Decisions (Modern Family)

The classroom buzzed with typical pre-class chatter. Students are seated in clusters, some flipping through textbooks, others arguing over the superiority of their favorite video games.

Vincente pushed the door open and He stepped inside confidently, earning a few curious glances.

At the front of the room, a middle-aged teacher—Mr. Lewis—looks up from his attendance sheet. "Ah, you must be our new student. Class, let's all welcome Vincente…" He rechecked his sheet "Delgado, Vincente Delgado."

Some scattered greetings echo around the room.

Vincente gave a wave to the room, "Hey, everybody. Happy to be here. Looking forward to the class."

He caught Cat waving enthusiastically, so Vincente gave her a subtle nod.

"You can take the empty seat next to—ah, Allen Gamble." the teacher waved him off in the direction of Allen.

Allen, now wearing his glasses slightly askew, perks up from his desk near the window. "Oh, hey! It's you again. Sorry about earlier… there was a situation."

Vincente slides into the seat next to him, dropping his backpack on the floor, "No worries, buddy. You've got the magic."

Allen gives an awkward thumbs-up.

Stiles leaned over from the desk in front, wearing a mischievous grin. "Magic? More like Gamble's superpower is tripping over his own shoelaces."

A few kids giggled, but Vincente just smiled. "Well, at least he's got style. You? Still working on that, huh?"

The snappy comeback earned a ripple of laughter from nearby desks.

Mr. Lewis smacked the desk with papers to silence the class and the class officially began.

In math class, Mrs. Reynolds-the math teacher handed out a pop quiz, which drew a collective groan from the students. But Vincente, unbothered, zipped through the questions like it was nothing. By the time Mrs. Reynolds called for papers to be handed in, Vincente was doodling on the back of his sheet. Stiles, who struggled with the last two problems, whispered, "How'd you finish so fast?"

Vincente shrugged. "Numbers just kinda... make sense to me."

Next up was English. In came the English teacher-Ms. Jessica Day carrying a big box with difficulty, she almost tripped coming in the class.

Stiles leaned over and said, "That's Miss Day, I heard she gave donuts in the first class she held a week ago."

Stiles' whisper was loud enough to be heard to everyone around him, earning a few chuckles. Ms. Day, overhearing, looked up with a playful smile. "Well, Stiles, if you're nice, maybe there's hope for donuts in the future. But only if you actually read your assignments in time."

The class burst into laughter, and even Stiles couldn't hide his grin as he leaned back in his chair.

Once the laughter died down, Ms. Day began unpacking the box, pulling out books for their next reading assignment. "Alright, everyone, today we're starting Charlotte's Web. Let's take turns reading aloud—Vincente, how about you start us off?"

Vincente nodded, sitting up a little straighter. As he read the opening paragraphs, his voice was clear and engaging, capturing the room's attention.

"Wow," Cat whispered from her seat. "He's, like, super good at this."

By the time the class ended, Ms. Day gave Vincente an approving nod. "Great job, Vincente. Looks like we've got a storyteller in our midst."

Rest of the classes went with the breeze. By lunchtime, Vincente was feeling good about his first day.

As the lunch bell rang, Stiles gestured to Vincente to follow him, "As your official guide, I'm going to introduce the most important part of the school."

Stiles waved Vincente over after they grabbed their trays, his voice taking on the tone of a dramatic narrator. "Welcome to the cafeteria, Delgado. It's not just where we eat. Oh no, my friend. It's the arena. Let me break it down for you—this is where the cliques rule, alliances are made, and reputations are born."

Vincente chuckled, following Stiles as he gestured dramatically around the bustling room.

"Over there," Stiles pointed toward a table where a group of perfectly dressed girls were flipping their hair and giggling. "Those are The Plastics cause they are like super into barbie, led by Regina George. Don't let the sparkly headbands fool you—they'll cut you down faster than a bad haircut if you're on their bad side."

Vincente raised an eyebrow. "What's their deal?"

"They control the social pyramid," Stiles whispered conspiratorially. "If you're cool enough to sit with them, everyone else either fears you or wants to be you."

