DiapOut: Chapter 5
“Alright, everyone! Quiet down and pay attention. This is your safety walk for the challenge and I’m not going to repeat myself,” said Keelee, gathering everyone around a large, elaborate set. Positioned behind Keelee was what appeared to be an obstacle course of some sort.
From right to left, there was a massive diaper that looked to be as big as a shed, a bulbous slide that looked eerily like a butt, a long staircase with some kind of jelly smeared across it, and finally, a large sandbox that looked to be filled with pure white sand. While the contestants each had their theories as to what each section's challenge would be, none of them knew for sure. However, they were soon about to find out.
Waiting until she had everyone’s eyes on her, Keelee began her explanation of the challenge, “As I’m sure you’ve all guessed, Round One is a relay obstacle course. Each section will be completed by a different member of your team. You’ll need to find one of these items in each segment and hand it off to the next member before you can move on.” She gestured to the table next to her, where two giant bobby pins, a cloth diaper, and a baby doll were positioned. “Sections one and two will have bobby pins, section three is the cloth diaper, and the baby doll is in the final section. Are all of you following along so far?”
Seven of the eight contestants nodded along, with only Lelaya raising her hand in confusion. “So, what? It’s like a scavenger hunt?” she asked, bouncing up and down on her toes in anticipation of the fun-looking challenge.
“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” said Keelee, appeasing Lelaya before continuing her explanation, “Just think of each item as a track and field baton, and you’re good to go. To win Round One, you’ll need to race through the obstacle course and diaper your baby before your opponents. If we’re all clear on how this game will work, let’s head onto the course so you can familiarize yourself with each section.”
The group was herded up onto the stage to get an in-depth look at what they would be doing. All except for AyayaGirl, who casually tiptoed away from the group as she saw the director passing by. “Hey, director guy, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked, interrupting a conversation he was having with his DP.”
“Oh, uh…sure. Shouldn’t you be doing a safety walk right now though?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Ayaya, “And for future reference, the name’s Jackson.”
“Well, Mr. Jackson,” said Ayaya, stepping in close and running a finger along the collar of his black, button-up shirt, “I just wanted to apologize. You see, my friend, Mia, is one of those introverts. You know the type. Super shy and panics easily, you get the gist. This competition is kind of a lot for her, so if you ever need someone else to step in for her because she needs a break from the spotlight, I’m your girl.”
Shooting a knowing look to his DP, Jackson smirked, trying to figure out the most polite way possible to shoe her away. “Thank you, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he said, plucking her finger off of his shirt and stepping back slightly, “Why don’t you run on back to your group? I’m sure your compatriots would like you to be ready for the first round.”
“Oh, them? I’m sure they can fill me in on anything I miss,” said Ayaya, remaining oblivious to the director’s tone and body language, “Besides, from one person in the industry to another, I feel much more comfortable around people of a similar caliber of talent.”
Jackson was almost astonished at Ayaya’s arrogance. It reminded him of another performer he’d been saddled with. Speaking of the devil, CassiRole emerged from her dressing room wearing a fluffy, pink robe and stormed over to where Jackson and Ayaya were chatting, a look of fury in her eyes. “Hey, dingus, why is my costume for Round 1 not ready yet?”
Putting on a fake smile, Jackson turned to face his star. “Cassi, darling, I need to focus on the show right now. I’m sure Claire can answer any costuming questions-
“That old bat wouldn’t know good taste if it smacked her across the face. Ugh, I hate working with amateurs,” scoffed Cassi before turning her attention to the attention-seeking trollop standing next to him. She looked her up and down like a predator observing its prey, “What’s she doing here? Shouldn’t Keelee be handling the guests?”
Pleasing his hands on Ayaya’s shoulders and nervously laughing along with Cassi’s statement, Jackson nudged Ayaya back toward the stage. “She was just leaving,” he said, looking for a clear exit from this conversation, “Look, I don’t have time for this right now. Go find Claire and have her sort this out.” Before Cassi or Ayaya could respond, he turned his back toward both of them and rushed off to where his DP was waiting.
“Ugh! I swear when this show gets renewed, I’m finding a better director,” whispered Cassi under her breath and wishing she had the power to fire him on the spot for his insolence. As she went to leave, she came face to face with Ayaya, who was also fuming that Jackson had dipped from their conversation so quickly. “And you, I don’t know what your game is but I’ve got my eye on you,” she said, flipping her hair back as she pivoted toward her dressing room and stomped away.
Looking back and forth between the director and the host, the gears in Ayaya’s head were starting to turn. Contrary to Jackson’s belief, she was a far more observant person than anyone gave her credit for. Between the director’s obvious unease and what she overheard Cassi say, there was clearly trouble in paradise. “Maybe I should be aiming for more than just the team spokesperson,” she thought, as her head began to fill with devious ideas.
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“So team, who wants to do what?”
