Modern Family: New Life

Andrew took off his helmet and smiled faintly, returning to his usual enthusiasm and good energy. "Really? I played just like I always do… It must be that the other team is just too weak," he responded.

"Oh… I see," said Coach David, giving Andrew a strange look.

It was odd for him to smile so pleasantly after utterly destroying an opposing team, securing the most crushing and humiliating result of the regular season against them.

Moreover, because of this result, it was very likely that Jefferson High School would lose its fourth place in the standings, making their chances of reaching the regional playoffs almost nonexistent, as only the top 16 out of 32 teams would advance.

The opposing team rushed to the locker room as soon as the game ended. They wanted to get as far away from Andrew and the rest of his team as possible. The same went for the visiting spectators.

Meanwhile, the school's sports committee staff began setting up a stage in the middle of the field for the awards ceremony the school had organized.

It wasn't an official event, but rather a way to motivate their team and recognize their achievements after such a successful regular season.

As the staff set up the stage, the team's players chatted enthusiastically and laughed. Some even started talking to the cheerleaders who had stepped onto the field.

Jason was one of them, and despite no longer being the starting quarterback, he had a smile on his face and spoke with excitement. That was because he had earned a starting position on offense as an outside receiver.

Even though Jason's passes weren't great and, in Andrew's eyes, his skill level was low, as a former quarterback, Jason had a better understanding of plays and how passing routes were structured. This allowed him to position himself well and read defensive coverages, making him a tough target to defend.

On top of that, his senior-year physique was above average, securing him a spot as one of the three receivers in the offense alongside Steve and Alan.

Andrew took off his helmet, placing it on one of the bench seats, and started drinking water. His face was covered in sweat. 'That was intense,' he thought.

Even though the game had been easy, he had given his all on both offense and defense, determined to crush the opposing team on every play.

He hadn't missed a single pass throughout the game. In fact, he had thrown the most touchdown passes with perfect accuracy. He had also run the ball multiple times, scoring rushing touchdowns and proving himself as a dual threat both in the air and on the ground.

Defensively, he had shined as well. He led the team in tackles, stopping opponents at every attempt to advance.

Seeing the rival quarterback's expression, he felt satisfied with his performance. 'That's what happens when they mess with my family,' he thought.

"Congratulations on winning the game and being the star again. You really destroyed them, huh?"

Andrew heard a confident, haughty female voice. Turning his head, he saw Regina's striking face looking at him with a faint, self-assured smile.

She was wearing the Palisades High School cheerleading uniform—a snug, dark blue top with white accents, the school's logo precisely embroidered on the chest. The top had a V-cut neckline, emphasizing her athletic figure.

She also wore a short, vibrant blue skirt decorated with white stripes along the edges, paired with white athletic sneakers.

"Thanks… I played just like always," Andrew said, setting his water bottle on the ground.

"Mm, I don't think so," Regina replied with a subtle smirk, as if she held the absolute truth.

"You seemed… more intense today. Angrier," she continued in an inquisitive tone.

Regina had set her sights on Andrew from the first day of school when he introduced himself to Jason in a rather peculiar way. Later, she had tried to blackmail him over his geeky interests and failed spectacularly, which only made her more curious about him.

Because of this, she had been observing him and noticed that he had an outgoing attitude and a natural ability to connect with everyone. However, Regina wondered if this image of a nice guy was genuine or just a carefully constructed facade.

She eventually realized that it was his true personality and not something fabricated, unlike Veronica's witch-like persona, for example.

That's why she sought his help regarding Veronica and the blackmail situation. And she wasn't wrong. He helped her, and not once did he mock her maliciously about the predicament she was in.

He was very different from most guys—like that idiot Alan, who she was sure knew about the photo and still let Veronica use his phone.

Although she would never admit it openly, at that moment, she started to feel something more for Andrew—something she couldn't easily categorize.

"I was just focused, like always…" Andrew said, not wanting to explain to Regina why he had crushed the opposing team.

Regina didn't believe a word. She had been watching him closely for months and knew that something had happened. But before she could respond and pry further into his business, a voice echoed through the stadium.

"Attention, players, families, and students of Palisades. Please join us on the field to celebrate our team after a spectacular regular season finish. We're among the top sixteen in our section!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, beginning to make their way down from the bleachers toward the now-finished stage.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is divided into ten main sections. Palisades School belongs to the Los Angeles City Section, which consists of 32 teams in Division V.

Out of these 32 teams, only the top 16 would qualify for the regional or sectional playoffs. The champion of the sectional playoffs would be crowned the Division V sectional champion and earn a spot in the state playoffs.

In the state playoffs, they would face the other nine sectional champions from the CIF.

Regina huffed in annoyance at having her conversation with Andrew interrupted.

