Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 261: Promise

"HOWIEEE! What time is this? It’s already late! Your friends need to leave! There’s school tomorrow!"

The voice was unmistakable. Howard’s mother didn’t need to come downstairs to make herself heard.

Howard rolled his eyes automatically, "It’s fine, Ma! No need to yell, we’re not deaf!"

His volume was practically identical to hers.

No one was surprised. They were used to it by now.

The only one who reacted slightly was Jade, since it was her first time there. She simply arched an eyebrow, watching the exchange with quiet curiosity.

Howard sighed, "Well... I guess it’s time for you guys to go."

"Yeah, that was pretty clear," Haley said, slightly amused as she stood up.

"Want us to help clean?" Steve asked, glancing at the plates with pizza leftovers and half-empty soda cups.

Howard shook his head, "No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. You’re guests," he said with a slight smile, trying to make a good impression on the group’s newest member, Jade.

"His mother will do it," Andrew said, and the others nodded as they started walking toward the door.

"Definitely," Leonard agreed.

"Hey, I can wash a few dirty plates! Have some faith in me!" Howard exclaimed indignantly, but no one was listening anymore.

Andrew said goodbye to his cousins and Leonard, then got into his BMW. Jade settled naturally into the passenger seat. Steve dropped into the back, stretching out as if he were already half asleep.

"Driver, let’s roll," Steve said from the back.

Andrew just shook his head, a faint smile forming as he started the engine and pulled away.

In Haley’s car, Alex was in the passenger seat and Leonard sat in the back.

So Andrew wouldn’t have to chauffeur half the group around, Haley had offered to drive Leonard, who lived closer to her house.

As soon as she closed the door and started the engine, Alex spoke.

"You were very obvious about the UCLA thing."

Haley let out a soft exhale, "Was I?" she asked, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Leonard nodded, "A little. And besides, I doubt Andrew will factor Jade’s decision into his college choice."

"True," Haley murmured.

It was obvious what she had been trying to do. She wanted to know if Jade was planning to stay in California. And even better, whether she was considering UCLA. If their relationship moved forward and Jade chose to stay, it would be one more reason, however small, for Andrew not to go too far away.

But she also knew the truth.

Andrew wasn’t going to shape his athletic future around someone he had just started getting to know. Maybe if it were a girlfriend with more weight in his life, yes. But that wasn’t the case.

Everyone in the family knew it.

Still, the diplomatic and kind treatment toward Jade wasn’t naive. There was a strategic layer behind Haley and Claire’s behavior.

Jade was the daughter of one of Derek’s recruiters, the UCLA recruiter.

That made it easier for Derek to stay in contact with Andrew. He had attended both games, exchanged a few words, and so on.

For a family on a quiet crusade in favor of the Pac-12, that wasn’t a minor detail. But no one thought Andrew would choose UCLA just because his girlfriend was there.

Haley tightened her grip on the steering wheel, "I just... don’t want him to go thousands of miles away."

Alex adjusted her glasses automatically, "Neither do I. But you have to accept that it might happen. And the odds of him leaving are higher than the odds of him staying."

"You can’t organize your life around him. His career is going to take him far, sooner or later," she added logically.

Haley clicked her tongue. She didn’t like that purely logical tone. That air of "I’ve already processed all the variables."

Even though Alex wasn’t wrong.

If everything went according to plan, after college would come the draft. And in the draft, you don’t choose your destination. The worst team gets the first pick. If Andrew ended up being the number one overall selection in the first round, he would most likely land in a distant state.

The odds of a California team holding that pick were low.

Haley sighed, "Shut up. Don’t act tough. You analyze every possible college Andrew visits too. You wouldn’t take it so seriously if you didn’t care."

Alex opened her mouth to respond, but Leonard stepped in before the exchange could escalate.

"It’ll affect all of us if he leaves," he said, trying to sound neutral. "We care, so let’s not start a fight, please."

Both sisters slightly turned their heads and looked at him at the same time.

Haley raised an eyebrow.

