You hadn’t planned for it to happen.

It was supposed to be one night—grief, loneliness, too much talking and not enough thinking. Jesse had smiled at you the way he always did, warm and easy, and for a few hours you let yourself believe that meant something more than it did. When you woke up the next morning, the weight in your chest was already there, heavy and familiar. A few days later, word spread quietly through Jackson like it always did:

Jesse and Dina were back together.

You told yourself it was fine. You told yourself you’d known this was how it would end. Dina had history with him—real history. Laughter that came easy. Confidence. She fit beside him in a way you never felt you could beside anyone. You went back to your routines, helped where you were needed, kept your head down. You didn’t say anything to anyone about that night.

Then your body betrayed you.

At first it was small things—nausea in the mornings, exhaustion that clung to your bones. You ignored it until you couldn’t. When the truth finally settled in, it felt like the world tilted off its axis. Pregnant. The word echoed in your head until it lost meaning and became nothing but fear.

Jesse can’t know, you thought immediately. He’s with Dina. You can’t ruin that.

Ellie noticed before you said anything. She always did. She cornered you one afternoon, eyes sharp with concern, and didn’t let you deflect like you usually did. When the truth came out, she went quiet—not angry, not judgmental, just stunned. Maria found out soon after, her reaction steadier but no less serious.

“You have to tell him,” Maria said gently, like she was trying not to spook a skittish animal.

“I can’t,” you whispered. Your hands shook in your lap. “He chose her. I don’t get to… to mess that up.”

Ellie frowned, jaw tightening. “This isn’t about competing with Dina.”

You laughed weakly at that, a sound that hurt coming out. “I can’t compete with her. Everyone knows that. She’s better. She’s—” You swallowed. “I’m just… me.”

It took longer to say the next part. You stared at the floor when you finally told Ellie what Dina had said, weeks ago, when no one else was around. How she’d looked at you like you were something embarrassing. How the word had landed like a punch you never saw coming.

retar-ded. Jesse deserves better.

Ellie exploded in a way you’d never seen before. She was furious—on your behalf. “That’s bullshit,” she snapped. “You’re autistic, yeah, but you’re not stupid. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”

You nodded, but the damage was already done. You’d spent your whole life knowing you were different, knowing the world didn’t bend easily to you. You worked twice as hard just to be seen as half as capable. And hearing that from Dina—someone Jesse loved—made all those old fears feel suddenly true again.

“What if she’s right?” you asked quietly. “What if I’m just… a mistake?”

Ellie’s voice softened then. “You’re not. And this baby isn’t either.”

Days passed, heavy and slow. Every time you saw Jesse laughing with Dina, guilt twisted tighter in your chest. He looked happy. Peaceful. You told yourself over and over that telling him would only hurt him—that loving him meant staying silent.

But Maria was steady. “He deserves to know,” she said. “And you deserve not to carry this alone.”

When you finally stood outside Jesse’s door, your heart felt like it might tear itself apart. You weren’t there to ask for anything. You weren’t there to take him from Dina. You just wanted the truth out in the open, even if it broke you in the process.

You took a breath, hands trembling.

You weren’t trying to compete. You weren’t trying to ruin anything.

You were just trying to be honest in a world that had never made that easy for you.