Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 82: Deal with Haley

"Irresponsible and reckless!"

That was the fourth time Mitchell had called him irresponsible and reckless since his parents' lecture began, after they saw the video of him facing off against two thugs in the middle of the night, while drunk.

He was currently in the living room, sitting on the couch. The lecture had started fifteen minutes ago. He couldn't speak to try and defend himself or anything, since they kept telling him to stay quiet, so all he could do was nod with a remorseful expression.

Around him, Mitchell paced back and forth, agitated and completely beside himself. "The worst part is that you lied to us!" he kept saying, barely stopping to breathe.

"Two weeks, and you almost got away with it," Cam added, arms crossed and an expression of absolute disappointment on his face.

Andrew, however, wasn't entirely remorseful. He knew he had lied, yes, but he did it to keep them from worrying. In his judgment, exploring Los Angeles hadn't been dangerous.

After all, the most dangerous part had been the two men who looked like drug addicts, and at no point did they have a chance of beating him in a fight.

"It's not a big deal," Andrew said, trying to calm things down, but all he did was make things worse.

"Not a big deal?" Mitchell repeated, freezing in place, his eyes wider than ever.

"You could have gotten hurt or worse. What if that man had pulled out a gun?" Cam said, his tone both worried and scolding.

"Not a scratch on me, Dad. I already told you. Those two junkies would need years of training to even lay a finger on me, even if I was a little drunk," Andrew said seriously, crossing his arms.

"You controlled the situation? You still don't feel like you did anything wrong, do you?" Mitchell said, shaking his head at Andrew's attitude.

"Yeah, I know I was wrong to lie to you... But I did it because I didn't want you to worry. Exactly what you're doing now... and of course, the endless lecture," Andrew said.

"Are you seriously still going with that? You did it so we wouldn't worry? And what do you think we're doing right now, huh?" Mitchell shot back.

"Well, you weren't supposed to find out..." Andrew muttered, but quickly shut up when he saw Mitchell and Cam's faces.

"Do you not realize that what you did was a huge risk?" Cam asked, his tone not as loud as Mitchell's.

"Yeah, sure. But think about this, I went to the party, didn't I? Just like you wanted. You've always encouraged me to go to more social gatherings with my classmates, and now that I actually do it, you're scolding me," Andrew said, throwing it back at them.

Mitchell stopped abruptly and stared at him.

"A normal teenager at a party doesn't go out to explore the city drunk, trying to destroy a ring, getting into fights with drug addicts and homeless people because he mistakes them for characters from a fictional story, and putting his life in danger," Mitchell said.

Andrew fell silent, unable to argue against his father's words.

"When you put it like that, sure, it sounds like a dangerous and stupid idea, but... what would've happened if I hadn't been there?" Andrew said, raising his hands as if presenting a hypothetical situation.

"Imagine if I hadn't followed Howard on his dangerous journey through the city at night," he continued, speaking slowly, as if trying to carefully measure each word, evaluating Mitchell and Cam's reactions. He wanted to see if he could keep pushing his angle or if he needed to change tactics.

Cameron looked at him with his arms crossed, showing no sign that the explanation was going to ease his anger.

"It was stupid, you're right. But honestly, if I hadn't stepped in... where would Howard and the others be right now?" Andrew asked calmly, almost like a rational argument.

"Do you really think they could have defended themselves? Not everyone has my ability to dodge punches, my reflexes are really good."

He looked at Cameron and then at Mitchell, watching their faces to see if that changed their stance. They both remained silent, processing his words.

They couldn't deny that he had a point. But even so, they weren't going to give in—what he did was still dangerous.

"Grounded. One month. Go to your room, Andrew," Mitchell finally said.

Andrew's eyes widened in surprise, but indignation quickly rose within him. "That's it? You're not going to say anything else? I just explained everything! I did the right thing!"

"What you did was reckless, Andrew. You could have gotten hurt. Go to your room," Cameron said, not addressing Andrew's previous argument.

As a son, he had no power to challenge his parents' authority, no matter how much sense his arguments made. "This isn't fair," he muttered as he got up from the couch, but he couldn't say anything more.

Andrew paused for a moment and turned around—he had to confirm something. "Can I go out with Pippa tomorrow for Valentine's Day?" he asked.

"No, Andrew. You're grounded," Mitchell replied with a frown.

"It's just... Pippa has been planning everything for days. It's our first Valentine's together, and if I can't go, she's going to be really sad," Andrew said, trying to convince them.

Cam and Mitchell exchanged glances. They knew Pippa was a great girl, she cared for Andrew and had always supported him. The thought of her being sad because she couldn't spend their first Valentine's Day together made them hesitate.

After a few seconds of murmuring between them, Cameron looked at Andrew and nodded. "Alright, you can go out with Pippa, but this is an exception."