Alex narrowed her eyes.

"So you care, huh?" Haley said with a crooked smile. "I didn’t know guys were so open about their feelings. Bravo, Leonard."

Leonard blinked, "I didn’t say that," he replied quickly. "Just that, objectively, his geographic location influences the group’s frequency of social interaction. And that would affect all of us."

"That was the nerdiest and most emotional thing I’ve ever heard in the same sentence," Alex said, slightly amused.

Haley laughed, "’Frequency of social interaction.’ How romantic."

"Can you just take me home already?" Leonard muttered, sinking into his seat.

Haley laughed softly and started the car.

...

Andrew pulled up in front of Jade’s house. The porch light was on.

She leaned toward him and kissed him. It was brief, but intense.

Steve, from the back seat, watched as if he had front-row seats at a movie.

When they pulled apart, Jade opened the door.

"Bye, Steve," she said casually as she got out of the car.

"Bye, bye," he replied with a wide smile. "See you Thursday. I’m looking forward to meeting your friend."

Jade murmured a barely audible "yeah," still not entirely sure at what point she had officially agreed to a double date.

Her and Andrew.

Her friend and Steve.

Andrew had done most of the work, but Steve had played his part too. At first, Jade had just wanted to make sure she wasn’t setting her friend up with an idiot. After spending a few hours with him, though relaxed and jokey, Steve wasn’t the typical shallow athlete she would’ve immediately dismissed.

Andrew waited until he saw her enter the house. Then he drove off again.

Steve leaned forward and carefully moved into the front seat, avoiding stepping on the upholstery to avoid a complaint.

"Goth girls are intense. I hope her friend’s the same," he commented, still smiling.

He was referring to the kiss. Even if it had been short, it had been emphatic. From his privileged angle, he had clearly seen the small bite Jade had given Andrew’s lip.

"Yeah..." Andrew replied, not denying it.

Steve glanced at him, "Have you guys done it yet?"

Andrew let out a light sigh, "No. I don’t want to rush things. I’d rather it be on a special occasion. Or at least when we know each other better, you know? Besides, it’s not like we exactly have a free place for that."

Steve burst out laughing, "You’re such a romantic, man," he said, giving him a light punch on the arm.

Andrew barely smiled, focused on the road. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of Steve’s house.

"Alright, this is me," Steve said.

But he didn’t open the door.

Andrew, a bit tired from the long day, glanced at him.

"What’s up?"

Steve took a second to respond. He seemed slightly uneasy, different from his usual self, "About Friday’s final... one of us is going to lose."

Andrew nodded, "Yeah. So?"

Steve took a deep breath, "I just wanted to say... no hard feelings. You know? If I lose, we’re still the same. And if I win, too. We’ve got big egos, sure. We’re competitive. But I don’t want one game to make things weird between us."

Andrew looked at him more carefully now, "We’re best friends. Why would it?"

Steve frowned slightly, "With Kevin. When I beat him, he got distant the next few days. And he still kind of is. It hit his ego. I tried making the usual jokes to keep things normal, but it didn’t work."

Andrew understood instantly. During the week leading up to the Notre Dame vs. Loyola matchup between Kevin’s and Steve’s schools, the usual funny talk had flown around, whoever loses better not cry, get ready to take the L, the other guy’s going to disappear after the game, stuff like that.

But when Kevin was eliminated, something changed. He shut down. Became more serious. The loss weighed on him more than he let on.

They had history together. Two years sharing the same team at Palisades. But now they were at different elite schools, surrounded by new circles of teammates.

Kevin, Archie, and Reggie had integrated much more deeply into the core of their respective teams. They took losses personally.

Steve was different. Losing hurt him, of course. But if it was against a friend, as could be the case here, he would never grow distant. He considered them his most important core of friendship.

"Yeah... it can happen," Andrew said calmly. Egos in sports are always big, especially at the elite level.

"I just wanted to make it clear," Steve added. "Whatever happens on Friday, we’ll treat each other the same. We’ll take the jokes. Neither of us is going to get mad. And after that, we’ll head to Texas like nothing happened."

