For Life

Part 8

"I was chucked out of school" Dec sighed "they said I was unteachable"

"Well,if you were" Ant replied angrily "she made you that way...did you ever tell anyone what was going on?"

"No" Dec shook his head sadly.

"Why not?" Ant asked surprised "they could have put a stop to it if they'd known...the headmaster,your parents,I'm sure they would have helped"

"I was already seen as the class freak" Dec replied "I was embarrassed and telling anyone would just have made it worse,I just wanted to be seen as normal,so I kept quiet and hoped it would stop,but it never did...not until they chucked me out anyway,but by then I was so badly damaged,my parents weren't sure how to help me,my Mum would cry and cry and beg me to talk,but I refused"

"What was going on in your little head at that time?" Ant asked.

"Just that I was too scared to say anything" Dec frowned "even to my parents,my siblings...anyone,I don't even know why because I knew they loved me and were worried about me,I just lived in my own little world during that time"

"Oh Dec" Ant sighed,while taking him by the hand and leading him over to the sofa to sit more comfortably.

"Once I was taken out of school" Dec continued "Mum lied to the local council,she told them she was homeschooling me,but the truth was,I was sent to the park on my own every day"

"Every day?" Ant frowned.

"Yeah" Dec smiled "I didn't mind,it was a form of escapism for me,I could just be alone,playing or more often than not,thinking up little melodies in my head"

"That's cute" Ant replied affectionately "how long were you kept off school?"

"A year" Dec replied "until I started high school"

"Had you started talking by then?" Ant asked "were things back to normal?"

"What's normal?" Dec shrugged "there's nothing normal about my life"

"You can say that again" Ant mused.

"I eventually started talking again" Dec smiled.

"That must have been a relief for your family?" Ant smiled.

"Yeah,it was" Dec grinned "until they could never shut me up,then Mum hired a singing teacher for me...that helped a little bit with my confidence"

He smiled at the memory of his strict,Russian singing teacher.

"So high school was better?" Ant asked hopefully "you were happier?did you get help with your dyslexia?"

"So many questions" Dec frowned.

"Sorry" Ant mumbled "I thought you wanted to tell me?you don't have to"

"I do want to" Dec assured him "it's just a bit overwhelming"

"Take your time" Ant stroked Dec's back "there's no hurry"

"I was happier for a while" Dec smiled "my singing teacher thought I had something special..."

"You do" Ant cut in.

"Thanks" Dec smiled "and it wasn't long before I was singing at the Royal Opera House"

"Wow" Ant exclaimed "that's impressive at such a young age"

"Then when I was around thirteen" Dec continued "I was chosen to be one of the kids in the stage production of Oliver at the Palladium"

"How did I not know this about you?" Ant laughed "I thought I'd done my research"

"You thought you'd stalked me more efficiently you mean?" Dec grinned.