Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 77: End of State Championship

Friday, January 31, 2009

The clock read 6:30 p.m. The stadium lights were on, and people were already arriving and settling into the stands.

It was a neutral stadium where the Fifth Division football final would be played.

In a more exclusive area, near the sideline, stood a young reporter. In her hand, she held a microphone with the CBS Sports logo—her new home in the world of sports journalism.

Her name was Madison Carter, a 24-year-old journalist who had just joined CBS's sports newsroom, specializing in high school football.

Despite being new to the professional world, she had already made a name for herself thanks to her sharp eye for interesting stories and her fresh on-camera style.

She had straight blonde hair tied in a low ponytail. She wore an official CBS Sports jacket and a pair of dark pants that matched her professional demeanor.

Even though she was in a field largely dominated by men, she never let that stop her. Since she was a child, Madison had been a football fan thanks to her father.

With one last glance at the field, she prepared for the report she had planned—a story that always captivated the audience: an underdog team rising to victory in epic fashion.

"Good evening, I'm Madison Carter for CBS Sports, and we are here for the state final of the Fifth Division of high school football, between Palisades High School and Woodlake High School. Just 30 minutes before this highly anticipated matchup begins, we can already see the excitement in the air, and the stands are nearly full," Madison remarked, watching the players warming up on the field.

"The standout player of the championship and the entire season is Andrew Pritchett-Tucker. I think everyone would agree with me on that. He is the star quarterback of Palisades, breaking multiple records this year. The most famous of them all—his 75-and-a-half-yard pass, a record in his division. However, it is not the longest pass when considering higher divisions. That record belongs to Brock Brown, who set it in 2004 with 84 yards," Madison continued.

"For me, Andrew's most impressive record is not the long pass, but his 66 touchdowns accumulated so far this season in just 12 games, with tonight's final being his thirteenth match. That's an average of 5.5 touchdowns per game—a division record. If he manages to score five touchdowns in this game, he will surpass the First Division record, setting a new milestone for all CIF divisions in terms of total touchdowns in a single season," Madison said, excitement in her voice.

"Of course, it's important to clarify that this record would be in the Fifth Division, and while higher divisions have tougher competition, what Andrew has achieved here is still remarkable. After all, many quarterbacks in lower divisions can have standout seasons, but very few reach these numbers," she added.

"Who will win? We'll find out soon, and here at CBS Sports, we'll be covering every minute of the action."

The game began, and Palisades started on offense, quickly turning it into a touchdown, Andrew's 24-yard pass caught by Steve.

As expected, Palisades, led by Andrew, who had been in berserker mode ever since his 75-yard pass—won the game with a solid lead, though not as overwhelming as in previous matches, proving that their opponent was tougher than the last.

Andrew managed to add six more touchdowns to his tally, finishing the season with a total of 72 touchdowns. An incredible feat, setting the highest record not only in the Fifth Division but across all higher CIF divisions as well.

The Palisades stands erupted with joy and energy as they celebrated their state championship. Their season had started off poorly, losing the first game and almost repeating the same mistake in the second. But after months of hard work, they had risen to become state champions.

The awards ceremony was the most impressive yet. Palisades was presented with a large stainless steel trophy with a solid dark wooden base. On top, a football stood upright, and at the base, the name "Palisades" and the championship year were engraved on the spot.

In addition to the team trophy, individual awards were handed out. Andrew won both the MVP of the final and the tournament's Best Offensive Player award.

After the ceremony, the team lined up for a group photo with the trophy. Andrew and Coach David held the trophy while the rest of the team, sweaty but beaming with joy, gathered around them, proud to be crowned champions.

Even after the photo, the field remained a place of celebration for the Palisades team. Family and friends of the players began to join in, adding to the excitement.

Amid all the commotion, a new objective emerged—finding Andrew. It didn't take long to spot him among the players, standing out not only due to his height and relaxed posture but also because he seemed to be in some kind of imminent danger.

Steve and Reggie, with wide grins and mischievous looks, were holding a massive bucket filled with ice-cold water. Their intentions were clear—to soak their quarterback as part of the traditional celebration. Andrew, however, didn't seem to share his teammates' enthusiasm.

He slowly stepped back, extending a hand. "Don't be rash," he said, trying to reason with them.

But Steve and Reggie showed no signs of stopping. The other players, witnessing the scene, began cheering.

"Come on, Andrew. Accept your fate like the coach did," Reggie said with a slight smirk, stepping forward.