"Deal," Andrew said, a small smile forming on his face.

Then he added, "I won’t show mercy, and I’ll mock you when I eliminate you."

Steve laughed, relieved, "I’ll wipe that smile off your face on Friday, ’The Standard’!"

Andrew smiled faintly at the nickname.

Steve opened the door and stepped out of the car. Before closing it, he leaned slightly back in, "Whatever happens... we’re going to crush it in college like we did at Palisades."

Andrew nodded, "Whatever happens."

Steve closed the door and walked toward his house without another word.

Finally, Andrew drove home.

And just like that, the days passed, final practices before the championship, the double date on Thursday, and then game day arrived.

...

The 2011–2012 CIF Southern Section final was once again held at the same venue that had marked the section’s highest peak: the Angel Stadium.

There, a year earlier, Mater Dei had defeated Long Beach Poly, ending more than a decade without a section title and delivering the highest-rated high school football game in history. The venue returned.

But the context was no longer the same.

For this edition, the organization decided to expand the stadium’s configuration.

In 2010, they had reached 100% of the approved capacity: 35,000 spectators.

With new temporary bleachers installed, the number rose to 41,000.

And, as expected given the week-long hype, the stadium once again sold out completely.

41,000 people. Not a single empty seat.

The press area was visibly larger than the year before. More elevated platforms, more cameras on tripods, more technicians running cables between rows. The infrastructure resembled that of a college bowl game.

Although ESPN held exclusive broadcast rights, that didn’t prevent other major networks from attending. Reporters from Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports were accredited in the stands and mixed zone. They couldn’t air the game live, but they could record analysis, prepare studio segments, coordinate post-game interviews, and generate digital content for their platforms.

Below, near the tunnel, recruiting specialists gathered. Teams from Rivals, 247Sports, and Scout were ready to take technical notes, film their own clips, and debate evaluations in real time. For them, a game of this caliber, with the nation’s number one prospect in the final stretch before choosing a college, was pure gold.

There was also traditional national media presence. Press credentials from the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated could be seen in the booths. It wasn’t common for so many mainstream outlets to converge on a section final. That concentration spoke for itself.

And that didn’t even count the local Los Angeles stations, regional reporters, and sports radio crews.

At first glance, the atmosphere resembled a college game.

But more intense. It was a final. The tension in the air wasn’t that of an ordinary Friday night.

It felt like witnessing something that, years from now, many would claim they had seen live, and that probably wouldn’t happen again in high school football.

Kickoff was approaching.

The Monarchs versus the Knights.

Andrew versus Steve.

The narrative was already written.

Most people knew the story: both had come from Palisades, had formed a lethal QB–WR duo, and their friendship wasn’t a secret. Followers of Andrew’s YouTube channel had seen them train together, joke around, and compete.

Steve had also appeared in the ESPN documentary about Andrew.

And a persistent rumor, virtually confirmed in college circles, suggested they would both end up choosing the same university.

That friendship turned duel fueled the internet all week: memes, serious tactical breakdowns on sports shows, and more.

One of the most repeated themes was simple: Master versus student.

ESPN’s projected viewership numbers were clear: all signs pointed to ratings surpassing the previous year’s final against Long Beach Poly.

Not because of discovery, but because of expectation.

It was his last section final in high school.

It could be his last game.

After this, his college decision was just around the corner, since he only had one official visit left.

The Knights, Steve’s team, came in with a 9–1 record.

Their only loss had been early, in the second preseason game of the season. Since then, they hadn’t fallen again. They won their league, adjusted their defense week by week, and in the semifinals eliminated none other than Poly, one of the major title contenders.

On the other side were the Monarchs. The defending champions, the current rulers of the section.

They returned to the throne after 11 years. And in what fashion.

Their current season was perfect: 10–0, undefeated once again. But it wasn’t a repetition of the previous year. It was a more polished and dominant version. Andrew, in his final year, was more precise. And the defense, which had been the only debated point last season, was now top two in the state.

