Baby Steps » Ant x Dec

Pins and needles

New chapter for y'all!!! 💙

Ants PoV

I was dead on my feet, it had been one of the busiest weeks of my life and it still wasn't over. I'd been hoping Dec would forget about David's Christmas party tomorrow or maybe lose interest in the idea but he hadn't stopped talking about it all week. The guilt of lying to Dad was laying heavily on my chest but I didn't want to upset Dec.

"Something wrong kidda? I thought the hearing went quite well myself. The judge seems like a nice woman and Raymond's lawyers are cheap."

"Oh yeah... I guess."

Alph took his eyes off the road for just second to look after at me before looking back.

"You know you can talk to me right son? If somethings weighing on your mind it's always worth sharing the load."

The pit in my stomach grew larger and larger. My eyes flickered over to the man I'd learned to trust, the person I looked up to most in the entire world— the only man I'd ever wanted to call Dad. And I was breaking his trust.

My eyes slammed shut to hold back the tears. It started to feel like Dec was asking too much of me. I would do anything for him, but doing this was hurting me too much.

"I-I think I said yes to something... that maybe I shouldn't have a-and now I can't back out."

Alph pulled into the school and flickered his eyes to look at me curiously, "i believe that it's never too late to say no or place down boundaries however I'll need a little more information than that son if I'm give any half decent advice."

I swallowed thickly through the painful dry lump in my throat.

"If I tell you... you need to promise me not to freak out."

"Okay well now I'm already concerned but I promise not to over-react."

"Declanwantstogotoaparty." I blurted out and the car halted to a harsh stop, I flew forward and then back harshly in my seat. Thankgod for seatbelts.

"You should say that sentence slowly Anthony because I think I just heard the words Declan and party in the same sentence."

"I Uh... I did. One of decs... uh one of the boys from school invited Dec to a Christmas party... tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! Ant you have training tomorrow and a game on Sunday."

"I know! I know I won't be drinking."

"There's going to be alcohol?! No that's a hard limit son I'm sorry but you're only sixteen! And I don't want Declan around a load of drunk teenagers. He can't drink either on his medication! What were you thinking not telling me?!"

I sunk low in my seat and blinked away the tears. "Declan really wants to go." I whispered.

"Last summer Declan wanted to run away to live in a donkey sanctuary. You need to learn to start saying no to him"

"I know, I know but there's not a lot of things Dec gets really excited about when it comes to social events and he didn't want me to tell you because he knew you'd stop him from going."