Andrew watched as his entire family approached him, and just like that, his previous irritation over the rival quarterback's words vanished. A genuine smile spread across his face as he quickly moved toward them.

"Hey…" Regina started, about to stop him, but she froze in place when she saw Andrew's happy expression.

'That must be his family… There are so many of them,' she thought. Then, almost unconsciously, she looked around for traces of her own family—but found none.

She wasn't disappointed. She had expected as much.

Even though she was the head cheerleader, her parents didn't even come to watch this game since work was more important.

"That was incredible, son!" Cam exclaimed, not even pausing for breath after arriving. "Why didn't you crush them even more? I think you could've scored one more touchdown per quarter!"

Beside him, Mitchell sighed internally while pushing Lily's stroller.

"It's true! A few more tackles on that idiot quarterback wouldn't have been a bad idea," Claire encouraged, clenching her fist tightly, as if she herself had wanted to be on the field and tackle that kid.

"Calm down, everyone," Phil said in his usual reassuring tone, though this time, his face was lit up with a satisfied smile he couldn't quite hide. "I think what Andrew did was more than enough. They'll have nightmares about you tonight and won't want to step on a football field for a long time."

Andrew looked at his uncle.

Normally, Phil always tried to soften things, to find the bright side, but now he seemed so pleased with the rival team's humiliating defeat that it almost felt out of place. The competitiveness radiating from his attitude was... strange, at least for someone as kind as him.

"There's no need to be kind. It's better that they fear you. Too bad time ran out—a couple more tackles and that kid wouldn't even remember his own name," Jay said with a slight smile, giving Andrew a pat on the shoulder.

"We should take advantage and intercept them outside the stadium, Andresito!" Gloria said, her thick Colombian accent standing out as she joined the conversation, a terrifying smile on her face. "A few punches to see if they can take it," she added menacingly, cracking her knuckles.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, surprised by what he had just heard. Normally, Gloria had always been blunt and straightforward, but this was something else. There was an unusual aggression in her words, especially considering that the entire opposing team had walked off looking embarrassed and on the verge of tears.

"I think that's going a little too far… What's up with you all today?" Andrew asked, a bit confused.

He had expected his family to ask him what had happened to him during the game. If Regina had noticed he was acting unusual, surely his family would too and show some concern. But that didn't seem to be the case.

"We know what that idiot from Jefferson School said. Howard told us," Alex responded, adjusting her glasses in a serious tone—something rare for her when it wasn't about academics.

"Howard...?" Andrew said, looking at Howard, who had come along with Leonard, Cara, and the rest of their group.

"They surrounded me and wouldn't let me go until I spilled everything," Howard justified himself, since after noticing how aggressive Andrew had been during the game, the family had recalled the comment Howard had made before the game started.

"Oh..." Andrew said, not really knowing what to say in this situation.

"You did well crushing them. I still support what Gloria suggested," Haley said, frowning—no one messed with her uncles.

"No one messes with family!" Luke declared, lifting his head with unexpected seriousness, surprising everyone present.

'What?' Andrew thought, looking at Luke strangely.

Luke, the mischievous, playful, and immature kid who was always doing dumb things and getting into trouble, was suddenly speaking as if he were an adult with all the wisdom in the world. But it didn't last long.

Luke noticed he had nacho cheese on his fingers. Without caring that everyone was staring at him in shock, he began licking his hands, completely unconcerned about the "seriousness" he had shown seconds before.

"See, Claire? Sometimes, Luke's words come just when we least expect them," Phil said, smiling with fatherly pride.

"Yes, I'm very proud of your words," Claire said with a smile, wiping the nacho cheese from Luke's mouth with a napkin.

"Thank you for defending us, son. I'm very proud of you," Mitchell said with a smile, giving Andrew a pat on the back.

"It's nothing… I'll do it as many times as needed!" Andrew said with a slight smile, scratching his cheek. It felt good to have his family's support when crushing other people's dreams.

"That's right, Andresito! Now we just need to beat them up outside the stadium," Gloria said, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the idea of a street fight.

"I don't think that's the best idea, Gloria…" Mitchell said, raising an eyebrow with a somewhat awkward expression. "We don't want Andrew getting suspended."

Just then, they called Andrew to the stage.

"Go, go! I'll record the entire award ceremony," Cam said enthusiastically, winking at him.

This ceremony was far more important than the others—it was the moment his son would ask Pippa to be his girlfriend.

Andrew said goodbye to his family and, before heading to the stage, briefly greeted Pippa and her family, as he hadn't had the chance to do so earlier. Pippa gave him a quick kiss, which didn't go unnoticed by many—especially Regina and Haley, who subtly furrowed their brows.

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