The stadium roared even before kickoff.

From the elevated booth, the cameras focused on the field while ESPN’s familiar voices filtered into millions of televisions.

[What a crazy atmosphere tonight in Anaheim! Isn’t that right, Dave?] Will said energetically, almost raising his voice over the noise of the stadium.

Dave smiled as he watched the field through the glass. [No doubt. We were here a year ago covering this same final, and it was already huge... but this feels different. There’s more expectation and tension. You can tell we’re witnessing something special.]

Both had called the memorable final against Long Beach Poly the year before. But tonight they felt it was bigger than that time, and it was hard to top that.

Will nodded, [It was expected. Same stage, but Pritchett-Tucker’s final season. The Monarchs already broke the drought last year, but a back-to-back title would officially consolidate a dynasty, a return to a golden era. And it’s not just that: it’s Andrew’s last section game. The whole country knows he’s weeks away from announcing his college.]

Dave stepped in, more analytical. [And across from him is Steve Rice, his former teammate at Palisades. A spectacular season, right?]

[No doubt,] Will said immediately. [Rice is having his best season, and depending on his performance in this game he could reach five-star status. Friendship turned into rivalry for one night. 41,000 people in the stadium. National audience. If anyone wanted a big stage, here it is.]

[And before the game begins...] Will said, shifting his tone to something more relaxed, almost complicit, [...let’s show you who’s here tonight at the Angel Stadium.]

The camera began scanning the VIP stands. On the giant screen, the first face appeared. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

[There he is. Matt Barkley.]

The crowd reacted with an immediate murmur that turned into applause.

Matt Barkley, starting quarterback for USC, former Mater Dei student. He spent his entire high school career there. Loyal to the program. Part of the school’s modern history.

Barkley waved with a calm smile, accompanied by several members of the USC Trojans football staff.

Dave stepped in analytically. [And it’s still unusual that Andrew hasn’t taken an official visit to USC yet. The historical connection between Mater Dei and the Trojans is enormous. Many expected him to at least give them that opportunity.]

[Exactly. And with Barkley here, more staff members present... one wonders if there will be some informal conversation after the game. Time is running out. Andrew only has one official visit available, they need to hurry,] Will commented.

Dave added, [Maybe time has already run out. No one knows. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him tomorrow morning landing at an airport in another state.]

The camera switched.

[And there are also representatives from UCLA.]

Members of the UCLA Bruins football staff appeared on screen. Then came members of the staff from Georgia, Stanford, and Missouri.

They weren’t the head coaches, but it made sense that they would send people, since Andrew was considering them. And if they didn’t show up to events like this, it could be seen as a negative sign.

The murmur grew again when the giant screen showed another face.

Will raised his tone.

[And look who we have here tonight... Will Ferrell!]

The stadium erupted in applause and a few laughs.

Ferrell stood up, raised his hand, and waved with a wide smile, exaggerating the gesture as if he were at an awards show.

He was an actor and comedian known for films such as The Other Guys, Step Brothers, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, among other classics.

Dave commented, [Big sports fan. And he was present last year at the massive Mater Dei vs. De La Salle final. It’s not unusual to see him at events like this.]

The camera shifted again.

Will smiled, [And if we’re talking about passion for football, look who we’ve got over there... Snoop Dogg!]

The stadium responded with a different kind of roar, deeper, louder.

Snoop appeared on screen relaxed, raising his hand with an easy, almost chill gesture, nodding to the crowd’s applause.

Dave added context, [Something many people don’t know is that Snoop Dogg is deeply involved in youth football. He founded the Snoop Youth Football League in 2005. He’s a certified coach. This isn’t just a celebrity appearance.]

The camera returned to the field.

[Celebrities. College staff in full force. Forty-one thousand people. Every major sports outlet...] Will said, closing the segment as the ball was less than five minutes from being kicked. [This isn’t just a section final. It’s the closing of a Chapter in modern high school football.]

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