Stiles turned, pointing to a quieter corner where a group of kids were huddled over comic books and what looked like a miniature game of Dungeons & Dragons. "And there, we have The Nerds, led by Edgar. He's basically a ten-year-old mad scientist. That kid built a robot out of Legos that actually moves. Respect."

"Impressive," Vincente nodded.

Stiles smirked, moving toward the middle of the cafeteria where a group of kids sat with designer lunch boxes and what looked like gourmet meals. "Now, The Rich Kids. They don't just have money; they show it. See Cher Horowitz? She once threw a birthday party with a chocolate fountain and a petting zoo. In her backyard. It was legendary."

"Wow," Vincente said, genuinely impressed.

Stiles gestured toward another table where a group of kids in athletic gear was arm-wrestling and throwing grapes at each other. "Those are The Sports Stars. They're already dreaming of middle school championships and can probably outrun everyone else here. Don't challenge them unless you want to embarrass yourself."

Then, with a dramatic wave, Stiles pointed toward a table near the back where a group of kids sat quietly, reading books, sketching, or playing with Rubik's cubes. "And those," he said, lowering his voice, "are The Quiet Geniuses. They don't say much, but when they do? It's usually to win a debate or blow your mind with some insane fact about space or dinosaurs."

Vincente tilted his head. "Okay, I like them already."

"And finally…" Stiles pointed to a group of kids sitting at a table surrounded by a pile of candy wrappers and snacks. They were laughing so hard they were practically falling out of their seats. "That's The Chaos Crew. No one really knows who's in charge—they're like a pack of wolves. If something weird happens in this school, they're usually behind it."

Vincente grinned, surveying the cafeteria. "So where do you sit?"

Stiles puffed out his chest, smirking. "Wherever I want, obviously. But today? You're sitting with me and the cool misfits."

"Cool misfits?" Vincente repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Stiles said, leading him to a table near the middle of the room where Allen, Cat, and a couple of other kids were already seated. "We're not trying too hard to fit in with anyone else. We just... do our thing."

Vincente plopped his tray down, smiling. "Cool. I think I'm gonna like it here."

As Vincente settled in at the "cool misfits" table, biting into his sandwich, Stiles leaned back, already mid-story about the time he'd snuck into the teacher's lounge to steal a donut.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the surrounding tables. Vincente looked up to see none other than Regina George and Cher Horowitz walking toward him, their heads held high like royalty entering a court. Stiles froze mid-sentence, his eyes wide as he whispered, "Uh oh. Incoming."

Regina, with her sparkly headband perfectly in place, stopped in front of Vincente, giving him a smile. Cher stood beside her, twirling a strand of her perfectly straight hair, her designer bag perched on her arm.

"Vincente, right?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Vincente replied, raising an eyebrow as he met her gaze.

"We have to ask," Cher chimed in, leaning in slightly. "Is it really you in that YouTube video? The one with the guitar and the cool stage setup?"

Vincente blinked. "Oh… that? Yeah, that was me. It was my birthday party."

Regina's eyes widened, and she exchanged a quick glance with Claire. "It was so good. Like, seriously. Everyone in my dance class was talking about it. Where did you even get those lights?"

"I know a guy (Cam)," Vincente said, still unsure if they were complimenting him or sizing him up.

Cher nodded enthusiastically. "It's got, like, a hundred thousand views already. My cousin shared it with me yesterday, and I couldn't believe you go here. Why didn't you say you were, like, a viral sensation?"

Vincente shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Didn't really think it was a big deal."

Regina tilted her head, her smile widening. "Well, you've definitely got talent. Maybe we'll see you at the talent show this year?"

"We'd vote for you," Cher added quickly, her tone genuinely excited.

Stiles coughed into his hand, muttering under his breath, "Wow, he's already getting endorsements."

Regina shot him a quick, dismissive glance before turning her attention back to Vincente. "Anyway, welcome to the school. Let us know if you ever need help... fitting in."

With that, she and Cher turned on their heels and sauntered back to their table, not before waving at Allen who awkwardly waved back.

"Dude," Stiles said, breaking the silence. "Do you realize what just happened? The Plastics and The Rich Kids just crossed enemy lines to talk to you."

Cat grinned, nudging Vincente. "You're officially the most interesting person here."

