Modern Family: New Life

Chapter 104 - The bath game

The Friday night gathering continued.

Howard was at the center this time and, as always, wore a grin that was too wide and had an idea that was way too dangerous.

Andrew and Leonard exchanged a look. They both already recognized that suspicious gleam in Howard's eyes, the one that only appeared when his imagination and libido collided... which, in Howard's case, happened fairly often.

"The game is simple," Howard announced, standing in front of everyone.

"Two people, of different sexes, each pull a slip of paper from a jar. They go into the bathroom. Five minutes. No rules inside. They can talk, stay silent... kiss... or not," he added with a slight smile at the end.

A brief silence, followed by giggles, elbow nudges, and murmurs of complicity. The game was ridiculous and unnecessary, but everyone agreed. Because they were teenagers, and it was a Friday night.

Zach's friend Sophie looked both excited and a little nervous. It wasn't every day she got to be at the house of the most popular guy in school. Just being in that living room already felt like the kind of story she'd tell her friends on Monday.

"And Andrew and Pippa?" Cara asked curiously.

"They'll be the ones picking the jars. Pippa gets the girls' jar, and Andrew the boys'," Howard replied, handing a transparent jar full of folded slips to Andrew and another to Pippa.

"As always, ladies first. Any questions?" Howard said, as if he were the host of a show.

Leonard raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "Why do I feel like you made up this game just to see if you'd end up with Cara?"

"Me? Please, Leonard... how little must you think of me!" said Howard, putting on an offended expression.

Then he paused and added, "Still, if it happens, I won't complain."

Laughter erupted in the room. Even Cara smiled, shaking her head like she was already used to it.

The truth was, everyone knew Howard had a thing for Cara.

He'd tried more than once, always with clumsy comments and not-so-subtle strategies.

And yes, he'd always been rejected. But his straightforward and weirdly earnest persistence had never really made anyone uncomfortable.

Maybe it was because Howard didn't know how to be anything else. And Cara, deep down, didn't dislike him.

She found him amusing. And while she'd never seriously considered him, she didn't mind being the center of his attention either.

Having a personal simp on standby had its charm for a teenage girl.

"Alright, enough wasting time! Pippa, draw a name," said Howard, giving Andrew a conspiratorial wink.

Andrew wanted to roll his eyes... but held back. Howard, with his brilliant teenage desperation, had folded his slip differently. He'd made a tiny mark on the corner, not too obvious, but just enough for Andrew to spot it.

Everyone sat in a circle, anticipation building. Some were nervous, others excited.

Leonard and Archie kept glancing between Willa and the slips in the jar.

"First round," Pippa said solemnly, swirling the girls' slips around.

She reached in and pulled one out. Slowly unfolded it, then announced:

"Haley."

Whistles, cheers, and laughter filled the room.

Haley raised her arms like a reality show winner.

"I'm ready for anything," she said with a slight smile, glancing between the potential boys who might join her in the bathroom.

When the laughter calmed down, everyone turned toward Andrew.

He swirled his jar with a touch of theatrical flair and pulled out a slip. Opened it and read:

"Zach."

The room burst into laughter again. Zach put his hands on his head.

"WHAT?!" Zach exclaimed.

Haley stood up and took his arm with a smile, "Nervous?"

Zach wanted to respond with a simple "yes." Because yes, Haley was very pretty, popular, and had that confident aura that was kind of intimidating.

But the real problem wasn't Haley.

It was Andrew.

Zach glanced away for a second and found him.

Andrew was watching him with an expression that was hard to read. He didn't look possessive or jealous... but he definitely wasn't giving off a "all good, bro, have fun with my cousin" vibe.

Pippa, noticing the tension, gave Andrew a gentle elbow. He blinked, like snapping out of a haze.

"What?" Andrew murmured, confused.

"Don't be that overprotective cousin or brother," Pippa whispered with a half-smile.

"I'm not... Besides, Haley's always been like a toxic sister to me. She was like that with you at first," Andrew said, sighing.

Pippa nodded. Haley hadn't exactly been friendly to her at the beginning. But now they got along, and while it wasn't as close as with Alex, there wasn't much tension anymore.

Haley and Zach walked into the bathroom amid applause and teasing shouts.

Pippa, with all the ceremony she could muster, locked the door and raised her phone.

"Five minutes. Starting now," she said.

Everyone fell silent, eyes fixed on the bathroom door, trying to catch any sound from the other side.

Whispers. A faint laugh. The soft sound of running water.

Nothing more.

And just like that, the five minutes passed.

"Time!" Pippa said when the alarm on her phone went off. She walked over and opened the door.

Zach and Haley came out one after the other.

"Nothing happened! I swear! We just talked about the weather," said Zach, raising his hands like he was walking out of a raid.

"The weather?" Andrew muttered.

"Very stable, no storms," added Haley, winking before returning to her seat to watch the second round.

The room erupted with laughter and whistles.

