always & forever

Eleanor "Ellie" Jones, 31, waitress, mama

[ellie-jcnes]

Name: Eleanor “Ellie” Jones

Age: 31

Occupation: Waitress at Dolly's Diner

Pronouns & Gender: Cis woman, she/her

Faceclaim: Greta Onieogou

Neighborhood: Eastside

BIOGRAPHY.

TWs: bad parenting, absentee parents, homelessness, pregnancy

Work hard, play hard. That’s what Ellie’s mother used to always say to her when she was a child. That she worked hard, two jobs most of the time, so that they could enjoy life. Well someone must have forgotten to tell Harriet Jones that she was supposed to be playing too because there was nothing in that woman’s world except for work. It was just Ellie and her mother growing up and she never really heard much about her father except that he didn’t want anything to do with his daughter and that was enough for her to know that she didn’t really have a parent who wanted her all that much but she always liked to imagine that he was some important country music star or a producer or something, someone who might someday come back for her. He never did.

It wasn’t that her mother didn’t love her, she was sure that in her own way she did. But she wasn’t the mom who baked cookies or took her kid to soccer practice after school or let her have sleepovers with her friends at the house. Harriet wasn’t the mom who would hold her kid when she was crying and tell her things were gonna be okay, or kiss her goodnight and tell her “I love you”. No, Harriet was the kind of mother who always made sure her daughter had food, clothes, and a safe place to live, but aside from that, she was on her own. It always felt a bit like her mom resented her and Ellie learned to be seen and not heard as much as possible because of it.

The day that Ellie turned 18 her mom kicked her out of the house and said “Good luck, don’t turn out like me.” before she left town and never came back. With no job and nowhere to go, Ellie was terrified. She slept in her car for two months until she was able to find a job at Dolly’s Diner washing dishes. There was nothing to fall back on for a girl with no family to speak of, so she relied on help from her friends to keep her afloat. One day when things were better, she made sure to pay everyone back for their kindness. Twelve years later Ellie still works at Dolly’s but at least now she’s a waitress and the tips help her survive.

Ellie has always been someone who mostly kept to herself because she didn’t want to get too attached to anyone. At least until she met Andy, anyway. He was sweet and charming and made her feel like she wasn’t a waste of his time the way other people tended to. He’d been her favorite customer at the diner for a while before he asked her out and he always made her feel like he saw her for who she was, even when Ellie was still trying to figure that out for herself. She hardly knew who she was so how could anyone else see that? But he did. He saw her and he knew her and that was perfect. All good things must come to an end in her life though and when she got pregnant, things got much harder than she expected them to. Andy wasn’t ready to be a dad and even though she wasn’t ready for parenthood either, Ellie knew she had no choice. But Andy did, and he chose the same one her father did, he left.

When Avery was born, that was when Ellie came alive. Her whole world contained in one little body in her arms. She’d always been terrified that she would end up like her mother, pregnant and alone, which she had, but unlike Harriet Jones, Ellie loved her little girl more than life itself and knew she would do anything and everything to protect that child. She loved being a mother more than anything else in her life.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye and not much has changed in Ellie’s life. Andy never came back to meet his daughter and Ellie never lets her little girl think that she isn’t worth his love. If anything, he isn’t worth hers. She lives paycheck to paycheck and their little two bedroom house in Eastside isn’t all that nice or safe but it’s theirs and that has to be enough for her.

extras.

Ellie has a tabby cat named Hashbrown, Avery named him and she can’t just rename him to something that isn’t dumb.

There are very few people in Ellie’s life who really know her and that’s by design. She doesn’t want to open up her heart to anyone else who might leave her.

Avery is a very smart and creative five year old little girl who can often be found sitting in Dolly’s with her mama while Ellie works. Babysitters are expensive.