Vincente just shook his head, laughing. "It's really not that big of a deal."

Allen, sitting across from him, grinned. "You've been here one day and you're already a legend. What's next? World domination?"

"Let's just start with finishing my sandwich," Vincente replied with a smirk, taking a bite as the cafeteria buzzed around him.

The final bell rang, and the hallways filled with the excited chatter of kids rushing to pack their bags and escape to the freedom of the afternoon. Vincente slung his backpack over his shoulder, feeling a sense of accomplishment after his first day.

The weirdest part of the day, though, had been during art class when the class hamster, Mr. Nibbles, escaped from his cage and somehow managed to climb into the paint supplies. Chaos erupted as kids tried to catch the colorful, paint-streaked hamster while the teacher frantically yelled, "Don't let him eat the brushes!"

By the time the hamster was safely returned to his cage—now sporting a tie-dye look—Vincente had laughed harder than he had in months.

Outside, the late afternoon sun warmed the schoolyard as Vincente waited by the curb with Manny, who was recounting how he'd tripped in gym class and blamed the slippery floor. "It wasn't my fault! Those sneakers have no grip. I should write to the company."

Before Vincente could respond, a flashy black SUV pulled up to the curb. Jay, wearing sunglasses and looking as grumpy as ever, leaned out the window. "Alright, knuckleheads, let's go. We're already late and Gloria's gonna yell."

Manny climbed in first, adjusting his perfectly packed lunchbox, while Vincente followed, tossing his bag into the back. "How was the first day, genius?" Jay asked as they buckled in.

Vincente shrugged, smirking. "Not bad. I think I might even like it here."

Jay nodded, putting the car in drive. "Good. Just don't get too comfortable. School's supposed to be hard—keeps you sharp."

Vincente interrupted before Manny could go on a rant about the school's true purpose, "Hey Jay, can I borrow your phone for a bit?"

"Sure," Jay tossed him his phone.

He searched for his video.

The SUV rolled into the driveway of the Delgado-Pritchett household.

As the three of them walked into the Delgado-Pritchett household, chaos greeted them in full force. Luke darted through the living room, narrowly avoiding crashing into the dog butler statue near the doorway. Phil was hot on his heels, waving a pair of sneakers in the air.

"Luke, I told you to put your shoes away! These things aren't boomerangs!" Phil yelled, his voice equal parts frustration and amusement.

Luke skidded to a stop, grinning. "Relax, Dad, I was just testing the aerodynamic—whoa!" He tripped over the rug, narrowly avoiding disaster as Phil grabbed him by the shoulder just in time.

Across the room, Haley was pacing with her phone pressed to her ear, talking animatedly. "No, but listen, if you don't get those boots, they're going to sell out in, like, seconds. You'll regret it for the rest of your life, Chloe!" she said dramatically, ignoring the chaos around her.

Meanwhile, Alex was sitting on the couch, headphones on and nose buried in a book, completely unfazed by the madness around her. She looked up briefly when she noticed Vincente, Manny, and Jay entering the room. "Welcome to the circus," she said dryly before going back to her book.

"Hey, hey, watch the dog butler!" Jay barked as Luke and Phil weaved dangerously close to it again. He frowned and muttered under his breath, "Why does this happen every time?"

Vincente handed Jay his phone back, smirking. "I think your house is competing with school for who's got more chaos."

"Yeah, well, at least here no one's climbing into the paint supplies," Jay muttered, tossing his keys onto the table and heading for the kitchen.

"Wait, what happened with paint?" Phil asked, intrigued.

"Long story," Vincente said with a laugh.

"Hey, Vin…Vinny…Vince" He heard three different variations of his name that bewildered him.

Vincente blinked, looking between all of them. "Wait… Vin? Vinny? Vince? What's happening right now?"

Phil patted him on the back enthusiastically. "Don't overthink it, Vin! Every great guy needs a nickname. And yours? It's just cool—like, effortlessly cool. Trust me, I know cool."

Luke chimed in, throwing an arm around Vincente's shoulder. "Vinny's the best one, though. It's same to Manny! You'll be the ultimate duo—Manny and Vinny! Oh, man, we should totally get matching t-shirts!"

