Modern Family: New Life

"I'll go to the restroom. Get us a table," Andrew said as he walked through the hallways with Leonard and Howard on their way to the cafeteria.

"Alright," Leonard and Howard replied in unison as Andrew hurried off to the restroom, having held in the urge to pee for over fifteen minutes.

Today was game day. It was noon, and there were about three hours left before classes ended. Andrew had to head to the final practice soon.

"Phew… a brief break," Leonard sighed once Andrew was out of sight.

"What do you mean?" Howard asked, not understanding what Leonard was referring to.

"Don't you feel all the stares and whispers we get when we walk around with Andrew?" Leonard replied, lowering his voice slightly as his eyes darted nervously around.

"Of course I do, and it's great, isn't it? We've climbed the social ladder. We're not just faceless nerds anymore," Howard said with a confident grin, adopting an exaggeratedly carefree posture as he walked as if he were the center of attention, attempting (unsuccessfully) to mimic Peter Parker's style from Spider-Man 3.

'We're exactly the same as before…' Leonard thought.

"And why does it bother you? Stop being such a pussy. It's just a few stares and whispers," Howard added, frowning at Leonard's discomfort.

"I know, but… I'm not used to this much attention. It makes me nervous," Leonard admitted, looking down.

"Just have a little more confidence in yourself, for god's sake… I haven't gotten a single wedgie since starting high school. Isn't that great?" Howard said.

Leonard nodded slightly. That was true. Nobody bothered them anymore, and it was a radical change from middle school, where bullies always seemed to target them.

"And if anyone tries to mess with you," Howard continued, raising a finger as if revealing an infallible secret, "just mention Andrew. Trust me, it's like magic. They back off instantly."

Leonard frowned, confused. "Does Andrew know you're using his name for that?"

"Of course he does! He even told me I could threaten them by saying he'd tackle them," Howard said with a small smile.

"He's a great friend…" Leonard murmured with a shy smile.

Leonard had grown up in a home that could only be described as functional on the surface. His mother, a pragmatic and distant woman, had adopted a parenting philosophy that felt more like a scientific experiment than an act of love.

She rarely offered words of encouragement. Instead, she analyzed him, questioned his decisions, and imposed expectations that seemed designed to highlight his flaws rather than his strengths. Every mistake was a personal failure; every success was simply "expected" of him.

The result was a shy boy with low self-esteem and a constant feeling that he would never be enough for anyone—not even himself.

However, Andrew's arrival in his life had been a surprise. Despite being everything Leonard wasn't, Andrew never made him feel inferior.

'It's just a few stares, nothing more,' Leonard encouraged himself, straightening his back a little and lifting his gaze.

...

Andrew walked out of the restroom shaking his hands.

'Damn it, put some toilet paper in there,' he thought.

At that very moment, a delicate hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn and see the girl responsible for it.

'Regina George…' Andrew thought, frowning as he recognized the blonde who had grabbed his wrist.

Regina had long, straight blonde hair, fair skin, blue eyes, and a slightly upturned nose. Her outfit consisted of a pink cardigan over a white shirt, a light pink miniskirt, and fuchsia heels. She was the very image of the most popular girl in school—and she knew it.

She was the head cheerleader and the queen of the school's social hierarchy. She had achieved this status while still in eleventh grade (though Andrew didn't see this as much of an accomplishment—most teenagers did)

Girls wanted to be her, and boys… well, most of them couldn't resist her beauty and poisonous charisma.

"We need to talk," Regina said in a tone that sounded more like a command.

Andrew, however, was unimpressed by her reputation. He couldn't care less about high school popularity contests.

He was only popular because he was good at football.

As for Regina, he barely knew her, except for a previous encounter where she had tried to intimidate him after learning about his hobbies.

Some time ago, Andrew had been spotted by Veronica at the mall while hanging out with Leonard and Howard. One of the girls with Veronica that day was Regina, who had seen Andrew with two nerds and carrying comic books in his hands.

Upon discovering this, Regina had tried to use it to her advantage, attempting to manipulate Andrew into becoming her lackey. She had threatened to spread rumors if he didn't comply with her ridiculous demands.