While the others were busy trying to figure out if anything had happened in the bathroom, Pippa and Andrew already had the jars ready for the second round.

Leonard, sitting nearby, glanced over at Willa, who was still in her seat.

She didn't seem as entertained as the rest, "Everything okay?" he asked quietly, leaning in slightly.

"Yes. Everything's fine," Willa replied, looking at him for a second.

Leonard nodded, but didn't seem convinced, "You don't have to play if you don't want to. I mean... just because everyone else is doesn't mean you have to too."

"I'm going to play. It's just that these games don't excite me as much as they do everyone else. That's all," Willa replied in a neutral tone.

Pippa pulled out the next paper from the girls' jar.

"Cara,"

The room exploded into cheers and teasing again. Everyone looked at Howard, who was already fixing his hair like his big moment was about to arrive.

All eyes turned to Andrew. The weight of the moment fell on him as he slowly stirred the papers.

He felt the different fold.

'Howard's paper,' Andrew thought as he picked it out and sighed internally. Sometimes, friendship required certain social sacrifices.

He opened the paper slowly and let a few seconds of tension-filled silence pass.

"Howard," he finally read aloud.

All the boys erupted like they'd just won the state championship. Archie and Kevin clapped Howard on the back as he stood up, ready for the bathroom.

"Something smells fishy," said Cara, standing up once the guys had calmed down.

"Fishy? Why?" asked Howard with an innocent smile.

"I think you bribed the host," Cara said, glancing at Andrew.

"Do you have proof, miss?" Howard replied.

"Nope... Let's go," Cara said, rolling her eyes as she walked into the bathroom.

"Great!" exclaimed Howard, following her like a happy puppy.

Pippa closed the bathroom door and set the timer.

The group fell silent.

Andrew, Archie, Leonard, Kevin, Willa, and Haley exchanged looks of complicity.

"I bet we'll hear a slap in three minutes," said Kevin.

"I say two minutes," added Leonard.

"I don't even think he'll get a sentence out without messing it up. I give him one minute," said Archie.

"I bet Cara knocks him out for confusing sexual harassment with seduction," Willa muttered.

Seconds ticked by. Everyone sharpened their ears.

Only faint murmurs could be heard, too quiet to make out what they were saying.

Two minutes passed. Nothing. Leonard cursed under his breath, he'd lost the bet.

When the timer hit thirty seconds remaining, they suddenly heard a clear laugh Cara's.

"A laugh...?" Haley asked, surprised.

Everyone around her had the same expression. No one could believe Howard had made Cara laugh.

And then, as if the world froze...

The sound of a kiss. Everyone went into shock.

"What the hell?" Archie muttered, eyes wide.

And just when they thought it couldn't get any weirder...

PAAF!

A loud, crisp, unmistakable slap.

"There it is. Though I must say, the sequence of events is... confusing," said Andrew with a faint smile.

Pippa was so stunned she forgot to say "time."

"Pippa?! Open the door!" shouted Cara from inside, clearly annoyed.

Pippa snapped out of it, turned the key, and opened the door.

Cara walked straight into the living room, brow furrowed, jaw clenched, and steps firm.

She dropped onto the couch without saying a word, clearly furious.

Howard came out right after, holding his cheek, red as a tomato.

"Okay, I'm sorry, alright? I thought I had the green light," he said.

"Green light?!" Cara repeated, whipping her head around with a fiery glare.

"I told you just a peck because you made me laugh! That was the deal, a peck! Not grabbing my ass and shoving your tongue down my throat!" she shouted, furious.

Everyone began filtering into the living room from the hallway, silent at first, but now it was pretty clear what had happened.

Somehow, Howard had managed to strike a deal where if he made Cara laugh, he'd get a peck, and against all odds, he pulled it off at in the last seconds.

A kiss that, as expected with Howard, had gotten completely out of hand. Literally.

"In five minutes they went from zero to full-on telenovela," Haley murmured to Kevin, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah... no happy ending. Just laughs, a kiss, and a slap," Kevin replied, lips pursed to hold back a chuckle.

Pippa, who had arrived behind everyone, walked over to Cara with a frown and sat beside her.

"Want us to kick him out? I'd be happy to throw him outside," she asked quietly.

"No... I just want him to shut up," Cara said, taking a deep breath. She knew it was a game, and deep down, she also knew that agreeing to give Howard a peck came with some risk.

Willa, still standing by the couch, arms crossed, looked at Howard like she was mentally choosing which spell to use to vaporize him.

"I should report you, punch you, or both. In that order," she said, with her usual icy, razor-sharp tone.

"It wasn't that bad! It wasn't harassment. I mean, when there's good chemistry in a kiss, things like that... happen. It's natural," Howard protested, raising his hands.

All the girls shot him deadly looks.

"Howard, there was a deal. A peck. Nothing more," said Pippa firmly.

"Yeah, but... the context, the moment... I thought it was working," he insisted, looking around for support.

