[Pritchett House]
Andrew was sitting on one of the sofas in his grandfather's spacious living room. He had finished dinner a few minutes ago and was already wearing his Halloween costume, ready to head to his uncles' house, where the party awaited.
That year, he had chosen a classic: Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. He wore a tattered jacket, loose, deliberately worn-out clothing that looked grimy and battered, and a machete that, at first glance, looked far too real to be just a prop. Beside him rested the iconic hockey mask, waiting for the moment to complete the outfit.
Compared to his costume from the previous year, when he dressed as Michael Myers, there wasn't much difference. In both cases, he wore a mask and loose, faded clothes, giving off a gloomy air that made him look like he had stepped straight out of a horror movie. And, of course, a homicidal weapon.
Now he was just waiting for the others to finish getting dressed: Jay, Gloria, Manny, Leonard, and Howard.
His two friends had eaten with him and had come prepared with their costumes packed in their backpacks, costumes that were much more elaborate and detailed.
His parents were at home, changing as well, and waiting for the babysitter to arrive to look after Lily, since the little girl couldn't stay up that late.
As for Willa, she had gone with Haley to their uncles' house, since both were helping each other with makeup and costumes.
While Andrew waited, he pulled out his phone to distract himself for a bit.
He couldn't help but open Twitter to read about the game. Although the game had only aired regionally, the plays were already circulating in clips, and the name Mater Dei was trending alongside his own.
He began scrolling through several tweets on his screen:
@HSFootballCA: Playoffs, Round of 16. Mater Dei 59 – Crespi 14. Andrew Pritchett-Tucker with 7 touchdowns. Can anyone be more dominant?
@Scott27: 8 games played, 42 TDs. Andrew already passed Matt Barkley's 35 TDs in his junior season (2007) with one game less. Next goal: Jimmy Clausen's 49 TDs in 2006.
@StatsHSFB: With 13,228 passing yards combined between Palisades and Mater Dei, Andrew is only 1,230 yards away from breaking Ben Mauk's all-time national record (14,457). It could fall this year.
@WDTrevor: What this kid is doing isn't normal. Junior year, already a five-star breaking Barkley's records and chasing Clausen. We're not just watching California's best QB, we're watching the best in the nation, even over the seniors.
@Lincon77: Most-watched regional game ever? It's only a matter of time. If ESPN doesn't start putting this kid on national broadcasts every week, they're losing ratings.
@FordRN: Who's Crespi's #43? The one who picked Andrew off. That corner's got a future 🔥🔥🔥
@ChandlerBing: Someone tell Crespi's boys the game already started and now it's over.
@Josh1974: Yeah, Mater Dei crushed us, but credit where it's due, that QB is a monster. Respect. Our #43 got an interception, and that alone's a point of pride.
@aaroncletus4: That score hurt, but I was there in the visitor stands, saw Andrew in person, it's like watching a college QB play against kids. Different speed and different power.
Andrew scrolled calmly, used to it by now. He liked reading the stats he sometimes forgot himself. Ben Mauk's record: 14,457 yards, was insane, but within reach. He had already accumulated 13,228 since starting at Palisades.
A high-school QB gets four years to build up his stats, though it's common not to play much as a freshman. Andrew didn't know Ben's specific case, whether he started from year one or took longer to earn the spot.
In Andrew's case, he had been a starter early on at Palisades. In his two years there, he surpassed 5,000 yards each season. This year, at the pace he was going, he was set to repeat it, another 5,000-yard passing season. Maybe even more. And now, at the highest level.
He could end his high school career with 20,000 passing yards, leaving Mauk far behind.
However, Andrew's eyes stopped on one tweet in particular. The username read: @ChandlerBing.
By sheer coincidence, out of the thousands of tweets he had scrolled through, he happened to read that one. His brow furrowed, he knew this guy for several reasons.
First, because he was Chandler Bing, the eternally sarcastic friend from the show he'd watched countless times in his past life.
Second, because in the video Rachel had sent him, the one showing Monica's excited reaction upon receiving his shout-out, Chandler had also been there, sitting casually in the living room as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
And third, because it was Chandler who had coined that ridiculous nickname that went viral: Jesus Christ of High School Football.
He found out thanks to Rachel. During one of their talks, he had mentioned that he didn't like the nickname. She immediately told him Chandler was the one who came up with it.