[rylandjennings]

The thing Ryland didn't know how to admit was that he had a crush on Ellie. It felt ridiculous, really, because he knew she was friendly and sweet to all her tables, and that he was just some guy who kept showing up. But that didn't make it any different, he was falling hard and fast for the gorgeous woman that waited on him at the diner. "I'd waste all my money just to talk to you, El," he said, genuine and honest as ever. Ryland would never forget the way his pulse jumped up as soon as Ellie took his hand, or the way he watched her write her number on it like he was witnessing a major historical event.

It wasn't until she'd let go of his hand that Ryland realized he just might have something of a chance. After all, she didn't have to give him her number, and she certainly didn't have to do it right then. There were plenty of ways a woman could get around that if she wanted to. Looking down at the numbers on his palm, Ryland's tongue darted across his lips. "Anybody ever tell you that you've got the prettiest smile in the whole world?" He looked up at her as he spoke, cheeks slightly red. "Nice handwriting, too."

[ellie-jcnes]

Her heart rate picked up a little at his comment about wasting all his money on her and Ellie laughed softly. "You'd be eatin' a hell of a lot of pancakes to do that, honey." She released his hand once she'd written her number on it, writing her first initial and a little heart underneath so when he got home, a little more sober than he got here, he'd remember who it belonged to. Ryland didn't seem drunk and stupid like some folks who wandered in here, but Ellie also didn't know him enough to be able to tell if he just held his liquor well.

"Just you, cowboy." She smiled and set his plate of food down in front of him after she'd run to grab it from the counter. In truth, lots of men hit on her at work but she'd gotten good at just flirting back for the tips and then pretending it never happened. Ry was different somehow. He was kind and sweet and genuine, something most of those men weren't. "But thank you. As long as you don't start describin' me as someone who lights up a room. All those girls end up on true crime documentaries." She teased.

[promiisedlands]

Brenna has always prided herself on being good with both names and faces — it's make or break in her line of work. But, she was having a hard time placing this one. Now that she's actually close to the other woman, she knows that she knows her. She's just not entirely sure from where, and the name escapes her for now. She watches as the man who had been bothering her makes himself scarce, her own eyes rolling before directing her attention back to the not so strange stranger. "Maybe you should have," she shrugs, head tilting. "I bet he'd never do it again." Or maybe he would — Brenna doesn't exactly have high hopes for a brain cell count on the guy. She frowns, brows furrowing. "I'm sorry — we've met before, right? I swear we have."

[ellie-jcnes]

She smiled and tapped her fingers on her cup with a shake of her head. "I wish I was the kinda woman who could do that and not feel guilty. Even when some jerk is harassing me I still feel the need to be polite. The patriarchy strikes again." Ellie sighed and took a sip of her coffee. She could see Brenna's wheels turning in her mind, trying to place her probably, and then her question confirmed it and she smiled softly. "We have. I'm friends with Emilia. She and her brother sorta unofficially adopted me into their family when we were younger and I've kinda always been around."

[lcgcndarry]

Wyatt had been enjoying exploring the event, entertaining himself with seeing various friends and various random things in the middle of the heart of Nashville. Of course, there would be a petting zoo in the middle of the streets, that just made sense right? He snorts as he watches a kid nearly get headbutt by a goat they antagonized before he hears from Ellie from the side. "Thought they were spitters not pee-ers. I guess they are trying something new," he chuckles to himself, enjoying his own joke. "They saw the view of the random street their owner put them on and said new place, new me." Wyatt looks over the kids again seeing Avery having a good time before turning his attention to Ellie. "Y'all look like you're having a good time," he says as he takes his place next to her.

[ellie-jcnes]

"I think that's their strategy. You're expecting them to spit at you and then they come in with the pee and ruin your shoes without you even knowin' it before it happens." She laughed and reached out to give Wyatt a hug as he approached her. There was a lot left unspoken between them after what they'd done all those years ago but Ellie had made a choice that her friendship with Emilia was more important to her than a hookup that never should have happened. Wyatt was like a brother to her and that was how it needed to stay. It wasn't like she had any feelings for him, especially not now after all that time had passed, but it was a choice that lingered over her, reminding her that she wasn't the perfect friend she wanted to be. "Avery has been botherin' that poor goat for so long. I think she wants to take it home." Ellie sighed and leaned against the fence with a smile. "What are you up to? You here by yourself?"

