“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Charlie?” I asked Oberi.
The professor proctoring the exam wouldn’t let me go in there. She figured he’d use me to cheat, as silly as that is,Oberi replied.So I came to bother you.
“Well, you might as well get comfortable, because I’m not going anywhere.”
I spent the next hour prepping for my own exam that afternoon, while Oberi napped on the rug underneath the table. With a quick check of the clock, I realized I had to leave in order to get to my exam on time.
I had packed away my things to go take it when I felt a warm, wet sensation flood my skirt and my wheelchair seat. I wasn’t sure what it was, because the feeling in my legs was dulled, so it took a moment for me to put the pieces together.
I froze, before I realized what had happened and started to panic.
Oh,shit.Not fuckinghere.
Oberi woke up, and gave a whimper of concern.It’s okay. Just stay calm.
I reddened profusely, and prayed that nobody saw me blush. People weren’t looking my way, but if they did, they might put together what had happened, and then I’d die of humiliation.
Please don’t let anyone notice.I slowly rolled my chair out of the room, praying no one knocked into me, because if they did, it’d go spilling all over the rug. Oberi walked near my chair, blocking it off from sight.
Pidge, you okay? Charlie was across the prison, taking an exam, but he’d paused when he felt my embarrassment seep across our bond.
Yeah, just spilled something,I lied, before shutting my connection to him off. I wanted some fucking privacy, thank you, after pissing myself.
I rolled to the closest bathroom and struggled with getting into the disabled stall. It was a pain in the ass. The walls were still too narrow for me to turn around, so I ended up getting stuck a few times. I had to maneuver around the stall in my wet skirt before I was able to use the bars to lift myself onto the toilet seat, but I was still too late.
“Fuck.” I dropped my head and started to cry. I hated this. It was probably one of the worst parts of my spinal injury. I couldn’t sense when I had to use the bathroom anymore. I hadn’t had an accident since I’d been in the hospital, with nurses who were around to help me clean up. There’d been a few close calls, but nothing like this. I’d managed to get around the problem by scheduling bathroom breaks at the same time every day and never being too far from a restroom, but I’d been so eager to talk to Ivy about contacting Erasmus, I’d forgotten to take one after lunch. Oberi whined outside the stall, unsure of how to help.
It’s not your fault. You shouldn’t be ashamed,Oberi objected.
Sure feels like it.I sniffed and wiped my face. I didn’t know what to do. I needed to change, but my exam was in ten minutes, and I couldn’t miss it, or I’d fail. That wasn’t enough time for me to go back to my cell and change, but I couldn’t go to class and take a test while sitting in my own mess, either. Completely overwhelmed, I put my hands over my face and cried.
Someone shut off a faucet outside. “Ava?” Kallie’s voice echoed over the stalls.
She knocked on the stall. Oberi’s nails clicked on the floor as he stepped aside. I felt degraded, but I neededsomeoneto help me, and I’d pick Kallie over anyone. I leaned forward and unlocked the stall door. She opened it, but the door banged against my wheelchair and wouldn’t go any farther.
“Are you okay?” Kallie poked her head in, and her face fell when she saw my soaking wheelchair and my wet skirt.
“I feel like an infant.” Tears bubbled up over my eyelids and ran down my face.
“It’s okay,” she rushed to say. “I’ll help you clean up.”
“My Anthropology exam is right now!” I whimpered.
“I’ll tell Professor Hemlock you need an extension. Just stay here, I’ll be back in a second.”
I wasn’t going anywhere like this. I locked the door again and waited an eternity for Kallie to return, while Oberi guarded the door. When she did, she’d come back with a couple of towels, some wet wipes, and a fresh change of clothes.
“I told Hemlock you weren’t feeling well. She’s pushing your exam until tomorrow,” Kallie said. She squeezed herself into the stall and shut the door behind her. She barely had enough room to maneuver around. Screw the Institute and its half-assed attempts to make things accessible. Kallie did her best to move my wheelchair out of the way, and she handed me a few wet wipes. I cleaned myself off while she worked on wiping down my legs.
“I’m so sorry you have to do this,” I apologized. My friends shouldn’t be helping me this way.
“You’d do the same for me in a heartbeat,” Kallie replied. “What are friends for?”
My lip wobbled. “It’s embarrassing, you know, relying on your help like this.”
“Hey, look at it this way, from this angle, I get a great view of that famous bikini wax you’re always bragging about,” Kallie joked. “And it does look good, by the way. Can you do one on me? I’m sure Marcus would love it.”
I let out a choked giggle. “You steal the supplies from the cafeteria, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
