章節 16: Pilot I
Riiing… riiing… riiing.
An annoying sound echoed through the pitch-dark room. Andrew's phone screen lit up, and the sound kept ringing in the room.
"Turn… that thing off…" Howard mumbled groggily, covering his face with a pillow.
On the other mattress, Leonard grunted in irritation at the relentless noise.
Andrew was sound asleep. After a few seconds, he moved his hand toward the nightstand, fumbling a bit before finally grabbing the phone. He brought it to his ear and pressed the button to answer the call.
"Yeah…?" Andrew asked in a raspy voice.
"Andrew, you finally picked up," said the voice on the other end, which belonged to Mitchell.
"What's wrong with your voice?" Mitchell added, puzzled.
"I was sleeping," Andrew explained curtly, struggling to stay awake.
"Sleeping? It should be past eleven in the morning in California," Mitchell muttered to himself, confused.
His son always woke up early in the morning to stick to his routine without fail, not even on holidays or weekends. There had been exceptions, but very few, like Christmas, New Year's, or some other important date.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Andrew asked slowly, his voice still groggy. They had gone to bed at seven in the morning, just as the sun rose, so he hadn't even slept a full five hours.
"Yes, everything went well. You'll meet your little sister in just a few hours. We're running a bit late and making the last stop. I just wanted to let you know we'll be arriving around five," Mitchell explained happily, glancing at Lily, who was sound asleep while Cameron watched over her.
"Great," Andrew commented, though his tone sounded anything but enthusiastic, thanks to his exhaustion.
The call lasted a little longer, with Andrew only giving monosyllabic responses until he finally said goodbye and could go back to sleep.
Five minutes later…
Riiing… riiing… riiing…
Riiing… riiing… riiing…
"Turn that thing off," Howard complained, covering his ears with the pillow.
'Now what?' Andrew thought, answering the phone again.
"Hi," he said as he picked up.
"Andrew? Is that you?" asked a confused female voice on the other end.
"Yes, Aunt, it's me… What's going on?" Andrew replied. At another time, he might have been surprised that his aunt, Claire, was calling on a Sunday, but he was far too sleepy, focusing only on responding and not falling asleep.
"Oh, I thought I had dialed the wrong number…" Claire murmured. She had expected the raspy, deep voice on the other end to belong to a middle-aged smoker, not her energetic nephew who always seemed to have 150% energy.
"Can you come to the house? I need you here," Claire said, getting straight to the point.
"Now?" Andrew asked.
"No. Half an hour is fine," Claire replied.
Andrew fell silent, carefully debating whether to agree or not. In the end, he accepted. He had always been someone who helped others, and his Aunt Claire rarely asked him for favors.
"Alright, I'll be there. What do you need me for?" Andrew asked.
"Haley is bringing a boy over… I think he's her new boyfriend. His name is Dylan, and I only just found out about all of this today," Claire said, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
Her eldest daughter had gotten very good at hiding things like this. Claire used to catch on despite Haley's attempts to keep secrets, but now it seemed her daughter had leveled up her stealth game.
"I need someone to intimidate this boy… I don't trust Phil. He'll just try to be his friend and win him over," Claire added.
She could only trust Andrew for this task. In some of Haley's previous boyfriend situations, she'd asked him for similar help, and it worked well. Andrew was tall, athletic, and the captain of the football team back when he was in middle school.
He had even taken charge of many athletic students on the team who used to be bullies, putting them in their place and instilling discipline in them as if they'd joined the military.
"Alright, I'll be there," Andrew said, and the call ended. He was already used to playing this role every now and then to "intimidate" one of Haley's boyfriends. Usually, he didn't have to do much—just sit there silently with a poker face. That was more than enough.
'I'll wake up in five minutes…' Andrew thought, burying his head into his pillow.
Unfortunately for him, two minutes later, his phone started ringing again.
Riiing… riiing… riiing.
"Yeah?" Andrew answered after nearly a minute, his tone exasperated.
Why was he getting so many calls today? Of all days, the one time he didn't stick to his sleep routine and went to bed at seven in the morning.
"ANDRECITO, MI NIÑO! Where have you been? Why weren't you answering, eh?"
A loud and commanding feminine voice came from the phone, making Andrew wince slightly as the sound blasted into his right ear.
"Gloria? Why so early?" Andrew replied, wondering if his entire family planned to call him today.
His grandfather Jay had married Gloria six months ago. An unforgettable wedding—not for the reasons people might think...