[rylandjennings]

↦ closed starter  / @ellie-jcnes ↦ location: music city street fair

Ryland couldn't believe that he'd actually asked Ellie out on a date. Truthfully, they'd spent so much time texting and talking on the phone for a few days that he just knew he had to see her soon, so here he was: five minutes early standing in front of the designated stage they agreed to meet at. He was nervous, but only because seeing Ellie in general made the man nervous. More than anything, Ry was just really glad he would get to spend a little uninterrupted time getting to know her better. The diner was a nice place to hang out, but Ellie was always working, which meant he couldn't steal her time asking all the questions he wanted to get answers for.

The second he spotted her, Ryland's entire face broke into a smile. He gave her a small wave before making his way toward her, unsure whether hugging her would be too much too soon. "For the record, I normally would've offered to pick you up because that's just how I am, but I had a songwriting session down here and I didn't want you having to wait on me to drive all the way over to your place. So next time, I'm definitely doin' things the right way." Ryland realized that his words implied a second date, and they'd only just started their first, so he cleared his throat. "If you decide you're up for a second date, no pressure."

[ellie-jcnes]

She hadn't been all that surprised when Ryland asked her out on a date, if she were honest. Ellie was no stranger to men wanting to take her out, it was just that usually she declined. She didn't have the energy to take all the time to get to know someone, start developing feelings, and then have them take off once they learned she had a child. But Ryland had met Avery the same night he'd met Ellie, one of the many times her daughter had been at work with her because she couldn't afford a sitter, so that pressure was off. Not just that, he seemed to like her daughter and Avery liked him too. It felt natural, easy. So when he'd been flirting with her non-stop and finally asked her out, Ellie had said yes.

As Ellie made her way towards him, she reached out her arms and got on her tip toes to hug him in greeting. "Hey handsome, don't you worry about it. I had to drop Avery off with her friend anyway so it worked out." That and the fact that Ellie really didn't want Ryland to see where she lived. She wasn't ashamed of much but the meager little home she had in a run down neighborhood compared to where she was sure he lived? It brought some kind of anxiety with it that she wasn't good enough, didn't deserve this. "Why don't we get through this one and see what happens next?" Ellie laughed softly, though she was sure today was going to be perfect.

[chloexchenxedwards]

He grinned at Ellie's playful response, savoring the warmth of her arms around his neck and the sparkle in her eyes. "Well, darlin', I'm glad my politeness won you over," he replied, his voice smooth with that southern charm. "And I'll be on my absolute best behavior, just for you."

With a playful twinkle in his eye, he added, "Walking a beautiful woman like you home would be an honor." As they continued dancing, Asher couldn't help but feel drawn to Ellie's infectious laughter and the way she seemed to light up the room. He wanted to make her feel special.

"You know, Ellie," he said softly, lowering his voice to a gentle tone, "tonight, let's forget about everything else and just enjoy ourselves. No worries, no responsibilities. Just two people having a good time together" Asher said pulling her body closer to his.

[ellie-jcnes]

The music was slow and sweet and she found herself getting wrapped up in Asher's embrace, the smell of his cologne, the little fuzzy feeling that the few drinks she'd had was giving her. It was nice. It took some of the pressure off her shoulders even if just for a few hours tonight. He always seemed to have the right thing to say to sound like he was this knight in shining armor, the only real thing that made her uneasy about Asher. No one was that perfect, there had to be some tragic flaw and that worried her.

Ellie heard his words and she looked up at him with a soft smile. It would be nice to be someone who could do that, forget about everything else for the night, but she wasn't that girl. She didn't want to ruin the moment by saying that though so she nodded and rested her head on his chest as they danced in the dark bar. "Just two people having a good time together." She repeated softly. She wondered what that meant to Asher, what he was expecting out of her. "Asher, I...I'm havin' a nice time. I just hope I'm not givin' you the impression that I'm gonna be goin' home with you or anything like that..."

