any young fur who made another student cry would face heaps of homework, after-school detentions and stern, humiliating lectures in front of the other children. Mr. VanKressler always gave misbehaving students the chance beforehand to show remorse and apologize. The smart ones took the option immediately, and faced only half the punishment they'd normally receive.

So, yes, there were always two or three kids in every group that despised him. They'd sit in the back row, glaring, and Mr. VanKressler would simply wait patiently for them to dig themselves a hole. In his classroom, whatever path his students chose for themselves, he would help them along. If they wanted to excel, they could. If they wanted to be failures, they could. If they wanted to be forgiven, they were. On the other hand, the presence of any bad apples was usually outweighed by the other twenty or so students in every class that loved having him as their teacher. So it all worked out in the end.

Mr. VanKressler looked up briefly to say hi to Kevin as the pudgy young badger came trotting through the door, early as usual. The wolf went immediately back to the memo though, his brow furrowing.

It read simply:

	New student transferring in today, assigned to your class.
	Name: Melanie Hartwood, Age: 10
	Has special needs.

Special needs... What the devil did that mean? Those two little words covered a vast variety of impairments. Was she handicapped? On crutches? Retarded? Sick? How in the heck was he supposed to prepare for these special needs when he didn't even know what they were? And he'd only been informed of them ten minutes before class!

Damn that foolish, scatterbrained secretary of Principal Pinkwater's! She was the most friendly and welcoming woodchuck any fur could ever hope to meet, but she was also the most disorganized. Unfortunately, she was far too sweet to fire. Still, Mr. VanKressler often wished someone would get her an assistant or something one of these days.

Heaving a sigh of frustration, the frazzled wolf set the memo aside and tended to the day's lesson plan. There were math tests to be handed back (it looked like another pizza party would be fast approaching) and that science experiment on erosion to start. Plus another history worksheet. And to top it all off, a computer lab session at the end of the day.

One by one, and occasionally two by two, his students trickled in and took their seats. Mr. Van (as he was usually called by the little ones) wasn't one of those uptight teachers who insisted on quiet all the time. So long as there wasn't a lesson or a test going on, he had no problem with the children socializing as much as they wanted. That was partly what public schooling was for, he believed.

He surveyed his young pupils with a proud smile. Except for one slacker and one mild bully, he'd gotten a very good group this year. They were all good kids, really. Aaron only disregarded his work so often because it was beneath him. The young brown rabbit likely had more raw smarts than anyone else in the room. Fourth-grade worksheets were almost an insult to him. And Tucker's meanness, Mr. VanKressler suspected, was more of a cry for attention than anything else. The wolf had long suspected there was something not quite right in that boy's home, but there was nothing to hang a solid suspicion on for now.

Bridget, Lucy and Christina were gathered in their usual huddle, talking about whatever ten-year-old girls talked about in hushed, conspiratorial whispers. Brandon looked a single blink away from falling back asleep. Calvin was engrossed in another comic book. Beverly was desperately filling in some last-minute answers on her spelling homework. Sasha was nose-deep in a book, oblivious to reality. Mark and Sherwood were riffling enthusiastically through a fistful of trading cards. Abigail was nibbling some crackers. Jackson was peering intently at something hidden in his backpack. Layla was gazing raptly out the window. Patrick appeared quite bored. Eliot was quietly singing some tune to himself. Brandy was just running in, dragging her backpack behind her. Gwendolyn was telling an undoubtedly rude joke to Wendy, who looked halfway between puking and giggling. Lisa was gnawing absent-mindedly on a pink pencil. And Russ was late.

Actually, Russ barely made it in time. The speedy little tiger managed to slip in just before the bell finished ringing. He flashed Mr. Van an 'ain't I lucky?' grin on the way to his desk.

But the new student still hadn't shown up.

"Good morning, everybody!" Mr. VanKressler said, cheerful as always.

A scattering of 'Good morning!'s greeted him back.

He got out the day's seating chart and checked off an unbroken list of names. He didn't bother calling roll like some of the other faculty. He'd always had a gift for faces anyway. Fortuitously, no one was absent today. The whole class would get to meet the new student at the same time. Assuming she actually showed up, that was.

A moment later, the chime sounded over the PA. The students all rose as one and started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. VanKressler kept a careful eye on Aaron, Calvin and Russ. He'd noticed a few days ago that Aaron had been grinning strangely during the pledge, and his mouth hadn't been forming the same words as the others. Then Calvin and Russ did the same the next day. And now, as he oh-so-carefully scrutinized them without looking like he was scrutinizing, he realized Brandon was doing it too. It appeared some humorous parody of the pledge was spreading like a virus. He'd have to keep Aaron after school today and get him to reveal it. After all, Mr. VanKressler had always thought the pledge was a little nonsensical anyway, and he was sure his clever little rabbit slacker must have given it a well-deserved trashing.

Once that little bit of conformist pointlessness was over with, it was time for the usual start to a monday morning. Mr. Van knew well that mondays were the universal day of not wanting to do anything more than smash the alarm clock and sleep in for another few hours, so he'd devised a fun little game to get things off to a playful start. It was called Question Ball.

Eager grins popped up all over the room as he brought out the beloved multicolored beachball. Mr. VanKressler scanned the room for his first target. "Hmmm..." Patrick looked suitably bored. The stocky young grizzly bear appeared to have left most of his brain back home on his pillow. "Patrick! What's the square root of eighty one?"

Patrick's head shot up and he looked panicked for a second. Then he remembered the multiplication lesson the friday before where Mr. Van had explained the interesting mirror-pattern of the multiples of the number... "Nine!" he shouted proudly.

"Correctamundo!" Mr. VanKressler tossed the beachball at the young bear and Patrick scored a perfect catch.

The rules of Question Ball were simple. Whoever had the ball could pick anyone in the room and ask them any kind of trivia question they wanted (Personal questions and ones in obvious bad taste were naturally off-limits). If the askee responded correctly, they got the ball and could become the asker. If not, the first asker could keep on picking people and asking more questions until someone got one right. If, after ten seconds, the askee didn't respond, another student could 'steal' the question and get possession of the ball that way.

Mr. VanKressler found that even his more reluctant students enjoyed getting the chance to challenge one another like this. It was as competitive as any activity in gym class, and it also got them to keep their brains sharp. Plus, trying to think of questions to trip the others up added even more fun.

Patrick whirled around and grinned at his cat pal, Mark. "What college football team won thirteen games in a row last season?"

The black tabby grinned victoriously. "Too easy! Redwoods all the way!" Patrick handed over the ball. "Yo, Bev! Heads up!" Mark hollered.

The frizzy-haired redhead fruit bat jumped in her seat. "What?"

"How many little holes are there on a golf ball?" Mark said with a snicker.

Beverly put her winghands on her hips. "Oh, come on!"

He grinned. "Allright, fine. How 'bout a bowling ball?"

"Three!" she said, and added a little raspberry. She fumbled the big beachball in her wings when he tossed it to her, but managed not to drop it. "Sasha!"

The lithe, pretty green lizard looked up from her book.

"Whatcha readin'?" It was an easy question, but they all knew it was more fun when they asked easy ones at the start so the game would go faster.

"'The Vampire Watermelon', by William Birchwood. It's really good!"

"Cool! Can I borrow it when you're done?" Beverly asked as she passed the ball.

"Sure!" Sasha scanned the room and noticed Calvin not paying attention. "Calvin! What's the biggest cactus in the world?"

The yellow-tinged rabbit had no idea. He hadn't been paying attention to that filmstrip about the desert they'd watched last wednesday.

After ten seconds, Sherwood tried for the steal. "The saguaro!"

"Right!" Sasha tossed it and accidentally beaned him, but the little grey squirrel just grinned.

Amid many giggles, the beachball made swift laps around the classroom. It even went to Mr. VanKressler a few times, since several of the kids enjoyed lobbing tricky ones at him to see if they could stump the teacher. The canny wolf barely remembered in time the answer to the movie question Wendy had asked, then passed the ball to Eliot after asking him what the state motto was.

Eliot was about to give his friend Kevin the next one, when he stopped suddenly. The bespectacled sparrow cocked his head to the side. "Did somebody just knock on the door?"

The whole class quieted.

A moment later, there was an unmistakably load *BANG BANG BANG* from the hallway.

"Yes," Kevin answered smart-assedly. "Gimme the ball."

The whole class chuckled as Mr. VanKressler got up to answer the knock. The new student perhaps? But why hadn't they just opened the door and come in?

He swung the door outwards and felt it thunk against something hard. "Hello? Who's-"

Mr. VanKressler's words died instantly when he saw who was on the other side of the door.

She was staring up at him with an expression full of shame. She was a vixen. Emerald eyes; sweet potato fur; a cascade of butter-blond hair. She was wearing a lavender blouse with a matching violet skirt that came down to her ankles.

The reason she hadn't just _walked_ in was immediately apparent.

That, and she couldn't get the door open without it bonking into her wheelchair.

"Um... Melanie Hartwood?" Mr. VanKressler asked unsteadily.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Here, back up a little. I'll get the door."

The other students had gone absolutely silent inside. Some of them could hear the mechanized whine of the wheelchair's motor as Melanie flicked the joystick on her right armrest and sent it scooting back a few feet.

The momentarily flustered wolf propped the door open with one of those ubiquitous brown rubber doorstops that seemed to breed in the hallways. "There. I'll be sure to get something done about that as soon as possible," he said sincerely.

She nodded, and smiled just a little. "Okay. Thanks."

Mr. VanKressler walked back into the classroom. All eyes were upon him. "Class, we have a new student. She's just transferred today. Her name is Melanie Hartwood. I would like you to do your very best to make her feel welcome."

He turned back to the little vix, who looked mortally terrified. "Come on now," he gently coaxed.

Melanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked like she was readying herself to jump out of a plane rather than enter a classroom. She pushed forward on the joystick, and her chair carried her into the room.

Shocked silence. Twenty-two pairs of bulging eyes.

Melanie looked at them like a prey animal staring down an inescapable ring of predators.

Mr. Van came in behind her and gave her a soft pat on the shoulder. "Where are you from, Melanie?"

She didn't respond for several seconds. Her focus was on the other children, scanning every face for the hostility she was sure would manifest itself soon enough. "Collinsborough," she said quietly. It was a medium-sized city two states away that most of them had never heard of.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say to the rest of the class?" Mr. VanKressler asked gently. He was trying desperately to think of a way to make this horridly awkward situation just a tiny bit less so.

Melanie shook her head. "Not really. I'll just go to my desk now, if that's okay."

The wolf gulped. Okay, even more awkwardness. There were three empty seats, but all the desks in the room were of the attached-chair variety. There was no way she could use one of those. At least not without the embarrassment of constantly having to transfer from one seat to the other.

Melanie looked around the room and realized the same thing. She bit her lip in scared frustration. She just knew they were all going to start laughing at her any minute now...

'Think fast, dammit,' Mr. VanKressler ordered himself. He looked all around and then suddenly... "Aha! Mark!"

The athletic black tomcat in the red T-shirt looked up. "Huh?"

"Your desk's in two parts, correct?"

Mark nodded. Near the start of the school year, he'd had the misfortune of leaning too far back in his old seat and one of the joints had snapped, causing him to tumble to the floor in the middle of a science test. This had provided the other students with a hearty guffaw. Since then, he'd been using one of the older, two-piece models.

"Fantastic. Get up, and chuck your chair over in that corner. ...Not literally."

Mark and some of the other kids snickered mildly. Mr. VanKressler made his way down the first row and stopped by the empty desk in front of Sasha. "Move your desk out of the way, Mark," he called out. "That's it; as far to the right as you can get it."

Mark obeyed quickly, and Mr. VanKressler steadied himself. He thought a stunt like this would be sufficient to divert the kids' attention from the new student's unfortunate condition. He bent over, took a deep breath, and grunted hard as he lifted the empty desk straight up over his head.

An amazed gasp from the class. They all knew how heavy the desks were. This was a seriously impressive feat their teacher was displaying!

Breathing heavily and taking tiny little steps, Mr. VanKressler eased himself through the tiny gap between Brandon and Aaron's desks. He knew perfectly well that if he tripped, he could easily take someone's head off with this damn thing. 

Brandon, a rather nervous porcupine, covered his head as Mr. Van went by.

Arms vibrating from the effort, Mr. VanKressler said as stoically as he could, "Layla, honey, if you could just skootch your desk forward a *teensy* bit so I can get past you..."

The petite white wolf immediately complied. She scooted herself forward so forcefully she smashed into Calvin and made the young rabbit's pencil leap into his lap.

"Now, Sherwood..."

The grey squirrel got his desk out of the teacher's way too, staring in amazement and wondering how Mr. Van could keep that huge thing balanced over his head.

Finally, with a whooshing exhale, Mr. VanKressler set the desk down in Mark's empty spot with not too loud of a thump. "Whoof! Allright then! Mark, empty out your old desk and put everything in this one."

"Wouldn't it have been simpler for me to just switch seats?" he asked as he started transferring books and papers.

"Well, sure, but I thought you liked sitting by Sherwood and Patrick."

"Oh, okay!" Mark smiled, impressed that his teacher would have put his concerns first like that.

When the catboy finished, Mr. VanKressler readied himself to repeat his feat again. He got the second desk up above him easier, since without an attached chair it weighed considerably less. He shifted it this way and that, trying to get a feel for it. "Hey, why don't I just do this the easy way and fling it across the room?" he merrily suggested to the class.

The kids all giggled at the mental picture of that. He'd probably squish Brandon or Abigail by mistake!

The trip back to the empty spot by the window was much shorter. Mr. VanKressler had the new desk placed in half the time. "Okeydokeythen. Melanie? Can you make it to this seat okay?"

She nodded weakly, stunned that her new teacher would do something so outrageous just to take the class' focus off of her. He could have easily called someone to bring in a new desk and made her wait at the front of the room, embarrassed right out of her fur. But he hadn't.

The other students watched her, trying and failing to be subtle about it, as she maneuvered her way across the room and down the left aisle. She parked her chair in front of her new desk and found it to be comfortable enough, if not a perfect fit. "Thanks," she told Mr. VanKressler.

He gave her a 'glad to be of service!' smile. "Can you see the blackboard okay from there?"

She nodded.

"Great." He looked back up and addressed the class at large. "Okay, so what were we doing before Miss Hartwood joined us?"

"Playing Question Ball," Eliot said. "And I was up."

"Technically I was," Kevin muttered, with a grin at the sparrow.

Mr. VanKressler glanced up at the clock and frowned. "Dang. No more time to finish the game. I have to pass back the math tests now."

A collective groan.

"Hey, don't worry. You all did pretty good. Keep it up and it'll be pizzatime next month!"

That cheered them up a bit. And as Mr. VanKressler sat back down at his desk, he noticed that most of his students weren't staring at Melanie anymore. He tipped her a quick wink.

She smiled back and mouthed, 'Thank you'.



~~~~~

*Chapter Two*


It was an hour till lunchtime, and unfortunately, the tension in the room had built to a peak again.

As Mr. VanKressler pretended to shuffle papers around at his desk, he was really keeping a stealthily close eye on Melanie.

Damn that memo! 'Special needs'. Hah! Did any of those idiots realize that the other children might never have seen a girl in Melanie's condition before? Had they considered at all what a shock it would be to just thrust her so suddenly upon his class like this? Maybe, if he'd had a few day's warning, he could have at least provided some kind of buffer. Explained things to his kids. Let them know not only how difficult it was for fursons like Melanie, but how extremely disappointed he would be with any student that dared to make fun of her.

Mr. Van sighed in frustration. He glanced up again. The little blonde vixen looked terrified. And with good reason. The other students were all supposed to be filling out their history worksheets, but each and every one of them had their minds elsewhere. Even the more normally polite ones in the bunch kept looking up from their work to stare at their new classmate as if she were an alien from another dimension. The wolf wracked his mind, trying to think of anything he could do to try and make things easier for his new little vixen. But all his ideas came with awful possible backfires attached.

And then, suddenly, the utter silence of the room was broken with a long, loud wailing sob.

Mr. VanKressler was out of his chair in an instant.

Melanie had her eyes shut tight, her ears flattened against her head, crying with all her heart. As if no one else in the room existed.

"WHO?!?" Mr. VanKressler demanded, not needing a single word more to get his message across.

Three trembling paws pointed immediately at Brandon. The little porcupine looked as if he were about to keel over from fright.

Furious now, more at himself than anyone else for allowing this to happen, Mr. Van strode fiercely over and glared at Brandon. "Stand up."

Brandon did. He inadvertently shed a few of his quills doing so.

"I want you to tell the whole class, right now, what you said to make Melanie cry. And if you do not repeat it exactly, I will ask you to hand in a three-page essay tomorrow on the most boring topic I can possibly think up."

Brandon looked like he was about to start crying himself. "I don't want to..."

The teacher's gaze was cold and hard as steel. "You will. Right now."

And then, just as Brandon opened his mouth, Mr. VanKressler saw, out of the corner of his eye, the panicked, pleading look on Melanie's face. 'Stop! No! Please don't make him say it in front of everyone!' she silently screamed.

It was too late.

"I asked if she was wearing a diaper," Brandon said softly. But not so softly that the entire class didn't hear him.

Stunned silence.

Melanie looked like she wanted nothing more than for the Almighty to strike her dead on the spot.

Mr. VanKressler felt as if he'd been punched in the heart. 'You stupid, stupid, stupid man...' he admonished himself.

Tears did come to Brandon's eyes. Fidgeting, he turned to Melanie and told her as sincerely as he could, "I'm sorry."

She blinked. She hadn't expected that.

"I wasn't trying to be mean, I promise! I saw something sticking out of the top of your skirt and I wasn't sure what it was, that's all. I wasn't making fun of you. It just came out of my mouth. It was dumb. I'm really sorry."

Melanie couldn't be angry at him anymore, not after that. He looked even more embarrassed than she was right now. She nodded to him, her eyes saying 'It's okay'. Then she took a deep breath, made a decision, and put her paws to the rims of her wheelchair.

Before he could stop her, the little vixen was wheeling surprisingly fast down the aisle towards the door. "Stop, please!" Mr. VanKressler called out with concern. "Don't leave!"

"I'm not going to leave," Melanie said firmly. She brought her chair to a screeching halt in front of the teacher's desk. Front and center before the whole room. She stared hard at all the other students. Her heart was racing. She was psyching herself up.

Mr. VanKressler had absolutely no idea what she was going to do next. He stood as still as his students, all of them frozen in anticipation.

And then Melanie let out everything she'd been holding in all this time.

"I don't like being stared at!!!" she shouted.

Everyone in the room flinched.

"If it's just because you've never seen a chair like this before and you're curious, that's okay. I like my chair. I think it's cool." At that, she gave the joystick a flick and performed a masterfully tight 360 spin. "I can get up to eleven miles an hour in it if the battery's all charged up. It cost my dad even more than his car."

A roomful of 'Really?'-type expressions.

"But if you're staring at me because you think I look like some kind of freak, I'm _not_ okay with that. That's why I had to leave my old school. I didn't have any friends. All my classmates would gang up on me at lunch and make jokes about me and try to steal things off the back of my chair where I can't reach. One time they ambushed me after school and threw toilet paper all over me! And when I told my teacher, he just laughed and said I shouldn't get so worked up over a 'harmless prank!'"

A shocked and shamed collection of faces.

"So, you know what I did? After he told me again and again to 'just toughen up' and 'not be such a whiner'? You know what I did? I called him a dickhole and ran over his foot!"

Stunned gasps, and more than a few 'Good for you!' grins (including one from Mr. VanKressler).

"And yes, I do wear diapers. I have to. I was born this way. When my mom was having me, the doctor screwed up and cut me accidentally and messed up my spine. I'm never, ever, ever going to be able to walk. Never. I can sort of balance on my right foot for a few seconds if I hold onto something, but that's it. My whole lower body's messed up. Sometimes my plumbing doesn't work right and I can't control myself. Not all the time, just sometimes. Totally random, which is even worse in a way."

Saddened sympathy. Regret over how they'd all been seeing her up til now.

"Real funny, isn't it? Baby has to wear diapers! Ha ha ha! All those stupid jokes they used to tell about me at my old school, until I just wanted to punch someone. How would you like it, any of you, if you had to sit there in your own poop and wait for someone to come change you? Huh? Does that sound like fun!?"

Absolute and utter shame. A dozen or more pairs of reddened cheeks.

"And if you're all curious about what's under my skirt, fine. I'll just go ahead and show you so you won't have to wonder anymore."

She flung her skirt up into her lap.

Twenty-three sharp gasps.

Melanie's right leg was almost literally skin and bone. It looked fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch. And her left leg... It was grotesquely misshapen, curved inward like an umbrella handle. It didn't even look real. Something that awful, something that made anyone looking at it feel a sick nausea in the pit of their stomach, could not possibly be real.

And there too, nestled between her legs, was a patch of puffy white plastic.

"Really funny, isn't it?" Melanie said calmly, darkly.

She flipped her skirt down again and smoothed the creases out in her lap. "You want to make fun of me? Go ahead. But it's not gonna hurt me anymore. I'm sick of feeling like that. If you laugh at me, then I'll just know you're nothing but a big, fat JERK!!"

She'd said it with such force, the word had felt like a single gigantic slap across all their faces.

"So, if you're staring because you're curious, fine. I can deal with that. You want to ask me something, go ahead. Really! Right now. Anything you wanna know. I'd rather just get this over with now than have you all gawking at me like a sideshow monster all year."

Her piercing, righteously furious gaze scanned the room.

Total silence. Melanie had knocked her audience flat.

But then, one paw tentatively went up.

Melanie pointed at the nervous-looking snow-white weasel girl. "Yeah?"

Abigail bit her lip. "Um..."

"Speak up," Melanie said, sounding not quite as angry anymore. "If you wanna ask something, just ask it."

"D-does it hurt?" Abigail asked hesitantly.

"Not really. My legs usually ache a bit when I wake up in the morning; It's hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in most of the time. But just sitting here I usually feel okay."

Another paw went up.

Melanie pointed. "Yes?"

Brandy, a perpetually disorganized young beaver sitting closest to Melanie, spoke up. "Can you change yourself? I mean, if no one else is around?"

Melanie gritted her teeth a bit. But the question was not asked out of morbid curiosity or false sympathy, but honest, caring empathy. She sighed. "Yeah, if I absolutely have to. But it's really hard and messy and I hate it."

Another paw. Calvin this time. "Do you ever do any kinda sports stuff?"

"Yeah, I broke the record at my old school for the hundred meter hurdles," she said sarcastically.

A semi-nervous chuckle rippled throughout the room.

Calvin blushed a bit. "Ah, geez. I just meant, like, wheelchair basketball or stuff. You look like you've got good upper body strength," he said sincerely.

She was pleased by his compliment. "Thank you," she said with a swish of her tail. "And actually, yeah, I do have a racing-model wheelchair my dad bought for me. I'm just starting out with it, but it can go at least as fast as a bike."

"Really? That's cool!" said Sherwood.

Bridget put her wing up. "Your left leg. Ugh..." The pink-plumed parrot winced. "I mean, how did something like that happen? Just, medically, it seems so weird, y'know?"

The question was awkward, but not mean-spirited. And Melanie had long ago learned the difference between the two. She knew she'd always get questions like that for the rest of her life, but she'd learned the hard way that it was wrong for her to get angry at the person who'd asked one out of honest, sympathetic curiosity. "I don't completely know. My dad told me I was born backwards; he called it a breech birth. And they had to give my mom a caesarean, and I got some kind of spinal damage during it." She paused, and lowered her head. She prepared herself to say what she knew she had to. "And... and, my mom died right after she gave birth to me."

A wave of shocked, saddened, heartwrenched gasps met the admission.

"My dad sued the hospital for malpractice. He even got on the news a few times. And it really was their fault too; he wasn't just looking for someone to blame. He got a good lawyer and he just cleaned those stupid doctors out. A whole bunch of 'em got fired, and we got a dumptruck fulla money out of it. That's how come Dad was able to get me such a nifty chair."

"Melanie..." Mr. VanKressler said softly.

She looked up to him.

"My only notification that you were coming here this morning was an interoffice memo that I found on my desk ten minutes before class started. It gave me absolutely no information about you except for your name and age. I wish dearly that I'd known in advance you were coming here so I could have talked with you and your father first. I would have talked to my class first. I would have made sure your first day wouldn't start out so embarrassing for you."

She smiled warmly. "Thanks."

"And," he added, "I would've done something about that damned door."

She giggled, and most of the other students did too.

More questions followed, some easy, some difficult. A few were a bit too personal, but Melanie bravely answered them anyway. It was good to just get it over with like this. Get her whole story out in the open. Clear the air. Shoo the elephant out of the room, so to speak.

And, as she began to realize, the other kids were smiling at her now. Oh, sure, a few were looking at her with that annoying 'you poor baby' look. And that one brown-furred kid in the back hadn't said a word. But the majority of her new classmates looked impressed. Impressed by her strength of heart, of body, of spirit. And her new teacher looked astoundingly proud of her.

Soon the lunch bell rang. The other students got up, and some of them crowded around the little vixen to ask more questions or to just introduce themselves before they went off to eat. That porcupine boy apologized again, and she in turn said she was sorry for getting him in trouble. The dreamy-eyed lizard girl she'd be sitting in front of from now on said an enthusiastic hello. A few other kids said hi and patted her on the shoulder and such. And that intriguing, brown-furred bunny boy from the back row tipped her a very odd glance as he passed silently by. Could he have possibly thought... she was cute?

Pleasantly bewildered by how well her spontaneous outburst had worked in her favor, Melanie was about to scoot out to find the lunchroom herself when she heard a slight cough from behind her.

Her new teacher was sitting in his chair, gazing at her with a look of awe one would normally reserve for beholding angels, or a great work of art. He clapped softly. "Bravo, Melanie. Your bravery amazes and humbles me."

She blushed, and grinned. "Thanks again. And I'm sorry I kinda took over your class," she said as she wheeled over next to him.

He patted her on the paw. "No need, Miss Hartwood. As I said, I'm the one who should apologize to you for being so unprepared. I promise you, in the future I'll do absolutely everything I can to make this a happy and fun school year for you. I'll work on getting you a better desk as soon as possible. If there's a staircase you can't get past, I'll force the school board to put in an extra elevator. If someone torments you like those awful bullies you mentioned at your old school, I will slap them with so many detentions their necks will snap. And," he said softly, "if you ever do need a bit of 'help'..." He gestured to her diaper. "...I promise to do whatever you need me to. Quickly and discreetly."

Melanie was overwhelmed. Her eyes misted with happy tears and she suddenly thrust herself forward at her new teacher and hugged him fiercely.

A bit startled, but in the most wonderful way, Mr. VanKressler put his arms around her too, and gently patted her hair. "Welcome to my class, Miss Hartwood. I think you're going to like coming to school here."

"I think so too," she said breathlessly. She snuggled up to him with a huge smile on her face. Could she have possibly hoped for a teacher so completely the opposite of her old one?

Mr. VanKressler gave her two soft pats on the back, then helped her sit up again in her chair. "Well, time for lunch. Would you like me to direct you to the lunchroom?"

"Yes. That would be really nice of you," she said sweetly.

"Allright." He stood up and retrieved his briefcase. "Should I give you a push?" he asked, pointing to the handles at the back of her chair. "To save energy for the batteries, of course."

Appreciating that last part, she gave him a polite smile. "No thanks. I can do it myself."

He smiled back at her and held the door open for her as the little vixen gave her joystick a tap and was on her way to see the rest of her new school.



~~~~~

*Chapter Three*


While thankfully the old, cruel attitudes hadn't followed her from her last school (at least not yet they hadn't), the food certainly had.

Melanie stared down at the unappetizing puck of salisbury steak on her styrofoam tray and tried to ignore the fact that most of the other students were staring at her.

Oh well. She knew things would never be perfect. She'd understood for a long time now that there were some things she'd simply have to put up with forever. And she didn't think the principal would let her get away with commandeering the P.A. system and repeating her little speech from earlier.

But at least she didn't feel the same clinging dread she'd was used to feeling. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would never have to feel that way again at all.

She gave the grey-furred old mouse lunchlady two dollars and received a sweet smile in return. The little vixen smiled too, happy for another small moment of niceness.

As she left the lunch line, eyes followed her as if they were magnets and she was metal. As she looked around for a place to eat, the low drone of her chair's motor buzzed in her ears, as if emphasizing itself and the permanence of her condition.

One of the students from her class, that pretty green lizardgirl, waved to her. She gestured for Melanie to come on over and sit with her.

The little vixen perked up a bit. A friend? Already? Neat!

There was no way she could possibly use the benches at the tables, so the only option was to park at the head of the table instead. On her way to join her new friend, she bumped lightly into a chocolate labrador boy (the same one from class. The one who hadn't actually asked her any questions, now that she thought about it), and spilled a few of his peas on the floor.

"Watch it!" he barked roughly.

She flinched, startled by his loud voice. "Oh! Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" she sputtered.

He gave her a vicious sneer, baring his teeth at her like he meant to take a piece out of her, then turned suddenly and walked away.

Melanie shivered a bit. That menacing look had shaken her. She continued on to where the lizardgirl was sitting.

"That's Tucker. He's a dick. Don't mind him," she said casually.

"Hmm?" asked Melanie.

"The guy you bumped into. He's a grump all the time," she explained. "I'm Sasha by the way."

A green hand was presented, and Melanie shook it awkwardly. She'd never felt scaly skin before. It was smooth and very dry. That was interesting; she was intrigued by someone else's difference now!

"That was a cool speech," Sasha said with an impressed grin. "You totally shut everyone up!"

Melanie shrugged a bit. "I guess I just didn't want to have to deal with the same old stuff from my old school all over again, y'know?"

Sasha nodded. "Mmm hm. Oh, yeah, this is Beverly," she added, hooking a thumb at the girl across from her.

The peach-furred fruit bat looked up and mumbled a 'hello' at Melanie through her baloney sandwich.

"And I'm Brandy," another voice spoke up: the beaver who'd asked if Melanie could change herself. She reached past Beverly to get a paw shake too.

"It's really nice to meet you all," Melanie said politely, with a bit of flustered surprise in her voice. "I can't believe you actually invited me over here to sit with you."

"Why not?" Beverly asked, and took a sip from her juice box.

"Well... 'cause most people think I'm weird," Melanie admitted.

Sasha blinked. "I think you're cool. And your chair's pretty cool too! Are you gonna bring in that racing model someday? You could do a demonstration in the parking lot! Can you do wheelies? That could be your nickname!"

Melanie bit her lip, blushed and chuckled all at the same time. Sasha was beginning to strike her as someone who was friendly and outgoing, but who had no filter between her mind and her mouth. "Um, I'd... I'd be too shy, I think," she shrugged. She noticed how timid she was feeling right now, and wondered why all the confidence she'd shown in the classroom seemed to be drying up. It occurred to her that maybe it was because she was used to people staring and questioning, but not at all used to them being nice.

She took a bite of her salisbury steak, which really wasn't too bad. "Why do they call this a steak?" she asked rhetorically. "It's just a bunless hamburger in gravy."

"Nobody knows..." Brandy said mysteriously.

"'Cuz it sounds fancier," Beverly guessed.

That was probably right, actually. "So, um..." She wracked her mind for a topic. Anything to stave off the Awkward Silence Imps who were lurking underneath the table, ready to strike. "...What's been happening in class?" was the best she could come up with.

"Usual stuff," Sasha said after a gulp of chocolate milk. "We did a thing on deserts last week. And Mr. Van says we're gonna start doing geometry stuff pretty soon. I hope he gets out that tub of little wooden tanagram-thingies. Those are neat."

"I think he said something about another field trip coming up, too," Beverly noted. Her poofy mass of scarlet curls jiggled whenever she moved her head.

Sasha nodded. "Yeah. I dunno where, but all of Mr. Van's trips kick ass, so you're pretty much guaranteed to like it," she told Melanie. "Last month we went to this science museum where there was a big silver ball that if you touched it, it made all your fur stand on end. I was the only one who could touch it all I wanted and not look like a cheerleader's pom-pom!"

Melanie giggled. "I'll hafta get my dad to take me there someday."

"Another time he took us all out to the movies to see this really good movie about astronauts. Did you know they have to pee in their spacesuits? I wonder what happens if they have to throw up?" Sasha mused.

"I'm *eating*!" Beverly said disgustedly.

Brandy snerked on her milk.

Melanie giggled even more. It was great to be able to just sit and talk with other girls her age. For this one short moment, she didn't feel like an outcast. She counted it as a blessing, and hoped she could feel this way even more in the future.

*****

After lunch was over, it was time for recess.

Sasha said she was going to go jump rope on the blacktop, and barely stopped herself in time from asking if Melanie wanted to join her. Melanie grinned and said she was pretty sure she couldn't jump while sitting. Sasha pointed out that, if she put a hydraulic system on her chair like a low-rider, she could make the chair do the jumping for her! Melanie thought that made a great mental image and laughed her tail off.

The two new friends split up and Melanie decided to scoot aimlessly around the playground for now; just getting to know the place. It was a bright fall day, almost warm enough to feel like an encore of summer. The air was full of shouts, conversations, taunts, jokes and laughter. The little vixen quietly wheeled around the perimeter of the playground, watching other kids play, seeing what her new school looked like.

Everyone seemed to be running today. She sighed a bit and glanced down at her useless legs. Thinking the same 'I wish' thoughts she'd tossed around so many times before.

But then she straightened up in her chair and took a deep breath. She'd gone over this same stuff a million times. She'd thought she was finally past it. Okay, yeah, the other cubs could all run their happy little legs off and she couldn't. Established fact. 'Can't I just freakin' get over it now?' she asked herself, more annoyed than anguished.

Of course, she knew she would never get over it. She'd always wonder what it would feel like to stretch her legs and run and feel her pads slapping against the ground. She imagined her tail fanning out behind her, the wind on her whiskers, seeing how fast she could go.

But it wasn't ever gonna happen. It Was Not Ever Going To Happen. She said it again to herself to drive it home, like pounding a nail into wood. There was a fine line between imagining how nice something might be, and making herself feel bad because it couldn't. She thought it was high time she stopped crossing that line.

Just when she was starting to get lost in her thoughts, a familiar loud voice interrupted them. "Try not to spill my food next time, okay!?"

The coarse, angry tone snapped her right out of her introspection. "Wha?"

That brown dog again. He was looming over her with his arms crossed, looking pissed-off and disgusted. "You spilled my food when you bumped into me, stupid!"

His words pierced her peaceful mood like a switchblade. She'd been so sure she'd hardened herself to this kind of treatment. Made herself immune. But the second her guard had come down, it was back again. "I told you I was sorry," she said meekly.

"Well, I told you not to do it *again*," he pointed out.

His voice was a hard, raspy growl. Melanie wondered why exactly he was so mad at her. "It was just some dumb peas," she pointed out.

Tucker was not about to be placated. He wanted a fight, and meant to force one if he had to. "That doesn't matter! Just don't run me over in that fuckin' thing, you freakshow!"

Oh, THAT did it. A deep scowl crossed her face. "What did you just call me!?" she barked, sitting straight up. And, oh wonderful, other kids were starting to look at them now.

"I called you a freakshow," Tucker said, sounding almost proud of it. "Because you _are_."

"Shut. Up," Melanie snarled.

Tucker grinned cruelly. "Freak. Show."

Her lip trembled. Her fists clenched. She was desperately trying to think of a way out of this that would keep her from getting in trouble. But, of course, backing off and driving away was simply out of the question.

"Don't you like being called a freakshow?" Tucker jeered. "It fits you so well!"

About a half-dozen students were watching now. And now here came some more. It was the same damn thing from her old school all over again. Just when she'd dared to let herself relax a little...

Melanie felt like her whole face was burning. She knew she sometimes lost control of her bladder when she got really angry, and she prayed she could keep it in this time. "Shut the hell up, asshole," she ground out between clenched teeth, sounding more wounded than threatening.

He grinned even more, elated that he was getting to her. "Why should I? It's not like you can get up and make me stop, freakshow!"

Just when Melanie was starting to seriously consider ramming into the jerk at full speed, a paw fell on Tucker's shoulder.

The brown Lab whirled around. That rabbit that sat two desks to his left was standing there behind him, looking calm as a rippleless pond.

"I think it'd be a good idea if you stopped calling her that," he said, just like commenting on the weather.

Tucker laughed and slapped the rabbit's hand away. "Fuck off, Aaron. Mind your own damn business."

The rabbit smiled a sharp, dangerous little smile. "No," he said simply.

Tucker's ire was now fully focussed on his other classmate. He turned fully around and got up in Aaron's face. He clenched his fist threateningly. "I said Fuck Off!"

"No," the rabbit said again. And in the blink of an eye, he'd hauled off and punched Tucker in the guts as hard as he could.

At least a dozen gasps from the gathered crowd.

Tucker fell to the ground like a bag of bricks.

Melanie could barely believe her eyes.

The throng of rubberneckers were thoroughly astounded. "Whoa!" "Holy shit!" "Did you see that?!" "Damn!" "Way to go!"

The rabbit came over and offered his paw to Melanie. He gave her his most charming grin. "Hi. I'm Aaron."

When Melanie managed to make her jaw work again, she shyly said "Hi" too.

Aaron leaned in closer, still holding that dashing, roguish smile of his, and softly patted her paw. "Don't listen to him. You're cute as hell," he said in a gallant whisper.

Melanie blushed right through her white cheekfur. "...Uh."

A moment later, one of the teachers stomped over and assessed the situation: Tucker on the ground, holding his belly in his paws and weeping, Melanie completely dumbfounded, Aaron grinning like he'd just accomplished something he was really proud of.

"I did it," he admitted eagerly.

"Allright, young man. Your butt's going straight to the office!" the teacher said angrily as she yanked Aaron along behind her. She hauled Tucker up off the ground as well. "You too!"

The rabbit glanced back over his shoulder and tossed Melanie another smile.

She was still frozen in shock. A total stranger had just come to her rescue. Swooping in like some swashbuckling hero in an old black-and-white movie. She didn't know whether to feel humiliated or grateful. Although, admittedly, she was leaning heavily towards grateful.

What an interesting first day it was turning out to be!

*****

At three o' clock, the bells rang all over Mill Dale Elementary, and hundreds of kids burst out into the hallways like a swarm of giggling locusts with lunchboxes.

"Remember; read chapter five tonight and we'll discuss it tomorrow!" Mr. VanKressler called out as his own students made beelines for the door. The school board had given him a reading comprehension textbook to pass out, but for a few notable examples, the whole thing was pure, dry, crap. Instead, Mr. VanKressler had just called in a favor from his friend Zero at the bookstore and had finagled a few boxes' worth of exceedingly cheap paperback novels. All of them were similar to his own favorite books that he'd read in junior high, and he knew his kids were smart enough to get through them. He just prayed no indignant mothers would wail to the school board that their child had been assigned a book by one of the country's premier horror writers. Hey, the guy had talent and the kids ate it up. Case closed, in Mr. Van's opinion.

Melanie paused before leaving to thank her new teacher once more. "That was really nice what you did for me. The desk thing, I mean. And letting me give my little speech."

He tussled her beautiful, abundant blond hair. "No problem at all. Just making you feel welcome. See you tomorrow, Melanie."

"See ya!" she said back as she wheeled out of the room.

Mr. VanKressler noticed a flicker of brown shoot by. "Ohhh no, Mr. Cabot. You get back here this instant."

Aaron stopped a fraction of an inch from the door. He turned around and shrugged sheepishly.

"You don't seriously think you're getting out of here without being punished for what you did at recess, do you?" the dark wolf asked sternly.

Aaron gulped. "It crossed my mind," he said facetiously.

Mr. VanKressler did not look amused.

"I was just-"

"Stop. I heard all about it. While you were in the principal's office, I took Tucker and Melanie aside separately and asked each of them what happened. Then I asked Mr. Pinkwater if I could choose your punishment, because I felt like I was responsible for what had happened."

Aaron nodded. "So that's why he didn't suspend my ass..." he muttered to himself.

Mr. VanKressler heard him anyway with his sharp, wolven ears. "Yes, that is *exactly* why he didn't 'suspend your ass'. I have a much better form of discipline in mind for you," he intoned severely.

Aaron lost his grin and started to look sincerely scared. Mr. Van's punishments were legendary for a reason...

The wolf walked over to the blackboard, picked up a good-sized piece of chalk, and handed it to Aaron without a word. He went back to his desk and stood there silently. This was all about intimidation.

"Um... What am I supposed to do with this?" Aaron asked. He resisted the temptation to add, '...Stuff it up my nose?'

"I want you to go over to the blackboard and write 'I will never hit another student ever again'.

Aaron looked worried. "How many times?"

Mr. Van's facade broke, and he allowed a sly grin to poke through. "Oh, I think just once ought to be enough."

The young rabbit tilted his head, sure he'd heard that wrong.

"If you think I'm mad at you for defending a girl in a wheelchair from a heartless bully calling her a 'freakshow' then you don't know me very well," Mr. VanKressler said craftily.

A smile broke over Aaron's face too. Relief flooded the little rabbit. "Aw, cool! Thanks, Mr. Van!" He went over to the blackboard and swiftly wrote out the sentence. In careful cursive, even.

The wolf smiled, satisfied. He cleaned off the blackboard with a swipe of the eraser. "If you do anything like that again though, instead of telling me or another teacher first, I _will_ let Principal Pinkwater suspend your ass. And the rest of your body with it."

Aaron chuckled and nodded. "You got it. I wasn't even planning to this time. It's just... I *had* to. I couldn't just stand there and watch that."

Mr. VanKressler sat down in his chair and looked directly at his pupil. "Aaron, you are not to tell another living soul that I said this, but I'm actually very proud of you. Most people will tell you that violence never solves anything. The truth is that, on very rare occasions, it can. A little. I'm sure the humiliation hurt Tucker much more than your punch, and that once word gets around about this incident, you'll be seen as a hero, and him a creep who picks on handicapped little girls. I dearly wish I'd been there. If I'd heard that disgusting word come out of his mouth even once, you can bet I'd have made him *wish* he'd just gotten off with a punch in the stomach."

The ironclad sincerity of his teacher's words impressed Aaron. "I understand."

Mr. VanKressler scooted his chair closer. "Look, I know the two of us got off to a bad start this year. I know you hate most of the schoolwork, and I understand why. I know it's so far below you it's barely worth it to do it. But I don't get after you because I'm angry at _you_, I'm angry that someone so smart is going to let bad grades hurt his future."

Humbled a bit, the young rabbit nodded silently.

"Just get it done. I know it's boring, but I have to assign it and you have to turn it in. That's the deal. I would hate to be forced to give you a failing grade when I _know_ you have it in that brain of yours to get straight As. Believe me, I'd be the first to say that grades are no indication of how smart a student really is. I just want to make sure other people see what I see in you."

Aaron was looking down at his feet. He was thinking about all the times he'd complained to his older brothers how mean Mr. Van was, how he kept riding him all the time, how he kept pushing him. He felt more than a little ashamed now. "I will," he pledged.

The wolf gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that. By the way, what do you think of the book we're reading?" he asked.

The bunny lit up. "Aw, it was fantastic! Really creepy. Great villain! And I liked the whole metaphor about genocide. Heavy shi- uh, stuff!"

Mr. VanKressler arched an eyebrow. The villain had just barely shown up yet, and the metaphor only became clear halfway in. "How far into it have you read?"

Aaron grinned sheepishly. "Um, I finished it. I read the first chapter, and I just got hooked and stayed up all night."

So that explained why he'd come in last friday with red eyes and was barely able to keep awake. "You read a three hundred page book in a single night!?"

He nodded. "Three hundred and sixty-two, actually. And, yeah."

Mr. Van giggled, absolutely delighted. "Wanna read some more by the same author?"

Aaron's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah!!"

Mr. VanKressler hastily scribbled on a yellow sticky note. "Go to Blue Dawn Bookseller's on Main and Middlebelt. There's a teenage chipmunk named Zero working there with all his fur dyed white. Old student of mine. Tell him I sent you, and that he is to help you find something interesting. Tell him I will pick up the tab for at least one book. Two if he deems them challenging enough."

Aaron nearly fell over on his cottontail as he accepted the sticky note. He took it reverently, as if it were made of gold. His grin was a mile wide. In a matter of moments, his worst teacher ever had become his favorite. "Oh man, Mr. Van! You rock!!"

Extraordinarily pleased, Mr. VanKressler sat back in his chair. "I've been told I roll pretty good too," he quipped.

It took Aaron a second to get it, but when he did he groaned. "That's terrible!"

The wolf shrugged. "Oh, and one more thing. I caught you and your friends making fun of the Pledge of Allegiance this morning..." he said ominously.

Aaron winced. "Uh... Yeah," he admitted.

Mr. VanKressler leaned forward and grinned. "Tell me your version. If it's funny enough and not too dirty, I'll print it up and pass it out to the rest of the class."

Aaron could barely believe he wasn't dreaming. "Aw, man...! There is no _way_ you're serious!"

"Try me," the big wolf said cheerfully.