"Vinny?" Vincente repeated, his face scrunched in confusion. "I don't—wait, why does it sound like I'm Manny's sidekick in this scenario?"

"Well, I'm the older one." Manny chimed in, nodding sagely, like he had spoken something profound.

Haley walked over, nodding approvingly. "Vinny works. It's way more approachable. Plus, you don't look like a 'Vincente' to me. Too formal. Vinny's better for, you know, hanging with the cool kids… like me."

Vincente turned to Alex for some clarity, but she just shrugged, barely looking up from her book. "I like Vince. Short, simple, efficient. No unnecessary syllables."

Finally, Jay grunted from the kitchen doorway. "Vince. Vinny. Whatever. As long as it's not confusing and you answer when someone calls you, I'm fine with it."

Vincente looked around the room, still slightly bewildered by how quickly everyone had decided on this. "So, that's it? I don't get a say in this? My name's just… Vin now?"

"Exactly, Vin," Phil said with a wink. "Welcome to the family."

Vincente sighed, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Alright, fine. I guess I'm Vin now."

"Vinny!" Luke corrected with a grin.

"Vince," Alex said flatly.

"Definitely Vinny," Haley added confidently.

Vincente just shook his head, laughing. "This house is insane."

As everyone disperses, Phil and Luke are loudly debating cereal choices in the kitchen. Jay is on the recliner, watching golf and muttering about everyone's terrible swings. In the living room, Haley is lounging on the couch, scrolling her phone and sipping soda. Alex is in the armchair with a thick textbook open and a bag of candy beside her.

Vincente approached Haley with Jay's phone in his hands, in a sing-song voice "Haley…Haley…Haley."

Haley looked up from her phone, mimicking him "Vinny…Vinny…Vinny"

Vincente plops down on the couch next to Haley and holds up the phone, "What's this?"

"A phone. Duh." Alex let out a snort at the observation.

"Not that, This! Look at the screen." Vincente replied exasperated.

Haley looked at the video playing on the phone, a smirk crept up on her face, "Hmm… looks like some ridiculously talented kid singing and playing guitar like a popstar and by the number of views and 5 stars, the internet seems to agree with me."

Vincente shook his head, hand on his chest, "You could have at least told me, three girls recognized me from this and I couldn't respond to their praise. They went away heartbroken. Woe is me."

Alex looked up from her book briefly, " Sounds like they still fell for the floppy hair and sad puppy eyes combo. It's foolproof."

Haley nodded along, "You've got the Zac Efron Starter Pack, Vinny. You'll be fine."

Vincente leans his elbow on the couch arm and rests his chin in his hand, turning to Haley with a grin, "You know, Haley… if you're going to launch me into internet stardom, the least you could do is warn me. Maybe prep me with a few witty one-liners. You're supposed to be my… what do they call it… my PR manager!"

Haley raised an eyebrow, "You couldn't afford me."

Vincente leaned closer, in a hushed whisper, "What if I pay you in… concert tickets and exclusive backstage passes?"

Haley fakely gasped, "Ooh, front-row seats to "Vincente Live: The Floppy Hair Tour"? Tempting."

Alex, flipping a page, muttered underneath her breath, "Someone's auditioning for the Disney Channel."

Vincente, pointing dramatically at Alex without looking away from Haley, "Don't think I won't cast you as my quirky best friend."

Haley chuckles and swats him lightly with a throw pillow. "Alright, rockstar. Next time I post something, I'll give you a heads-up"

Vincente with a solemn tone said, "Unfortunately, that's all I can ask for."

And went towards the kitchen, Alex watched him go, blinking a few times before setting aside her book.

Back on the recliner, Jay grumbled, "Kids these days. Viral this, viral that. In my day, going viral meant you needed antibiotics."

Alex hurried in after him and caught up to Vince, "Hey, Vince! Grandpa said you're working on some game. Can you show me?"

Vince turned around and looked at her for a beat. Alex was about to plead thinking he was about to decline.

"Sure, follow me."

Alex brightens up, as she follows Vincente out of the kitchen.

