Chapter 3

                                    

                                          
I had been in the kitchen all morning, scrubbing every surface clean until I could see my reflection clear as day in it. I had reorganized all the cabinets and cleaned out the fridge, scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees, and taken out all the trash so it wouldn't stink up the kitchen. Hopefully Eleanor would be in a good mood when she got home from her weekend get away and when I asked her if I could go to the ball she would say yes. Hopefully.
                          
I hurried upstairs and changed into a pair of denim shorts and a plain white t-shirt so I hadn't looked like I was cleaning the entire morning. I quickly French braided my disastrous mess I called my hair before heading back downstairs to make lunch. Eleanor's favorite was a lasagna recipe that had been created by her 'great great grandmother', so that's what I was making. I had gone to the store last night to pick up all the ingredients to make it as well as the ingredients for her favorite brownies.
                          
The front door opened and closed a few minutes later and my heart rate increased. My eyes flickered to the clock on the oven before snapping back to the kitchen entry way. Eleanor wasn't suppose to be home for another two hours! "Elizabeth!" I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was just Parker. He came into the kitchen and immediately went to the other side of the island and started making the brownies.
                          
"I thought you were Eleanor for a second," I laughed, feeling stupid at my assumption.
                          
"Nope, it's just your bestest friend in the whole wide world, Parker Adam Jameson!" He said in an announcer voice, and I burst out into laughter. 
                          
"Why are you so weird?" I asked, shaking my head as I continued to make the lasagna.
                          
"I'm not weird, I'm unique." I burst out laughing again at that one.
                          
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"Elizabeth! Help me bring everything up to my room!" Was the first thing Eleanor said when she opened the front door. I groaned and left the kitchen, heading outside to her car. Her current boyfriend, Danny, was taking all of her things out of the car.
                          
I brought all of her bags up to her bedroom by myself because by "help me", she meant "you do all of it yourself." I went back down to the kitchen where Eleanor was standing. 
                          
"I made you your favorite lasagna and brownies," I said politely. "I'll make you a plate and bring it in the dining room for you."
                          
She looked at me suspiciously before leaving the kitchen, and I quickly made a plate for her, making sure it was perfect. I got her a large class of iced tea as well, and made my way to the dining room. I set her food down in front of her where she sat at the head of the table, and I say down at one of the chairs near her.
                          
I took a deep breath before asking her. "Eleanor, may I go to the ball on Friday night?" I asked. She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. It took her a couple seconds to actually speak up.
                          
"Why would you want to go to the ball?" She asked, her voice rude and disbelieving. "No you may not go to the ball, I'm having a party the next day and I need you home cleaning. Not out partying like you actually deserve to have fun!" She spat out. I nodded at her response before running upstairs, leaving her to eat her food in peace. Tears welled in my eyes but I quickly wiped them away because I didn't want Parker to see me crying over this.
                          
"What did she say?" Parker asked me eagerly as soon as I made it back up to my room.
                          
"She said no. I have to stay home and clean because she's having a stupid party the next day," I groaned, flopping face first on to my bed. I told him what she had said to me and he shook his head.
                          
"You will go to that ball whether Eleanor likes it or not! Elizabeth you're eighteen, you don't always have to have her permission. She's not even your real mother! You don't even like her!"