*****

"The Pledge Of Underpants" was absolutely brilliant. And it turned out to be a huge hit. Mr. Van had a feeling it was about to sweep the other classrooms like a plague.


~~~~~

*Chapter Four*


Melanie had a lot on her mind that night.

It was evening, near bedtime, and Melanie was getting ready for her shower. Daddy was on the couch watching some cop drama. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then wheeled herself to the bathroom.

The bathroom was actually one of the biggest reasons Daddy had chosen this house when they'd moved. It was much roomier than normal, definitely bigger than their old one, and Melanie didn't have to worry so much about whacking her chair against the toilet or sink whenever she turned. Daddy had put in super bright lights and the tiles were a happy shell pink. Melanie felt relaxed here.

The hardest part of taking a shower was, naturally, getting *into* the shower. When she was a little kit it was easy; Daddy would just pick her up and they'd wash together. It was a wonderful experience. Melanie remembered the peaceful bliss of being held safe in Daddy's big, soapy arms. He'd bolted a little seat to the side of the wall where she could sit and he could spray her down and scrub her all over. She'd laugh joyously at his loving tickles. When she outgrew the wall seat, they bought her a shower chair. It seemed like every year since, they'd had to buy a larger one as she grew.

Now that Melanie was a big kit and wanted to get in and out all by herself, they'd had to figure out how. At a medical supply store, a clerk had recommended a bench-like device that stood half in and half out of the tub. Daddy rejected that idea, knowing how much Melanie liked to splash. Another option was more expensive, but it could be used with the shower door closed: a chair with a movable platform that jutted out over the lip of the tub. Melanie had thought at first it looked like a little diving board, but eventually she came to call it The Plank, like on a pirate ship.

Melanie was still getting used to where everything was in this new house. At the old place, she could swing herself out of her chair onto The Plank without a thought. Here, she had to really concentrate. With one hand, she got a firm grip on the grab bars Dad had installed. With the other, she used her armrest as a pivot point. She swung her useless ol' legs up and out like pendulums. One good thing about them; they didn't weigh much.

Sitting on The Plank, it was easier to get undressed than it was in her chair. She unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it on the floor. Then she wriggled her skirt down and added it to the blouse. She checked her diaper: not too wet. She'd been pretty soaked after her stressful schoolday and Daddy had changed her as soon as he got home. Since then, she'd only squirted a little bit. It seemed wasteful to chuck this diaper in the bin while it was still useful, but she sure didn't want to get out of the shower all fresh and clean and put a used one on.

Once she was naked, she lifted her legs over the side of the tub. The U-shaped one was easier, since it didn't dangle down as far. Then she skootched herself along The Plank until she was onto the chair part. The plastic was textured so she wouldn't slip, and had holes so the water could drain. This was also good because sometimes the heat and humidity of a good, long hot shower would make her bowels relax a bit too much. Accidental shower poopings weren't too bad, aside from the embarrassment. It was easy to clean up in here, and it did feel kinda good to just let go. Plus, better here than in her diaper.

Melanie tipped The Plank up and swung it around behind the chair so she could shut the shower door. She turned the water on, testing the temperature with her toes. She liked it really hot. She liked pretending she was a little hotdog being steam-cooked.

The shower had a hose attachment so she could direct the water wherever she liked. The shower head was her friend. Dad had bought a really impressive one with five different settings for how the water came out. One of them was a single small hole, which produced a fantastically intense jet of water.

This one was Melanie's favorite.

'Not yet,' she thought with a little blush. 'Gotta get clean first.'

The temperature was just right now, so she switched the water flow from the faucet to the shower head. She squeaked as it hit her fur. Then she wiggled about, letting it get all over. Nice and warm! Her muscles loosened up. She felt herself relax all over.

She thought about how her first day at school had gone. She'd heard the phrase 'emotional roller coaster' on TV before, and she totally understood it now. She thought about the trepidation before class, the wonderment at how far Mr. Van was willing to go to accommodate her, the pain of Brandon's comment about her diaper, her surprise at his apology, the fierce rage that had pierced her as she lectured the class, the relief that came afterward, the fear on the playground from that Tucker kid, and then the astonishment as a gallant bunny knight rushed in to defend her. Her heart had gone up and down all day. It was a miracle it hadn't blown a gasket.

One thing was certain though, things were different now. This wasn't like all those other times at her old school where she'd felt false hope. That maybe, perhaps by magic, the bullies would leave her alone this year. No; this time it actually *was* different. And she knew it no matter how much her inner Worry Gremlin kept whispering nasty doubts to her.

Melanie directed the pulsing shower spray all over her small body. On her tummy, in her armpits, over her thighs, down her legs. She tried not to wriggle and slip as she washed her feet, but her soles were so darn ticklish! She reached behind the chair to direct the spray up under her tailhole. The chair had an indentation in the back meant just for that. She rocked side to side, getting the water under her tush and enjoying the sensation.

Mr. VanKressler was really handsome, she thought. That long, pointy muzzle made him look strong and heroic. She liked his fur color too. It reminded her of thunderclouds. She wondered what it would be like if he picked her up out of her wheelchair and gave her a hug. Her heart purred at the thought. She closed her eyes, picturing it, and her cunny started wanting some attention.

'First things first,' she scolded herself. She reached up for her washcloth with the duckie on it and squirted a big gob of fur shampoo onto it. Humming a song she liked, she began to lather up. She got her fur good and bubbly all over. She also used her sponge-on-a-stick backscrubber for places she couldn't reach. Afterwards, she paid special attention to her hair and tail, wanting them to look their best. And it was especially fun to work the shampoo between her thighs. Get her cunny squeaky clean. She scooped some suds onto her paw and made sure her tailhole was tidy too.

Now it was time to rinse off, her favorite part. Because now she could let the shower head do its magic and get lost in how nice it felt. As she swayed back and forth in the spray, she closed her eyes and thought about all the good memories from today. The heroic bunny boy with fur like brown sugar. The cute chatty lizard who sat behind her. Mr. Van's voice, so smooth and comforting... Ooh, she certainly wanted to think about him some more!

Melanie turned the shower head to position number five: the super power jet. She grinned.

First she directed it up under her tail. She gasped silently. She was never prepared for the sheer force of it. She centered the spray precisely onto her anus. She whimpered. It was like a finger made of water prying her tiny hole open and wiggling inside. She shuddered, breathing hard, as she let it explore within her. But this was only the beginning. Once her butt was happily satisfied, it was time to bring the hose around to her front.

Melanie spread her legs and braced herself. She held the shower head as far away as she could, and slowly directed the water towards her girlplace. The anticipation was amazing. When it connected, it was almost painful. It took a few seconds to get used to it. It felt like the water was blasting her pussy to smithereens! Then she hunched over, yipping quietly, as she brought the shower head closer and closer. When it was touching the insides of her thighs, the force of the water against her pussy was almost unbearable. But it felt SO GOOD!

Melanie swung open the floodgates of her mind and let all her naughty thoughts run loose. She thought of herself at night, lying in bed with her diaper open and her fingers tucked deep in her folds. She thought about how her girl-honey tasted and smelled. She thought about Daddy's musky scent when he came home from work. She imagined him kissing and hugging her. Maybe even squeezing her buns. She knew she was probably a bad girl for having such thoughts about her own Daddy, but when she was under the shower head's power, she couldn't stop herself.

*knock knock knock*

Melanie looked up with a jolt. She saw the bathroom door open.

"Don't mind me, sweetie. I'll be out in a minute. Don't worry; I won't flush."

The frosted glass of the shower door made everything look like a kaleidoscope. Her father was just an orange-furred blob. "It's okay," she said, pointing the shower head away so she could think straight.

She heard the 'plonk' as he lifted the toilet seat up. Then a zipper noise. She waited, her sharp ears swivelling, then picked up the tiny sound of a second stream of water.

Daddy was peeing!

They'd always been comfortable in the bathroom together. Daddy had bathed her and changed her more times than she could count. Sometimes he'd brush his teeth while she went potty, or vice versa. It seemed perfectly normal to her. But in the past few years, as her cunny started getting interesting desires, she'd started to look forward to these moments.

She and Dad didn't shower together very often anymore. But when they did it was magical. She'd gladly let him shampoo her hair forever. And now he was over there peeing. His back was to her, but she knew he must have had his penis out. She'd never given it a thought when she was a little kit. She knew that penises existed, but she'd never caught a glimpse of Daddy's. Even when they showered, Daddy had always kept his underpants on. Always. It was just a bulge of mystery down there.

"All done. I'll get out of your way now," he said as he finished.

"No problem," she replied.

Daddy zipped up and left.

The shower head was back between her thighs immediately.

'I'm such a bad girl!' she thought. She knew it, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to see Daddy's penis. Just once! Just to know what it looked like. Maybe even touch it...

"Ohhh!" A moan escaped her and she quickly clamped her muzzle shut. She hoped Daddy hadn't heard. 'Dammit! You stupid, mean shower head!' It was always making her think bad thoughts that felt good! Always almost getting her caught! But it felt so nice... She just wanted to stay in here with the steam and moisture forever. Daddy often remarked that sometimes she was in here for half an hour or more. One time he'd teased that 99% of the monthly water bill was her fault.

But she couldn't stop herself now no matter how ashamed she was of her naughty imagination. The evil shower head had her under its power. She aimed the jet right up inside her, letting it push in as deep as it could go. It parted her little flower effortlessly.

She was thinking all sorts of bad thoughts now. Like if it was Daddy holding the shower head instead of her, giving her cunny a good water-pounding. Pulling down his undies 'accidentally' the next time they showered. Finally getting a look at his penis. Touching it. Smelling it. Kissing it.

She wondered what Mr. Van's penis looked like.

'OH!'

That did it. Now her cunny was in overdrive. Her pleasure had been like a zone of intense energy centered around her groin, and now it spread outwards, slowly consuming her whole body. Her legs twitched randomly. Her paws gripped the shower head's handle like a bear trap. Her eyes were shut so tight she could see dancing blue lights behind her eyelids.

Finally, she exploded. She jerked and whimpered and wiggled and barely kept herself from falling off the shower chair into the tub. (That had happened a few times before at her old house and it was something she never wanted to repeat. She certainly did not want Daddy to have to drive her to the hospital while she was naked and soaking wet.)
 
Melanie's orgasm overpowered her for a few moments, followed by a few body-rocking aftershocks. She came down slowly, panting in exhaustion.

With trembling fingers, she set the shower head to its normal position. She hosed herself down. By now the water was lukewarm.

She felt a little ashamed of her horny thoughts, but not too much. Playing with the shower head felt good, and no one knew about it, and it didn't hurt anything. So she was only kinda sorta a bad little vixen, right?

She checked to make sure all the shampoo was out of her fur, then turned the water off and hung the shower head back on the wall. 'See you next time,' she thought with a blush.

Now it was back to the real world. She opened the shower door, put The Plank back in place, and scooted herself out onto it. She reached over to the towel rack, just barely making it. 'Dad's gonna have to do something about that,' she thought. Falling out of her seat onto the floor would be even worse than in the tub. She draped one towel over the seat of her wheelchair, then wrapped the other around her waist. The slightly-coarse fabric felt nice, especially when she sat down in her chair and she could feel it on her raw, tingly cunny.

Melanie first flushed the toilet, trying not to think naughty things about Daddy's pee. She blowdried her fur all over, then brushed her teeth like a good girl. She wiped up some water she'd managed to splash on the floor. Then she turned on the nightlight, in case she had to make a midnight toilet expedition. Leaving the bathroom, she wheeled back to the livingroom.

Daddy looked up from the couch. "Sparkling clean, my little mervixen?"

"Uh huh!" She kissed him on top of his head. "Ready for bed, too."

"Good girl. Any worries about going back to school tomorrow?"

She thought a bit. "A few," she answered honestly. "But not like before." She'd told him all about her first day over dinner. He was overjoyed to hear that things seemed to be so different now.

"I'm glad." He reached back for a one-armed hug, then tilted his head back to nuzzle her forehead. "Get some sleep, li'l muffin. Have adventures tomorrow, and you can tell me all about them when I get home."

"I will, Daddy," she promised. She turned and headed for her bedroom. "G'night!"

"Goodnight!" Daddy called out.

Melanie's new bedroom was smaller than her old one; a fair tradeoff for having a bigger bathroom, she thought. Plus it appeared even smaller at the moment, since there were still several unopened boxes of books and toys piled in the corner. Melanie's bed was in the center of the far wall. She had her dresser drawers on one side, a rack full of hangers on the other. She found it easiest to get dressed lying down, so it made sense to have her clothes nearby. Melanie scooted up to the side of the bed, then with a grin, pushed off against the armrests and launched herself onto it with a 'THWOOMPH'. She giggled; that was always fun.

She pulled her legs up onto the mattress, then got herself turned around so she could root through her drawers. First she took a new diaper from the package beside the bed. Then she selected her pajamas; the pink pair with the white vinyl butterflies this time. Plus a pair of panties.

Melanie hung her waist-towel over the back of her chair to dry. She'd put them back in the bathroom tomorrow. Now she was nude, and just chilly enough that she wanted to get under her covers quickly. She opened the new diaper. She always liked how they felt when they were fresh out of the package. Clean and smooth, slightly stiff, with that nice powdery scent. Lying on her side, she tucked it between her legs, taped up the little tab over her tailbase, then rolled onto her back so she could close the flaps in front. "There we go."

Next she wriggled the panties on. It often amused her that she virtually never wore them in the daytime, and sometimes she wore more clothes to bed than she did in public. The reason for the underwear was a practical one. Melanie tended to roll around in bed, trying to find a comfortable position for her legs. Sometimes during the night, the tapes on her diaper came loose. This could lead to embarrassing moments in the morning. The panties added extra security. (She didn't wear them in the daytime for two reasons. One: her tapes usually stayed in place when she was just sitting in her chair. And two: the panties would have added an extra step to the already-frantic routine of getting her diaper off and herself onto a toilet when she needed to take a leak.)

Melanie was starting to shiver now, so she got her pajama top on quickly, and shuffled the bottoms up her goofy legs as quickly as she could. No matter how many times she put on pants, her bendy leg always gave her trouble. Finally though, she was able to squirm under her covers and get toasty warm.

She sighed happily as she sank into her pillows. Melanie liked a lot of pillows on the bed. She had stuffed animals, but preferred to keep them on display on the shelf. It felt nicer to her to cuddle a bunch of big squashy pillows. Sticking one between her legs kept her knees from bonking together during the night. Plus, if she was still horny after an encounter with the shower head, she could grind on one for a while.

Tonight, she definitely had to grind on one for a while. She had a lot of pent-up yiffiness. She wasn't sure where it was all coming from. Maybe simple relief. Maybe her mind was just happy to not be going to sleep in a cloud of dread like so many other nights. Whatever the case, she felt happy. And in the mood to think some naughty thoughts again.

Quiet sounds of giggling, rustling and crinkling came from under her covers. Though Melanie was asleep before she could get another good cum in.


~~~~~

*Chapter Five*


Three days passed. There were ups and downs, though nothing like her first day. And most of her interactions at school so far had been quite positive. But now it was Thursday afternoon, lunchtime, and Melanie's worst fear had come true.

The motor in her chair couldn't propel her nearly fast enough. She was tearing at her rims with all her strength, shooting down the deserted hallway like a bullet. She hoped with all her heart no one would see her. She hoped even more fervidly that her new teacher hadn't gone out somewhere for lunch.

She reached the classroom door and banged on it loudly.

Mr. VanKressler looked up from his book in puzzlement. He usually ate lunch at his desk and read a few chapters of a novel afterwards. He liked knowing he was available if any of his students needed to come to him for help. And whoever was so frantically knocking on his door definitely sounded as if they could use some.

The tall wolf marked his place and got up. He opened the door and immediately felt it bonk against something. "Melanie, I presume," he said crisply.

She didn't even hear him. She shot past him into the empty classroom. "Shut the door!" she hissed.

Mr. VanKressler was more than concerned now. His new student sounded like she was on the verge of panic. She was fidgeting in her seat and her eyes were wide with fear. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? ...It's not Tucker again, is it?"

She laughed. She *wished* it was Tucker! He'd be easier to deal with! "No, he's mostly just glaring at me and avoiding me now. Actually, um, I got another problem..." She trailed off, sounding deeply embarrassed.

As he came closer, about to ask what this problem was, it suddenly made itself glaringly apparent. The smell. A rank, earthy odor wafted up from the girl's wheelchair.

She'd had an accident.

She looked up at him, almost in tears, desperately needing his help and just as desperately not wanting to have to ask for it out loud. To admit what both of them knew.

"Do you need a diaper change, Melanie?" Mr. VanKressler asked as gently as he could.

Timidly, she nodded.

He nodded as well. "I told you I'd be happy to help you out if a situation like this came up. And I meant that." Though he wasn't exactly sure how he could. Taking her to the bathrooms wasn't an option. Which one would they go into? And what if they were interrupted? No, Melanie needed this to be kept as secret as possible. He looked around the room for a place to change her. His desk looked like the only option.

"There's some extra diapers in my backpack," Melanie said softly. The feel of the soft, wet mess under her tail filled her with bottomless shame. Her rational side was trying to tell her there was nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't because she was a bad girl. Her body just didn't work right. But knowing that in her head still couldn't keep the stinky smell in her nose from overriding her emotions. She had messed in her diaper. Just like a baby.

Mr. VanKressler cleared away as much as he could from his desk. Thankfully, he'd never been one to tolerate clutter much, so it wasn't too mountainous a chore. There was a tarp in the closet he'd used as part of a science experiment last month, so he unfurled it and spread it over the desk. "Allright then. That ought to do it."

Melanie wheeled herself over. "I'm sorry," she said meekly.

He looked down, surprised, and took her paws in his.

She was startled by the gentle caring she saw in his expression.

"Melanie, sweetheart, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for." 

She uttered a tiny, disbelieving whimper at his loving words.

"Hush, little vixen. Let's get this done quickly." As respectfully as he could, he reached under her armpits and lifted Melanie up and out of her chair. She barely weighed anything at all, he thought. He laid her down on her back. "Could you, um, pull down your skirt for me, honey?"

She went barefoot almost all of the time, so that made it easier. She slid her powder blue skirt down her legs and handed it to Mr. Van. Her cheeks were flushed with humiliation, but another part of her was touched by how kind he was being. She couldn't even begin to imagine her old teacher doing this for her. That twiggish, wrinkled old goat probably would have sneered right in her face if she'd asked.

The wolf hung her skirt across the back of his chair. He turned back to Melanie. "Could you hand me all your changing supplies?"

She nodded. She rolled onto her side to pluck her backpack out from her wheelchair's storage space. She rustled around in it a bit and brought out a box of wipes, some talcum powder (she would NOT call it baby powder, not for anything), and a fresh diaper. Mr. Van lined the items up beside her. She laid back down and looked up at her teacher, eyes wide and trembling all over.

He hated seeing her so sad and frightened. He knew that as much as she was feeling bad for needing this done, she was almost certainly thinking he'd be as disgusted with her as she was with herself. Nothing could have been further from the truth. "Allright then, let's see what we're dealing with," he said compassionately.

Melanie watched as he undid the two little flaps on the side of her diaper and opened it up, exposing the stench of her shame.

He flinched, but only for a second. The smell was indeed strong, but it wasn't awful. Dark, rich, pungent, yes. But in an odd way, he didn't really mind it much.

He looked down and saw the shivering little vixen's most private area. Her tiny pink cunny was moist with drops of urine, and she was completely covered in soft brown mush all around her undertail.

Melanie felt the hotness of tears about to fall from her eyes. She hated this, hated this, hated herself...

Mr. VanKressler paused for a moment just to take in the head-swimming sight before him. His beautiful young student, lying on his desk, wearing only a T-shirt and her soiled diaper. She was at her most vulnerable. Her eyes held such sadness that it tore his heart in two. He could see a deep, deep self-loathing at work there. So deep that, try as she may, she might never conquer it on her own.

The wolf felt himself falling in love with this sweet little girl. Not out of pity. Lord no. That was the last thing Melanie needed. No, this was a more honorable instinct. He wanted overwhelmingly to help her. To guide her. To show her that she was not a freak. That just because her body was different, that did not make her any less lovely and special. He wanted to give her the chance to believe in herself.

Melanie realized the classroom was absolutely silent. Her teacher was staring at her.

She was used to stares, of all different kinds, but she had never seen one like this before. It was not out of disgust, or pity, or 'oh you poor baby'. He was staring at her... 

No, it was impossible. He was staring... 

...As if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Catching her eyes meeting his, Mr. Van quickly wrenched his gaze away. 'No. Mustn't let her see me like this. I can barely believe I'm feeling this way myself. Even if it is innocent, no one else would ever see it that way.'

Melanie regarded him with curiosity. He looked somewhat ashamed now, but obviously only for himself. What had he been thinking? What had he been thinking about *her*?

The rattled teacher took a deep, bracing breath and looked back into Melanie's eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

She allowed herself a tiny, tiny smile. "It's allright," she said, nearly a whisper. She could see it even more clearly now. He did think she was beautiful! Here, in her most shameful, humiliating moment, he was actually looking beyond her deformity, looking beyond her condition, and seeing who she really was. The little vixen felt overwhelmed. She couldn't believe that anyone but her daddy would ever look at her that way.

Without saying a word, Mr. VanKressler went about the task at hand. He had no prior experience at changing a diaper, so he just muddled through as best he could. He wiped her down gently and respectfully, feeling his cheeks burn the closer he came to her adorable little private parts. 'Stop it! Just stop it! Good God, she's a child!'

The conflict in his eyes... Could he possibly be thinking naughty stuff about her? The very idea flattered Melanie much more than it alarmed her. She felt her cheeks get hot.

Mr. VanKressler did a thorough job of cleaning the little fox, but finished up as quickly as he could. The ideas that had been swirling in his brain frightened him. Hidden, lustful urges that had no place popping up in the mind of a responsible adult.

Ideas like how wonderful it might be to lean over and give that delectable little cunny a deep *sniff*...

'NO!' he roared at himself. Where was this coming from? His whole life, he had looked down on child predators as the worst scum of the world. Deserving of nothing but the most cruel and torturous punishments imaginable. People who hurt children were, in his opinion, little better than E. Coli bacteria. How in the hell could he suddenly be turning into one of them!?

'Stop. Calm down. Thoughts are thoughts. What matters is whether you act on them or not.' Here was an admittedly adorable, charming, smart, sweet little girl in an almost impossibly vulnerable position before him. There was nothing wrong with him for having not-so-nice thoughts. It was just his id acting up, that was all. As long as she didn't notice, everything would be fine.

But Melanie _had_ noticed. She was bright and perceptive for her age, and her teacher was doing an absolutely terrible job of trying to keep his feelings hidden. He might as well have had a neon sign flashing over his head that read: 'Having Dirty Thoughts Now'.

Melanie started having some dirty thoughts of her own. But no, not dirty. Just... different. She found herself imagining asking Mr. Van to change her again sometime. And afterwards, maybe he'd hold her on his lap and give her a hug and tell her she was pretty and...

She forced herself to stop. She was almost about to cry. Those thoughts could never become reality. _Shouldn't_ become reality. She was a little girl and he was a grown-up teacher. It was bad, and they'd both get in horrible trouble for even talking about something like that. 'No. Just leave it alone. Make these bad thoughts go away,' she instructed herself.

Mr. VanKressler dried her off with some tissues. Both of them jerked in surprise when he accidentally passed right over her girlplace. Their cheeks could not have felt any hotter. Both their bodies felt like they were made of fiery bundles of raw nerves.

A dash of talcum sprinkled down on her private place, making Melanie squirm a bit. That was the worst part; why did all this have to feel so darn _good_? She'd never admitted it to Daddy, but she did enjoy being changed. It felt nice, and sometimes even relaxing. She liked it when Daddy would wipe off her naughty place and around her tailhole. It sent little shivery tingles through her whole body. It was exciting. But now she just wished she could shut her whole body down and not feel anything. She didn't want her nice teacher to think she was a bad girl.

"Lift yourself up a bit, honey," Mr. VanKressler said softly. Melanie propped herself up enough for him to slide the dirty diaper out from underneath her. He fiddled with the new one a bit, not completely sure how to put it on the right way. He gingerly reached underneath his cute student's pretty little tush and fastened the first strip around her tailbase. Melanie lowered herself onto the soft, clean, crinkly new diaper and Mr. Van fastened her up.

He gave her a soft, respectful pat on her paw. "There we go. All done."

Melanie pushed herself up into a sitting position. She could hear her new diaper crinkle, and feel the cushy, welcoming padding around her private places. Darn it, why'd it have to feel so nice?

"Melanie?"

She looked up. "Huh?"

He looked back, and his eyes held an almost astonishing love in them. "Sweetheart, you don't have to be embarrassed. I didn't mind doing this for you. In fact, I'm glad that I was able to offer my help. I like you very much, Melanie. I know we've only known each other a few days now, but already you've shown yourself to be a smart, resourceful, kindhearted and, above all, _courageous_ young girl."

She gave him a warm smile, barely able to believe he was saying such nice things to her. Before she could stop herself, she threw herself forward and hugged him.

Mr. VanKressler caught the little vixen in his arms, and let her rest her head upon his chest. He embraced her hesitantly, then relaxed. She did not flinch from his touch. In fact, she seemed to derive strength from it. It occurred to him that probably no one else besides her father had ever been so comfortable around her before. He imagined that nearly everyone she came into contact with saw only a wheelchair, instead of the furson seated within it.

The wolf patted her softly on the back of her head. "You don't ever have to be afraid to ask me for help, Melanie. I know you're strong enough to do most things for yourself, and I admire that. But sometimes all of us need someone else's paw to take hold of. I promised you I'd make sure you were comfortable here, at this school, in my class. I mean to keep that promise any way I can."

She sniffed back a tear. "You're the best teacher I've ever had, Mr. Van..."

Nothing else she could have said could have possibly warmed his heart more.

He helped her get her skirt back on, and she impressed him by getting down off his desk into her wheelchair all by herself. She thanked him long and sincerely for being there for her. And just before she rolled out through the door again, she glanced back to give him a sparkling smile.

Mr. VanKressler felt as if his heart were lighter than air and heavier than lead; both at the same time. As much as helping her had made him feel good inside, he still felt shaken by those evil things he'd thought about her.

No, he wasn't going to let that get to him. He was a strong-hearted, moral furson. He loved all his children, but never in any way that would hurt them. _Never_. If he even suspected himself of coming close to acting on an unsavory urge like that, he'd quit his job in a heartbeat and seek immediate psychiatric help.

The tall wolf put away the tarp, repositioned the things on his desk, and went off to the bathroom to dispose of Melanie's diaper.

The scent of it wasn't at all unpleasant now. Raw, ancestral instincts inside him perked up at the heavy scent.

Just before he tossed it in the trash can, he lifted the dirty diaper to his nose, and inhaled.

A few minutes later, he'd forgotten he'd even done such a thing.


~~~~~

*Chapter Six*


Later that afternoon, after the bell had rung and all his students had left for the day, Mr. VanKressler sat at his desk, grading math worksheets, when Tucker's mother burst into the classroom.

She was a small, skinny woman. Lighter fur than her son, not seeming very imposing at first. But her eyes were full of righteous fire. "It is true that some little hoodlum punched my son in the stomach, and you punished him by having him write a single sentence on the blackboard?!" she exploded.

Mr. Van looked up slowly. He seriously was not in the mood for this right now. "Mrs. Denn. Please have a seat," he said as politely as he could will himself to.

She was furious, but not so furious as to be unwilling to settle this civilly. "Tucker told me there was a rumor going around school that that's what you did. If it's not true, tell me. But if it is, you had better have one hell of an explanation for such ridiculous behavior."

Her anger was fierce enough to heat the air around her. Yet at the same time, she didn't seem like she was about to go nuts and start screaming her head off and threatening to sue everything she laid eyes on. It at least meant he had a chance at reaching her. And he decided the best thing to do would be to give it to her straight.

"Mrs. Denn, you are aware that your son has had some disciplinary problems of his own in the past, correct?"

She snorted, clutching her purse in her paws as if she were about to rip it in half. "What's that have to do with you giving some thug who beat him up a free pass?"

He took a deep breath. "Simply put, before the other boy punched him, your son was repeatedly calling a young girl in a wheelchair a 'freakshow'."

You could almost hear the anger drain straight out of her face.

It was replaced by an expression of flat, sick shock. "He what...?"

"We have a new student here. A young fox who's confined to a wheelchair. A dozen other children confirmed that Tucker was taunting her, calling her a 'freakshow', trying to pick a fight with her. The other boy stepped in, and ended it. Under the circumst-"

She held up her paw. "Stop. Just stop." She closed her eyes, and sagged back in her seat like a deflating balloon.

Mr. VanKressler watched an incredible transformation take place. When she'd shoved her way into his classroom, this woman had contained an almost impossible amount of pure, undiluted fury. And now, she seemed to shrink, to grow smaller and weaker, until she sat there before him like a dried, useless husk.

"I had hoped, just once, that maybe it wasn't his fault this time," she said, trying with all her might to keep her words from becoming sobs. "I don't know what to do with him anymore..."

The sight of anyone so close to tears brought out Mr. VanKressler's deep, instinctual need to comfort. He came around from behind his desk and put a steadying hand on Mrs. Denn's shoulder.

She didn't seem to notice. "I've tried everything I can think of. He doesn't listen to me. He just idolizes his father. His cruel, heartless, bastard of a father..."

The woman's eyes were hollow. She looked a single breath away from hopelessness.

Mr. VanKressler sighed. He walked back around to his desk and rustled about in a drawer for a second. He came back around and handed Mrs. Denn a business card. "This place might be able to help. It's not a mental hospital; it's just a place where kids who have problems can go. They're good at what they do there. I trust them. No drugs, no 'medication', nothing like that. I don't believe that medication, by itself, is the answer to all childhood problems. Occasionally, talking with kids can actually do some good too."

The quaking labrador took the card in her paw and scanned the address. It wasn't too far away actually.

"They're not-for-profit. State funded. Might set you back a little, but it shouldn't bankrupt you either. And the results, hopefully, will be worth it. I had another kid like Tucker in my class a few years back. He stayed there for three weeks and when he came back he must have apologized to half the school in a single day. He was a great kid to have in class after that."

Mrs. Denn looked up to the tall wolf and nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. This is my job."

She smiled slightly. "You do it better than most then. I'm sorry I barged in like that."

"Don't worry. I was just checking math problems. I enjoyed the diversion."

She managed a short laugh as she stood up. "I'll call this place. I promise."

He gave her a firm, encouraging smile. "I'm glad to hear it. And... if I'm not being rude by mentioning this, they also have some programs you might find beneficial. For spousal-type problems..."

She bit her lip. She looked down at her feet for a second, and then back up at her son's teacher. "I might look into that, yes," she said quietly.

"They do good work," he said again. "I trust them."

She nodded. "Good afternoon then, Mr. VanKressler."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Denn."

She walked to the door, opened it, and stopped. She looked back over her shoulder and opened her mouth as if to say something more. Abruptly, she turned away and hurried out the door and down the hall.

Wearily, Mr. VanKressler sat back down at his desk. He stared at the worksheets for a minute and a half before realizing none of the words or numbers made sense to him anymore.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of exhaustion.

He hoped, prayed, wished that Mrs. Denn would soon be calling him to ask if Tucker could take a few weeks off from school. If all this could be stopped before it got even worse...

He doubted there could be any job on earth more emotionally draining than being a grade school teacher.

"I need some coffee..." he said to no one in particular, and got up to hunt some.


~~~~~

*Chapter Seven*


A day later at recess, Melanie was scooting along, talking with Sasha and Abigail, when something small hit her directly behind her right ear. Snarling in sudden anger, determined not to put up with stuff like this anymore, she wrenched her wheels around in a lightning quick 180 to see who was there.

To her utter surprise, Aaron was standing a few feet away. He looked extremely nervous (nothing at all like the bravado of last week), but not hostile in any way.

Melanie reached up to retrieve the object he'd shot at her. Her fingers soon came across something crinkly in her hair and mere touch registered it as the end of a straw wrapper. She brought it around to look at, and when her head came back up, Aaron was running away. Down the blacktop towards the grassy athletic field that nudged up against the school's west side.

Running, but not so fast that she wouldn't know he wanted her to follow.

"...so then I find him in the livingroom with peanut butter ALL over his..." Sasha cut off her latest story about her spazzy little brother's latest humorous adventure when she noticed Melanie wasn't following her anymore. "Mel?"

The vixen's eyes showed a wealth of urgent, confused curiosity. "Hm? Oh, um... I'm sorry, but I think someone wants to give me a message. We can talk more during free period, right?" (Mr. VanKressler always gave his students thirty minutes of free time after a test. After all that anxiety, he thought they deserved a break.)

"A message?" Abigail asked. The weasel's tail curled up into an unintentional impression of a question mark.

"He shot me with a straw wrapper, so it must be important," Melanie said with a sheepish grin.

"*He*...?" Sasha purred, getting goo-goo eyes. "You got a boyfriend _already_?"

Melanie blushed. "No! Geez! Um, well, I'm sure he just wants to ask me about homework or something. OkayI'llseeyoulaterbye!" And with that she motored off as quick as possible, hearing Sasha and Abigail tittering behind her. She giggled a little herself. After so many years of bad teasing from schoolmates, she was surprised to discover how much fun *good* teasing could feel...

*****

Melanie's ears perked up as she came around the corner of the gymnasium and looked around the field for any sign of Aaron. Several boys were off playing Murder The Man With The Ball in one corner of the fenced-in yard, but the brown bunny wasn't among them.

Still, being a canine had its advantages. She closed her eyes and took in a deep, deep sniff.

There.

Just like that, she had a decent enough 'radar picture' of where he was hiding. There was a long line of thick bushes around the edge of the school, and near a place where the brick wall jutted out, there was a perfectly kid-sized divot.

Her motor hummed as she bumped across the uneven grass towards it.

"You know I can't fit my chair in there," she called out.

Two bunny ears popped up, followed by their owner. "Oh. Yeah. Well, a lot of my friends and me use this spot to trade cards and stuff, so..." He winced. She could practically read his mind: 'I'm so STUPID!!'

Melanie giggled. "Well, I found you. Didja just wanna play hide and seek or what?"

Aaron looked even more bashful now. "No. Actually, I wanted to talk with you a little, if that's okay."

"We're talking now," she said.

"I, uh... kinda meant somewhere more privateish."

Intrigued, Melanie arched an eyebrow. It was all clear now; Aaron really *was* crushing on her! The little fox was so flattered she couldn't believe it. She'd _never_ thought a boy could feel this way about her!

'Well, there was Mr Van...' an odd little voice popped up in her head.

'That's not the same thing!' she shot back angrily.

"There's a spot over by the bike rack that's far enough away," Aaron suggested.

Melanie nodded. Aaron started off, and she followed.

*****

The bike rack had been close to overflowing at the very start of the school year, but as the temperatures began to grow inevitably chillier, fewer students were riding two wheels to school. By December, only the most die-hard of the die-hards would be left.

Nearby was a perfect little secluded place, bordered on three sides by a dip in the building's wall and, interestingly enough, the front entrance's concrete wheelchair ramp.

Aaron went over to the railing beside the ramp and hopped up, balancing nimbly.

Melanie wheeled forward. "You think I'm cute as hell," she said abruptly, and grinned when the bunny boy damn near fell over backwards.

Catching himself just in time, Aaron gave her a shaky little smile. "Heh heh. Um, yeah..." He calmed himself, then said. "I really do, you know."

Her chair hummed as she skillfully backed up and positioned herself right beside him. They were both avoiding each other's direct gaze, only peeping out to see if the other one was looking. They both wore bashful smiles. "Is that what this is all about?" she asked, as if she didn't already know.

"Uh huh. Melanie, I thought you were pretty the first time I saw you come through the door. I thought it was _totally_ badass how brave you were when you made that speech in front of everybody. I felt awful when you showed off your legs, and when you told about your mom dying. And I felt even worse when that assclown Tucker started calling you names."

Melanie could feel her heart beating. She had never been in a situation like this before. With a real, live boy! She had no idea what to do or what to say, but still, she felt *exhilarated*!

Aaron kicked his wide feet back and forth and looked down at the grass. "Then I said that thing about you being cute, and I felt all suave at the time, but afterwards I just wanted to die, y'know? I was worried you'd think I was a jerk or something."

"Why would I think that?" Melanie asked, not understanding at all.

"Well, 'cuz maybe you'd think I was just butting in. Maybe you'd be pissed I didn't let you handle it by yourself."

"Are you kidding!?" Melanie yelped. "Tucker scared me so bad I almost peed myself! I mean, _really_! I was worried he was gonna hit me! Or that I'd hit him first and get in trouble. You *saved* me! Why'd you think I'd be angry over that!?"

Poor Aaron was looking mighty foolish. "Well... uh... I dunno. I've, um, heard that some handicapped people don't like people doin' stuff for 'em, and I didn't know if you were like that or not."

Melanie sighed, then smiled. "You've never met anyone like me before and you're worried you're gonna do something to offend me," she realized.

Aaron nodded, relieved. "Exactly!"

"I'm not made of glass, you know..." she said softly.

"I know, I know. I just... I wanna be nice and polite and all, but I don't know what'll be going too far in either direction."

She looked up. "You could try just asking me."

He slipped down off his perch and moved a little closer to her. "I should've, huh? I'm sorry, Melanie. I really wanted to, but I got scared like a doof and hoped you'd say something first."

"And I was waiting for *you* to say something first!" she said.

They both chuckled. "'What we have here, is a failure to communicate,'" Aaron recited, having heard it in some old movie on TV he'd watched when nothing else was on.

"Really, Aaron, I'm not gonna get mad at you if you're just trying to be nice. I'm not like some of the super-ultra-offended people you see on TV sometimes. I had to go to the hospital once for my kidneys, and the girl in the next bed was like that. Always crying and yelling! She thought everything anyone ever said to her was an insult! I felt sorry for her actually, but still, I didn't talk to her much."

"I'm sorry I ever thought you'd be anything like that," he admitted.

She nodded, understanding. "It's okay. I'm really not used to people being nice to me at all. So I guess we're both new to it." He gave a solemn little laugh. "I promise, even if you do say something dumb, I won't get mad. I'll just tell you, and then you'll know better next time. I'll be your teacher. I'll teach you everything I know about what it's like to be in a wheelchair."

"Yeah, okay!" he said. "I really am interested. Not to sound weird or anything, but I think your chair looks really cool."

Melanie wiggled in her seat a little, smiling cutely. "Really?"

"Yup." He reached out and caressed a tire. "You said you had a racing model, right? I'd _love_ to see that! I just think it's neat that you've got this nifty little car-thing that helps you get around. I've always been interested in cars and technology and machines," he explained.

Melanie was starting to get it. From a mechanical perspective, her chair was indeed quite fascinating. She often tried to imagine all the people who'd designed it. All of them measuring and crafting every single little part, to not only get her where she needed to go, but to make sure she was comfortable during the ride. "Thanks. I like my chair too. Sometimes I think of it as my own personal low-speed go-kart."

Aaron laughed out loud. "Yeah, exactly! Heck, I kinda want one."

His eyes got big, realizing he'd said that last part out loud.

"Not that I- I mean- Your legs- I'm sorry!" he babbled.

Melanie, to his surprise, just giggled. "This is just like we were talking about! I know you didn't mean you wanna be stuck in a chair like me." She swatted his shoulder playfully. "Hey, I got an idea; why don't you save up for one of those Segway things? Then we can ride down the hallway together!"

The two cubs laughed heartily. Aaron could perfectly picture that in his head and thought it was brain-smashingly cute. "Too bad they cost, like, thousands of dollars."

"Well, all you gotta do is have some stupid doctor screw you up for the rest of your life and then you can sue them for all the money you want!"

Aaron guffawed, seriously impressed that she could even joke about something like that.

Melanie was just as surprised herself. Where was all this coming from? Normally she was the shyest little vixen on the planet. What had sparked this sudden boldness?

But she knew what. It was the joy and relief that came from being at such a wonderful new school, having such a wonderful new teacher, meeting such wonderful new friends, and now, laughing with this wonderful new boy.

*****

They joked and talked for several more minutes until the end of recess bell rudely interrupted them.

Aaron had been sitting in the grass, gazing up into Melanie's gorgeous halo of hair. He hopped to his feet in a bunnylike way and gave Melanie a smile that perfectly conveyed his gratitude for helping him overcome his worries about her. "Guess I'll see you in class," he said.

"Uh huh," Melanie replied dreamily.

As he started to walk away, she watched his little cottonball tail bobbing back and forth with every step, and suddenly a wild urge came over her.

Grabbing her rims, she wheeled herself just as fast as she could up to him, grabbed his arm and yanked him down to her level. Then she kissed him on the cheek before he had time to protest.

As Aaron stood there in a daze, feeling like little red cartoon hearts were shooting out of him, he watched Melanie scoot off, giggling like a madwoman.