It was at that moment that Andrew noticed Madison's presence, even though he didn't know her. The reporter was approaching with her CBS Sports microphone in hand, accompanied by a cameraman. Without wasting a second, Andrew quickly walked over to her and positioned himself by her side.

Madison stood still, looking at Andrew beside her. 'Is he using me as a shield?' she thought, confused.

Andrew flashed a victorious smile at Steve and Reggie, who immediately came to a halt, exchanging frustrated glances.

"Come on, man..." Steve complained.

"You got lucky this time," Reggie added before looking for a new target—Liam, the player who had won the Best Defensive Player award.

Madison raised an eyebrow and looked at Andrew. "Well, that was clever..." she commented with a slight smile.

"Thanks for protecting me," Andrew said with a grateful smile.

'I didn't protect you... you used me as a shield,' Madison thought, but she didn't say it out loud.

"You're welcome..." she replied sarcastically. "My name is Madison, I'm with CBS Sports. Could I do a quick interview with you?"

"Oh... yeah, sure," Andrew nodded.

The cameraman started recording, and Madison raised the microphone. "Andrew, congratulations on the championship. An incredible game and, without a doubt, a spectacular season for you and Palisades. How are you feeling right now?"

"Great. The whole team worked really hard to achieve this result. They deserve it," Andrew responded.

"You've broken several records this season, including the most touchdowns in CIF history for a single year, with 66 so far. Today you scored six, bringing your total to 72. Did you ever imagine something like this at the beginning of the season?" Madison asked.

Ever since he started his two YouTube channels, Andrew had greatly improved at speaking on camera, and compliments no longer made him nervous.

"Yes. My goal was to average six per game. I fell short by just four... Maybe if I had played the first game of the regular season, I would've made it—who knows," Andrew replied with complete ease, surprising Madison and the cameraman with his confident response and the fact that he had aimed for even more touchdowns than he achieved.

Andrew truly believed that if he had played the first game of the season, he could have reached his goal, as their opponent had been very weak—perfect for boosting his average. Or if he had played from the start in the second game of the regular season.

"Well, what you've already accomplished is impressive. Not many players can say they broke a state record in their first year of high school," Madison said, and Andrew nodded without adding anything else to the topic.

Madison paused for a moment before asking her next question.

"Since this is only your first year in high school, and you've already won a state championship in this fashion, many see a bright future for you. Some even say you could be one of the best quarterbacks in the state in the coming years. If you want to keep growing, have you considered transferring to a school in a higher division?" she asked.

"It's a possibility. It all depends on CIF," Andrew replied, holding back a smile.

"CIF? What do you mean?" Madison asked, sensing a big statement coming.

"If CIF doesn't move Palisades up, I don't want to spend another year humiliating teams by 50 points every week. Our level is already way above this division. Not promoting us would be a mistake, but it's not my decision, so it all depends on them," Andrew said.

Madison blinked, surprised by his bold statement. Her cameraman stifled a laugh, and in the background, some of Andrew's teammates—who had gathered to watch the interview—let out amused exclamations.

"Well, that's definitely a strong message," Madison said, regaining her composure with a smile. "We'll see if CIF listens to you."

Even though Andrew's statement was bold and could seem arrogant, he was right. There had been games where they won by absurd margins, like the 80-0 game. If an average were calculated, they probably had a point differential of 50 or more per game.

"I hope so too," Andrew said.

"Thank you for your time, Andrew. Congratulations again."

"Thank to you," Andrew replied with a smile, bidding Madison farewell.

Madison wrapped up the interview with a professional sign-off, but in her mind, she could only think one thing: 'This is going to go viral.'

After the interview, Andrew reunited with his family, who had been waiting for him. They made a huge fuss, excited both about the interview and the championship.

"They finally interviewed you again!" Cameron squealed with excitement.

"Did you make the most of it?" Jay asked with a rare smile—something only seen during Andrew's games.

"Of course. CIF will hear my message through traditional media and the internet," Andrew replied with a slight smile.

Jay let out a loud laugh and patted Andrew on the shoulder. "Well done."

"Time for photos!" Mitchell exclaimed, camera in hand. He was already planning how to frame the pictures and had even prepared shelves at home for the trophies—so far, the most important ones in his son's career.

"I call dibs on the Offensive Player of the Year trophy!" Phil said quickly.

"No! I want it!" Luke exclaimed.

"Too late, buddy. Maybe next time," Phil said, already holding the trophy.

