Ellie sat on the porch steps, guitar resting comfortably on her lap, fingers lazily plucking at the strings. It was a quiet afternoon—sunlight filtering through the trees, a soft breeze in the air. The kind of moment where she could just be.

And then she felt a poke. She ignored it, kept strumming.

Poke.

Ellie: "Babe."

Silence. She kept playing.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Right at her ribs.

Ellie: "Seriously?"

Ellie exhaled through her nose, determined to keep going. She adjusted her grip on the guitar, leaned forward a little-

And then she felt a hand grab her sleeve and start gently shaking her.

Ellie: "Oh my god- Do you have an actual death wish?"

Ellie tried again. focused, determined to get through one song without nonsense. She started playing a few chords