mali

Sam Nordquist was a 24 years old Black trans man who was murdered in 2025 by a woman he fell in love with over the internet. They spoke online for months and fell in love, Sam traveled to meet her in October and quickly went radio silent on his family. Days later he was found dead and he had been tortured by his “girlfriend” and her friends. The ringleader of whom pleaded guilty June 30th, 2026. This was not called a hate crime bc the people who murdered him were members of the lgbt community.

Juniper Blessing was 19 years old when she was murdered in her off campus housings laundry room. Yesterday her murderer was found incompetent to stand trial, they were competent enough to stab her and leave her for dead but not competent enough to be charged for it.

Yesterday on the last day of pride month the Supreme Court voted to change title IX to include “biological sex” leaving up to states to discriminate against trans women and girls.

Trans people cannot get IDs either their correct names even if they have all the information INCLUDING a birth certificate with their correct name on it. The government is now asking for school records to prove that you’ve been this sex the whole time. We are the depths of hell and it’s going to get worse.

Trans people in Kansas can’t drive because their licenses have the correct gender markers, you can’t get to the dmv without driving to fix that.

Gender affirming care for minors is being stripped away.

If you call yourself an ally and u say you love trans people get loud. All of this legislature is to make it harder to socially transition and live and exist as a trans person. They want to get rid of trans people in sports and in real life.

ellie who never actually planned on teaching. she's just a musician trying to pay off her student debt and fund her first album, so she takes a job at an elementary school for just one year. that was the plan.

except the kids are actually really funny, and for some reason they think she's the coolest person alive. oh, and there's also a certain teacher who makes her go full heart-eyes emoji every single time.

imagine she's teaching the kids their little graduation song and one little boy keeps wandering over to the door because he'd rather be with you than practice.

"c'mon, buddy. come sit with us. she isn't going anywhere, you'll see her in a little bit."

the little boy pouts. "...i don't want to sing. i wanna marry her."

"okay, dude. me too. get in your seat."

the room goes completely silent, and like twenty tiny heads slowly turn to look at her. "miss ellie... are you gonna marry our teacher?"

──── 3.8k ୨ৎ southern twang’ ꕤ ࣪ ִ texas butch! els x so cal femme! reader, strangers to something more, fluff, teasing! els, cuddles, comfort, yearning, lots of loser lesbianism, etc.

𑁍ࠬܓ juls note ◞ i am soo sorry, this has taken me so long to write ): i am just now getting to some requests after writing for my series lately. i hope this does your request justice, nonnie . . . ♡

you were new to Texas. it was vastly different than California—not in a way that made it difficult for you to become accustomed to, but in the way that people worked very differently in this southern state. being the second largest it is, you moved to a tiny town in the horse riding middle of nowhere.

definitely not because you wanted. your mother had just recently gone through a messy divorce with your cheating asshole of a father and decided to move both of you back to her hometown. a very very small hometown. there was one square block with towns where you could buy groceries, a local school system, and two police men that rode on horseback.

and of course, because your mother had grown up with the people who never left, she was high school sweethearts with one of the policemen. a sheriff named Tommy. a gruff looking man in his mid 40s, ash-blond hair, and blueish-green hues. standing at 5’ll, he towered over your mother.

in a way that made her flush all over again; as if she was still a sixteen year old girl with a silly crush. it was nice to see your mother happy after what seemed like an awful marriage to your father, but it wasn’t nice to be around his family almost 24/7.

every weekend, your mother drug you to the Miller’s residence where Tommy would cook out on his grill in the backyard. he invited his brother, Joel, and he just so happened to have a daughter that was your age. your mother thought it to be a happy coincidence that the two of you were the same age.

needless to say, neither you nor the girl had a thing in common. the first time you saw her, she was lounged on Tommy’s worn couch with her feet kicked up on the coffee table. she was dressed in a pair of dirty denim jeans, long sleeve flannel with the sleeves rolled half up, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat sitting snuggly on her head.

her hair was an auburn color, the red bouncing off the strands in the setting sunlight beneath the brim of her hat. it was short, nearly reaching halfway down her neck. her cheeks were graced with an enormous amount of freckles, and her eyes were such a bright green that they nearly blinded you.