"..." Claire looked at Phil and shook her head slightly.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

"Well, we can split it, half and half. What do you say?" Phil offered, seeing Luke's annoyed expression. Luke accepted the deal.

After taking pictures with his family, Andrew stepped away to join his group of friends. They stood in a circle, talking about the game and other things.

Next to him, Pippa rested her hands on his chest while he wrapped an arm around her waist. Also present were Lauren, Cara, Leonard, Zach, Howard, and Haley, who in recent months had grown closer to the group—though she still spent time with her popular friends.

As usual, Howard wasted no time making one of his signature comments. "Who was the interviewer? She was really sexy," he asked, his tone making it clear he was already thinking about looking her up.

Andrew, distracted while talking to Pippa, glanced up and replied, "Her name was Madison."

Howard narrowed his eyes curiously. "Madison what?"

Andrew shrugged. "I don't know, I just know she works for CBS Sports. That and her first name should be enough, right?"

"More than enough," Howard said with an almost mischievous grin.

"Are you going to stalk her, you pervert?" Lauren asked teasingly.

"I wouldn't call it stalking... just research," Howard said. "I might apply to be her cameraman."

"Howard, you're not a professional cameraman," Cara said, rolling her eyes.

"Not yet, but I have experience, and I can improve," Howard replied, crossing his arms.

"You're going to do all that just to get close to a woman who doesn't even know you exist? She's older; she won't even look at you that way," Cara said, shaking her head.

"Why do you want to sabotage a guy's fantasy? Let us dream," Zach said, coming to Howard's defense.

Before the discussion could get any livelier, Haley interrupted, "We have to go to the party, guys! It's at Jason's house, and everyone will be there."

The news was met with excitement by almost everyone. The post-state championship party was expected to be legendary, or so they all thought.

However, two people in the group didn't share the same enthusiasm: Andrew and Pippa. They exchanged glances, already knowing what the other was thinking.

"I don't know..." Andrew began cautiously.

"We're not really into parties," Pippa added.

"Oh, come on, don't be party poopers!" Haley protested.

"It's the end of the tournament, and we won. We have to celebrate," Cara added.

"Besides, the star quarterback can't miss it," Lauren insisted.

'She's right...' Andrew thought. He knew his teammates would pressure him to go, and as much as he hated to admit it, it was a special occasion.

"Come on, man! I need you by my side to impress the ladies," Howard pleaded, already imagining that being friends with the team's star would get him some attention.

"Well... I guess we can make an exception, right?" Andrew finally said, looking at Pippa, who sighed before giving in.

The group cheered at his decision, while Andrew thought this would only be the second party he had agreed to attend all year.

Once the celebration at the stadium was over, Andrew went home. His whole family gathered there for dinner to celebrate the championship. Afterward, Mitchell drove him and Haley to Jason's house.

"Listen, I know you're responsible, and parties aren't really your thing, but still... control yourself," Mitchell said with a warning look.

"Dad, you don't have to worry. I'm just going to look after Haley with Pippa's help... and, well, maybe give Howard a hand with flirting," Andrew said.

"That last part sounds like an impossible mission," Mitchell replied.

"It is. But at least it'll be entertaining. I bet he'll get slapped three times tonight," Haley chimed in from the back seat.

"Since it's a special occasion, Claire and I decided to give you extra time. We'll pick you up around two in the morning," Mitchell said.

"Fine, bye," Andrew said, getting out of the car and heading to the house with Haley.

'Why all the caution? Nothing's going to happen,' Andrew thought, believing his dad was being overly paranoid.

...

10 hours later.

Andrew opened his eyes with difficulty.

The sunlight streamed through the open window, hitting his face directly and forcing him to squint against the brightness. His head was spinning, and his mouth felt dry.

The first thing he noticed was that this wasn't his room.

The second, that he was lying in a bed—one he didn't recognize.

And the third...

He slowly turned his head and saw someone beside him, completely covered by the blankets.

His heart skipped a beat.

Andrew blinked several times, trying to clear his foggy mind. His first thought was that it had to be Pippa.

Yes, that made sense. Maybe at some point during the night, they decided to crash somewhere. But... whose place was this?

This wasn't his room. And it wasn't Pippa's either.

He reached for the blanket and, with a quick motion, pulled it back.

What he saw confused him more than anything.

He had been prepared for anything.

Anything except this.

The sunlight illuminated the face of the person sleeping soundly beside him.

'What the hell happened last night?' he thought.

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