[litafunez]

Lita didn't envy her at all. It actually sounded like a nightmare and one of the reasons why she was so neurotic about ensuring that men had condoms or her birth control was taken at each time every night. There was no way on earth she'd get herself in a situation where she had to raise a child with someone that wasn't dependable. "That sucks, sounds like you need a stiff drink." She grimaced and then looked at the door. "Maybe we just put this whole adventure on hold for the sake of your child being orphaned for a night if you don't make it home."

[ellie-jcnes]

It didn't suck to Ellie because she loved being a mom but she didn't expect anyone who wasn't to understand that. There was a time in her own life where she would have never wanted kids so she could understand the sentiment. "I do have a date with my friend Don Julio on my mind for sure." She laughed and got up from where she'd been crouching to help the other woman up. "Oh thank god. You wanna go get a drink at Tin Roof instead of committing a crime?"

[lottieramirez]

"Damn, girl, you're an easy scare if that got you." Lottie laughed and looked at what Ellie was holding in her hand. An eyebrow raised. "That's very shiny," she pointed out. Not really her thing but she wasn't about to judge anyone on their tumbler choices. "Anyways, are you having a good time? Where's Avery hanging out at?" Lottie looked around in case she missed him somewhere. She'd taken a break from the pride area to come look around at what the rest of the fair had to offer. Also to get some funnel cake because it was a must have. "Want some?" She offered by extending her arm out for her to grab some if she wanted.

[ellie-jcnes]

A laugh escaped her and Ellie set the tumblr down on the nearest table and shook her head. "Usually I ain't so jumpy but you just got me that time." Ellie sighed and turned to lean her head out of the booth so she could spot her kid playing with her little friend. "She's over there with her friend." Ellie pointed to where Avery and Katie were playing a little way down, Katie's dad was supposedly watching them but he looked to be watching his phone more than anything else. "Oh, sure." Ellie looked down at the funnel cake and took one piece with a nod of thanks. "How's it going at the Tin Roof? Avery wants to go see the drag queens so we might pop by later after I get her some lunch."

[emiliamcdden]

Sometimes Emilia wondered if she was running late in life. A lot of her friends were married and starting families, or at least heading in that direction. And right now, she was just single, wondering if she was really living the life she anticipated. But then sometimes she hung out with her friends' kids who have endless amounts of energy and she realized that she was absolutely not ready to be completely responsible for another human being. So for now, she'd settle for hanging out with her friend's kids. Raising an eyebrow, Emmy sat up a little straighter like "They're threatening to shut your power off? Is everything alright?" A shiver went down her spine as her hand instinctively went up to her own hairline to feel for worms as Ellie described what the neighbor did. "God I'd cry if I had to pull worms out of hair that's so gross.:

[ellie-jcnes]

Ellie waved her friend off with a shake of her head. "They're always sayin' that. I pay them a hundred bucks here and there and they keep it on." A lot of people in Ellie's life had never known what it felt like to have to choose between putting food on the table or paying the electricity bill and she was so dam thankful for that. But when those choices did come around, it was always the first priority to feed her kid. If she had to go down to the utility company and beg them to keep her lights on, she would. "Avery was the one cryin', not me. But it was deeply awful so I wouldn't suggest havin' kids if you can't imagine doin' that. Ain't even the grossest thing I've had to do as a mom." Ellie laughed and shook her head, starting to plate up the spaghetti and salad she'd made for dinner for them all.

[ellie-jcnes]

starter for: @gemma-devereux location: street fair

Avery had gone home with a friend, having a sleepover tonight, so Ellie was on her own, wandering around with a frozen lemonade in her hand. She heard a familiar voice coming from one of the stages set up and smiled to herself as she made her way over to watch the end of Gemma's set. She stood in the back and when it was over she headed around the back to see if she could catch her and say hi afterward but a security guard waved her off and told her to get lost. "Rude." She muttered under her breath but she wasn't about to argue with someone. Ellie turned to head back down the road when she caught a glimpse of blonde hair and paused, getting on her tiptoes to wave at Gemma through the crowd.

