The shrill ringing of my alarm clock pierced my ears, startling me awake. I fumbled for my phone, struggling through bleary eyes to silence it. Had it not been for the all too familiar dampness against my skin, I would've dozed back off. Slowly, I pulled my covers off, revealing a large damp patch on my sheets and my sodden pyjama trousers. This had been an almost daily occurrence for the past three months. Countless doctor's appointments and investigations, a bed wetting alarm, limiting fluids and every other thing you might consider had been tried to no avail. Well, almost everything. A knot formed in my stomach when I thought about what was coming next.
A sigh escaped my lips as I sat up. Just as I had swung my legs over the side of the bed, there was a knock at the door. It slowly creaked open. "Oh good, you're awake." She paused, noticing my condition. "Imogen and Bea have already showered, so the bathroom is free. Don't worry about your bed, I'll sort it out." I nodded and slowly stood up. As I trudged to the bathroom, my mum called out behind me "Don't be too long or you'll miss the bus."
Once in the bathroom, I peeled off my wet clothes and left them in the corner. Mum would collect them in a bit. This was my new normal, though it wasn't so new anymore. As I stood under the hot shower, the water cascading over my body, I couldn't shake the feeling of shame. I'm fifteen, this isn't something I should be struggling with. I was already the fat sister, now I was the one that had accidents too. That was another thing. Though not as frequent as the bedwetting, I was having daytime accidents and they had picked up this past month. I'd wet myself three times and, when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I pooped myself. I wasn't sick, I didn't have diarrhoea, I wasn't constipated (wish I was), we were just stuck in traffic for an hour and I couldn't hold it in. I hadn't had any accidents at school though (definitely some close calls), so there's that to be thankful for. I scrubbed at my skin, hoping to wash away the embarrassment.
I glanced at my watch - I only had ten minutes before I had to be out the door! Shutting the shower off, I wrapped a towel round my body and hurriedly brushed my teeth (the dentist would not be pleased with my clean, but it was better than nothing). I darted across the hall to my room and threw on my school uniform. Running downstairs, I flung my backpack over my shoulder and flew out the front door. I could see the bus approaching my stop at the end of the road and ran to meet it. The bus driver clearly noticed me rushing up the pavement and kindly waited for me. I climbed onto the bus and flopped into the nearest seat, panting with exertion. One minute of running probably shouldn't leave me that out of breath, but I'm hardly in peak physical condition.
---
The school day passed like any other, until my first lesson after lunch. My usual maths teacher was off sick, so we had a substitute. 10 minutes into the lesson, I felt a twinge from my bladder, letting me know I needed a wee. Not wanting to risk an accident I put my hand up and asked to go to the toilet. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. All of my teachers were aware of my recent difficulties (in spite of my reluctance, my parents had insisted). However, this supply teacher obviously didn't get the memo. "You should have gone before the lesson started. You'll have to wait." I gulped and bit my lip, this was going to be a challenge. As the minutes ticked by, the pressure in my bladder grew. The lesson was just a blur around me, my focus was intently in keeping my pants dry. I clenched my legs together and balled my hands into fists. I can do this, I told myself, it can't be that long until the lesson ends. I checked my watch, internally cursing when I realised it had only been 15 minutes and I had 35 minutes to go.
I was jolted into the room by a hand smacking the table in front of me. The surprise caused a spurt of urine to escape, though I just about managed to get it under control. "I just asked you a question? Well, do you have an answer for me?" I stared at the board, hoping for a clue, but it was no help. "Um, uh..." She raised her eyebrows. "Do you even know what I asked?" I swallowed. "Err..." She sighed, exasperatedly. "Clearly not. You'll need to stay behind after class." My heart was pounding in my chest. I wasn't going to make it.
YOU ARE READING
Wet
General Fiction15 year old Luna has been struggling with bed wetting and accidents for a few months and nothing seems to be helping. When everything comes to a head and Luna has what is the worst day of her life in her memory, she is pushed to try out "protection"...