Fred's Story

By Daphne Hime-Sama

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Invite

Fifteen years later…

The many years after Fred was born, Mr. Jones sank into a deep depression. Every night, he came home drunk with a different woman, maybe even two. Fred never really had a good relationship with his dad, spending a lot of his time raised by other relatives and nurses. Fred's family wasn't rich but not poor either. Fred always wore an orange ascot, and when he couldn't wear it he, kept it in his pocket. He was told that his dad slipped it into his crib when he was a baby, saying that his mom wanted him to wear it. Why? Fred didn't know, but he did anyway, as it was his last memory of the woman who gave him life.

Fred, who was now fifteen- years old, looked back those days. It was a bright spring after noon. He was relaxing in the back yard on a hammock. Both his dad and step-mom were at work. His brother Anthony was away at collage, studying to be a doctor.

After Fred's dad got remarried when Fred was nine, things were a bit better. Debbie, his step-mom, helped his dad clean up his act and go sober. And now that Fred was close to becoming a man, his dad acted better around him.

"I guess my life isn't so bad," Fred said aloud. He then looked down at his chest, his ascot hung haphazardly around his neck. Every time he saw it he couldn't help but think about the mom he never knew.

He then heard the mailman deliver the afternoon mail. Fred got out of the hammock and stretched.

"I guess I should get the mail." He walked from the backyard to the mailbox in the front. Waving to the mailman, he opened the mailbox and looked though it. Bills and ads mostly, but there was something else that caught Fred's eye. It was from the Blake's, his dad's boss, addressed to the Jones'. It was a very fancy envelope, probably a party invite.

"It's addressed to the Jones'," Fred said. "So I guess it's okay to open it."

The envelope was easy to open, it wasn't glued very tightly, and he didn't even tear the paper.

There was an invite and a response card. The invite read:

You are cordially invited to the sweet sixteen party of Daphne Blake, George R. Blake's daughter. The festivities will take place at 7:00 PM till midnight, April 15th, at the Blake manor. There will be refreshments, dancing and entertainment. Gifts optional please RSVP by April 11th.

"A girl's sweet sixteen party?" Fred said to himself. "Aw, but it's probably some snobby rich girl. She'd never go for a guy like me. "

Just then, Fred's dad pulled up the driveway. Fred walked up to his dad.

"Hey dad," Fred called to him. "Here's the mail. Looks like we got an invitation to you're bosses daughter's birthday party." He handed his dad the invite.

"Do you want to go?" His dad asked.

"I guess, I might be bored out of my mind but I'll go anyway."

"Huh," his dad grunted. "That's funny, a year or so ago you would have been dead set on not going to something as formal as this."

Fred's dad got out of the car and walked with him to the front door.

Fred laughed, "Yea, remember you're wedding, when you said I was going to be the ring bearer. I was kicking and screaming because I didn't want to wear that monkey suite."

His dad chuckled with him. "Yea, I remember chasing you down the hall in you're underwear trying to get you to wear the suite."

They both cracked up. This is the dad Fred wanted when he was younger. To tell funny jokes and stories, to wrestle and play ball with. Now he finally had one.

"Thank God he's sober now," Fred thought as they entered the front door to their modest ranch house.

"So are we going?" Fred asked.

"Sure," his dad replied. "Mr. Blake's a good guy. And I'm sure you'll like his daughter."

"Dad," Fred said in an annoyed tone. "You're not trying to hook me up with her, are you?"

"No! Not at all!" his dad insisted. "She just sounds like a nice girl."

Fred sighed. "I got to do my homework. See you at dinner."

Fred ran up the stairs to his room. He used to share it with Anthony till he moved out last year. His room was filled with sport trophies, bookshelves with mystery novels, car magazines, and a very special picture on the night stand.

It was a picture of his mom, dad, and brother. He mostly focused on his mom, the mom that gave birth to him. He never really knew what happened to her. Whenever he asked his dad he would just say she walked out on him and that was that. But Fred knew that wasn't the truth. He could tell.

He looked at the picture. She stood next to his dad, with a beautiful smile on her face. She had shoulder length blond hair and happy sliver eyes. His dad often said that he looked a bit like her. He could see why kind of.

He looked down at his ascot again, the only thing his mom left him.

"If only I knew what really happened to you mom?"

A/N: Well how's that for chapter 1? Fred is really worried about this party. Though I think he'll just love the girl there. ;) Oh and please forgive my spelling errors. Spell checkers aren't that perfect!