Not What We Expected

7: Because "It's Gay"

Of some reason, even though there is no real reason to be, is Ant a bit proud of how long he has come with his friendship with Declan. They hang out without Joanna being present! Jet it still has to be a reason to why, or they have to have a specific planned thing to do if they should, but they hang out with each other and Dec seems to like him! So it doesn't matter, Ant still feels that they have come a long way seen to where they started. And it's almost 50/50 when it comes to who initiates things or asks the other one to come over to just watch the football or play some video games.

They have also realised how they can use each other as a resource when it comes to homework and stuff like that. And that's the reason why Ant's standing outside Dec's door now, nervous - even though he can't tell why - waiting for someone to open the door. He hears the footsteps on the other sides and soon is the door opened by Dec's smiling Mother.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Donnelly.", he says with his most polite smile.

"Nice to see you, Anthony.", she smiles back, "Guess you're here to ask about Declan, but the thing is he has a lot of homework to do, so maybe I can ask you to come back tomorrow?", Ant isn't sure, maybe he's totally wrong, but maybe there's something passive-aggressive behind that smile?

"I know Mrs, that's why I'm here.", he says and mentions the math book in his hand, "He asked me to help him study to the history test and then he is going to help me with my math."

Dec's Mother is silent for a moment before she nods with an, "Okay, good.", and takes a step to the side to let Ant inside the house. "But if I hear that you've started to do other things than study, I'll have to ask you to leave, alright?"

"Absolutely.", Ant nods and smiles before he starts to walk in the direction he knows Dec's room is.

The door is ajar and he sees Dec laying on his stomach on the floor, deeply concentrated on a timeline he has in front of him. So concentrated that he doesn't seem to notice Ant's present when he stops in the door frame and stands there a moment, just watching him.

A careful knock on the wall before he totally enters the room makes Dec snap out of his own world. He looks up at Ant and a smile spreads on his face and they hug each other. But the big smile kind of disappears when Ant praises Dec for the timeline because instead of taking the compliment as it is, Dec seems to be reading in some kind of mocking irony, and he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Dec, don't take it like that, I mean it, it's ambitious!", he tries to save the situation. And he means it, to be a person who hates everything about history Dec must've putten down a lot a work into it. Taped together all these A4:s to be able to write out a good amount of British monarchs from the history When they were born, when they died and stuff like when they become kings or queens, marriage, kids, so on, so on.

"So where do we start? What do you need to know?", Ant asks and sits down on the floor beside Dec.

"I don't know, everything...", Dec shrugs, "Apparently."

He laughs a bit at the bitterness and lack of interest in Dec's voice, in Anthony's world is royal history almost as entertaining as football. Ant starts with going through the line of kings and queens and together they find some more important events when they look around in Dec's textbook.

"But have your teacher said anything about what he will test you on?"

"Basically everything...", Dec repeats with the same shrug as before, "One part's gonna be like pure fact checking, when was he born, how long did she claim the throne and blah, blah... And the other part is to take one of them and then explain what he or she did and why he or she has been important for the nation or something like that."