Modern Family: New Life

Cara Ward rushed down the school hallway, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Her brow was furrowed, and the mix of confusion and urgency was evident on her face.

She had seen Andrew and Regina George enter an empty classroom!

Why was her best friend's boyfriend with the queen bee, Regina George?

Regina George was a name that commanded respect… or fear. With a reputation for being ruthless, manipulative, and short-tempered, no one dared to cross her.

Cara had always avoided her whenever possible. And while curiosity gnawed at her, she didn't dare get too close to that classroom. The risk of being caught snooping and becoming Regina's next target was not something she was willing to take.

As for Andrew, even though she had known him for two months because he was Pippa's boyfriend, she couldn't say they were particularly close. He had always been friendly to her, but at gatherings at Pip's house, he usually socialized more with Leonard, Howard, Zach, and, of course, Pippa.

'I have to get to the cafeteria and tell Pip… though it's probably nothing,' Cara thought, a part of her trying to justify what she had seen.

She saw Andrew as charismatic and, surprisingly, quite a "geek" based on the conversations he had with Leonard, Howard, and Zach. There was something intriguing about the way he could go from discussing football strategies with near-military precision to debating Marvel alternate universe theories or which was the best ship in Star Wars.

His enthusiasm for those topics made him seem approachable and genuine, but no one at school dared to mock him for it. There was something about his presence that commanded respect.

Maybe it was that peculiar mix of charisma and innate authority. Because, even though Andrew was a friendly and good-humored guy most of the time, everything changed once he stepped onto the football field.

The moment his cleats hit the turf, he took on a seriousness and focus that didn't go unnoticed—he barely even smiled. Cara and everyone else had noticed this shift. In middle school, he had seemed more relaxed compared to now.

Since the game where he came off the bench and led a comeback, he had become an undisputed starter, led the offense, and had been the MVP in every match. He even played defense when needed, and his superiority was obvious to everyone. That was why the seniors had no choice but to follow him without question.

When she arrived at the cafeteria, her eyes immediately searched for Pippa. Her best friend was sitting at their usual table, laughing with Lauren and Zach.

As for Connor, he had distanced himself from the group and was now hanging out with other guys. The only one who didn't know why was Pippa. Everyone else was aware that he felt uncomfortable seeing Pippa and Andrew together.

"Everything okay, Cara? You look deep in thought," Pippa asked with a smile, watching her friend sit down across from her.

Cara let out a sigh and, after a brief pause, decided not to keep what she had seen to herself. "I saw Andrew going into an empty classroom with Regina George," she said bluntly.

The comment sparked immediate reactions from the group. Lauren, known for her straightforward personality, was the first to speak. "I knew it! That bitch who thinks she runs the school wasn't going to take long before setting her sights on Andrew," she said with clear disapproval, crossing her arms.

"I don't think it's something to worry about. We don't know the context," Pippa said calmly as she sipped her drink.

She couldn't deny that the thought of Regina being alone with Andrew made her slightly uncomfortable, but her trust in him was stronger than a few doubts. She knew Andrew wasn't that kind of guy.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Really? Regina doesn't go into an empty classroom with someone just to talk about schoolwork. And definitely not with the star quarterback."

"Andrew isn't like other guys," Pippa replied firmly but without raising her voice.

"Hey," Zach protested.

Pippa knew that Andrew had always been popular because of sports, but he never had a reputation for dating around or flirting with every girl. In fact, she was his first girlfriend. Even though everyone thought it was Veronica, she knew that relationship had been fake.

Andrew had told her the truth about his relationship with Veronica.

"Well, still, Regina is manipulative and older. I told you both should make it official and say it explicitly. Why do you think marriages exist?" Lauren said.

"When he gets here, I'll ask him and satisfy your curiosity, you gossips," Pippa said, rolling her eyes and changing the subject.

Andrew, for his part, walked down the hallway unaware that Cara had seen him enter the classroom with Regina. When he arrived at the cafeteria, he noticed several eyes on him but paid little attention to it.

His gaze searched for Howard and Leonard. He found them at a secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria, both sitting alone with their lunches, chatting.

He quickly approached them—he still hadn't told them that he had been invited to the YouTube Partner Program. He hadn't been able to tell them during the first few hours of class, nor had he sent a text, since he wanted to see their reactions live and in person.

"Why aren't you sitting with Pippa and the others?" Andrew asked, sitting across from them.

Howard paused his conversation with Leonard and looked at Andrew. "I don't know… They were already at that table when we got here, so we just sat here," he replied, scratching his head.

"Yeah, we didn't want to interrupt anything," Leonard added, nodding in agreement.

The truth was that, even though they had known Pippa, Lauren, and Zach for two months, they still didn't feel comfortable enough to casually sit with them in the cafeteria. There was an invisible barrier they hadn't been able to cross yet—a mix of shyness and lack of self-confidence.

