Nathe07
patreon
MD - Chapter 156: Elite adaptation
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 16:17:56 +0000 UTCThursday, July 22 The Californian sun was relentless. Nearly thirty degrees, not a single cloud, and barely a warm breeze that felt more dec
Thursday, July 22
The Californian sun was relentless. Nearly thirty degrees, not a single cloud, and barely a warm breeze that felt more decorative than helpful.
For Andrew, it was a special day: he had an important meeting after his training at Mater Dei.
His second meetup with subscribers. It would be at the same mall as last year, at three in the afternoon.
Despite it being a Thursday, Andrew had practice at Mater Dei, since the summer tournament was starting the next day. But it was a light day, more technical, no contact, focused on strategy and play reviews.
He showered at school, so by the time he got home, he still had some time before heading to the mall. Cam was waiting with lunch.
Mitchell was still at work. After eating, Andrew changed clothes, got ready to leave, and killed some time playing games on his phone and goofing around with Lily.
Finally, it was time. He grabbed his backpack, a water bottle, and said goodbye to Cam.
"It's a shame we can't go... but Mitch is working, and I have to look after Lily," Cam said with dramatic flair. Last year, he had been the photographer for Andrew's subscriber meetup.
But today was Thursday, no one could watch Lily, and Mitchell was working. Andrew had been wanting to do the meetup for a while now; he had passed the 2 million mark weeks ago.
He couldn’t keep postponing it, and he needed to take advantage of his vacation time, once school started, his schedule would get tighter.
"I’ll tell you everything in detail," Andrew said as he kissed Lily on the forehead.
"Great, thanks! And don’t forget, you have double the followers now. They may be civilized, but it could still be a bit chaotic compared to last year," Cam warned him.
"Yeah, I know. Last year it was maybe two or three hundred people, and everything went smoothly. This year we might get four or five hundred if we’re lucky. The mall can handle that just fine. The only thing is I’ll probably be back later because it’ll take more time to greet everyone and take pictures..." Andrew replied.
Cameron nodded, seeing him off as if he were heading to war, and Andrew left.
The Camaro gleamed like a mirror under the midday sun. Andrew got in, buckled up, and just as he was about to start the engine, his phone buzzed.
Unlocking it, he found a long message from Mitchell filled with recommendations: avoid crowds, don’t stray from the group, keep escape routes visible, stay hydrated. All with emojis included.
"Whoa... talk about overkill," Andrew muttered with a smile as he typed out a reply.
After responding, he drove off toward Howard’s house.
A few minutes later, already on his friend’s street, he honked twice. The door opened and out came Howard and Leonard, backpacks slung over their shoulders, shirts sticking to their backs from the heat, foreheads slick with sweat. They looked like they had just escaped from an industrial oven.
"Thank God!" Howard said as he opened the passenger door. "Do you know what I’d give to have a Bumblebee with air conditioning?"
He dropped into the front seat like it was an oasis. Leonard clumsily climbed into the back, accidentally bumping the seat as he closed the door. Both sighed in unison as the A/C hit them.
"I’m going to marry this air vent," Leonard mumbled.
"You have to talk to her first," Howard replied, pointing at the console. "They have feelings."
Andrew chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway. "Why are you guys so sweaty? Don’t you have A/C in your room?"
He was the one who had to train under the blazing sun and do cardio, not them, who were probably inside playing video games and only woke up an hour or two ago.
"It broke," Howard said, resigned. "My mom called a technician, but he’s not coming until Saturday."
"Well, it’s just two days. You’ll survive," Andrew said with the calm of someone used to discomfort. He was so used to training regardless of the weather that the heat barely bothered him. Sure, he preferred air conditioning, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.
"Is Haley coming after all?" Leonard asked before Howard could respond to Andrew’s indifference and his misery about not having air conditioning.
"Yeah, she seems curious about YouTube and the kind of people who decide to come to a mall in the middle of summer just to take a photo with me... and I guess she doesn’t have any other plans," Andrew replied.
They arrived at the Dunphy house in a few minutes. Andrew parked in front and honked the horn.
Nothing.
Two minutes passed and no one came out. Andrew sighed, he already knew what was going on. He pulled out his phone and dialed. On the second ring, Haley picked up.
"I heard the horn, I’m coming out now," Haley said, as if she were opening the door.
"Liar. I know you. You’re still in your room, standing in front of the mirror doing your makeup," Andrew said, not believing a single word.
"Tsch," Haley clicked her tongue. "Give me five more minutes."
"Five of your minutes or five actual minutes?"
"Fine! Ten minutes and I’m out!" Haley said, ending the call.
Andrew exhaled but smiled slightly at Haley’s lack of punctuality. Leonard and Howard got comfortable in their seats, already knowing that ten minutes could easily turn into fifteen on a bad day.
Given the inevitable wait, Howard took the opportunity to pull out his camera, turning it on with the practiced ease of someone who’s done this before. They needed vlog footage before arriving at the venue.
He turned in his seat, pointing the lens at Leonard, who immediately tensed up, a little uneasy about the unexpected spotlight.
