Fred had no idea why his dad was obsessed with him doing soccer. He'd never seen his dad play the game himself, or watch a game. He only ever talked about the game in context of Fred playing it.
A few times he'd been tempted to ask his dad why he wanted Fred to play soccer, but asking that would involve starting a conversation with his dad, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Fred didn't think he'd really wanted to have a real conversation with his dad since that one time they'd tried to do father's day together.
His parents only talked to him together, both his mom and dad. Fred didn't really know how to talk to them one-on-one. When he was younger he had wished that things were different. He had wanted to have a relationship with them. By this point he'd pretty much given up on that.
His parents prioritized work over him, and Fred would definitely prefer to spend time with Frederick than his own parents. He tried not to think about if they were going to kick him out of the house as soon as he turned eighteen. Frederick had assured him that he could move in with him, even if they didn't kick him out.
And Fred was pretty sure that his parents didn't even know how old he was. They couldn't kick him out when he was an adult if they didn't know when that was.
Fred had no interest in playing soccer in high school, but he'd tried out for the team, just so his dad wouldn't bother him about it, and they could go back to ignoring each other. Fred hadn't made the team, and he couldn't be more thrilled. His dad didn't even mind, because he said that nobody got on the team in their first year, because they wanted to prioritize the older kids unless the new kids were prodigies.
But with another school year, Fred had another chance to try out, and his dad had made it clear that he expected him to make it this time. His dad made it sound like a threat, like something would happen if he didn't make the team. What would happen, Fred couldn't even imagine. A part of him wondered if his dad would hit him, though Fred was sure that he would just give him a stern talking to.
Fred actually thought that being on the soccer team wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. The old soccer coach had retired at the end of last year, and Frederick had decided to take up the position himself this coming school year. Soccer was always okay when Frederick was involved.
Fred had every intention of going to tryouts. He made it all the way to the sign-up sheet put up in the main hall, with Daphne right behind him to provide moral support. There were cheerleaders in the halls, handing out pamphlets and inviting people to try out. One of them saw Daphne, and she immediately came over.
"Are you going to try out for cheer?" She asked Daphne. "I heard you used to do gymnastics. That's a great stepping stone."
"No, that's not really my thing." Daphne crossed her arms. Her tone of voice was weird. It sounded nice, and not quite annoyed, but it didn't feel real. It reminded Fred of the way that his mom talked. He hated it when Daphne talked like this. He never knew if she meant what she was saying.
The cheerleader was holding a pamphlet out to Daphne, who was pointedly refusing to take it. Fred didn't like the awkwardness, so he cut it by taking the pamphlet himself. He didn't intend to read it, but Daphne and the cheerleader were still not quite glaring at each other, and Fred wanted to ignore the situation. He looked at the pamphlet to avoid the not quite confrontation, and then he couldn't stop reading it.
He'd watched the cheerleaders before, not understanding why his friends had teased him for it, saying that he was 'admiring' the outfits. He was just noticing how similar cheer seemed to be to gymnastics. Obviously they weren't the exact same, but he could do a lot of the moves that the cheerleaders could. And he liked how graceful they all looked together, even though when compared to a gymnast doing the same move it would probably look sloppy and lacked form.
He'd never considered trying out for cheer before, but he missed doing gymnastics (his parents made him stop when Daphne stopped going), and this looked like it could be a good substitute.
"Can guys do cheer?" Fred asked. He half expected the cheerleader to ignore his question and continue addressing Daphne as though he wasn't even there. He was surprised when she snapped her attention to him immediately, a broad smile on her face. She looked excited, and much nicer than she had been when talking to Daphne.
"Absolutely." The cheerleader said. "We always need more guys on the squad. It can really expand the things we can do in our routines."
"Really?" Fred looked at the pamphlet again, a warm feeling of desire building in his chest. "Cool." He wanted to ask more about the differences between cheerleading and gymnastics, but the bell rang and they needed to get to class. Daphne took his hand and pulled along, not letting him get distracted.
"Are you really thinking of trying out for cheer?" Daphne asked. Fred blinked and looked at her. She looked a little confused, but she was smiling.
"I think so." Fred said. "I miss gymnastics. And I don't know why I want to do it, but I think I do."
Daphne hugged his arm. "If that's what you want to do, I think you'll be great at it. You have more enthusiasm than anybody else I know. They'd be crazy to not want you." Fred didn't really need to have her support, but he was glad that he had it anyway.
"I'm a little out of practice." Fred said. "It'll feel good to get out my tumbling mat again." He found himself getting excited. He usually had a hard time focusing at school, but it was really bad today. He didn't think he remembered anything during their classes, and even Velma's tutoring wasn't going anywhere until she suggested they go to Frederick's house. She thought if they alternated between her helping him with his math and him showing her how to do some simple tumbling to warm up, he'd be able to get some work done and not be as distracted. The switching off plan made the tutoring session last a lot longer, but Fred was actually able to finish his math homework, with Velma only needing to correct two of the problems.
Because Velma was there so late Fred invited her to stay for dinner. He knew Frederick wouldn't mind. Velma just gave him a small smile as she gathered her things and said that she already had plans with Marcie. Fred was pretty sure he knew the name, but he was terrible at putting names to faces. Velma looked really happy though, so Fred smiled and said that he hoped she had fun.
