After we finished eating, the table was a mess, as it usually is after dinner. Plates stacked up, forks and spoons all over the place, and the leftover rice stuck to the plates. I sighed. I knew I couldn't just leave it there, and if I didn't start clearing up, nobody else would.
"Guess it's up to me," I muttered to myself, grabbing the first couple of plates. I could only carry so much, though, so I planned to come back for the rest after dropping these in the sink. As I headed to the kitchen, I spotted Ellie out of the corner of my eye, slipping towards the door, clearly trying to make a quick exit before I could rope her into helping.
"Oh no, you don't," I called out, narrowing my eyes at her. "Hey, come here and carry the rest of the plates."
Ellie froze mid-step, her hand hovering over the door handle. She turned around slowly, giving me the most pitiful look she could muster. "Ouch, my tummy hurts," she said, clutching her stomach dramatically like she was about to faint.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure. Use that 'hurting tummy' to pack the dishes and let's go," I said, not buying it for a second.
"But it really does hurt," Ellie whined, pouting like a little kid. She was trying so hard to get out of it, but I wasn't going to let her off that easily. I knew her tricks too well.
I crossed my arms, giving her a look. "If you waste any more time, I'll leave the whole pile of dishes for you to wash by yourself," I said, raising an eyebrow at her.
At that, Ellie's eyes widened, and she immediately straightened up. "No, no, no! Please, Angela, don't do that!" she begged, practically jumping over to the table to grab the remaining plates. "I'll help, I'll help!"
"Lazy girl," I muttered under my breath, watching her scramble to gather the dishes. "You better pack those dishes and let's go before I change my mind."
Ellie kept pleading, "Please, just this once, can't you let me off?"
"Nope, not this time," I replied, shaking my head. "You always try to sneak out of cleaning up, and I'm tired of it."
"But, Angela—"
"No 'buts,'" I interrupted. "Pick up the plates."
Ellie pouted, but she knew I wasn't going to budge. She reluctantly started gathering the dishes, and I could see her sneaking glances at me every now and then, hoping I'd change my mind. I didn't. I just stood there with my arms crossed, making sure she did her part.
"I'm carrying them, see?" Ellie said, holding up a plate like it was the heaviest thing in the world. "Happy?"
"Very," I said with a smirk. "Now, come on. The sink isn't going to clean itself."
She let out a dramatic sigh, but at least she wasn't pretending to be sick anymore. I watched her carry the rest of the plates over to the kitchen, and for once, I felt like I had won the battle. Ellie always tried to pull these stunts, but this time, I was ready for her.
As we walked into the kitchen, Ellie kept dragging her feet, acting like carrying a few dishes was the most difficult task ever. I rolled my eyes again. "You know, if you didn't waste all that time pretending, we'd be done by now," I pointed out.
She shot me a glare. "Whatever."
I shook my head, suppressing a laugh. Ellie could be so dramatic when it came to chores. "Come on, let's get this over with."
We set the dishes down in the sink, and I turned on the tap to start rinsing them. The warm water splashed over my hands as I scrubbed the plates clean, and Ellie stood beside me, rinsing off the soap. She was still grumbling under her breath, but at least she was doing something.
"You know, you'd survive if you washed dishes more often," I teased, handing her another soapy plate.
Ellie narrowed her eyes at me. "I do help," she argued, though her tone didn't sound very convincing.
I smirked. "Oh yeah? When's the last time you washed dishes?"
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She thought for a second, then shrugged. "I don't remember."
"Exactly," I said, laughing. "Lazy."
She gave me another playful glare, but I could tell she wasn't really mad. This was just how we were—always teasing each other, especially when it came to chores. We continued washing the dishes together, and as much as Ellie pretended to hate it, I knew she didn't mind too much. At least we were doing it together.
Once we finished, Ellie wiped her hands on a towel and sighed like she'd just run a marathon. "Finally," she muttered, stretching her arms above her head.
"Don't act like it was that hard," I said, shaking my head at her. "You barely did anything."
"I helped!" she protested, crossing her arms defensively. "I carried the plates and rinsed them, didn't I?"
"Yeah, after you tried to fake a stomach ache," I reminded her, giving her a knowing look.
She stuck out her tongue at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. "You're impossible," I said, shaking my head again. "Go rest before you hurt yourself."
Ellie rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She made her way out of the kitchen, probably planning to flop down on the couch and watch TV like she always did after dinner. Meanwhile, I finished wiping down the counters and making sure the kitchen was clean.
As I dried my hands and hung the towel back on the rack, I felt a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't much, but at least the kitchen was spotless, and the dishes were done. I glanced at the clock. It was still early enough to relax for a bit before bed, but not before I made sure Ellie wasn't getting too comfortable.
I poked my head into the living room, where she was already sprawled out on the couch, scrolling through her phone. "Don't think you're off the hook just yet," I called out.
Ellie groaned, not even bothering to look up. "I already helped! What more do you want from me?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Just making sure you remember who's in charge."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, waving me off.
With a satisfied smile, I headed back to my room, ready to relax for the rest of the night. I might've had to deal with Ellie's antics, but in the end, we always got the job done together.