you were sure she had the same expression as you did when she first caught you in her eyes. the two of you looked like polar opposites—which you were. you, on the other hand, had shown up for the first time in a baby pink satin dress that reached halfway down your thighs, a pair of white thigh high socks, and pink kitten heels.

an ‘i’m sorry’ gift that your dad had bought to try and win your heart.

your hair was done up, makeup flawless, and lips glossed. your skin was shinning in comparison to the sunlight, the pink colors in the sky reflecting off your hues. you looked a lot.. cleaner in comparison to the rugged and rough around the edges girl sitting on the sofa.

your mother had nudged you the first time, whispering something along the lines of: ‘go and introduce yourself’ or ‘be friendly.’ which, not because you weren’t, but because she looked at you in the same way you looked at her—and you could tell, she knew you two wouldn’t get along either.

after a couple months of living in the small lifeless town, you couldn’t avoid her anymore. your mother had long since moved the two of you into Tommy’s home, and you were forced to see her more often. Joel and Tommy were the only two deputies in town, and therefore, Joel was always over with her.

Ellie.

you overheard her name when Joel mentioned her the first time, but you didn’t quite register that it belonged to her until she had butted her way into conversations.

her voice was higher than you had imagined it to be. you figured it would have been deep and off putting, but instead—and to your demise—it was rather nice to listen to. she had a specific southern twang that matched both her father and uncle’s. it bounced between the three, and you even began to hear your mother’s accent come back.

jesus, you were trying very hard to keep up with the annoyed teenager act, but you couldn’t.

“ya sure ya won’t get that dirty?” Ellie’s voice caught your attention. her eyes were already on yours when she glanced over her shoulder.

you huffed, glancing down at the pink baby boll top and designer jeans you had chosen to wear today. not to mention you had just done your hair and your makeup looked really fucking good today. “why?” you muttered.

“cause’ we’re not goin’ somewhere fit for your uh.. style,” Ellie replied, looking up at down as she chewed on a piece of gum. leaning on her heat up and rusty red chevy truck, she crossed her arms. “ya sure ya don’t wanna change?”

you rolled your eyes; stubbornly so. “it’s you, not ya,” you corrected ignorantly, but Ellie didn’t seem to care. she just nodded in response, snorting through her nose and beneath her breath. “and i’ll be just fine, thank you.”

she shrugged, walking casually to the passenger side door and opening it for you. sliding into the seat, you glanced at her awkwardly.

“not doin’ this cause i’m tryna be a gentleman,” she said, “the handle don’t work.”

you sighed, “doesn’t.”

“what?”

“the handle doesn’t work.”

Ellie stared at you through the rolled down window for a moment or two before shrugging again. “eh, tomato, tomato,” she chuckled, “same difference.” and walked around to the driver side.

securely fastening yourself into the car, you took in the rusted color and how dirty the fabric of the seats were. swallowing dryly, you hugged yourself as if you could create your own separate clean bubble. Ellie didn’t really look at you, simply turning on the truck and revving up the old engine.

“what a beauty.” she muttered more-so to herself, smiling that half smile you had become accustomed to, unfortunately.

she took off onto the road and began driving with the windows down and an old country station turned on. she didn’t pay much attention to you. “why do we have to go where you want to go?” you questioned.

Ellie raised a brow.

“are you the one who grew up here?” she replied, cocking her head to the side.

reluctantly, you looked away. she just grinned in return. “i didin’ think so.”

her twang was getting far too annoying.

the chevy drove smoothly despite its outward look. it was old, sure, but Joel had mentioned over dinner one night that Ellie had been putting a lot of work into it. you had seen it also—not that you were trying to watch her. it was unfortunate, because every time your mother drove you through the neighborhood, you’d catch her outside.

she’d be dressed in a tank top and dirty jeans, her boots scuffed. her short hair would be pinned behind her ears with a backwards cap and grease up to her elbows. every-time she’d dip her hands back into the bay that held the engine, you’d see her biceps flex—

shaking your head, you continued to stare out of the window. there was no way in hell you were thinking of Ellie in that way. even though she wasn’t technically Joel’s kid and had only moved in with him a couple summers ago, you still found it odd to look at her that way.

glancing at her out of the corner of your eye, she continued to chew on that same piece of gum, her elbow resting on the armrest as she drove with one hand. her eyes never left the road, and she made every turn steady and slow. she didn’t jostle you like you had expected from her driving. no, she was cautious.

