Modern Family: New Life

"That kiss should have lasted longer," Cara said, moving closer to Pippa while watching Andrew, who was already farther away, approaching the stage. Fortunately, he was close by; otherwise, he would have had to push through a huge crowd to get there.

"What do you mean?" Pippa asked, glancing at Cara out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want to miss Andrew's ceremony. She knew he would receive many awards since he had been the best player on the team all season.

"The kiss you just had with Andrew—you should've held onto him and made it last longer. Mark your territory. Didn't you see Regina talking to him? She looked very friendly," Cara explained.

Pippa stared at the stage, thinking. She had noticed that too. But unlike Cara, she knew why Regina had approached Andrew. It was obvious that she was grateful to him for helping her delete that picture in her underwear.

So, it wouldn't be surprising if the most popular girl in school now wanted to get closer to Andrew and saw him with interest.

"Yeah, that bitch is being way too friendly with him, and we don't know why," Lauren said, joining the conversation.

"Well, you do know," she added, looking at Pippa. She wanted the gossip but knew her friend wouldn't talk if Andrew had asked her to keep it a secret.

"I told you that you should talk to Andrew about making your relationship official," Cara said, crossing her arms.

Pippa said nothing. Maybe it was time to put into words what she and Andrew were.

Luckily for Pippa, the school principal began speaking on stage, causing her two friends to drop the topic.

The principal congratulated the team for their dominant victory today and for the entire season in general.

All the team members were given commemorative medals. Then, the individual recognition for the best players of the team began.

The first award was for the best defensive player, given to Liam, the leader of the defense.

The second award was for the best running back, won by Archie. His mother screamed and applauded with great enthusiasm.

The third award was for the best receiver, won by Alan.

"And finally, the MVP award," the principal announced, sending a wave of anticipation through the players and the audience.

"I think everyone will agree when I say that this young man has been the driving force of our team. He has led every offense with precision, demonstrated exceptional game vision, and shredded defenses without mercy. With his talent, determination, and ice-cold composure in crucial moments, he has elevated this team to a level we had never seen in this institution's history," he continued, pausing dramatically.

"His numbers this season are outstanding—passing yards, touchdowns, clutch plays... And while we still have the playoffs ahead, there's no doubt that the number one quarterback in our division is... Andrew Pritchett!"

The ovation was immediate. The stadium erupted in applause and cheers as Andrew stood up. His teammates patted him on the back and pushed him toward the center of the stage.

'Whoa, it's more packed than ever today,' Andrew thought as he looked around the stadium, with over 1,500 people standing and chanting his name.

He was used to being cheered on by this many people—even more—since, in his past life, the stadium at his old school had a capacity of around 18,000.

"Just Pritchett?! He's a Tucker too!" Cam shouted indignantly while recording Andrew with his camera.

"He's a Tucker too! TUCKER! ANDREW PRITCHETT-TUCKER!" he insisted, even cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, momentarily forgetting to keep recording.

Mitchell, standing beside him, sighed. "Cam, please..."

"Why are they only saying Pritchett?! My last name matters too!" Cam kept complaining, now waving his hands in frustration.

Claire, with a teasing smile, patted him on the shoulder. "Cam, that's just how it is. Pritchett carries more weight in sports," she said, and Jay nodded with a small smirk.

Meanwhile, Andrew was handed the MVP trophy.

"Well done, kid. You deserve more recognition than just an MVP award," the principal said in a low voice, shaking Andrew's hand.

Andrew could have easily won the Best Defensive Player award for all his successful and crucial tackles. He had also been an excellent running back, despite being a quarterback.

"Thanks..." Andrew replied with a smile as the principal handed him the microphone to say a few words.

For him, this was better. They couldn't give all the awards to one player—it would just make things awkward.

"Thank you for the recognition... Oh, and I should also clarify that my last name is Pritchett-Tucker," Andrew said, leaning into the microphone.

"That's my son!" Cam shouted with a wide smile, thrilled that Andrew had included his last name.

"He clarified it because he knows how dramatic you are..." Mitchell murmured, shaking his head.

