It's a child's sundress

When Lauren had spotted the clothes, she had hoped there would be a shirt and pants. Even if they were too big for her tiny body, she could at least remain decent. Hell, she’d take just a big T-shirt at this point. It would at least cover something, and if she were careful on the way back, no one would realize she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Instead, what Lauren found was a little girl’s sundress, decorated with butterflies. It had probably been worn over a bathing suit, and left behind by some busy mother eager to go home. She sighed irritably. This looked like something an elementary school student would wear. Would it even fit her?

To her surprise (and discomfort), the dress fit perfectly. Was she really so small without her heels and padded underwear? Lauren looked over the edge of the pool and was struck by how childish she looked. She had always known, intellectually, that she was short and underdeveloped. That was why she had gone to such lengths to hide it! But seeing herself dressed up like this **** her to acknowledge that she might actually be able to pass for a child.

Lauren shook her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about this right now! She’d have time to be depressed over her looks back in her apartment. Preferably, with a bottle of wine. Right now, she needed to call her landlady.

Lauren eagerly picked up the phone, only to hear no dial-tone. Confused, she placed the phone back on the receiver, only to see that someone had cut the wire. “Damn it!” she cursed. Why hadn’t the maintenance staff fixed this? Wasn’t her rent supposed to go towards repairs like this? Now how was she supposed to call the office?

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of laughter. Instinctively, she ducked behind the phone booth, before remembering that she was dressed now. A group of boys and girls were passing by the gate, laughing and talking to one another. She didn’t recognize any of them, which didn’t mean much. It wasn’t as though she paid much attention to the children of the apartment complex.

The important thing was, one of them was texting! Lauren hurried towards them, opening up the gate. “Excuse me!” she called after them. The group, two boys and two girls, stopped to look at her. “Could I please borrow your phone?”

The group glanced at each other. They appeared to be about ten or eleven, as far as Lauren could tell. Finally, the boy with the phone spoke. “Sorry. I’m only supposed to use it for emergencies,” he said with a shrug.

“You were just texting,” Lauren said irritably. “And this is an emergency! I’m locked out of my apartment.”

“Oh, shoot,” one of the girls said sympathetically. “That’s too bad! When do your parents get home?”

“What?” Lauren asked, confused, before realizing what she meant. She thought Lauren was her age! “Wait. No, I’m an adult!” she said angrily. “And I need to call my landlady. Please, let me use your phone!”

The children glanced at each other again, their skepticism clear. “You’re an adult?” the other boy asked doubtfully.

“Yes!” Lauren bit out. Her own insecurities about her looks were bad enough; she didn’t need a bunch of brats adding to them! She stomped towards them angrily, and tried to snatch the phone away from the boy. He easily lifted it up out of her reach. She hadn’t noticed before, but he was actually slightly taller then she was.

“Hey!” he said indignantly, as Lauren hopped ineffectually, trying to get the phone. “Stop it!”

“Give it to me!” she growled frustratedly.

“No!”

“Give me the phone!”

“That’s enough!” one of the girls said angrily. Before Lauren knew it, both of them had grabbed her arms, pulling her away from the boy. To her shock, they were actually strong enough to restrain her! She couldn’t get free.

“What’s your problem?” the boy demanded. “I bet this is why your parents don't let you have a phone! Because you're too immature.”

Lauren seethed. One phone call! That was all she needed. One phone call, and she could go back to enjoying her bath, and relaxing in her apartment. Instead of being outside, wrestling with school children. “I just need to make a call,” she said as calmly as she could. “Please.”

“Don’t do it, Patrick,” the other boy warned. “She’ll probably throw your phone in the pool or something!”

“Yeah, don’t listen to her,” one of the girls agreed. “She’s crazy! She’s probably lying about being locked out, like how she lied about being an adult.”

“I am an adult!” Lauren insisted, tugging fruitlessly against the girls’ hold.

Patrick looked at her, clearly considering what he should do.