"Alright, we’re just over an hour away from the second big subscriber meetup for the channel," Howard began in a documentary-style tone. "Next to me: Leonard, a newcomer to this world. Leonard, are you excited for your first experience as photographer and support staff at a major YouTuber event?"
"Yeah... I just hope there’s no chaos. As long as we don’t get trampled in a stampede or kicked out of the mall, I’m good," Leonard said, giving the camera a timid smile.
"We’ll be fine," Andrew said from the driver’s seat, as Howard turned the camera toward him.
"Do you know Murphy’s Law?" Howard asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I know it. Come on, last year we had maybe 300 people tops, and it was super chill. Sure, I have double the subscribers now, but it’s summer, nearly thirty degrees, and it’s a Thursday… If 500 people show up, that’d already be crazy, and the mall can handle that many just fine."
“What if it’s more?” Howard asked, amused.
“I trust my subscribers,” Andrew said, looking at the camera. “Most of them are chill. They were amazing last year. This isn’t a rock concert or Black Friday.”
Leonard raised an eyebrow and said, “Famous last words.”
Howard laughed as he filmed Andrew’s face from the driver’s side angle. “There you have it. Leader, quarterback, influencer, and now... reckless optimist.”
Andrew just gave a thumbs-up and smiled, as if to say everything would be fine.
After that, Howard stopped recording, there wasn’t much else to say.
“Seriously though… if more people show up than we expect, we’re at a disadvantage,” Howard said, lowering his voice. “Last year we had a stronger formation in case things got out of control.”
Andrew nodded. Even if he wasn’t as nervous or paranoid, he knew the first meetup had gone viral, and now, with double the subscribers and it being a sequel event, there was a good chance even more people would feel encouraged to come.
Last year, they had their parents (Cam, a former college offensive lineman), Steve, and the rest of the crew. A full lineup, practically a tactical squad. If anything went wrong, they had all sides covered.
They had more than enough strength to clear a path if things got messy.
But this time… they were just four.
Howard and Leonard, both barely scratching 5’7” and maybe 130 pounds on a good day. Physical activity: minimal, despite Andrew’s many failed attempts to get them into a gym routine.
And Haley… well, Haley was a force of nature, but not exactly because of her size. At just 5’0” and around 100 pounds, her weapons were more verbal than physical.
So, realistically, if anything went wrong, a stampede, a frenzied crowd, general chaos, there was only one person capable of holding the line.
Andrew.
It didn’t scare him. He trusted his strength, he knew, with hard numbers, that he was stronger than elite athletes his age. Plus, he’d be the focus of the fans, which would give the others a chance to slip away.
Still, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Steve, Reggie, Archie, and Kevin weren’t coming. Andrew had invited them, of course, but they all had commitments with their new teams. Each of them had made the jump to a Division 1 football school after Palisades’ perfect season, just like him.
Though none of them had landed somewhere as demanding or historic as Mater Dei.
That was the reason they couldn’t come.
While Andrew not only adapted but earned the starting quarterback spot, displacing a senior with a verbal offer from USC, his friends weren’t having the same kind of journey.
Reggie and Archie, both running backs, were still struggling to stand out in their new offensive systems. Steve, a fast but inconsistent wide receiver, had talent but lacked discipline and ended up at Notre Dame, a much more demanding program compared to the ones Archie, Kevin, and Reggie had joined.
Kevin, an offensive lineman, was strong, but still needed to refine his technique and build his body to meet the level of demand and beat out either senior players or others his age.
Steve had mentioned it in a recent conversation: "I thought I was ready. But after seeing the quarterback here... I miss having you as my QB. It’s just not the same." Archie had said something similar. Kevin didn’t even bother to hide his frustration. And Reggie, always proud, admitted that the jump had been tougher than expected.
The truth was clear: even though all of them had grown under Andrew’s leadership, they weren’t at his level. Not physically, not mentally, not technically, not even in natural talent.
Andrew adaptation, something inevitable for him, was not the same for his friends.
And it wasn’t arrogance. It was simply a fact. Just like he took the spot from Max, a senior who’s been at Mater Dei for years and is headed to USC, the difference between him and his childhood friends was just as big, if not bigger.
In Division 1, everything is faster, more physical, more technical. And while they were still fighting for a place before the season even started, Andrew had already earned his in less than a month, at an even more demanding school, and in the most competitive position of all: quarterback.
The leader, the face of the team. The first to receive the glory… and also the criticism.
That’s why they weren’t here today. They knew their time was better spent recovering, training, and adjusting.
“Alright, I’ve made up my mind, if things go south, I’ve got a plan. You two run, and I’ll sacrifice myself for the content,” said Howard, and the other two laughed.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Andrew said, more seriously, giving his friends a look. “Seriously. Today’s the first day of Comic-Con, you could’ve been there right now.”
Howard coughed, pretending to be uncomfortable. “Don’t get all emotional. You’re paying me to shoot this vlog anyway,” he said, lowering his voice and staring out the window.
