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The Application

Wendy was up at the crack of dawn, making some Breakfast Scramble for her house full of hungry sims.

By the time it was ready, everyone had managed to get themselves downstairs by the smell alone.

Jaz ate quickly, and then ran upstairs to get dressed and grab their backpack. On their way to the front door to catch the bus with the rest of the kids, Wendy intercepted them in the hallway.

"Could you hold just a moment, Jaz?" Wendy said, then continued as Jaz turned around to face her, "In all this hullabaloo of you moving in and the concert and Therapy and shopping, I clean forgot to tell you that you'll be getting an allowance while you're here."

Jas looked confused, and echoed, "An allowance? What's that?"

Wendy chuckled, and swept up Jaz in a hug. "Sometimes I forget where you've come from. It's money of your very own. You can learn how to save, or spend it on something you really want. Everyone here gets one, even me and Matt. We divvy up the money on Tuesdays and Fridays, and if you'd like, we can take you to the bank to get your own account to save what you earn."

"Money? Of my own? Why? What - " Jaz replied, astounded, only to be interrupted by the school bus horn. Nearly tripping over her own feet, Jaz hurried out the door and ran pell-mell for the bus, which was waiting impatiently.

Wendy waved goodbye to the bus, kissed Matt goodbye as he ran out the door for work, and headed upstairs to play with little Jimmy for a while.

Jimmy was coming along quite well with his skills, and was definitely a fan of the blocks.

He was already talking in full sentences, but still had some things to learn, so some time was spent on his vocabulary, then Wendy noticed the dropping eyelids, and put him down for a nap so she could go do some household cleaning before everyone got home.

Of course, the peace and quiet didn't last too long. Jimmy was up and begging for attention, then the school bus was pulling up.. yes, this house was always busy, Wendy mused.

As soon as Jaz got home, they pulled Kayla's card out and dialed her number. Since there wasn't anything planned for this afternoon, Jaz figured it was finally time for giving Kayla a call to ask about checking on or speaking to their brothers to make sure they were okay.

Jaz asked their question plaintively, and expressed their concern, specifically, about the twins, because they were the youngest, and would have very little idea of why all their family had been taken from them.

"Oh, sweetie." Kayla replied, "I'm sure I can get that information to you. I do have to fill out some forms and get permission from their foster parents, but how about I spend some time doing that this afternoon and call you with their numbers tomorrow?"

"Really? Thanks, Kayla!" Jaz exclaimed, and told her there really wasn't any other reason they had called.... just checking up on their brothers.

Kayla rang off, and Jaz check their phone messages, surprised to find one from Elsa. Apparently she had texted while Jaz was on the phone with Kayla.

"Hey, Jaz! Mom and I are in your neighborhood this afternoon, I wondered if I could stop by to say hi and meet your new family?" Jaz read, and quickly looked up to Wendy as she walked into the kitchen. "Wendy?"

Wendy stopped, smiled at Jaz, and asked what they needed.

Jaz relayed the question, and Wendy broke into a smile, "Certainly, love. I would be happy to have your friend come over for dinner. There will be plenty!"

"Thanks, Wendy!!" Jaz said, and texted Elsa back, "Sure, I can be ready in about an hour, probably. I have some homework to do on the computer for my Therapist, but after that, Wendy said it should be okay!"

Then, with a smile, Jaz put their phone in their pocket, and headed to a (thankfully empty) office, and quietly shut the door behind them.

Sitting down at the computer with a nervous sigh, Jaz took a deep breath and typed in the web address Gemma had given her.

She then scanned the first few informational sentences….

"Letters around the world - LGBTQIA+-friendly pen pals - wants to help children connect with each other, especially ones who are in the process of figuring out their identity and/or sexuality. We aim to ensure that everyone has a friend to talk to and seek advice from, even other Sims in your life aren't as easy to talk to about personal problems. And of course, you'll just be able to chat with your pen pal, have a good time and find a friend for life! During the sign-up process, Adults will verify the information given and will always be available in the case of problems. All Nationalities, Identities and Sexualities are welcomed, and Action will be taken immediately and severely to chastise harassment. In this way, we are able to ensure that minors will always be safe when using our pen-pal service. Information on the Sign-up process can be found at the bottom of this page."

