Modern Family: New Life

"Hi, everyone. It's very early in the morning. Today is the regional playoffs final—we're facing Huntington Park High School, the team that won the championship last year," Andrew said, looking at the camera. His expression was slightly drowsy.

"I have an hour before I have to go to school, and since I won't have time later, I'll run my daily miles now," he added, grabbing the camera and heading out of his house.

The videos he uploaded to his channel, Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, fell into two categories. The first was a vlog before the game, where he showcased his preparation, diet, training with his team, the pregame atmosphere, and then the second video focused on the game highlights, ending with a brief post-game analysis if it was worth it.

This type of format was very popular. Each video averaged 200,000 views—an incredible number—though he hadn't been able to surpass the 500,000 views his first video had achieved. However, he felt that these two videos from the championship final might match or even surpass that record.

He recorded a few clips of his run, though it wasn't very practical. He would place the camera in a spot, run back, and then sprint past it—frustratingly, he had to go back to pick up the camera and run that section again. But with the magic of editing, none of this would be noticeable, and it would look great.

After that, he showed his first meal of the day: breakfast. He displayed what he was eating and gave some tips on having a good high-protein breakfast that provides energy to start the day.

With that done, he took the bus to school. The last things he needed to record were parts of the team's training and their conversation at the restaurant—a kind of pregame ritual where they discussed their upcoming opponent, how they felt, what they expected, and more.

In that segment, Andrew's subscribers got to know Reggie, Archie, Steve, Liam, Kevin, and others in more depth. It was a fun, lighthearted section rather than a serious one, thanks to the conversations they had while eating.

"Don't you think he has too much on his plate?" Cam asked, his expression slightly worried as he watched Andrew get on the bus, which started pulling away.

"What do you mean?" Mitchell asked, adjusting his tie.

"Andrew. He has to handle so many things in his daily life—his team and training, school, his YouTube videos about video games, and now a new channel about his sports life. Oh, and I almost forgot about that game he's making more money from than a regular job," Cam said, listing everything Andrew was doing.

"Flappy Bird," Mitchell said, a big fan of the game himself, which he had installed on his phone. Being the father of the game's developer, he didn't have to pay a dollar for the ad-free version.

"Yeah, that. Now, along with his girlfriend and friends, he's planning new updates to add things I don't really understand," Cam said. By friends, he meant Leonard and Howard, who had really enjoyed the game with the little yellow bird and had, in a way, joined the development team.

They didn't want Andrew to pay them or anything—they were just doing it because they liked the game and wanted to help improve the experience.

"I'm looking forward to those updates," Mitchell said, glancing at his watch.

"That's not the point!" Cam exclaimed, raising his voice slightly.

"He's only fifteen, and no fifteen-year-old has such a hectic daily life while also maintaining an active social life," he added.

"Child actors…" Mitchell started to say, but when he saw Cam's glare, he stopped mid-sentence.

"Don't worry," Mitchell reassured him. "Andrew has a perfect routine. He gets the sleep he needs, eats better than most kids his age, and if anything happens—like a lack of energy or something—we'll notice, and he'll definitely tell us."

"Mm," Cam nodded, slightly convinced.

"Alright, I have to go. See you later. Today's the big day! We're going to be champions," Mitchell said before heading off to work. He was more excited about today's final than his actual workday.

…

Andrew went through his school day without any issues. His studies were going well, as he had already gone through ninth grade in his past life.

As Andrew headed to the cafeteria with Leonard and Howard, a group of three girls intentionally stepped into his path, blocking his way. Between giggles and whispers, they looked at him with barely contained excitement, exchanging knowing glances.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, not understanding the situation. "Do you need something?" he asked, looking at the unfamiliar girls who seemed far too entertained whispering among themselves.

"Come on, tell him," one of the girls encouraged, gently pushing her curly-haired friend forward.

The girl, visibly nervous but excited, swallowed before speaking. "Can you talk to me like in your video?"

For a moment, Andrew, Leonard, and Howard froze, exchanging confused looks.

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked, not getting it.

"You know… like in the first video you uploaded to your channel," the girl insisted, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "That part where you told that guy his skill level sucked and that if you ever missed a pass, you'd cut off your hand and mail it to him… Oh my God, that was amazing! Could you say something like that to me? But, you know, with that cold and intimidating tone," she explained.

