An Invisible Friend (A Drop Dead Fred Fanfic)

All Fun And Games

While Darcy and her father were watching a Disney movie, her mother walked in and noticed.

"She's supposed to be in her room!"

"Why? What did she do to freaking disappoint you this time?"

"She was playing too hard on the piano this afternoon. She said it was her imaginary friend who did it."

"You mean Drop Dead Fred?"

"It has a name?"

Darcy and her father both nodded.

"Darcy, you're supposed to be in your room, get there now."

Darcy got up and walked to her room with her head low.

"Someone looks sad. What is it?" Fred asked.

"Mommy said I disappoint her. Now her and Daddy are fighting over me."

"You know what'll cheer you up?"

"What?"

"A good game of hide and seek!"

"No, not right now. I'm sleepy."

"Aww."

"You can read me a story?"

"Yes, I'll read to you," he said with a frown.

"What, are you mad at me?"

"No not at all."

"Then why do you have an angry face?"

"I just like to play fun games."

She started to tear up. His face softened.

"Darcy, don't cry, don't cry please. I'll read you a story."

She smiled.

After a while, both him and Darcy were in bed, he was reading her The Poky Little Puppy.  

"And this time, when the poky little puppy got home, he had to squeeze in through a wide place in the fence. And there were his four brothers and sisters, licking the last crumbs from their saucer.' That's it for the night Darcy, time for bed."

"It's not over yet."

"It's over tonight, you need to sleep."

"Ok."

"Good girl."

He got up, kissed her forehead, and took out a box.

"Whenever you need me, I'll be in here."

She nodded. He got in the box. Darcy sat the box on her nightstand.

At school the next day, Darcy took the box with her. During recess on the playground, she opened the box and he popped out.

"Darcy, good morning, good to see you!"

"Fred, quiet, it's the afternoon, I'm at recess."

He looked around.

"Ah school, worst part of being a kid."

She smiled.

"It can be fun but I don't have anyone to play with at recess."

"Then let's play a game!"

"Ok...hide and seek."

"Now we're talking! I'll hide, you count to twenty!"

"Ok."

She covered her eyes and ran to hide.

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Her teacher couldn't help but notice. She was playing with a classmate, she thought. 

"Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen..."

Her teacher was proud that she can count more than ten.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

She was running around the playground looking for Fred. 

"Time to go in!" Her teacher shouted.

"Fred, it's time to go back in!...Fred?"

All the kids were lining up.

"Darcy, sweetie, we're going in!"

"Just a sec! Fred where are you!?"

"Who's Fred?"

"My imaginary friend. Fred, we're going in, my teacher's getting mad!"

"Darcy, up here!"

She looked up and saw Fred up in a tree.

"Found you Fred, now come on, we're going in!"

He got down.

"More fun at home than school!"

"Get in the box."

He got in.

"Darcy, come on, you're half a minute late for class!"

"Coming!"

She ran in with the box in her jacket pocket.

After school, her mother came to pick her up but was stopped by the teacher.

"Mrs. Sims, can I speak to you? Darcy, go stand out in the hall while I talk to your mother."

She walked out.

"Darcy has an imaginary friend, are you aware?"

"'Yes I am. What did she do wrong?"

"She was late to class from recess, her and her imaginary friend were playing hide and seek."

She sighed heavily.

"It's the very first time she was tardy. So, don't be hard on her."

"Oh I!-...I'll be easy with her."

"I do expect every kid to do these things, it's normal for a kid to have an imaginary friend, all fun and games. Mostly out of loneliness. She sits by herself in the lunchroom, no one talks to her and plus she gets picked on by the other kids no matter how hard I try to get them to leave her alone."

"I'll have a talk with her. Have a good day."

She walked away.

Darcy and her mother walked in the house.

"Sit down Darcy!"

She sat at the kitchen table.

"Am I in trouble Mommy?"

"That depends on you. You're not a popular kid, found that out from your teacher. A concert pianist is supposed to be popular, a concert pianist never sits alone in a cafeteria. That tells me you need to be more popular in school and you're not gonna get far in life if you don't have friends. So, you are in trouble. Extra practice on the piano this weekend young lady. If I catch you talking to or playing with Drop Dead Fred, I will punish you more severely. Now got to your room."

She got up and walked to her room with her head down.