Veronica was positively, undeniably, certainly going insane.

Nothing had been wrong at first.

She'd been laying in bed, ignoring her messy room and enjoying the house being quietly empty for once in a blue moon.

Ace was at soccer practice so there was no reply text from him, Sakura's last snapchats had been of her cat and then teary eyed because of watching whatever movie she'd decided made her have an epiphany, no homework was waiting to be completed except for a dreadful science project that wasn't due until next month.

Before going insane, she'd been positively, undoubtedly, certainly bored.

Deciding to be productive and start cleaning out her closet, she got up and made her way through messy piles of clothes that decoratively covered the entirety of her floor. It usually never made it past that stage.

Veronica had been musing over the fact that she'd been able to wear her favorite white skinny jeans for a solid few weeks now.

And then realization had dawned upon her.

Frantically calculating, she tried to recall the last time she'd used a pad or a tampon, but nothing came to mind.

Her period was late.

That's what brought her into the shaken up state she was in as she frenziedly waited for Ace to come to her house.

How could they have been so careless? They always made sure they were being safe and not reckless. They'd taken every precaution.

Her eyes were glassy when she spotted Ace standing wordlessly at her room's door with the opaque pharmacy bag being held by two of his fingers.

"Ronnie," he had breathed worriedly once she got up and took the pregnancy tests from his hold, immediately heading for the bathroom.

She sank to her bathroom's cold rose quartz tile floor, with her back leaning against the off white bathtub. These were going to be three of the longest minutes of her life.

Ace gently made his way inside after three careful knocks, taking a seat next to his girlfriend. Normally his hands would be around her in seconds but this time they were dealing with one of the realest problems they'd ever faced with during the course of their relationship.

"I just want you to know that I will support any decision you make after we find out." He spoke but his eyes never left towel hanging on the door in front of them.

Veronica was speechless for a few beats and her arms shook. "What decision?" She'd never been high and she wondered if this feeling was any close to it. Her head was too cloudy. Inhibitions were altered.

"Ronnie," Ace sounded absolutely, soul crushingly defeated. "After we find out if you're pregnant or not, we have to talk about what you want to do."

"What do you want to do?" It seemed like the only sentences she was capable of making were questions.

"Let's find out first." He slurred. No opinions could be formed.

The floor was cold against her bare thighs but her trembling fingers appreciated the coolness under the skin. Ace's hand quickly covered hers at an attempt of comfort, but Veronica didn't make any movement.

"What do you even do with a baby?" Her voice sounded monotone as a result of panic.

"I don't know. But we have to love it, that's an important one." Ace's pitch matched her.

Veronica's eyes squeezed shut and that's when Ace realized how uncontrollably petrified his partner was. He had to be strong for her.

Lightly taking her face into his hands, he brushed back messy bangs and slowly looked into her fearful eyes. How did he approach this without fucking up?

"We're going to be okay angel, alright?" He swallowed thickly, not believing his own words in those moments. "Whatever that test says, we love each other, right? It's you and me until the end. We're going to look now. We'll let it sink in and then we'll talk. Okay?"

Veronica nodded at every one of his questions with flushed cheeks. Ace's thumbs tenderly gripped her jawline and he leaned his forehead against hers for a moment. The last moment before what could change their life forever. There was so much to think about. Graduation. College. A job. Neither could count the things they wanted before the thought of children entered their minds.

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead after pulling her up so they can stand over the sink where the test was.

They could both feel the crisp air filling their lungs from the open window at the sight of one clear line. Suddenly everything seemed uncomplicated again.

"Gracias a Dios." Veronica's prayer palms rest under her chin as she mumbled other words of gratification, eyes shut in fulfillment.

Ace's reaction was to throw his arms around Veronica in a tight hug, hanging onto her as if she were a lifeline.

Face buried in her neck, his fingers grabbed the fabric of her shirt. "I'm really glad that came out negative." 

Veronica's sigh of relief buzzed her whole body. "Me too."

They pull back to stare at each other, feeling almost guilty about their ecstatic acknowledgments. They wanted to be together in the long run, but starting a family was a completely different thing.

"This is gonna happen one day, just not today. Not for at least a few years," he placed his lips on cheek. "Yeah?"

Veronica sloppily nodded at his question, not even wanting to think about the possibility.

What mattered was now. It mattered that they didn't screw up. It mattered that they were being as safe as she thought. The only thing in her mind was making sure to keep this hidden from her family and finding a way to set up an appointment at a gynecologist.

Just to be sure.

The rest of the night was one of the oddest they'd spent with each other.

Veronica was speechless and Ace quickly realized that he didn't have anything left to say either.

They set up a movie in the media room, but their favorite comedy was ignored with Veronica laying her head tiredly against Ace's chest, while he gently ran his fingers down her hair.

She hated having her hair played with but tonight was okay. Tonight it would be fine.

And it all was.