Karen rang and said she needed to talk to me so I called round to her house and we went for a walk. I thought she was acting a bit strange, I even wondered if she was going to dump me. It was a bit awkward, she didn’t say much and when I tried to find out what was going on I knew it was serious because I thought I could see tears. I didn’t know what to think.

When she said, "I'm pregnant" I just couldn’t believe it. I don't think it registered with me straight away, I suppose I was stunned but it was no excuse for how I acted. I was shocked and instead of doing or saying something to make her feel better stupidly I asked her if she was sure it was mine. She stared blankly at me and then she walked away without answering.

I caught up with her, I told her I hadn't meant it to come out as it did, which was true, that it wasn't what I was thinking at all and that I was really sorry. In reality I wanted to run away and hide, we tried to talk about it but it was difficult. Karen seemed so scared and upset, I felt really guilty. She said there was no way she was telling her parents because they would be devastated.

I couldn’t think about how my parents would react. I wasn't exactly thrilled about telling them. And anyway we were just finished school, had very little money and should be having a good time. How could we tie ourselves down with a baby?

After a day or two we were both reacting very differently. Although I was still shocked and scared stiff, I felt we could get through it. Karen didn't want to talk about it and said we were telling nobody. It scared me because I knew it wasn't going to go away and the longer we left it the worse it would get.

I was getting angry and confused because I didn't know who to turn to. I wanted to get away from people and as I walked through the local shopping centre one day I saw a notice about CURA. I remembered a woman coming to our school to talk to us about CURA. I asked Karen to call them but she wouldn't, so I did. I spoke with a woman called Kate on the phone. I felt such a sense of relief at being able to talk with someone who didn't judge or lecture and I came away feeling a lot better. I told Karen all about it and eventually she agreed to come with me and meet Kate in person.

It worked and after a few visits to CURA, Karen got up the courage to tell her parents. They were furious. Her Dad kept saying he knew something like this would happen while her mother said we had let them down. My parents weren't any different and between the four of them they decided the baby would have to be adopted when he or she was born. It was like we didn't have a say.

After the initial shock had subsided they were a little more supportive. Karen's parents still saw me as more responsible for the pregnancy and they weren’t exactly happy to see me when I called around, but at least they were there for Karen and that was important.

We told them about CURA. Kate said they could come and see her if that would help and that this would also be confidential.

Things will never be the way they were, but at least there is more of a sense of normality beginning to return to my life. Karen is feeling a bit better about the pregnancy. We don’t want the baby adopted we want to keep our baby and we will need help with this. As the time gets closer to the baby being born we still have a lot of things to work out. If everyone rallies around, we'll get by. I know it's not going to be easy, our whole lives are about to change forever. Karen and I want our baby, we want to rear it and mind it and be there always for the baby, that's the most important thing.

Without a doubt CURA helped us through what has been the single biggest crisis in our lives so far. I know it’s going to be difficult and we will need lots of help from our families. I'm really looking forward to the birth of the baby and I know Karen is too though we are a bit scared, but we love each other and we will love the baby too. That’s what counts.