"Yes! Thanks!" Andrew said before heading to his room.

Cameron watched as Andrew walked away, shaking his head with a sigh. "He's not sorry at all, is he?" he said.

"He's craftier than I thought... Maybe when he tackled my mother, she passed on some of that manipulation to him," Mitchell muttered, still frowning.

...

Andrew entered his room and quickly shut the door. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, ready to call Pippa and tell her the good news, but before he could dial, he got an incoming call from Haley. He answered.

"What's up?" Andrew asked as he lay down on his bed.

"What took you so long to pick up?" Haley complained.

"Sorry, your highness. This humble servant was being lectured," Andrew said sarcastically as he got comfortable.

"Oh, a lecture... So that means they already know?" Haley asked.

"Yeah," Andrew replied.

"You don't sound too affected. Did they extend your punishment?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, another month," Andrew said with a slight grimace.

"Oh... that sucks. From never being grounded to two punishments in a row," Haley said sympathetically.

Andrew just let out a small sound in response.

He had never been punished before, and in his past life, he was basically a teenager with total freedom. He had been under the care of his grandfather's friends—some old-school elderly folks who did nothing but give him food, a roof over his head, and watch his football games since they were fans. After that, he could do whatever he pleased.

"So, Pippa will have to talk to your parents to get permission for you two to go out tomorrow," Haley commented.

"No, no. I already got their permission. Just telling them that Pippa planned everything for tomorrow softened them up," Andrew replied, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Haley let out a huff. "Ugh, lucky bastard," she said in annoyance. "If I told my mom that Dylan planned something special, she'd lock every door in the house with a padlock to keep me from leaving."

Andrew smirked. "Well, Pippa is Pippa," he said in a tone that made it obvious.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Haley said, sounding exhausted.

"Anyway, it's great that you can go out tomorrow. I need your help," Haley added.

"And here I thought you actually cared about how I was doing," Andrew said in a mock-hurt tone.

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"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Haley dismissed his act, getting straight to the point. "I need your help to sneak out of the house tomorrow."

Haley then explained her brilliant escape plan. Around noon, Claire would be out doing the weekly shopping, making it the perfect moment to slip away. But Andrew had to distract Phil somehow so she could sneak out.

"You do realize there's a high chance you'll get caught and your punishment will get even worse, right?" Andrew asked.

He couldn't believe Haley was risking so much just for a Valentine's Day date with Dylan—a guy she broke up with and got back together with all the time.

"I won't get caught. My mom will be gone for an hour at most. That gives me at least an hour-long date, and in the meantime, Alex will cover for me. I already talked to her, and we reached an agreement," Haley said with a slight grimace. Alex never covered for free.

"Hmm, I see. I won't do it for free, though. I could get implicated and end up in even more trouble than I already am," Andrew said.

"Tch, you're just like Alex..." Haley muttered, clearly annoyed but also understanding it was fair. "What's your price?"

"Hmm, let's see..." Andrew said, looking thoughtful.

"Oh! I got it! In a few days, Collector's Paradise is releasing a special edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum. It's coming out on a Saturday or Sunday, and you have to go early in the morning, wait in line, and get me the comic," Andrew said.

He would still be grounded, so he wouldn't be able to wait in line and buy it himself. Besides, it was better for him—he'd save hours of waiting.

"A special edition comic...? What is Collector's Paradise?" Haley asked.

"It's the comic book store in the mall near our school," Andrew replied.

Haley stayed silent for a few seconds, considering his proposal. Waking up early on a Saturday or Sunday, standing in line with a bunch of passionate nerds, and on top of that, in a comic book store... It wasn't exactly her idea of a good weekend plan.

"Ugh, seriously? Do you have any idea what you're asking for? I just need you to distract my dad for a few minutes, and now I'll be wasting hours of my life," Haley complained.

"That's the deal. A favor for a favor. You need my help, and I need yours since I'll be grounded and can't go out," Andrew said, unwilling to change his price.

Haley let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll do it," she said reluctantly. "But you're paying for it."

"Obviously," Andrew replied immediately. "I estimate it'll cost around 70 or 80 dollars."

"Seventy or eighty dollars for a comic?!" Haley exclaimed in disbelief. "Is it printed in gold or what?"

"It's a special edition, Haley. That's how these things work," Andrew said, laughing slightly.

"Well, as long as I'm not the one paying, I don't care," she said, still a bit annoyed. "Deal."

"Deal," Andrew confirmed with a smile.

Haley sighed again. "I can't believe I'm waking up early on a weekend for this. Alright, see you tomorrow. Don't be late, every minute is crucial for my short date," she said before ending the call.

Andrew, satisfied, stretched out on his bed with a smile. Then, he called Pippa to let her know that everything was set for them to meet up tomorrow as planned.

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