He ended up being late to class. He couldn't have cared less.


~~~~~

*Chapter Eight*


Mr. VanKressler was up at the chalkboard, drawing out mathematical formulae at a furious pace and talking up a storm. Melanie watched him intently. One of the wolf's great gifts as a teacher was a keen grasp of mathematics, and also of knowing perfectly well what most kids thought about that particular subject. He'd seen the statewide standardized test scores and was disgusted by them. He knew his kids could do better. He did everything possible to help them understand. He showed things from different angles, made drawings, utilized metaphors, anything and everything he could think of. He knew a large part of the problem came from other teachers who were simply too damned rigid in their methods. His philosophy was, if a student got a right answer, it didn't matter *how* they'd gotten it (short of cheating, of course). Brandon the porcupine was a perfect example. A classic math-phobic; he actually wasn't bad at it, he just had no idea how his brain came up with the answers. After school once, Mr. Van had asked him to do a few problems and describe what was going on in his head as he did. He discovered the boy had been using a bizarrely contorted form of addition and subtraction in place of multiplication and division. It was cumbersome, but used such a surprising variety of almost-instinctual tricks to streamline the process, it was no wonder the boy didn't fully see it all happening. Mr. Van assured Brandon he was doing fine and he could keep on doing his homework any way his brain decided. This came as a great relief to the little porcupine.

But today was the last Friday of October. (Where had all the time gone? Melanie wondered. Next week was Halloween!). That meant, in just a few minutes, Mr. Van would be passing out the last math test of the month. And as he'd told them all about a billion times by now, if enough of them passed, and if a certain number of 'A's were handed back, then on Monday they would have a pizza party to end all pizza parties.

Melanie was surprised by her teacher's tenacity. He seemed more eager for them to win the prize than they did. She understood though, having come to know him so well by now. They'd spent a lot of time together already and he'd told her a lot about how much he wanted them all to learn and do well. Mr. VanKressler truly believed that his profession was one of the most honorable on Earth, and he took great pride in fulfilling his duty to the kids he taught. He said it sometimes felt like they were all his children and he was their father. And any parent yearns to see their children grow up strong and smart.

In fact, they had talked about this just the other day when she'd had to stay during lunchtime again with a wet diaper. No poop this time, thankfully. Though this marked the fourth time she'd asked for his help.

It had happened in class almost half an hour before the lunch bell. Through trial and error, she knew the brand of diapers Daddy bought her did an amazing job of keeping odors contained. She was nervous, yes, but not _really_ worried anymore that someone would notice. No one had, of course. And when everyone else left, it was out with the tarp and up on the desk once more.

Though neither of them had ever said anything, Melanie knew now that what she'd seen in her teacher's eyes that first time had been real. He composed himself better each successive changing, though. They chatted amiably about schoolwork and personal trivia. But she could clearly see his mind was elsewhere. It *excited* him to change her diapers!

In the days since, Melanie's conscience had made repeated attempts to convince her that this was a bad thing, that her teacher was a dirty furvert and she should be afraid of him. But those warnings were always dismissed because she knew that was just the grownups' rules talking. It wasn't what she truly felt in her heart.

What Melanie truly felt was that she loved his attention. Even if he was thinking yiffy things about her, she'd never seen so much as an atom of malice in his eyes. They were warm with love, compassion and gentleness. He had never said or done anything inappropriate. He was always respectful of her. He _loved_ her. It was obvious. And Melanie couldn't keep herself from wanting to feel him loving her again and again.

In fact, the day before, she hadn't really had an accident at all.

Sure, she hadn't *forced* herself to use her diaper or anything. But when the urge came, she took inventory of how her dodgy old sphincter muscles were feeling that day and found them hovering somewhere around half power. Having to pee was like rolling dice. Sometimes she was strong enough to hold it in; sometimes she wasn't. Simple as that.  With the situation half-and-half like this, she could try to fight the urge back, but that sometimes backfired and she'd shoot out even more when the dam finally broke (so to speak).

It was so much easier to just relax and let the warm liquid flow, knowing that her nice teacher would be there to take care of her afterwards.

And really, if she was to be honest with herself, wetting did feel nice. Even if it sometimes made her cry with how helpless it made her feel, the only bad feelings came from the emotional associations. The physical sensations were pleasant. She liked how her fur felt when it was warm with wetness. She liked how gently her diaper cradled her bottom, how snuggly it felt and how snugly it fit.

Sometimes it was fun to just kinda drift off and let it happen...

Like right now...

Melanie snapped to attention, her cheeks growing red hot, as she realized she was, right this second, peeing herself in the middle of class!

'Oh gosh DARN it!!' she thought.

'Calm down, calm down,' she told herself soothingly. 'No one will notice. They didn't yesterday, so they won't today. Just wait a bit and ask Mr. Van for a change.'

She glanced up at the clock. Problem.

Lunch was already over and it'd be several hours till the end of the day. Plus, Mr. Van was just about to start handing out the math tests. She couldn't possibly hold it in till three. Not only would the smell probably start leaking out by then, but she knew the pee got cold and uncomfortable the longer she waited before a change.

Poor Melanie. This was a quandary indeed.

Mr. VanKressler got up after delivering some last minute encouragements and began handing out the tests. "Remember; no one is to speak, look at anyone else, or even hiccup funny until everyone's finished. You're all smart enough to pass this. Cheating may be easy, but it's something only cowards do. You're all better than that. I have faith in you all."

Many students gave him happy 'I'll do my best' smiles as he handed them their tests. Aside from Tucker (who had not spoken another word to Melanie all this time, but still occasionally gave her dirty looks), all his students appreciated the extra effort he put into preparing their hearts as well as minds. He made them feel that, even if they had doubts, they *could* do their best. That each test wasn't just some academic annoyance, but a chance to make him proud of them (and, of course, to get pizza).

Mr. VanKressler put Melanie's sheet face-down on her desk and, mistaking the worry on her face for math anxiety, gave her an encouraging smile and nod.

She returned them, thinking, 'It's not what you think it is...'

Pee problems aside, Melanie was able to let go of at least some of her worry when she turned the test over and finally got a look at it. Some of her past teachers had given the kids a whole mess of questions and expected them to solve them all in an impossible amount of time. Mr. Van was, as expected, much too cool for that. He never went easy on his students (as he believed that lowering his standards could only hurt them in the long run), but neither did he believe in assigning pointless work. His tests were short. Usually around a dozen questions or so. But he was very clever in constructing problems that would determine whether his students knew the material or not. They didn't have to prove it over and over again for him to be satisfied. Unsurprisingly, Mr. VanKressler held rote memorization in the highest possible contempt.

It seemed to him that most of his fellow faculty had forgotten that tests ought to be looked upon as a measure of the *teacher's* success or failure as much, or more, than the students'.

To Melanie's relief, she didn't see anything here that scared her too much. She was an attentive student and Mr. Van was good at helping them understand the tricky parts. As her pee settled into the diaper's absorbent padding, Melanie began to work. She'd figure out what to do about it after she was done.

*****

Melanie wasn't the first to finish (that was Eliot; a pure-blooded numbers whiz), though she wasn't the last by a long shot. Mr. Van wasn't draconian about making them sit in absolute stillness until everyone was done. So long as their paper was turned over and he could see their pencils were put away, he allowed them to silently amuse themselves. Hence, Wendy was lost in a book, Sherwood was looking through some game cards, and Beverly appeared to be napping again. (Melanie had wondered if this was due to her being a bat, or if her friend was just a naturally sleepy furson. She hadn't asked though, thinking it might be rude.)

Melanie glanced around a bit to see how everyone else was doing. Mark looked just about ready to explode from nervousness. Gwendolyn was scrawling away viciously; her nosepad a centimeter from her paper. Tucker wasn't doing anything, but she guessed he'd given up, rather than finished so quickly. Aaron was still gamely struggling, but looked confident nonetheless. She smiled. Ever since their chat at recess, they'd been helping each other in their weak subjects. Aaron was a fantastic reader, but his brain was built almost solely for words instead of numbers. She'd done her best to fill in the stuff Mr. VanKressler hadn't quite driven all the way home for him. He, in turn, had been helping her with biology and other sciences. She was naturally gifted at mechanical things, and had often helped Daddy fix her chair (and sometimes even the car!), but her body was different from an engine, and she could not for the life of her remember all the parts to the digestive system.

Speaking of the digestive system, she was pretty sure one of those parts was the bladder. It had been about twenty minutes since she'd peed herself. She didn't know about the rest of her classmates, but her own sharp vixen nose could clearly smell it. 

She waited a little more. Only a few more students were still working. No, wait; now Brandon was done too. Only three left! That'd only be, what, ten more minutes? She thought she could hold on at least that long. Her half-hour record yesterday meant nothing to her now. Tests cause nervousness and Melanie _was_ nervous.

Finally, with a battle-weary sigh of triumph, Mark turned his paper over and grinned at no one in particular, looking like he'd just sacked an empire.

"Is that everyone?" Mr. VanKressler asked. "Yes? Excellent! Alright everyone, pass your papers to the front!"

Melanie's paw shot behind her to grab Sasha's test. She added it to hers, then practically flung them at Eliot. Her paw was up in the air in a nanosecond.

Mr. Van noticed. "Melanie?"

She opened her mouth, and then her mind went blank. What was she supposed to say, with the whole class listening?

She froze in fear for a split-second, then felt something stir in her heart. A crazy blast of confidence surged through her. They all already knew about her incontinence. What was there to be afraid of? With one lone exception, all her classmates tolerated her, and she'd made plenty of friends already. Why be embarrassed about a secret that wasn't really a secret?

Boldly, she said, "I peed in my diaper. May I go to the bathroom to change?"

Mr. VanKressler blinked, surprised by her candor. "Of course!"

She nodded and began wheeling herself out from behind her desk and down the aisle. She was smiling and her brain felt buzzy. 'I can't believe I just said that!!' she shouted in her mind.

But why not? It was the truth, wasn't it? It was something she honestly couldn't control, and therefore, there was nothing to be ashamed of, right?

'Yeah! Let 'em laugh!' Melanie thought with confidence. 'I'm _tired_ of feeling bad about myself!'

Not even bothering to look at the faces of her fellow classmates, Melanie scooted out of the room with her head held high.

*****

"Hey, wait up!"

Melanie arced her head over her shoulder. She was halfway to the bathroom, her motor humming happily down the empty hall.

Sasha had just exited the classroom and was running clumsily to catch up with her.

"What do you want?" Melanie asked warily.

The little green lizard grinned. "I told Mr. Van I hadda pee too. I do, but also I wanted to tell you how cool that was!"

"What, admitting I wet myself!?"

"Yeah! I mean, that took balls!"

"I don't have balls," Melanie pointed out.

"Yeah, well... Ovaries then?"

Both of them cracked up.

Sasha walked behind Melanie, giving her a push (to save batteries, of course), and together they entered the bathroom.

*****

Like most other girls' school bathrooms, everything was all done up in pink tile. Sasha said it looked gagifying. (She and Melanie had snuck into the boys' room once for approximately two seconds, then sped off, squealing with laughter. Later on they both agreed that the blue color scheme looked a lot better. "Just because we're girls doesn't mean we automatically like pink everything," was Sasha's assessment.)

Melanie expected her scaly friend to slip into one of the stalls right away, but instead she just stood there. She gave her a quizzical look.

"Well," Sasha said nervously. "How do you usually do it?"

"Do *what*?"

"Change your diaper," she said.

Melanie sat up straight in surprise. "You wanna _watch_ me!?"

Sasha couldn't actually blush, but she could look like she wanted to. "No, I just saw you leaving and thought, I dunno, that you might need some help. I remember you saying you don't like having to do it by yourself."

Melanie was astounded. "You... You'd actually help me out with that? Wow! Sasha, I can't believe it! I mean, aren't you grossed out? It's a diaper!"

The little lizard just smiled. "No problem. Mom useta make me change my brother all the time when he was little. At least with you I know you won't try to kick and bite me!"

Melanie laughed. "Wow..." she said again. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. I wouldn't be that good of a friend if I wasn't willing to help you out with stuff like this from time to time, huh?"

The little vixen was floored. She knew Sasha was one of the best friends she'd ever had, but one of the things she liked most about her was how Sasha could seem to be off in a goofy daydream some of the time, and then just suddenly do something genuinely honorable like this out of the blue. Her lizard friend's mind might run on different tracks sometimes, but her heart was most definitely in the right place.

"Soooo... How do you usually do it?" Sasha repeated.

Melanie looked all around; knowing they were alone but checking anyway. "Well, it's kinda hard to in a place where I can't lie down on anything, but what I usually do is go over to the handicapped stall, lift myself out of my chair and slide my skirt off, sort of balance on the toilet while I undo the diaper, wipe myself down, then wriggle a fresh one on me."

"Geez, that sounds like so much work!"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I tried pullups once, but they leak too much. I'm used to the routine by now, but sometimes when I think about boys just walkin' up to urinals and letting fly, I wanna *strangle* them!"

Sasha laughed so hard she had to clamp her mouth shut with one hand and brace herself against the wall with the other. The little vixen liked knowing she could make her friend laugh so much.

"What do you do with the diaper afterwards?" Sasha asked.

"I take it home and mount it on the wall." Melanie replied.

Sasha keeled over again, laughing so hard she wasn't actually making any sound. Her shoulders were humping up and down like a jackhammer.

"Actually I just toss it in the trash. Who's gonna notice?"

"Okay then," Sasha said, getting control of herself. "Let's see if we can make it easier for you."

Melanie nodded. "I really do appreciate this." She scooted over to the largest stall's door and held it open. The two girls entered.

"You're welcome," Sasha said again. "Consider it me repaying you for those awesome giggles."

Melanie rolled her chair as close as she could get to the toilet. She'd done this dozens of times before, but there was still that skin-crawling fear of accidentally _falling in_. Oh yuck! That, and she was a bit nervous about letting Sasha see her undressed. But that was really just basic, groundless worry. She knew her friend wouldn't do anything to betray her trust.

"Need any help?" Sasha asked as Melanie started hefting herself up from the chair.

"Actually yeah; if you could hold my waist and steady me, that'd be great."

Sasha complied in a flash. With her help, Melanie took hold of the railing and the toilet tank and gave herself a mighty heave. Sasha did her part perfectly. As smooth a transition from seat to seat as ever she'd attempted. "Perfect! Thanks!"

Sasha cocked her head quizzically. "I just thought of something. If you do a poop, how can you wipe when you're sitting down?"

"I can't! If I ever do a number two, I *have* to find someplace to lie down. Otherwise there's no way I can reach. It's led to some really sucky experiences in public restrooms..."

"I'll bet," Sasha said sympathetically.

Melanie pulled down her skirt and wiggled it over the diaper on both sides. Slipping it down her legs, she handed the garment to Sasha, who hung it on the hook on the door. "I dare you to try it sometime. Try sitting on the toilet and wiping without using your leg muscles. Even if you manage to do it, imagine it with a diaper in the way!"

"I *can't* imagine it," Sasha admitted. With the skirt off, the young lizard could not resist staring a little at Melanie's nearly-useless legs. "Can you... feel them at all?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, actually. My Dad tickles my feet every chance he gets. The specialist I go to says I'm lucky, that a lot of other wheelchair kids can't feel anything down there. But he's not the one who has to put up with the damn things falling asleep all the time!"

Sasha nodded. To be honest, her friend's condition fascinated her. Not in any kind of sideshow sense, but in terms of wondering how a furson's body could come out looking like this. It was the mechanics of it that interested her. That, and how she was always impressed over and over again at hearing Melanie's tales of cleverly solving the simple, everyday problems her disability constantly threw at her.

Melanie undid the tabs of her diaper. "Okay, now when I push myself up, can you get the diaper for me?"

Sasha saluted. "No prob." She bent over like a baseball catcher anticipating a pitch.

Melanie took a moment to compose herself. Toilet seats were slippery. Balancing on them with two paws was risky, doing it with only one, even for just a couple seconds, was as terrifying as performing a circus trapeze act. She checked one more time to make sure the diaper was free of her tailbase. Then she braced her right foot on the cold tile and hoped it'd have enough strength to keep her up for the slim moment she needed.

Gripping the seat like a vise, she husked under her breath, "One... Two... Three!" With a grunt she levitated herself a few inches up.

Like a flash of lightning, Sasha had the diaper out from under her before Melanie even realized it.

The little vixen came down with a *plonk* and stared at the diaper Sasha was holding. "That was _amazingly_ fast!"

Sasha grinned. "Uncooperative little brother, remember? You ever been kicked in the nostril by a clawed, scaly foot? You _learn_ to get fast after that!"

Melanie cracked up. "I'm glad I don't have any brothers and sisters then. Changing myself is enough of a pain in the tail." She glanced down at her nether regions, saw the yellow tint had covered a large area by now, and gestured for Sasha to give her some privacy while she cleaned up.

Sasha nodded. "I told you I had to pee anyway," she said, and whisked into the stall next door. Then, just as suddenly, she popped back in. "Oops. Almost forgot." She picked up the used diaper by the tips of two claws and exited with it. Melanie heard a 'thunk' as Sasha chucked it in the wastebasket, then went back to the neighboring stall to pee. The lizardgirl started to hum a tune as she sat down.

'Now, getting to the task at hand...' Melanie thought. Reaching the bag on the back of her chair was much, much easier when she wasn't sitting in it. She turned her set of wheels around and got out her cleaning supplies. Fresh diaper. Moist wipes. Small tube of prescription cream that eliminated odors and germs. Daddy had started buying it for her after she decided she was sick of diaper rash now and forever.

While Sasha's humming resonated pleasantly in the acoustics of the tiled room, Melanie made herself nice and clean. She shivered when she touched her vulva with the moist wipe. She noticed, not for the first time, that Mr. Van's gentle attention to her when he changed her diapers was making her feel more and more positive about the experience. She'd long gotten used to the necessity of wearing them, so she'd been neutral about the actual diapers themselves for a long time. All that remained were the fears and shame that the children at her other school had attached to them. Acknowledging that a diaper change felt nice not only made Melanie feel better about herself, but it was like spiting all the bullies in her past. It was a satisfying little 'Screw you!' to decide to enjoy something they'd so vocally hated her for.

"Need any more help?" Sasha asked.

"Nope, almost done!" Melanie answered. Getting the clean diaper on was always much easier, since she didn't have to worry about it slipping and that old, cold pee sliding down her leg. _Not_ a pleasant sensation. She wriggled the new plastic under her bottom, did up the tail tape, then fastened the sides. Much better! She gave the comfy, crinkly plastic a pat.

She'd done it so often, she didn't even have to think about getting back in her chair. She pulled her way along the stall by the convenient railings, then rolled over to the sink to wash her paws. Most bathroom sinks are not designed with wheelchairs in mind, so learning to use them had been another of Melanie's little adventures early in cubhood. It was also strange only being able to see your eyes, hair and ears in any given mirror.

A flush. Sasha emerged from her stall looking refreshed. She sauntered over to the sinks as well. "Mission accomplished?" she asked.

"Yup," Melanie smiled.

Sasha started the water running and had just started washing her hands when she glanced at her friend and suddenly bust into a full-blown giggle fit.

Melanie was puzzled. "What now?"

Fighting through laughter, Sasha managed to say, "A-are you s-s-sure you're finished?"

"Well yeah. Of course I-" As soon as Melanie glanced down at her lap, she went silent. She blushed fire-hydrant red. While Sasha tried to keep from falling on the floor, Melanie wheeled as fast as possible back into the stall.

Behind the door, her skirt was still dangling merrily on its hook.

Embarrassed beyond belief, but nonetheless giggling, Melanie pulled it back on. Her cheeks felt like two little stove burners.

"See, that proves how good a friend I am," Sasha said from across the room.

Melanie backed out of the stall again. "What? How?"

The lizard's grin was pure devilish mirth. "If I'd wanted to, I could have waited until we were back in class to mention that."

Melanie narrowed her eyes in playful hatred. "There's plenty more diapers in my bag I can pelt you with, you know."

Moments later, two girls emerged from the bathroom, weaving and stumbling from laughter so much an outside observer might think they were drunk.

Mr. Vankressler had a heckuva time keeping those two quiet the rest of the day...


~~~~~

*Chapter Nine*


It was weird having all the lights on in the middle of the afternoon. But it was raining so hard the sky was nearly as dark as Mr. Van's fur.

It was Sunday, one week til Halloween. Melanie was seated in Daddy's leather office chair in front of the family computer, Googling pictures of costumes. She'd never done anything special for Halloween before. At least, not like other kids did. She didn't dress up or go trick-or-treating. It was bad enough being stared at without adding a costume. Daddy bought extra candy and they stayed at home watching spooky movies, and that was fine.

But this year, Melanie had decided to be bold. She was tired of watching other kids have all the fun. She wanted to dress up this year. She wanted to trick-or-treat. But more than that, she wanted to show 'em all. She wanted a costume that actually incorporated her wheelchair. Not to hide it, but to acknowledge it. 'My chair doesn't define me, but it is a part of me, and I accept that,' Melanie recited in her head. It was something her specialist had said once. Offhand, actually. But it stuck in Melanie's mind and she felt a little shiver of happiness whenever she said it to herself.

"Goin' out, sweets," Daddy said as he came up behind her. He tousled her hair and gave her a kiss between the ears.

She giggled and swivelled around (she liked the office chair because it could spin even better than her wheelchair). "But it's *pouring* out there!" she said. And it was. The rain was coming down so hard it sounded like pencils tapping the window and rocks hitting the roof. She'd been hearing thunder far off too. "Where are you going?"

"Just to the drugstore," he said. "Lightbulb burnt out in the kitchen. I checked and we're all out of hundred-watters. I'll be back in a bit. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

When people first met Melanie's father, they tended to assume he was a surfer. He just had that look. His hair was a lighter blond than his daughter's, and messy like a tumbleweed. He looked athletic and sunbaked. Like he spent most of his time outdoors. Actually, when they'd moved here he'd gotten a job at the auto assembly plant. Before that he'd worked in home repairs and contracting. He was good at building and fixing big things. (Interestingly, Melanie had absorbed some of his talents, but was better with small things. If the car broke down, Daddy made it work again. If the TV remote died, Daddy gave it to Melanie.) Daddy's real name was Randall, but he'd somehow acquired the nickname Rex at work. He wasn't fond of it, since he thought Rex Hartwood sounded like a doctor on a soap opera.

Melanie 'hmm'ed and thought about things she might need from the store. "I'm pretty sure I'm out of strawberry soda."

Daddy wrinkled his nose. "Geez! Do you *have* to keep making me buy you that stuff?" he complained teasingly.

She giggled. She loved it but Daddy said the smell was like nails on a chalkboard to him. "You don't have to, I guess."

He ruffled her hair again. He always enjoyed playing with it. "Nah. You've been a quiet little vix all afternoon. That deserves some soda." He snatched his keys off the coffee table and headed for the door.

"Don't get too wet!" she called out.

He opened the door and the rain got doubly louder. "I won't!"

The door shut and the house was quiet again. Really quiet.

'Being alone makes a house seem much quieter,' Melanie thought.

She heard the van start up and pull out of the driveway, then go chugging down their curved suburban street.

Melanie looked back at the computer screen. She opened a new window and just stared at its blankness for a long time.

It was something Aaron had mentioned. He always seemed to know about weird stuff. One day, they'd hung around after school in the little nook by the wheelchair ramp. After all the other kids had gone home, Aaron had helped her out of her chair and they sat on the grass together. They talked about class and about each other. Then his hand was touching her leg. Melanie had gotten very still as he slowly ran his toffee-colored paw along her thigh.

It made her feel good, but also uncomfortable. She didn't understand how he could touch her leg and not be repulsed by it. She asked, and he said he didn't mind. He was used to how it looked by now. Not ugly, he said, just different. She felt like there was a little warm sunset in her heart when he said that. A wave of relief. She knew Daddy didn't mind how she looked. Or her specialist, or Mr. VanKressler. But she'd never really gotten used to them herself. Sometimes she even got mad at her legs for being so ugly. Sometimes she even wanted to just scream at them for not being normal.

But Aaron assured her he didn't care. And without thinking, he'd blurted out that he'd heard on the internet that some guys thought handicapped girls were sexy. Melanie's eyes had gotten wide and she'd said "WHAT?" very loudly.

It had taken a while to get Aaron calmed down. He was so mortified he was shaking. He insisted he hadn't been looking, but that every now and then he looked for 'sexy stuff', as he put it, on his laptop. She did not begrudge him this, figuring that if she liked to think about certain movie actors when she laid in bed and touched her cunny, that boys must do the same kinda things too. One time, Aaron told her, he'd come across a site (by accident, he said several times) that showed naked ladies... in wheelchairs.

Melanie's mind was blown by the very concept.

Aaron had needed her to tell him about a zillion times that she didn't think he was a horrible pervert before he could relax. She assured him the idea was just surprising, that was all. She placed his paw back on her leg and gave it an encouraging pat.

That was several days ago. Melanie had been waiting like a coiled spring since then for a time when she was home and Daddy wasn't. Even though he trusted her and gave her privacy when she was on the computer, there was no WAY she was gonna allow the slightest bit of chance he'd walk in on her doing THIS. It was bad enough that the screen faced the livingroom door, but she was sure she'd hear him driving up in time to close the window if necessary.

She wanted to find that site that Aaron had mentioned.

Her paw was shaking as she opened the search engine. He hadn't mentioned a name, but she thought it'd probably be easy enough to find, right? She typed in 'sexy' and 'wheelchair' and hesitated for several eternities before clicking 'search'.

What she saw made her fur stand on end. Her jaw dropped. Her eyes got big as tennis balls.

There were THOUSANDS of sites!

Right away, just by scrolling up and down she could see that they weren't all porn sites. Most just looked like places where someone had said "Wheelchairs are sexy" or something similar. There was a site selling T-shirts with that phrase on them. There was a video a woman had posted called "Me in my sexy wheelchair doing laundry". There was a wheelchair company that had designed one of its models to be more appealing and sexier.

There were all sorts of different sites, but one thing was absolutely clear: LOTS of people thought that a girl in a wheelchair could be sexy.

Melanie realized she was crying.

Her old school... heck, her whole old life... had convinced her that no one would ever look at her the same way they'd look at someone who had a working pair of legs. She'd been convinced she had as much chance of finding a real boyfriend, or getting married someday, as she did of running on the playground.

She knew she looked nice otherwise. Lots of people said she had pretty hair. She thought so too. So it wasn't so much believing she was ugly, as believing that, if some boy ever did like her, he'd still never want to do 'that' with her. Because, well, obviously...

Only now she was looking at proof that 'obviously' was, to put it bluntly, bullshit.

Part of her mind insisted this must be a hoax. But that was ridiculous. 500,000 results couldn't possibly be a hoax. As wonderfully, dizzyingly impossible as it sounded, it seemed some people really did think girls in wheelchairs could be sexy.

That meant someone could think *she* was sexy!

She knew how Mr. Van looked at her, and she loved every second of it. But she'd always thought he was feeling that just because she was young and he could see her pink bits. That he was having those feelings in spite of her deformity. But now the possibility occurred to her that maybe he was seeing *all* of her, and liking everything he saw. Maybe he wasn't blocking out her handicap. Maybe he truly didn't mind.

Maybe, that was even part of why he looked at her the way he did.

She hoped that wasn't the only reason. A sour thought crossed her mind. She was sure that, in some of these sites, it was only the wheelchair these people were looking at. It made sense. If guys stared at boobs as if there weren't girls attached, there had to be a handful of weird guys who did the same thing when they saw two wheels. (They were both round, she thought. That might have relevance.)

But no, of course Mr. Van didn't see her like that. It was as obvious as skywriting. Mr. Van loved her for _her_. And even though she realized now how likely it was that Aaron's infatuation with her was partly due with fascination about her condition, she knew he truly liked her for her inner self too.

Melanie felt like she was glowing. Like she had a tiny sun in her heart. She scrolled down until she saw a link that said "LADY LOLA IN HER SEXY WHEELCHAIR" and clicked on it. She thought that would be a good start.

The page took a while to load, and there was an irritating pop-up to get rid of, but when the photos started loading, Melanie felt her cunny do an involuntary twitch.

Lola was a siamese cat lady. She was very slinky and curvy. And in the biggest picture on her page, she was sitting in her wheelchair BUCK NAKED!!! Sure, there were little .gif stars over her nipples and pussy, but you could still see she wasn't wearing so much as a napkin.

Melanie's mind was in revolt. 'She can't DO that! Can she? Holy heck, that's hot! I mean, I like boys. I know I do. But she really is sexy! And she's SMILING! Her smile is so bright! She looks so confident and comfortable in her chair. Look at all those other photos. She's naked in all of them too! She WANTS people to look at her and see how beautiful she is in her chair!!'

Melanie felt a tiny explosion go off in her brain. She closed the window and wheeled herself to her bedroom in a flash.

Once there, she shut the door behind her and flung herself onto her bed faster than she thought she possibly could. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, and had her skirt down to her knees in seconds. She fumbled with the flaps on her diaper, then finally just *pulled* until one popped and one stretched so far it nearly tore.

Her paw went right to her pussy and became a tiny jackhammer.

She was wet like a mighty river already. Images of Lady Lola raced through her mind. Literally! In her mind, she saw Lola sitting in Melanie's own wheelchair, then in her racing model. That made it even better somehow! She thought of how the seat would get wet as Lola sat there and rubbed her pussy on it. Melanie thought of Lola looking right into her eyes and saying, "People love to look at me. They think I'm sexy. You can be sexy too, Melanie. You can be as beautiful as me. You don't have to be ashamed. You're lucky to be in your chair!"

Melanie's thoughts screeched to a stop.

Lucky!?

Had she _really_ just thought, even for a second, that she was LUCKY to be in her chair!? After all the years of humiliation it had caused? All the embarrassment and taunting from other kids? All the times she'd wanted to go somewhere and couldn't because she was too slow or there was something in her way or a doorway was too narrow? All the times her arms ached from endlessly hauling her ass (literally) out of one seat into another? All the damn diapers!?

How could she have thought that?

She didn't really believe it, did she?

Melanie turned over on her side. Her fingers were still tucked inside her, but they'd stopped moving. Her cheeks felt flushed and her heartbeat was fast.

'Could someone really feel like they were lucky, if they were in my place?' she thought silently. The rain drummed on the windows, and now the sound seemed calming. 'Maybe. Maybe if they were as beautiful as Lola, and people liked to look at them as much. I don't think I'm lucky. Okay, I'm sure of it now. I know I'm not. But... But I can see how maybe someone else might feel that way. Possibly. Maybe.'

She realized she'd been staring at her wheelchair for the past few moments without really seeing it. She reached out a paw and touched one textured black plastic handle on the back. Then she ran her fingers down the smooth, cool chrome. She could see her fur reflected in it. Then she felt the rubber tire, stiff but still squeezable, and ran one finger along the grooves.

"Thank you," she suddenly whispered.

Melanie remembered all the times she'd swore at her chair when it wouldn't carry her over some obstacle, or when the battery ran low. It hardly ever tipped over, but one time when she did she'd punched it in anger. She often slammed her fist down on the armrests when she was frustrated with something.

"I'm sorry for all those times," she told her chair. Her voice was so soft, the rain easily drowned it out. "It wasn't your fault. I was mad at my condition, not you. You didn't make my legs this way. You've always been a good friend. You've helped me get places I couldn't go on my own. You're comfortable. And I like how your motor sounds."

Melanie realized she was crying. She felt silly, talking to her wheelchair. That was crazy stuff. But she didn't know how else to let out all the emotion she was feeling.

"What if, wheelchair... what if I did feel lucky? I guess I am in some ways. I'm lucky I can still feel it when Daddy tickles me. I'm lucky I'm not *always* incontinent. And of course, I'm lucky to have you. Such a good li'l wheelchair. And my other one in the garage.

"So yeah... I could be worse off. I'm a lot happier now than I was before we moved. Hey! That's one thing where I'm *sure* I'm lucky. I got a new school and a teacher who loves me and a bunny boy who likes to rub my legs and a great best friend with pretty green scales, and lots of other friends too. And they don't mind how I look. They don't mind my chair, or my diapers. I'm lucky *that* way."

Melanie felt more confident now. Enough to allow a little smile.

"Maybe I can choose to not hate this anymore," she said, and the thought alone was revolutionary.

Unthinkable. Blasphemy. Outrageousness.

Wonderful possibility.

"I can *choose*!" Melanie marvelled.

It had been happening slowly already. Ever since that first day in her new class. She was surrounded by people who cared about her enough to give her that choice. She hated being in a wheelchair at her old school because the other kids had MADE her hate it. How could she not hate it when they did everything they could to remind her how *different* and *ugly* it made her? But that was over with. 'Fucking GONE,' she thought, and surprised herself with her use of the F word. '...I guess I really feel strongly about that!'

And why shouldn't she? Didn't it feel BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WHOLE WORLD to relax and feel safe in her new school, knowing that no one would make her feel so horrible ever again? Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. Tucker still obviously disliked her. But she had enough real, true friends that the idea of bullies didn't scare her anymore.

Just the other day she had accepted that, even though it had made her feel embarrassed in the past, a diaper change did feel rather nice.

And didn't she have to admit that sometimes, *sometimes*, her wheelchair was fun? Not just her racing one. Going fast was GREAT, but there were other benefits. She liked when people would, out of nowhere, do nice things for her like let her go ahead in line or carry things for her. It got annoying when someone did it without asking, but for the most part she really liked it. Like she was a princess being waited on. And everyone at the Health Center always lit up and smiled at her when she went in to see her specialist. He always had little candies for her after each session (and usually gave her two, for being 'extra good'). And wasn't her chair itself just awesomely cool, if she was to be honest with herself? Didn't she share Aaron's appreciation for it as a piece of incredible machinery? Didn't she feel sorta, kinda, almost *safe* when she settled down into its comfy seat?

Melanie suddenly got a very strong mental image of her chair coming to life and actually lifting her up into it. And then *hugging* her.

She smiled beautifully.

"I love you, wheelchair," she told it. The words were true and came straight from her heart.

'I can choose,' she thought again, cementing that idea in her mind. 'I can choose, forever, to focus on all the good stuff about my life, my legs and my chair. I can choose to be happy. And even though I'll never run, all those other kids will never know what it feels like to go down Pine Street hill in a racing chair!' She thought back to the wind slapping at her fur, her eyes watering, the pavement making the whole chair shake, Daddy screaming his head off, the crazily exhilarating feeling of being sure you're going to crash and die, and then the indescribable triumph when you don't...

"I am lucky," Melanie told herself. "I am lucky to be me."

"...and I'm just as beautiful as Lady Lola," she added.

Then she blushed.

"Well, maybe not. I don't wanna get conceited here."

But just thinking about Lady Lola (in her sexy wheelchair) made her fingers in her cunny start a-wiggling again. Soon she was well on her way to some fantastic, screaming, hip-bucking bliss. And then she heard the van driving up and she had to fling herself back into her chair and zoom back to the computer at mach speed so Daddy wouldn't suspect anything.

"I got plenty of strawberry soda for my good little girl!" he said as he walked in the door.

Even though he was wet as a drowned sheepdog, she wheeled over to hug him.


~~~~~

*Chapter Ten*


That night, Melanie had a scary dream.

The rain had kept on pounding down all afternoon and into the evening. Soon thunder and lightning added to the awful din. Melanie had tried to keep using the computer (for non-sexy stuff now that Daddy was home), but the power kept flickering out. Just when she'd gotten back to what she'd been doing, the screen would turn black again. She'd curse very quietly and restart, though finally she gave up and scooted off to help Daddy with dinner. She noticed he'd thought to set out candles just in case of a full-on blackout.

He'd made ravioli that night. With the sauce with the tiny meatballs in it. Just thinking about it made Melanie's tail wag. Eating it made her feel like a wild nonev fox, and the meatballs were little mice she was chasing to pounce on. Daddy had never figured out why Melanie giggled so much when they had ravioli.

After the meal, she'd rolled her stuffed tummy into the livingroom to watch TV with him. He lifted her up onto the couch to sit beside him. They always started off watching the news. Usually it was just a bunch of boringness to her, but occasionally she'd learn something that would prove helpful at school. Tonight the TV was more static-y than usual, but the power didn't go out again. ('Of course, now that I'm off the computer,' she thought grouchily.) After the news, they flipped around watching whatever was on. Daddy liked sci-fi and Melanie liked supernatural stuff, so they could often find something that was a little of both. As evenings passed, they'd start sliding down the couch, until inevitably they were lying down; Daddy's head on the armrest, Melanie using his tail for a pillow.

At ten thirty her eyelids were floating. She could barely tell what she was watching anymore.

"How about bedtime now, sleepykit?" Daddy whispered, skritching her ear.

"Uhh hnnn," she mumbled back.

Daddy scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her to her bedroom, guiding her wheelchair along behind him one-handed. He'd gotten quite good over the years at juggling both chair and daughter.

He laid his little vixy down on her polka-dotted blanket. She yawned so wide her head nearly split. She blinked a bit and managed to wrangle enough awakeness to locate her panties and pajamas.

"Need a change?" Daddy asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not wet. I went during the commercials, 'member?"

He nodded proudly. "Good girl. Well, I'll see you in the morning. Have good dreams."

"Ok, Daddy. G'night. Love you."

"I love you too, kit," he said. He gave her hair one last pat and left, shutting the door behind him.

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Melanie oozed herself into her sleepwear, and was out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

*****

That night's dreams were mostly fragments, like they always were. Melanie was buying toys at a yard sale. Melanie was driving a big maroon car that could pass through walls. Melanie found that, by holding her legs a certain way, she could hover a few inches off the ground. Melanie and Aaron were in a treehouse, playing a strange board game with living pieces.

But then Melanie was at school. Her old school. The lights were dimmer than usual and the halls were empty. They seemed to stretch on much farther than she remembered. It was cold here. Probably because she seemed to be wearing nothing but her fur. And no wheelchair. The dream told her she was standing up, but everything still looked like it did from her usual sitting position.

Melanie felt a dense dread inside her. Something ugly was about to happen.

Then suddenly, Janet was there.

Janet was a fox she'd known at her old school. She'd thought, being the same species, they might have shared some kind of bond. But that was a stupid hope. She'd tried to sit near Janet at lunch once. The more popular vixen's friends had laughed. Just like they were suddenly surrounding her and laughing now. Then Janet looked down from high above, her face seeming to fill Melanie's whole field of vision. Janet's muzzle tilted into a contemptuous grin. She said those words again. The ones that had driven Melanie straight to the principal's office in tears, not daring to repeat what she'd said, but begging to be allowed to go home early.

She didn't hear the words, she just felt them.

"What are you doing here? You'd almost be cute except for that shrivelled-up shit under your skirt. Go take your uglymobile somewhere else, okay?"

Melanie could feel tears in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed hot. Suddenly she was back in her chair again. Like she was always in her chair. And Janet's friends were laughing at her, screaming at her. They were getting up and standing on their seats, pointing at her. She could feel herself shrinking, barely holding onto her armrests. Her whole body pulsed with sticky, awful shame.

Then she was flying backwards. Her chair suddenly pulling her at an impossible speed out of the cafeteria and down the hall. So fast it was like being on a train. She didn't know if she was afraid or relieved. At least she was away from those horrible girls. But not being able to see where she was going made her nauseous.

Now they were spinning. Or were they still going backwards? Melanie was so disoriented she couldn't tell. But her chair started changing.

Everything was getting soft. Slithering. Her seat sunk in, dropping her down. The handles curled around and trapped her throat. She gasped. The armrests melted and covered her paws in tar. Then came the tires.

Except they weren't tires anymore. They were hands. Black rubber hands on long skinny arms. Melanie was too scared to make any sound. She was paralyzed head to toe in fear. Her fur felt glued to the chair. Why was her chair turning on her? What was it going to do?

The little black hands began to pull at her clothes. She heard the fabric shred. The ripping sound was so loud it hurt her ears. One black hand reached into her mouth. She could taste the oily, black bitter rubber taste. It even had treads on it.

The other hands stripped her until she was completely bare. Everyone could see her now. Nude in her wheelchair. Everyone could see her ugly legs. Everyone would laugh at her and scream and shout about how ugly she was.

Except they weren't. She was still in the halls at school but now there were people around her everywhere. They didn't even look at her. Melanie was deeply confused. Couldn't they see her? Her wheelchair had just peeled her like a damn banana and now she was buck naked on display. Everyone could see her legs, and her nipples, and her pussy...

And they didn't care. She was obviously visible, since the people were stepping out of the way as her chair paraded her along. They saw, and they didn't react. Melanie found herself chewing on the rubber in her mouth. Like a pacifier. The other rubber hands began to coil around her. Tightening. Holding her down.

She felt in her mind the idea that her chair was holding her here forever. She needed to realize that she was trapped forever. She could never leave. She was a prisoner of her chair.

The thought seemed like it should have been frightening, yet somehow it wasn't.

The voice in her mind roared louder, insisting that she was trapped! A prisoner forever! She could NEVER leave!

Melanie felt her chair holding her tighter and tighter. Hard rubber on her bare fur. So tight it should have hurt. But it didn't.

It didn't hurt. She felt comfortable. She felt warm, and safe.

The rubber in her mouth spread out to engulf her whole muzzle. Like a rubber cup. She closed her eyes and let it. It felt nice. She wanted the rubber to hold her tighter. To squeeze her even more.

It did. She felt it starting to cut into her. Except that wasn't quite right. She was like dough slipping through fingers. The rubber sank into her and she smoothly squirted out. The rubber of her wheelchair cut deeper and deeper into her. She felt it pinch her muzzle right off. She didn't mind. She felt her arms and legs separated into cylindrical little chunks. The rubber sunk into her belly, cutting her in half. Then into smaller and smaller pieces.

Then she was in an egg. She didn't know how she was in an egg, but sometimes in dreams you find yourself in a new place and just simply know. The egg was about the size of her bed. And it was made out of diapers.

Not diapers, actually. Just one diaper. The one she was wearing now. The diaper around her waist was also somehow the one she was inside.

It was soft. She reached out to feel the walls of it with her hands. Very cushy. Her paws sunk into the squishy, crinkly, fuzzy material. She was in her diaper.

It smelled in here. It smelled like when she'd have an accident. In fact, the smell was getting stronger. She wrinkled her nose and started to cough a little. But the smell was like the black rubber. It started to surround her and hold her tight. She started to like it. After all, it was her own smell, right?

And she loved herself, right? So why not her smell too?

As the smell of her stinky diaper pee enclosed around Melanie, so did the diaper itself. The walls began to shrink, not egg-shaped anymore. Melanie was held in place. Paralyzed. Not able to move or stop anything. Her heart beat, scared. But she wasn't scared. She wanted to get out of here. But she didn't.

The diaper fabric took hold of her feet. It held on tight, like Daddy's hands squeezing them during physical therapy to help their circulation. The diaper creeped up Melanie's body from all sides. It took her hands. Then she felt it on the back of her head. It tightened around her waist and she felt it push hard on her cunny.

Then it was around her arms and waist. Growing tighter and more perfectly formed to her body. It was becoming a suit. A diaper suit. Perfectly contoured to her whole body. No seams, no openings anywhere. Perfect all-over protection.

That's what she felt. Protected. Melanie still felt a little wobbly ball of fear deep in her tummy, but she let the diaper continue swallowing her. It had to. It had to protect her and keep her safe. It had to cover her whole body all over. Seal her up permanently.

Lastly, she felt the stinky pee diaper close over her face. It enfolded her muzzle, filling her nostrils with that musky smell. She felt the soft, blankety fabric press over her eyes.

'Yes, it needs to be tighter,' she thought.

And it obliged. The diaper suit constricted all over. Not a single curve on her body was unprotected. She opened her mouth and let it inside. The diaper began to fill up her insides. Protected inside and out. She began to sink into the diaper. It was eating her. She was being absorbed. 'Well, of course,' she thought. 'Diapers are super absorbent.' That was what needed to happen to her too. She felt her arms and legs sinking into that soft, hot smelly fabric. Her tail was gone. She chewed contentedly on the diaper fabric in her mouth and waited to be completely absorbed.

Then she blinked and was awake again.

Her heart was racing. She felt strange and deeply uncomfortable. What had she been dreaming!?

She realized with disgust that she'd been drooling on her pillow. "Ugh." She sat up a little and wiped her mouth off on her sleeve. She flipped the pillow over and tried to get comfortable again.

Her bedroom was in darkness. Slowly, her eyes adjusted. She could see fuzzy shapes emerge; furniture and toys. Beside the bed, she could see her wheelchair.

She felt strange about it now. What had that dream meant? The images from it were still incredibly sharp, unlike most of her dreams. And the emotions... There were so many, so intense, and she was still feeling all of them. She was practically shaking.

She stared at her wheelchair and tried to make sense of her dream. It had started out like all her other anxiety-filled nightmares. She was always going back to her old school in dreams to revisit old embarrassments. But her wheelchair had never.. Well, what exactly had it done? Had it attacked her? Had it protected her? It seemed like it was hurting her, but she couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed it. Had loved it actually. Something about being embraced so tightly by her chair had made her feel, bizarrely, at peace. Even though at the same time she was sick with fright.

But the diaper part had been like that too. Something that terrified her and disgusted her, yet she wanted it because it felt so good.

She thought she understood now. She didn't know if dreams had real meaning; hers had never predicted the future, or been perfectly storylike, like they showed on TV. But she'd talked to her specialist about her nightmares once. He'd said that dreams sometimes let us feel the deep, intense emotions we try to bottle up when we're awake.

That felt right. In her dream, all of her emotions had been incredibly strong, but they were also completely contradictory. At almost every part in the dream, she'd felt one extreme and its opposite at the same time.

She was horrified at people seeing her in her chair. But she loved how her chair made her feel.

She hated the embarrassing smell of her diapers. But they were soft and comfy and protected her.

She reached down to run a paw over her diaper. It crinkled quietly. She did like how it felt on her. And... She reached inside her pajamas and wiggled a paw inside the padding. She was wet. But not the usual way.

'Oh geez! Did I have a wet dream? I thought only boys got those!'

She was only a little wet though. But it was there, undeniable. Had she actually enjoyed that horrible dream?

Her cheeks got hot. 'Maybe a little... It did feel good when my chair was holding me. And hey! I remember thinking that this afternoon! I thought about it hugging me. And it did. That's pretty much what the diaper did too. Maybe...' Insight struck. 'That's why it felt so good when they held me so tight! That's why I wanted it tighter. It's like when Daddy hugs me. And I always ask him to squeeeeze me! He does it so good! I feel like I can't breathe, but I love it! I feel so safe and loved when he hugs me tight.'

The dream was about her conflict in hating her chair and diapers for so long, yet now she had begun trying to love them.

'I used to hate them. Because those stupid jerk buttholes at school made fun of me so much. But it's not my chair I hate. I hate THEM for being mean to me! And now I'm in a new school where the mean kids are gone, and I'm starting to realize that I love my chair! I love my wonderful, shiny, sexy wheelchair! And... I guess I love my diapers too. They are kinda yicky sometimes, and embarrassing. But they feel nice.' She ran both paws over the front of her diaper and murred. Her cunny started tingling. 'They feel sexy sometimes. And... And...'

Melanie suddenly had a very urgent need to take off her pajamas. She rolled over, reached out and was able to click on the bedside lamp. She blinked hard at the sudden, biting light. Then she flung her covers off. She rocked back and forth, simultaneously wiggling her pajamas and panties over her tush; a trick she'd practiced many times. She tugged them both down her legs. Her legs. She needed to see her legs.

She gently tugged the cuffs over her feet, noticing like always how creepily loose her left ankle was, flopping around like a puppet head.

In the bedroom light, she sat up and looked at herself.

There was her diaper. She was always going to have to wear one and she accepted this. There were her legs. One like a broom handle, the other like an umbrella handle. That's what her specialist had said once. It was the sort of thing that, if some bully had said it, it would have made her cry. But Dr. Gupta had said it gently. Lovingly.

They *did* look like a broom and an umbrella. The right one all skinny, and the left one all curvy.

Every time she had looked at her legs, for as long as she could remember, she had always thought one word: UGLY.

But now she was allowing herself to love her chair. And her stinky ol' diapers. Could she... possibly... love her legs too?

They were ugly, yes. That was simply a fact. Trying to think of them as beautiful was just a lie. They weren't. Though... her paws were mostly normal. They were kinda cute at least.

Instead of trying to lie to herself and insist her legs looked just fine, could she... make peace with the word 'ugly'? Instead of it always being an insult, could it simply be the truth and nothing more? Nothing bad. Just the way she was?

A sudden thought made Melanie start to cry. "What if I can't love myself until I love my legs too?"

Tears filling the little vixen's eyes, she leaned over and began to run her paws along her legs. She massaged them tenderly. And like with her wheelchair, she apologized to them too.

"I'm sorry, legs. I'm sorry for hating you for so long. It's not your fault you're ugly. It's not your fault those jerks at school were mean to me. The doctors screwed me up and made me like this, and... And I'm not bad because of it. It's just the way things happened. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry I wanted so many times to just cut you two off and have you gone. It's not your fault. I might still wish you were stronger and I could stand up and walk and stuff. But that's not your fault. I'm sorry. I... I love you."

Melanie looked across the room to the window. She could see a tiny reflection there. She looked into her own eyes. "I love you, me," she said, and smiled.

She smiled and felt something heavy lift off of her heart. She looked back at her legs. She didn't feel the same way about them anymore. They were no longer a curse, an obstruction, an anchor. They were just there. They were neutral. They were a part of her. She had said this to herself before, but she didn't think she'd ever really *felt* it until now.

Then she remembered something else. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, diapers! I'm sorry for hating you, too. You may be stinky, but you do a good job protecting me from leaks and accidents. I'd much rather pee and poop in you than on my chair. Thank you." She rubbed them all over in gratitude, and giggled when their crinkling sounded like laughter.

Melanie turned off the bedside lamp and snuggled back under her blankets. She left her pajama bottom off. It was nice to feel the cool, smooth sheets on the bare fur of her legs. She even liked feeling her diaper exposed. It felt kind of naughty.

She blushed again, remembering what her evil diaper had done to her in the dream. She imagined what it would feel like to climb into her dirty diaper bin. All that crinkly plastic surrounding her. But it'd be nice and soft too. She imagined pushing her face right into one like in the dream! Oh, that was so bad! She giggled and wrinkled her nose. She'd never get the smell out of her fur!

She thought about her used diaper bin over in the corner. It was white and saltshaker-shaped. You put the diapers in and it tucked them away in a sealed compartment. You couldn't even smell them. Melanie suddenly imagined herself as a dirty diaper being pushed into there! She giggled some more. Where were all these naughty thoughts coming from? She guessed she had a case of the half-asleep giddiness. She'd never thought of playing with her stinky diapers before!

That made her consider something else. If there were people on the internet who thought wheelchairs were sexy... Could there possibly be people who thought diapers were sexy too?

It seemed impossible. Diapers were so stinky and dirty! But soft too... They did feel nice. Maybe somebody else might like them.

Melanie suddenly blushed really hard.

Then she got the best idea ever.

At school tomorrow, she was going to do something for Mr. Van. Something she knew he'd like. Something that would probably make him turn red all over, but that was part of the fun!

Melanie wiggled in delight. Oh, it was gonna be great!

She glanced at the clock. 2:07am

She had no idea how she was going to get back to sleep now. She was way too excited!


~~~~~

*Chapter Eleven*


At school the next day, Melanie was nervous. She felt just as conflicted as in her dream the night before. Excited but worried. Giddy but full of doubt. Her idea had seemed perfect the night before, but now... Now all she could focus on was what could go wrong with it. And a LOT could go wrong. She had no idea how she was going to keep it together until lunchtime. Lunchtime was when she and Mr. Van would be alone in the classroom again. That was when she'd either go through with her crazy, dirty idea, or wuss out on it.