He turned to Andrew, but Pippa's glare right beside him was enough to keep Andrew silent.

Howard then looked at Leonard, who just shook his head and said,

"Go to the corner. No talking. Reflect on your actions."

Howard sighed and dragged himself to a corner of the couch, rubbing his cheek like a kid in timeout.

Pippa took a deep breath and returned to her role as organizer.

"There are three boys left: Kevin, Leonard, and Archie. And two girls: Sophie and Willa."

Pippa pulled the next slip from the girls' jar.

"Sophie."

Sophie smiled, a little nervous, and adjusted in her seat.

Andrew reached into his jar. He stirred with some suspense, pulled out a slip, opened it, and read:

"Kevin."

They looked at each other.

Sophie smiled with a bit more confidence.

Kevin raised his eyebrows, offered his arm, and asked, "Ready?"

"Yes... I promise I won't slap you," Sophie replied with a small laugh.

Kevin and Sophie walked into the bathroom amid whistles and teasing comments.

"Five minutes," said Pippa, starting the timer.

A few minutes of tense silence passed.

But not from awkwardness... everyone was just paying close attention.

At the three-minute mark... kissing sounds.

"And... there it is. That's how it's done, Howard," said Zach, arms crossed, shooting Howard a smug smile.

Howard, still in his timeout corner, muttered something no one understood.

At last, one couple in the game seemed to have had a positive outcome. When time was up, both came out of the bathroom.

The spotlight shifted to the remaining participants: Willa, Leonard, and Archie.

Willa was now the only girl left, so there were only two slips remaining in Andrew's jar.

The room grew tense. Leonard shifted in his seat. Archie swallowed hard.

Andrew looked at the two slips and picked one. He opened it slowly and read:

"Archie."

Archie exhaled, barely hiding a smile. "Yes..." he murmured, standing up with restrained energy.

Leonard clenched his jaw, 'Damn it,' he thought, shaking his head.

Willa stood up with a neutral expression, almost automatic.

She walked toward the bathroom with a steady pace, not looking at anyone.

It seemed like she just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Archie followed her in silence, entering the bathroom. Pippa closed the door behind them and started the timer.

The group fell silent, trying to listen.

In the first few seconds, they heard Archie trying to start a conversation. But Willa's responses were short and flat.

And then... nothing. Silence. One minute, two, three. Nothing.

Andrew, Haley, and the others exchanged puzzled looks.

"Feels like a meditation session," said Haley.

"Must be cold in there. I feel bad for you, Archie," murmured Zach, feeling a bit sorry for him.

'This is great! No chatting and no kissing sounds either,' Leonard thought, ear pressed to the door.

Finally, the timer hit zero.

"Time," said Pippa, unlocking and opening the door.

Archie came out first, looking like he'd just attended a parent-teacher conference in another dimension. His eyes were downcast, his smile defeated, and his body a bit tense.

Willa followed, wearing the same impassive expression she'd had going in. No sign of emotion. No visible discomfort either.

Archie walked over to his spot and dropped onto the couch next to Howard, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"You alright, man?" Howard asked.

"Yeah... even if it doesn't look like it," Archie replied, offering nothing more.

Those five minutes had been the longest of his life.

Willa had sat on the closed toilet lid, legs crossed, arms folded, staring at the floor. She hadn't spoken, hadn't looked at him.

His first attempts at conversation were met with one-word answers like: "Uh-huh," "Okay," "Mm," or vague nods.

After that, Archie gave up. He just stared at the bathtub tiles, pretending they were more interesting than the awkward situation he was trapped in.

And he waited.

Waited for the endless five minutes to be over so he could leave that ice-cold bathroom.

Andrew and Pippa glanced at each other.

Pippa was the first to speak, in a low voice, "Well... that was... weird."

"Anticlimactic ending," Andrew murmured, feeling a little bad for his friend.

No one asked anything, and no one dared approach Willa.

The gathering continued.

The group scattered a bit, conversations picked up again with a lighter tone, the jokes returned, though more gently. Cara had calmed down. Kevin and Sophie were talking quietly.

Howard... well, Howard was still in his corner, unsure if he'd be forgiven or not.

A while later, with the night well underway, Pippa checked the time on her phone.

Her mom would be picking her up soon.

She turned her head toward the living room and looked around. Andrew wasn't there.

She'd been chatting with Cara, Zach, and Sophie, assuming Andrew was still nearby, but not seeing him made her ask, "Where's Andrew?"

Kevin, pouring himself some soda, answered without looking, "Went to his room. A few minutes ago."

Pippa nodded, but at that moment, she noticed another absence. Willa wasn't in the living room either.

She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.

She stood up and walked slowly toward Andrew's room.

She reached the door, which was slightly ajar, and just as she was about to step in, she stood still.

She heard laughter.

Not just any laugh.

Willa's laugh. And a genuine one, with true enthusiasm.

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