The Babysitter

Chapter 43
The Babysitter, Part 43

Part 43

As always, Noelle was doing more than simply babysitting me. Oblivious to the fact that I was a well behaved, responsible girl, Noelle was doing whatever she could to nudge me away from the difficult, rebellious teenager she believed me to be. 

She followed Paige out of the driveway and towards whatever park my step-sister had in mind, at least allowing me the dignity of sitting in the front seat after briefly deliberating if I was tall enough to legally do so. Since I wasn’t old enough to drive in her eyes, all I could do was insist that I sat up there all the time. Once we were on the road, however, I figured out pretty quickly that the back seat might have been preferable. 

Noelle spent most of the drive lecturing me on manners. According to her, it didn’t matter if it was an outdoor picnic or a fancy dinner at an upscale venue. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ was important in any circumstance, and I was also instructed to eat like a lady despite the informal setting. That way, she could see where I needed to improve when it came to table etiquette. 

While I was certainly more civilized than Paige in that sense, Noelle had only seen me eating pizza thus far. As for the coming picnic, I wasn’t exactly sure what she expected. Pretty much everything Paige packed up was finger food; I could manage a sandwich with a degree of grace, but I didn’t know how ‘ladylike’ I could eat chips and whatever other snack food was in the basket. 

The park Paige and company led us to was slightly familiar. I had been there once for an art fair, though it looked completely different without all the tents and booths set up. Less crowded, too, with parking that didn’t require ten minutes of circling. As for my plan–more of a hope, really–the location was difficult to judge. It wasn’t that close to our house, yet it also wasn’t that far of a drive. All I needed was one person. Statistically, that was still well within the realm of possibility. 

Noelle took the spot right next to Paige. By the car my step-sister and I were supposed to be sharing on any given day. Of course, there was no competition for the keys when I was perceived as being Miley’s age. I carefully stepped out of Noelle’s ride, making sure that the pull-ups were completely covered the entire time. Though it wasn’t a secret any more thanks to Violet, I didn’t want to give any of the girls the satisfaction of catching a glimpse of the bulky, pink underwear. 

Also, wearing pull-ups in broad daylight was unnerving. As Paige led the way through the park, every step reminded me of the padding between my thighs that was nothing at all like walking in panties. The illogical part of my brain made it feel like anyone looking our way could somehow tell, despite how I was making a conscious effort to keep my movements as normal as possible. I couldn’t believe that Noelle made me put such mortifying underwear on, or that Paige had run with it in a similar manner to how she had leapt on the opportunity to portray me as her little sister. 

It didn’t take long for Paige to spot a table we could use. By the time we approached the slightly shaded spot, I hadn’t yet succeeded in spotting anyone I knew. Noelle offered my help on my behalf, naturally, but Paige politely declined. Too many cooks, considering only so many people could retrieve stuff from the picnic basket at one time. And, if I had to guess, taking care of everything herself would continue to make Paige look like the mature sister she was going out of her way to present herself as.

I wasn’t the only girl at the table wearing a simple summer outfit. Paige and Annika were both wearing tanks as well, except their tops better complemented their hair and skin tone, as well as accentuated their more mature curves. Meanwhile, the lighter hue of my tank top practically screamed ‘tween’ when paired with my red locks. And, thanks to the training bra and the looser top, my chest looked like it barely existed. To make matters worse, Violet sat next to me again. She was one of Paige’s taller friends, and her alternative, dark clad image no doubt made me look younger by contrast to anyone looking at us side by side. 

Thanks to the bracelet I was stuck with, Noelle didn’t seem particularly concerned about staying close to me. Now that she had the ability to track me, literally, she wouldn’t have to follow through on her initial threat of chasing me down if I ran. I was willing to bet she’d still pursue if she caught me in the act, though there was obviously no reason to try something like that when even sneaking off wasn’t an option. 

Paige pulled out Noelle’s sandwich first, in another gesture that was transparent to both me and probably Paige’s friends as well. Then my manipulative sister passed out everyone else’s, before filling the middle of the table with a collection of chips, crackers, and fruit. She wrapped up the process by opening the cooler her friends had brought along with the picnic basket. “For Miley,” she said. Procuring a blue sports drink as well as one of our reusable water bottles from the house, Paige casually added, “Make sure to stay hydrated, sis!” 

It felt like a faint jab about my underwear situation, probably since she couldn’t risk anything that Noelle might pick up on. Even if Paige hadn’t meant it like that, her comment worked on a patronizing level either way. Resisting the urge to scowl or say something I would if it was just the two of us, I awkwardly muttered, “Thank you.” Because Noelle was right there, and giving me an expectant look after her lecture in the car.

Leaning forward to pass a bottle to Annika, Paige shot me a smug look that was perfectly timed so I would see it and Noelle wouldn’t. 

Pretending not to care, as badly as I wanted to scream at her and Noelle and anyone else who would listen, I instead unwrapped my sandwich and took a sip of water to hide the traces of annoyance and frustration that were threatening to show if I wasn’t careful. 

Noelle had already extended my time in pull-ups once; I couldn’t let Paige provoke me into any kind of reaction that would add more hours.