The classroom door was no longer an obstruction to her. She'd long since figured out how to get her chair through it on her own. Mr. Van was hunched over at his desk when she came in, nose-deep in papers. She wheeled to her seat and didn't make eye contact with him. She didn't think she could without blushing. Instead, she joined a conversation Eliot and Abigail were having. The sparrow and weasel were discussing last Friday's math test. Eliot had breezed through it as easy as breathing. He was reassuring Abigail over some of the answers she'd been worried over. Melanie had forgotten all about the test. Her mind had been on her diaper at the time.

When the bell rang each day, Mr. VanKressler usually stood up and said hello to everyone. But today he stayed put at his desk, thumbing fiercely through the papers in front of him. He stayed seated even when the Pledge started playing over the PA. The students stood with hands on their hearts and mumbled through it, but mostly they were looking at one another and wondering what was up with their teacher.

Today was Monday, and Monday meant question ball. Yet after the Pledge had finished, Mr. Van continued to sit silently at his desk for an uncomfortably long time. Soon, his students were all entering various stages of freaking out.

Then, he looked up at them.

"I finished grading your math tests," he said quietly.

A pall of doom fell over the students. This was not good. Mr. Van's voice had a tone of icy fury to it. The kids looked around at one another. Had they really screwed up that badly? Most of them thought they'd done pretty good.

The dark wolf stood up slowly, palms flat on the desk. "Do you have ANY idea how outraged I am right now!?" he bellowed.

The students were stunned. Mr. Van had never acted like this before! He was starting to scare the pants off them!

"Do you know how many A's there were? Hm?" he asked, beginning to stride wrathfully back and forth. "In a class of twenty-three of you, there were fourteen."

Now several kids did double takes. Wasn't that a good thing?

Mr. Van snorted like an angry bull. "That's more than HALF! In fact, that's a NEW CLASS RECORD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH ALL THAT PIZZA IS GOING TO COST!?"

He kept his scowl for a half-second longer, then snorted and started giggling.

The class erupted. Some kids looked shocked, some looked baffled, others started laughing their tails off right away.

"That was MEAN!" Wendy shouted. The fragile squirrel looked like she'd nearly had a stroke.

Mr. Van came over and patted her paw reassuringly. "I am sorry if I scared you too bad. Don't worry; one of the A's was yours."

"Oh good!" she said.

Mr. Van looked around to the rest of his class, his tail wagging in impish delight. "Anyone else require medical assistance for the horrible stunt your unspeakably evil teacher just pulled on you?"

"I almost died!" Brandon said, though he was chuckling.

"Perfectly done, Mr. V!" Mark called out.

"I knew you had to be faking it," Eliot said, arms crossed. "I couldn't be the only A."

Mr. Van went back to his desk for the tests. He riffled through them and found Eliot's. "A+, actually. Ya little showoff," he said affectionately as he handed it to the sparrow. It is hard to grin smugly with a beak, but Eliot did.

The wolf turned and started passing back the rest of the tests. "Abigail; A!"

"Are you kidding!?" she burst out.

"Calvin; A! Layla; A! Russ; C. Though that's a lot higher than last time!"

The tiger boy looked positively elated to have managed a C. Like he'd just been given a Nobel Prize.

Mr. Van weaved in and out of the desks, handing back tests. There were only three C's in the whole class and no D's. Even Tucker had improved, and usually the retriever pup didn't bother with the effort. 'Pizza is a powerful motivator,' the wolf thought.

He wound his way around the the back left corner again. "Sasha; B. Tsk tsk."

The lizard looked regretful. "I know I fudged up number four. I realized it right after I turned it in."

"It's allright. I know you know this stuff, you just need to concentrate and be more careful."

She nodded. "I'll try. I'm glad I didn't screw it up for everyone."

"No worries. You guys as a whole knocked my socks off with this many A's." He turned to the foxette in front of Sasha. "...And Melanie, you got one too!"

He placed the paper on her desk and she stared at it like it had teleported from Mars. Had she really? She'd actually managed to get a 95% while the whole time she was worried about her pee!? "Wow!"

"I'm proud of you," he said warmly.

Melanie looked up and felt her heart flutter. "Thank you, Mr. Van!"

"You're welcome, Melanie."

She watched as he walked back up to the front of the room. Had there been something more in his voice when he'd praised her? Or had she just wanted it to be there?

Mr. VanKressler clapped his paws to get everyone's attention. "We'll start up question ball in a moment. I just really wanted to let you know how incredibly, heart-explodingly proud I am of all of you. I saw improvement virtually everywhere. I don't know if you did it just to get pizza, but for whatever reason, you've shown you have this material mastered. Though if any of you who didn't get A's want an explanation or some extra help, you can talk to me later during free period. I'll be happy to help.

"I know some of you have a hard time with math, so I was extremely pleased to see that everyone tried. I saw real effort on every test. That's what I really wanted to see. All of us have some subject we struggle in. I don't expect perfection from you. Just honest effort. Again; I am proud of you."

Several cubs said 'Thank yous' or just grinned.

"Also, before anyone asks; yes, the pizza really is going to cost me a small fortune. It's worth it though. Every penny. I couldn't be happier to be spending it. I went all out this time; I promise there will be enough for everyone. I got breadsticks and plenty of pop, too. And yes, there will be one anchovy pie this time, at the insistence of Russ and Gwen. Though I hope you won't mind if we set it far away from the others," he added, miming a clothespin-on-the-nose. The two feline kids purred.

As Mr. Van went to the closet to fetch the question ball, Melanie felt a scaly paw gently jog her shoulder. Sasha's laugh sounded like a hiss. "When he acted all angry up there, you didn't pee yourself, did you?" she teased.

"No, thankfully," the fox said absently.

Sasha noticed. "What's up? Aren't you happy? _Pizza_ is happening!!"

"Yeah, I'm happy," she sighed a little in frustration, "I'd just been sorta planning something for lunchtime." The classroom certainly wouldn't be empty at noon now. She'd have to wait until after school. That might work out better, actually.

Though it meant she'd have to wait in fidgety anticipation the whole darn day...

*****

Question ball was fun as always, then it was reading time. The class was halfway through their current novel. Some kids did voices and the others took turns at narration. Melanie had a small role as a former waitress turned zombie. Her attempts at growling were less than blood-curdling.

Promptly at lunchtime, the pizza arrived. Men in red uniforms brought in box after box of steaming hot deliciousness. Mr. VanKressler had Aaron, Russ and Calvin run out to his car and bring in the soda. Calvin caught the keys as the teacher tossed them and said he couldn't promise they wouldn't take it for a joyride. "Just bring it back with gas in the tank," the wolf kidded.

Christina, Bridget and Lucy passed out paper plates and took their duty very seriously. Most of the other kids helped clear space for all the food. Calvin, Russ and Aaron returned, lugging a cooler big enough that any one of them could have fit inside. Mr. Van apologized for only sending the three of them. Russ flexed his muscles in a manly way and said it was no trouble at all (this was clearly a lie, considering how much they were all panting).

Then everyone dug in. Melanie was pleased that the other kids gave her room to scoot around. She was worried they'd converge on the pizzas and she'd be left picking at leftovers. Instead, everyone lined up like at a buffet. Melanie had been considering trying one of the anchovy slices, but got one whiff of them and changed her mind. Instead she loaded up on the ones with green pepper and sausage. Plus a few pepperoni ones too. Everyone likes pepperoni.

Mr. Van got out his boombox and Bridget volunteered to hook it to her mp3 player and provide tunes. Soon the place was bouncin'. The little parrot had good taste in beats.

The whole class was having a good time, talking with their mouths full and getting their fingers greasy. A food fight nearly occurred when Sherwood tripped and his plate ended up in Gwendolyn's lap. The squirrel stammered an apology while the cougaress fixed him a death stare. Then she pressed a slice right into his face. Mr. Van jumped up to intervene. But luckily, there was no need. Sherwood found it hilarious and Gwen said they were even. They both shook paws and Mr. Van helped them clean up.

After lunch, there was still plenty of pizza left, but no one could stand another bite. Twenty-three little tummies were as full as balloons. Mr. Van realized he'd likely be having pizza leftovers for the next week and a half. He surveyed his satisfied students and saw they were too stuffed to study, so he declared free period early. Lisa the possum came up to his desk to shyly ask about her C. The rest of the kids talked about the party, Bridget's music, and about how many slices they'd eaten. Patrick was declared the champion: no one could top his ten.

The rest of the day was typical school stuff. Melanie watched the clock crawl torturously to three. By now she had psyched herself up to go ahead with her idea. She and Mr. Van had been inching towards it anyway. She was just going to be bold and say out loud what they were both feeling.

By the time the bell rang, Melanie was on pins and needles with anticipation. She said goodbye to Sasha and Aaron and told them she was staying after class. She watched everyone else file out the door. Mr. Van shouted that if anyone wanted to take any leftover pizza home, they were welcome to it. Several kids did, but he knew he'd still be eating it until it was coming out his ears.

Beverly was the last one out. She'd stayed behind to thank her teacher for the pizza with a big bat hug. He told her she was very welcome. She said she'd especially liked the one with pineapple, then flitted out the door.

The classroom was quiet now. Just the muffled sounds outside of happy, chatty children going home.

Mr. Van looked up and noticed Miss Hartwood was still at her seat. "Melanie? Did you want to discuss something? Not the math test, right? You did fine."

She began to wheel herself over to him. Her hands were sweaty and trembling as she gripped her rims. "A-actually, it's... Well, it's the other reason I usually stay after."

"Allright then," the wolf said. Without another word, he started clearing off his desk.

Melanie smiled. She liked that he knew what she meant without her even having to tell him. She liked that they were so casual about it now. She remembered the first time she'd come to him for help like this. How scared and ashamed she'd felt. Those feelings had vanished.

Mr. Van unfurled the tarp as Melanie scooted to a stop beside the desk. He knew by now she didn't need any help getting onto it. "Alley oop!" he said, as she skillfully hoisted herself up.

"Thank you for the pizza party, Mr. Van."

"You're very welcome. And thank you for helping to earn it. I meant it when I said I couldn't be happier buying all that pizza. I'd been saving up for it all month. I'd have been incredibly disappointed if I hadn't gotten to spend that money on you guys. So... er, is it just number one this time?"

She giggled and started pulling her skirt down. "You'll just have to open it up and see," she replied.

Mr. Van raised an eyebrow. "Um... okay."

Melanie looked into his eyes and spread her legs for him. She tried to channel all her love for him into her smile. She thought about all the kind things he'd done for her since she had arrived. It was easier now to go ahead with her idea. She was still worried a little. She still had butterflies in her tummy. But she knew the worst that could happen was a polite no. Mr. Van wouldn't be angry at her for this, or stop liking her. There was more to gain by trying than there was to lose.

The wolf was a little flustered as he undid the tabs on Melanie's diaper. She was acting different this time. And obviously *very* different from that first time. She'd been a mess then, scared stiff and humiliated to the core. He was very proud of her for how much she'd changed since then. He was proud that she'd accepted that this was not something to feel ashamed of. He only wished he could stop himself from having those damned irresponsible thoughts every time. She was just so *cute*. And sweet and wonderful, and she smelled like heaven and...

'You're doing it again,' he scolded himself.

'Right, right. Have to stop that.'

Melanie's heartbeat quickened as he opened her diaper up. She felt like she did on Christmas morning, watching someone opening a present she'd given them.

Mr. Van saw what was in Melanie's diaper and his brow furrowed.

"Melanie, you're... dry?"

She nodded. "Uh huh."

"But why did you tell me you needed a change?"

"I didn't, actually..." she said. Her voice was trembling with happy nervousness. "I said I wanted to stay behind for the reason I usually do."

"But that's... Um." He nibbled a fingertip. "I'm very confused right now."

He definitely sounded confused. But not angry or shocked. Her little pink flower was right in front of him and he wasn't asking her to put it away. "I do need a change," she said, "just not yet. Not until... Now."

She felt her heart skip a beat. This was it. The moment of no return. The crux of her plan. Looking deep into her wonderful teacher's eyes, telling him with her expression that this was a gift for him, she began to pee.

Thunderstruck, he watched the golden liquid come out. Melanie shivered as she felt it trickle down her fur into her diaper. She'd never done this before, ever! It filled her with head-spinning emotions of joy, pleasure, embarrassment, anticipation and naughtiness. Her stream tickled down her fur, pooling under her cheeks.

It was a monumental effort to control it like this. It had been one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do, keeping it all in until now. She'd peed as hard as she could after lunch, but had still almost leaked a few times during class. Each time, she'd done her best to calm herself and concentrate on something else. Her pee was a gift she was bringing to Mr. Van, and she dared not spill it. Equally bad would be to let the stream go wild and splash him! She thought she probably would have turned to stone on the spot from sheer mortification if that'd happened. But no, for once her broken ol' bladder had been cooperative. Everything was flowing just like it should.

"Melanie..." Mr. Van sputtered. He couldn't take his eyes of the incredible sight. A student (his favorite student, if he dared to let his heart be honest) was sitting on his desk and peeing. Right in front of him. There was no hesitation in her body language. "W-why are you...?"

"Because I knew you'd like it," she said softly. "Because every time you change me, I see how you look at me." She caught a flash of chagrin cross his face. "Don't be ashamed! I like it! I *love* how you look at me! You make me feel beautiful. ...And sexy. I can smell it on you too. It makes you get horny to see me like this, doesn't it?"

"No. No," he sputtered. His jaw was shaking. He took a step back. "It's... It's purely professional. You're a student with, uh, special needs, and I'm just helping you out. Like any good teacher would. That's all it is!"

Her ears drooped. "Please don't lie."

"I'm not!" he said defensively. "I'm, I'm, I'm..."

It hurt her to see the pain in his expression. He was trying to deny his feelings, even to himself. Her pee stream finally stopped, which was good. She had other things to concentrate on now. "You change me 'cause you're a good teacher, I know. I know you love to help me and reassure me and make me feel better. I'm so glad I have you as my teacher. But I know, when you change me, you wish we could do more. And it's okay! I know we probably shouldn't. But we're all alone now. No one's watching. Just this once, we could... I dunno... do whatever you like."

Mr. VanKressler came closer again, shivering all over and looking like a man split in two. "We can't. We just can't. I'll be honest though. I can tell you obviously thought about this a lot before you decided to do it..."

She smiled a little "I put in effort. Just like you said about the math test."

"Well, yes. Okay. I can see you did, so you deserve my honesty. Melanie..." He took in a long, deep breath through his nose and let it out in a puff. "...I have felt, um, certain things about you. While I was changing you. You are an exceptionally lovely little fox. I am luckier than I could possibly say to have you in my class." She nearly turned pink at such a compliment! "So you can see why I wouldn't want to ruin that. Yes, I've thought... 'naughty things'. But you can understand why I didn't say anything about them, right? A teacher should never think those things about a student. And I was worried sick about how you'd react if you realized. I didn't want to scare you... Or hurt you."

She reached out to take his paws in hers. "It's okay. I know you never would. And I know how bad everyone else considers stuff like this. Me and my Daddy watch the news every night. They're always talking about cub molesters, and people who look at cub photos, and how they get sent to prison. I don't want that to happen to you. But I know that, if you wanted to do anything naughty with me, I want to too. Not just to make you happy, but because you're the best teacher I've ever had and you're smart and really handsome and... And I love you!"

Mr. Van was nearly crying. "You really do..." he marvelled. "Melanie... I... I love you too. Of course I do. But we couldn't do anything together. We really couldn't. I could never risk hurting you."

She looked deep into his eyes. "A kiss couldn't hurt, could it?" she pleaded. She reached up to touch his handsome, slender muzzle.

His lips quivered. "I can't... I..."

"Please?" With her paw, she guided him closer. He did not resist.

She realized now that he wanted to, with all his heart, but he couldn't allow himself to.

That just meant she would have to take the first step.

She skootched closer, balancing precariously on the edge of the desk, and lifted her muzzle to his.

*Magic*.

Their lips touched and her heart felt like everything good in the world had been poured into it. Hearts and flowers and ponies and rainbows and sunshine! She pulled Mr. Van closer so she wouldn't fall off the edge. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with all her heart.

She felt his paws pull her closer too. Her happiness doubled.

Then, without saying a word, they gave in to their deepest feelings. The grownup wolf tenderly cuddled and caressed his beautiful, smart, daring, dazzling pupil. She felt so small to him. But the love in her kiss was as powerful as a supernova. His doubts and fears melted away as he felt how much she truly wanted this. In the back of his mind, alarms were going off at full blast, but he ignored them for now. This was just a kiss. He could allow her this much, right? A kiss couldn't hurt anything.

She held him tighter, needing to be held tighter by him too. She broke the kiss to nuzzle at him lovingly, basking in the warmth of his body and his affection.

He took a deep breath, and her scent ensnared him. He could smell her fur and her shampoo, and also her pee. By now he was so used to it there wasn't any unpleasantness in the odor. But he'd forced himself not to notice the other quality to that smell. The one that had nearly overwhelmed him that first time. His most primal instincts surged. He felt his underwear starting to run out of room.

"We can't," he whispered. But he didn't break their hug. "You have no idea the trouble we could get into."

"I will never tell anyone. Not without your permission," she promised. "I know if we got caught, the police would take you away, and I promise I won't let that happen. You're the best teacher in the world. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"But what about you, Melanie? This isn't... normal. Not for cubs your age. This is something just for grownups. We shouldn't even be going this far."

"Why not? It feels good. I like it. I like being hugged and kissed by you. And I know about yiffing. It doesn't sound bad to me. It sounds like it'd feel good. Besides..." She fidgeted a bit. "...I touch my cunny at home all the time."

Mr. Van's eyes popped open. In his pants, he suddenly went from semi-soft to concrete. "Oh, I did not need to know that!"

She giggled. "Do you touch your willy too? Your wolfie willy? Can I see it?"

Mr. Van straightened up. "Definitely not!"

Melanie grinned like a shark. "Why not? I've let you see mine lots of times! Look, here it is right now!" She wiggled her hips at him. "Do you think it's pretty?"

Mr. Van slapped his forehead. "Yes, Melanie. Of course I do. It's adorable. Do you have any idea what you're putting me through? I could lose my job! I could spend the rest of my life in jail!!"

He was protesting, but she could hear in his voice that he was extremely close to giving in. If she could just push him a little more, she'd have him. "You said just now that the pizza you bought for us today cost a bunch of money. But you said it was worth it. You said it was worth it to show us how proud you were." Melanie leaned closer and went in for the clincher. "Isn't it worth it to show me how much you love me?"

"Melanie, that's not fair," he said, and immediately kissed her again.

The little vixen's heart nearly burst with jubilation. Success! She kissed him and hugged him tight. He was hugging her too, and now his hands caressed all over, feeling her soft curves. One even roamed over her cute round buns. She yipped at how fun that felt!

Mr. Van broke away and held her little paws. "Melanie, you have broken me. You won. I'm yours. But if we're going to do this, we absolutely have to set up some ground rules first." His tone implied that if she didn't agree, this would end immediately.

"Okay, what are they?"

The wolf's mind spun feverishly, trying to consider every consequence of his next words. "First of all, I want you to know that you are in control here. Right now, we have an unfair power imbalance. I'm not only an adult, but also your teacher. That means I automatically have more power over you than two people ought to have in a relationship. But you're clearly a smart girl and you know what you want. I want you to know that you can always say 'no' to me. I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable or hurt you."

"I understand," she said, nodding.

"Second; this does not apply to the classroom. During school hours, it will be like none of this ever happened. I will not give you better grades and you are not to ask me for any special favors, understand?"

"I'd never do that!!" she insisted firmly. "I saw a sitcom once where this girl in college tried acting sexy to her teacher so she wouldn't get an F. I swear that's not what this is about!!"

He patted her hair and kissed her again. "I know, little sweetie. I wasn't accusing you. I'm just saying... Things like this can get very complicated. If we're going to do anything at all together, we have to be able to trust each other completely. You said you'd never tell anyone, and that is very important. I won't either. Though if I ever hurt you or take advantage of you, that changes. If you feel like you need to tell someone about me, don't hesitate."

"That would never happen!"

"I know. But I don't ever want you to feel like you have to do what I say even if you don't want to, because you're afraid one of us will get in trouble. I want this to be as informed and consensual as it can be. I promise, Melanie, I will do my best to never hurt you, and if I ever do accidentally, please tell me so we can work it out. Will you promise me the same?"

"Absolutely!"

"Say it. Please. I need to hear it. I can barely believe I'm even considering this, but I will if you want me to."

"Okay." She nodded and said in her most grown-up voice, "I, Melanie Hartwood, do solemnly swear to never hurt you, or at least try my best not to. And if we ever have any problems, we'll talk them out together. I consent totally."

"Good." And with that, he pounced on her.

Melanie fell back on the desk and in the next instant, Mr. VanKressler was kissing her all over. Her cheeks, her ears, her neck. He lifted up her shirt and kissed all over her tummy. She shrieked with laughter and wiggled.

"Quiet, sweetie! There might still be people in the building!!"

"Right! I'm sorry! But it tickles!"

"No, *this* tickles." He danced his fingertips all up and down her sides. Melanie had to squeeze her muzzle shut to keep from 'tee hee'ing at the top of her lungs.

"Melanie, adorable little foxie, I'm so overloaded right now I can't think. Whatever you want me to do, just say it."

She beamed. "Well... Every time you've changed me before, I've felt like you've really wanted to get in there and sniff and kiss my pussy, so go right ahead! Unless, I mean... I did just pee. We can clean up first."

He was panting, vibrating, nearly whirling with lust. "Sweetheart, would it gross you out if I said I didn't care one way or another?"

"Not at all!" she squeaked in delight.

Not able to restrain himself even long enough to say another word, the astronomically-horny wolf dove down and plowed into her cunny.

Melanie's eyes shot wide open and she clenched her muzzle shut to keep quiet.

Mr. Van thought for sure he had gone insane. But it was worth it. His nose had never smelled anything so brain-bustingly arousing. Melanie's folds were gorgeous. Glistening with pretty drops of perfect pee. He inhaled as if to suck the little fox up entirely. He breathed deep of the enchanting aroma. Then he dared to take a taste. AMBROSIA! The flavor was so powerful he nearly fell to his knees. The pee made it salty and slightly bitter, but that was no deterrent. Melanie's taste was the most perfect bouquet that had ever touched his tongue.

Melanie could barely believe this was happening. She hadn't dared to dream her idea would work out so well. The pleasure was overpowering. She had never felt anything like it. The physical sensations were amazing on their own, but there was also the bliss of knowing her wonderful teacher loved her just as much as she loved him.

Hearing his precious student's murmurs and yips of pleasure filled Mr. Van's heart with even more joy than he thought possible. The only reason he had agreed to doing this impossible, unthinkable thing was because she had so strongly proven it was a mutual feeling. He would never have forced her to do this. He'd sooner die. But she wanted him to. She'd begged him to. She had shown an unimaginable amount of trust in him, and courage. He promised to himself then that he would be worthy of it. What they were doing was wrong. But it had already been set in motion. It couldn't be undone. The best he could do was to try his best to ensure there would be no regrets or tears. Whatever happened between them, he made a vow that Melanie should always look back on it with happiness.

As for himself, he had never dared to want this. His libido had though. Just not in any urgent way. He was normally only attracted to furs his own age. Yes, he had felt slight stirrings for his students before. But they were tiny, fleeting. Not even really arousal; just an appreciation for how adorable they were. His love for them was clean. Any dirty thought was easily dismissed. Just his stupid penis getting excited at random, like all men.

But now here he was. Melanie's perfect petals were in front of him. He was tasting them. He worked his tongue gently into the tiny cleft. This seemed unreal. He felt like he ought to be horrified by himself. But that thought wasn't coming from within; it was the morality of everyone else. The whole world could call what they were doing an atrocity. But seeing Melanie's sun-bright smile and hearing her cries of bliss silenced everything else.

She was happy. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else.

Melanie was lost in a sea of pink. Her mind bathed in warm, liquid joy. She couldn't think. All she could do was feel that infinitely gentle tongue explore her. There was nothing she could possibly compare it to. She wanted to feel this way forever. Impossibly though, her pleasure was beginning to surge. She was getting close. She didn't know what to call it, but sometimes when she got really into pawing off at home, her pleasure would reach a peak, and then it was like her whole body exploding over and over.

The little fox's legs were shaking, her breathing was short and sharp. Mr. Van knew she was close to cumming. He felt honored to give her this pleasure. He wondered if it was her first one. Then again, she had said she'd played with herself at home. He'd have to ask her just how much she already knew. 

Melanie flopped and wiggled and squealed into her paws. So close now! Mr. Van was doing such an awesome job! So close, so close! Then...

POW!!!

Melanie blew up.

If she hadn't been holding her mouth shut, her howl probably would have been audible blocks away. Mr. Van was definitely grateful for her self-control. She gushed a delicious squirt of nectar onto his tongue. He moaned at the incredible taste. He did his best to catch every drop.

Melanie writhed mindlessly. She felt like a string of fireworks were going off in her pussy.

Finally, she went limp and splayed on the desk, panting so hard it felt like she'd never catch her breath ever again.

Mr. Van licked his lips to catch every last molecule of that perfect vixen flavor. He leaned over the desk to kiss Melanie's pretty little nose. "That was incredible. Thank you so much, Melanie. You're a perfect angel."

"Thank YOU!" she wheezed out. "That was... I don't even know what to call it!"

"It was certainly a heckuva show. I had no idea a girl your age could orgasm like that!"

She managed to sit up a little. "Orgasm? That's what that's called?" She didn't like it. "That word sounds... icky. Like some kinda food I wouldn't want to eat. What you just did felt way better than how that sounds."

"Well, it's also called cumming."

She considered that. "That's okay, I guess."

"Was that your first time?"

"No way! I've had plenty before. But just by myself, with my paws. I've never had one like that! Your tongue was amazing! Did it taste good?"

Tenderly he scooped her up into a hug. He nuzzled noses with her. "Nothing better in the world."

"Even with my pee?" she giggled.

"Your pee is as tasty to me as lemonade."

She giggled. "I'm really glad you liked it," she said, giving him a squeeze and resting her head on his shoulder.

Mr. Van glanced at the clock. "Yipes. You really ought to be getting home soon. Your father's probably wondering already where you are."

Melanie looked up too and couldn't believe how late it was. "It didn't feel that long! But wait... You didn't, um, orgasm yet. Or is that just what it's called when a girl does it?"

He chuckled. "No, both boys and girls orgasm, or come."

"But if I did, then you should too," she mewed.

He gave her a gentle squeeze. "That's very thoughtful of you to say. But it's allright. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. My head's still swimming over what we just did. I think I need to recuperate before we do anything more. That's assuming you want to."

"Of course!"

"Well... think about it a bit first. What we just did... It was an important moment, for both of us. It could have consequences that last our whole lives."

She nodded. "I understand. I still wish you could've come too. It just seems fair."

He shrugged and set her back down in the desk. "I think as soon as we get you cleaned up and on your way, I'll be heading to the men's room to 'rub one out', as they say."

Melanie lit up. "Can I watch?"

The wolf facepalmed. "A really big part of me wants to say yes, but thankfully my reason is also telling me how bad of an idea that is. Maybe next time, Melanie."

"Awesome!" She began to tape her diaper up again. She hadn't peed so much that it necessitated a change. And she rather liked the idea of rolling home with her pussy all wet from her favorite teacher's kisses.

He leaned in to nuzzle between her dainty ears. "Even if there's not a next time, even if you decide this was enough, it was wonderful for me. Thank you so much. You are beautiful in every way you could possibly be."

She murred at that. "Thank you. You're the handsomest wolf in the world, and I love your tongue!" They both grinned. "...And one way or another, I am definitely gonna see your penis someday!"

Mr. Van winced. "Oh hell, Melanie! We have to get you out of here before I cream in my pants!!"

She laughed her tail off. Then she slid down into her chair and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Best Teacher In The World!"

"Goodbye, Melanie," He blew her a kiss as she exited. Then he remembered something else. "...And take some pizza with you!!"


~~~~~

*Chapter Twelve*


Mill Dale Elementary was only six blocks away from Melanie's house, but the route there and back was pretty challenging. There was that one curb she always had to detour around by using the yellow pointy house's driveway. And that sloped spot that was a pain in the tail going up and treacherous as heck coming down.

But that afternoon, Melanie reached home before she even realized it. And felt like she'd flown the whole way.

Daddy was waiting for her in the garage. She had no idea how she was going to explain to him why she was so visibly elated. Though thankfully, a reason presented itself. As soon as she saw Daddy, she saw a half dozen sheets of colored plastic next to him.

Impossibly, her happiness skyrocketed.

During dinner last night, she and Daddy had talked about Halloween costumes. She'd had a few ideas in mind, but none felt right to her. The only one she really loved was completely impractical. Yet Daddy had obviously been listening. Because there could be no other explanation for the building materials he'd brought home.

His first question was why she was late. Melanie surprised herself by how quickly she came up with a fib. She said the whole class had gotten such good grades, Mr. Van had given them a pizza party. That's what was in the box she was carrying on her lap. All of that was true; she just didn't tell Daddy the party had been at noon.

Randall Hartwood scooped his daughter up into his arms for one of his patented Daddy-Strength hugs. He squeezed her even tighter when she said she'd been one of the kids who'd got an A. He told her several times how proud he was of her. Melanie squealed in delight in his strong embrace. Years ago, he'd often worried about hugging his precious daughter too hard. After all, he was more used to handling heavy equipment than a tiny, handicapped cub. But she'd made it very clear that she did not want to be treated like something marked 'fragile'. She'd begged him to "squeeze her till she squished". He'd agreed. Time had taught him that his daughter was anything but fragile.

For the next few hours, Melanie and Daddy worked on her costume. He said he'd mentioned the idea to the guys at work. Most of them had met Melanie before and had their pants charmed off. They were more than happy to help him sketch out some plans during lunchbreak, and some even volunteered spare parts and money for materials. Melanie was touched by their generosity. She said she'd have to skip school someday soon to come by the plant and thank all of them.

Melanie and Daddy both loved building, and for this project both their skill sets would be needed. Daddy showed her the plans he'd drawn up. Melanie was awestruck. It was just like she'd imagined! She had a few minor tweaks she wanted to add, and then they got down to business. For the next several hours, sounds of cutting and soldering came from the garage, plus a radio tuned to a hard rock station. As they worked they chowed down on pizza. Melanie made a mental note to thank Mr. Van for that recommendation.

Eventually the sun went down and both foxes were exhausted. Randall was the first to suggest they quit for the night. He suspected if he hadn't, Melanie would've kept on working until she fell asleep in her chair.

They went back inside to wash up and crash on the couch for some TV. As Melanie was scrubbing grease from her paws, Daddy called out, "There's a message on the answering machine for you! From school!"

Her blood froze. From school? That could mean anything! Was it Mr. Van? Was it the principal saying he'd found out about what they'd done, and Mr. Van was going away forever!?

Melanie rocketed from the bathroom to the livingroom.

Daddy chuckled at the panicked look on her face. "Nothin' to worry about. It's just your teacher. He said he wanted to talk about the math test you took today. It didn't sound like you're in any trouble."

'Oh, good!' Melanie thought, and sighed in relief.

Daddy played the message back: "Hi! This is Gary VanKressler at Mill Dale. Melanie's teacher. I just wanted to, uh, talk with her a bit about the test she took today. No pressure. You can call me back at my home number." Daddy scribbled it down as Mr. Van recited it.

"Here, sweets," he said, tossing the number and the receiver to Melanie. "You make the call. My hands are still gunky. Let me know if he wants to talk to me too."

She nodded. "Will do." She waited until Daddy was out of sight before dialing.

She kneaded her armrest while the phone rang. Finally, Mr. Van picked up.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Melanie."

"Oh, right! Good. I left that message a while ago and forgot about it until just now. Were you having dinner then?"

She giggled. "Nope. We gorged on pizza in the garage. We were making my Halloween costume."

"Glad to hear it came in useful. So, what are you going to be?"

"Can't tell you," she said with a big grin. "It's top secret."

"Oho! Then I guess I'll find out on Thursday. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about the, um, test you took today."

Her ears flattened, puzzled. "We didn't take a test."

His voice dropped lower. "I mean... the 'test'. The one *after* class?"

"Oh! Right!"

Mr. Van's voice got a little shaky. "I just... Well, I wanted to see how you felt about it. Any regrets?"

Melanie smiled, wishing he could see it. "None at all!!"

She could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm very, very happy to hear that. I've been worried ever since I got home. Emotions are fickle, and they can change from moment to moment and-"

"Don't worry. I'm happy. I'm totally okay with it. As much as I ever was."

A sigh. "Thank you. My conscience has been spinning in every direction ever since. Anyway, I just needed to check. No sense drawing this out anymore. I'm sure you have things to do. If your father's there, just tell him that I'm exceptionally proud of your performance in class, since that's absolutely true."

Her laugh was sparkling. "Thank you! So was yours," she said flirtatiously.

He chuckled. "See you tomorrow, Miss Hartwood."

"You too, Mr. Van."

She hung up and just sat for a moment, remembering the incredible naughty wonderfulness they'd shared that afternoon.

Daddy poked his head out of the bathroom. "What'd he say, sugar?"

"That he's exceptionally proud of my classroom performance!" she was happy to report.

*****

Thursday came, and no one was prepared for what they saw coming out of the Hartwoods' garage that morning.

Melanie and Daddy had finished it in plenty of time. They'd even been able to do some detail work that Melanie hadn't even dreamed of hoping for. The thing looked gorgeous. Bright, shiny and proud. The chrome spraypaint gleamed in the morning sunlight. She gave one more experimental tug on the handle, and the scoop responded beautifully.

Daddy was there to give her a kiss before she headed off to school. She thanked him again and again for helping her make this come true. He said she looked adorable, and he'd try to make it to school on time to see her in the costume parade. Then he patted her on her hardhat and slipped her changing supplies into the back compartment.

Melanie was ready to go. There was never much traffic this early in the morning, and she didn't want to risk this thing on the sidewalks, so she rolled right down the driveway and into the street.

Just like a real bulldozer.

The idea had struck her as she'd been looking through costumes online. She saw a boy's construction worker costume and it made her think; 'How come only boys can be construction workers?' That led to the idea of Melanie's wheelchair transforming into a big, burly bulldozer, with her seated up top in control. She'd told Daddy about this over dinner, but acknowledged that there was no way they could make it happen.

Except they had. She and Daddy had taken several sheets of orange and silver plastic and shaped them into a perfect mini-dozer costume for her chair. The roof was an aluminum shingle. They'd made treads out of blown tires. They built a scoop that really raised and lowered (only a few inches, but that alone was more than Melanie had hoped for). Daddy even bought a bag of tiny rubber balls at the dollar store, which they'd cut in half and painted to look like rivet heads. Best of all, they hadn't had to modify her wheelchair to accommodate the dozer-shell. The whole thing was like a big sleeve that fit over the top and clamped down on the frame. Melanie was sure Mr. Van could help her lift it off once she got to class. Then she could show off her own costume: hardhat, orange vest, jeans and workgloves.

As Melanie drove to school, she turned heads everywhere. Everyone looked at her. She waved at them, her smile as bright as a lighthouse.

For so much of her life, feeling people stare at her had filled her with dark, ugly, hurtful feelings.

And now, it was the complete opposite. Melanie was proud to be seen. Happy to show off. It felt like someone had waved a magic wand over her life.

*****

Once she reached school, it became hard to maneuver through the crowd of kids her costume attracted. Compliments came at her from all angles. Plenty of other kids had worn their costumes too, but hers outshined them all.

She worried a bit about getting up the ramp into the school with the dozer-shell's added weight. But it turned out to be no problem. Several kids cheered her on as she chugged up to the front doors. She did a donut spin just for them. Two nice boys even held the doors open for her.

Aaron spotted her before she got to class. He was dressed as a pirate with a plastic cutlass and a big fake black mustache. He freaked out when he saw a bulldozer coming down the hall. He ran up to her, nearly tripping over the scoop, and bombarded her with every synonym for 'awesome' he could think of.

It was lucky they'd met too, as her second worry was that she wouldn't fit through the classroom door. She and Daddy had, of course, measured everything carefully. But if she went in at an angle, she was afraid she'd get stuck. Aaron was more than happy to align her perfectly before sweeping open the door and announcing her presence in his best buccaneer voice.

All eyes widened when Melanie dozed in.

Mr. Van stood up so fast his chair fell over. Today he was a Musketeer. He had a big ornate hat and coat with a fencing foil at his side. He and Aaron looked a little alike with their fake mustaches. "Melanie! That's incredible!!"

"Thanks! Me and my Daddy made it ourselves!"

Then she had to put on the brakes because there were simply too many students gathered around her. She loved the attention, but hoped no one would trip and knock something off. Or that she'd accidentally hit 'n run someone's feet. She was happy to demonstrate the scoop for everyone. Beverly asked if it could lift her. Melanie said that would probably tear it to pieces; it was just for show after all. She was able to lift a textbook with it though, to her surprise.

With Mr. Van and several classmates helping, Melanie got the dozer-shell up and off so she could scoot to her seat. Mr. Van placed the shell in the corner for everyone to see. Russ ran in just then, barely making the bell, and was severely disappointed he'd missed seeing Melanie with it on. Mr. Van reminded him there'd be time for that during the parade and party that afternoon.

As Melanie got to her desk, she tried to guess what everyone else was. Some of the costumes were pretty elaborate. Most looked store-bought. Plenty of movie and TV characters. Christina and Layla were both princesses. Lucy was in her pajamas, with bunny slippers. Mark had worn his football uniform. Beverly the bat had dressed as a parrot, which made Bridget (the actual parrot) laugh her tailfeathers off. Sasha was a mermaid, with a big blue tail covered in sparkly stuff. She'd taken it off so she could fit in her chair, but was happy to put it back on to model it for Melanie. Brandon the porcupine had said the other day that he'd had bad luck with costumes, so today he just had a tiger mask on a stick. Patrick had a cowboy hat that came down over his eyes. Lisa had a very cute little nurse's outfit, which Jackson couldn't stop staring at through his space helmet. Calvin had a rubber mask that looked like some kind of howling alligator monster. Melanie wasn't sure what Tucker was. Maybe a killer from a horror movie she hadn't seen? He had a big brown coat and some bloody facepaint. Abigail, she thought, deserved the prize for unusualness. The little white weasel was a banana.

Sasha complimented her fox friend on her costume again, but admitted to being a little disappointed. Melanie asked why. "Because you didn't go with my suggestion," Sasha said. Melanie rolled her eyes. The lizardgirl's idea had been to make the wheelchair into a papier mache toilet, with Melanie as a poopmonster popping out. Melanie replied that she wanted to impress people, not make them throw up. Sasha giggled devilishly. "Maybe next year then?"

Mr. VanKressler tried to give the day's lessons a Halloween theme. They read some more from their horror novel (Melanie was a little miffed since her character had been blown away with a shotgun in the last chapter). Mr. Van passed out orange construction paper and provided a vast amount of arts 'n crafts supplies for them to make jack o' lanterns from. Melanie's was pretty traditional, Aaron's had a mohawk, and Sasha's looked like her little brother. Mr. Van did one too. Several students stifled guffaws when they realized it was a caricature of the principal. He winked and said it was completely unintentional. Then he sat atop his desk and talked about the history of Halloween and its traditions. A few kids groaned at first, but Mr. Van had bypassed the usual curriculum and gone to Blue Dawn Booksellers for some juicier lore. He told them some macabre tales and tidbits that probably would not have passed PTA approval. They loved it.

At lunchtime, Melanie's chair underwent its transformation again. Aaron and Sasha volunteered to help her get to the lunchroom without accidentally driving into any doorways. Once more, the going was slow because of so many furs ogling her. Several teachers took notice too. The art room teacher especially loved it (She was a Picasso painting, by the way).

Lunch was exactly the same as usual (except for a stale, pumpkin-shaped sugar cookie), but the menu called everything silly names like 'frankenfries' and 'spooky milk'. Melanie had no idea what was so spooky about milk. Aaron said maybe it was actually melted ghosts. That made her laugh, though now she couldn't drink it thinking about it that way. So she got chocolate milk instead. Aaron said that was melted werewolves. She shot a straw wrapper at him.

Eating lunch was a bit of a problem in her contraption. After some thought, Aaron and Sasha helped her park sideways at the head of the table and she sat twisted in her seat. A little uncomfortable, but better than trying to reach way out over the scoop. She couldn't get more than a few bites into her 'ghoulburger' without kids from all the other classes coming over to comment on her costume. It was flattering, but also a little embarrassing trying to answer them with her mouth full. Still, the experience of being the center of attention for something other than her condition was exhilarating.

At recess, she scooted around the playground chasing furs and playfully threatening to run them over.

Back in class, every teacher was letting the students have a Halloween party before the parade later that afternoon. In Mr. Van's room, he and several boys pushed desks to the back to make room for games. He teasingly asked if Melanie could simply bulldoze them all into a pile for him. She giggled and said she wouldn't want to accidentally drive through any walls.

For the party, Mr. Van had brought in various treats. So had several students. Kevin's cupcakes vanished swiftly. Jackson's grandma's homemade oatmeal bars... not so much. Mr. Van did point out to everyone that consuming one's weight in sugar is not exactly healthy, and should be done only on rare occasions. He advised everyone to get some exercise in tomorrow, no matter how much candy they pigged out on after trick or treating.

Bridget's mp3 player was again utilized and soon the room was full of music, talk and laughter. Mr. Van had set up some games if anyone wanted to participate. They passed an apple around the room using only their necks. They limboed under a broomstick (Abigail easily won, even with her banana costume, since weasels are naturally wiggly). Mr. Van stood on the desk and dumped a giant box full of colorful paper leaves onto the floor and everyone dived in to find the one with the X on it. Brandy did, and her prize was a Halloween joke book.

Melanie was content to sit and watch. She didn't mind seeing everyone else have fun. Especially since Aaron sat with her and they talked and sipped punch. He gushed about her costume quite a bit and asked endlessly how she and her father had made everything. He also, in a very gentlemanly whisper, asked about her diaper situation; indicating that he'd help out if she was wet. She said she'd leaked a little, but was fine for now. When no one was looking, she thanked him with a kiss for being so thoughtful. The bunny pirate grinned ear to ear. Then he stuck his mustache on her and they chortled. It went well with her hardhat!

Finally it was time for the parade. It was an annual tradition at Mill Dale. All of Mr. Van's students got their costumes on and lined up at the front of the classroom. One by one, the classes would be called out over the PA and the whole student body would make a circuit around and outside the school, culminating in everyone getting a turn on a small stage in the parking lot out front. Many parents had already gathered.

Mr. Van got everyone lined up alphabetically. Sasha asked sweetly if she and Aaron could be near Melanie to help with doorways again. He said that was fine.

The kids near the front could see Mrs. Rael's students passing by. Then the principal called out Mr. VanKressler. The wolf marched his little band of ghoulies out into the hall. Melanie was kinda annoyed he had a name so near the end of the alphabet, since waiting through all the other classes had been a pain.

Melanie watched Sasha's mermaid tail sashaying back and forth as the lizardgirl diligently kept an eye out for doorways. Melanie'd had enough practice navigating them throughout the day that she was sure she could handle them by herself now. Still, her friends wanted to help, and she was happy to let them. It felt incredible to know they cared so much.

As Mr. Van's kids passed through the front doors and down the wheelchair ramp, Melanie scanned the crowd of parking lot parents for her Daddy. She thought she saw him, but there were an awful lot of grownups; all bobbing up and down, trying to spot their kids in the parade. Many had cameras. Melanie smiled and lifted her scoop a few times for everyone. Aaron swung his cutlass and 'Arrrrrr!'ed.

The parade route took them all around the outside of the school, then back inside, two full times. Melanie's only worry now was whether she had enough battery power. She knew it was silly to worry about it. She'd charged her chair last night. But with the dozer-shell on, she couldn't propel it herself by pushing the wheels. She'd had to rely on the motor all day. Plus Daddy was taking her trick or treating tonight! She made a mental note to start recharging again as soon as she got home, and repeated the message several times to herself so it'd stick.

Once more through the school and then finally back out the front doors again. Melanie craned her neck around, looking everywhere for Daddy. He said he'd try to get time off to come see her this afternoon, but he wasn't 100% sure his boss would say yes. There was no guarantee he'd be here. But Melanie kept an eye out for his handsome pointy ears anyway.

Wait... There!!

He came! There he was! Melanie lit up and waved to him so hard she nearly broke the roof off the dozer-shell. He spotted her (it wasn't difficult) and waved back, grinning as proudly as a father could.

Then Melanie was approaching the stage. She lifted her scoop and rolled up the little ramp. Principal Pinkwater (dressed like Dracula) and a few teachers were behind her. In front of her, the parking lot was full of smiling parents. Then she was front and center in the middle of the stage. Just for a few seconds, she was the star of the show. She looked out into the crowd and tried to compress all the gratitude she felt for her amazing Daddy into her smile.

But because she was watching him, she wasn't watching Tucker.

The brown retriever had waited patiently until Melanie was in the center of the stage. He'd kept looking behind him every few feet to make sure. All the other classes had stopped parading now and were standing with the parents. Everyone was here. Everyone was looking at her.

He turned around in line and ran at her.

Sasha saw him and shouted something, but he pushed her aside. Then he reached out both hands towards Melanie. His face screwed into a glare full of all the fury and hatred he possessed.

With all his strength, he shoved.

Suddenly, Melanie was tipping. Her expression went from joy to confusion to terror. Her wheelchair leaned dizzyingly towards the edge of the stage. And then she was going over.

It wasn't a long fall. The stage was only about a foot off the ground. But for Melanie it seemed to take an eternity. Her muscles tensed in anticipation. Her heartbeat was the loudest thing she could hear.

She didn't even feel the crash until it was over.

Her first thought was that her wonderful bulldozer, that she and Daddy had worked so hard on, was ruined. Her second thought was to wonder if her arm was broken.

Then she looked up and saw Tucker. He was staring at her with a kind of hatred she had never seen before. It was nothing like the dirty looks she'd gotten from the jerks at her old school. This hate was personal. Tucker was looking at her like she'd done something unforgivable to him.

She had wondered briefly why he'd kept his backpack on all day. She'd assumed it was part of the costume. While everyone was still too stunned to do anything but stare and hope someone else would help, Tucker reached into his bag.

"YOU LIKE YOUR STUPID DIAPERS SO MUCH? HERE, HAVE MORE!!!"

He flung something at her face. She only had time to blink, not dodge it. But she'd been trapped partly upside down by her chair, so dodging was out of the question anyway. From the way it hit and the smell and the moisture, she knew what it was. Opening her eyes confirmed what she least wanted to see. It wasn't just a dirty diaper; it looked like one he'd found run over in the street.

Now the adults were starting to converge on Tucker. He had no intention of getting caught. He took a swing at the principal and hit Mrs. Domino instead. She howled. Mr. VanKressler reached out to grab Tucker's jacket. Snarling, the boy bit his teacher's hand like he was rabid.

He spared a last few seconds on a parting message to Melanie.

"YOU RUINED MY LIFE, YOU FREAK BITCH!!!"

Then he ran. Through the parking lot, past the parents, faster than anyone who tried to stop him.