After Velma left Fred started working on his tumbling, trying to remind his body how to do the moves that he'd trained himself to do so naturally. He wasn't allowed to do flips or the more dangerous stuff without a spotter, because one time he had messed something up and landed on his back instead of on his feet. He didn't get too hurt, just a little breathless for a few moments, but Frederick had been terrified that next time he wouldn't be so lucky, so he made Fred promise to not do that kind of thing without somebody there just in case.
Fred didn't know what to expect from cheer tryouts, but he wanted to be prepared. He was still practicing when Frederick came home.
"Well, I haven't seen this thing in a while." Frederick looked at the tumbling mat. "What's this about?"
"I'm thinking of trying out for cheer." Fred said happily. "It looked like fun."
For some reason, Frederick didn't quite look happy for him. Fred knew from experience that it wasn't because the man was disappointed in him. He wasn't like his dad in that way. This was how Frederick looked when he was concerned that Fred was going to do something that he didn't entirely understand.
"What?" Fred frowned.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for you." Frederick said. He sounded like he meant it. "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do something for yourself. But I know you were meaning to try out for soccer again this year. Do you intend to do both? Don't you think you might find that a little overwhelming?"
Fred blinked. He hadn't thought about soccer. He'd been more than a little distracted. "I guess so." He knew how much the soccer team practiced, and the pamphlet he got from the cheerleader talked about how hard they worked too. Either of them would add a lot more stress to his schedule, and he'd only just been able to figure out how to balance his school work. "Do you think I should just do one?"
"I think you could do both, if you really wanted to." Frederick said slowly. "But I don't want you to do too much too quickly, and just grow to resent both activities."
"So…I can't do cheer." Fred couldn't believe how disappointed he felt about it.
"That's not what I said." Frederick said. "Maybe you choose just one to do this year, and if you feel good about it, then next year you can try both."
That sounded okay, but Fred still wished he could do cheer. He didn't have to say so. Frederick knew how to read him well. The man sighed and sat on the couch, gesturing for Fred to join him.
"You know you can be honest with me." Frederick said. "Do you actually want to do soccer?"
"...I'd be fine with it." Fred said. He already knew that Frederick wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. "Not really."
"So don't." Frederick said. "Do cheer."
"But…my dad-" Fred started.
"But nothing." Frederick said. "Fred, this is your life. Not his. Even if your father cared about you, which we both know he doesn't, it wouldn't give him any right to decide what you do with yourself."
Fred had been told the same thing multiple times, and he would nod and say 'I know', but when his dad set expectations again Fred would do as he was told. He didn't want to disappoint his dad, even though he knew there was no pleasing him.
This wasn't the first time where something that Fred wanted went directly against what his dad wanted, but this felt different. This wasn't about his dad choosing his classes for him, when Fred only had a mild opinion about what classes he would prefer. This wasn't about being dragged along to spend a few hours with his dad when he would rather be with Frederick.
He had barely tolerated soccer as a little kid, when they were very lenient with the rules. He could do it, if he had to, but he didn't really want to. He didn't want to play soccer with a bunch of teenage boys that he didn't understand and didn't know how to get along with. He was sure he would just be another kid on the field, not sure how to make friends with the boys who'd been playing soccer together since middle school.
He wanted to do cheer. He liked gymnastics and he had always wondered if he could do it a little more competitively. He wasn't afraid of being embraced on the cheer squad. The cheerleader he'd talked to had made it clear that he'd be accepted, just because he was a boy. He didn't think he'd make friends with them easily, because he still didn't know how making friends happened, but if he could just get along with them then he'd be just fine.
"I don't think my dad will let me." Fred said. "I-I want to do cheer, definitely more than soccer, but the second he finds out he'll make me quiet." Fred didn't know how he'd do that, but there was not a doubt in his mind that he'd find a way.
Frederick scowled, like he usually did when Fred so much as mentioned his parents. A moment later a small smirk crept onto his face. "Well, what your dad doesn't know can't hurt him."
"Huh?" Fred didn't understand. Frederick looked at him with an excited and slightly mischievous gleam in his eyes. Fred wasn't used to seeing him look so eager.
"I'm the soccer coach, and the principal of this school." Frederick said. "If he asks, I'll tell him you made the team."
Fred stared at Frederick in shock. "You're suggesting lying to my dad?" Fred found himself smiling. He didn't like lying, but things were different with his parents. He just wanted to be able to do what he wanted for once.
"I don't think there will be a risk of him finding out." Frederick said. "We both know he won't come to any of the soccer games."
"I know." Fred didn't feel the usual frustration and disappointment at the news. He was getting excited. "So my dad will think I do soccer, and I can do cheer." It couldn't be more perfect if Fred had thought of it himself.
"Cheer try-outs are before soccer." Frederick said. "I have every faith in you, but if you don't make the squad, you can still try out for soccer if you don't feel comfortable with lying."
Fred nodded. That sounded perfect for him. He was feeling excited again. "I want to work on my flips. Can you be my spotter?" He wanted to be as ready as he could be before tryouts.
"Of course." Frederick said. He couldn't tell Fred anything about improving his form, but he could make sure he didn't get hurt and didn't push himself too hard. That was enough for Fred. He could do the rest himself.