However, with Andrew, it was different. Even though they had known him for about the same amount of time, they were close and considered him a true friend.

This was largely because they shared the same hobbies, and Andrew had easily broken that barrier—inviting them to his house, playing online video games with them, and more.

"Interrupt? Pippa doesn't bite, you know? Well, Lauren might try, but Zach would probably stop her," Andrew said, raising an eyebrow.

"And what about turning Cara into your girlfriend?" Andrew asked, looking at Howard, who made a disgusted face.

In two months, his progress had been almost nonexistent—he sucked at flirting with girls, even though he knew their interests thanks to Facebook.

Howard let out a quick laugh before looking at Andrew and swiftly changing the subject. "What about you? You went to the bathroom like a thousand years ago. What were you doing? Handcrafting your own urine, or did you take a dump and run out of toilet paper?"

"I didn't take a dump, and I didn't run out of toilet paper. Something came up, but it wasn't important," Andrew said. He wasn't going to tell them about the Regina situation—Howard would lose his mind if he found out about the photo. He'd probably keep asking Andrew to describe it in detail.

Andrew quickly changed the subject and told them about the YouTube Partner Program. Howard and Leonard were surprised and happy about the news.

Andrew then started convincing them to create their own YouTube gaming channel like his. That way, they'd have their own crew established.

Both of them looked thoughtful but eventually agreed to do it. At first, they doubted their ability to talk alone during a game, but after playing plays with Andrew that he uploaded to YouTube, they gained confidence. There were many comments on the videos laughing at things Ringo or Wazowski said, which reassured them.

While Andrew, Leonard, and Howard enthusiastically discussed what the first video on Howard and Leonard's channels should be, Pippa approached the table with Cara, Zach, and Lauren.

"Hey, Andy. So nice of you to greet me," Pippa said with a slight smile, her tone sarcastic but without any real annoyance.

Andrew turned his head and looked at Pippa. "Oh, I forgot… Sorry," he said, scratching his head with an apologetic smile. He had been so excited to tell Leonard and Howard the YouTube news that he completely forgot to greet Pippa.

"Hehe, just kidding. You were probably telling them about YouTube, right?" Pippa said with a sweet smile, sitting next to Andrew and placing her tray on the table.

"Yeah, you really know me," Andrew nodded, slightly surprised.

"I'm observant. Besides, I'm guessing you were so caught up in this news that you forgot to prepare your lunch for today, right?" Pippa asked, and Andrew nodded.

"That's why I made this for you. Here," Pippa said, handing him a container from her tray, still unopened.

Andrew took the container, and as soon as he saw what was inside, a smile formed on his face: white rice, vegetables, chicken, and two eggs.

"Thanks! You saved me from having to eat cafeteria food!" Andrew said happily as he opened the container.

He also knew that Pippa had made the food herself, which made it even more special—very different from when Veronica had done the same, but the meal had been prepared by her house's chef.

"It's nothing, what you eat is really simple to cook," Pippa said, waving her hand as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Don't downplay it—you really saved me," Andrew said with a small smile, wrapping an arm around Pippa's waist and pulling her closer so they could eat together.

Pippa blushed slightly at first but happily accepted being closer to Andrew. Howard, on the other hand, watched them with deep envy. 'One day…' he thought as he took a bite of his sandwich.

Lauren, Zach, and Cara also settled at the table with their lunches.

"Next time, you guys come to our table. It's annoying to keep switching tables every day," Lauren grumbled, looking at Leonard and Howard.

She knew that if those two had sat with them from the start, Andrew would have gone straight there.

"We didn't see you," Howard justified himself, lying as he spoke with his mouth full.

"Mm…" Lauren hummed, clearly not believing a word that came from Howard's food-filled mouth.

"And you, Leonard? Did you get it?" she added, this time looking directly at Leonard, who flinched slightly under her intense gaze—though, strangely, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling…

"Yeah, of course," Leonard said, holding Lauren's gaze for a few seconds before looking away.

"This is the second time I've told you this, and you keep giving me the same answer, but you don't do what you say. Are my words a joke to you?" Lauren pressed on, starting a passive-aggressive argument with Leonard.

As Andrew ate his delicious lunch (few would call the same simple meal every day "delicious"), he observed the exchange between Leonard and Lauren.

Something caught Andrew's attention—Lauren seemed to be directing all her energy toward Leonard, completely ignoring Howard, even though he had made the same mistake of not sitting with them.

Andrew narrowed his eyes, chewing his food slowly as he watched them both with curiosity. 'This is interesting…' he thought to himself.

It was like the saying that people who fight actually like each other—though in this case, Lauren was the only one fighting, since Leonard was far too passive.

As Andrew watched this scene, wondering how he could help Leonard get a girlfriend, Pippa looked at him and casually asked, "Did you walk into an empty classroom with Regina George?"

---------------------------------------------------

You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.

Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07