[ellie-jcnes]

starter for: @wcscvans location: street fair

The guy on the mechanical bull right now was looking sloppy as hell and she could tell the guy had never done it before. Either he wasn't from around here and had never been on a bull or a horse before, or he was but he was a total city slicker and the back half of that thought still applied. "Have you ever seen anybody look so bad on one of these before?" She asked the man to her right who seemed to be watching as well. "I'm not exactly a cowgirl myself but I think even I could do better than that."

[ellie-jcnes]

starter for: @lottieramirez location: street fair

While her daughter was running around the kids area, Ellie found herself wandering some of the booths in the area looking at all the bits and bobs she wouldn't spend money on because she needed to make sure she had enough to buy Avery a snow cone later. She picked up a little handmade tumbler with glittery words on the side of it and watched it sparkle in the sunshine. She was just about to put it down when she heard her name way too closely behind her and she screamed, spinning around in shock and almost dropping the cup. "Oh my god you scared me." Ellie gasped and put a hand on her chest.

[ellie-jcnes]

starter for: @wyatt-madden location: street fair

"Aves, you have been petting that goat for like, twenty minutes. I think you might wanna move along to some different animal." Ellie laughed softly as she watched her daughter following around the same cute little baby goat at the petting zoo. She leaned against the railing, standing outside the farm animal poop zone herself and kept her eyes on her kid. She was starting to get hungry though and figured she should start thinking about what to feed Avery soon. The price of the food here had her wallet a little stressed but Ellie figured she would buy something for Avery, take a few bites of whatever she didn't eat, and that would be fine. A figured appeared in her peripheral vision and she turned her eyes to see Wyatt not far off. "Better not get too close to that fence, I think the llama peed on someone through it earlier." Ellie smiled at him.

[chloexchenxedwards]

His smile widened, a mix of charm and genuine interest shining through. "I'd be delighted to show you my moves, Ellie," he replied, his voice filled with warmth and enthusiasm. Taking her hand in his, he let the electricity of their touch linger for a moment before leading her onto the dance floor. As the music surrounded them, Asher moved with a natural grace, drawing Ellie closer into his embrace. Their bodies swayed together, their steps seamlessly synchronizing. The world around them blurred, leaving only the pulsing beat and the connection they were forging on the dance floor.

As the first dance came to an end, Asher twirled Ellie gracefully, his eyes locked onto hers. "You are an incredible dancer," he complimented, his voice laced with genuine admiration. "I could dance with you all night if you'd let me." He brought her back into his arms, their bodies fitting perfectly together. "Ellie, would you honor me with another dance? Let's make this night unforgettable, where we can forget about the past and just be in this moment. Who knows what magic may unfold?" Asher's eyes sparkled with a mixture of charm and hope, silently conveying his desire to continue this dance with Ellie, to create a memory that would linger long after the music faded. He was drawn to her spirit, her vulnerability, and the way she allowed herself to be swept away, if only for this night.

[ellie-jcnes]

The music was perfect and Asher was a gentleman and it was everything the she needed right now. Her whole life was focused on a brown eyed little angel that was hopefully sleeping at her babysitter's right now and Ellie never really took the time to just enjoy being herself. There had only been one person in the last five years who made her feel like she could detach from her job as a mom for a few minutes so this was a pleasant surprise tonight. He must know that the way he looked at her and talked to her was like something out of a romance novel but Ellie didn't care, she just liked the feeling of being the center of attention for a moment in time.

"How could I say no when you asked so politely?" Ellie giggled and draped her arms around his neck, looking up at him with a smile and a flush on her cheeks. It was easy to feel like this was where she was supposed to be, even if something in her told her that Asher probably was flirty and sweet like this with all sorts of women. She didn't mind, not tonight. "If you're on your best behavior I might even let you walk me home later."