Ellie caught your gaze, to which you immediately looked away out of embarrassment. her lips curled into a smile, but she said nothing; instead, opted into staying silent.

when she put the truck in park, you had absolutely no clue where you were besides being in the middle of nowhere. ahead of you was a small stream. “i come here to clear ma head sometimes,” she said, opening the door for you—the one she claimed had a broken handle.

it looked like it worked just fine to you. but hey, you didn’t know much about cars anyway.

“figured we could just uh.. hangout here until they get doin’ whatever they’re doin’.” Ellie coughed, catching you as you slipped out of the front seat. your shoes slipped on the dirt, and her arm was stretched awkwardly out as if she would catch you if you fell.

you nodded, scrunching your nose. “a river?”

“is a stream,” she replied, shutting the door behind you. “nice water, actually. pretty cold.”

you glanced at her, “it’s.”

“it’s a stream.” she repeated herself, rolling her eyes before kicking off her boots. Ellie discarded her flannel and began walking towards the bank where water met sand. you stared at her, unsure what you were supposed to do or where you were supposed to go.

when she noticed you weren’t following, she looked back over her shoulder. “are ya comin’?” she questioned, raising a brow.

“into the water?”

“yeah?”

“no, you’re crazy.”

Ellie snorted, “i’m crazy?” she pointed a finger at herself. “it’s not even cold, c’mon. it’s just water, ya won’t melt, princess.” you could tell she meant the nickname in a snarky manner, but it made you blush nonetheless.

she caught the remnants of a flush on your cheeks just as you looked away.

“will ya melt?”

you rolled your eyes, “of course not, that’s stupid. i just don’t want to get wet! these jeans are designer.” you said and Ellie glanced down to the denim on your legs. she tilted her head, examining the clothes. her nose scrunched, and she crossed her arms.

“don’t look designer to me.”

you scoffed, “you wouldn’t know designer if it hit you.” Ellie smirked, “should that have made me mad?” you stared at her again, but you couldn’t quite feel upset. instead, it was clear she was just messing with you.

teasing you, if you will.

“shut up.”

“yes ma’am.” tipping her head casually, Ellie rolled her jeans up her shins and began walking into the water. she rested her hands on her hips before looking up at the sun. it wasn’t as hot as it usually was on a summer day in Texas, but maybe it was because the thick trees and shrubs provided enough cover.

you swallowed thickly, slowly walking towards the bank. she stood there for a moment before walking around in the water with a sigh, basking in the cool water against her skin. you watched her from afar before deciding to finally casually sit on the bank.

even though you despised getting dirt on your jeans and messing up your fresh manicure, you knew fighting her on this wasn’t worth it. if you had learned one thing about Ellie, it was that she got on your nerves, and she did it well.

Ellie splashed water with her feet before looking at you. she smirked, “ya gunna come in?” she questioned, beckoning you with her hand.

“i already told you no.” you said, turning your head so you couldn’t see her.

bad idea.

instead of it being Ellie’s face, it was water. she splashed you with water. you squealed, the cold liquid coating your clothes and hair. “Ellie!” you shouted, standing back to your feet. you had been sitting for less than five minutes and she was already torturing you.

“you’re wet now,” she observed proudly. “might as well come on in.”

you stared at her hard for a long moment. there was a crease between your eyebrows, knitted together in both annoyance and intrigue in the way she was looking at you.

you huffed, she was right. you were already soaked and there was no going back now. “you’re dead, Ellie!” you yelled, rolling up your jeans and trudging into the cold water. you immediately shivered and Ellie laughed, folding over at the way you looked.

like a wet kitten.