Howard nearly choked trying to hold back his laughter, while Leonard adjusted his glasses in disbelief, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the strange request.

Andrew blinked at her, unsure how to respond. This is too weird, even for him—a nerd who had seen plenty of strange things on the internet.

Luckily, Andrew didn't have to answer, because Howard stepped forward with a confident smile, placing his hands on his hips.

"Sorry, ladies, but my friend here doesn't take custom intimidation requests. Now, if what you're looking for is someone to whisper in your ear with a seductive and mysterious tone… I could do that," Howard said, leaning slightly toward them and lowering his voice in what he thought was a sensual tone.

This time, it was the girls who looked bewildered as they stared at Howard.

The curly-haired girl's expression shifted from excitement to discomfort in less than a second. Her friends exchanged glances, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them hurried away without another word.

Leonard let out a sigh of relief while Andrew patted Howard on the shoulder in gratitude.

"Thanks. Your flirting attempts never fail to scare girls away," Andrew said with an smile.

"It's incredible that the day has come when your flirting attempts have actually been useful. Normally, they just make things awkward and depressing," Leonard said, giving him a strange look.

"Hey, my tactics work in their own way," Howard said indignantly.

"How?" Andrew asked, genuinely curious.

"Now I have three more girls who will remember I exist. And that, my friends, is what I call playing the long game," Howard replied.

"An interesting tactic…" Andrew said, not wanting to keep criticizing Howard's methods.

"By the way, what the hell was that? How does that girl have no shame making a request like that? If it were the other way around, she'd call the guy a creep and a pervert," Andrew commented as they resumed their walk to the cafeteria.

"Well, my friend, that's one of the perks of being a girl. If we did the same, we'd be seen as pathetic losers and virgin perverts, but they get away with it," said Howard.

"Besides, girls like bad boys with charisma," he added.

"What are you talking about?" Andrew asked, frowning slightly. He wasn't a bad guy. He was studious, hardworking, cared deeply about his family and friends, and was kind to strangers—like helping an old lady carry her groceries or cross the street.

"Think about it. It's not that different from those romance novels everywhere. Twilight is a phenomenon right now, and trust me, it's not because girls want to be bitten by sparkling vampires… It's because they love the idea of the mysterious, dangerous guy who stares at them intensely and tells them they can't be together—but still chases after them," Howard explained with great seriousness.

Leonard nodded with a grimace. "Sadly, he's right. And if you think about it, even before that, there's always been something about the 'bad boy' that catches attention. Remember Titanic? Everyone swooned over Jack, who was basically a homeless guy with a good jawline."

"Exactly. And now you, my dear Andrew, without meaning to, have become the sporty version of that. A charismatic and friendly quarterback who can suddenly turn intimidating and tackle his opponents so hard they have nightmares," Howard said, snapping his fingers.

"That makes no sense," Andrew muttered, shaking his head. His channel was supposed to attract guys interested in sports, not girls sighing on the other side of the screen because he had a so-called 'bad boy' personality when he got pissed off.

Classes continued without anything else out of the ordinary. After that, Andrew went to practice with his teammates. He recorded just a little—he wasn't going to put too much footage in the video.

Practices had improved a lot compared to when he first started at Palisades High School earlier in the year. Coach David was no longer showing up late and had gotten better with tactics and the type of training.

Since it was game day, they only had an hour of light training, mostly discussing how they would play, who would start, and other key details.

At four in the afternoon, Andrew and several team members went to their usual restaurant to eat, keeping up with tradition.

Andrew recorded the pre-game segment with his friends and teammates, talking about the final, their expectations for their rivals, and more. By five, he rushed back home as fast as he could with Leonard and Howard.

"We have an hour and a half before I have to leave for the stadium," Andrew said while searching for his keys to open the door.

"Relax, we'll edit that video in an hour or less. There are three of us—it'll be easy," Howard said with a confident smile, and Leonard nodded in agreement.

At Andrew's request, they were helping him edit the video for his YouTube channel, Andrew Pritchett, compiling everything he had recorded throughout the day to upload it before the game.

Andrew entered the house, followed by his two friends. As he stepped into the living room, he saw his dad, Mitchell, and a woman with her back turned. But from her blonde hair and hippie-style tracksuit, he recognized her immediately.

"Grandma DeDe?" Andrew asked.

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