But Andrew had done the unthinkable: he completely ignored her. He had already decided he didn't care if his hobbies were exposed. If someone tried to mock him for it, he'd either tackle them or just tune them out.

This immediately put him on Regina's blacklist—or perhaps her list of interests.

"No, we don't need to talk," Andrew replied curtly. He freed himself from her grip with a firm, effortless motion.

Regina blinked, momentarily stunned. She wasn't used to being ignored, much less rejected in such a way.

However, she quickly regained her composure. That indifference, that resistance—it was precisely what made Andrew different… and far more interesting to her.

"Wait," Regina called out as Andrew walked away.

Andrew didn't even turn his head.

"Hey, stop, please," she insisted, this time in a much less aggressive tone, grabbing the fabric of his jacket.

'Did she just say please?' he thought, mildly surprised, not expecting the queen bee to know that word.

Regina took a deep breath, clearly uncomfortable. It wasn't common for her to be in a position where she needed to beg for anything.

"Can we talk?" Regina asked in a softer tone, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them.

"Make it quick," Andrew said, slightly intrigued.

"But not here. We need privacy," Regina said.

Andrew frowned. The fact that Regina was being serious and even seemed scared puzzled him. She was known for her confidence and intimidating aura.

He nodded, and soon they entered an empty classroom at the end of the hallway. Once inside, Regina closed the door behind them, making sure no one was nearby.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Andrew said, looking at her with distrust.

Regina hesitated for a moment, something unusual for someone with her personality. Her eyes, usually sharp and calculating, now reflected a mix of shame and worry.

"I'm being… blackmailed," she finally admitted, the words coming out with difficulty, as though she hated having to say them.

"So?" Andrew asked without a hint of empathy in his tone, clearly uninterested in gossip.

Regina pressed her lips together, clearly uncomfortable with Andrew's indifference, but she decided to continue.

"I need your help," she said, the words almost seeming to burn her throat as she forced them out.

Andrew let out a small laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "My help? You need my help? What an irony. Not long ago, you tried to blackmail me over my hobbies, and now you want my help? Are you joking?"

"It was just a harmless threat… I never spread the rumors," Regina said, as if that were some noble gesture on her part.

Andrew raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? Because I remember hearing rumors and whispers about me. Something about the backup quarterback being a pathetic virgin, or a nerd whose only girlfriend dumped him for being a loser."

At that time, the game where Andrew came off the bench, led an epic comeback, and secured his undisputed starting position on the team hadn't happened yet.

Now, Andrew was the starting quarterback, the MVP of every game played and won, leading the school to the regional playoffs. Nobody dared to whisper those rumors near him anymore, but when he was a backup, it was a different story—many mocked or pointed fingers at him.

"That wasn't me. It was your ex-girlfriend, Veronica. And she's also the one blackmailing me," Regina replied.

"Veronica?" Andrew repeated, his tone more neutral than surprised. It wasn't entirely shocking that the shallow girl who had dumped him upon realizing his popularity wasn't rising—and he was just a benchwarmer—might be capable of spreading those rumors.

Regina studied him carefully, waiting for a flicker of anger or a spark of resentment, but she saw none of that.

"I thought you'd be more hurt, considering she was your first girlfriend—or so the rumors say," Regina remarked.

Andrew ignored the comment and asked, with a bit more curiosity than he wanted to admit, "How is Veronica blackmailing you?"

Who would've thought? Veronica, the girl who once seemed kind and approachable, turned out to be a cunning and manipulative snake. Did high school transform her into that, or had she always been that way, hiding her true nature behind a friendly façade?

'Good thing Haley distanced herself from her,' Andrew thought.

After joining the cheerleading squad, Veronica had started spending more time with them and had stopped hanging out with Haley. His cousin, while she did care about popularity, wasn't malicious. She wasn't the type to spread rumors to tear others down and crown herself queen of the school.

Seeing that Andrew was willing to listen, Regina took a step closer. Her haughty expression softened for a moment, revealing a flicker of insecurity.

"She… has a photo of me. A photo of me in my underwear," Regina confessed in a lower tone.

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