~~~~~

*Chapter Thirteen*


The only good thing about the whole horrible experience was seeing how much everyone else pitched in to help her.

Melanie's Daddy seemed to vault over the other parents to reach her side. He took her paw in his and caressed her hair and apologized over and over again for not being fast enough to stop what happened.

Mr. Van was there a second later, looking pale and horrified. Stiff with disbelief. His fake mustache was tilted sideways and so was his big hat. It would have looked funny, if Melanie could have even conceived of laughter in that moment.

Then Aaron and Sasha were there. And Patrick and Mark and Brandy and Gwen. Everyone was talking but Melanie couldn't make out a word of it. The only clear thing she heard was Mr. Van asking if she thought it was a good idea for them to right her wheelchair or did she need an ambulance. She said hollowly that she thought she was fine. Her arm hurt, but she realized she'd just scraped it.

Her teacher, her Daddy and her classmates all helped to get her chair back on its wheels. Melanie felt her world turn rightside-up again. But she was elsewhere. Her expression was blank. She couldn't feel anything. It had all happened so quickly it was hard to process. But more than that, she was haunted by that look in Tucker's eyes.

"You ruined my life."

What did that mean? Had she done something to him without realizing it? Was he insane? What did it mean? Instead of wanting to cry or wanting revenge, Melanie wanted more than anything else just to understand what had happened.

Now Principal Pinkwater was yelling for everyone to calm down. And the parents were yelling about Tucker. And Daddy was yelling, asking if she was allright. And Aaron was yelling about her smashed costume. And everyone was making noise and Melanie heard none of it.

*****

"I feel responsible for this, Melanie," Mr. Vankressler whispered sorrowfully to her.

"No, no you're not," she said. "How could you be?"

They were back in the classroom now. It was a few minutes till three. The principal had realized that there was no way he was going to get anything under control after such an incident, and school was nearly over anyway, so he'd dismissed everyone and very awkwardly wished them a happy Halloween.

Daddy had held onto Melanie's paw like he'd die if he let go. He swore he'd stay with her and do anything at all she needed. By then she was beginning to snap out of her shock. The emotion hadn't hit her yet. She felt a disturbing, nauseating calm. She told Daddy that she was okay, and he should go back to work so his boss wouldn't be mad. Daddy had protested, crying at her selflessness, but she insisted. Like he knew she would. His daughter was anything but fragile. Nevertheless, he had kissed her several dozen times and stayed long enough to make sure she wasn't really hurt. Mr. VanKressler promised him that he'd take good care of Melanie and tend to her arm.

The other kids had all said how sorry they were and asked if they could help and said Tucker was a fuckhead and a shitbag and an asshole. Aaron had stated very calmly that if he ever saw Tucker again, he'd break all his teeth. Sasha had been crying and pledged to do absolutely anything she could to help. Melanie said quietly that she wanted to be alone for a little while. Sasha nodded like a general accepting a mission. Quite loudly, she began herding the other kids (and even the teachers!) away.

Principal Pinkwater had apologized to Melanie personally and promised that Tucker Denn would be severely punished. Melanie said she didn't even care.

Deep in her heart, all she cared about was wanting to know why. Though no one but Tucker knew that yet, so it was useless to ask. But she also cared about her broken costume. And her arm was starting to sting. So she focused on that instead.

Mr. Van had wheeled her back to class. He still had that painfully guilty look in his eyes. He was nearly silent as he helped Melanie take off her orange vest and shirt, then he cleaned up her arm in the classroom sink. The warm water and his gentle paws felt nice. But Melanie winced every time she felt a piece of dirt or gravel move around in the shallow wounds. He said she was lucky to have been wearing a long-sleeved shirt. The shirt itself was torn, but it had probably prevented her from a much worse injury. He asked if she hurt anywhere else. She said her left leg had gotten a little twisted underneath her when she fell. She'd hit her head on one of the poles holding up the bulldozer roof, but she didn't say anything about that. It didn't hurt, thanks to her lucky hardhat, and she didn't want to give him anything else to worry about.

Then he said that he felt responsible for this, and she couldn't imagine how.

"After your fight with Tucker on the playground your first day," he explained, helping Melanie pull her shirt back on, "I 'punished' Aaron by making him write on the chalkboard: 'I will never hit another student ever again.'"

"He told me about that," she said, "And how you helped him get two free books from that book place downtown."

He nodded. "Yes. But later on, Tucker's mother found out about Aaron's punishment. At first she was furious. But then I told her that horrible name he'd called you. And... Melanie, I felt so sorry for that woman. She really has tried with Tucker. But his father... I don't want to say anything that ought to be confidential between parent and teacher, but suffice it to say, Tucker does not have a normal family situation."

Melanie looked down at her lap. She interlaced her fingers and stared at them. "I feel sorry for him."

Mr. Van was slightly stunned. "I can't believe you just said that, sweetheart. Obviously, I do too. But right now I'm so furious at him I could break a window." His voice was shaking with badly-controlled emotion.

Melanie, on the other hand, just felt drained. She'd been through this before. She'd had her happiness smashed so many times before that it hardly hurt now. "I'll be mad at him later. I'll hate him later. Now... I don't know what I feel. I just wanna know why."

Mr. Van gulped. He knelt down beside her. "Like I said, I think it might be partly my fault. I suggested a treatment camp to Tucker's mother. A place where kids like him can hopefully get help. His mother and I talked it over. He was supposed to go there tomorrow. Three weeks. We even planned it so he wouldn't miss Halloween."

The wolf stood up and leaned over his desk, bracing himself with one hand. "But, obviously, he found out. And he's clearly not happy with the idea. And it seems he blames you."

Melanie's face turned into a scowl. "That's so... stupid."

"Yes, it is," Mr. Van agreed. "But some people have a problem with blame. To them, everything is always someone else's fault. When they have problems, they treat everyone around them as the cause, even when that makes no sense. And the people they blame get angry and react back. People like Tucker's father lack the ability to take responsibility for what they've done, so they blame their victims for reacting. And their children learn this behavior from them. It's a cycle. They act out, they get frustrated when they are punished, so they act out even more. I'd hoped Tucker might find someone to talk to at that camp I mentioned. I..."

The wolf paused and was silent for a few moments. "I spent a few weeks there myself when I was young," he confessed. "Not for the same reasons as Tucker. I had my own family problems. I don't think it's exactly appropriate to share them with a student..."

"I understand," Melanie said softly.

He nodded in appreciation. "But they helped me. A lot. I've recommended them to other families, usually with very positive results. I know that sometimes children resist the idea. They fear it'll be like a mental hospital or a bootcamp. It's not. But their fear is real nonetheless. I'm just sorry that I didn't pick up any signs from Tucker. I had no idea what he was planning."

"And he really planned it out, didn't he..." she said. She tried to imagine Tucker hunting around in his neighborhood, searching the streets for a nasty, yechhy used diaper to throw at her. Keeping it in his backpack all day. Had he planned to ruin her costume too? Was that just a spur of the moment thing? Maybe he'd been planning to knock her over specifically so everyone would see her diaper under her skirt.

That reminded her...

"Um, Mr. Van...?"

He was lost in thought, but snapped out of it. "Yes?"

"I kinda lost control of myself when I fell off the stage," she admitted.

He winced. One more thing to feel guilty about. "I'll get the tarp, sweetheart. It'll be okay."

She waited patiently for him to get the desk ready. It was strange when she thought about it. She'd just peed herself in front of pretty much the whole school and dozens of strangers. And she'd barely even thought about it. Years ago, using her diaper in public was a living nightmare. She was sure someone would hear her trickling or smell her odor. The fact that hardly anyone ever had didn't decrease her anxiety any.

She smiled the barest trace of a smile. That was one positive thing about all this. Proof she wasn't as worried about her stinky ol' diapers anymore.

Mr. Van guessed correctly that Melanie might not have it in her to make it up onto the desk today. He picked her up by her waist and laid her down on the tarp. She looked off to the side, staring into space. He let her be alone with her thoughts. Gently and gentlemanly, he slid down her skirt and undid her diaper.

He smelled her lovely scent again, but it brought no arousal this time. This was not an appropriate time and place. He and Melanie had done a bit more since their Monday encounter. On Tuesday they had risked a quick cuddle during lunchtime. Wednesday after class, they had hugged, and he had let Melanie feel his penis through his pants. She'd asked again to see it, but he still wasn't quite ready.

He felt horribly guilty about it all of a sudden. He chastised himself for doing something so indecent with a student. But this wasn't a time for his foolish guilt either. This wasn't about his emotions, it was about hers. And about getting her clean and dry and on the path to feeling better again.

He cleaned her fur with wipes from her backpack. He applied her special cream. He swapped out her old diaper for a new one and taped her up, nice and snug. "How does that feel?"

Melanie blinked away her thoughts and sat up. She wiggled her tush in the new dry padding. "Better," she said, giving him a little smile.

He hugged her. "I'm very glad to hear it. Melanie, is there anything else I can do before I send you home? Give you a ride, maybe?"

"That's okay. I doubt both my chair and my dozer would fit in your car."

"True," he admitted. He looked over to the bent, dented orange box in the corner. "It really did look superb."

Hearing that, she sat up straighter. A gleam of determination suddenly shone in her eyes. "You know what? I'm gonna go home, and me and my Daddy are going to fix it. Because I'm going trick or treating tonight. I've never done it before, and I've wanted to for weeks and weeks, and Tucker is not going to stop me!"

Her tiny voice had risen to a fierce bellow. Mr. Van smiled, glad to see her on the mend. "That's a fantastic idea! I'm not sure we can get it back onto your chair like it is, however. I'm sorry if I mangled it getting it off, but getting you out of it was my top priority."

She made a 'that's okay, I understand' gesture.

"I could try fitting it in my backseat and drive it to your house for you, if you like."

"That's perfect!" she said. "I'll roll on home like usual, then I'll start fixing it and Daddy can join in when he gets home." She hugged him again. "Thank you."

"It's always my pleasure to help you, Melanie."

She lifted her muzzle to his in a grateful kiss.

*****

Melanie got her skirt back on and descended from the desk into her chair all by herself. Mr. Van said to go on ahead and he'd follow behind her. First he wanted to assess the dozer-shell and make sure nothing had fallen off of it that she might need later.

As Melanie rolled through the doorway, she found Aaron standing in the hall.

"Hi, Melanie," he said awkwardly.

Melanie's heartrate started speeding up. She shut the door behind her. "Um, hi Aaron. Why are you here?"

"I stayed behind to help with your wheelchairdozer. I was gonna come back to your house and help you fix it up for tonight."

She smiled. "Awww! Thank you! That's just what I was planning."

"You're welcome." He fidgeted from foot to foot. "I... Uh... I looked through the window in the door. I saw Mr. Van changing you."

Her cheeks got hot. "How much did you see?" She felt a small sensation of panic take root and start growing inside her.

"Not much! Really!" he sputtered. "I didn't see any of your... 'girl stuff'. Just you on the desk with your diaper open, that's all."

"Okay," she said, feeling relieved.

"But... I don't understand. Why were you and Mr. Van kissing?"

Melanie felt like all her insides had just turned into ice, and then shattered.


~~~~~

*Chapter Fourteen*


Seeing the panic in her eyes, Aaron tactfully asked if maybe they could talk about this later.

Melanie vigorously agreed.

She hustled him out of the building as fast as her wheels could carry her. She sputtered and 'umm'ed as she tried to convey that, while she didn't want to lie or say nothing at all, the situation was very complicated and she still wasn't thinking straight yet.

To her immense relief, Aaron was completely understanding. He said that after what Tucker did, he was surprised she was able to talk at all. He'd expected her to be either dead silent or crying her eyes out.

She said that she had cried a little, yes. And she was sure she'd cry more later on. In fact, she could feel a tightly-wound ball of emotion deep in her gut which she was consciously ignoring. But only for now. Tonight she might cry herself to sleep. But right now she had a job to concentrate on. She had a costume to fix. She was not going to let Tucker take this special night away from her.

As they exited the parking lot, Aaron realized that, even though he'd offered to walk Melanie home, he had no idea where that was. She said she'd be happy to scoot ahead and show him. Aaron shook his head. He wanted to at least push her chair to let her rest a bit. She was about to protest, almost as a reflex, but then realized that it really would be helpful. As he took the handles of her wheelchair, she reached back to pat his paw and thank him.

As they walked, they talked about Tucker. Mostly it was Aaron grumbling, telling Melanie stories that had happened before she'd moved to town. He said that Tucker was a weird bully. Sometimes, like today, he'd do something nasty out of the blue after being quiet for days or weeks beforehand. Aaron hadn't noticed him ever focusing on a specific target like Melanie before. Usually, the retriever was known for random acts of rudeness to anyone who got too near him when he was in one of his mad moods.

When they got to her block, Melanie spotted Mr. Van's long black car in her driveway. He'd just finished pulling her dented dozer out of his backseat. He waved to her and Aaron as they came closer. Then he very apologetically handed Melanie one of the smokestacks, which had fallen off in transit. She said it was nothing a little hot glue wouldn't fix.

Aaron offered to drag the dozer-shell over to the garage all by himself. He even lifted it over his head to show off his manly physique. Melanie said he was very impressive. Then she turned back to Mr. Van, thanked him several more times and gave him a hug. He said he'd see her tomorrow, and that he fully expected her to tell him how tonight's trick or treating had gone. She liked that he was so confident she'd get everything fixed in time.

Meanwhile, Aaron was struggling with the garage door. Melanie rolled up and rolled her eyes. He was pulling so hard on the handle it looked like he was going to dislocate a shoulder. She waved him aside. "Open sesame!" she commanded. With a rumble, the door opened. Aaron was wowed. He asked if it was voice-activated. She giggled and revealed the remote opener she'd palmed a moment ago.

Melanie was already looking the dozer-shell up and down, assessing exactly what it needed and what tools she'd require. There was certainly work to be done, but thankfully less than she'd feared. She asked for Aaron's help lifting it up onto the workbench. But Aaron's mind was elsewhere. He was staring at her racing wheelchair.

Melanie was only slightly annoyed when he said he couldn't possibly concentrate on work until she showed this baby off for him. She'd figured as much. And she was glad to have someone else to appreciate it with.

It was longer and lower than her normal chair. Triangular, with a small wheel in front and two huge inward-tilted wheels in back. It was painted a bright candy-apple red with black highlights. Aaron asked if she needed any help getting into it. She gave him a Look, then transferred chairs as smooth as silk. (It was actually much harder than she'd made it seem, but she just *had* to show off after a silly comment like that.) She did ask him to hand her her helmet and gloves so he wouldn't feel useless.

Then it was down the driveway and into the street. Melanie made sure her helmet was just tight enough. She flexed her fingers and took hold of her wheels. She tested her grip. It was always a little awkward at first since she was so used to the motion of pushing her regular chair.

Aaron stood on the sidewalk like a fan getting ready for the Indy 500 to start. He said she didn't have to go too fast if it'd hurt her arm. She'd actually forgotten about that until he mentioned it, which was a good thing. She said she thought she'd be fine.

Melanie checked to make sure the street was clear, even swiveling her ears around to listen for cars. Then she pushed off.

It was always a little slow going at first until she overcame inertia. Soon enough she was gliding easily. Aaron was keeping pace with her on the sidewalk. She grinned as she came to the corner and turned around. "Think I can beat you to the end of the block?" she called out. Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt. She'd never beat anyone in a race before. She'd only competed with Daddy, and she was sure he let her win most of the time.

"Maybe," said Aaron. "I'd like to see you try!"

She liked that he hadn't said it as a cliche, but literally.

"Three-two-one-GO!!" she shouted.

Aaron was not caught off guard. Quick as a bunny, he took off. Melanie willed strength into her arms and tore at her wheels.

The bunny was solidly in the lead at first. But Melanie knew she just needed momentum. Once she got going, her racing chair cut through the air like a knife. She pumped her arms, leaning low and feeling the wind rustle her fur. Her left arm pulsed in irritation from where she'd scraped it. But the pain faded as she concentrated on building speed. Soon she didn't notice it at all. She was too focused on flying.

She allowed herself a grin when she passed Aaron.

Going this fast was a special kind of bliss. Normally, everything took so much time. Kids with working legs would pass her as she wheeled to school. Getting in and out of bed was a chore. Going to the bathroom was a gymnastic routine. Stairs were a nightmarish endurance test. Everything took longer for her. Her legs were like an anchor. But when she was in her racing chair, all that changed. She had speed on her side. She was a bird, a bullet train, a starship with warp drive...

Then in a blink she was at the end of the block. She skidded to a stop, grateful for the padding in her gloves. She was breathing harder than she'd realized. Her heartbeat was a blur.

She looked back and saw Aaron three houses down. Just standing there with his mouth hanging open.

"You're fucking FAST!!!" he blurted out, loud enough for every neighbor to hear.

She grinned immensely. Hearing that felt better than almost any compliment she could remember.

*****

Randall Hartwood arrived home a little earlier than normal. He hadn't told his co-workers exactly what had happened at Melanie's school, fearful they'd want to hunt down Tucker and lynch him. He just said his little girl had been in an accident and she fell. A few guys disapprovingly asked why he wasn't with her at the hospital. He told them that Melanie had insisted he return to work. When his daughter said she was fine, she didn't like to be contradicted. He said that if this had happened a few years ago, he absolutely would have stuck by her side like epoxy. But now, she was stronger. She had begun to want to handle life's obstacles on her own. He was proud of her for that. Although he also said he was gonna hover over her like a mother hen when he got home just to be sure she was really okay.

No surprise that she was. He chuckled when he pulled into the driveway and saw her in the garage, already hard at work repairing the dozer-shell. He'd planned on suggesting that very idea. But of course she'd already thought of it. "That's my girl," he said to himself.

Aaron was a little intimidated to meet Melanie's dad for the first time, but the big fox turned out to be welcoming and easygoing. He walked right up and shook Aaron's paw so hard it tingled afterwards. He said Melanie had mentioned a bunny boy at school she was fond of. Both cubs blushed a little.

Before joining their work on the dozer, Mr. Hartwood sat down beside Melanie and talked with her about what Tucker had done. Aaron watched quietly, trying not to seem nosy. He did notice that Mr. Hartwood seemed really proud of how Melanie was handling it. And that Melanie talked very openly with her dad. It made Aaron think about his relationship with his own parents. Sometimes he'd go whole days only saying two-word sentences at them. 'Good morning.' 'When's dinner?' 'Good night.' He wished he could have the kind of talks with his dad that Melanie was having with hers now. It was something to file away and maybe work on later. After the two foxes had talked over everything they could think of, they hugged for a long time, and then they picked up their tools.

Aaron had felt a little out of place while Melanie was working, but now with Mr. Hartwood around, that feeling doubled. Watching their synchronicity as they worked, it was clear they'd been doing stuff like this together for a long, long time. It drove home how unnecessary he was. He tried his best to help though. He was quick to fetch a tool or hold something in place while it dried. Though he felt like he was about to shrivel up into a ball when he brought Mr. Hartwood the wrong screwdriver. The fox just laughed and said not to worry so much.

The bunny did find a way to be useful though. Around five, Melanie said her tummy was rumbling. There was still a lot of work left to be done on the dozer though. Enough that she wasn't sure there was time to take a dinner break. Mr. Hartwood offered to go on a quick hamburger-hunting excursion. But then Aaron seized the opportunity. He said that, with their permission, he'd be happy to go make them something in the kitchen. His mom worked full-time and he often had to make meals at home. Mr. Hartwood and Melanie both thought it was a great idea and thanked Aaron for his generosity. Feeling reenergized, he said "You're welcome!" and dashed off.

He was glad the Hartwood's kitchen was easy to navigate. It looked like they had pretty much all the same food-stuff he did. He poked through the fridge and cupboards while considering recipes. He'd figured soup and sandwiches would be good and quick. Then he thought about Melanie and her dad spilling the soup all over where they were trying to work. Nah. Chili though... That'd be thicker and easier to eat! He'd seen two cans of it above the sink. He soon had the stove on and was rummaging for a pot.

A short while later he returned to the garage with three big soup mugs full of steaming chili and a platter of expertly grilled cheese sandwiches. Melanie was ecstatic. She said grilled cheese was one of her all-time favorite comfort foods. She thanked him with a kiss. Aaron blushed and fidgeted, but Mr. Hartwood showed no sign of disapproval. He ruffled Aaron's hair, said everything smelled good, and dug in. When he tried the chili his eyebrows went up. Aaron admitted to adding some extra stuff. He said he got bored cooking the same gunk over and over at home and liked to experiment. Though the results weren't always edible, he admitted. Mr. Hartwood banished the bunny's worries and wanted to know exactly what was in the chili. Aaron was happy to share. He felt wonderful as he watched them eat. He wasn't much of a builder's assistant, but he'd found a way to be helpful in his own way.

Mr. Hartwood licked the bowl out when he'd finished. He burped loudly, making Melanie giggle. "By the way Aaron, how late did your mother say you could stay out tonight?"

The bunny twitched. He knew he'd forgotten something. "May I use your phone!?" he asked frantically.

Suppressing a chuckle, Mr. Hartwood said it was in the livingroom.

"She's gonna skin me!!" Aaron wailed as he dashed out of the garage.

*****

Fortunately, Mrs. Cabot had not been too angry on the phone. At first she was (you bet your ass), but as Aaron explained just what had happened at school, she calmed down considerably. She scolded him a bit for not calling sooner, but had to admit she couldn't be too mad at him for wanting to help out a classmate like that. Trembling a bit with worry, he asked if it was okay if he stayed at the Hartwoods' for trick or treating. He was relieved when she said it was okay with her so long as it was okay with Mr. Hartwood. Aaron did a little dance right there in the livingroom, then went to go get Melanie's dad.

Soon everything was worked out between the parents. Aaron went back to the garage to finish his chili. Mr. Hartwood said there was something else he could do to help out. "Anything!" Aaron replied. The big fox admired the boy's work ethic. He said the littler kids would be coming around soon, and Aaron could be in charge of handing out candy. Aaron said that sounded fine. Mr. Hartwood just advised him not to snack *too* much out of the bowl.

By the time the sun had faded from orange to purple, the bulldozer was back in business. It didn't look quite as good as new, Melanie had to admit, but she was still astounded by how much of the damage they'd been able to repair. They'd smoothed out the dents almost completely, and were able to make the creases less noticeable with some careful paint applications. They'd replaced the whole roof with a new one, and even swapped out the arms on the scoop. Melanie tested to make sure it still raised and lowered. It did. Maybe even a little better than before. Best of all, Aaron had come up with an idea to make the remaining damage work. They'd strategically applied dust, scratches and rust-colored paint to make the dozer look like it'd seen some heavy use. It went from looking new and impressive, to broken-in and badass.

Trick or treating was actually going to happen now. Melanie was scared, but in the very best way. She'd never done this before. She had no idea what it'd be like. But she knew other kids talked about it like it was the best night of the year. She'd wanted to be a part of this for so long. But how could she possibly go out in public in her wheelchair, with strangers looking at her all night long? That was what she'd thought then. It seemed silly now. All she needed was a change in attitude, a good costume, and a friend to help. Aaron had assured her he was a trick or treating pro. With his help, he said, they'd be up to their armpits in candy by the end of the night.

Mr. Hartwood had asked Melanie if she wanted him to go with her. He could tell in her eyes that she did. She wanted to share this moment with him. But her selflessness shone through as usual and she said he ought to stay at home so he could pass out candy to the other kids. He gave her a hug for her thoughtfulness and agreed. However, a daughter's first time trick or treating is an important event which he didn't want to miss. He said he'd tag along for a block or so, just until she got the hang of it. She thanked him quite loudly. He could hear her wagging tail thumping on the inside of the dozer-shell.

Plus, he said, he had to come along so he could take pictures. Melanie and Aaron were happy to pose for a few before they headed out. They even took one of her 'crushing' him under her treads and grinning evilly. In the next pic, he revenged himself and Melanie pretended to be writhing in agony as he slashed her throat with his plastic sword.

Then it was finally time. Melanie had made sure her battery was all charged up. She had a fresh, dry diaper on, plus a couple of spares in the back. Although she had no idea where she could change if she had to. But that wasn't important. The only thing that was important tonight was C-A-N-D-Y.

They started with her next-door neighbors' house. Immediately, Melanie realized there was a problem. Most other houses didn't have wheelchair ramps. Most other houses had front steps. How was she going to get close enough to hold open her treat sack?

Aaron had already planned ahead. He told her to just scoot as close as she could and scream "TRICK OR TREEEAT!!!" with him at the top of her lungs. They did it on three. Melanie was surprised how much fun it was. Mrs. Ballard opened the door and Melanie received the first of many gushing compliments about her costume. Aaron felt a little drab in comparison, but he didn't mind. He was like the opening act and she was the main attraction. He held open his bag and asked the nice chipmunk lady to toss Melanie's into the bulldozer scoop. Melanie grinned at the idea and raised it up for her. Two fun-size candy bars landed in it with a 'thunk'. "Thanks, Mrs. Ballard!!" she shouted.

Aaron hopped down off the porch. "In a coupla hours, I guarantee that scoop's gonna be so full it'll snap off," he said coolly.

Daddy gave her a thumbs-up from the sidewalk and snapped another photo. "Good start, sugar!"

Melanie's grin was immense. She could hardly believe she was really doing this. Finally. And there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. She thanked Aaron for his help and together they headed for the next house.

*****

It turned out they couldn't actually keep candy in the scoop, to her disappointment. The idea was neat, but the blade sloped too low. The moment Melanie lowered it, the candy bars fell out. No problem though. Aaron picked them up and said he'd trade his for hers if she didn't wanna eat sidewalk candy. She said she didn't mind; candy was candy. From then on, he took the treats for both of them and the bag on Melanie's lap got fuller and fuller.

It was a night to remember. In total, they hit ten full blocks and a cul-de-sac. More houses than Melanie could count. Aaron had asked frequently if she was getting tired, and she always replied that she was happy to keep on going. Hours passed and her candy sack got heavier than she thought possible. She was starting to wonder whether they should head home and get another one, when she realized she could just dump some of the excess in her chair's storage bag. Aaron helped her out with that, since the dozer-shell prevented her from reaching back there.

He also helped teach her the Halloween ropes. He pointed out that it wasn't usually worth trying to get candy from houses with no porch light on. Not unless someone was sitting there with a bowl in their lap. He also pointed out that they should hit the two convenience stores nearby. Melanie would never have thought of that. She got a small sack of potato chips from one and a whole regular-sized chocolate bar from the other. Aaron also advised avoiding the temptation to eat candy during the actual trick or treating process. He said it was worth it to get home and dump everything out in a pile and just gaze at it for a while.

Aside from a couple of bumpy sidewalks, there had been no problems. Melanie thought the night had gone better than she'd ever hoped. She was happy they were finally heading back home though. Her butt was itchy in her diaper. And her bag had gotten so full again she worried it was going to slide off her lap and she'd run over it.

Daddy was there to greet her warmly when she returned. She and Aaron gave him all the details as he helped Melanie disengage the dozer-shell. Melanie tossed the hardhat and workgloves off too. It had been a warm night and they'd really gotten sweaty. Aaron was just as relieved to take off all his pirate stuff. He said that having to constantly keep the mustache from falling off had been a pain in the tail.

Mr. Hartwood said he'd had eighty-five kids show up so far, counting the ones Aaron had dealt with earlier in the evening. A few more than last year. He asked Aaron and Melanie about their hauls and they were proud to show them off. They upended their bags on the livingroom carpet and both kids had a moment of pure, mindless, hysterical euphoria.

Mountains of candy! *Acres* of candy! Melanie had never seen so much of it in her entire life!

While Mr. Hartwood went back to watching the silly 'scary' movie that was on TV, Melanie and Aaron were going bonkers over the night's loot. Melanie rummaged through her pile, loving the sound of the wrappers rustling, feeling the sheer weight of it all. She chose a caramel chocolate bar as her first piece. It was the sweetest taste she could imagine. Soon she and Aaron were stuffing their faces. He suggested they pick out the kinds they didn't like and maybe do some trading. Melanie thought that was an excellent idea. They shuffled everything into little piles from 'most liked' to 'most barfifying'. Melanie loathed red licorice, and Aaron was happy to take it off her hands in exchange for all of his candy corn.

Then Melanie felt an urge. She hastily excused herself, vaulted back into her chair and hauled ass to the bathroom. The button on her jeans gave her some trouble, but she managed to toss her diaper aside and get on the pot just in time. She sighed happily as she tinkled. She was surprised her bladder had given her such ample warning this time.

As she left after washing up, she found Aaron standing behind a door for the second time that day. He said he'd just wanted to be sure she was okay.

"You're sure you weren't trying to peek in on me?" she teased.

He vehemently denied it. So much so, she realized he must have at least thought about it. She giggled and remembered what she'd promised to talk with him about earlier.

"Why don't we go in my bedroom for a little while, Aaron?" she said softly with a playful smile.

He blinked. Then gulped. "I'll get the candy," he said.


~~~~~

*Chapter Fifteen*


As soon as he shut the door to her bedroom, Melanie kissed him.

Right on the lips, too! Aaron reeled back a little in happy shock, dropping their candy bags on her carpet. "What was that for!?"

"For being so nice 'n helpful to me all day, stupid!" she said, giggling. Then she licked her lips. "Yum! You taste like chocolate!"

Aaron licked his lips too. "I s'pose so. Actually, um, that happened so quick I didn't get a chance to taste you..."

She grinned coyly. "Then come taste me, little bunny-bun," she purred.

Aaron chuckled and wiggled nervously. "Um..." He took a quick breath, then leaned over her chair and just did it. He held onto her armrests. She put her paws on top of his.

"You taste like chocolate too..." he whispered.

She smiled, then nuzzled noses. "Thanks. And for the kiss too. I'm glad you didn't get all nervous and freak out."

"Naw," he lied nonchalantly.

"Speaking of kisses..." Melanie parked her chair by the bed and pulled herself onto it. It felt good to stretch her legs and tail. She'd been sitting for hours. "You remember after school? When you saw me kissing Mr. Van?"

"I'd almost forgot about that, actually," Aaron said. "What was up with that?"

She patted the bed next to her. "Come sit by me and I'll explain. And bring the candy."

Aaron nodded and got the bags, pausing to unwrap another chocolate. If he got another kiss, he wanted to taste extra good for her.

Melanie had a second thought. "Actually... why don't you sit in my chair instead?" she said, knowing the effect it'd have on him.

His ears went straight up. "Really?" He was trying to look like the idea didn't excite him as much as it did. "I mean, is that okay?"

She chuckled. "I'm asking you to, so yes!"

"Well, I meant like... It feels weird. The idea of it. Since I'm not... like you. Handicapped, I mean."

She rolled her eyes. "It's just a chair! I know you think it's cool; I don't mind. In fact, I'm glad you like it so much. Go on and sit in it, silly."

"O-okay." Placing the candy on the bed, Aaron very gingerly lowered himself into Melanie's seat. "Hey, it's warm..."

"Well yeah. My butt's been there for the last few hours," Melanie said teasingly.

She could see his cheeks get redder at that. He grinned goofily. "It feels nice. Girl warmth..." He wiggled his butt a bit. "It's comfy too. Makes sense that it'd be, since you have to sit here all the time."

"Mm-hmm. I change cushions sometimes, but yeah, I like it. I'm just sad I'm gonna outgrow it eventually. Imagine me in high school still using this one!"

He laughed. "Your butt'd get stuck!"

"Hey!" she whapped him with her tail.

"Oo, soft!"

She laid it in his lap and let him play with it a bit. Like many foxes, she was proud of her pretty tail. "Anyway, back on topic. You saw me and Mr. Van kissing. And it's because... well, it's complicated. And some of it's secret. I promised him I wouldn't tell. Not because he made me; I just don't want him to get in any trouble."

Aaron nodded. "I don't want him to get in trouble either. That's why I didn't say anything. I know grownups can get sent to jail for that kinda stuff." He had a thought. "You haven't... done anything more than kiss, have you?"

Melanie bit her lip, looking very conflicted. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," she said again.

By saying that, she'd sorta answered his question. He wasn't sure what to feel about this. "He didn't make you do anything?"

She shook her head forcefully. "No! Not at all. Heck, I pretty much forced *him* into it."

"Why though?"

Needing a moment to go over her words in her mind, Melanie leaned over to snag her bag. She unwrapped the first thing her paw touched and popped it in her mouth. Then she winced. Sour apple. She chewed it quickly and swallowed. "Bleah. I should've given you that one."

Then she stretched out again, propping herself up with her pillow. "Remember when you mentioned seeing that site about sexy wheelchairs?"

Aaron turned red. "...yes."

He was so cute when he was all embarrassed! "I looked for it about a week ago. I don't know if I found what you saw, but I found a whole lot of stuff. It was amazing. I had no idea so many people could feel that way. Some of it was a little gross and weird, but mostly it made me feel... hopeful."

He leaned forward. "How?"

"That maybe... someone would look at me someday, and think that I'm sexy. Even with my wheelchair."

"I do," Aaron blurted. Then he realized what he'd said.

Melanie sat up. "I know, Aaron. Why do you think I've been teasing you so much lately? I *love* that you do! I *want* to feel sexy and pretty and wanted. There was this lady I saw online: Lady Lola. She was a sexy siamese cat, and she had a chair just like mine. Well, it wasn't motorized actually. And she had normal legs. But the point is, she was in a chair too. And there were photos of her all over the site posing in it. Naked! She was *proud* to show off! That made me feel so incredible I couldn't even think straight!"

Aaron said nothing, but his body language spoke quite clearly: 'You are making me uncomfortably horny right now.'

She knew, and loved that she could create this feeling in someone. She grinned. "It was so hot, I had to rush in here... right on this bed... and paw off."

"Girls do that too!?" he shouted. Then clapped both paws over his mouth.

Melanie laughed out loud.

He shrank into the corner of the wheelchair. "Ha ha."

"Aaron, I'm not laughing *at* you!" she said sincerely, pulling herself closer. "I just can't believe you thought we didn't! I mean, I know boys and girls do it differently, but I know everyone does."

"How?" he said, bewildered and astounded by this new side of her.

She smiled smugly. "You're not the only one with the internet."

Aaron took a moment to let this sink in. "So you... On *this* bed...?"

"Yup."

The bunny reached out to touch the blanket. "Sweet."

She giggled. "So, the day after that, I kinda seduced Mr. Van. I can't tell you any details, because I promised. I shouldn't even be telling you this much. But I can't make you not have seen what you saw. You know that much, so I might as well admit the rest." She took one of his paws in both of hers. "Just please don't tell anyone, okay? I feel bad that I've already almost sorta broken my promise."

He squoze her paw. "I won't. I totally understand. That's the other part of why I didn't say anything earlier. From what I did see... you were smiling. You looked happy. If you'd looked afraid or like he had you trapped, I would've run to the principal or the cops right away. Heck, I might've just burst in there and beat him up!"

"Thank you, Aaron. I believe you." She touched noses with him. "But you're right. I *was* happy. Thank you for not saying anything."

He nodded. Then looked nervous. "Actually... if you don't mind me being honest..."

"Please," she said.

"Actually, um, I thought it was kinda hot," he admitted.

Melanie grinned. "Oh, good!"

He was happily flustered. "You don't mind?"

"No way! That's one of the things I was worried about! That if you found out, you'd get jealous and be mad at me. But what I do with Mr. Van... It's different. I know it's just between us. I don't want you to be jealous, Aaron, because I feel the same way about you too. And I've got room in my heart for both of you."

Aaron's heartbeat pulsed in his ears. On the one hand, he did feel a green snake of jealousy wiggling in his gut. But it was small. It felt almost like it was there just because it was expected. Much stronger was his reaction to the news that she felt the same way about him too. Her kiss had certainly shown evidence of it.

Melanie got another idea, and felt a shiver of uncertainty and excitement run through her. "In fact... If you don't mind, Aaron, I'd like to do something special with you."

"Ummmm... what exactly?"

Looking into his eyes, she slowly reached for his pants zipper.

Aaron's first instinct was to push her paws away. They couldn't!! But... instead he clutched her chair's armrests. "What are you...?"

"A thank-you gift," she said tenderly as she unzipped him. "You helped pick me back up after I fell, you walked me home and helped fix my bulldozer."

"I kinda wasn't much help with that, actually," he admitted.

"You made us dinner," she corrected. "You even offered to help change my diaper today, remember? Did you really mean that?"

He nodded.

"You're really not grossed out by me wearing them?"

He shrugged. "Nope. I mean, I was a little at first. But the whole time I've been around you, you haven't, y'know, been stinky. And I know it's a medical thing. You can't help it. I'd feel like a dick if I held that against you."

Melanie suddenly giggled. "Funny you'd say that." Her grin became immense. "Because *I* feel like a dick right about now..."

She reached into his underpants.

Aaron went rigid.

"There it is!" she said happily. She was looking forward to finally seeing one that wasn't a jpg.

"A-are you sur-re, Melanie?" Aaron said, quaking with fear, disbelief and unbearable anticipation. "I mean, your d-dad's right there in the living room!"

"Then we'll have to be quiet," Melanie said sensibly. "Now hush; foxes are supposed to eat bunnies."

For a moment, Aaron noticed her sharp vixen teeth for the first time and got scared. 'But then again,' he asked himself, 'wouldn't it be worth it?'

Going slowly, enjoying Aaron's nervousness, she peeled back the elastic of his briefs. She saw some pink amongst the soft brown fur. She inhaled. He was sweaty, a little smelly, but then again so was she. And she liked his smell. Bunny sweat had a very interesting quality to it. Rather alluring. Gently, she cupped her paw around his sheath.

Before her eyes, Aaron's cock emerged.

"Cool!" she said. "That's neat how it comes out! It's like a switchblade!"

Aaron giggled. He'd never imagined someone would compare his dick to a knife. "I'm glad you like it, Melanie."

"Are *you* liking this?" she asked in a sultry voice. But sincerely too. She was having fun making him squirm, but she didn't want to make him genuinely uncomfortable.

"Absolutely!!! This is... To be honest, I've kinda fantasized about this."

"With me?"

He nodded.

"And you in my chair?"

"Well, maybe not that part. But that makes it even better!"

She smiled. "Good! I thought you'd like it. My bunny boyfriend is a wheelchair perv!" she teased.

"Wait... _boyfriend_!?" he said, happily dazed.

"Well, yes. I have my hands in your undies. I'd say that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend."

He laughed. "Yeah but, it just feels awesome to hear it!" He leaned in to kiss her.

"Mmm!" She could taste chocolate again. That gave her another idea! "Wait just a moment!!" She made a dive for her candy bag. She rooted around until she found a plain milk chocolate mini-bar. Perfect.

As she unwrapped it, Aaron suddenly guessed what she was going to do. He braced himself.

Melanie was loving this. It felt incredible to get such reactions from him. Slowly, savoring the look in his eyes, she unwrapped the chocolate. Then, like a crayon, she began to smear it along his bunnycock.

Aaron made some really amusing sounds.

Melanie went nice and slow, watching the chocolate melt, getting it all over her bunny. She watched his pink turn to brown. The aroma of candy and cock was irresistible. She'd wanted to spread the whole fun-size bar over his erection, but she couldn't wait to taste it anymore. She popped the rest of the candy in her mouth, and then Aaron too.

The only thing keeping Aaron from screaming in pleasure was the fact that he didn't want Melanie's dad to come in and wring his neck. He had never felt anything like this before. This left masturbating in the dust. Melanie's tongue was so moist and warm! Her mouth was like a tiny oven! She was being so precise and methodical too. He knew when she finished, there would not be a single molecule of chocolate left on him.

Melanie 'Mmmmmm'ed at the flavor. The salty skin and sweat went quite well with the sweet chocolate. It reminded her of a peanut butter cup. Plus Aaron's cock just felt so interesting in her mouth! Soft and spongy, but so firm inside. She traced her tongue along the small tip and inside his slit. 'That's where he pees,' she thought to herself.

She had a sudden image of Aaron wearing one of her diapers. Where had THAT come from? And why did she find it so hot!?

Aaron was both young and a rabbit, which meant this lovely experience was destined to be short-lived. He felt his pleasure rising to an unstoppable climax. 'No, wait! Not yet!!' He had barely enough time to grunt a warning before it overtook him. His face got hot and it felt like his heart stopped. Then pleasure obliterated his senses and thought.

All of a sudden Melanie found herself with a mouthful of bunny cream. She sat up, surprised by the suddenness. Was this normal? She usually took waaay longer. A second squirt from Aaron landed on his pants. Not wanting to leave any evidence, she quickly lapped it up.

Coming back to reality now, Aaron saw this and was amazed. "Wow!! I'm sorry I didn't warn you, Melanie. And thanks for cleaning my pants. You didn't have to do that. How's it taste?"

She swallowed her mouthful. "Not bad. Different than mine." '...And a little like boogers,' she thought, but didn't say. Then she grimaced. "Yuck. The aftertaste's icky though."

"Sorry." He glanced between her legs. "Do you want me to, um, return the favor now?"

She was delighted that he was willing! For a second she considered it. She wanted it badly. But practicality won out. "Not now. Not tonight. You're right; I don't wanna risk my dad coming in to check on us and finding you with your head up my skirt."

"I don't wanna even imagine what he'd do to me!!"

"Probably make you into chili!" she kidded.

Aaron was simultaneously alarmed and aroused by the idea of being turned into a bowl of chili and Melanie eating him. Even though they weren't nonevs, some of the old predator/prey instincts remained and added some very nice spice to things.

"You could come back after school tomorrow," she suggested. She reached a paw down to rub the front of her skirt. He heard her diaper softly rustle. "I'd really like that."

Aaron tucked his weenie away and started to zip up, fearful of room-entering dads. "Sure! I'll just tell my mom I wanted to visit again to see how you were doing after the whole 'Tucker incident'."

Melanie's face fell, remembering it again.

Aaron mentally kicked himself. "Sorry. That was stupid of me. I killed the mood, didn't I?"

She made a 'don't worry' gesture. "No, no. It's okay. I would've remembered anyway." She sighed. "It's easier to think about it now anyway. I'm glad we got my costume fixed and we went out tonight. If we hadn't, I probably would've spent all night here in my room, just moping and crying over it. I'm glad I had some good memories to push the bad ones down." She looked up into his eyes with a grateful smile.

"You're welcome," he said softly.

She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. "It's weird. Just a year ago, that's exactly what I would have done. It's amazing how much moving here helped. Being at my old school... It was like being in a room full of smoke all the time. I didn't realize how bad it was until I finally left. Being here's been like stepping outside into the fresh air. I almost can't believe how I made it through all those awful years!"

Aaron got up out of her wheelchair to sit beside her and hold her paw. "If I helped make things better for you, Melanie, I'm glad."

She looked up at him. "Of course you did! Remember when you blew that straw wrapper at me, and we talked over by the bushes? I couldn't *believe* it at first that a boy liked me! It was this completely impossible thing. Like aliens showing up!"

He chortled. "I am Aarontron. Take me to your Melanie," he monotoned.

She laughed out loud and rolled over to hug him. "Silly bunny!"

It felt amazing being able to make her laugh, Aaron thought.

Melanie paused and sighed again. "I just wonder what school's gonna be like tomorrow," she said, with a bit of dread in her voice.

"What do you mean? You said while we were workin' on the dozer that Tucker's going away tomorrow, right? He won't be there to bother you."

"It's not that," she said. "It's how he threw the diaper at me. I know the whole school knows about my wheelchair; it's kinda obvious. But aside from you and the rest of Mr. Van's class, no one else knows I wear diapers. Now everyone does."

Aaron hadn't considered that. He was about to say that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but he knew that it very well could be. He remembered what it had been like on Melanie's first day, before her big, brave speech. He remembered the tension in the room and all the stares. That had been pretty polite in comparison to how bad it could have been.

Melanie rubbed her cheek on Aaron's fur. "I know I'll be okay in Mr. Van's class. I know everyone there's okay with me. Except Tucker of course. I just don't wanna hear the same stupid insults and unfunny jokes in the lunchroom."

Aaron didn't know what to say. He wanted with all his heart to make things better for her. But there was no way he could change the whole school's behavior.

And then suddenly, Aaron got the greatest idea ever.

