✅ My Sister's Problem

19. New Rules

By the time I looked up from my computer again, it was nearly midnight. I'd lost track of time, and the slice of triple chocolate cake on my plate was gone. The glass of lemonade that had come with it was empty too. I'd drunk it pretty quickly, not realising how thirsty cake could make me, so I was glad that Lindy had thought to bring this little midnight feast up on a tray, and included an extra bottle of lemonade.

Then something clicked. I looked at the glass again, and noticed there was a little residue in the bottom. Not something I was used to, but I would have dismissed it as not being washed properly. Except that I'd also overlooked the fact that it tasted ever so slightly weird, and I was feeling a little light headed. Had Lindy put something in the drink? Or perhaps it was the cake? I couldn't believe either option really; my sister wouldn't do something like that. Or maybe I just didn't want to believe it.

I paced around the room a little. Nothing seemed particularly off. Was I just being paranoid? It was possible; I'd been so surprised by Lindy trying to be a machiavellian bully over the last few weeks that I didn't know what to expect anymore. I was sure she wouldn't do anything actually harmful (And, having read up on the science a little more, I now knew that sleeping in a wet diaper was unlikely to lead to any hygiene issues; the worst you could expect was a slim chance of diaper rash, so I couldn't really hold her previous prank against her)

"Lindy?" I asked, coming over to the curtain to call to her. Maybe it would have been more polite to go around to the door, but I wasn't feeling particularly polite. "Was there something funny about that lemonade?"

"Maybe," she treated me to another cheshire-cat grin, which made me sure that this was more than just paranoia. "Wait and see, baby."

"Lindy, I'm serious. That is not something to joke about."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going away for a few days, so you won't have to worry about me. It's just Harper gave me some ideas for how I could have some fun first. Don't worry about it, everything will be fine. Just make sure you don't forget your Underjams tonight. I think you might need them."

I didn't know what she had in mind. I still couldn't believe it. Was she bluffing? That was the kind of thing Harper might actually come up with; just something to make my drink taste weird so that I would worry. She certainly wouldn't do anything that was likely to be harmful; but it wasn't entirely beyond belief that she might have found something I missed when I was searching the web for pranks. Especially as I'd started off thinking about the bowl of water, and never even considered looking up drugs.

Still, it seemed extreme. More likely it was a bluff. I couldn't let her get to me, or she would have won. And I was certainly going to have words with Harper the next time I saw her. Whether it was for real or not, I didn't need to be worrying like that.

"If I get ill, Mum's going to be really mad." I didn't think I needed to say anything else. I wasn't even too mad at her for trying something crazy. It might be dumb, but she was just trying to embarrass me. I might have done the same in her place, and it was kind of justified by the number of wet mornings she'd had recently; all of them my fault.

"You'll be fine, baby," she said with a smile. "Just a couple more nights in diapers for you, now Mum agreed I don't need them."

I nodded. After much whining, Lindy had managed to persuade Mum not to make her wear her pull-ups until we were out. She would be able to make her own choice about if she wanted them when she was at camp; making her own decision, and dealing with her own consequences. So it kind of made sense that if she could stay dry for a long weekend in unfamiliar surroundings, she wouldn't have to start wearing them again when she came back. I'd argued on her behalf, as well. I didn't want my sister to be miserable, and even if she wasn't wearing them anymore, it was less than a week since Mum had done a big bulk purchase. There would be some when I wanted them for quite some time.

So her behaviour made sense. Tonight was the last night she would be wearing them, if all went to plan. She didn't know that I was going to keep on wearing them when I got the chance. So in her mind, tonight was the last opportunity to prank me back. No wonder she'd decided to pull out all the stops. I hesitated for a moment, raising my hands to my face, and then turned away so that she couldn't see how embarrassed I was. Still, it was nearly bedtime now, and I realised that it was too late to do anything to thwart her wicked plan. I could just get changed for bed, brush my teeth, and all the usual stuff.

I found myself staring at the toilet. She hadn't actually told me I wasn't allowed to go tonight, but I still hesitated. What would happen if this stuff worked? What was the worst case? Lindy would already be rushing to go out when I woke up, so I doubted she'd have much time to tease me about it. She probably wouldn't even have a chance to take photos. Maybe it would be better to allow her a small win, then she might stop trying to get one over on me. And after some of the stuff I'd been reading up on recently, I was really curious about what might be possible. It wouldn't hurt to see if whatever Lindy had found was actually true?

I told myself I just wanted to find out whether it was real. It was like when I read the stupid stuff about putting someone's hand in water, and my curiosity wouldn't let me go until I knew how large a kernel of truth was at the centre of the myths. I might as well give it a reasonable test, so I didn't pee before heading to bed. I was tired already, and it was hard to keep my eyes open long enough to send a message to Harper Eisen asking what the hell she was playing at. Once that was done, I grabbed Lincoln and my pacifier and fell asleep faster than I ever had before.