"I always say that football is a team sport. I just throw the ball, but if they're not there to catch it, to open up spaces, to protect me… there are no spectacular plays. So none of this would be possible alone," Andrew said, looking at his team.

No matter how talented he was, he couldn't win games on his own—not even in a fifth-division team. Besides, he had some incredibly skilled players by his side, and not just that—players who gave their all to improve and perform well. Like Alan and Jason, who had completely changed their mindset.

The crowd erupted in applause, and his team roared in approval.

Andrew waited for the noise to settle before continuing. "But we're not done yet," he said with a confident smile.

"We've got the regional playoffs ahead… and I promise you, we'll bring the section championship trophy back to this school!" he added, raising his MVP trophy high.

The stadium exploded in cheers and ovations.

The crowd was celebrating as if they had already won the regional playoffs. Andrew smiled slightly, watching his family's excitement.

However, his smile slowly faded.

'The confession... Should I really do it in front of everyone?' he thought nervously.

He had played this moment over and over in his head, wanting it to be special.

But now, with thousands of people in the stadium watching him, he felt more nervous than he had during the entire game. Facing a relentless defense was easy—but standing in front of Pippa and asking the question with all these eyes on him… that was something else entirely.

He was confident Pippa would say yes—100% sure. After all, they already acted like a couple. The problem was that this would turn them into the center of attention, like something straight out of a romantic movie.

Andrew swallowed hard and looked toward Pippa. She wasn't far from the stage, smiling at him sweetly and waving charmingly.

'Come on. This isn't harder than throwing a pass while having a heart attack… right?' Andrew thought, psyching himself up as the ovations died down.

"Would you like to say something else?" the principal asked, noticing that Andrew was still holding the microphone, standing frozen in place as he gazed at the crowd.

Andrew nodded, took a deep breath, and brought the microphone to his lips.

"Yes… Yes, there's something I want to ask," Andrew said firmly, making the entire crowd fall silent with intrigue.

People in the stands began whispering to each other, wondering what exactly he was about to ask. Some players on stage looked at him in confusion, and even his family seemed puzzled—except for Cameron and Mitchell.

"He's really going to do it..." Leonard murmured near Howard. They, along with Andrew's parents, were the only ones aware of the confession.

"He's got my respect. I could never work up the courage to confess in front of everyone, even if I knew the girl would say yes," Howard said in a low voice.

"First, you need to get the girl," Leonard quipped with a slight smile, earning a punch on the shoulder from Howard.

Then, Andrew extended his arm and pointed at Pippa.

"Pippa, can you come here for a moment?" he said, his voice echoing throughout the stadium.

Within seconds, all eyes turned to her. A wave of surprised murmurs spread across the crowd, and the students started reacting with gasps of astonishment.

"What is he doing?"

"Oh, no way…"

"Is he really going to do what I think he is?"

Pippa, initially stunned by the sudden attention, froze for a moment. Her face turned slightly red, and an expression of shyness washed over her.

"Go on, sweetheart," her mother said, giving her a gentle push with the help of Lauren and Cara.

"Quick, Josh, put my phone on record—this is going to be epic!" Victor said, handing his phone to his youngest son. He still wasn't too familiar with modern technology.

Pippa snapped back to reality and walked toward the stage. The crowd instinctively made way for her, allowing her to move without difficulty.

Now face to face, they stared at each other closely. The entire stadium was silent, hanging on the moment.

"Pippa… will you be my girlfriend?" Andrew finally asked, making the entire stadium hold its breath.

A sudden eruption of murmurs, gasps, and reactions filled the air.

"Oh my God!"

"No way!"

"This is incredible!"

"What's so incredible? I thought they were already dating," a guy said, watching his girlfriend react as if she were witnessing the greatest romance movie of her life.

"Idiot, you wouldn't understand," his girlfriend replied, elbowing him hard in the ribs.

Pippa's initial shyness vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.

"Yes, I do!" Pippa answered confidently.

The stadium erupted in cheers and applause.

Andrew didn't think twice. He quickly jumped off the stage, making his way to Pippa, who stood just a few steps away.