He grinned so hard the corners of his lips hurt. Melanie asked him what he was suddenly so happy about, but he absolutely refused to tell her.


~~~~~

*Chapter Sixteen*


The following morning, Mr. Hartwood had damn near needed to pry his daughter out of bed with a crowbar.

Melanie felt like sewer sludge. She had eaten waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much candy last night. Her mouth tasted radioactive. She promised herself she'd stick to just a few pieces a day from now on.

Over breakfast, she and Daddy talked about the day before. About the happiness of the night and the pain of the afternoon. Daddy asked how she felt about going back to school after what Tucker had done. She was honest about her worries, and he admitted that they might be valid. But the look of determination in her eyes surprised him. He could see that, now that she'd tasted true happiness and contentment, she wasn't about to let anyone take that away from her without a fight. She'd changed so much since the move it was breathtaking.

After finishing breakfast and brushing her teeth, Melanie sat in front of the mirror for quite a long time. She fussed with her hair and fur. She checked her clothes. She looked deep into her own eyes for any signs of weakness. Anything that said Tucker had gotten to her; that she was vulnerable or ashamed of herself. She didn't see anything like that, and was glad.

She spent so long in the bathroom, Daddy had to knock and tell her she'd be late if she didn't leave soon. When she exited he was doing the pee dance. He wished her good luck at school as he quickly dashed into the bathroom and shut the door.

*****

Melanie took deep breaths as she rolled closer to Mill Dale Elementary. Experience had taught her that sometimes other kids didn't react with sympathy when bad things happened. Sometimes they laughed. Sometimes they tried to see just how much more cruelty they could pile on. Sometimes anything that made you different made you a target.

So it was a relief when the first comment she heard that day was a kind one. As she ascended the ramp to the front door, some sixth-grade girls held it open for her and said they were sorry for what happened yesterday. She thanked them and said she was doing okay.

Of course, it wasn't all nice. As she travelled the hallways, she noticed a few kids turn to a friend and whisper while trying to look like they weren't. She even thought she heard the word 'diapers', but couldn't be sure if she was just being hyper-sensitive. But even if they were whispering, that was okay. It was still better than yelling it in her face.

She heard someone laugh as she passed by them, but grit her teeth and didn't look back. 'That might not have been about me,' she reminded herself. 'He could have just been telling a joke.' Her specialist had talked with her about this. Dr. Gupta said that all of us worry sometimes that everyone else is looking at us or talking about us or thinking about us. But most of the time, that was exactly what everyone else was worried about too.

She felt better as soon as she entered Mr. VanKressler's room. Several of her friends got up from their seats to ask how she was doing. She glanced at the back of the room and saw that Tucker's seat was empty. 'Good!' she thought, with just a touch of vengeance.

Mr. Van said he was glad to see her looking so upbeat, and reminded her that he expected to be briefed on last night's candy-gathering activities. He said he'd even give her some time to tell the whole class about it if she liked. She blushed modestly and said thanks but no thanks. Instead she parked by his desk and talked about trick or treating until the bell rang.

Melanie scooted to her seat. Sasha was already at her own desk, filing her claws. She looked up as Melanie approached and gave her a very heartfelt look of solidarity. "You look great," the little lizard said.

"Thanks, but I'm still kinda nervous. I heard some kids whispering in the hall. Maybe it was about me, I dunno. I might just be paranoid."

Sasha shrugged. "I heard some girls talking about, 'Did you hear about the girl who wears diapers?' when I came in, but they sounded more grossed-out than mean. You'll probably get someone saying something stupid to you today. At least once. But I'll be right by your side. Just point at anyone you want me to beat up!" She did a quick karate-chop to her desk.

Melanie giggled.

"Quiet in the back please, girls," Mr. Van said, just loudly enough to playfully embarrass them.

'Thank you,' Melanie mouthed to Sasha as she turned back around.

As she did, she noticed that Aaron's seat was empty too. That was strange. Though she knew he'd eaten just as many sweets last night as she had. Maybe he was still in bed with a monster tummyache.

Mr. VanKressler silently took roll as the Pledge was read over the P.A. Then he stood at the front and asked everyone how their Halloweens had gone. He let the students talk about their adventures for a while. Beverly said she'd gone to a party with her mom, but it was mostly grownups there and the most interesting thing was the food. A few other kids had gone to parties, but most had been out trick or treating. Mark said that he and his brother, along with Sherwood and Patrick, had gone as a group and hit a record number of houses. Several other cubs reported good hauls. Kevin said that one house had given out little pamphlets which asked if he had a personal relationship with Jesus. Jackson snickered and asked if he did. Kevin said, "Sure, we play soccer on the weekends." This got a good solid laugh out of most of the class.

Just as Lisa was finishing up telling about how her treat bag had split and a nice high school boy had given her a new one, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Mr. Van.

And Aaron made his entrance.

Instant pandemonium.

The bunny boy strode to the middle of the room with a calm, cocky smile on his muzzle. While the other students gawked, laughed or looked outright horrified, he acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Mr. VanKressler facepalmed, drug his paw down his cheeks and stared in utter disbelief. "Mr. Cabot... I shudder to ask what in the name of sanity possessed you to come to school dressed like that?"

Melanie was a frozen statue with her mouth hanging open. She couldn't stop staring. She was with Mr. Van on this: what the hell was Aaron thinking!?

Aaron stood in the center of the room, cool as a cucumber, wearing a perfectly normal t-shirt and short shorts. The shorts themselves were a bit unusual for him, but what had gotten so much attention was the fact that they did nothing to conceal the gigantic diaper he was wearing underneath.

"Well," he said casually, "Melanie told me how she was worried that the other kids might give her a hard time today since Tucker kinda 'outed' her about her diapers. So, I thought I might try to deflect their attention."

Mr. VanKressler blinked for a few seconds.

Aaron tossed a shit-eating grin Melanie's way.

She felt a smile growing on her face. He was insane! Her little bunny boyfriend was insane! But it was the most selfless kind of insanity she'd ever heard of. She didn't know what to say or think. She had no idea if it would work, but the mere fact that he'd think of doing this for her made her heart spin. That he'd be willing to throw himself onto the sacrificial altar of public humiliation just to take her place. She was dumbstruck.

Mr. Van found himself chuckling. "Normally I would order you to the bathroom to take that ridiculous thing off, but I have to say, I'm impressed by your motive. Are you really sure you want to be seen in that?"

"Absolutely. All day long," Aaron said without hesitation, head held high.

"Then good luck to you," Mr. Van said. "I hope you're prepared for the reactions you're going to cause."

Aaron's crazy smile left no doubt that he did. He was ready to get swirlie'd for this. He was ready to get _suspended_ for this.

"Take your seat then. But first, do you mind telling me why you're seven minutes late?"

Aaron shrugged. "I had trouble gettin' my pants on over this big stupid thing."

As he walked crinklingly to his desk at the back of the room, Aaron basked in the giggles and chatter he heard all around him. He could tell a few kids thought he was nuts, but the vibe in the room was mostly positive. Though only one furson's reaction really mattered to him. He gave Melanie a lopsided 'I hope you don't hate me!' smile as he passed by her.

She stared at him in amazement. "You're an idiot!" she said with a huge, grateful smile.

"Yeah, probably."

"Five bucks says you get sent home early," Sasha said. "Ten bucks!"

"If I do, then I do," said Aaron. "It's worth it if it works."

Melanie felt her eyes getting misty. "I can't believe you really did this... You're really okay with getting teased instead of me?"

He nodded with 100% conviction. "I figured, the only thing that'd take attention off you was if I made myself an even bigger target. And don't worry about me. No matter what happens, I'll be okay. You're worth it."

Melanie's heart melted into goo. It grew wings and flew around in a circle. It blew up like a firecracker. "Aaron, you're wonderful."

He shrugged again.

Meanwhile, Mr. Van was wondering how in the world he could possibly make his students concentrate on their geology worksheet now.

*****

The next few hours were pretty normal. Kids giggled and passed notes to Aaron. Melanie was happy to see her classmates going along with it, but it wasn't too surprising. It was the rest of the school she was worried about. She had no idea what their reaction would be. Laughter, obviously. But would they be laughing with Aaron or at him?

When lunchtime came, Aaron advised Melanie to let him go first into the cafeteria. This was all about making him the center of attention, not her. She agreed to hang back and watch.

He strode through the halls like he owned the place. Kids gaped, pointed, screamed and laughed their asses off. Aaron drank it up. His supreme confidence was like a shield. Because he honestly didn't care what they thought of him, nothing they did could hurt him. Nothing. They could tease or throw food or trip him, and he'd just laugh along with them.

He sauntered into the cafeteria and the roof blew off. The laughter was deafening. Aaron's grin grew.

As Melanie stealthed in behind him, she noticed one of the lunchladies' lips form a perfect silent, 'What the fuuuuck?'

Aaron walked right down the center of the room, arms raised: 'Laugh it up! More! More!'. He didn't say anything. Didn't have to. He was ridiculous and loving it. And most of the other kids loved it too. Though amongst the chaos, some of the laughter was cruel. He heard a few insults. But there weren't many. It is pointless to make fun of someone who's aware they're a joke, but some kids were stupid enough to try anyway.

Once he'd made a tour of the room, he got in line and picked up a tray like nothing had happened. Perfectly nonchalant. Though on the inside he felt totally different. His cheeks were burning hot and he thought he was a half-second away from using his diaper for real. The important thing though was not to show it. Keep cool. Keep smiling.

He spotted Melanie up ahead, getting her daily ration of plasticized pepperoni pizza. He didn't notice anyone else looking at her.

Perfect.

*****

Melanie and Sasha sat with Aaron and laughed so much they barely ate. People kept coming up to Aaron to comment on his paddedness. Mostly they asked why. He gave them flippant answers like it was the latest fashion from Paris, or that it was a rebellion against the adults, or just simply, "Why not?"

Melanie thanked him again for his crazy, brilliant plan. So far, it seemed to be working. No one had said anything to her all day about her own diapers. A few more kids had commented on what Tucker had done, either calling him a turd or asking if she was okay. That was fine though.

As they were finishing up eating, Melanie grinned devilishly. "So, Aaron, the big question is... are you gonna USE it or not?"

The table chuckled. Aaron replied back suavely. "What makes you think I haven't already?"

More laughter. "Because you don't stink yet!" Melanie said.

"I accept your challenge!" Aaron replied theatrically. "I shall now defecate in my didies!!" he proclaimed.

The whole table leaned closer. "He's not really gonna..." Brandy whispered.

"He's crazy. He might," Sasha whispered back.

Aaron bent over and made grunting, straining noises.

"Don't really!" Melanie shouted. She had no idea if he was for real.

"Too late now!" Aaron said. Then he reached behind him and pretended to stick his hand down his pants. He whipped out a chocolate pudding cup. "Ta da!!!"

Melanie very nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

"TWENTY bucks!!" said Sasha.

*****

The commotion didn't die down when Aaron left the lunchroom. On the playground at recess, he was the center of the universe. He was swarmed on all sides by people wanting to see his bulging, puffy attire. He was asked why about a million more times.

Aaron got suddenly inspired. He climbed up onto a low wall near the basketball court and delivered a fiery improvised speech. His diaper, he said, was the first shot of a revolution! He asked if the other kids were sick of being treated like babies by all the teachers and adults. Much agreement. Well then, said Aaron, why not give them what they expected? Why not act like babies? There were howls of laughter and agreement.

There was also enough attention being paid to him to finally catch the eye of the administration. Aaron was not a bit surprised when he saw Mrs. Domino striding towards him.

"Lemme guess; principal's office?" He said sweetly.

She sighed bemusedly. "You guessed it, Che Guevara. C'mon."

As he was led away, the crowd of kids started chanting his name. Aaron didn't think he'd ever stop grinning.

*****

Melanie had seen him being led away to the office, and was astonished when he showed up in class twenty minutes later, *still* wearing the diaper!

Her eyes were popping out of their sockets as she watched him walk back to his seat. "How did you...!? Why didn't the principal send you home, or at least make you take it off!?"

Aaron looked like he couldn't believe it either. "I bullshitted him! At first he was _real_ mad. Like, his face was firetruck red. He accused me of trying to disrupt the whole school, so I just played dumb! And it worked! I said that I'd been having bedwetting problems for a long time and it was getting worse and my doctor decided it'd be best for me to wear diapers all the time for a while. I was kinda worried about that; that he might try to call my mom or ask for a doctor's note. But he bought it! Or more like, he was afraid to call me a liar just in case I was telling the truth. And I haven't actually *done* anything all day, except that speech at recess."

"Genius," Sasha piped up.

He did a little bow to her. "Thankyew. But yeah, all I've done is walk around with a diaper on. I could tell he really wanted to punish me, but he couldn't think of how to do it! It was incredible!"

Melanie was awestruck. "You've got nerves of steel, Aaron. Nerves of titanium!"

He looked pleased as punch. Then he turned to Sasha. "By the way, it looks like you're gonna be owing me twenty bucks by the end of the day," he kidded

"I wasn't serious!" she said, slapping his arm playfully.

Then she got a look in her eyes that Aaron recognized as a crazy idea occurring. "Uh oh," he said.

Sasha poked Melanie. "Do you have any spares in the back of your chair?" she asked eagerly.

Melanie could not believe it. "Spare what?" she asked, knowing exactly what Sasha meant.

"You know exactly what I mean," Sasha said.

*****

Mr. VanKressler had thought that allowing his students a free period after lunch would get out some of the giggles that Aaron's stunt had caused. He had to admit, he was impressed. The rabbit's plan seemed to be working exactly as intended. Melanie hadn't shown any signs of being picked on all day. In fact, she'd been laughing most of the times he'd checked on her.

He'd shared her worries at the start of the day though. He knew just as she did that kids can be cruel, even to those who've already been through awful cruelty. He'd come to class fully prepared to console her if anything like that happened. But he hadn't needed to.

As much of a distraction from schoolwork as Aaron had been, he couldn't possibly be mad at him over it.

And then Sasha came back from the restroom and the class burst out laughing again.

She had on one of Melanie's diapers and had hiked her skirt up outrageously to show it off. She waved her puffy bottom back and forth at the rest of the students.

Bridget, Lucy and Christina started chanting, "Shake what ya mama gave ya! Shake what ya mama gave ya!"

Mr. Van banged his head on his desk. His lesson plan had just gone right out the window. He'd never get them calmed down now.

He looked up at Aaron, then Sasha. "You guys are killing me, you know that?" he deadpanned.

The rabbit and lizard looked very pleased with themselves.

*****

Before the end of the day, Brandy, Russ and Abigail had also asked Melanie if she had any spare diapers. She said she didn't want to risk running out, and would bring some extra ones tomorrow.

'How much is this going to spread?' she wondered.


~~~~~

*Chapter Seventeen*


Neither Aaron or Melanie could have possibly imagined the consequences his diaper shenanigans would lead to.

The kids who had been on the playground that day and seen his speech went home and told their friends and siblings about it. Most laughed. A few said Aaron sounded like a nutcase. But there was one boy who had a brother in high school who had recently discovered punk rock. The brother, named Dave Gries, felt like all of punk had been written just for him. It spoke to the deepest parts of his soul, where rebellion boiled and his every instinct yearned to crush the system that kept him down. To celebrate this most perfect of the musical arts, he'd even pierced his ear with a safety pin and an ice cube. Hearing about Aaron's speech sparked an idea in the teenage hamster's head. After dinner that night, he got on his bike and headed off to the nearest store that sold adult wetness protection...

*****

Melanie brought a full package of diapers to school the next day, and it turned out this was a good idea. Brandy, Russ and Abigail all said they still wanted to join in Aaron's cause. She handed out diapers to them, as well as Beverly; whom Brandy had convinced to join in the fun. Soon all four were coming back from the bathrooms, giggling and crinkling. Abigail seemed especially pleased with hers and commented on its softness. Beverly looked somewhat mortified, but relieved to be sharing in the laughter instead of its focal point.

This brought the total of padded students in Mr. VanKressler's room to seven, including Melanie, Sasha and Aaron.

Back in her seat, Aaron told her he'd never planned to keep the stunt going two days in a row, but he knew potential epicness when he saw it. He said this thing showed signs of snowballing beyond his wildest dreams.

Sasha said that one reason she was still diapered today was because she had no idea they could be so comfy! She really liked how they felt on her scales, like having a cushion on her seat. She said she'd brought her own this time, since with Melanie's brand the tail hole was way too narrow. "No offense," she added. Melanie was amused by her friend thinking it would be offensive to call her tailbase tiny.

Mr. VanKressler made a quick announcement before starting the day's lesson on apostrophes and commas. He'd noticed the diapers which seemed to be multiplying in his classroom. He said that he might be forced to consider banning them if they interfered with schoolwork. ("Awwww!" several kids groaned.) But, he continued, all they'd have to do to avoid that was to simply pay attention as usual. They collectively promised to not giggle too much during lessons. To his gratification, his kids were actually a bit more attentive than usual. Especially the crinkly ones.

At lunchtime, Melanie did a double-take when she spotted yet another diapered cub walking around. The spotty-furred beagle girl wasn't even in Mr. Van's class! Melanie told Aaron and together they counted three more. The fox and bunny investigated and found these four were clowns of their respective classes and were doing it, essentially, for shits and giggles. Aaron gave his complete approval. Melanie was blushing like a stove burner, but smiling nonetheless.

Aaron got sent to the office again. And once again returned with padding intact. He said the principal had been taking calls all day from teachers asking where this crazy diaper fad had come from. Principal Pinkwater grilled Aaron for a few minutes, asking if he was encouraging it from behind the scenes. Aaron simply told the truth; that he was as surprised as everyone else. Once more there was nothing to charge him with, so he was released.

After recess, Jackson came up to Melanie and shyly asked if she had any spares. She rolled her eyes, handed one over, and wondered how much all these freebie diapers were gonna cost her dad.

*****

Aaron had walked Melanie home the day before, and together in her bedroom they had done some very naughty things. Naughty, but undeniably fun.

Today, to his disappointment, Sasha begged Melanie to come visit her house instead. The vixen had looked over at him, asking if it was okay, and he shrugged. He could go one afternoon without basking in her radiance, he'd said. She fidgeted cutely at that.

Sasha rested her paw on Melanie's shoulder and talked nonstop as they left school after three. She gave directions to her house as they went, often announcing a turn mere feet before they needed to make it. Melanie didn't say anything about it, but this was certainly turning out to be a workout for her reflexes.

Sasha's house was considerably bigger than Melanie's, with an enormous tree out front and a yard carpeted in fall leaves. Sasha had been lost in telling a story about her dad's cooking, when the girls got to the front sidewalk and she realized they had a problem: the front steps. Not exactly wheelchair-friendly. Melanie suggested the side door, but Sasha said there were steps there too. The lizardgirl fretted for a bit, obviously embarrassed. Melanie cut the Gordian knot by slipping out of her chair and pulling herself up onto the porch, step by step. Then she told Sasha to just drag her chair up after her. The young lizard did so with an ease Melanie envied. Then Sasha giggled and pointed out all the leaves stuck to Melanie's butt.

Once inside, Melanie realized the place was kind of a nightmare for her. Lots of old wooden furniture, narrow hallways and cabinets full of of knickknacks. There were a million and one things to bump into. On the other hand, Sasha's father came out and welcomed the girls warmly. Sasha got a hug and Melanie got a handshake. She noticed he showed a brief moment of surprise at her condition, but hid it quickly and talked to her like an equal. She decided she liked Mr. Teka. She also liked Sasha's Grandma and Grandpa, who lived there too. Though they were a bit liberal with pats on the head and hugs, and their scaly paws were kinda rough.

Then Sasha's little brother bounded down the stairs into the livingroom. He had on superhero pajamas and looked about four. Melanie had heard many legends about him.

He took one look at her in her chair and his eyes widened. "Robot lady!!" he shouted, pointing.

Mr. Teka looked like he was about to whoop his son for being rude, but Melanie burst out laughing. She was happy to show off her chair for him and make 'beep boop' noises.

*****

Sasha's room was upstairs. The lizardgirl apologized exhaustively, but Melanie just sighed. Only one solution. She got out of her chair again and pulled herself butt-first up the flight. Sasha offered to haul her chair up after them, but Melanie said to just leave it in the livingroom. She didn't want to risk her chair, or Sasha's house, if it slipped and fell. "It'd make a hell of a noise though, wouldn't it?" Sasha said gleefully.

Thankfully, Sasha's room was the first one at the top of the stairs. Sasha held the door open and Melanie collapsed on the soft carpet, panting.

"Sorry about that," Sasha said again.

"It's okay. Just kinda annoying," Melanie replied, trying to catch her breath. Sometimes she really wished she lived in the future where she could install hover jets on her chair and just float up stupid staircases.

Sasha's room was very small and very cluttered. Lots of posters and toys. Clothes on the floor. The ceiling was partially pinched by the house's sloping roof.

"I shoulda suggested going to your house, now that I think about it." Sasha kicked off her shoes and socks and flopped onto her bed. She flexed her toes. Melanie happened to catch a whiff and noted that they smelled like no feet she'd ever smelled before. "So, want some Halloween candy?" Sasha asked, reaching for her plastic pumpkin bucket.

Melanie grimaced. "Maybe *one*."

Sasha tossed her a packet of M&Ms. "Ate too much last night and got sick?"

"Yup."

"Didja puke?"

"No, thankfully. Though when I woke up today I felt like someone'd poured concrete on me during the night." Melanie opened the little bag and started arranging the candies by color.

Sasha chuckled and popped a caramel in her mouth. "Soooo... there's something specific I wanted to ask you here for," she said with her mouth full.

Melanie rolled over on her tummy, facing her friend. "What's that?"

The little lizard hiked up her skirt, patting her diaper. "Promise you won't tell anyone, but... I think I really like these."

Melanie looked a bit incredulous. She popped a red one in her mouth. "Really?"

"I hope that's not creepy or weird for you. Because, like, I know that you *have* to use them and that's gotta suck. But remember that time I helped you change in the bathroom?" Melanie giggled just thinking of it. "You seemed pretty cool with them then."

Melanie was about to disagree. But then she stopped. Might as well tell the truth. It was obvious Sasha wouldn't mind. "Yeah... I guess I am cool with them. Now, at least. I didn't used to be."

Sasha nodded. "I understand. I know they're embarrassing. But they're really comfy!" She poked and squeezed hers. "Especially now that I've got some proper reptile ones on. Do you know how hard these are to find? Only one supermarket near us has them, and that's pretty much it. One time we ran out of them when my brother was a baby and we were on a road trip. We had to use shirts instead!"

Melanie stuck her tongue out. "That must have been awful to clean up!"

"Sure was. They leaked. And guess who mom assigned cleanup duty?" Sasha hooked her thumbs at herself.

"Where is your mom, by the way?"

"She's at work. Dad stays at home and cooks and stuff. Mom calls him the woman of the house sometimes and it makes him mad and he chases her with the fly swatter. She works at the hospital, actually. She's a cardiologist. That's someone who-"

"Heart stuff," Melanie cut her off. "I've been in a few hospitals," she deadpanned.

Sasha winced. "Yeah. Sorry. Anyway, sometimes it's cool having a doctor mom. She knows all sorts of health tips. Although you canNOT argue with her about anything body-related. She knows, like, all the statistics in the world."

Melanie was about to mention Dr. Gupta when Sasha continued.

"ANYway... I got sidetracked. There was something more I wanted to say about my diaper other than just that they feel nice."

Melanie noticed her friend looked a bit bashful now, which was practically unheard of. She didn't think Sasha even knew *how* to be embarrassed. "What is it? You can tell me. There's nothing about diapers I haven't already heard... and probably done."

Sasha brought her paws to her mouth and nibbled her fingertips. She stuttered for a bit, then let it out. "I wanna try wettin' 'em."

Melanie raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Really? What, did you feel like you had to ask me permission first?"

Sasha laughed and tossed a piece of candy corn at her. "No! Duh. But... I was kinda wonderin', if it wouldn't puke you out... would you help me change afterwards?"

"What? You mean you want to wet them NOW?"

Sasha nodded very timidly. "I didn't really feel comfortable doing it on my own. Like, if I messed something up somehow? Or if I stepped in it by accident, or my mom walked in on me? I figured it'd be safer with you here."

Melanie took a deep breath. This was one of the weirdest requests she'd ever gotten. But it wasn't too surprising. Sasha had certainly shown a peculiar interest in diapers so far. No one else at school, besides Mr. Van, had yet helped her with a change. "I... guess so."

"Great!" Sasha slid off the bed, down to the floor with a 'thump'. She gave Melanie a quick hug and a cheek kiss. "I know this is weird. I'm not even sure myself why I wanna try this. It's just... They're *diapers*! I know what they're for, and I'm wearing one, so the temptation to try one out is kinda extremely overwhelming?"

"I guess I can understand why someone'd be curious about them," Melanie said. "They're kinda taboo. You're not supposed to want to wear them. People at school finding out you wet the bed is like being accused of murder."

"Do *you* wet the bed?" Sasha asked. Bluntly, but out of nothing more than simple curiosity.

Melanie's cheeks flushed. "Well... Once in a while. If I forget to put my diapers on. But it hasn't happened in at *least* a year."

"So you wear your diapers all night long?"

The vixen nodded. "I try not to pee in 'em if I can. But sometimes... Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and I'm really cozy and warm in bed and still sleepy. And I look at my wheelchair. And I think about having to drag myself into it, then drag myself down the hall, then maneuver through the doorway, THEN get myself onto the toilet, THEN get my pajamas and my diaper down. And THEN do it all in reverse when I'm done! Sometimes it's so much simpler to just curl up in my blankets and let go and not worry about it till morning."

Sasha giggled. "That sounds totally understandable."

"I've never told anyone that," Melanie admitted. "Besides my specialist, Dr. Gupta. I kinda feel bad about it sometimes, like I'm just being lazy."

"No way!" Sasha said. "When you were describing all that stuff you have to do just to pee, I was shocked! All I could think about was how all I need to do is just run downstairs, whiz, and run back. I don't think you're lazy at all."

Melanie reflected for a moment on how good it felt to have someone she could be completely truthful with, then she hugged Sasha. The little vixen's tail wagged. "Thanks. And I don't think you're weird for wanting to try out your diaper."

"Thanks, Melanie."

She gave the lizardgirl one more squeeze, nuzzling her and liking the feel of smooth scales on her nosepad. She sat back and pulled her legs around to the front so she could sit cross-legged.

Sasha stared rather blatantly at them. "Can you move them at all?" she inquired.

"A tiny bit. They're not really paralyzed, just super-weak." She demonstrated by twitching her right knee. It moved like a rusty hinge. She wiggled her ankles a bit too.

"That's so weird how your legs look so messed up, but your feet are normal. Or are they? I mean, they look like how I assume normal fox feet do."

"Yeah, they're mostly okay," Melanie said. She ran her hands over her footpads, curling her toes. Sasha reached out to give one of them a quick tickle. Melanie doubled over in defense, giggling. "Ohhh no! Only my dad gets to tickle my feet!"

"Rats," Sasha said. She leaned back against her bedframe and looked down at her shiny, puffy white diaper. "So... any tips?"

"On peeing? I dunno. When I use mine, it usually just starts happening."

"What's the most embarrassing time it's ever happened to you?" Sasha asked with a grin.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "I don't know if I can think of a MOST embarrassing time..." (This was a lie. But no one on Earth, not even Mr. Van, would ever learn about The Chinese Restaurant Catastrophe.) "...but something's happened a few times that's easily the most frustrating."

"Whazzat?"

"Well, sometimes I'll pee. Then when I'm sure I'm done, either I'll change myself or have Daddy help. And once in a while my bladder will decide, right at the moment where my diaper's off, that it feels like peeing some more."

Sasha clapped a paw to her mouth to keep from giggling.

"Yeah, yeah," she groused. Though she had to admit, they were the kind of events that were infuriating in the moment, but usually she'd laugh about them the following day. "A couple of times I've soaked Daddy's shirts. Once I was at a theme park and I was struggling in the bathroom to get myself changed because I thought I was too old to have him help me anymore. Nope. It got all over my chair seat and down my leg. I used, like, three hundred paper towels. Dad was waiting for me outside for half an hour!"

Sasha had to resort to biting her blankets to keep from snorting.

Melanie pretended to be offended by her friend's laughter, but it was only an act. Actually, she rather liked being able to be honest about this stuff. Sasha may have been laughing, but it was the good kind of laughter.

It took a few moments for Sasha to recover. She wiped tears from her eyes. "Well, if it makes you feel better, one time at Thanksgiving dinner I got diarrhea all of a sudden and shat my pants in front of the whole family."

"How old were you?"

"It was last year."

And now both girls were holding onto each other, laughing so hard that soon Mr Teka was poking the ceiling with a broom handle.

*****

It took a while for the girls to cool down. Sasha leaned back against the bed again and tried to put her mind at peace. She knew she'd never be able to pee if she thought about it too much.

Melanie found it amusing that her friend was trying so hard to do something she usually tried even harder to avoid. "Any luck?"

"I feel like I need to go, but I'm not going."

"Hmm." Melanie thought a bit. "Psshhhhh, psssshhhhhh," she whispered.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make flowing water noises. That makes me think about peeing sometimes. Pssshhhhhhh..."

"I dunno if it's working or not. Wait!" Sasha closed her eyes. Then suddenly she grinned. "THERE we go!"

Melanie leaned closer. She could hear it! A steady quiet trickle inside her friend's diaper. She was surprised to find herself getting a little excited.

"Its so WARM!" Sasha marvelled.

"Well, yeah. It's the same temperature as inside your body, and it's pretty hot in there." She sniffed the air covertly. She could smell Sasha's pee a bit and it was definitely a different odor from hers.

Sasha smiled as she peed, obviously enjoying the experience. "This is kinda nice. I know the cleanup's gonna suck, but this feels good right now."

Melanie nodded. "The cleanup is definitely the biggest reason why I try not to use my diapers if I can. Of course, you'll have a lot easier time. Since you can just *stand up* and take 'em off," she said with a mock envious growl.

"Well I'm done. What now?"

"Wait a little while for it to absorb. It's pretty amazing how much diapers can suck up. Pretty soon it'll feel almost dry again."

Sasha nodded. In the meantime while she waited, she showed Melanie her pumpkin bucket and the two of them talked candy. Sasha admitted that Melanie and Aaron had hit way more houses than she had. Though she still got a respectable amount of loot that'd probably stretch till Thanksgiving. She also showed Melanie the little pink cell phone her parents had finally given in and bought for her as a birthday present. Melanie used it to call home and leave a message on the answering machine saying where she was and that she might want to stay for dinner, depending on what the Tekas were having. "Not bugs, I hope?" she teased. Sasha huffily informed her that not all reptiles were insectivores. Just her little brother. They both chuckled. 

Partway through their chatter, Sasha perked up. "Hey! You were right; it feels pretty dry now!"

"Okay, then let's get it off and get you changed. Do you have a new one ready?"

Sasha nodded and pulled out a package of big-kid reptile-fit diapers from under her bed. "Am I gonna need a pacifier for this?" she joked.

"You can suck your thumb if you want," Melanie said.

Sasha leaned back and slid her skirt down. She carefully undid the plastic tape on either side of the diaper. When she opened it, a whoosh of odor hit Melanie's nose. Sasha caught it too. "Woo! Sorry about that."

"Lizard pee smells WEIRD!" Melanie said, holding her nose.

"Well, yours didn't smell like roses when I helped change you," Sasha retorted.

Sasha peeled the diaper back and Melanie was stunned by what she saw in there. It definitely didn't look like one of her dirty diapers. Hers usually just had a big yellow spot. Some of Sasha's pee was yellow, but there was also opaque white stuff and some greenish blobby bits too. But even stranger, Sasha didn't seem to have any genitals! "Whoa! You're like a cartoon character down there; all smooth!"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "You've never seen a cloaca before?"

"No! I don't think I've ever even heard of one."

"Seriously? That's bizarre. I know all about how you mammals have dicks 'n pussies. We scalies are way more efficient; just a slit that we keep all our stuff in. Like a coin purse. It's the same for both genders. See this line here?" She pointed to a slit that ran from about where her vagina and anus would have been if she'd had them.

Melanie stared shamelessly. "That is really interesting. Ummm, do you lay eggs?"

"Well, not *yet*," Sasha said. "Not until I start getting my period. Mom says it'll be a few more years. I'm looking forward to it; laying's supposed to feel really good."

Melanie could not help but imagine her friend laying eggs. Big white oval eggs... She was surprised how hot that idea was. She kinda wished she could try it.

Sasha teased Melanie by peeling back the side of her slit to show just a peek of pink. "Everything comes out the same hole: eggs, pee, poop."

Melanie winced. "Ewwww."

Sasha faked indignance. "Hey, you mammals make babies from the same place you pee."

"Yeah, but we make the poop leave by the side door!"

Sasha laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

Melanie giggled too. "Don't laugh too hard! You don't want your pee-poop stuff to smear."

"Oh, right! So what now?"

"What do you mean 'what now'?"

"How do you usually clean up down there?"

Melanie shook her head. "You mean you didn't buy wipes when you got the diapers!?"

Sasha bit her lip. "Sorry. It's not like I've done this before."

Melanie let out a yelp of frustration. "Now I'm gonna have to crawl all the way downstairs and back to get a washcloth!"

"No, no!" Sasha reassured. "There's a bathroom literally right across the hall. I just use the downstairs one at night so the flush doesn't wake everyone up. All the bedrooms are on this floor."

"Ohh," Melanie said. "Okay, yeah. I can do that. Be back in a minute. You can just sit there in your stinky pee-pee and remember to buy wipes next time," she playfully scolded. Melanie scooted across the carpet towards the door, blowing a raspberry as she went.

A few minutes later, she was back, carrying a damp washcloth in her teeth and also dragging along a wastebasket.

Sasha was impressed. "How'd you get up to the sink to wet that?"

Melanie smirked. "I'm magic." She tossed the washcloth to her friend. Soon she found something else to envy about Sasha. She watched her friend tending to her mess and noticed that her smooth, scaly skin made cleanup much, much easier. It was like wiping down a countertop.

Sasha tossed the washcloth and the dirty diaper into the wastebasket. "I'll take care of this myself, don't worry. Once I get the new diaper on, no one'll know the difference so I can walk the hallways without fear. I'll rinse out the cloth and bury the diaper down in the bottom of the trash. Don't want the fam' finding out."

"Say... what did you tell your parents about the whole diaper thing anyway?" Melanie asked. "They must know you're wearing them to school."

"The truth," Sasha said. "They were there at the Halloween parade, remember? They saw what that assknuckle Tucker did. I told them about Aaron's plan to take the heat off you and that I wanted to help. They said that if I was okay with getting teased about it, they wouldn't stop me from wearing 'em."

Melanie smiled. "Thank you, again, for helping with that. No one's said one nasty thing to me all through yesterday and today."

"I'm really glad it worked so well. And you're welcome." She fidgeted a bit. "Of course, now you know I kinda had an ulterior motive in wanting to try them." Since her cloaca was clean now, she slid the new one under her butt and settled into it.

Melanie thought with annoyance how easy she'd made it look. "How was it, by the way?"

"Peeing myself?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Kinda fun!" Sasha said. "It felt naughty, and it was pretty embarrassing. But it felt nice too. I don't know if I'll do it again. Maybe. At least my curiosity's all satisfied for now."

Melanie looked over as Sasha taped up the tail hole. "Wow! You were right about mine being way narrower! I forgot about how your tail starts out thick and gets skinny at the end. Mine's skinny all the way. If I tried wearing those kind and pooped in 'em, it'd fall right out!"

Sasha giggled. "I wonder if they have to make different ones for other species? What if Brandon wore them?" she said, referring to the porcupine boy who sat next to Melanie. "How would they keep his quills from just tearing 'em to shreds?"

"I guess he'd have to shave his butt first," Melanie reasoned.

