"Did you ever finish your college essay, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth sighed at the sound of her mother's voice. Barely even two and a half steps out of her bedroom, and was was being bombarded about her future. Putting in the earpieces as she made her way into the kitchen, Elizabeth chose to ignore her mother. They had discussed the used of the name Lizzy and how that would never. Three years later, her mother still ceased to understand.

"Don't ignore your mother," errupted the grumpy lump known as her step father from the couch he usually tried to reign the house from. The white semi circle fell from her right ear, blasting music from some band that she had discovered from Myspace.

"I told you not to call me Lizzy," Elizabeth replied coldly as she went on with unloading the dishwasher. Reaching to replace the earbud so she could drown out the conversation and TV as best as she could possibly manage, a hand caught her wrist.

"Did you send your essay?" her mother demanded. Tugging her arm from her mother's grasp, Elizabeth's cool and indifferent eyes met the ablazed ones infront of her. She tried to ignore the look in her mom's eyes because it only reminded her more why she hated the nick name she insisted on using.

"Let me finish the dishes. You always bitch at me to do them, now I am, and you're not letting me," Thank god her mother chose to ignore the swearing this time.

"Did you send in the essay? I'm only going to ask one more time, Elizabeth, this is your future we're talking about, not just some pipe dream!"

"If you get my acceptance letter," Elizabeth replied softly, "You'll know whether or not if I did. Until then, let me do the dishes ,stop insulting my goals, and don't call me Lizzy." The thought crossed her mind to compare her mother to the man who had left them, and then tried to come back when she was fourteen. Finally having both headphones in place, she went on with her chore.

Three years ago, she was doing the exact same thing, doing the dishes before her parents came home when the phone rang. Without question, Elizabeth picked it up, speaking with whoever felt the need to call them.

"Lizzy, I'm so glad to speak to you."

"Dad? What...why are you calling?" Elizabeth felt the tears whell up in her eyes, "Where did you go? I-I've missed you."

"I know sweetie...is your mother there?"

Elizabeth shook her head, but quickly remembered her father couldn't see her on the phone, "No, she won't be home for a few hours, why? Are you coming back?" Hope filled Elizabeth's voice as she thought about being able to see him again. The visitation had been so crazy, and there were times where he didn't show up because of other things.

"About that...I was calling to speak to your mother about this, but I guess you're old enough now...I've moved."

"Where?" she asked suddenly, "Is it for work? If it's just your job, maybe I can go with--"

"You can't."

"Why no--" Elizabeth was cut off by the sound of someone in the background. And not just someone but a woman, "Oh," she replied before quickly hanging up the phone, throwing it across the room, flinching at the sound of it breaking apart. Elizabeth sat down against the wall, sliding down as she burst into tears. All her hopes and dreams of her parents getting back together she knew were gone.

Time flew by faster than Elizabeth gave it credit for, and soon heard her mother's rushed footsteps on the floor to her, crouching down to her.

"Lizzy, what's wrong baby?" she asked, reaching for her baby girl. Pulling away violently from the touch, Elizabeth glared at her mother, silent verbally, but she knew something was being communicated, "Lizzy, what...what's wrong, what happened?"

"He's not coming back!" she sobbed, "There's someone else now, and he's not coming back and he's not going to take me...like you promised, you promised he would take me and he won't!" Elizabeth's mother moved to comfort her again, but it was in vain. Getting up quickly, Elizabeth kept out of reach, "Don't call me Lizzy, he calls me Lizzy, and he's not coming back."