“jesus, ya look like a soaked cat—“

before she could finish her sentence, you reached down and cupped your hands together, splashing water up and into her face. her eyes widened, hair dripping. her shirt was coated in water.

but, she wasn’t angry. no, it was quite the opposite. her lips curled upward and suddenly, you were both splashing water towards one another. the more the water coated you, completely drenching your clothes, the more you started to laugh.

for whatever reason—be it the sudden weight that had lifted off your shoulders—you started enjoying this moment with her. you didn’t think about your father or the fact that you were in a place that was so unfamiliar. you were enjoying yourself. for the first time in months since you moved here.

and it was with her.

the same girl you had disliked since the beginning. Ellie stalked towards you, splashing more water. you giggled, flicking it back into her face as she chuckled deeply. this continued for ten minutes straight—water fights and splashing around the stream as you let lose.

taking another step, Ellie watched you, but before she could say anything, you had stepped off the deep end. she was there in an instant to grab your arm before you could go all the way under. it was a drop off.

you gasped, grasping her as you shook the water from your hair and spit it from your mouth. “holy shit—!” you huffed, glancing up at her face.

she was as staring down at you with concern. instead of the usual teasing expression she wore, her brows were knit together.

“ya alright?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave—almost gruffer. you swallowed, a sudden sensation bubbling up in your stomach. she was close, one hand on your waist and the other hold your lifted wrist.

you nodded slowly, “coulda warned me sooner.” you whispered. Ellie sighed, shaking her head, droplets cascading down the side of her freckled face. though, she smiled now that you were okay.

“could have.”

you raised a brow, “huh?”

“it’s could have.”

now she was mocking you? after saving you? you hit her arm, cheeks warm and flushed. pushing away from her, you began walking back towards the bank. “whatever!”

Ellie simply watched you, her hands tingling from where they had been on your skin. her palms felt clammy now and her heart was racing. she had seen you smile for the first time today—a real genuine smile. she didn’t know if you were capable of one of those, not for a while.

but today, she knew you were and now she wanted to see it more often. she wanted to hear you laugh, too. it was like music to her ears.

walking behind you, she picked up her boots and handed you your shoes.

“c’mon kitty,” she chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “let’s get you dry.”

leading you to her truck, she grabbed a towel out of the backseat and handed it to you. not quite meeting her gaze, you took the fluffy fabric into your hands and began drying yourself off. despite needing to dry herself off also, she denied the towel and insisted that you keep it wrapped around you.

Ellie helped you into her truck and drove home quickly. you didn’t look at her, but you could see that she was glancing at you out of the corner of her eye every once in a while.

when you arrive home, it’s dark and all the lights are off except for the porch. you and Ellie enter the house, Joel completely crashed and asleep on the sofa. it was clear the three of them had been drinking when they were watching the game earlier. Ellie clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes.

for a moment, you could see she was debating on wether waking him or letting him sleep. you stared at her, and suddenly, you decided for her.

“let him sleep.” you whispered.

Ellie glanced at you, brows furrowing. she watched as you turned towards the staircase and beckoned with your hand for her to follow. it was almost like she was wearing a collar and being tugged because now she was tracing your footsteps right behind you.

you led her towards your bedroom and once the door was shut, you met her gaze. her green hues sparkled in the moonlight that poured through your curtains. “you can just sleep here for tonight.” you said.

“in your bed?”

your eyes widened, “n-no, on the floor!”

Ellie nodded, glancing at your soaked clothes.

“you should shower. warm water. you’ll get sick.” she instructed. licking your lips, you sauntered past her and grabbed a change of clothes before disappearing into the restroom.

after taking a warm shower, you stepped out to find Ellie had made herself a pallet on the floor and changed into a pair of Tommy’s old clothes. she looked comfortable laying there, her wet hair coating the pillowcase. you pursed your lips, tip toeing towards your own bed.

the mattress creaked beneath your weight, but that wasn’t the only noise that woke Ellie. a clap of thunder echoed from outside and you jumped, a gasp leaving your mouth. she turned over, eyes finding yours. “don’t tell me you’re afraid’a storms.” her voice was hushed but not annoyed.

swallowing, you didn’t answer. instead, you closed your curtains and crawled beneath the softness that was your comforter. it still smelled somewhat of like your old home and it brought a sense of comfort, but not enough to make you feel better.

the thunder echoed again after a bolt of lightening, rain pouring down on the roof. every time it happened, you jumped beneath the sheets, rustling quietly. Ellie hadn’t allowed herself to fall asleep yet, not after the first time you jumped. instead, she opted into staying away.

since you weren’t looking, she stared at the side of your face. trading your features, she etched the picture into her brain—engraining the slope of your nose, curve of your jaw, and softness of your skin.