Soon Sasha's father was poking the ceiling with the broom again.


~~~~~

*Chapter Eighteen*


Getting back *down* the stairs turned out to be a literal pain in the ass. Melanie was very happy to vault up into her chair and sink into the comfy cushion.

As soon as Sasha's mother got home, she gave Melanie a hug and said how glad she was to finally meet the fox her daughter talked about so much. Of course she was happy to have Melanie for dinner. The meal turned out to be an enormous casserole-type-thing with more ingredients than Melanie could count. It looked rather gloppy on her plate, but it was surprisingly delicious. Melanie was not surprised that everyone in Sasha's family all talked constantly throughout the meal. It was interesting trying to keep up with two or three simultaneous conversations. Melanie felt very welcome. As much as she enjoyed the just-the-two-of-us-ness with her and Daddy, she could certainly see the appeal of a big, loud, loving family.

She called Daddy to pick her up after supper. The Tekas all hugged her goodbye. Sasha's brother Ronald even said her chair looked as cool as a moon rover, which Melanie supposed was probably the nicest compliment it had ever received.

Back at home, Daddy swept Melanie up in his arms and danced her over to the couch. He gave her a kiss then held her at arms' length and let her drop. She squealed joyfully as she landed on the cushions with a FWOMP. She loved playing 'crane drop'. This was one of many silly games that had evolved between them, without either of them fully remembering how.

She turned on the TV so they could watch the rest of the news together. Daddy came back with a cold beer and plopped down on the couch beside her. He pulled her close, tickled her ribs and said how glad he was to see her making new friends. She cuddled up to him, practically purring.

Daddy pulled the tab on his beer and she wrinkled her nose when she caught the scent. Bleah. She'd asked to try it once and Daddy had let her. It seemed all the grownups loved the stuff, and it looked so pretty and sparkly and golden. Then she tasted it and had to wheel herself to the sink to spit it out. Daddy just laughed and said it was a grownup thing. She didn't begrudge him this habit though. She knew some parents got sloshed on the stuff and acted like assholes. Daddy usually had one after work and that was it. She'd never seen him drunk. Maybe a little silly and clumsy though.

Plus, she didn't say anything about his beer, and he didn't complain too much about her strawberry soda. The truce of the nasty-smelling beverages.

As they enjoyed each other's company, the local news gradually succumbed to filler, barely-disguised advertising and human interest stories. One of these caught Melanie's attention.

A lady hawk was reporting live from outside a nearby high school. She said one of the students had been sent home early for a very unusual reason. They interviewed the principal, who said the student in question had officially been asked to leave because he was being disruptive. But the real reason was that he'd been wearing a diaper.

Melanie sat up straight, eyes wide. 'It couldn't have anything to do with...?'

Then Dave Gries was on TV, safety pin and all, telling the reporter that he had worn his nappies that afternoon as an act of defiance. "If all the adults insist on treating us like babies, we'll give them what they want!!"

Melanie was flabbergasted. The reporter talked to Dave's mom for a moment (who looked like a thoroughly-normal woman confused to no end by all of this), then it cut back to the studio where the anchors all made idiotic jokes and laughed like androids.

Mr. Hartwood noticed his daughter's expression. "Melanie... you didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

She looked back at him and shrugged. "Maybe?"

*****

Aaron practically hit the ceiling the next day when she came in. "Did you see the news last night!?"

By now the total of diapered students at Mill Dale had swelled to more than twenty. One of them was Dave Gries' younger brother. He was not only proud to join in, but also informed Aaron that a bunch of his brother's high school friends were gonna wear diapers today too. Aaron was delirious with glee. This was the most entertaining thing that had ever happened to him. The revolution he'd jokingly pulled out of his ass was actually coming true.

*****

"Did you see the news last night?" Melanie asked Mr. VanKressler as she wheeled up to his desk. The clock had struck three a few moments ago. She had waited patiently for the class to empty out so she could be alone with her favorite teacher again. She was feeling frisky today.

"No, but believe me, I heard what happened!" the wolf replied, chuckling. He finished tucking the day's ungraded tests into his briefcase. "Aaron seems quite happy. How about you?"

She tilted her head. "Me? Oh, I love it! I was shocked at first, but I think it's hilarious!"

"I was a little worried you'd be embarrassed by the whole thing."

"Not at all. Actually, it's kinda nice for once to not be alone. I see other kids in diapers walking by at lunch, and I know they're just playing, and some of them are even wearing them over their pants, but still... I'm not the only one anymore." She smiled quite prettily.

Mr. Van reached out a paw to caress her headfur. "I'm glad to see you so happy. And judging by the fact that you're here when everyone else isn't, plus that playful sparkle in your eyes, I bet I can guess what's on your mind."

Melanie blushed and nodded. "If it's okay. I've just been in a really good mood all day, and I really wanna share it."

The wolf stood up and walked to the door. "Just to be absolutely sure; you're hoping we could... do something physical together?"

"Yes, please," Melanie said.

"I would love to, little sweetheart." He locked the door, giving them privacy.

Melanie said a silent little 'Yesss!' in her mind.

Mr. VanKressler strode around the room in a circle, pulling down the blinds, checking everything and making sure no one could get an accidental eyeful. Not again, anyway. Melanie had already told him about what Aaron had seen. He'd tensed up in fear at first, but Melanie had given him her assurance that Aaron would never, ever tell. He believed her, but it was still nerve-wracking to think about. "Did you want to start off with a diaper change like last time?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Nope, I'm dry!" she said proudly.

He 'erf'ed, sounding teasingly disappointed.

She giggled. "I suppose I could get wet if you wanted me to." She thought about yesterday afternoon with Sasha and giggled even harder.

The wolf plopped back in his chair and gave Melanie a hug. "I'm happy doing whatever it is you want to do, Melanie," he told her sincerely. "Just being close to you is paradise enough for me."

She wriggled at his compliment. "Well, how 'bout you pick me up and sit me on your lap?"

"Okey-doke." He lifted the little vix up under her arms and settled her down: her back to his front. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin between her ears. "Comfy?"

Melanie murred quietly, loving the closeness. Mr. Van was big and warm and soft. She reached behind to hug him around his waist. "Yes..."

Mr. Van nuzzled his black nose through her yellow hair. "Mmm... Smells so nice."

"Thanks. You smell good too. You had some kinda pasta for lunch today, didn't you?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Do I have bad breath?"

"No, just sort of a general 'pasta aroma' around you."

He nibbled a tasty vixen ear. "So, did you want to just cuddle today, or more? You know I'm still a little nervous about this, but none of it's your fault. You have certainly proven to me that you know what you want. I just can't shake the thought of us getting caught."

"I understand. But aside from me 'n Aaron, no one will ever know." She pantomimed zipping her lips, locking them, then putting the key in her pocket.

"Sorry if I'm still a little worried about that too. I trust Aaron, but the fewer people who know a secret, the better-kept it is."

"He only knows a little of it. Just that we kissed," she reminded him. "Plus..." She blushed. "I kinda gave him a reason to keep quiet about it."

"How so?" he asked.

Very demurely, she replied, "I gave him a blowjob."

"WHAT!?" In less than two seconds, Mr. Van was standing up and Melanie was planted on the edge of his desk. The mental image of what she'd just said was partly horrifying and partly arousing to an uncomfortable degree.

"Are you mad at me?" she squeaked.

It took him a few seconds to compose himself. "No. No, I'm not mad. Just very, very surprised. And possibly a little disappointed. Are you saying you did a sexual favor for him in exchange for him keeping quiet!?"

It was Melanie's turn to look shocked. "NO! I mean... I guess it sounded like that when I said it. But it wasn't like that!" She put her paws in her lap. "I did it because I wanted to. Because he'd been incredibly nice to me all that day. He did everything he could think of to help me feel better after the thing with Tucker, and he helped me fix my bulldozer, and he even made dinner for Daddy and me so we could work on it more. And then he helped me trick or treat for the first time. He'd already agreed not to say anything about seeing us kiss. I just did it to thank him. And 'cause I wanted to."

Mr. Van relaxed visibly. "Okay, I'm glad to hear that. I didn't want to think there was any kind of coercion going on. Especially from you; I'd never want to imagine such a thing. My head is spinning a bit though. You have to realize, this is not the usual kind of activity I expect from someone your age."

She laughed at the understatement. "I know. But it's fun! I like making my body feel good, and making people I love feel good too."

He sat back down and touched noses with her. "You are a very giving, loving girl, Melanie."

She smiled. "So, can I see your penis now?"

Mr. Van nearly fell over. "Melanie!! Warn me before you say something like that!"

He was funny when he was flustered. "Okay: I'm going to ask if I can see your penis. ...Can I see your penis?" She grinned evilly.

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, can I? I've been sooo patient! I've already seen Aaron's. And Sasha's cloaca too, actually."

His eyes got enormous.

"Oh!! Not like that! It was a diaper thing, actually. She wanted me to help her change. Totally, uh, platonic. ...Did I use that word right, 'platonic'?"

"I believe so," Mr. Van said, getting his breath back. "I don't think my heart can stand all these shocks though. You haven't been playing with any other classmates' genitals that I don't know about?"

"Oh, all of them!" she teased.

"Don't DO that!" he wailed.

Melanie burst out laughing. "You like it though! You like me teasing you! I can tell!"

"Oh? How?"

She pointed at his pants.

Mr. Van was sporting quite the trouser tent. "Darn you," he scolded his wiener. He tickled under Melanie's chin. "I swear, because of you I'm going to have to start duct taping it to my leg before class."

Melanie laughed even harder, falling over onto the desk and spilling his coffee cup full of pencils. "Hee hee! Don't make me laugh any more or you'll need to change me for real!"

"That's not a bad thing..." he said softly. He brushed a paw lightly across her padded bottom.

"Oh!!" Melanie exclaimed. His touch sent tingles up her spine. "More, please!"

"Happy to," he said. He pulled his chair even closer. Then with both paws he began to firmly knead her cute little butt. "It's so soft and squeezable."

Melanie purred. "Thank you... This feels really nice." She loved feeling the soft cushiony stuff inside her diaper rubbing all over her fur. Mr. Van's hands were strong and skilled. She felt like her bottom was a lump of bread dough.

"And you're right; you have been a very patient girl," Mr. Van conceded.

Melanie heard the sound of a zipper going down. She sat up, holding herself up with her arms and trying to see past her diaper.

He scooted back a bit to show her. Closely watching her expression, he reached into his underwear and slid his maleness into view.

Melanie's eyes lit up as if beholding an exotic jewel. "Whoa! It's WAY bigger than Aaron's! Shaped different, too. His was like a finger and yours is like... like a tube-thing!"

He tried to appear modest. "Well, keep in mind, he'll probably get bigger as he grows up. Mine's about normal for an adult wolf."

"Really?" She stared in fascination. "Is it always this red? And are those your *balls*!?"

He bit his lip to keep from chortling. "No, my sweet innocent darling. That's my knot. Although it does kind of look like my penis tried to swallow some grapes."

She 'tee hee'd.

"The color's normal, the shape of the head is normal. I'm pretty average, actually."

Melanie reached out one paw to touch it, the other holding onto the desk for stability.

Mr. Van scooted closer so she could. And when she did...

*Ecstacy*. Those tiny fingers! Warm and soft and so adorably hesitant. At first she just touched a single finger to the tip. Then she stroked along the length. She gasped a little when it twitched. Then she leaned a little closer and closed her whole paw around it.

"Wowie... It's *hot*! I can feel your blood moving inside it. Kinda sticky, too."

It was an amazing sight, watching his sweet student staring in innocent awe at his most private part. He knew he could go to jail for this. For a very long time. But it was worth it. Not just for his own sexual pleasure. But to see the look in Melanie's eyes. No fear. Just the excitement of discovering something new.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I think it looks kinda strange, but definitely interesting. It feels nice. That's cool how it gets so hard."

"I'm glad you enjoy it. Whatever you want to do next is up to you."

She nodded, grateful to him for being considerate. "Um. I would kinda like to taste it and see if it's like Aaron's." (She felt proud of herself when she saw it twitch at that!) "But if I leaned over that far I'd fall off the desk!"

"Well, that's easily solved." He stood up, putting his cock perfectly at eye level with her.

She gulped. It was kind of intimidating so up close. She took a sniff. Whooo, musky! Trembling a bit, she kissed the tip, then took a tiny little lick.

Mr. Van gulped in a huge breath and willed himself not to cum all over her adorable face.

Melanie winced. "Um, no offense, but... It tastes kinda bad. I'm sorry."

He sat back down and put his paws on her shoulders. "Aww, sweetheart. Don't be. It's perfectly okay. If you don't like the taste, you don't like the taste. I'm not expecting you to do the same for me as Aaron. Remember; I'm happy being close to you in any way. You won't disappoint me."

She gave him a quick kiss. "Okay. Thanks. I read online that all guys like blowjobs. That it's like Christmas morning for you."

He chuckled. "They are pretty nice. But I'm sure we can do plenty of other things if you'd prefer."

She had a thought. "Actually, Aaron's probably tasted better because I covered it in chocolate."

Mr. Van's heart briefly stopped. "Okay, that is a mental image I think I will remember forever."

Melanie giggled. She loved being able to make him react like that. "Hey, I've got an idea."

"What's that, cuddlevix?"

What a cute pet name! "Well, you seem to like playing with my butt, and I like your neat cock, so how about you sit me back on your lap and I'll bounce on it?"

Mr. Van enfolded her in a hug and kissed her petite muzzle. "That is a wonderful idea, Melanie." He lifted her up again and got her turned around. Slowly and carefully, like he was carrying a delicate crystal vase, he lowered her onto his lap. The moment his cock touched her diaper, he shuddered all over. He took a deep breath to steady himself and continued. He eased her smooth, plastic-covered tush onto his pulsing erection. Her weight pushed it down almost painfully, but it was an incredible sensation he wouldn't have traded for anything.

Melanie cooed in delight as she felt his hardness pressing up between her cheeks. "Wow! I feel like it could almost lift me up!"

"Maybe if I lean back, I can spin you on the tip?"

She giggled. "I think we would probably both end up on the floor if you tried that! Actually though, that's kind of a good idea; spin me around so I'm facing you. Then we can kiss."

"Good idea." Once again he steadied his nerves and delicately lifted her up. Melanie manually lifted her right leg to make it easier for him. She twisted it just a little while she was positioning it, but sighed happily when she was fully turned around and straddling him. A perfect position for hugs. Which is just what she did.

Mr. Van squoze Melanie too and thought that he couldn't remember feeling happier. He had a gorgeous, smart, trusting, affectionate, cuddly li'l furball on his lap, hugging him with all her love. His penis was now sandwiched between his stomach and the front of her diaper. The plastic padding cradled it. The warmth was incredible. It was October outside but it felt like the middle of July in here.

Melanie wriggled her hips, pressing harder against her teacher's cock. "It feels really awesome," she whispered. "Do you like it when I push on it?"

"More than I could ever describe," he replied, kissing her cheek.

"Good. You're the best teacher in the world and you deserve it."

His heart soared to the stars when she said that.

Melanie wrapped her arms tight around him, rubbing her cheek on the slightly-scratchy fabric of his suit jacket. She started grinding her pussy into the diaper, into Mr. Van's cock. It felt amazing. Softness all around her, with warm hardness just beyond it.

Mr. Van nuzzled her neck. His hot breath stirred her fur there. He reached down with both paws to gently explore her tush and play with it. He squeezed each cheek softly. Then traced a finger around the opening for her tail, giving it a good skritching.

"Oooh, yes! Play with my tail!" she yipped. "Especially underneath!"

Mr. Van wiggled his finger in deeper. Ever so delicately, he touched his claw to her sensitive skin. He felt her shudder like a revved-up engine. He poked in deeper, finally finding her tiny tight anus.

"OH!"

"Should I stop?"

"No! I just... I've never really done much with my, y'know, butthole."

"Having seen it before, I can assure you that it's just as cute as the rest of you."

She burst out giggling. "I've never had my butthole complimented before!"

In response, he tickled it, which made her jump and wiggle cutely.

She hugged him again, sighing and grinding harder into his crotch. "I love you, Mr. Van."

"I love you too, Melanie," he whispered back. "I love you so much. You're a precious, beautiful angel made of starlight."

She squealed at such a lovely compliment and nuzzled at his neck. She pulled him even closer, if that was possible.

They were wordless for a while. They could hear each other's breathing, and the shuffle of fabric and the rustle of plastic. Mr. Van helped Melanie push against him by rubbing up and down her back and bottom in time with her movements. It was a monumental effort to keep still. It seemed like he could feel every contour of Melanie's perfect little pussy right through her padding, although he knew he was probably just imagining it. Somehow, having the diaper there made it even more exciting. Just a thin wall of polyethylene between his big red wolven cock and her delicate little schoolgirl cunny. He was glad it was there. The temptation to just ram it in up to the knot would have been irresistible by now. The war between his animal lust and his civilized promise to keep her from harm produced an unbearable tension. But he welcomed it. A little suffering added spice to such intense pleasure.

He tried to speak and his voice turned to air in his throat. He tried again. "M-melanie... I think, very soon, I'm going to..."

"Yes!" she said. "Do it! Cum right on my diaper! I wanna make you blow like a volcano!"

Her enthusiasm was so adorable it almost lessened his libido. But he was too close to hold back. He had no idea how they were going to clean up. He had no idea how they were going to get the smell of sex out of her clothes.

And he didn't fucking care.

With his eyes shut as tight as his clenched teeth, he leaned over Melanie and exploded onto her.

Melanie was overwhelmed. She felt so tiny and helpless with her big wolfy teacher squeezing her. She loved it. She loved feeling like prey being pounced on. She loved being held so tight she thought she'd burst.

She heard it and smelled it when his cum splashed onto her. She felt so proud. 'I made him do that! I gave him that much pleasure! Me, with my goofy legs and stinky diapers! And he loves me anyway, and I love him, and he makes me feel so beautiful and loved and wanted...'

Panting like a hounddog, Mr. Van felt his brain drift back into control. Spots swirled in his vision. The fire receded in his muscles.

Feather-lightly, he kissed Melanie's face all over. "Thank you, thank you, thank you..." he muttered. "Beautiful, wonderful, special girl. Thank you. Oh, that was indescribable..."

"Thank you too," she whispered. "That felt so awesome. So warm! I thought I was going to melt!"

He brushed his fingers through her hair. "Did you cum too, sweetheart?"

"Not yet," she said. "Don't worry though."

And then she did something incredible. He stared in astonishment as she reached down to his puddle of cum, gathered it on her little vixen fingers, and then stuffed her paw into her diaper.

"Y-you just..." he sputtered.

"Nice slippery cum to get me all wet down there," she said in a light singsong voice.

He cradled her in his arms, partly resting her on the desk, and watched her start to masturbate. This was an unthinkable thing. He was holding a student in his arms while she diddled herself! And with his cum!!

She grinned at the slack-jawed look on his face. "Does that get you hot? The idea of me rubbing your creamy cream all over my pink pussy?"

"Yes, Melanie," he gulped, "it does."

"Yay!" She shut her eyes and concentrated on her cunny. She held on to him with one arm and furiously pumped with the other. It was kinda hard to do with the diaper so tight, so she quickly undid the side tabs. Though it was a little difficult with sticky fingers.

Mr. Van helpfully held her diaper open, and peered inside. Gawd, it was amazing. Her pink petals were engorged and nearly crimson. She was shoving her steepled fingers in and out so fast it looked like it hurt. Melanie quite obviously had lots of practice doing this. The scent from within the diaper was overpowering. Sweat and cum and vixen lubrication. Plus the tiniest hint of pee. A symphony for a nose. He felt himself getting hard again.

Melanie started making the cutest little squeaks and growls as her orgasm approached. He helpfully cupped her muzzle in his hand, suggesting she keep it quiet lest a janitor or late-working teacher overhear. She opened her eyes just enough to give him a 'thanks for reminding me' look.

Melanie tried her best to hold back noise as she raced towards her finish line. Whenever she played with herself at home, she could always shove her face into her pillows to keep it down. She didn't think Daddy had ever overheard her. Although the sudden and completely unexpected thought of him listening to her while she fingered herself was enough to tip her over the point of no return.

"Mmmmmmphfhfhh!!!" she said with her mouth clamped shut.

Then she was a limp, panting, whimpering puddle of tingly pleasure in Mr. Van's arms. He'd felt her go completely rigid for a second, then floppy as a puppet. He kissed her forehead. "Feelin' good, little one?"

"Uh huh," she said weakly, but with a huge smile.

Mr. Van brought her close again in a tingly afterglowy hug. He slowly caressed up and down her arms, occasionally giving her ears tiny kisses.

"It was incredible to share that with you," he said quietly. "To see you in so much pleasure. To feel the trust of you letting me hold you while you did something so intimate."

She murred, then chuckled. "Yeah, and now I'm all sweaty and sticky."

"Fine by me," he said with a kiss.

They cuddled a little while longer. Then she realized, "How are we gonna clean up all the spooge?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you learn that word?" he asked. "The internet, I'm guessing?"

"Nope," she said, smirking. "Sasha actually."

"Ooh, I have two very naughty girls in my class. Well, much as I'd like to keep her after class and cuddle you both, we probably shouldn't, hm?"

Melanie nodded. "Yeah. I do kinda hate leaving her out though. This feels so great, us being together, and I'd love to share it with her. Aaron too."

"Alas, society says no. And like I said, three people keeping a secret is already too many."

"Oh well." she kissed his nose. "Maybe someday in the future people will be okay with cubs and teachers yiffing. Meanwhile, we've still got cum on us."

"Well..." Mr. Van stretched side-to-side a bit in his chair, then lifted Melanie up and sat her on the desk. "I can think of one way to solve that problem." He gave her a wink, then let his long canine tongue flop out of his mouth.

She gasped, then gasped again as he took a great big lick across the front of her diaper.

"Quite tasty."


~~~~~

*Chapter Nineteen*


That night, there was another news story.

Six more high school students were sent home early for 'disruptive attire', as the principal called it. There were shots of teachers shaking their heads in disgust and/or confusion. The reporter on the scene talked to a small mob of teens who vowed to keep the protest going.

And they did. For about two weeks. The revolution Aaron had inadvertently started snowballed far longer than anyone expected. Within days, Dave Gries was leading a hundred-strong army of diaper-clad schoolmates. And while the students at Mill Dale were doing it more for fun, Melanie and Aaron estimated that the grandest total they observed in a single day was close to sixty.

Melanie loved watching the news coverage. Naturally the reporters sensationalized everything and tried to make it sound like a dangerous youth revolt. Despite the fact that virtually all the students they showed on camera were grinning. It was clear that part of their fun was watching the grownups take it so damn seriously. The high school principal got more frazzled-looking with every successive TV appearance, eventually admitting that he was completely in the dark as to what these 'protesting punks' wanted.

Aaron was there to watch the news with her one night when the fad was at its peak. Mr. Hartwood did the cooking this time, though Aaron insisted on helping. Together they created a spaghetti carbonara that made Melanie's tastebuds feel like they were on a rocket to the moon. She thanked both her handsome chefs with kisses.

Later in her bedroom, she thanked Aaron more enthusiastically.

They still had tons of Halloween candy left. The fox and bunny talked and snacked, and eventually Melanie got a flirty look in her eye and coaxed Aaron to join her on the bed. For a while they simply hugged, enjoying one another's softness and warmth. It was electrifying for Melanie to be cuddling a real live boy on her bed! And she could tell Aaron was thunderstruck just to be so close to her. She kissed his nose and said she'd love to do more, if he wanted. He certainly did. But what he wanted surprised her.

Aaron admitted that he liked staring at her feet. In a quiet, shy tone, he said that it fascinated him how her legs were so strangely shaped, yet her feet looked normal. Pretty, actually. She was surprised, but kinda touched. Aaron asked permission, then began to rub her paws. She giggled softly the whole time; not just at the sensations, but at the awestruck look on her bunny's face. It looked like his whole world was simply her feet. His fingers slowly roamed over every last inch of them. He wiggled between her toes and around her pads. She let out a little squeak when he lifted her left paw up and pressed the sole to his cheek. Then he kissed it, and her right sole too. She tried not to wriggle too much as he blissfully nibbled her pawpads.

Melanie decided it was only fair to return the favor. She offered to rub Aaron's feet too, but soon had to change her mind. When Aaron pulled his shoes and socks off, a powerful fragrance filled the room. She asked him to reapply his footwear as diplomatically as she could. He apologized about six trillion times. But then Melanie got a better idea on how to repay him. She positioned her legs so her feet were right in his lap. And with great effort, she skootched her right paw directly onto his jeans crotch.

Aaron's pants practically burst into flame. He had his zipper down in the blink of an eye. Melanie laid back and let him move her foot around on the front of his undies. She said it was okay for him to rub it right on his wiener if he liked. He looked at her like she'd just granted him his heart's desire. Making a lot of cutely goofy faces, the bunny slipped his little pink sausage out from under his waistband. Melanie thought it looked adorable, but didn't say it for fear of embarrassing him. Aaron took both her paws in his hands and sandwiched them on his erection. He looked about ready to melt. Melanie simply relaxed and let him have fun with her feet. It was worth it for his expression. She could practically see a ray of sunshine from Heaven illuminating his face.

Soon he made a yodeling sound and came on her paws. Before he could apologize, Melanie told him it had felt nice. The little rivulets of boycum running through her fur really tickled! For even more fun, she thrust her feet right into his face and ordered him like a queen to lick her clean. He was very obedient.

When Daddy came in later to find them both sweaty and giggling (though thankfully, by then they were fully clothed), Melanie saw a moment of suspicion on his face. But it was quickly replaced by an unmistakable silent, 'Naah...'

The 'Wet Revolution' (as the news called it, despite the fact that virtually none of the kids wearing diapers ever used them) had a few more positive effects on Melanie's life. For one, it led to the monumental milestone of her very first sleepover. Sasha had come up with the idea one day in class while she was idly playing with her vixen friend's tailfur. Mr. Van had been discussing the diaper fad with the students, when the little lizard mentioned to Melanie that she'd used her own diapers a few more times. "Emphasis on *used*," she said with a wicked little giggle. She asked if Melanie wanted to come over again that afternoon. Melanie had to decline: her monthly appointment with her specialist was after school. So Sasha suggested the weekend. And suddenly the idea of a sleepover burst into her mind.

Melanie was hesitant, though purely from the nervousness of never having done anything like it before. Sasha said she was sure her parents wouldn't mind. And she had a spare sleeping bag in her room already. She pleaded and whined so persistently that Melanie couldn't help but give in. Sasha was elated. She said that she'd done plenty of sleepovers and there was nothing to worry about. And even if she did have a little 'accident' at some point, who was more likely to help her out with a change?

Speaking of accidents... At the Health Center that afternoon, Melanie's specialist, Dr. Gupta, asked her how many she'd had that month. She hadn't thought much about it until then, but as she totaled them up in her mind and realized the number, she felt an incredible swell of pride. It was far less than the previous month! When she told Dr. Gupta all about her new school and new friends, the roly-poly bullfrog grinned widely. He said that her stress levels had always had an impact on the frequency of her incontinence. The more stressed she was, the harder it was for her to keep in control. With so much less to worry about now, her bowels and bladder were better able to relax and work naturally. Melanie couldn't stop smiling for practically the whole rest of the day. She knew she was grateful to her friends for all the happiness and self-confidence she'd felt since she'd moved, but she'd never imagined they could be medically beneficial too!

The weekend came and on Saturday morning, Daddy drove Melanie over to Sasha's house with a duffel bag full of clothes, toys, spare diapers, Halloween candy, and a few gifts too. Melanie was visibly trembling as he dropped her off, but also smiling bravely. Daddy didn't say one word about her nervousness. He knew she was ready for this. Though he didn't know that quite a lot of his daughter's worries had to do with knocking things over in the Tekas' obstacle course of a house.

As it turned out, Melanie did knock over a lamp almost as soon as she got through the door. But it didn't break, just bounced on the carpet, and Sasha's dad set it right again with a 'don't you fret'. Melanie felt very relieved. Her worst fear had come and passed without any horrible repercussions.

The girls spent most of their time in Sasha's room, talking and snacking and playing video games. They discussed boys in conspiratorial tones. Melanie bragged quite a bit about Aaron. Sasha said she was envious. There was an alligator boy in a higher grade she'd had her eye on for a while, but she'd been too shy to say anything to him so far. Melanie said she couldn't believe that Sasha could be shy about saying *anything*. She got a pillow bonk on the head for that remark.

It brought her to an interesting question though. She asked Sasha if she only preferred scalies, or did she like some furry guys too. Sasha said that normally fur didn't do anything for her. Boys with fur, she said, were cute, but in the same way pets were cute. Then she asked Melanie if she'd ever had naughty thoughts about scaly guys. Melanie admitted she'd simply never thought about it before.

Dinner that night was ribs and corn. Melanie's fingers got so covered in sauce she thought she'd never get them clean again. But it was worth it; the food was delicious and she thanked Sasha's parents again and again. Plus Sasha's grandpa when she found out it was his recipe.

After dinner, the girls went back upstairs and Sasha introduced Melanie to the magic of nail polish. They listened to music and did each other's toes. Soon Melanie's little footclaws dazzled with ten different rainbow colors. Sasha's did too. They stuck their feet out the window to let the polish dry and both of them shivered enjoyably at the cool November breeze.

That night, Sasha's mother brought the girls hot cocoa before bed. They snuggled into their bed and sleeping bag, respectively, and Mrs. Teka talked with them a while about school and Halloween and that silly diaper thing that had been on the news. Little did she know her own daughter was wearing one underneath the covers at that very moment.

Soon after she left and the lights were out, Sasha whispered to Melanie. "I'm cold! Come hop in bed with me."

Melanie felt a tickle of uncertainty. Was Sasha really cold, or did she have naughtiness in mind? Melanie realized she didn't mind either way and crawled out from her bag. Sasha helped her pull her legs up onto the bed, and said the fox's pajamas were cute.

Together in the cozy bed, Melanie thought for a second that Sasha was lying about being cold. She felt like a roasted marshmallow in here! But Sasha said that she got colder quicker than someone with a built-in fur coat. Melanie realized that was true. And the Tekas' house had seemed a lot warmer than hers, now that she thought about it.

It turned out Sasha had more on her mind than temperature. She put her arms around her friend's shoulders and looked into her eyes. Whispering so low it was hardly audible, Sasha admitted to a strange fantasy. An idea she'd had that she wanted to try from the moment she thought of it. She hoped Melanie would be okay with it. Melanie asked what it was.

If it had been possible for lizards to blush, Sasha would have been blushing. "I had the idea..." she began slowly, "of us here in bed, together, hugging just like this. And both of us... wetting the bed together. In our diapers I mean."

Melanie felt her cunny twitch. "I think I like that idea."

And so, breathing heavily and smiling sweetly, the two girls pulled each other closer. It was already warm in the bed, but now it felt like a cozy little oven, and they were two little loaves of bread baking. They giggled quietly as they hugged. Melanie rested her chin on Sasha's shoulder. She squeaked in happy surprise when she felt a tiny kiss on her cheek.

A moment later, she heard a quiet hiss from below the covers. She did her best to join in, and soon she was peeing too. It was one of the most exciting sounds she had ever heard in her life. She and her best friend were peeing together! How fun! It felt incredible, and she didn't have to see Sasha's expression to know they both felt the same.

When they finished, Sasha wiggled closer, and for one perfect moment, they both felt their diapers rub crinklingly together through pajama fabric.

"I'm not sure why I wanted this," Sasha confessed. "I mean, I'm not gay. I don't think I am. Though I wouldn't mind if I was. And I don't think this *is* gay. Like, a sex thing. It just feels good. I'm all warm 'n toasty in my bed with my best fur friend and we just wet the bed together... and I feel so peaceful! So happy. Thank you so much, Melanie..."

"Thank you too, Sasha. It was a really fun idea. I think I know just how you feel." She gave her friend a kiss on the cheek. They talked for a while more, and didn't fall asleep until well past their normal bedtimes.

In the morning, Melanie awoke feeling fuzzy and refreshed and infused with a quiet joy. She kissed Sasha awake, right on her nose. The two girls tickled each other a bit, then got up and changed each other's diapers. They didn't say much during the process, but there was lots of giggling. And this time, Sasha remembered to have wipes and a trashbag handy.

Breakfast was eggs and toast, then Sasha's parents had a surprise for the girls. They were all going to the science museum together. Melanie vaguely remembered Sasha mentioning it before. She wasn't normally much for museums, but thanked the Tekas nonetheless. As it turned out, her faked enthusiasm should have been real enthusiasm. The science museum was nicely chair-accessible, and had a million and one hands-on experiments that were a blast to play with. Melanie's favorite was a humongous funnel-shaped thing that she could drop coins into and they'd race around and around, seemingly forever. Sasha also showed her the electricity-ball-thing that made all her fur stand up. After a nice (but expensive) lunch in the cafeteria, they all checked out the museum's movie theater. It was showing a film about mountain climbing. The screen was so big and the pictures so clear, a few times Melanie felt like she was going to fall a thousand miles out of her seat. She was scared so bad her tail poofed up twice its size, but she *loved* it! Needing a change afterwards was a small price to pay for the awesomeness.

Naturally, Sasha helped her out in the bathroom stall. And they kissed a few times during, giggling at the naughty thrill of knowing there were people all around them.

Dinner was at a semi-fancy restaurant where Melanie tried the steak with sauteed mushrooms. When Daddy picked her up later that evening, Melanie kept him waiting nearly fifteen minutes while she hugged and re-hugged Sasha's whole family. She thanked her wonderful green-scaled friend a million times for suggesting the sleepover, and promised there'd be more soon.

Days passed and so did the diaper revolution. The news stopped reporting on it, the high school kids started getting sick of it, and Melanie's classmates did too. Sasha was probably the last holdout (though Melanie knew why). But as the fad was dying out, one more extraordinary thing happened.

Melanie had been rolling herself to the cafeteria at lunchtime one day when she heard a "Psssst!" She looked all around, and saw a pair of eyes peeking at her from the cracked-open door of the girls' bathroom. The winghand holding it gave a clue to the mysterious occupant's identity.

Melanie wheeled inside and was greeted by a very flustered-looking young fruit bat. Beverly tried to speak, but was stuttering and stumbling so much Melanie couldn't make heads or tails of it. Finally, the fox took her friend's winghands in her paws, looked her right in the eyes, and asked what was going on.

Beverly's whole body was shaking, including her voice. She lifted her head and tried to look brave in the face of overwhelming fear. Finally, she let it out. "I gotta confess something to you, Melanie... I'm a bedwetter."

The trembling bat said she'd been hiding her secret all through grade school. She wore big-kid pullups to bed every night. She didn't wet all the time, but often enough that protection was a necessity.

Melanie wasn't sure why Beverly was telling her this at first, but Bev explained further. She said that seeing all those diapers on kids in class and in the halls and the cafeteria... at first it had almost terrified her. But the longer it went on, the more she was able to relax. She'd even agreed to try on one of Melanie's spares one day, at Brandy's insistence. Melanie remembered, and also remembered how embarrassed the little bat had looked at first. And then how she slowly relaxed and was able to laugh about it.

"I get it now," Melanie said. "You were terrified of anyone finding out. I'll bet you even had nightmares about being at school in a diaper! And then it happened for real, and nothing bad happened. If anyone laughed, it wasn't at you and it wasn't mean."

"YES!!" Beverly said, bursting into tears and throwing herself at Melanie in a hug. "You're right about everything! Everything! I was SO scared! I'd lie in bed *paralyzed* sometimes! I was so afraid of anyone finding out! But now... almost everyone I know's worn one. Right here at school!" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "And I feel like... like if anyone ever did find out, for real... it wouldn't be so bad."

Melanie had never seen such overpowering fear in another furson. She wondered if she'd ever felt this scared herself, and honestly wasn't sure. But to know that it was being replaced by relief felt incredible. She had never imagined that her path to overcoming her fear would help her friends along their own paths.

"Thank you, Melanie," Beverly said breathlessly. "And thank Aaron too. Only don't tell him why, or who said so. I'm... still not ready for my secret to be out."

Melanie patted her back. "It's okay. I know. When you're really scared for a really long time, it doesn't go away all at once."

Beverly nodded vigorously. She stood up straight and dried her eyes. Then she gave Melanie one more hug, and together they went to lunch.

At recess that day, Melanie scooted over to Aaron and whispered in his bunny ear, "You're gonna come over to my house this afternoon so I can thank the hell out of you."

He giggled in surprise. "What for?"

"I can't say. But you made someone really, really happy, and me too."

Aaron's reward that afternoon was quite tremendous.

And eventually, the diapermania that had swept the city's youth faded away completely, to the point where most kids could hardly believe it had really happened. It was now just the subject of jokes and legends. Life went back to normal.

Melanie spent plenty of time at her friends' houses. Beverly even invited her over once (and if Melanie had thought that lizards lived weirdly...!). She worked on their studies together with Aaron and Sasha. Sometimes she even got out her racing wheelchair and challenged them to bike races. Sasha unfailingly won however, despite Melanie's best efforts. Though she respected that her friend never went easy on her.

Mr. VanKressler continued to be an excellent teacher, both during class and after. Sometimes when Melanie stayed behind after the three o' clock bell, they did naughty things. And sometimes he simply tutored her. That became her usual excuse to Daddy for why she stayed late so often. And it was totally true... sometimes.

The days passed happily for Melanie into the middle of November. Three weeks since Halloween.

And finally, the day came when Tucker returned to class.


~~~~~

*Chapter Twenty*


Melanie scooted to school early that day, just because she felt like it. The morning was crisply cold. No wind, just a tingling chill that swept the last of her sleepiness away the moment she rolled out the door. Her wheelchair rims felt like ice hoops, even through her gloves. Her breath turned to tiny clouds in the air.

No other kids were out this early. Just her, alone on the empty, silent street. She liked it. She had this frosty, peaceful moment all to herself.

When she finally made it to school, she felt the warmth in her cheeks first. Passing through the doors was like entering a sauna. She wheeled to Mr. VanKressler's class and found him moving boxes of papers around.

"Oh, hello Melanie! Good morning. Just getting organized here. What's brought you in so early?"

She shrugged as she rolled up to his desk. "I dunno. I woke up before the alarm, got breakfast, and just didn't feel like waiting around to come in." She shucked her jacket and hat as she talked, stuffing them in the back of her chair.

The wolf set down his current box and leaned over to kiss his favorite vixen on the nose. "I'm always glad to see you. And yow! Your nose sure is cold!"

She giggled and touched it. It felt like a little frozen strawberry. "Winter showed up quick, didn't it? Just last week I could go outside without a jacket."

Mr. Van 'mm-hmm'ed. "Wanna help out?" he asked, pointing to the boxes.

"Oh, sure." She accepted a few onto her lap. They were heavy! Mr. Van took up the handles of her chair and used her like a hand trolley to move the boxes to the back of the room.

"Old worksheets and such. Gotta make room for the new stuff."

She followed him back to his desk when they were finished. "Anything else I can help with?"

He ran a paw through her hair tenderly. "No, but you're a sweetheart for asking. Though..." He paused, and his expression became a wince. "...I do have a bit of bad news."

"What's that?"

"Well..." He sighed. "Tucker's coming back to class today."

Melanie stiffened. She sucked in a deep breath. She felt dread's prickly fingers start to clench around her, but tried to fight them off. "Okay. I... I'll try to just stay out of his way then."

Mr. VanKressler nodded. "Good girl. His mother talked with me on the phone yesterday. She said there's been some... turbulence in the family, but she thinks Tucker made a lot of progress at camp. We'll see. I'll definitely keep my eye on him. It's actually quite lucky you came by early today. I was meaning to ask you how you thought I should handle punishing him. I didn't know if you might prefer me keeping it quiet, or..." He shrugged.

Melanie thought hard. Her eyes were blank as she found herself back in her memories. The day before Halloween. She hadn't thought of Tucker hardly at all for the past few weeks. She honestly didn't know what she felt about him now. Flashes of anger, sparks of sympathy. But overall, the whole experience felt so ugly to her that if she had the choice, she'd rather just not have to go through it all again.

"I think maybe you shouldn't do anything," she finally said. "At least, not right away."

Mr. Van was genuinely surprised. "Really?"

She nodded, not looking at him, still sorting through her thoughts and emotions to make sure this was what she truly wanted. "Daddy taught me something. He said it was simple, but really important; 'It's better to not have enemies'. He said that there will always be bullies in life, but there's no reason to keep a fight going if you don't have to. If you can let a fight end, let it end. He told me there's a time to fight and a time to walk away, and he said I'd learn how to know the difference as I grew up."

Melanie finally looked up at her teacher. "I'm through with bullies," she said. "I had enough of that at my other school. I dunno what you meant by 'turbulence', but I can kinda guess. I'm thinking maybe that Tucker's already been punished enough and we don't need to bring all that stuff up again."

Mr. VanKressler nodded approvingly. "That's very mature of you, Melanie."

She shrugged. "Thank you. I'm just saying what my Daddy taught me."

"Then your father's got a good head on his shoulders. Remind him to come by the next parent teacher conference so I can brag about you a while."

Melanie smiled and blushed a bit.

Mr. Van came around the desk to kneel beside her chair. He did a quick look-around, and listened for any other early students approaching. Then he reached up to cup Melanie's cheek and give her a soft kiss.

Melanie closed her eyes, feeling a pink mist of happiness spread through her at his touch. All the November coldness melted away, replaced by comforting warmth. She hugged her teacher back and kissed him too. She squeaked happily as she felt his wide, gentle paw trace down her arm, down her side and down her leg, ruffling her fur.

He gave her one more kiss on her forehead. "That's all we have time for now, cute stuff. We don't want to get caught."

She nodded. "I wish we did have more time," she said with a playful smile.

"Well, maybe we have just enough time for this," he said, then reached down low to give the front of her diaper a friendly pat.

She wriggled happily in her seat. "Now I'm all yiffy and I won't be able to concentrate on anything!" she scolded playfully.

He chuckled. "Terribly sorry, my dear. Better get to your desk though. Kevin's normally first through the door, and he's about due soon."

"Oh, allright." Melanie nodded and wheeled herself to the back of the room.

Mr. VanKressler sat down at his desk. Trying to shift his mind off of adorable cuddly cubs and onto the day's curriculum.

When he glanced up at Melanie, she blew him a kiss.

*****

As predicted, Kevin soon entered, and the badger did a mild double-take to see someone else here before him. Eventually other students began to fill the room. Melanie half-watched them while letting her mind wander. Layla was showing off her new cell phone to Brandy and Beverly. Sherwood, Patrick and Mark seemed to be sharing dirty jokes. Lucy was producing beeping sounds from a tiny video game. Wendy was reading Gwendolyn's fortune in a cootie-catcher. Calvin was snoring. Sasha slid into her seat and immediately started telling Melanie about a movie that she couldn't believe her parents had let her see last night. "There were totally buckets of blood in it! Bathtubs!!" Melanie tried to show enthusiasm, but it didn't sound like fine cinema to her.

Then Tucker came in.

He had his head down, shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets. His whole body was tense, like he was bracing for a blow. He looked at no one. Melanie watched him cross the room. Most of the conversations that had been going on got quiet. Several students were staring at him. None of them looked happy to see him return.

The retriever pup slammed his backpack down beside his desk and sat down without even acknowledging that Melanie was two seats away. She searched for some kind of change in his appearance or expression. There *was* something there, but she didn't know what. Was he worse or better? He definitely did look like there was a lot going on in his mind. Like his emotions were silently boiling inside him.

Melanie turned around. Sasha was giving Tucker a death stare. Her lizard friend had never looked more like a rattlesnake.

"Don't say anything to him," Melanie whispered.

"But-!"

"Just don't. I'd rather it just be over with."

Sasha shrugged, but looked unhappy about it. "Fine. If it was me, I'd wanna tear his neck in half."

She chuckled briefly. "Yeah, I'm still angry too. But I don't wanna start anything up again. Like, 'don't poke a beehive'."

"Okay, I can understand that. But what if *he* starts something?"

"Then I'll go to Mr. Van," Melanie replied firmly. "And the principal. I'll get him thrown out if I have to."

Sasha nodded. She was about to add something else, but just as she opened her mouth, the bell rang.

The class quieted down. The PA crackled, everyone recited the Pledge, the principal said some stuff, and then it was time to start the day. Mr. Van stood up from his desk. "Good morning, everyone. Happy Thursday to you all." He looked to the back of the room. "Tucker! Good to see you've returned."

Most of the class turned around to look at him. The dog lifted his head briefly.

"You've been away for a while, and I'm going to go ahead and assume it's been for the best. As far as I'm concerned, this is a fresh start. If you don't do anything to change that assumption, then I'm willing to let the past be the past. Welcome back."

Tucker said nothing, but he gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Then he went back to staring down at the surface of his desk.

Melanie honestly didn't know if he was feeling regret or fury. And he still hadn't given her so much as a glance.

The door suddenly exploded open and Aaron came skidding in.

"You are late, Mr. Cabot," Mr. Van said casually, while looking over yesterday's worksheets.

Aaron shrugged theatrically. "I was attacked on the way over by... um... Vikings."

Mark and Calvin both snorted.

"Points for creativity in not saying pirates, ninjas or robots, Aaron, but none for tardiness. Get your tail in your seat or I shall make you clap erasers during recess," he said sternly, though he was clearly teasing.

Aaron nodded and hustled.

"I've got your grades from yesterday's geometry worksheet," Mr. Van continued as he started passing stacks back. "Take yours and pass the rest behind you. You guys did okay, mostly. Though I'm thinking we might need to spend a little longer on the subject and try some new things. But that's for later. For now, get out your copies of Close To The Moon for reading time."

There was a general shuffling noise of backpacks being unzipped and desks opening. Aaron was back in his seat now. Melanie had seen him glance at Tucker, then give Melanie a 'What should we do with him?' look.

'Nothing yet,' she mouthed at him.

He 'hmm'ed, then shrugged in a 'suit yourself' kind of way.

The new novel the class was reading was a sci-fi tale with a lot of complex ideas and moralities. Together they read a chapter at a time, then discussed what they liked or disliked, didn't understand, wanted to know more about, or had ideas on. This time around, Melanie's character was the protagonist's mom. The part had more lines than the zombie she'd been during the Halloween novel, but not by much.

As the class read, Melanie couldn't stop herself from sneaking occasional glances at Tucker. He had his book out, but it looked like he was still burning a hole through his desk with his gaze. If Mr. Van had noticed, he hadn't said anything about it. Melanie thought that maybe he figured a quiet Tucker was as much as he could hope for.

But Tucker's silence had begun to get under her skin. Especially as the day continued.

The class finished reading, had their discussion period, and moved onto astronomy. Mr. Van had brought in a mechanical model of the solar system. He talked for a while about the number of moons each planet had. Then he challenged the class to decide whether the number of planets in the solar system should be counted as eight, or if Pluto should be included with the other two dwarf planets, Eris and Ceres, to make eleven. Abigail said Pluto was too puny and far away. Sherwood said that anything with two moons *had* to be a planet. Kevin asked how many we'd have if we counted all the asteroids as planets too. Mr. Van guessed it'd be in the hundreds. Sherwood asked if anyone had discovered, somewhere in the universe, a moon that had its own moon. Mr. Van had to admit he had no idea. This got them all discussing whether it was even possible.

Through it all, Tucker didn't say a word. Melanie caught Mr. Van looking worriedly at him several times. She was worried herself. He'd been quiet on Halloween, too.

By lunchtime it was starting to drive her crazy. Was Tucker planning something, or did he just want to pretend nothing had happened? She sat as far away as possible from him in the cafeteria. Though she noticed, with a little sympathy, that no one else wanted to sit by him either. He was hunched over at the end of one of the tables, glaring down at his food more than eating it.

Melanie got her tray full of taco salad and sat down by Aaron and Sasha. Both her friends wanted to discuss revenge plans. But Melanie asked them as politely as she could to please stop. They were puzzled as to why Melanie didn't want to wreak some vengeance on Tucker. She tried to put words to her feelings as she ate.

She admitted that she really didn't know what she wanted now. She told them what she'd said to Mr. Van about letting go of fights. And she still wanted that to be the outcome. But she was afraid, too. Both her friends vowed to defend her if Tucker attacked. She thanked them both, but made them promise not to start anything. Aaron admitted that he'd been planning to simply sit and grin continuously at Tucker all day until he cracked and went insane. Melanie did get a laugh out of that mental image, but said she was still willing to wait and see.

As it turned out, she didn't have that much patience.

*****

She didn't see Tucker at all during recess, but her nerves were on edge anyway. She kept expecting him to pop out from behind a corner, or come at her from behind. She kept remembering how it had felt to see him charge at her, the rage on his face, as he tipped her off the stage. Her internal Worry Gremlin was hard at work, whispering that Tucker was surely just biding his time until her guard was down. So she kept alert. Her ears were up and swivelling around. Every noise made her jump. When the bell finally rang, she didn't allow herself to relax until she was through the doors, inside her classroom, and back behind her desk.

Tucker was already there. She couldn't help but wonder if he had come back to class right after lunch, and if she'd been scaring herself half to death over absolutely nothing.

Tucker certainly didn't offer any answers.

He didn't say anything through the afternoon geometry lesson. He didn't say anything while Mr. VanKressler led the rest of the students in a word-matching game. He didn't say anything during or after Mr. Van showed everyone a video about Antarctica.

By the end of the day, Melanie's nerves were shot. Twitching in paranoia during recess hadn't been half as bad as sitting in class for hours, waiting and waiting for the day to be over. The clock moved in slow motion. She felt like she'd spent days thinking about Tucker and what could possibly be going on inside his head. He could have been thinking about her. Or his family. Or Mr. Van. He could have been planning to ambush her after school. He could have been intentionally ignoring her. He could have been thinking about something totally unrelated to anything; some movie or video game. He could have been thinking about nothing. He could have been lobotomized, for all she knew.

The tension of not knowing was unbearable.

She couldn't stand it. And she knew for a fact that she'd lose her marbles if she had to sit through another day of this.

She thought back to what she'd said to Mr. Van this morning. It killed her that she thought she was going to have to ignore her own advice. It'd be like lying to him. But was it? She'd meant it completely at the time. She really did want to put this behind her, and maybe even forgive Tucker if it meant no more conflict between them. She still believed in Daddy's advice about letting go.

But she couldn't. Not yet at least. Not until she knew what Tucker was thinking. And there was no way to know that unless she went right up and asked him.

She was scared.

She didn't want to, but the alternative was sitting through another day of waiting in slow agony. Maybe he'd apologize. Maybe he'd punch her lights out. Obviously the former was preferable, but at least she'd have a definitive answer either way.

While Mr. Van was wrapping up discussion about the Antarctica video, Melanie whispered her plan to Sasha and Aaron. They both volunteered to stay by her side if she needed help. Melanie thanked them for their loyalty, and admitted she did kinda want them to, but she also didn't want Tucker to think they were ganging up on him. Aaron suggested that he and Sasha could wait for her by the entrance. Melanie said that sounded good. They could be backup, just in case.

At three, the last bell rang. Melanie steeled herself. She didn't know what she was going to say or what Tucker was going to say back. She hoped he wouldn't walk right past her without her getting the chance to talk to him at all.

She sped out from behind her desk as soon as Mr. VanKressler dismissed everyone. She parked by the door and watched her classmates head home. When Tucker walked past, she followed him into the hall.

She was so tense she thought she'd snap. Tucker took a few steps, then turned his head just enough to look at her. For a second, icy fear punched her in the gut. She felt her bladder let go just a little, and was grateful for her diapers.

But all Tucker did was look. He kept on walking, showing no sign that he was angry, amused, afraid or apprehensive. He didn't regard her following him as either expected or unexpected. He simply acknowledged her. But she noticed he slowed down a little. Apparently, he wanted her to be able to keep up.

'Oh shit. Is that good or bad!?' Melanie thought.

The hallways had been clogged with cubs at first, but in less than a minute they were deserted. Melanie could hear kids running down the school steps, out into the parking lot. Laughing, talking, taking out their phones and games.

Then she and Tucker were alone, and the silence in the hallway was so loud it hurt.

Tucker stopped and slowly turned around. Melanie gasped a little and put on her brakes. She was near the entrance, so whatever happened, Aaron and Sasha would overhear her if she called out for help. Plus the principal's office was only a few doors away. Melanie knew in her mind that she was probably safe. Her heart didn't believe it though.

The two of them just looked at each other for a moment. Tucker's eyes were blank. Then he said, "What?"

Like, 'What the hell do you want?' As if he had no idea. As if he hadn't done something unspeakable and unforgivable to her.

Melanie felt a spike of anger pierce her heart.

She grabbed at her rims and rolled herself right up to Tucker to face him. He didn't flinch. His expression turned slightly annoyed though. 'How dare he,' she thought.

"What do you think!?" she yelled.

Tucker said nothing. But his lips moved slightly, like he wanted to but stopped himself.

"You did something horrible to me," Melanie hissed through clenched teeth.

Tucker looked her in the eyes, but still didn't say anything. His breathing quickened. He looked fidgety all of a sudden, like he was torn between anger and wanting to just turn and leave.

"Well!?"

Tucker backed up a step.

Somehow, that just made Melanie angrier. She pushed her chair a little closer. Then didn't stop. Tucker had to take another step back to keep from getting his toes run over.

Melanie didn't stop pushing. Tucker glanced quickly behind him, walking backwards. Melanie's hands gripped her wheelchair rims like she was choking them. She rolled herself closer and closer, until Tucker's back was literally to the wall.

They continued to stare into each other. Melanie felt like needles were shooting from her eyes into his. Tucker remained wordless.

Then an idea came to her. She thought it was stupid almost as soon as it occurred, but her mouth was opening before her brain had a chance to stop it.

"Allright!! I'm sick of this! I waited all day in class for you to say something, ANYTHING! You didn't apologize, or look at me, or even say you *weren't* sorry! Well, FINE! I'll make a bet with you, Tucker. You've got a bike, right? I see you park it by the entrance sometimes."

He tilted his head a little, not getting the significance. "Yeah?"

"I've got a racing wheelchair," Melanie said. "And we're going to race. You know Fallstrom Avenue?"

"What are you talking abou-"

"Shut up! Just listen to me for a second. Do you know what street I'm talking about!?"

Tucker was starting to look uneasy. "Yeah; that's the one that slants down for about a mile. I live near there."

"Good. Then get your bike. We're gonna race," she snarled. Letting him know this was not something he could say no to.

Tucker flinched. "I can't. I have to do something... with my family. Today."

Melanie narrowed her eyes. "Are you chickening out?" Her own voice frightened her. She realized with disgust that she was unconsciously imitating the bullies from her old school.

"NO!" Tucker shouted defensively. "I'm serious! I have to be somewhere today. If you wanna do a stupid race, we'll do it tomorrow. Why the hell do you want to!?"

"So that this dumb crap between us can be OVER with!" Melanie barked. "Here's the rules: we start at the top of where it starts getting steep. I think that's Third Street. We go on three. If you win, then you get to bully me as much as you want for the rest of the school year and I won't say a thing about it."

To her surprise, he didn't look too happy at that. "And what if you win?"

"If I win, you leave me alone. And I mean it. I'm SICK of you just sitting there like a rock, not saying anything, not knowing what the hell you're thinking. Either we're enemies or we stay out of each other's way. I just want to know for sure, okay!?"

Tucker didn't say anything for a few moments. His eyes darted around. He looked conflicted, like he was fighting back anger.

Melanie realized he was being way less aggressive than she'd assumed he would be. And she was being way *more*.

Finally, Tucker shook his head like he just wanted to leave. "Fine. After school tomorrow," he said quietly. "How about four? I usually have to do some shit first after I come home."

"Fine," Melanie agreed.

He tried to walk away and she realized she was blocking him in. She backed up her chair so she wasn't in his way. Tucker walked off quickly without looking back or saying anything more.

After he was gone, Melanie sat in the empty hallway, feeling her heart racing. She shivered from the November wind that was getting in through the open main doors.

A moment later, Sasha and Aaron ran up. "Tucker just left," Sasha said. "We heard a little bit of you two talking. What happened?"

Melanie looked up at them and let out a long exhale. "I'm not sure."