Pausing and letting their mind drift for a short while, Jaz imagined having a non-binary friend that truly understood what they were going through, and how different they felt all the time. Colin was great, but he was so far into the closet about being Trans, that Jaz wasn't sure he'd ever get to be who he really wanted to be. Voices in the hallway reminded Jaz that they were sitting there staring at a blank pen pal application screen. With another sigh, Jaz made sure they were still alone in the room, and clicked on the application link, getting down to the business of signing up.

'Please get your parent or guardian’s permission to participate in this project. We will provide a form that your parent or legal guardian has to sign. Please attach a photo or Scan of it at the end of this application. If you don’t know how that works, you can ask your parent, guardian or a librarian.'

Jaz read, and smiled. They were pretty sure Wendy would be okay with this idea, unlike Bennie and Marnie, and that all they would have to do was ask. It's not like it had been hard to get Wendy to sign the bathroom pass. (Which, by the way, had been life-changing! Jaz could now use the teacher's lounge private bathroom between their classes without the horrifying fear that someone else might walk in on them!)

"'Name: (Do not use your real name!)'

.. hm. Why did they have to start with one of the hardest questions?" Jaz wondered silently. They'd never contemplated calling themselves anything but Jaz, so this was not going to be easy. After staring at a blinking cursor for several minutes with absolutely nothing in the way of ideas, Jaz got up to pace the room. After a couple of passes, the bookshelf in the corner caught Jaz's eye. Maybe they could take a character name from a book? Standing in front of the shelf, Jaz decided they'd pick the first name they saw in a book that they liked. Reaching out, Jaz grabbed what looked like a novel, and opened it to the first few pages. Scanning down the page, a name popped out. 'Caelan'. Didn't sound girly.. or particularly boyish, either. Going to the computer, Jaz opened another tab in the browser and searched for what that name might mean. 'Eternal Warrior' - and it's in Gaelic. After yet another search on what the heck Gaelic was, Jaz pondered the choice for a few minutes. Were they a warrior? Maybe. They were certainly ready to stand up for themselves after everything they'd been through recently. Perhaps that would work. Switching tabs, Jaz typed in 'Caelan' after 'Name:' and scanned the next question.

"'Age bracket:'

Well that's easy." Jaz mused, and clicked on the 10-15 bracket.

'Profession:'

Why was this here?" Jaz wondered to themself. "Oh, Maybe because adults could sign up too?" Shrugging, Jaz typed "Student" in, and moved on.

'What are your pronouns, and who or what do you identify as?'

Jaz read out loud, then snickered at the 'or what' part. They briefly wondered if anyone had tried to identify as a penguin or something, then decided they didn't really want to know. 'They/Them and non-binary' was easy enough to type in, and Jaz moved on to the next question.

'Describe yourself and your family relationships in a few sentences:'

Oof. This was NOT going to be easy. Which family did they want described? Their real family, or the one they were living with? Both? And how in the world to do that within the space of a few sentences?! Jaz sat back in the office chair and thought about the question for a while. Finally, haltingly, they sat forward and began typing. 'My biological family is precious to me, even though I cannot live with any of them currently. For all of our safety, we have been given new homes with foster families, and I'm still getting to know mine. I miss my real brothers, and I hope they have been as lucky as I have with their new living arrangements. Things have changed so much that it's hard to recognize my new life as my own, but it's all been for the better.' Taking a deep breath, Jaz wiped away a stray tear from the corner of their eye. They thought briefly about saying more, but ultimately decided what they'd already typed was enough information to answer the question.

'Describe yourself, your hobbies and interests:'

They sure knew how to ask a loaded question on this application, Jaz thought.. and again, hesitated. What exactly, WERE their hobbies and interests these days? So much had changed in their life recently, it was a little hard to say. Finally, Jaz decided that, deep inside, things really hadn't changed that much. 'I like school. Getting good grades has been difficult lately, but it's been a rewarding struggle. I also have a club of "Adventurers" that meets each week at a local park to play and hang out, and I love each one of them dearly. My best friend and I like to play chess, or watch the clouds in the sky and imagine what each shape could possibly be. I'm also a fan of playing on the Monkey Bars on the playground, and have recently started learning how to play Basketball and Soccer.' Jaz stopped typing, and thought for a little bit, then typed, 'I'm also learning to draw, and art class is still one of my favorite classes at school.'

