Goody Two-Shoes

Monday was going to be hectic, Ella felt that as soon as she hung up the phone and went to the kitchen. Fresh coffee waited for her and she poured a mug after saying a cheery "Good morning" to Nora, the longtime Fortiers' housekeeper.

"My my! Aren't we happy today?", Nora commented as she washed the dishes. "Save some of this enthusiams for the breakfast table, your mother is having one of those days...", she added in a lower tone.

"Isn't she always?", Ella replied with a ironic tone and peeked Nora on the cheek before taking her coffee mug to the dining room. "Good morning, mom", she said cautiously.

"It seems to be for you... What was all the screaming about? It didn't suit well with my migraines", she said while massaging her temples.

"Oh, nothing... Just talking to Brie about our plans this week. I got some days off and I'm going to LA.", she said in a neutral tone.

"Oh... Is Connor going with you?", her mother showed some curiosity and Ella suspected she knew about the proposal.

"No, I won't ask him to. It's supposed to be friends only." She occupied her mouth with some bread and went on acting like it was no big deal.

"You should at least consult him, otherwise he might be upset. He would do the same to you."

At the moment, Ella felt the urge to tell her mom about Connor's own adventures with his friends while he was at Brown, and how she found out about his relationship with another girl. She wanted to tell it all, but she also knew that her mother was aware of everything after she overheard her conversation with her father about all of this. Both of them just decided to shut up for Ella's sake, it was their agreement.

"Sure...", Ella's face was completely blank and she did not feel bad for lying to her mother. Instead, she felt satisfied that she also had something she would not share, something important and that could free her from all that had made her feel miserable these past years. And when she stood up from the table and went to her room to get read for work, she knew she had to call Miles. He would kill her if she did not tell him about the auditions.