Modern Family: New Life

"What about the obstacles? And the background? We can't let the bird fly in a void," asked Pip, stopping her gaze at the bird in the notebook.

"I was thinking of green pipes or something similar. They should appear randomly with spaces between them for the bird to fly through. That's the player's goal. As for the background, I was thinking of a blue sky with some pixelated clouds," Andrew replied, flipping to the next page of his notebook, where he had sketched the pipes and the sky—very simple drawings.

"Hmm, I see. So, the player taps the screen to make the bird go up, and if they stop tapping, the bird goes down. The trick is to dodge the pipes," said Pippa, nodding as she quickly grasped the game's logic.

"Exactly. If the bird hits one of the pipes or the ground, you lose. There will always be a gap between the pipes for the bird to pass through, but that gap will keep changing position. For example, one pipe might have the gap very high, and the next one might be much lower. This way, the player will have to constantly adjust the height," Andrew explained.

"And as you progress, does it get harder?" asked Pippa, and Andrew nodded.

"The speed will gradually increase. The idea is that, even though it's a simple game, it has that addictive 'I want to beat my record' factor. For that, we just need a counter to track how long you survive. The longer you dodge the pipes, the higher your score goes," Andrew added.

"A counter that's solely based on survival time? That sounds simple to implement," said Pippa, as if it were no challenge at all.

It was a relief to have someone so competent on their team.

"So, there won't be levels as such—the game is infinite until you lose. We just need to make it endless once you hit play," said Pippa, resting a hand on her chin.

"Yes, and program the pipes to appear with gaps in different positions and randomly. That would make each game unique and not feel repetitive," said Andrew, looking at Pippa expectantly.

"Hmm... We need to make sure the pipes aren't impossible to dodge. We can set certain ranges so that the gaps are always within a reasonable limit," Pippa said thoughtfully.

"Do you know how to do that?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, it's just a bit more advanced than what we've covered so far. It won't be a problem," Pippa replied.

"Great. It's nice to work with someone so smart," Andrew said with a smile, causing Pippa to quickly look away for some reason.

"Ah... It's not that big a deal..." Pippa said, avoiding eye contact.

Andrew and Pippa spent a little over an hour discussing the organization and details of every aspect of the game. They defined the gameplay, the design of the pipes, the bird's behavior, and how they would divide the tasks.

They didn't finalize every detail, but they now had something concrete—far more than just a preliminary idea, which was the professor's assignment. They were well ahead of schedule.

"This is... impressive," Pippa said, looking at her notebook, filled with meticulous notes.

"This is more than enough to present tomorrow. In fact, I'm sure the professor will praise us," Pippa thought confidently.

"Yeah, we're pretty far along. Happy now, Miss Perfectionist?" Andrew said with a slight smile as he packed up his things. He knew Pippa was a perfectionist and a good student, so being ahead in a subject was definitely a good thing.

"Perfectionist? Me?" Pippa asked, slightly confused by the comment.

"Yes, I've noticed. Since we've known each other, I've seen how meticulous you are about everything you do. You even correct my spelling when we take notes in class," Andrew said with a smile.

"Well... I just like everything to be well done," Pippa replied, looking down, feeling a bit uncomfortable about being so particular about others' work.

It's one thing to be a perfectionist about your own work, but wanting to do the same with others could come across as a bit meddlesome and, in some cases, even annoying.

"Sorry if I've corrected you too much since we met," Pippa added.

"It doesn't bother me. I actually like that about you," Andrew replied casually, zipping up his backpack.

"D-Do you like that about me?" Pippa asked suddenly, stammering a little as she looked at him.

"Yes," Andrew replied, not noticing the intense look Pip was giving him.

"I think people with that kind of attitude toward things are the ones who really achieve great results," he added. He was the same way with his training and diet—he had to be to reach his dream.

Hard work + talent.

Pippa nodded slowly, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

"The quality I like about you is that you're kind to everyone," Pippa said, summoning her courage.

"Kind to everyone?" Andrew repeated, looking at her.

"I'm not... Leonard and Howard are my friends," Andrew clarified.

He thought Pippa considered him kind only because she had seen him hanging out with Leonard and Howard—two nerds—at the mall yesterday.

"It's not because of that... It's just that I've noticed how you interact with people, and it feels like you're always trying to make others feel comfortable," Pippa explained.

"Noticed? High school started less than three weeks ago," Andrew said. He didn't think he had interacted with enough people to be considered kind to everyone.

Pippa furrowed her brow slightly and, with a touch of sarcasm, replied, "Remember we went to the same middle school, genius? Why do you think my dad and brother are such big fans of yours?" she said, pinching Andrew's arm lightly, making him smile.

"Oh, that's right. My memory's not as good as yours, teacher," Andrew responded, laughing as he lightly tapped her forehead. His intent was to make a playful gesture, as if he were tapping her brain to emphasize his comment, but the gesture came off more like an attempt at flirting.

They both fell silent for a moment, looking at each other, the air between them slightly tense. Pippa, initially surprised by the touch and the closeness, stayed still, unsure of how to react.

Andrew, for his part, didn't seem to realize there was more to his gesture than just a joke. However, as the silence stretched on, he began to feel a little awkward.

"You're right. Sometimes I forget not everyone has a memory as perfect as mine," Pippa said after a few seconds, trying to steer the conversation away and hide her nervousness behind a casual attitude.

Just then, Andrew's phone started ringing, and when he saw who it was, he frowned. It was Veronica—his cheerful and talkative girlfriend, or rather, the girl he'd been in some sort of fake relationship with, though only he knew that.

"What's wrong?" Pippa asked, momentarily forgetting the previous tension.

"Nothing..." Andrew replied, putting the phone back in his pocket without answering.

Pippa raised an eyebrow, curious, and said in a playful tone, "Ignoring a call? And here I thought you were kind to everyone. The things one comes to learn about,"

Andrew glanced at her briefly and smirked. "If I answer now, I could be stuck talking for an hour... and I really need to head home. I'll call her back when I get there, don't worry. My reputation for being kind to everyone is still intact," he replied.

"Well, if you put it that way, I have no choice but to believe you, Mr. Kindness," Pippa said, laughing a little.

"Glad to hear that, Miss Perfectionist," Andrew said with a smile.

Andrew said goodbye to Victor and Josh, and Pippa walked him to the door. "Don't forget to send me photographic proof that your little sister exists," she reminded him.

"I will. See you tomorrow at school. Goodbye, Barney," Andrew said, waving to Pippa and Barney, who was jumping and licking him enthusiastically as a farewell.

'He's gone...' Pippa thought as she closed the door, letting out a deep sigh. The last moments had been strange, but she couldn't stop replaying them in her mind—their faces so close, Andrew's finger lightly touching her forehead...

"Is he gone already?" Victor asked, peeking through the doorframe leading to the living room.

"You should invite him over for dinner sometime. We didn't even get to talk about football," Josh complained, also poking his head through the doorframe.

"Wait, you guys were watching?! Stop being so nosy!" Pippa exclaimed, indignant.

"Look who's talking!" Josh shot back as Victor burst out laughing. It was rare for the queen of nosiness to tell someone else to mind their own business.

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