'How many pen pals are you interested in acquiring?'

For a moment, Jaz giggled to themselves. How many friends did one really NEED? … And how on earth would you keep up with more than one pen pal at a time? Shaking their head with a bemused smile, Jaz typed '1' in the little text box, and read the next question.

'What qualities do you seek in a pen pal?'

Jaz had to ponder this one for a while. They thought about their other friends, and even some of their "enemies"... what, exactly made the difference between a friend and an enemy? Sighing, Jaz frowned at the screen, then typed, 'I guess what I really want is someone who feels like I do, that they're different from everyone else. Someone who can understand that feeling that they're not able to be defined by what the world likes to see people as.'

KNOCK KNOCK... suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Jaz nearly jumped out of their skin as Wendy called out, "Are you alright in there, Jaz? Your friend just got here, I'll keep her company while you finish up, if that's okay?"

With a relieved sigh, Jaz called back, "Sure, I'll be right there, Wendy!" and turned back to the computer screen.

'Would you have a desire to meet your pen pal face-to-face?'

'Maybe?' Jaz typed, trying to hurry and not putting a whole lot of thought into the question. They then checked the next question:

'Please describe, in as much detail as possible, your reason for wanting to join the pen pal project:'

Jaz made a face at the computer, and wondered to themselves why, exactly, they had to pull out the big, long questions right at the end when Jaz's time was running short. They then looked down at the keyboard and typed in, 'My Therapist asked me to put in an application.'

"Might as well leave it at that," Jaz thought... and read the next question:

'How did you hear about our website?'

'My Therapist gave me the website.' Jaz typed, then read the final paragraph to themselves:

'Choose a password for your account, review your application and make any necessary revisions or corrections, then please click “Save”. You can always come back and edit your answers later, and/or add your guardian's filled out form. Once everything is completed to your satisfaction, please click the link to "Submit" your application. Only click once. Do not click “Refresh” or the back button on your browser. You will then be taken to an information page describing our selection process and how long it might take to match you with your new penpal(s). Please read, then keep an eye on your email - we will email you with any further questions, and, eventually, the name and information your new pen pal entered in their sign-up form. You will not, however, be given access to their real email address (for safety reasons), and all your letters will be screened by our computer (as well as kept confidential!) before being forwarded to your penpal. Thank you for your wishes to participate in “Letters around the world”, and happy writing!'

Closing their eyes tightly, reaching for some bravery, Jaz cringed a little, then leaned in and pressed the "Submit" button. They then printed out the form for Wendy and Matt, and folded it, hid it in their pocket, and closed all the webpage windows. Checking to make sure they were leaving no evidence behind, Jaz stood up and went to go greet Elsa.

Jaz and Elsa chatted happily while they headed to the dining room to join the homework party going on there.

Elsa seemed overjoyed to be there, and was especially proud, she said, of how well Jaz had taken over the Adventurers club.

Just as the party was ending, Wendy brought in a huge platter of Fish Tacos, which was a real novelty to Jaz. Fish? On a Taco?? Who would do that? ... Jaz wondered, then took a big, brave bite. With a grin, Jaz decided that whoever had come up with this idea had done the world a service.

Even Jimmy seemed taken with the tacos. He was pretty tired, though, and barely finished before Wendy swept him up to go put him to bed. Matt gathered the rest of the kids up and started herding them upstairs towards the waiting beds.

Jaz, however, managed to avoid being corralled, and, despite being so tired they almost hit the floor, they collected all the plates from all over the first floor, and got them all rinsed and in the dishwasher.

Then, finally, Jaz collected some trash that someone had dropped in the hallway, dumped it in a trash can where it was supposed to go... and then trudged up the stairs, snuck in past a sleeping Penny, and changed silently into their new PJ's, clambered into bed, and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

WC: Day Six < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Eight