Huddled up in a small circle, the WET Diaper Lovers Club members were busy figuring out who would do what for the challenge. Taking command of their group, Kyoko spoke up first, “Based on everything we’ve seen, we should use our most athletic people to tackle the second and third portions of the challenge and have our best diaper changer, that being me, to do the final leg of the race.”
Zeke and Cade nodded in agreement with Kyoko, while Rupert exhaled a chuckle through his nose. “Oh ho ho, who said you were the best diaper changer?” he teased, nudging her with his elbow, “Sounds to me like you just want all the glory.”
“Oh, shush, these hands have been changing diapers since I was babysitting at eleven years old. Y’all ain’t got nothing on me,” said Kyoko, elbowing Rupert right back, “Zeke, do you think you can handle the third section? That’s definitely gonna be the hardest one.”
Accepting his role as the fittest amongst the WET Diaper Lovers, Zeke nodded, “Leave it to me!” After what seemed to be a shaky start for his bestie, he was happy to see Kyoko being a bit more relaxed now that she’d already given her spiel about their club. He allowed himself to drop his worries and focus on the game at hand.
This left Cade and Rupert to decide who was doing which of the first two parts. “You love slides, don’t you?” said Rupert, trying to coerce his buddy into picking the second leg of the race.
“Screw off, I wanna jump in that big diaper just as much as you do,” responded Cade as he placed his fist in his hand, “We settle this the old-fashioned way.”
Raising his fist and repeating Cade’s actions, Rupert nodded in approval. Together, they chanted, “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!” When the dust settled, it was Cade who held up rock to Rupert’s scissors.
“Damn it! Whatever, sliding down a giant butt is the best consolation prize ever,” joked Rupert as Cade celebrated his victory.
Meanwhile, Keelee stood on the other side of the stage with Mia, Misa, and Lelaya, who were all wondering the same thing. “Where the heck is Ayaya?”
“I’m sure she’ll show up when the challenge gets started. We need to strategize,” said Mia, trying to be the voice of reason in her group. She’d already spotted her opponents, the Messers, plotting together and was getting nervous that her group’s lackluster teamwork was going to spell their doom.
Rushing over to join the group, Ayaya waved hello to her fellow Wetters. “Sup nerds. Sorry, I’m late. I was chatting with Jackson,” she said, avoiding spilling any details about her conversation or her run-in with CassiRole.
“From now on, you talk to me, not the director, when you have a problem. You got that?” said Keelee, completely over Ayaya’s ridiculous behavior. She stepped within a few inches of the problematic guest, staring her down. It was moments like this when she was thankful to be blessed with the gift of height. “And if you wander off during a safety walk ever again, I’ll see to it that your ass gets thrown out of the game.”
Holding her hands, Ayaya played up her innocence. “Lighten up, girlie. Being so angry is bad for your blood pressure,” she said, hoping to get some of her friends to laugh along with her. Sadly, they seemed to be taking this show far more seriously than she was.
“Look, she’s sorry. Can we prep for the round now?” said Mia, butting in between the pair of hotheads, “We still need to figure out who’s doing what.”
Tucking her clipboard under her armpit, Keelee backed away, “I’ll leave you four to it. Though, Mia, your role in this round is already decided. Producers want you in the lead-off position. The rest of you can do whatever you want. I don’t care.” Without saying another word, she walked off to go check on the other team.
“Woof! Someone’s testy,” said Ayaya quietly enough so that Keelee didn’t overhear her, “I’ll take whatever spot you guys don’t want. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Raising her hand yet again, Lelaya began jumping up and down, clearly having something to say. “Yes, Lelaya?” said Mia, her patience for her friend’s childlike behavior already wearing thin.
“I wanna do the diapering at the end. I did change all of your diapers, after all,” said Lelaya, puffing her chest out proudly.
Cocking her head to the side, Misa was almost in shock to hear Lelaya make a sensible decision. “O-Okay, then if she’s got the last section, I guess I’ll take the slide. I think I’ll pass out from overexertion if I have to handle those stairs,” she said, turning to look at Ayaya, “You gonna be fine with the third section?”
“Of course, she can! Ayaya is like totes amazeballs at sports and junk,” said Lelaya, jumping up and down as she hyped up the streamer’s physical prowess.
Ayaya, on the other hand, was far less confident in her athletic, but with how much praise Lelaya was tossing on her, she didn’t have much of a choice unless she wanted to wound her own pride. “Yeah, how hard can it be?” she said, looking anxiously toward the dozen or so steps that she’d soon be climbing. It was just a set of padded stairs. Was Misa really that out of shape? Regardless, she was a natural when it came to games, so figuring out a silly staircase had to be a piece of cake.
“Five minutes to places! Player, get to your positions!”
The two groups broke from their discussions and turned to look at each other as the production manager made their announcement over the intercom. From here on out, they were to be bitter rivals. Only one team could be champions in the end, and neither team was looking to give up their chance at victory.
TO BE CONTINUED…