The Potty Draining Chart

Day 1

"What the fuck?"

Shock and fury battled for control of Nicole's mind. First, she felt only a startled sense of confusion: (How?) And then the dawning, horrified realization: (Oh, that's how.) And finally, anger at the betrayal: (How could she think this was funny?)

Nicole had wet the bed, for the first time she could remember. There was no denying it–she'd soaked her pajama pants, her covers, her sheets, and she could even feel the soggy squelch coming up from her mattress. She simply wasn't a bedwetter, but she also knew this was no fluke, no coincidence or bit of bad luck.

This had to be her fault.

Vanessa was a prankster sometimes, sure, but this was beyond the pale.

So, she rushed across her room, stormed into the hall, and pounded a fist on her roommate/hall neighbor's door. "V, what is wrong with you?"

It took five seconds of furious knocking before she heard a confused, "I'm coming, Nicky, just gimme a sec..."

Standing there, Nicole let her anger simmer until Vanessa opened the door, wearing only a T-shirt, rubbing at her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Launching into her tirade, Nicole chewed her best friend out with all the fervor she could muster. "Vanessa, this is way too far. Pranks are one thing, but–"

She hesitated, catching Vanessa's confused expression. V was looking down at the wet crotch of Nicole's pajama pants, and she seemed uncertain. "Did you piss yourself?"

"Of course I did, you did it!" Nicole snapped.

"Sorry, I–" Vanessa hesitated, rubbing her eyes. "I'm still waking up here, Nicole. What are you talking about?"

"You made me wet the bed," Nicole explained, exasperated that she even needed to say it out loud. "What, did you sneak into my room and dip my hand in a bowl of water? Jesus, did you drug me with something?"

Vanessa's eyes widened, finally understanding the accusation being thrown at her. "Come on, I wouldn't do that. Why would you think that?"

"Because," Nicole snapped, turning to rip the potty training off her door from where it'd been stuck with an adhesive strip. "Of this!"

Tilting her head, Vanessa looked at the chart. It had the rain cloud doodle she'd made on the nighttime row, but she couldn't remember making the sunny sky doodle in the daytime row, or the loose doodle of Nicole with a cartoony red 'angry' face in the star row on the bottom. "Uh...Nicole, I genuinely don't know what you're talking about."

Those words stung Nicole more than the betrayal. Vanessa hadn't just hit her with a humiliating and frustrating prank, now she was trying to lie about it.

"Fuck you," Nicole snapped, getting up in Vanessa's face. "This isn't funny, and if you're not even going to apologize–"

"Easy, there," Vanessa said, taking a step back, until her back bumped into her own door. "I'd apologize, if I had done anything wrong, but I'm telling you: This wasn't something I did. Maybe you were just tired from the move and it's a weird freak coincidence?"

"I don't wet the bed, not when I'm tired, not ever," Nicole glowered, fuming. "I need to get ready for work."

She turned and stormed towards the bathroom at the end of the hall, and once inside, tossed the chart into the trash bin by the sink. Vanessa watched her go, confused, trying not to take the accusations personally.

"You're doing my laundry," Nicole shot, before slamming the door.