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Post by Joelle on Sept 17, 2019 10:02:44 GMT -8
"Good grief, no wonder..." Naamah gulps. "Well, then I guess college there is a no. But I've heard the college here is good as well. Do you think you'd want to be closer to your family or go a little further out on your own? That might help you decide what you want to study, because some colleges have specific programs they're known for."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Sept 17, 2019 10:31:49 GMT -8
Callie shrugs. "Honestly, I dunno. I've never really been too far from Anise, so maybe staying closer would be the smarter idea?" she says. "But it could also be good for me to get out more and, like, experience the world more on my own without 'er."
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Post by Joelle on Sept 18, 2019 17:19:42 GMT -8
"You could make some friends that way. Especially if someone you knew decided to go with you." Naamah winks, then turns away before Tarah can see it.
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Post by starletinwaiting on Sept 18, 2019 17:27:04 GMT -8
To hide the bkush rising in her cheeks, Callie takes a long drink from her water glass before responding, "That would be fun. Gonna have to get used to not having my own personal superhero around. Might as well do it somewhere safe, yeah?" Her mind starts rolling down that path, adding 'LGBTQ+ friendly' to her mental list of what to look for in a college.
Or an anything really.
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Post by Joelle on Oct 1, 2019 13:58:32 GMT -8
Her comment about 'safety' makes Naamah nod, though she's unsure where to go with that as far as continuing the conversation. Making sure Tarah is comfortable is getting hard for her, and she wonders if Callie can sense that.
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 1, 2019 20:12:38 GMT -8
Callie gently sets her glass down on the table, straightening it as a way of filling her time. Naamah hasn't said anything. Neither has anyone else in the family. The silence makes Callie uncomfortable as she starts to squirm again, fingers tapping against the glass.
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Post by Joelle on Oct 4, 2019 19:45:08 GMT -8
At last, Tarah is the one to break the silence. She can guess what they seem to be trying to avoid discussing, but she does have to say something. "I don't think you need to worry about safety. I mean, even if someone did or said something offensive, I would think police departments and college administrators are equipped to handle that sort of thing, one would hope, anyway."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 5, 2019 6:12:43 GMT -8
"Theoretically," Callie laughs nervously, "but trust me when I say that not all places are exactly friendly towards certain kinds of people. It's still something that I'm gonna have to think about. Police and admin are still people with prejudices and I'm pretty much at the top of a lot of lists of prejudices people have."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 7, 2019 14:40:19 GMT -8
"That's true." Her Jewishness has been the cause of more than one fishy-sounding comment, though she couldn't exactly call them hateful. And Tarah knows some of her friends back in New York have fared worse than she and her sister, Magdiel. "We're...not exactly at the bottom either," she admits. "If people can spot a difference- something to exclude you for or hate about you, they often will."
"I always thought public education- universities, I mean- was in general more open to differences, but it isn't always true- either in the other students, the admin, or the professors. Well, you've got time, and I'm sure you will make friends who can help you now," says Jesse.
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 7, 2019 15:23:46 GMT -8
"I can only hope, right?" Callie sighs. "It's nice to have people around who, like... get it. You know? Who understand because they have experience with it."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 7, 2019 15:40:35 GMT -8
Tarah nods. Even she realizes she is being...unmoving at least, on some level. Traditions aren't easy things to break away from though, and even when you do, it's easier for some people than others. Still, she does understand what Callie is saying- even if she doesn't understand exactly why Naamah and Menashe are gay. "It is. And while people who have experienced hatred aren't exactly rare, sometimes it's rare to find those you bond with in your neck of the woods, so to speak."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 7, 2019 16:39:25 GMT -8
Callie nods. "Exactly. And, like, there's enough of the hatred stuff going around. Why can't we just, like, be good to each other, you know?"
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Post by Joelle on Oct 7, 2019 17:05:58 GMT -8
"The world would be a better place. I've even seen studies that kindness and feeling loved make people live longer," says Jesse. "It seems like something more people would get behind, but that's just human nature, I guess, not to be kind all the time."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 7, 2019 17:25:09 GMT -8
"I've never understood how people could just be so, like, generically unkind though," Callie sighs. "You know? Like, why do people see differences and think that those differences are bad? It's just never made any sense to me."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 8, 2019 15:45:42 GMT -8
"Some people don't understand because...they don't. It's not what they're used to," admits Naamah. In a way, she can understand Tarah's dilemma. "But everyone else has no excuse. And even the ones who need to get used to ideas...well, there's no excuse for not being kind."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 8, 2019 16:16:46 GMT -8
"We're all people, one way or another. Some of us just have different experiences of the world."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 8, 2019 17:30:08 GMT -8
"And different expectations," adds Jesse. The problem was letting go of those expectations, or not getting attached to expectations, for another way to look at it.
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 8, 2019 18:43:33 GMT -8
"Yeah... That too." Callie smiles and laughs sheepishly.
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Post by Joelle on Oct 9, 2019 17:53:16 GMT -8
As the dinner plates are finally cleared away by the twins, Naamah smiles. "Well?" she whispers when they are out of earshot of the others. "What do you think of my family?" She fights the temptation to bite her nails, as she is meaning Tarah most of all.
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 9, 2019 18:27:32 GMT -8
"They're nice. And the one you were worried about most was a lot nicer than I had let myself hope," Callie replies with a sheepish giggle. In preparation she refused to let herself believe that Tarah would be nice to her, just in case sonething bad happened. "Do you think she... anybody... suspects?"
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Post by Joelle on Oct 10, 2019 11:11:54 GMT -8
"Jesse might. Menashe definitely does. The rest...I'm not sure," she admits. "To be honest, everyone but her seems fine with it, though I think the twins are a little unsure how to help."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 10, 2019 11:29:38 GMT -8
Callie frowns. "Unsure how to help... with what exactly?" she asks. "With calming Tarah down or something else?"
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Post by Joelle on Oct 10, 2019 16:52:55 GMT -8
"No, more like worried about...us. Me and Menashe. We're still kinda getting used to being open. And yeah, Tarah's part of that, but it's more...how to bridge our gaps. When it ruins a relationship with someone sort of essential to your survival, I don't have to tell you it sucks."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 10, 2019 17:20:38 GMT -8
"Yeah..." Callie exhales heavily at the thoughts and memories resurfacing. "It more than sucks. It, like, sucks the life outta you."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 11, 2019 13:12:14 GMT -8
"No kidding. I'm already feeling it."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 11, 2019 13:22:37 GMT -8
"Well... You can always come visit my house if you ever need the life-sucking to stop for a bit!" Callie encourages.
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Post by Joelle on Oct 11, 2019 14:06:24 GMT -8
Naamah smiles. "Thanks. And we can both pray that it will get easier. Trust me when I say this did not go as badly as I thought it would."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 11, 2019 14:21:21 GMT -8
"Oh, I had literally prepares myself fir the worst possible scenario," Callie laughs. "I was expecting to be, like, grilled about who I was and if I liked girls too. It never even came up! I mean... I definitely implied it, but, like... I never stated it. And they never asked me either."
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Post by Joelle on Oct 11, 2019 14:38:41 GMT -8
"I think- on the off chance that anyone does suspect- they care about me enough not to put it in the open- yet. Let's hope it stays that way for a few more months, though I hope to be ready shortly after school starts."
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Post by starletinwaiting on Oct 11, 2019 15:26:53 GMT -8
"You think the kids here'll be good and nice about it?" Callie asks. Always her worst fear. Her peers. "I haven't had the greatest experiences with that all the time. Some of 'em have been great about it! But others..."
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