With a mix of resignation and curiosity, Andrew entered Chandler's profile. He started scrolling: there were countless tweets commenting on his games, replying to people, even to haters. Every line dripped with sarcasm, but also with an attention to detail that made him seem like a genuine fan.
'What the hell? Since when did Chandler Bing become a die-hard follower?' thought Andrew, puzzled.
'Monica and Chandler, my two biggest fans?'
Andrew hesitated only for a moment. Then, with a smile, he hit Follow.
He pictured the scene: Chandler seeing the notification and tweeting something absurd a few minutes later like, "Jesus Christ heard my prayers and now follows me on Twitter."
And yes, no matter how much he hated the nickname, Andrew knew he wouldn't get rid of it that easily. Better to take it with humor. Easier to joke about it than fight against the tide.
Suddenly, he realized something else: he'd been talking to Rachel a lot. Ever since the Bosco game, they'd been in touch every day. Always through chat, of course, since they lived on opposite sides of the country.
Their conversations were light and everyday. They usually started with a simple "How was your day?" and from there could go in any direction, commenting on a movie, talking about some random topic, sharing something funny that happened that day, and things like that. Nothing major, but surprisingly pleasant.
Andrew was struck by how naturally everything flowed. It was like having a long-distance friend, but also something different. There were no blatant flirtations or suggestive exchanges like most teens had over text. None of that. Just a constant, and entertaining back-and-forth.
He realized he looked forward to Rachel's messages. Not because there was anything explicitly romantic, but because he genuinely enjoyed talking to her. It was strange, almost anomalous for someone like him, who had always been more guarded with his time and attention.
He didn't want to overthink it. He knew hours had passed since he last checked their chat, so he opened the conversation.
There were several messages waiting:
[Rachel: Congratulations on the win 👏👏👏! It's a shame I couldn't watch the game, but luckily Twitter is full of your plays. Another 7 TDs, crazy!.]
[Rachel: Justin Bieber tweeted about you! Though I think some of your subscribers won't like that 😂]
[Rachel: By the way, do you have your Halloween costume ready? I do 🙈.]
The last message came with a photo. Rachel was standing in front of a mirror, holding her phone in one hand and posing with the other on her hip. She was wearing a short black dress with lace sleeves, dark stockings, and a pointed hat.
She was dressed as a classic witch.
Andrew was surprised to read that Justin Bieber had tweeted about him.
However, that thought quickly faded into the background when he opened the photo Rachel had sent.
'She looks good… too good,' Andrew thought.
He sat up more comfortably on the sofa and began typing:
[Thanks. Hopefully ESPN airs the next game nationally so you can watch it with Monica.]
[Yeah, I've got my costume ready. I'm Jason from Friday the 13th this year. Mask and real machete, just in case.]
[Your costume looks great. What did Monica dress up as?]
After sending the messages, he reopened Twitter. And there it was, on Justin Bieber's official account:
@justinbieber: brooo Andrew just dropped 7 touchdowns?? that's insane. great game, I watched it until the end. #beast
The tweet had already racked up over 120,000 likes in a short time. Not surprising.
Justin Bieber, like Andrew, was sixteen years old, but the scale of his fame was on another level.
His album My World 2.0, released in March 2010, had debuted at #1 on Billboard, making him the youngest male solo artist to do so since Stevie Wonder. His single "Baby", released in January, had become a worldwide phenomenon, reaching unprecedented viral numbers on YouTube and becoming the most-viewed video on the platform.
That same year, he had already begun international tours, appeared on TV shows across the U.S., and Europe, and was among the top three most-followed people on Twitter, with over four million followers.
Justin could easily be considered, the world's most famous teenager in 2010.
Andrew, for his part, was in the midst of his own rise: over 3 million YouTube subscribers, 2 million Twitter followers recently reached, ESPN games with record-breaking ratings, and total dominance in the toughest league in the country. But the comparison made it clear, his fame, while massive, was still a rising phenomenon compared to the global hurricane that was Bieber.
And as for Rachel's message saying that some of Andrew's subscribers might not like it, he understood why.
A portion of his YouTube audience, guys who looked up to him as a symbol of discipline, strength, and masculinity, were the same ones who often mocked Bieber.
To them, Justin represented "music for girls," a pop idol too soft and polished, while Andrew embodied the opposite: the unstoppable athlete, the competitor breaking records through hard work and raw talent.
