EXPECT RESISTANCE

The News

It wasn't a unique occurrence that my family and I occupied a booth at the best Italian restaurant in our
town, but the heavy atmosphere and fleeting stares between both my parents were completely foreign. Beside me, my older brother Declan happily engulfed himself in his pizza, oblivious to the tension surrounding us. He was 21 last month and, as he liked to remind me often, had a few years on top of my mere 17.
Declan and I had always been close and when he wasn't away at a motocross tournament, he'd take me with him to practise or out for my favourite foods.
I smiled in his direction and he winked back, mouth full of pizza and lips glistening with oils, his jet black hair flopping in front of his eyes.
The sound of my Dad clearing his throat knocked us out of our silence. "Chloe, me and your Mother have something to tell you," the serious look on his face intrigued me but panicked me at the same time.
Where they getting divorced? Is she pregnant? Has someone died?! "Calm it Chloe!!" I mentally scolded myself.
Declan flinched beside me. "Dad could you not have done this when I wasn't here? The aftermath is not going to be pretty you know..." he spoke in a matter of fact way.
I took a sip of my water to try and calm my nerves. My Mum began to speak. "Chloe, darling, how would you like to finish school in Dubai??"
I blinked. Dubai was nice, we'd been there before for business meetings with my architect parents. Their firm operated out there. "Sure, I mean Dubai is lovely but don't they speak a different language? What makes you say that anyway?" I quizzed her on the random remark, why would I care about Dubai? I love going to my school, I'd worked hard for a position here at the Grayson Academy of Performing Arts. I sipped my water again.

"Chloe, we're moving to Dubai."

A mouthful of water left my mouth and sprayed from my lips all over my father in front of me. Declan began to howl laughing beside me and my breathing began to hitch. "WE'RE MOVING TO DUBAI?! DID YOU NOT THINK TO CONSULT ME?! I HAVE A SCHOLARSHIP HERE!!! I HAVE MY DANCE, MY FRIENDS, I HAVE JACK!!!" I downright howled across the table to my pained looking parents, they began to gather their things and sweep the plates together. Taking my half eaten chicken salad from in front of me and piling it on to other plates whilst I continued to rant and scream. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dubai was miles from our home here in England. They had to be joking, they'd tell me soon that they were joking.
"Chloe Paige Monroe, quite yourself right now young lady." My dad spoke in his harsh boss-man tone of which he uses when he's hiring and firing at the firm. "NO!" I howled, I don't know what had taken over my body at this point as I was usually quite a elegant and timid, small girl but I could not under any circumstances leave for Dubai.
By this point Declan had grabbed my arm and was pulling me through the restaurant like a doll, my 5ft6 self couldn't do much to protest but I scowled at him with the realisation that he knew about the whole situation. He pulled me into the harsh cold air of the British winter, the hairs on my arms prickling with a mixture of anger and loss of heat. My whole family frowned at me in disgust as we took our seats in the car.
"I have no idea what just came over you Chloe Paige, but you can start by apologising to your father and I." My Mum spoke in a stern voice whilst pushing her hair behind her ears frantically, I had clearly embarrassed her with my outburst but I hadn't taken the time to observe the reactions of the restaurant crowd. "I'm not going to apologise, I'm hurt. Declan clearly knew about this whole situation but you didn't think to speak with me. I have my whole ballet career set out here, I worked so hard to get a scholarship when you didn't think my school was worth paying for." Everyone in the car flinched at this remark, it wasn't that my parents couldn't afford my schooling because they could by all means. My parents just didn't believe that I should focus my schooling solely on dance, and wanted me to go to a prestigious all girls school to learn languages and academic subjects like themselves and Declan had before me. I fought relentlessly for months to be awarded a scholarship to Grayson, and I wasn't going to give it up.
"And Jack?! What about Jack?! Zara as well!! I have my boyfriend and friends here!! You can't expect me to leave!!" I felt the distinct sensation of prickling in the back of my eyes, tears began to fill them and trace the rims. A whole stream fell down my cheeks, tainting my make up and my pride at the same time.
"We're leaving at the end of this month. And that's final." Dad turned away from me whilst Declan took my hand in his and squeezed. My Mum's harsh and angry tone echoed around the car as my Dad drove, pulling into the drive way of the house I had lived in for 17 years, and would only live in for 20 more days.