Dreams Come True

Fredrick

I let out a shaky sigh as I stood off to the side. Kat was hugging my left side while Gladius and Maple hugged my right, and the four of us watched as Ralph and Dry Bowser tag teamed in bringing the Rec Room's two couches into my room. The Ponds moved the one couch already here so we all could sit together, while Gretchen, McGee, Laney and Corey quickly cleaned up the broken glass and other like-minded stuff.

As the wrecker and skeleton turtle put the couches into position, I moved over to the middle couch and sat in the middle. Kat quickly sat on the floor at my feet with Maple scurrying onto her lap. Gladius hovered above me, and the Sanchezs sat at either of my sides. I looked down at the photo of Fredrick and me at the lake, tears already starting to pool in my eyes. With all the seating in place seconds after, everyone got comfortable and looked at me.

There was a carefulness behind their eyes, all of them encouraging me while also making sure I wasn't overwhelmed because of this. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then looked out at my friends.

"Sooooooo..." I said slowly, trying to calm my tense nerves. "Where do you guys want me to start?"

"From the beginning", Maria said calmly. "Just take it at your own pace, none of us want you to rush this."

"Okay..." I took another breath. "I'm... I'm not going to tell you guys my last name, just to let you know. It was the same as my parents, but one thing I do remember is that I dropped it so I couldn't be associated with them."

"We get it kid, don't worry", Ralph said reassuringly.

I nodded, then continued. "I was born in Canada, and for the first few years of my life, everything was okay. But after I got older... something shifted in my parents..."

"What happened?" Hilda asked.

"They just... grew to hate each other. There were so many days where they'd shoot glares at each other, not speak, or just spit insults when they thought I wasn't around. Fredrick was..." I paused to think. "Around nine to ten years old when I was just a toddler, and by the time I was 4, he was aware enough to take me away when our parents were getting hostile. During that time, he taught me all the things his friends' parents would tell him."

"That's really sweet", Jenny said with a smile.

"Sounds like he was pretty protective of you", Galacta mentioned.

I gulped. "He was. There were so many days in my early years where he took care of me more than my own dad would."

"So they were neglectful parents..." Majima growled. "Bitches, both of them. I'm a jerk, I'll admit, but with Kirby-Chan taking care of that girl, I realised it was good to make sure kids are happy."

I chuckled bitterly. "I wish they were neglectful..." That got worried looks out of everyone. "I'll explain that later. But for the start, life was... fine. I was confused when my parents would act the way they did, but with Fredrick, I was okay.

"We'd do everything together. We'd play catch in the backyard, read some of his books on his bed, draw and colour in my room. Heck, we were so close he'd take me with him to his friends' house. They all loved me, even if they didn't like playing babysitter." That got a chuckle out of the others. "But the best part of any day was when the two of us would head downstairs into the unused basement suite to just... spend time together.

"I was happy. But then..." Everyone's smiles fell. "Then we grew up..."

I sighed. "When I turned seven, my parents had completely changed. They would bark and yell at each other if they were in the same room for more than a second, and with Fredrick finally being sixteen by now, he realised I couldn't stay there, especially after... that day..."