~~~~~

*Chapter Twenty-One*


Melanie woke up the next morning from a pleasant, hazy dream, then felt her guts knot up when she remembered what awaited her after school.

She rolled over and buried her face in her pillows. She still didn't know why she'd made that bet with Tucker. She thought maybe she'd gotten the idea from so many movies and TV episodes where kids challenged each other to contests to settle their problems. There was always a happy ending, but that was ridiculous. Beating a bully in a soap box derby, or a pie-eating contest, or some sports thing, didn't solve any problems. It just kept the rivalry going. Melanie knew that if she lost, the rest of the school year would be miserable, and if she won, it'd only be slightly less miserable.

Melanie stared at her ceiling tiles for a while, then blinked and glanced at the clock. Yikes. She'd spaced out for longer than she should have.

She whipped her covers off and rolled herself to the opposite side of the bed. She flipped through her clothes rack and picked out one of her less-nice shirts. She didn't want to ruin one of her good ones if she crashed. Then she picked out some pants and socks. The weather had gotten too chilly for skirts. She also selected a new diaper, as she'd definitely soaked the one she'd slept in. 'Big surprise,' she thought. She wondered if she'd had any nightmares while she was asleep. If she had, at least she didn't remember them.

Melanie wriggled her pajamas off and tugged her panties down. The old squishy diaper came off and she shoved it through the hole in her diaper bin. She wiped herself clean, then finagled on the new diaper. Shirt on, socks on, pants on. Into her chair. Ready to go.

She wheeled to the bathroom. She'd left the diaper untaped so she could visit the toilet first. She slid everything down, did her business, then slid everything back up. She messed with her hair for a while, then it was breakfast time.

Daddy was already at the kitchen table, slurping coffee. "Hiya, sweetie. You look cute today. As always," he told her.

She blushed a bit. "Thanks Daddy." She scooted around the room, getting all her breakfast things together on her lap, then brought them to the table and put her wheelchair brakes on.

Daddy watched her while he munched cereal. She was distant this morning. Definitely different from yesterday. "Oop! Look out!"

"Huh?"

"You were about to pour your OJ on your cereal," he pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah. That was stupid." She shook her head a bit and finished making breakfast. She started consuming it without enthusiasm.

The 'stupid' comment made him cringe. She was doing that thing again. When she was frustrated or depressed about something, Melanie would sometimes insult herself, seemingly without realizing it. It only happened when something was really weighing her down. "What's going on?" he asked gently. "...And don't say 'nothing'."

She'd been just about to say that, actually. "It's... school stuff."

"Grades?" he guessed.

"No. I think I'm still doing pretty good." She sighed and stared down at her bowl, watching the cereal bits float around in the milk. "It's Tucker. He came back, and I did something really dumb."

Mr. Hartwood bristled a bit. He'd hoped there wouldn't be any more problems with that kid. "What happened?"

"All day yesterday he just sat there. He wouldn't look at me or talk to me. I don't think he said anything to anybody all day. It drove me crazy! I didn't know if he just wanted to forget everything, or if he didn't care, or if he was gonna do something to me after school or at recess. I got fed up, and I met him in the hall and I... I don't know why, but I challenged him to a stupid race. This afternoon after school."

Her father's eyebrows went up. "That's not what I was expecting. A race? Why?"

Melanie cringed, not wanting to admit to her dad what a dolt she was. "I bet him that, if he won, he could bully me all year and I wouldn't say anything. And if I won, he'd have to leave me alone. You don't have to tell me it's dumb! I don't know why I did it either! I was really angry and I just didn't think. I'm sorry."

"Well, you don't have to apologize to me."

"I know, I just can't believe I got myself into this. I was actually kinda hoping that when I told you, you'd forbid me. Then I'd have a way out."

Daddy cocked his head at her disapprovingly. "Melanie. C'mon now, that's not how we solve things. I told you: a promise is worth more than gold. And a bet is like a promise. I'm not happy that you made this one, but you did. And now there's consequences. You have to face them."

"Yes Daddy..." Melanie said very quietly.

"You can't take promises lightly," he said in a softer tone. She was already feeling down and he didn't want her to think this was a punishment lecture. "I have to admit, there's a part of me that's screaming that I *ought* to forbid you from doing this, that it's too dangerous. But I know that's not true. I've seen you out racing with your friends. I know you're tough. I do worry though that, well, he might try to hurt you."

"I'm sure Aaron and Sasha will be with me," she said.

"Good. I'm not a big fan of confrontation, but having your friends there is a smart idea."

Melanie smiled just a little.

Mr. Hartwood took a moment to stretch and collect his thoughts. He took another swig of coffee. "Of course, I'm going to worry about you all day long anyway. You'll probably have already run your race by the time I get home. When I do, I'll be there for you. No matter what the outcome is."

She smiled for real now. "Thanks, Daddy." She reached across the table to squeeze his paw. "I'm still really worried though. I mean, that I'll lose. I've never even beaten Sasha in a race! And I have no idea how fast Tucker is. He might be *way* better than me!"

"And *you* might be way better than him," Daddy replied. "You don't know. In the future, maybe you'll remember that it's better to get a sense of your opponent's skill before you take them on."

Melanie nodded. "I already wish I did."

"Well, it's already done, so there's no sense worrying about it any more. Just shrug and say 'Oh well'. Concentrate instead on yourself. Concentrate on how damn good you are in your racing chair. I've watched you get faster and faster and faster in it. You blow my mind sometimes. When you race today, put Tucker out of your head. Don't even think about him being there. Just focus on the end of the race, wherever your goal is." He paused. "Where exactly *are* you racing?"

"Fallstrom Avenue."

He slapped his forehead. "Are you nutballs!? Melanie, darling, couldn't you have picked a place that doesn't send you careening right through the intersection at Tenth Street?"

She shrugged. "It was the first thing I thought of. And obviously, we'll stop before we get there. Hey! That should be the finish line, actually."

"May I make a suggestion? How 'bout the street right before Tenth, so you don't go zooming out into traffic."

She winced. "Right. Good idea."

He reached out to tussle her hair. "I'll worry about you today, you know that. But I won't be too worried. Because you're my Melanie. My little Cub Of Steel. I know you'll be able to deal with whatever ends up happening. I know you'll be honorable and brave. I know you'll make me proud of you."

Melanie put down her spoon and wheeled herself around the table to give him a hug.

"I will, Daddy. I promise."


~~~~~

*Chapter Twenty-Two*


Melanie's watch read 4:00pm.

She and her friends were shivering on the corner. It wasn't too cold out today. Good weather for physical activity, actually. But staying in one place, the chill crept up on you.

Fallstrom Avenue cut through the middle of a quiet residential area. It was far enough from the main streets that kids could ride their bikes on it most times of the day without worrying much about encountering cars. There were nice-looking houses and lots of trees all along both sides of the road. It was quite pretty, actually. Not the sort of place that made a suitable backdrop for a climactic showdown. But what made it Melanie's choice was its angle. It sloped diagonally for a good long stretch. She'd been up and down it before. Going up was a chore of epic drudgery. But going down... There was nothing closer to flying.

Throughout the schoolday, she and Tucker had kept their distance. Or as much distance as possible when they were sitting three desks apart. When they first saw each other, they'd simply locked eyes for a moment in acknowledgement. They each confirmed silently that the bet was still on and nothing had changed.

Mr. VanKressler noticed the change in both of them. Yesterday, Melanie had gotten more and more nervous as the day progressed. And Tucker looked like he was in a perpetual eight-hour-long flinch. Now they were calmer. Yet that unnerved him more. It seemed like they'd reached some kind of agreement. He had no idea what though. Yet it was clear there was still a sizzling tension between them.

For the most part, the day passed normally. Melanie struggled through her schoolwork, having trouble keeping her mind on words and numbers instead of her racing chair. She talked with her friends at lunch. At recess, Sasha goaded her into trying a bit of basketball. Melanie found she could shoot pretty good, but the other kids outmaneuvered her easily. It was a little embarrassing, actually. After recess, the class read some more, learned about time zones, and watched another video. The clock crawled sluggishly towards three. Melanie thought it was going slow on purpose just to be a jerk.

Finally, school let out. Mr. Van tapped Melanie on the shoulder as she headed for the door and asked how things were going with Tucker. Trying to look calm, she told him that everything would be settled tomorrow. Sensing he wouldn't get any more out of her about it, he let her go. Though not without worry.

Aaron and Sasha followed her home. The duo ended up being great for Melanie's morale. They both agreed that she was absolutely gonna cream Tucker in the race. Sasha said Melanie'd be at the finish line before he'd even gotten halfway.

"So how come I keep losing to you?" Melanie asked.

"Because I'm the fastest there is," Sasha said casually, like it was a fact of nature. Melanie and Aaron giggled.

Preparations were made. While Melanie and Sasha gave the racing wheelchair a thorough inspection, Aaron went to the kitchen to make an energy snack: PB&Js. Sasha acted as Melanie's legs. The vixen scanned every inch of her chair and barked commands for things Sasha could do for her. The lizardgirl argued a bit every now and then, but was generally helpful.

The three cubs enjoyed Aaron's snack together and had fun trying to talk with mouths full of peanut butter. Then Melanie noticed it was getting close to 3:45. She wanted to be at the top of Fallstrom Avenue with plenty of time to spare. So while Aaron cleaned up, Sasha helped her with a quick diaper change. One less thing to worry about.

Then Melanie pulled on her special gloves. She transferred from her regular chair into the driver's seat of her speed machine. Getting her legs tucked comfortably underneath her was tricky, as always. Melanie hung her helmet on the back and was ready to roll out.

As they left the garage, she felt like a racecar driver maneuvering into position at the starting line. Behind her were her faithful pit crew. Sasha had even made a little paper pennant with 'MELANIE GO' on it.

Now it was four o' clock and the three cubs were waiting on the corner of Fallstrom and Third. Tucker was nowhere to be seen.

"If he chickens out on us, I swear I will blow all my allowance on eggs to bomb his house with," Aaron said.

Melanie chuckled. "Careful about making promises."

Sasha checked her watch too. "How long should we wait?" She was visibly uncomfortable with the chilly weather.

The fox shrugged. "Maybe fifteen minutes? Twenty? I will definitely go home and declare myself the winner if it's half an hour."

Aaron had a thought. "What if his parents made him do something? Like, a dentist appointment he didn't know about?"

Melanie 'hmm'ed. "If he's got a good enough excuse, I'll let him off the hook and we'll just do the race tomorrow."

"That would be anticlimactic," Aaron said, showing off a word from the last novel he'd read.

Sasha was looking down the street and squinting. "Is that him?"

"I think it is," Aaron said without looking.

"How the hell can you tell?" Sasha asked skeptically.

He grinned at her and swiveled his big ears. "It sounds like his bike."

Melanie thought that was neat. "Can you hear my chair coming?"

"Oh, always," Aaron said. "It's easier when the motor's on. But I can still hear that 'skreek skreek' the front wheels make."

Soon all three of them could hear Tucker pedalling towards them. He looked unprepared and out of breath already. He also did not look happy to see that they'd actually shown up.

"What's the matter, Tucker? Tired already?" Sasha sang out in her most annoying voice.

Melanie elbowed her.

Tucker's brakes screeched loudly as he pulled up. His bike looked old and not well cared for. The black paint was patchy and speckled with rust. Tucker got off and walked over to the trio. He glanced at Aaron and Sasha, but then ignored them and fixed his attention on Melanie.

"We were wondering if you'd show up," Melanie said. Not confrontational; just a fact.

"You bet me, didn't you? I said I'd be here," he replied defensively.

Melanie nodded, admiring the fact that he at least had some honor. "The finish line is Lewis Street. That way we have some time to slow down before we reach Tenth. Okay?"

He mumbled an approval. "What if there's a tie?"

Melanie hadn't thought of that. "If it's too close to call, then... Nobody wins, I guess. We just go back to normal at school."

"Fine." Tucker looked around for cars, then walked his bike to the middle of the crosswalk.

Melanie took a deep, steadying breath, then reached behind her for her helmet. She snugged it on, popping her pointy ears through the top. She flexed her fingers. Then she took her position beside Tucker.

"I'll do the countdown, if that's okay." Aaron said.

"Fine," Tucker said.

Melanie was surprised at how little he seemed to care about this. She'd expected him to be ultra-competitive about it, like most boys. Instead, he just looked like he wanted it over with.

'We probably both want the same thing,' she realized.

Aaron hopped across the street and took a seat on the hood of a parked car. "I'll do a 1-2-3-go, if everyone's cool with that. You both go on 'go', okay?"

"Kick his ass, Melanie!" Sasha shouted. She waved her pennant fiercely.

Melanie giggled at her, then got serious. She looked down the street. The finish line looked about a mile away, and a mile felt pretty damn long.

"One," said Aaron.

Tucker's body language changed. He leaned forward, hands on handlebars. He went from looking like he didn't give a shit, to focusing on the challenge ahead of him.

"Two."

Melanie felt a chunk of worry get stuck in her throat. If she'd thought this would be easy, she was wrong. 'But there's no satisfaction in an easy victory,' she told herself. She remembered that line from a movie she'd seen; it had really struck a chord with her. Melanie leaned forward too, thinking aerodynamic thoughts. She limbered up her fingers, readying herself to push her rims harder than she ever had before.

"Three..."

'Tucker doesn't exist,' Melanie told herself. 'This race is only with myself. I will not think at all about him, or about winning, or losing. I will only think about speed. I will get myself to the finish line as fast as I possibly can. That's all I have to think about.'

Aaron sucked in a deep breath, then bellowed, "GO!!!"

All four cubs took off at once.

Tucker stood up on his pedals and mashed them down with brute force.

Melanie surged all her energy into her arms, fighting to get her wheels turning.

Sasha and Aaron ran along each sidewalk, knowing they couldn't keep up for long but not wanting to be left too far behind. Sasha whooped and whipped her pennant through the air. Aaron just looked worried for Melanie.

Melanie felt like a snail. Her wheels were moving, but barely. Tucker was gaining speed already. Part of her panicked, but she willed herself calm. She knew Tucker would take the lead at first. That's how it always happened. But once she built up speed, she was a bullet. Especially on a street like this.

Tucker built up a slow rhythm of stomping down his pedals back and forth. His eyes were on the street ahead. He didn't even look at Melanie.

Now she was starting to feel a little speed. Her front wheel kicked up leaves as it sliced across the concrete. Melanie's biceps and triceps surged with all the power she could pump into them. Faster. Her wheels needed to go faster. That was all that mattered in the world. Faster.

And suddenly she was. She broke past inertia and started getting gravity on her side. The street was starting to really dip. The toughest part, Melanie knew, was knowing when to let go of the wheels; when she'd reached a speed where trying to push them further would only slow her down. For now she worked the rims. Coaxing them to obey her.

'You can do this, little wheelchair. I know you can. I know we haven't beaten Sasha yet, but that doesn't mean we're slow. We can beat Aaron easy enough. And we've been down this street before. We know what it feels like. We just have to keep going faster. We can do it.'

Melanie scorched through the intersection at Fourth Street. No cars, thankfully. Though she'd been keeping her eyes and ears open and her hand near the brake just in case. That was something else that worried her. Once her chair got up to speed, it did not like to have to slow down. She hoped she could stop herself before Tenth Street.

Tucker still looked unfazed. He was coasting now, leaned way out over his handlebars. He squinted into the wind, ears and hair flapping. He pumped the pedals a few more times, then rested. A few more times, then another rest. By now he had all the speed he needed. He didn't know how far behind Melanie was, only that he couldn't see her beside him. That was fine.

The noise of Melanie's wheels spinning was as loud as a buzzsaw in her ears. By now the street was zipping past like a sped-up film. Houses blurred. Parked cars looked like they were roaring by. Piles of fall leaves were like flashes of color. She was closing in on Tucker now. Closer with every second. She could hear Aaron and Sasha behind her, huffing and puffing and trying to keep up.

Melanie let go of her rims. She'd gotten them up to maximum velocity. Now, all she could do was try to make herself as aerodynamic as possible. She tucked her body in even tighter than before, arms at her sides. Her tail stuck straight out behind her like a flame from a turbine. She got her head down as low as she possibly could. She flattened her ears against her helmet to get rid of any last shred of wind resistance. The tip of her nose was just inches away from her front wheel. It filled her vision: a blur of black.

She and tucker blasted through the William Road intersection.

Once again, no cars. This was starting to feel like Russian roulette.

And now Melanie grinned. Because she was getting closer to Tucker than ever before. By the next intersection, she'd have passed him for sure. She saw him glance briefly behind him. 'Ha! He can hear me coming. He can hear my wheels. That's right, Tucker! Thought you were gonna win, huh? Not today, not ever!" She barked a short laugh. Her front wheel was less than a foot behind his back wheel.

Then the wheels were even. Melanie grinned so hard it nearly hurt. Her back legs were aching now from being crushed into such a tiny space, and her palms pulsed with soreness from all the friction she'd forced on them. But she felt good.

Tucker looked again, and now they were side by side.

She finally saw some emotion from him in the moment when she began to pass him. Pure shock.

Melanie giggled.

Then she was out in front. From somewhere way behind, she could hear Sasha and Aaron cheering at the top of their lungs. It felt incredible. But she knew she couldn't bask in it too long. She had to keep her concentration. Now was not the time to celebrate. There was still a lot of street to go until the finish line. She shot past Fifth Street with Tucker in second place.

'Don't think about him,' Melanie whispered to herself. 'He's not even there. Nothing's there except you and the road. Keep in control. It's getting bumpy now, so I have to steer with my body; keep on track. If I tried to grab my rims now, they'd tear my fingers right off. I'm pretty much riding a runaway torpedo. All I have to do is guide it straight to the finish line.'

Melanie focused for a moment on her breathing, making sure to keep it slow and in control. The road was getting a little rougher. Cracks and bumps rattled through the frame of the chair, shaking her bones and making her teeth clack. But she could get through this. She just had to keep the front wheel pointed towards her goal.

Sixth Street was just ahead. Then in an instant it was behind her.

'I can do this. I'm going to win. Then this will all be over. I can come to school and not worry about Tucker anymore. I can just concentrate on doing my schoolwork and having fun with my friends and Mr. Van. I'll finally be free of all the stupid bullies. It'll be all over and done with. I can do this. I know it. There's nothi-'

'POTHOLE!!!'

There it was all of a sudden, right in front of her. And it was a big one. A foot across. There was no way to steer around it in time.

Melanie hit it and the impact rocketed through her body. Pain punched her in the gut. Her teeth clenched and caught the tip of her poor tongue.

Then she was floating. Her mind had snapped into adrenaline-fueled slow motion time. She forced her eyes open and saw that hitting the pothole had launched her a few inches in the air, and she was about to come back down hard.

She braced herself.

Her wheelchair seemed to scream as it hit. The metal clanged and the plastic rattled. All the wind got knocked out of her. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Suddenly she was off course and heading straight for a parked car. Self-preservation kicked in. With both hands, she clutched at her right brake, desperately trying to steer herself away. Pain exploded in her hands as the wheel fought her.

There! A big pile of leaves! If she had to hit something, it was her best choice.

She swerved for it. Her vision filled with orange and yellow.

And then she crashed and everything went black.

*****

Tucker sped past and his first instinct was to laugh. But almost immediately he felt ashamed of himself. Sure he was guaranteed to win now, but Melanie's accident had looked pretty bad.

He coasted for another half a block, weighing his conscience. Then he looked back over his shoulder. Melanie's wheelchair was upside down, wheels spinning in the air. She was somewhere underneath it.

Tucker looked back at the finish line, still several streets away.

Then he thought about those spinning wheels.

"Shit," he said, as he put on the brakes.

His front wheel protested and he nearly went over the handlebars. But he managed to skid to a stop. He got his bike turned around and started pedaling in the opposite direction.

He could see Melanie's tail poking out from the back of the wheelchair. Its wheels were still going, like it thought the race was still on. Melanie herself didn't seem to be moving.

Tucker didn't bother with brakes this time. He hopped off the bike, stumbled a bit and ran over to where Melanie had fallen in the leaves. He let his bike smash into the curb and go careening onto someone's lawn.

"Hey? Hey! Are you okay?"

He reached the leaf pile. Melanie still wasn't moving, but her eyes were open. She looked up at him.

"Ow," she said.

Tucker took hold of the wheelchair and very carefully started to tip it rightway up. "You okay?" he asked again.

Melanie hadn't been moving because she was too damn scared to. She was afraid if she moved, she'd realize something was broken. Now she twitched and flexed, testing herself. The situation didn't seem so bad, actually. Her arms and legs hurt, her fingers were throbbing, and her face felt a little scratched up. But the leaves had apparently done a pretty good job of cushioning her. "I think I'm allright." She reached down to push against the pavement, helping Tucker get her back on her wheels. She winced when the chair clattered against the street; rightside up again. The jolt made her legs twitch in pain. They were certainly sore, but seemed unharmed.

Tucker was looking down at her, panting, not knowing what to do next.

Melanie looked up at him. She undid her helmet strap and slid it off. "Ooch," she hissed. It seemed she'd bent one of her ears rather harshly. But she ignored the pain and gave Tucker a small smile. "Thank you for coming back to check on me."

"You're welcome," he mumbled. He looked around, his expression full of uncertainty. He rubbed the back of his head pensively. "Look... can we just call this thing off?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You want to? Really?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I actually didn't want to do this in the first place. I just did it because you looked like you were gonna run me over if I didn't. And I also didn't want, y'know, to look like I couldn't handle it."

She nodded. She certainly knew how that felt.

"The truth is," Tucker continued, "I would have left you alone even if I'd won."

Melanie had begun to think this might have been a possibility, but hearing him say it still gave her a flutter of relieved happiness.

Tucker looked down at the street, then over at his bike, then at the sky. Anywhere but Melanie. Everything about his body language signaled uncomfortableness. "Look, I'm sorry about Halloween," he finally blurted out.

A wave of intense relief struck Melanie at hearing those words, washing away tension and fear. "I forgive you, Tucker," she said sincerely. But then her voice got a hard edge to it. "But only on one condition! You have to tell me _why_. Why did you do that to me?"

Tucker winced like she'd just punched him. Not surprising, given how difficult talking about this was. Insults came easy to him. Shouting and swearing, he was good at. This, on the other hand, was different. Awkward territory. This was something he'd had very little practice at. But at camp, after a long time of trying, they had convinced him that it was the best way. Keeping painful things inside made them grow. Talking about them was what helped them heal.

The retriever pup walked over to the curb and sat down. With a few groans, Melanie stretched out her aching arms and wheeled herself over beside him. Her fingers felt like someone had slammed them in a car door.

She noticed Aaron and Sasha were now almost caught up to them. The lizard and bunny were on the same sidewalk, running together, looking both exhausted and concerned. Melanie gestured for them to hang back and let her and Tucker talk.

Melanie skootched herself as close as she could get to him. For a while, he was silent. He had his head down nearly in his lap. But this was a different silence than before. In class, he had been trying to avoid reality. Now, he was preparing to face it and accept it.

"It's all about my Dad," he finally said. His voice was very quiet. She'd never heard him sound like this before. "That first day you were in class, I don't know why, but something about you just pissed me off. I still don't know why. All I can guess is that, maybe I was pissed at you for acting like you had it so hard just because you're in a wheelchair. I have to deal with all the shit that happens at home, yet you get all the fucking sympathy."

Melanie was a bit shocked. A little offended too. No matter how bad Tucker's life was, hers certainly wasn't easy. But she didn't say anything, and let him go on.

"My dad... I love him. But he gets so angry. And drunk too. He scares me sometimes. *Most* of the time. I feel like I always have to be a man around him, or he calls me a girl and tells me to toughen up. It's never enough for him. If I ever cry, or get hurt, he just screams at me."

Melanie thought about her own father. She couldn't imagine being scared of him. The idea was completely alien. It wasn't like they never fought or got mad at each other. But *scared* of him? Impossible.

Tucker went on. He did not look at Melanie, just down at the concrete. He seemed to be telling his story for his own sake as much as hers. "He's mean to my mom, too. She gets it way worse. When he gets home from work, everything has to be just the way he wants it. I feel like we're soldiers and he's the drill sergeant. Sometimes when I go to bed, I'll spend the whole night trying to get to sleep, and I can't, because they're arguing all night long. All over the house. Whenever she tries to get away from him in another room, he comes after her. I'll go to school the next day and I haven't had any sleep at all."

"I... I'm sorry," Melanie said.

"No!" he suddenly snapped. "Don't be. It's not your fault. I acted like a shithead and took it out on you. None of this is your fault. When I went to camp, they taught me that I was too afraid to show my father how angry I was at him, so I'd go find someone else. You just got unlucky, Melanie. You didn't do anything to me."

"I think I understand. So that's why you pushed me over and threw the diaper?"

He shook his head. She could see tears in the corners of his eyes now. "No. That was because... When my dad found out my mom had signed me up for the camp thing, he went psycho. He screamed for like the whole day. He knocked stuff off the wall and threw dishes at her. He said she was gonna ship me off to a camp full of faggots and they were gonna buttfuck me in my bunk every night, and is that what she wanted? For her son to grow up a fag? Then finally she just had enough and she said she was gonna divorce him. And he said he'd kill her if she tried it."

Melanie gasped, horrified.

"He left. Probably to go get drunk. My mom fell asleep in my room that night after she tucked me in. I've never seen her cry that much. She kept telling me it wasn't my fault. But I knew everything was over; that I was probably never going to see my dad again."

Melanie felt tears on her cheeks too. "Tucker... I'm so sorry. I understand now why you were so mad. I mean, it was still horrible what you did to me. But I got over that a while ago, and I just wanted to understand why, and now I do. I'm not mad at you anymore."

He finally looked up at her, and smiled very briefly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, sniffing. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "So what happened at camp?"

Tucker's mood lightened a bit. "It was actually pretty fun. I was scared to death at first. I thought it was gonna be like a mental hospital. But they knew I'd be scared, and for the first few days we just did activities and stuff. There were a bunch of other kids there, and we all were fucked up in the head in different ways. Every night, there'd be a campfire, and everyone'd sit around it and talk about stuff for a while. Some other kids talked about their parents. Some of them had dads who acted like mine. It kinda felt better to know it wasn't just me. None of the counselors asked me to join in, but one night I just felt like it and I did. And I was telling them all this personal shit that I'd never told anyone else, and then I realized I was crying my eyes out. And nobody said anything. No one laughed at me, or called me a faggot. They just looked at me like, 'I know what that's like'."

"Kinda reminds me of when I go see my specialist," Melanie said. "I know a lot of the other kids who come in for physical therapy. We talk about stuff we have in common. There's one kid who doesn't have any hands, and he has to do everything with his feet. He can even draw with them!"

"That's pretty cool," Tucker said. "We didn't have any handicapped people at my camp. It was just, 'y'know, kids who had brain problems or were going through rough stuff. And some of them were bullies like... Like me." It seemed especially hard for him to admit to that.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Melanie said, "what happened with your mom and dad?"

Tucker sighed. "It's over between them. But it's not the end of the world. Mom and I talked on the phone a lot while I was at camp. She let me know what was going on. She said she got all the divorce papers ready, and Dad left town for a while to cool off, but when he came back he signed them. He'd moved out before I got back."

He paused, then he admitted, "I'm kinda glad he did. I hate myself for saying that, but I saw him yesterday when we all had to go to a court thing. He looked at me like I'd betrayed him. Like he hated me for 'taking Mom's side'. That's what he said. So maybe he hates me now. I don't know. But at least the last few nights, it's been nice to go to bed and not hear him and Mom screaming at each other."

"I totally understand," Melanie said. Then she had a thought. "Wait. No. I don't. Because I can't. Because my dad's awesome and I love him so much I can't imagine ever being that scared of him. But I know how much it would hurt if I did. So... you might not understand what it's like to have your legs not work, and I might not understand what it's like to live in a house where my parents are fighting all the time, but I know that both of us have stuff we have to deal with."

Tucker nodded. He stood up and brushed the leaves from his pants. "That sounds right. Look, I'm sorry again, and I promise I'll leave you alone in class. I'm really gonna try to leave everyone alone now. At camp, they helped me realize how much I don't wanna be like that anymore, and I really don't. It sucks being angry all the time. Like, have you ever been so angry it felt like your skin was on fire? Like you thought your skull was just gonna rip straight through your face you were so fucking mad?"

Melanie recoiled a little. "No. I don't think I've ever been that angry before."

Tucker grimaced. "I have. It hurts. It _hurts_. Afterwards, it feels like I'm gonna have a heart attack. I don't wanna feel like that anymore. So I promise, I'll leave you alone."

"Okay, Tucker," Melanie said. She reached out a paw for a shake. "Do we have a truce?"

"Okay." He shook her hand quickly and gave her a slight smile. She could tell he wasn't used to being forgiven.

"I'm glad," Melanie said. "All I really wanted was for this to be over between us. I'm sick of bullies, and I just wanna go to school and not be afraid anymore."

"I know what that's like. Except instead of school, I'd feel like that when I went home."

"I hope things get better," Melanie said sincerely. She finally smiled a real genuine smile as relief filled her heart. It really was over between them. "Actually, even if I did fall on my face in a buncha leaves, I think this ended up about as good as it could have. We both got what we wanted."

Tucker nodded. Then a strange look crossed his face. "Wait..." He looked at Melanie quizzically. "You didn't plan all this, did you?"

She was surprised for a moment, then her lips curled into a coy little grin. "Even if I did, I'd never tell."

"There's no WAY!" he said.

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't," Melanie teased. "If I did, that was a heckuva gamble, letting myself hit that pothole and almost crash into a car."

"Okay, yeah. So... probably not. Still, it woulda ended the same whichever of us won. I said I was going to leave you alone anyway."

"I believe you," Melanie said. "Though I would have won anyway."

"Bullshit! You got ahead of me at the end there, but I was just coasting. I was saving my energy for the finish line."

"You still couldn't have caught me," Melanie said defiantly.

"Guess we'll never know. 'Cause I'm going home." He smirked at her and walked over to pick up his bike.

"Maybe we could have a rematch sometime?" Melanie said, her tone implying there would be no more bets this time.

"Maybe," he said, sounding like he didn't mind the idea. Tucker got back on his bike. "See you tomorrow." He pushed off and started pedaling, even waving a little to Aaron and Sasha as he passed by.

The bunny and the lizard had been sitting on the sidewalk a few houses away. They'd missed most of the conversation between Tucker and Melanie, but had been able to guess quite a bit of it from what they'd managed to pick up. It did seem like things were better now, and that was a relief for everyone.

Sasha ran over and hugged Melanie right away.

"Ouch!!" she squeaked.

Sasha jumped back, looking sheepish. "Sorry! Forgot about you crashing and stuff. How do you feel now?"

"Better," she said, rubbing her sore arms. Aaron came over to hold her paw in his. She reached out to Sasha for another, softer, hug. "Thank you both for letting me and Tucker talk."

"What did he say?" Aaron asked. "We only caught some bits of it. Like, that he was having dad problems and had to go to camp for a while. He seems better now."

Melanie nodded. "Most of it was stuff I think he'd rather keep private, if that's okay. But at least I understand what's going on with him now. And we're not mad at each other anymore, and he apologized, so I'm happy." She smiled. "Plus, I was totally in the lead at the end there."

"You were phenomenal!" Sasha said. "I've never seen you go that fast."

"Thank you," Melanie said modestly.

"Still not as fast as me." Sasha stuck out her tongue.

Melanie stuck out hers too.

"Well, what now?" Aaron asked.

Melanie knew exactly what she wanted. "Now we go back to my place so I can lie down on the couch. My legs are so cramped up it's awful! I gotta stretch 'em out before they fall off!"

Aaron nodded. "They do look pretty squarshed up under there. So, okay. Home we go." He looked up the slope of Fallstrom Avenue. "Um. It's a pretty steep walk though, and this chair doesn't have a motor. If it's okay with you, you can just relax and I'll push."

Melanie was about to protest that she could do it all by herself, when she realized that Aaron knew that too. He was just being nice. And as she looked up the avenue, she realized that not having to haul herself all the way back would be a major relief.

"Thank you, Aaron. I'd like that very much."

"I'll help too!" Sasha chimed in.

There were no handles on Melanie's racing chair, so Aaron and Sasha stood on either side and took hold of the seat. Together, the three friends walked back to Melanie's house. She thought her Daddy wouldn't mind at all if she invited them to stay for dinner.


~~~~~


~~~~~


~~~~~


*Epilogue*


Snow was falling fast and fluffy outside the windows of Mill Dale Elementary. The morning bell hadn't rung yet and kids were still pouring through the door to Mr. VanKressler's room. They were all talking loudly about everything they'd done over the holiday vacation. Many of them bragged about Christmas presents, or getting to stay up past midnight on New Years' Eve. They'd left an absolute mess in the doorway where they'd all shook snow off themselves.

Mr. Van smiled as he watched his kids take their seats. As much as he'd enjoyed the peacefulness of two weeks off of work, he'd missed them. He watched Mark, Russ, Patrick and Sherwood arguing animatedly about video games. Bridget, Lucy and Christina were comparing the new electronic gizmos they'd gotten as gifts. Gwen & Wendy were reading a magazine together. Sasha was aggressively chewing some gum. Aaron and Tucker seemed to be involved in a solemn discussion. Eliot was digging for something in his backpack. Kevin was scarfing the last of his breakfast bar. Brandy and Beverly were giggling hard about something. Lisa was watching the snow come down. Jackson was doing some stretches. Brandon appeared to have fallen asleep. Abigail was braiding Layla's hair. And Calvin was picking his nose. Mr. Van rolled his eyes.

Everyone was present today, with one noticeable exception. Melanie hadn't shown up yet, but that was probably due to the snow. It couldn't be easy pushing a wheelchair through the mess outside. When she had first joined his class, Mr. Van had made it a personal policy to forgive her if she was tardy on occasion. Though she had surprised him by how rarely that happened. Still, there was three inches on the ground outside, and counting. Tough weather for anyone.

In the back of the room, Aaron and Tucker were conversing quietly. They weren't exactly 'friends' yet, but they certainly weren't enemies anymore. The fact that Tucker had switched seats with Kevin so they could talk more often was proof of that.

They'd discussed Christmas a bit. Aaron had gotten an awesome music player. Tucker said he'd actually had two Christmases this year; he'd spent the 24th with his dad and the 25th with his mom. He admitted that both of them seemed a lot happier now that they weren't living together.

"So it's totally final now, right? The divorce?" Aaron asked sympathetically.

Tucker shrugged in an 'I've accepted it' kinda way. "Yeah. Dad's even dating someone now, which is really fucking weird. I haven't met her yet. They met in a bar."

"Big surprise," Aaron cracked.

They were at the point where Aaron could make a joke about something like that and Tucker would laugh instead of slugging him. "Pretty much."

"Do you get to see him on weekends?"

"Actually, Mom and Dad kind of chilled out during all the court stuff. Weird, huh? Usually on TV, when people divorce they get furious. But Mom and Dad got calmer as it went on. I remember my dad telling her that he realized he was really close to never seeing me again, and that it kinda sobered him up. He asked if they could skip the visitation day thing and just let me come over whenever. She said she would if he'd agree to quit drinking. I saw him get really pissed for a second, then he just said 'Okay', and that was it."

"That's pretty cool."

Tucker nodded. "Plus, he's only a few miles away. I can bike over there."

Aaron was about to reply when the bell rang. The boys nodded to each other and looked up to the front of the class. But both of them glanced briefly over at Melanie's still-empty desk.

Once the Pledge Of Allegiance was through with, Mr. VanKressler stood up and addressed his students. "Welcome back, everyone!! I hope you all had an excellent vacation. Merry Christmases all around. Or Chanukah," he added, giving Layla a nod. "It's a brand new year now, full of possibilities. I know you're all probably still fidgety from being away for two weeks, so we'll ease back into the schoolwork later. For now, I thought we'd have a simple show and tell. If anyone has anything they'd like to share about their holidays, raise your hand and you can come up here and tell everyone."

Several paws popped up. "Allrighty. Eliot I saw your hand first, then Brandy can go, then Jackson, then Abigail. If anyone else wants a turn, just raise your hand." The wolf went back behind his desk and waved Eliot up. "The stage is yours."

The sparrow took his place at the front of the room with a little bow, then started in on his tale of how he'd stayed up till five A.M. on Christmas day, beating the video game his grandma had bought him. This bored some of his classmates and fascinated others. Brandy told about how her family had gone to a play on Christmas Eve and got to meet the actors afterwards. Jackson performed a magic trick he'd learned over vacation. He picked two cards from two decks and placed them behind the lenses of his sunglasses, blindfolding himself. Christina and Lucy both chose a card from each deck. Everyone clapped when, after a few faked failures, Jackson whipped the cards out from behind his glasses and they were, of course, the chosen cards. Abigail was a little embarrassed to follow up an act like that, but she still told everyone about how her mom had let her help cook Christmas dinner, and how she'd made yams all by herself.

Several more students volunteered to take a turn. It was in the middle of Patrick's description of the various snacks he had devoured at his parents' New Years party that someone knocked on the classroom door.

Mr. Van stood up. Melanie still hadn't appeared, and if it was her she'd have no reason to knock. "Who is it?" he called out.

The door opened and a handsome grownup fox walked in. "Good morning, Mr. VanKressler."

The students murmured amongst themselves. A few of them had seen Melanie's dad before. But why was he here when she wasn't?

"Hello, Mr. Hartwood," the wolf said. "What's this about?"

Mr. Hartwood held up a finger for patience. He walked back out the door. And when he returned, he was pushing Melanie's wheelchair.

It was empty.

A coldness fell over the room. What reason could there be for Melanie's father bringing just her wheelchair to class unless... No. It couldn't be.

It couldn't be.

Mr. VanKressler's mouth was slightly open with horrified dread. His hand trembled. "Has... something happened?"

Mr. Hartwood nodded. "You could say that," he replied. Without a word more, he began pushing the wheelchair across the room. Every head turned to watch him. Patrick moved out of the way and went back to his seat, forgetting the rest of his story.

Tucker felt a lump of painful worry stick in his throat. He didn't want to even consider the possibility of what that empty chair represented. But it *was* possible. Melanie did have to go see a doctor every month; she'd told him about it. Maybe there had been... complications.

Mr. Hartwood stopped beside Melanie's desk and turned to face the door.

Just then, Tucker noticed that Aaron and Sasha both had expressions of almost uncontrollable happiness. "What...?"

"Melanie!" Mr. Hartwood called out. "We're ready!"

From out in the hallway, everyone heard a thump.

Then a double clank.

Then a thump again.

And then Melanie appeared in the doorway, doing something none of them had ever expected.

She was standing.

Well, sort of.

She had crutches strapped to her forearms, and they were wobbling from the strain of keeping herself upright. Her left leg dangled below her skirt, still shaped like an umbrella handle. Her right leg was encased in what looked like some kind of steel torture cage.

Melanie swung her right leg forward. THUMP. It was clear that it was mostly the cage-thing that was holding up her weight.

With visible effort, she balanced on it for just the fraction of a second she needed to swing her crutches ahead of her. They hit the floor with a CLA-CLANK.

The class was utterly silent.

Everyone's eyes were on Melanie as she took another tiny step. She was breathing heavily. This was clearly a tremendous effort for her. She was shaking head to toe. Her eyes were glued to the floor, watching her steps. She looked like someone walking a tightrope for the first time, knowing they hadn't gotten enough practice first.

Mr. VanKressler looked away from Melanie just for a moment. He saw her father standing at the back of the room, tears in his eyes, looking prouder than any father ever had in all of history.

Melanie grunted and panted as she clunked across the floor. It was agonizingly slow-going. Her cheeks and lungs were burning from the exertion. Her palms were in agony. This was a million times worse than pushing her rims.

But it was worth it.

She paused to look up at her classmates. Even with all the pain she was in and all the panic she was feeling that she might fall over on her ass, she felt wonderful. They were looking at her with awe. She saw nothing but encouragement from them. Even Tucker. Aaron was grinning his little bunny ass off. Sasha looked ready to explode straight through the ceiling.

Melanie swung her leg-cage forward again. She had to stop to take a few more deep breaths. She realized now she was absolutely not ready for this.

Christmas morning had been spectacular for her. She was surrounded by toys and new clothes and books and candy, her tail wagging like a blur. Then Daddy had gone into his bedroom and come back with one more gift. It was long and thin and heavy. And it had a tag on it that said: 'From Dr. Gupta and Daddy'. For a moment, she'd had no idea what to feel. She didn't dare believe what she hoped might be in the box. Then she opened it, and started crying so hard she couldn't see anything but tears. She crawled across the floor to Daddy as fast as she could, and he had picked her up and hugged her. She hugged him back with all the love in the universe. Melanie was so overjoyed she couldn't even speak.

She took another step. She was almost past Mr. Van's desk now. It was tempting to reach out and lean against it for a few seconds. But she didn't.

'I'm halfway there,' she told herself. 'I can do it.'

She looked up and saw that Mr. Van's smile was a mile wide. His eyes were shining with tears, just like hers were.

Of course, all she could do for a while with her new special presents was just play around with them. She'd had to wait until the day after Christmas to go see Dr. Gupta and get them adjusted properly. When Melanie saw her wonderful doctor, she practically flew across the room to hug him. She thanked him so many times her mouth got dry. She had hummed with anticipation as he fitted the brace around her leg. Daddy had already helped her get used to how the crutches felt, but Dr. Gupta readjusted the height on them just to be sure. When Melanie had taken her first step, she'd shrieked so loud in joy that the entire Health Center heard her.

On the car ride home, Daddy had told her that he'd realized something. It was an incredibly rare thing for a father and daughter to both remember her first steps. Melanie was struck silent for a while. Then she hugged him at the next red light and couldn't make herself let go. He didn't mind. Though his driving was a little wobbly the rest of the way.

She took another step, passing Christina now. She just had to make it past Bridget's desk, and then Eliot's, and then she could collapse into her chair and take the damn brace off. She'd thought about showing her new equipment off in the lunchroom today, but there was no way in hell she was putting this stuff back on once she got it off. She didn't think she'd even be able to move for the rest of the day. Her right leg had swelled up like a boiled hotdog already.

As she passed Bridget's desk, the pink parrotgirl whispered, "You are _awesome_."

Melanie gave her a thankful grin. She needed the encouragement. Her arms were shaking so badly she wasn't sure she could move another inch. Her whole body ached like crazy. She looked up to Daddy, about to ask him to bring the wheelchair closer.

But when she saw into his eyes, she knew she could not possibly ask that.

She had begged him this morning to let her do this. She kept on asking over and over, never relenting. Even when he got frustrated to the point of yelling at her. Dr. Gupta had said she wouldn't be ready to walk a distance like this for months. She had promised Daddy she could do it. She had made a promise, and she was not allowed to break it now no matter how much her arms hurt.

She took a deep breath. She gathered her strength. 'Only a few more steps to go,' she told herself. 'You can whine about how much it hurts once you're sitting down.'

She swung her crutches forward and felt the left one slip. A moment of sheer terror hit her in the face like cold water.

With startlingly quick reflexes, Eliot reached out to steady her.

She panted, feeling her heart thud like a steam train. "Thanks," she said, barely more than a breath.

He nodded encouragingly. "You can do it," he said.

Melanie grinned. Then she looked up to her Daddy. "Of course I can."

He nodded. She could see in his eyes he was sorry for ever doubting her.

Just two more steps now. And even though they sent fire shooting up her nerves and made her arms shake like wet noodles, she got through them.

Then, with a huge sigh of relief, she spun herself around and plopped down into her wheelchair seat.

"That really sucked," she panted.

Then the classroom erupted with the loudest applause Melanie had ever heard in her life.




	The End
	for now...





AUTHOR'S NOTES
*****

This was started back in 2005. I dunno why I stalled so many times when writing it, but I'm glad I finally forced myself to finish. Melanie deserved it.

On the other hand, part of me is glad I waited. There were some things I wanted to say that I'm not sure my six-years-younger self would have been able to articulate. Also, I enjoyed combatting the idea that 'porn' and 'literature' are always separate. Good stories don't have to be squeaky clean, and porn stories don't have to be devoid of plot either.

The 'based on a true story' part that I mentioned at the beginning is in reference to the diaper revolution that Aaron starts. Years ago, I read an article online that said a group of punk teenagers in Australia had done exactly the same thing. I thought that was awesome. It works both as a statement against condescending authority figures, and as fetish fodder.

Also, It should come as no surprise that a lot of what I wrote about Mr. VanKressler is taken from experiences of my own schooldays. He is everything my favorite teachers got right and the reverse of everything my worst teachers did wrong. I had some genuinely good teachers. Some were dedicated and inventive, and crazy in all the best ways. But I had a lot more who were lazy, burnt out or just plain incompetent. I had a biology teacher in high school who was a very nice lady, but she actually told us, during a lesson on evolution, that human beings will all lose their wisdom teeth in a few generations because we don't need them anymore. <epic headdesk of infinity> So, yeah. Mr. VanKressler is an author soapbox character and I admit it. He's probably a little too perfect, but at least I tried to be upfront about it. (BTW, his full name is Gary Stewart VanKressler. Get it?)

Enormous thanks go to my awesome squad of crackerjack proofreaders; Alfador, Kanada and Poe The Ether Bunny. All of them helped make this story better. Alfador was a wealth of information about diapers. Kanada was a wealth of information about medical stuff. And Poe was a wealth of brain-melting puns to help keep morale up. Tee hee.

Alfador also made me giggle by describing an Alex Reynard story as one that will "put joy in your heart, a tear in your eye, a lump in your throat, and concrete in your penis." :)

BTW, just in case you were wondering: No, I did not actually write lyrics to The Pledge Of Underpants. It is a "noodle incident". Though if any of you out there would like to try, I'd love to hear it!





"Heart On Wheels"
Started 04/07/05, Finished 11/14/11, Editing completed 12/13/11