Modern Family: New Life

Veronica stopped near Andrew, unsure of how to greet him. It would be odd to kiss him with her father standing right behind her, his intimidating expression ever present, especially since her relationship with Andrew was only a few days old.

"Hi, Andy…" Veronica greeted him with a bit of shyness, very different from her usual self—always confident and with a hint of arrogance.

'Andy?' Andrew thought, confused. Only his family called him that in such a… let's say childish way, as if he were five years old again. Not that he ever felt that age mentally, but he couldn't afford to lose focus and get lost in his thoughts now.

"Uh… hi, Veronica," Andrew replied, somewhat stiff but maintaining a friendly tone.

Veronica was dressed in a black-and-white outfit. She wore an elegant white silk blouse, paired with a skirt that Claire would undoubtedly say was far too short—similar to the ones Haley liked to wear.

She also had on black shoes, some accessories like rings, and a handbag that looked very expensive.

As Veronica was about to say something, she heard her father cough several times. He was not one to be overlooked.

"Oh, yes… This is my father, Hiram. Father, this is Andrew," Veronica said with an expression that clearly reflected something between annoyance and resignation.

Hiram was about the same height as Phil, but his face lacked the warmth of him uncle's. He had a furrowed brow, a tense expression, and piercing eyes. On top of that, he was dressed in a shirt and dress pants on a Sunday, which gave him an even more serious appearance.

Why did he have to accompany her? She wasn't ten years old, and she was going out with Andrew, who was well-known across the district. He wasn't a creep or anything like that.

Hiram simply stared at Andrew, who stared back while resting a hand on his chin. It wasn't a sign of defiance—he was merely studying how someone should look when trying to intimidate their daughter's boyfriend.

'I need to practice my furrowed brow and tense jaw for the next time Claire asks me to do this. I could also share this with Phil—he'll need it someday,' Andrew thought.

"Pleasure to meet you," Andrew said in a friendly tone, extending his hand for a handshake.

"I've heard a lot about you. Two district championships in a row, huh?" Hiram said, gripping Andrew's hand with a firm shake as Andrew nodded.

"Two big tournaments, but don't let it go to your head. Got it, son?" Hiram asked, tightening his grip on Andrew's hand.

Hiram wasn't referring to Andrew's athletic success. He meant he shouldn't mess with his daughter's feelings or date other girls just because he was the popular athlete.

Andrew's instinctive response would have been: No, I don't get it at all. But he knew better than to repeat Dylan's mistake.

"Yes, I understand," Andrew said with a serious expression, lowering his voice to sound deeper.

"It's good that you understand," Hiram said, tightening his handshake further. However, Andrew's expression showed no sign of pain or discomfort.

Was he doing the pressure wrong?

For the first time, Andrew felt a slight discomfort and glanced down at the handshake, which was lasting far longer than he liked.

'Is he trying to prove something? Some kind of game?' Andrew thought, his face showing a puzzled expression.

Thinking it was some sort of challenge, Andrew decided to increase the pressure of his grip as well. Hiram's reaction was immediate—a slight grimace of pain that he managed to partially hide.

'What the hell…?' Hiram thought, surprised by Andrew's strength. Perhaps if he had witnessed Andrew carrying Phil while doing lunges, he wouldn't have attempted this.

Hiram managed to keep his composure, and finally, the handshake ended.

"We need to get to the game. We're going to be late," Andrew said, checking the time on his phone. If they were even a minute late, Gloria would call him out on it, saying it was enough time to miss one of Manny's "masterful plays."

"I'll drive you," Hiram said, leaving no room for argument. So, the three of them got into a brand-new SUV parked not far away.

Andrew and Veronica sat in the back. It felt a bit like having their own chauffeur—it was strange, but Veronica clearly didn't want to sit up front with her father. Instead, she wanted to talk with Andrew.

Andrew remembered that Veronica was the rich kid in their grade. Even though their school was public, not all families who sent their children there were on the same economic level.

However, her family wasn't rich to the level of millionaires, but they could definitely afford to send Veronica to a private school like Ridge School—a school Andrew had faced and beaten multiple times in football matches.

The drive was short since they weren't far away. Still, during that brief ride, Veronica told Andrew all about her day and even what she had done yesterday. The speed at which she spoke was incredible, and yet everything she said was perfectly clear. She sounded like a parrot.

The game was being played on a grass field—not a professional one, as that would be far too large for ten-year-olds. Each end had a goal with three posts and a net. In the center of the field was a large circle with a smaller one painted in the middle.

Andrew noticed Manny's team huddled together, with the coach discussing the strategy they would use to try and win this game. If they could even dream of such a thing, considering they hadn't won a single match last year.

Around the field's edges, parents were either seated on chairs they had brought or sitting on the grass, as there were no bleachers.

Andrew, Veronica, and Hiram walked across the grass toward the crowd waiting for the game to begin.

Veronica was nervous because she had just found out that someone in Andrew's family was playing in this game. She hadn't expected to meet part of his family so soon.

"Is it your cousin playing the game?" Veronica asked. She was friends with Haley, so she knew Andrew shouldn't have any cousins besides Haley, Alex, and Luke.

But if it wasn't a cousin, who could it be?

"No. It's my uncle…" Andrew replied with a strange expression.

"Your uncle?" Veronica murmured in confusion. The kids on the soccer field all looked about ten years old at most. What sense did that make? Could his uncle be the bald, bearded man coaching the team?

Before Andrew could explain, a loud female voice shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

"ANDRESITO! OVER HERE! HERE!" yelled Gloria, who was standing a few meters away, waving her hand to make sure Andrew noticed her. Though, with her powerful shout, it was impossible for him not to.

Andrew raised his hand and waved back with a smile as he walked toward Gloria and Jay, who was slumped in a low chair, basking in the sun like a senior citizen.

Gloria greeted Andrew by showering his cheeks with kisses and roughly tousling his hair.

"You're getting taller every day, mi niño," Gloria said, finishing her enthusiastic greeting.

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