“Wait, you’re actually getting paid just to shoot a video today?” Leonard asked, leaning forward from the back seat, one eyebrow raised.
He knew Andrew paid Howard as a cameraman based on recording time and other factors, but paying a flat day rate wasn’t exactly common.
"Yeah," Andrew admitted with a half-smile. "It’s a special event, and I don’t want to come off as cheap when people know I bought a Camaro with what I earned on YouTube."
"Thanks to that, I’ll be able to buy more stuff at Comic-Con, totally worth it," Howard said with a faint smile.
"As for you, I don’t really have a task to give you so I could pay you, even something symbolic..." Andrew said, glancing at Leonard.
"It’s fine. Comic-Con lasts four days. The first day is the quietest. I didn’t want to miss this again," Leonard replied.
Last year, he hadn’t gone, just the thought of being in a huge crowd had made him anxious.
"So why’d you change your mind? Got braver over the past year?" Howard asked with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, I’m no longer afraid of a mob of fitness fans begging for your autograph on their protein cups," Leonard said, adjusting his glasses.
"Shakers," Andrew corrected.
A shaker is a container used to mix drinks, especially cocktails or protein shakes.
"Ten minutes, huh?" Andrew muttered, checking the car’s clock. It had already been twelve minutes since the call with Haley.
"Time flows differently in her dimension," Leonard sighed from the backseat, grateful for the blessed air conditioning keeping him alive.
"We’re doomed," Howard declared, as if he had already accepted his fate.
Andrew let out a long sigh and began honking the horn persistently. A couple of short bursts. Then longer ones. Until finally, the front door opened.
And there she was, Haley.
She wore a white summer dress with a floral print, loose but elegant, that showed off her sun-kissed legs. A small brown faux-leather belt cinched at the waist. She had oversized aviator sunglasses and a wide-brimmed beige hat that shaded most of her face.
She approached the car, leaned down slightly, and tapped on Andrew’s window with her knuckles.
"Hey!" Andrew said, rolling the window halfway down. "Careful with that. These windows aren’t bulletproof, you know?"
"Please, don’t exaggerate," Haley replied with a sarcastic smile. "I doubt these windows would break from my knuckles. I’m not made of Adamantium."
Leonard and Howard went silent for a second. They glanced at each other like they hadn’t fully processed what they’d just heard.
"Did she just say... Adamantium?" Leonard murmured.
"She did. And casually. We’re in a parallel universe," Howard whispered back to him.
Andrew let out a small laugh. After all these years, a bit of geek culture had finally managed to seep into his cousin’s brain, even if she still denied it.
"Hey, nerds," Haley greeted Leonard and Howard, who greeted her back confidently.
When Haley used the word “nerds,” it wasn’t with malice, it was affectionate. After so many social gatherings with Andrew and the group, she truly considered them friends.
"So, you getting in?" Andrew asked.
"Nope, I’ll take my car. I feel like driving," said Haley, who hadn’t done many long drives yet and wanted to take the chance to enjoy her new car.
When Andrew told Jay and Haley a few weeks ago that he was planning to buy a car of his own, since it’d be less of a hassle than sharing, Jay followed through on Haley’s gift.
He couldn’t back out of it now, or the favoritism toward Andrew would’ve been painfully obvious and only hurt Haley’s feelings. And the old man was too stubborn to turn back, so he bought her a car.
Haley had been thrilled to have a car just for herself and to choose the exact model and color she wanted. Besides, she agreed with Andrew, it would’ve been a nightmare trying to share a car.
Andrew nodded, relieved. "Perfect. The backseat in the Camaro’s a joke anyway. Leonard’s already riding like he was vacuum-sealed. If you got in too, it’d look like human trafficking."
Leonard raised a hand. "Confirmed. I can already feel my knees and lungs fighting for space."
Haley smiled, nodded, and walked toward her car. A 2008 Mini Cooper, light pink, almost white under the Californian sun. It wasn’t flashy, but rather elegant in a feminine way. Clean rims, polished chrome details. It was clear she took good care of it.
"That was the car you two were supposed to share?" Howard asked, raising an eyebrow. "Dude, you dodged a bullet. If you got in there, your head would’ve touched the roof. It’d be like watching The Rock in a go-kart."
Andrew laughed but nodded seriously. "Yeah. That Mini Cooper and I were not meant to be. I owe a big thanks to my subscribers for making this Camaro possible," he said, giving the steering wheel a pat.
Of course, if he hadn’t bought the Camaro and accepted Jay’s offer, he and Haley would’ve had to reach an agreement, and that Mini Cooper probably wouldn’t have been the car they ended up buying together.
"Hard to believe we almost saw you stepping out of that Barbie car," Leonard added from the back, giving Andrew a half-disbelieving look.
"The Mini Cooper has style, for girls like Haley. Not for a guy who weighs over 180 pounds and is about to hit six-foot-three," Andrew said with a faint smile. The space would’ve been completely incompatible with his size.
Andrew started the engine and pulled out. Haley followed right behind them.
Comments
Matt Holmes
Thanks for the chapter
