Ella's pov:

I listen as the click of heels comes closer to my bedroom door.

"Ella Maria Sanders, you better be out of bed." I make out the sound of my mom's voice before she opens the door to my bedroom.

I look back at her as I stand in front of my large closet of clothes ranging from sundresses to expensive handmade dresses.

Well, I guess you know me now .

I'm Ella Sanders and my life...

Sucks.

My mom pushes me out of the way and digs through all of the dresses. "Great, you have nothing to wear." She mutters.

I roll my eyes as I pick out a dress from the rows upon rows of dressed in my clset. "This one?" I ask, already knowing her answer.

"Ella, this is an important meeting, I can't have you looking like you got your dress from a community mall." She rolls her eyes and takes the dress out of my hands putting it back on the rack.

She digs through some more until she finds one of the way more expensive dresses I keep in the back... for a reason.

"This will just have to do." She says examining it closely.

She walks over and puts it on my bed before walking out without a second glance.

This is the way it has always been, so I'm used to it.

Expensive houses, clothes, maids, chefs, the dream life, right?

Wrong!!

The worst part is having a twin sister.

Who is perfect at everything!!

Like she was summoned, she walks into my room dressed up and picks up my dress.

"This color looks good on you." She smiles.

Exactly, even perfect at being the perfect sister.

She isn't just my twin; she is my best friend.

"I guess." I shrug my shoulders.

I have never been the dress-up kind of girl like my sister.

She likes expensive brands, dresses, and makeup, but she isn't the kind of girl who brags to everyone she has it.

And then, on the other hand, there is me.

I like leggings and sweatshirts, I like sneaking around and watching the football and basketball games on tv.

I hate dressing up just to 'show off to other families of my own family's wealth.

As if we aren't in the 20th century.

Both my sister and I are also homeschooled.

The only time we are allowed to leave the house is when my mom takes us on her shopping trips.

She loves, and I mean loves, to spend money.

Especially because my dad is the head of his own business, he is why we have so much money.

I always wondered what it would be like to attend a high school.

To have friends,

Ride a bus,

Have an annoying teacher who everyone talks about behind their back,

Laugh as the class clown annoys the teacher,

Feel what it's like to fail a test and try to hide it from your parents,

Cram stuff into your locker because the school doesn't understand how big the textbooks are,

and even taste how bad cafeteria food is.

Well, according to movies.

I watch a lot of those.

It's the only way I can connect with life instead of outside my big glass window.

Yeah I know, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair," right?

Unfortunately for me, this isn't a fairy tale, and I don't think I will ever get my happily ever after.

"Earth to Ella." Ally says waving her hand in front of my face. I blink a couple of times before looking back at her.

"Hmmm?"

"We are leaving in ten minutes." She says laughing as I stare at her wide-eyed.

"Shoot!" I yell as I push her out of my room. I turn around and put on my dress before walking into my bathroom.

I look at my glass mirror again and cringe.

My hair was somehow sticking straight up.

Where in the world is gravity?

Isn't that supposed to like, push it down or something?

I groan as I pour water on my head and flatten it down. It isn't an efficient way, but at least I'll be able to leave the house before my mom can send me back to my room to fix it.

After I do one last overall check, I walk down the stairs just in time to see my parents and my sister waiting.

"Sorry." I apologize, feeling the least bit sorry.

"You're two minutes late." My mom says in a gruff voice before following my father into our large dining room.

I hesitantly took a seat next to Ally as about four or five men joined my dad at the head of the table.

Then, a row of maids come in each with a plate of food and set it in front of us.

I whisper to my maid a thank you like I always do.

My mom says you aren't supposed to give them any gratitude because that's their 'job' and they get paid to do it.

Which doesn't make sense.

But she wasn't always like this.

She grew up in a poor neighborhood with my single-parent grandmother.

From stories from my grandmother, my mother was a strong independent, woman.

But then when she met my father, she changed.

She just wasn't the same woman as before.

She relied too much on chefs, maids, and other people to do her work.

Like taking care of her children.

I don't think I can ever forgive her for that.

Let me further explain.

I never really 'grew up with parents.

Well yeah, they were around, but I was raised by Amy.

Amy is our nanny who took care of Ally and I our whole lives.

She was the one who made sure we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, she took care of us if we were sick, she read us bedtime stories when we were little girls, she made sure we got the sleep we need, and well, everting parents should do.

My father is a different story.

He is nice and cares for Ally and I, but he is never around.

We talk to him every once in a while, but that is like what?

Once a day?

I don't even think we ever talked to him for more than ten minutes.

But it's not like he doesn't want to.

He tries, but it's like the world just... pulls us away from him.

And that... is work.

He works all the time, and when he's not, he is at least thinking of work.

He doesn't hate his job, he likes being in charge of his own big company. He's just never around.

Ever.

I feel an elbow to my side and I turn to my sister who nods her head at my mom.

"Did you hear what I said?" My mom asks looking at me.

I give a questionable look as she only rolls her eyes.

"Excuse my daughter, Ella these kind men are asking you a question." She says.

I look at everyone at the table who was looking right back at me.

Then, one of them spoke up, "How would you like to be on the cover of our next magazine." He says.

My eyes go wide.

Mostly because he is asking me and not my sister.

She was the one who was usually asked to be in magazines for the company.

I can't help but secretly glare across the table at my mother, knowing that she definitely was a part of this. Just like she always is.

She knows I don't like taking part in dad's company. She knows that I don't like the spotlight, the fame, and the title of being a daughter to one of the wealthiest men in the state of California.

Why would she set me up like this?

"Why?"

I swear.

It just slipped out.

My mom's eyes go wide as she clears her throat, "What she means to say is.."

I try to control my anger as I look away from my mother.

I would be lying if I said this didn't happen often. I can't even have dinner with my parents without them forcing me into something for the company.

It's all business. It always has been, and it always will. I will always be a chess piece in my parents' game.

"No thank you," I say standing up. I hear Ally gasp as I look at my parents.

I can almost feel my mother's anger coming off of her in waves.

"Why not, sweetie? It's a great opportunity." My mom grinds out through her teeth, trying to keep her temper at bay.

I was so going to get grounded for this.

"Because I would not like to take part in the magazine," I look at the man, "thank you for the offer, but my answer is a no."

I then excuse myself from the table and quickly walk to my room and shut my door.

I was about to take a seat on my bed but my door slammed open and my mom walks in with a hard look on her face.

"I can't believe you just did that Ella." She says starting to pace back and forth in front of me.

For the thousandth time today, I look down, "I'm sorry, I just-.."

"No! There is no excuse. You have embarrassed me and your father, you are to stay in your room-.."

"I already am in my room," I say looking back up at her.

She pauses, but then looks at my dresser and grabs my phone.

"You will not be seeing this for a very long time." She says holding it up in front of me.

She then turns on her heel and walks out of my room, but not before slamming my door behind her.

Welcome to my perfectly imperfect life.