"Oh, please! Early? It's noon! Besides, I have a surprise for you. You're coming to Manny's game this afternoon! Isn't that exciting?" Gloria said, already deciding that Andrew would attend, despite him just hearing about it.
"The game...? Fine, I'll go. What time?" Andrew asked, resigning himself to his sleepless fate for the day.
"That's what I like to hear, Andrecito! I'll see you at three. Don't be late, or I'll send Jay to wake you up!" Gloria said cheerfully before hanging up.
With no other choice, Andrew got out of bed and started getting dressed. He glanced at Leonard and Howard, both still fast asleep. Leonard had drool at the corner of his mouth and was lightly snoring, while Howard had his face buried under a pillow.
As he was tying his sneakers, that cursed phone started ringing again. He quickly answered, not bothering to hide his frustration.
"What?" Andrew said, his tone slightly annoyed. It seemed like the universe was conspiring to irritate him today.
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a feminine voice that sounded slightly hurt and offended:
"Why are you talking to me like that? Are you mad at me?"
Andrew blinked, recognizing the voice after a few seconds.
"Veronica?" he replied, surprised. It was the first time he'd spoken to her over the phone, and he realized how different a voice could sound through the line.
"Yes, who else?" Veronica said, still a little offended.
"Oh, sorry… I thought you were an annoying telemarketer or something," Andrew explained.
Thankfully, Veronica let out a soft laugh and didn't take it personally.
"Well, I'm not a telemarketer, but… I was wondering if you'd like to do something this afternoon. You know, spend some time together as… a couple," Veronica said, hesitating slightly.
Andrew glanced at the clock, calculating his schedule. He had to go to his aunt and uncle's in a few minutes, then attend Manny's game later, and finally be home when his parents returned with his new baby sister. Somewhere in between all that, he still needed to fit in his football training.
To top it off, he knew his dad, Cameron, was planning to host a family dinner to introduce Lily to everyone—a surprise he hadn't shared with Mitchell yet, who hadn't told Claire or Jay about adopting a baby.
His time was limited today, but skipping his training wasn't an option.
"Well, actually, I have to go to a game this afternoon. You could come with me, if you want," Andrew suggested.
"Football game?" Veronica asked.
"Not football, soccer," Andrew clarified.
"Oh, well, that'll be fun," Veronica said, realizing it was soccer and not football. That meant Andrew wouldn't be as focused on the game, leaving more room to pay attention to her, since he was a fan of football, not soccer.
They chatted a little more, arranging where they would meet, and the call ended.
Andrew stared at the wall, questioning how the one day he'd tried to sleep outside of his usual schedule, the universe had conspired to keep him awake. If he wasn't going to rest, neither would his friends.
He glanced at Howard and Leonard, both still in a deep sleep. Howard was tangled in the sheets, a pillow covering his face. Leonard, on the other hand, was snoring peacefully, one arm stretched awkwardly upward.
Andrew smirked slightly and, wasting no time, strode over to the window. He yanked the curtain open, flooding the room with bright sunlight.
The light hit Leonard square in the face, causing him to wince immediately, mumbling something unintelligible as he tried to shield his eyes.
Howard, on the other hand, let out a muffled groan, burrowing deeper under the pillow as if it could protect him from the harsh reality.
"Wake up, sleeping beauties!" Andrew called out in a cheerful yet firm tone. "We've got to head to my aunt and uncle's house."
"Why…? Why can't you just let us sleep a little longer?" Howard grumbled from beneath the safety of his pillow.
"Oh, didn't I mention? Haley's going to be there," Andrew said in a suggestive tone.
Howard peeked out from under the pillow. "Did you say… Haley?" he asked, suddenly much more alert.
"That's right," Andrew confirmed, holding back a laugh. "You know, if you'd rather stay here and sleep, I won't stop you. Maybe we'll just play a board game with her, and you guys can get to know each other… or…" he trailed off.
"I guess a little fresh air wouldn't hurt," Leonard said, trying to act indifferent. He got up, and in less than five minutes, he was ready to go.
Howard followed suit, even faster than Leonard.
"When are we leaving?" Howard asked, realizing that being friends with Andrew was already paying off. He'd get the chance to visit Haley's house—one of the most popular and beautiful girls in their grade.
"Right after a protein shake. Quick and nutritious," Andrew replied as he left the room, followed by Leonard and Howard.
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