Matthew

Jimena had been sitting across from Mateo for several minutes without saying a word. Her hands were clasped on the table, and she kept looking down.

— You're worrying me... what's wrong? —Mateo asked.

She looked up.

—Promise me you won't leave.

Mateo frowned.

—Leave? Why would I leave?

Jimena swallowed hard.

—Because... I'm pregnant.

Mateo remained completely silent.

-That?

"I already took a test," she said, her voice trembling. "And it came back positive."

He looked away for a few seconds, trying to process it.

-I don't know what to say.

—Me neither—Jimena replied. —I'm terrified.

Mateo looked at her again.

—Do your parents know?

Jimena shook her head.

—Not yet. I wanted to tell you first.

Mateo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

—We need to talk to them.

—And what if they get angry?

"They'll probably be angry," he admitted. "But we can't hide it."

That night they both spoke with their families.

The conversation was much more difficult than they had imagined. Both sets of parents were disappointed and worried. Neither was willing to let the two of them simply abandon their responsibilities or drop out of school.

After several hours of arguments, Valeria ended up locked in her room crying.

Mateo wrote him a message.

"Are you OK?"

She replied:

"No. But I don't want you to be alone with this either."

Matthew answered:

"Then we won't be alone. We're going to seek help and see what we can do."

The next day they met after school.

"My dad said we can't stay home," Mateo said.

Jimena lowered her gaze.

—My mom said the same thing.

They remained silent for a few seconds.

"Then... we'll have to find somewhere to stay," he said.

That's how, with the help of a trusted adult, they found a small room for rent.

It wasn't much, but it had a bed, a table, a small bathroom, and enough space for his few belongings.