Without saying another word, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her in front of everyone.

The crowd roared in celebration. Shouts of excitement, applause, and cheers filled the air as Andrew's teammates hollered and his family reacted with enthusiasm. Cam had to push through the crowd to capture the perfect shot on his camara.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds. When they pulled apart, Pippa let out a nervous laugh and hid her face against Andrew's chest, still blushing and shy from all the people watching and applauding.

Andrew looked up, meeting the eyes of the ecstatic crowd, all clapping and cheering with uncontainable excitement.

"Well… I think I caused more chaos than I intended," Andrew murmured.

Pippa, who heard him, lifted her head slightly to look at him with a playful smile.

"I thought neither of us liked drawing too much attention," she teased.

"Blame my dad. He taught me that important moments should be treated as such," Andrew said with a small smile.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to thank him more than blame him," Pippa replied.

Even though she didn't usually care for being the center of attention, this time, she truly felt special.

After Andrew's confession, the ceremony didn't last much longer, and the sports committee began dismantling the stage.

The players took photos with their families and friends on the field.

Andrew posed for pictures with his entire family and his teammates, all of whom congratulated him on his relationship with Pippa.

"Come on, Haley, get over here," Claire called, raising her hand and motioning for her to come closer, while Phil, Luke, Alex, and Andrew positioned themselves for the Dunphy family photo with Andrew.

"I don't want to," Haley replied, her attention fixed on her phone as usual.

"What's wrong with you? You're always taking pictures, and now you don't want to?" Claire asked, frustrated, trying to keep her irritation in check.

"Come on, sweetheart, join us. I'll let you hold half of Andrew's MVP trophy, and I'll hold the other half," Phil offered, confident this would entice his daughter into the photo.

"What? But you told me I'd be holding the other half!" Luke complained, staring at his father from the side.

"I was just joking! I'm sure your sister would be happy to share the half with you," Phil said.

"Just hand over your half..." Luke muttered.

"Come on, Haley. It's a family tradition. Even Alex follows it," Andrew called out with a smile, looking toward his cousin, who returned his gaze with a frown.

With a small, resigned sigh, Haley finally stepped forward, crossing her arms, willing to make a brief appearance in the photo.

After that picture, Andrew moved on to take one with his grandfather, Gloria, and Manny.

This time, it was Manny who refused to be in the photo for reasons unknown—just like Haley.

"I don't want to," Manny said, crossing his arms and looking away with an offended expression.

'What the hell is going on today?' Andrew thought, confused.

"Fine, don't be in it," Jay said bluntly before stepping closer to Andrew and looking at the camera Cam was holding.

Just like Phil, Jay grabbed the MVP trophy as if it were his own, though he angled it slightly toward Andrew.

"Jay, wait. Don't take the picture yet," Gloria said in a threatening tone that made Jay sigh in resignation.

"Why don't you want to be in the photo, mi niño?" Gloria asked sweetly as she approached Manny.

"Just because," Manny replied curtly. He wasn't about to admit he was jealous of all the attention Andrew was getting.

Besides, Andrew had just made a declaration straight out of a romance movie—he was the expert in those things! Not Andrew!

"Manuel Alberto Javier Alejandro Ramírez Delgado, you are taking that photo! We are not breaking a family tradition the very first year we've joined this family!" Gloria said, making a complete 180-degree turn in her tone and glaring at Manny with a deep frown.

"If you don't… I'll take away your morning coffee," Gloria added, and Manny looked at her, shocked and outraged.

"You wouldn't dare…" Manny said slowly, narrowing his eyes at his mother.

"Oh, believe me, I will dare, muchachito," Gloria said, and with no other choice, Manny stepped into the photo. He wasn't about to take such a huge risk—he'd rather just take the photo.

After that, Andrew took a photo with his parents and Lily. Finally, they took a full family picture.

At last, they left the stadium. Andrew headed back home—he needed to take a quick shower before heading to his grandfather's house with his family. That's where the dinner would take place, and Pippa would be attending with her parents and younger brother as well.

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