For those fans, Bieber praising him was almost a contradiction.
However, Andrew didn't share that irrational hate. He didn't listen to Justin's music, but he had no reason to despise him either.
In fact, thanks to Rachel, he had ended up learning more about Justin: that he was breaking records in music, that he'd listened to a few songs besides Baby, and that he was also a big sports fan, especially basketball.
What would those radical fans think if they found out he had listened to more Bieber songs unironically?
Besides, since Andrew came from the future, he knew that Bieber would go through some rough times in the industry, so he actually felt a bit sorry for him.
Rachel, for her part, did listen to Justin's music, though not obsessively. She had told him herself that she couldn't understand how girls her age could cry or nearly faint from seeing Bieber, or scream like maniacs.
Andrew looked at the tweet again and smiled slightly, an idea forming in his mind. He decided to follow Justin on Twitter.
And not only that, he replied directly to his tweet:
@AndrewPritchett-Tucker19: Appreciate it bro 🙌 Glad you caught the game.
He wanted to see what would happen, whether his more radical fans would tolerate him interacting with the Canadian singer they all seemed to hate for no good reason other than that air is free.
It wouldn't be the first time Twitter went up in flames over something stupid.
The first notifications started rolling in within seconds, but Andrew noticed that Rachel had replied, so he switched to their chat.
[Rachel: Monica is organizing your fans to make noise on social media and pressure ESPN to broadcast the next game. Should I join? Lend me the machete to put some pressure on them.]
[Rachel: Thaaanks, glad you liked it! I really went all in buying the whole outfit. JASON?! Obviously I need a picture. I sent you mine, it's only fair.]
[Rachel: Oh, and as for Monica, the best I got was convincing her to throw a white sheet over herself to be a ghost. Better than nothing. She hates dressing up, so stubborn.]
Andrew smiled as he typed back quickly. Then he stood up, put on the mask, grabbed the big knife, and snapped a quick mirror selfie in the living room.
He had barely taken off the mask and sat back down on the sofa when Rachel's reply came through.
[Rachel: OMG, you look GREAT, and terrifying, with the mask, but… I need to see you without it now. It's unfair that I sent a photo with nothing covering my face and you didn't. Identity check.]
[Andrew: You're demanding, but fair point. Give me a second.]
He took another photo, this time without the mask, and sent it.
She replied instantly.
[Rachel: Much better without the mask… you look great like that. Better than my photo. Identity confirmed.]
Andrew raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, the conversation had taken on a different tone, closer, with lines that felt like subtle, shy flirting.
[Andrew: You look better, trust me.]
Andrew was just about to type his next message when he heard a familiar snort that distracted him.
"My goodness… at this rate, we're going to leave when the party's already over. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
It was Jay, walking into the living room with a frown caught somewhere between impatience and resignation.
"What's with that face?" Jay asked, noticing Andrew's goofy smile as he looked at his phone.
"Nothing…" Andrew replied, slipping the phone into his pocket and forcing a neutral expression.
Jay dropped onto the couch beside him. He was wearing a cheap vampire costume, the only decent part was the cape; the rest looked like a last-minute clearance grab from the costume store.
"They're still not ready?" Andrew asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"No," Jay huffed. "You know how Manny is with clothes. And Gloria's still doing her makeup like she's about to shoot a Hollywood movie."
Andrew shook his head, he was used to waiting, especially for his dad, Cam.
"And what about your friends…" Jay continued, eyeing him sideways.
"Leonard and Howard, Grandpa. Those are their names."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. What's taking them so long? Are they making the costumes or what?" Jay grumbled, waving his hand impatiently.
Andrew took a moment to phrase it in a way Jay would understand.
"Let's just say… they're as meticulous as Manny when it comes to clothes. Though in their case, only when it comes to costumes."
Leonard and Howard were cosplay enthusiasts, a term Jay, of course, wouldn't know. They weren't professionals or anything, but when Halloween came around, they took it seriously. Their costumes were always far more elaborate and detailed than the usual store-bought ones.
Jay clicked his tongue. "In my day, a costume was just a bedsheet with two holes in it, and that was that," he scoffed, shaking his head.
Andrew looked at him with a small grin. "They had Halloween in your day?"
Jay paused for a second, raised his eyebrows, then let out a dry chuckle.
