tw: not eating, divorce
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m] [name_m]Tomas[/name_m] Gonzalez (17) is the object of Ishana’s affections, not that he has any idea- despite being her neighbor and being acquainted with her, he’s got no clue about her feelings. [name_f]Ishana[/name_f] does make it quite obvious that she likes him, but Matthew’s just an oblivious person all-around. He’s more focused on his studies right now, and his girlfriend who he’s been with for just over a year. The two are inseparable and do everything together-unlike [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], his girlfriend has picked up on Ishana’s romantic feelings and feels very guilty about it (she imagines that [name_f]Ishana[/name_f] must think of her as her biggest adversary)- but she hasn’t informed [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], assuming he already knows and just prefers not to discuss it. Him and his girlfriend met in school- the two were in the same homeroom class and they clicked instantly. They both enjoy astronomy (no, NOT astrology), and will often sit on his girlfriend’s roof for hours just watching the stars and talking.
Apart from spending time with his girlfriend, [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] also enjoys skateboarding- you’ll often see him skateboarding around town. [name_f]Ishana[/name_f] often pines from her bedroom window for hours, to the point that her parents are getting worried about her. Being around Ishana’s age, I too am guilty of being a simp. He’s also on his school’s swim team and genuinely enjoys it, though he’d prefer to keep it strictly a hobby. When [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] gets out of high school he wants to study psychology- he wants to be a therapist as an adult. He’s dealt with some mental health struggles himself- he starved himself for four days when he was 14. Luckily his family got him seeing a therapist and he’s grateful for that. This was a coping mechanism for dealing with his parents’ divorce, which was abrupt and unexpected and took a toll on him. His girlfriend’s also had her fair share of struggles throughout her life- she’s got ADD and kids often made fun of her for her hyperfixations and sometimes erratic behaviors. [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] wants to help people who’re going through tough situations as he knows having someone there for him helped him a lot.
Matthew’s really scared for college- the prospect of moving away from home terrifies him. He’s got 5 sisters, some older and some younger. The oldest of the bunch is 25, and the youngest is a year older than [name_f]Ishana[/name_f]. His parents are from Mexico City, and moved to [name_f]Canada[/name_f] for a better life- all six siblings are fluent in Spanish, and use it to communicate and write notes to each other. His whole family knows he’s dating someone, and they’re extremely supportive of him- unfortunately, his girlfriend’s family definitely wouldn’t be. They’re strict Christians and Matthew’s family is agnostic- they definitely wouldn’t be thrilled with that, and dating is seldom heard of in their family so she’s had to keep their relationship a secret. Both come from larger families, though, which they bonded over. Matthew’s best friend and confidant is his older sister, who’s 19- she’s a boisterous extrovert with a great sense of humor, and [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] being more of an awkward introvert sometimes relies on her in social situations. She lives across the country, but he adores her and makes sure to do video calls with her every night no matter what. He’s also met her partner, and taken a liking to them. He’s planning on going on a trip to visit them by plane with his girlfriend in a month, but he’s keeping it a surprise!