“are ya scared?”

you didn’t answer again, but she took that as a yes. this time, when you cowered beneath your sheets, Ellie felt her heart constrict within her chest. fuck, she couldn’t just lay there and do nothing. not after what you two had done earlier. so, she rose to her feet and padded towards your bed.

you glanced up at her from beneath the covers, “what’re you doing—?”

“roll over.” she stated.

you stared at her, “what? Ellie—“

“don’t make me ask ya twice.”

pursing your lips, you scooted towards the inside of your mattress. it dipped beneath her added weight, the springs creaking.

she didn’t scoot towards you immediately, but she did stretch her arm out like a silent offering. when the thunder clapped loudly again, you cowered and sought out her embrace. you wanted to fight it—obviously you didn’t want to outwardly show that you were scared, but you didn’t have a choice.

you pressed into her side, cheek brushing against her shirt as your head came to rest beneath her chin. Ellie stiffened even though she half expected it. settling into your new found warmth, she wrapped her arm around your middle and brought you closer. “the rain can’t hurt ya, ya know.” she murmured.

“it’s not the rain.” you replied, voice quivering.

this was the first time she had ever seen you in such a state. there were so many firsts today—first genuine smile and now your first genuine fear. she hesitated for a long moment, debating on wether to press further or leave the situation alone, but Ellie was always a nosy girl. “what is it, then?”

“it’s too loud.”

“too loud?”

you nodded. she felt her heartbeat pick up. Ellie waited before gently reaching up and pressing her free hand against the ear that wasn’t against her. she cupped it gently, shielding the sound from reaching your ears fully. you shivered at the contact, unsure what was making her be so uncharacteristically soft towards you.

was it earlier? playing in the water like you were two children on a hot summer day?

it felt nostalgic, yes, and it also felt peaceful. maybe.. it was supposed to feel like this all along and you had both been quick to judge one another.

without knowing how much you really had in common.

“reminds me of my parents fighting,” you said finally, fussing up to the reason as to why thunderstorms scared you. too loud, too shocking, too jarring, and scary.

too unpredictable. “i can’t.. it’s just too loud.”

Ellie didn’t say anything, but she nodded. she could understand the correlation in fear. so, she pressed closer and pulled you until you were secure in her embrace. her body was warm, and she smelled like pine and oil. it was an odd but comforting scent that was just uniquely her.

“don’t worry,” she said finally, voice soft and quiet. “won’t let the storm get ya.”

silence fell upon the two of you. all you could do was lay against her and listen to the way her heart beat slowly beneath your ear. you timed it with your own, matching your breathing so that you would calm down. “i’ve got parent issues, too,” Ellie pipped up.

“ma mom died a couple years ago, and well,” she closed her eyes. “i got no clue who my dad is, so i got sent to Joel. he was close with ma mom, i guess. best friends, supposedly.”

you knew that she was ‘adopted’, but you didn’t know her mom had died so recently. you swallowed, feeling a pang of empathy. your hand laid flat against her, fingers slowly coming to rub gentle soothing circles against her shirt. “i’m sorry, Ellie.” you whispered.

the girl inhaled, glancing down at your face.

“s’okay,” she mumbled. “just wanted you to know that we’re all scared’a somethin’.”

your chest tightened and without much thought, you looked up at her. the two of you were closer than you ever had been before. her nose bumped against your own, green eyes filling your vision. Ellie swallowed thickly, unsure what to do with the sudden change in atmosphere. her cheeks flushed drastically, turning a deep red shade.

you followed the flush, a small smile tugging on the corner of your lips. “thank you,” you said finally, “for comforting me.”

Ellie shook her head, trying to avert her gaze.

“s’ uh, nothin’, really.” she almost choked on her own spit, eyes tearing up.

you giggled softly, that same genuine laughter than she had heard earlier at the stream. it made her heart race, and she quickly found herself staring at you despite the crazy look on her face. “you’re not all that bad.” you whispered again, smiling sheepishly.

Ellie licked her lips slowly.

“neither are you, princess.”

Summary: in which ellie's got a big fat crush on you but is too awkward to really do anything about it, you work at the coffee shop down the block from your uni, and your friends do everything in their power to make it happen ~ juni's note: small teeny tiny hiatus 0:) Nyleah's back at it, and our losers are taking some baby steps forward

buy my coffee?

make every game a dressup game 😋