"Very funny," he said, but his mood had already lightened. He settled back on the couch, and after a brief silence, he said, "So, you're going to the UCLA game tomorrow, huh?"
"Yeah," Andrew nodded.
"Should I go with you?" Jay asked thoughtfully, more to himself than to Andrew.
Andrew shook his head. "You can't, Grandpa. If you do, Gloria will kill you."
Jay already had an unavoidable commitment: he had to take Manny to a date he'd scored with a classmate at an amusement park. The boy was only twelve, and though he fancied himself mature, they couldn't just leave him alone with a girl in an amusement park.
Jay and Gloria would have to stay nearby, like discreet chaperones watching from the shadows.
For Jay, the idea of attending a college football game with Andrew as VIP guests, sitting in prime seats, sounded infinitely better than playing babysitter on a middle-school date.
'He's going with that girl anyway,' Jay thought, giving up on finding an excuse to go to the game.
It would've been awkward to crash what was basically Andrew and Madison's date."
"You're not missing much. UCLA isn't at its best right now. When we go see the Oregon Ducks, that's going to be a great game," Andrew said, trying to lift his spirits.
Oregon was on an incredible run, unlike UCLA. Andrew had even been invited to one of their games, though scheduling and distance had kept him from going so far. He was sure he'd make it eventually.
"Yeah," Jay nodded, and this time he sounded convinced. "That game, I'm not missing for anything."
At that moment, footsteps echoed down the hallway, and when Andrew turned his head, he saw Gloria and Manny coming in. Both were dressed as vampires, but with costumes far superior to Jay's.
Gloria wore a tight black dress with red velvet accents, a high-quality cape, and flawless makeup: bold black eyeliner, crimson lips, and remarkably realistic fangs.
Manny's outfit was a refined vampire ensemble, satin vest, white high-collared shirt, and a cape that nearly dragged across the floor. His makeup was impeccable too, pale with dark shading under his eyes.
"How do we look?" Gloria asked, striking a pose, while Manny frowned, having no choice but to play along with his mother.
This year, Gloria had insisted the three of them dress as a matching vampire family.
"Whoa, you guys look amazing. Grandpa costume looks like trash next to yours," Andrew said, genuinely impressed.
"Thank you," Gloria replied with a proud smile. "I'm lucky I even got him to agree to dress as a vampire, let alone wear makeup or anything more complicated."
Then she turned to Jay. "Here, you forgot your fangs."
"I don't need those. I already look ridiculous with this cape," Jay grumbled.
"I bought them for you!" Gloria snapped, handing him a small box firmly. "So you're going to wear them, do you hear me? Put the damn fangs on, Jay! Make an effort!"
Jay looked at her as if he wanted to argue, but realizing it was pointless, he finally took the box.
Andrew tried to suppress a laugh.
Just then, Howard and Leonard appeared.
Howard was dressed as the Joker from The Dark Knight: purple suit, green vest, a loosened tie, and flawlessly applied white face paint with the iconic red scars at the corners of his mouth. He had even temporarily dyed his hair bright green, completing the look in an unsettlingly accurate way.
Leonard, on the other hand, had chosen another Batman villain: Scarecrow. He wore a tattered brown coat, dark gloves, and a burlap sack mask with twisted stitches and black holes for the eyes and mouth.
Andrew looked at them with a mix of fascination and a twinge of envy. Their costumes were excellent. Seeing them arrive together as villains from the same universe made him feel slightly out of place.
It wasn't that his Jason costume didn't work, the mask, the large knife, and his height and build were imposing enough, but it didn't match theirs.
He simply hadn't had time to prepare something that elaborate: between games, practices, studies, and acting lessons with Willa, the costume had been the last thing on his mind.
Howard noticed him and smiled theatrically. "Why so serious, Andrew?" he said in a deep, exaggerated Joker voice, spreading his arms dramatically.
"They look awesome," Andrew said with an approving nod.
"Next year I'm joining you guys, but I'll be the Joker. Leonard stays as Scarecrow, and Howard can be the Penguin," he added.
Leonard burst out laughing, picturing Howard dressed as the Penguin from the 1992 Batman movie.
"All right, all right, that's enough," Jay interrupted in his gravelly tone, getting up from the couch. "Enough talking, let's go to the party."
His cheap vampire cape flared behind him as he headed toward the door, his poorly fitted fangs jutting awkwardly from his mouth, while the rest followed behind him.
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