As they enter Vince's room, she notices multiple 'anime' as Vince would call it, character figurines, multiple posters of musicians taped to the wall, Vince plops down in his desk chair, swivels toward his computer, and starts it up. The screen comes to life with a bright, candy-colored interface.

Without turning around, Vince gestures to the second chair beside him.

"Since you're already here, why don't you give it a try? It's pretty much done—I just need someone to test it."

Alex's eyebrows shoot up, and she eagerly plops into the chair, "You made a game? Like… an actual game?"

"Yeah, something simple. Nothing too crazy. Just match some candies, rack up points, avoid running out of moves. Easy stuff." Vincente shrugged to play it cool but the smirk gave him away.

The game's logo flashes on the screen: "Candy Crush"

Alex looked impressed, "Vince… this doesn't look "simple.""

This looked polished.

Vince spins slightly in his chair, finally facing her with a smirk, "Well, someone has to secure the bag for my future mansion and unnecessary collection of sports cars."

"Oh, of course. Can't wait to see you on a yacht named "Vin-tastic Voyage."" Alex sarcastically replied.

They both laugh before Alex leans in, clicking 'Start Game.' The bright candies fall into place on the screen, and Alex starts matching them.

Alex looked focused, "Okay, okay… I match the colors… boom, boom… oh, this is satisfying."

Vince grinned, "Right? That dopamine hit when you clear a row? It's like sugar for your brain."

A few minutes later…

Alex is still glued to the screen, matching candies with the intensity of someone trying to defuse a bomb. Vince leans back in his chair, arms crossed, smirking as he watches her.

She was muttering, "Okay, just one more match, and—BOOM! Look at that combo! I'm basically a candy genius."

Suddenly, a pop-up flashes on the screen: "Out of Moves! Want 5 More Moves? Only $0.99!"

Alex freezes, staring at the screen, her face contorting into a mix of confusion and mild betrayal.

Alex incredulously turned towards Vince, finger pointing at the monitor, "Wait… wait a second. Vince… what is this?"

Vince leans forward, resting his chin on his hand, completely unfazed, "Oh, that? That's just a little… business strategy."

Alex was baffled, "Business strategy? Vince, you're charging people—real, actual money—for 5 more moves?!"

Vince grinned, "Not charging. Offering. It's all about options, Alex. Freedom. Choice. Democracy."

Alex turns back to the screen, pointing at the pop-up, ""Democracy"? Oh, sure, Vince. Pay-to-play democracy. Look at you, turning candy into capitalism."

Vince raises his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, someone's gotta pay for the yacht. And those sports cars. And let's not forget—early retirement at 25."

Alex squints at him, leaning closer, "So let me get this straight—you lure people in with bright colors and happy jingles, and then when they're hooked, you hit them with a digital tollbooth?"

Vince's grin turned wider, "Like I said… business strategy."

Alex groans dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "Vince, this is evil. Like… mustache-twirling, "tie someone to the train tracks" levels of evil."

Vince nodded seriously, "Oh yeah, I considered getting a mustache just for that vibe. But it felt too on the nose."

Alex crosses her arms, mock-serious, "You know, people are gonna riot over this. You're gonna have forums full of angry nerds yelling about "corporate greed" and "microtransaction monopolies.""

Vince shrugged, "And yet… they'll still buy the moves."

Alex opens her mouth to argue, but then freezes, " …You're not wrong."

Vince smirks triumphantly and leans back in his chair again, "That's the thing about microtransactions, Alex. People hate them… but they love them. It's the digital equivalent of, "Oh, just one more cookie.""

Alex shakes her head, but she's smiling despite herself, "You know, Vince, if you weren't so… you, I'd say you've got the mind of a supervillain CEO."

Vince smirked, "Oh, don't worry. I'm still charming. Just… strategically charming."

Alex rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer, "Hey Vince! What's COC?"

Vince offhandedly replied, "It's the next game I'm working on."

He turned towards Alex, "Hey maybe, you could help me with this one? My workload will decrease a lot."

Alex smiled excitedly, "YES! Thank you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry my semester just started and let me tell you something, it's a lot.

So, the updates will be irregular, I write when I have time to write so, sorry.

And I have a Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/c/Darkonhard

Thank you for reading!!!