[litafunez]

"That's important but it also doesn't mean that the entirety of your life now revolves around a kid. You're still a person with your own life, you know." Adventure, passion and other things had to still be important because she couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to remember who she was or what she liked when the time came for her child to move out and have her own life. "I swear to not leave you in there. Cross my heart and whatever else that saying is afterwards."

[ellie-jcnes]

For most people that was probably true, but Ellie had thrown her whole life on the backburner to make sure that Avery had the best childhood she could manage for her. "Hard to have my own life when being a mom takes up all my time. Without a dad in the picture to pick up the slack I'm all there is." She didn't feel any shame about being a single mom, in fact she was proud of how much she had managed to do for her daughter on her own. "The second half is morbid and we aren't gonna do that part so, let's just cross our hearts." She looked around before she knelt down and laced her hands together to create a foothold for the other woman to step into so she could lift her up.

[rylandjennings]

It wasn't that Ryland was drunk and hitting on Ellie, because truthfully, all he'd done by having a few drinks was lower his own wall of hesitations. He didn't think about the consequences of his words as much now as he normally would, didn't worry that she'd think he was foolish or a bother. Instead, he found himself leaning more toward her, his hand sliding over so that his finger could tap the back of one of her hands that was resting on the table. "You're a saint, Ellie Jones," he said softly with a second tap. "I'll take the usual, darlin'," he added. Ryland would get lost in that smile if she'd let him, and he was so happy to finally be seeing it for himself. Clearing his throat, he pulled his hand back and rubbed both of his together. "Well, I was out drinkin' with some buddies of mine," he said, "and the whole time I kept thinkin' 'I want to text Ellie.' Pulled out my phone to do just that and realized I don't have your number. I figured this was the next best thing, maybe even better."

[ellie-jcnes]

It was hard to say if Ryland knew how charming he was. He had an ease about him that made Ellie feel comfortable from the minute he'd walked into the diner for the first time. He was handsome and sweet and that was nice but more than that, he looked at her and talked to her like she was more than the girl pouring his coffee and bringing him a stack of pancakes. She put in his order with the cook in the back and then leaned both her hands on his table with a grin as he explained what had led him to sit in his usual booth tonight. "Well we better fix that then huh? Can't have ya wanderin' in here to waste your money on mediocre coffee and pancakes just to talk to me." Ellie pulled her pen out of her apron pocket and held her had out for his. "Gimmie your hand." She too his large hand in hers and slowly wrote her phone number on Ryland's palm.

[promiisedlands]

Brenna is the type of woman who likes to indulge and one of her daily indulgences is an overpriced coffee. She barely even blinks at the price, more than happy to swipe her card in exchange for what she deems as liquid gold because without it she might not get through the rest of her day without killing someone and really, she isn't cut out for prison. With her drink in hand, she's quickly distracted by a commotion a few tables behind her and she makes no effort to be discreet as she turns to eavesdrop. Her brows furrow, honeyed eyes rolling because if there's one thing Brenna really, really hates it's a man who can't take a hint. She'd thought about minding her own business, but when she catches eyes with the woman involved in the situation she knows she can't. She offers the other woman a smile as she approaches "Hey, sorry I'm late," before tilting her head at the man. "You're in my seat. Fuck off."

[ellie-jcnes]

Ellie knew who the woman was at just a glance. She didn't know her but she knew who she was. Her best friend's older brother had been such a mess after he and Brenna parted ways and that was a mess enough but the real disaster was that Ellie had been a mess too at that time in her life and she'd let her need for someone to treat her like a human being and not an inconvenience. So she'd fallen into bed with Wyatt, never spoken a word of it to anyone, including Emilia, and tried to forget it happened. Especially now. She cleared her throat and smiled at the woman as the man bothering her rolled his eyes and got up, mumbling something about her not being cute anyway. "Thank you. I swear I was gonna have to spill my fresh coffee in his lap for him to get the hint." She wondered if Brenna knew who she was, if she recognized her from all those years ago as Emilia's little friend who was always tagging along with the family.