[Modern Family] Ch: 58 [A Day out with the Girls] (Patreon)

AN: This one is a really dialogue heavy chapter. It was really a nightmare to write 😅. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

The theater doors swung open, and Jason stepped into the brightly lit mall corridor with three very pleased women walking beside him.

"So, what did we think?" Haley asked, turning toward the others as they joined the crowd leaving the theater. "Because I thought it was adorable. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were so cute together!"

"I liked it," Penny agreed, linking her arm with Jason's as they walked. "Though seriously, can we talk about how gorgeous Alaska looked? I almost forgot the whole plot kicked off because she blackmailed her assistant into a wedding."

"Which is why the whole premise is completely ridiculous," Alex pointed out, adjusting her glasses. "Margaret literally holds Andrew's career hostage to force him into immigration fraud. And somehow we're supposed to find that romantic."

"Oh, come on, Alex. It's a rom-com," Haley replied, giving her sister a look. "You're supposed to enjoy the romance and the comedy."

"I'm just saying, if Andrew had gone straight to HR, the whole movie would have wrapped up in about fifteen minutes," Alex answered, looking entirely pleased with herself.

"Well, if some wealthy boss ever blackmails me into a fake engagement, I'm asking for a way better ring," Haley declared, holding up her left hand to inspect an imaginary diamond. "Seriously, if I'm committing immigration fraud, I should at least get something pretty out of it."

Alex glanced over with an amused grin. "You'd probably forget all about the fake marriage and just try to drain his bank account."

"And what is wrong with having a solid backup plan?" Haley asked, looking totally unfazed.

Jason laughed as they neared the main escalators. "Personally, I thought Betty White stole the show. That whole weird dance in the woods was gold. Also, that guy who worked every single job in town? I need to see what his weekly paycheck looks like."

Penny laughed at the reminder. "That guy was literally everywhere! First he's a waiter, then he's stripping, and next thing you know he's marrying them. Does that town only have like five residents?"

"Well, I still think the ending was super sweet," Haley said, slipping her arm through Jason's other side. "And you have to admit, the office proposal was pretty cute."

"Sure, though I would've loved a quick explanation as to why everyone in that office cared so much about their boss's dating life," Jason replied as they stepped up to the escalator. "Those coworkers looked more pumped about the wedding than they were about payday."

"You know, Ryan Reynolds could've just spent two hours reading a phone book, and I probably still would've watched," Penny admitted with a grin. "Though Sandra Bullock killed it too, so I'll give her some credit."

Jason looked down at her, smiling. "Should I be feeling threatened by this sudden competition?"

"Sweetie, you're doing great," Penny assured him, giving his arm a squeeze. "Besides, Ryan Reynolds hasn't offered to make me dinner yet."

"Speaking of dinner, I haven't eaten since lunch," Haley interrupted as they stepped onto the moving stairs. "I am starving."

"Good call, me too," Jason agreed, glancing down toward the food court. "And since you three dragged me here to watch a rom-com, dinner is on my tab."

"Dragged you?" Haley repeated, looking insulted. "You totally agreed to come."

"Only after all three of you spent fifteen minutes cornering me about why my life wouldn't be complete without seeing Sandra Bullock marry Ryan Reynolds."

Alex shot him a look. "Just for the record, I only voted for that movie because our other choices were a terrible horror sequel and some R-rated stripper slasher flick that was basically softcore porn."

By the time they reached the lower floor, the conversation had moved on to which upcoming movies they wanted to watch.

The food court was packed as usual. Families occupied most of the larger tables, groups of teenagers gathered near the fast-food counters, and shoppers carrying trays searched for somewhere to sit.

They walked past several restaurants before stopping in front of a burger place with a large illuminated menu.

Penny studied the photographs above the counter. "Okay, I'm definitely getting a bacon cheeseburger. And onion rings. Actually, make that a strawberry milkshake too, because I've been thinking about one since the movie started."

"Didn't you have a giant bucket of popcorn?" Alex asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, and I split it with three people. Plus, I work at the Cheesecake Factory, so my stomach is basically built for this kind of abuse," Penny explained with a playful grin.

Haley stepped closer to the menu. "I'm getting the grilled chicken burger with curly fries and peach iced tea."

Alex decided on a turkey-and-Swiss panini with a small side salad and bottled water, while Jason chose a double bacon cheeseburger, a large order of fries, and a Coke.

They joined the ordering line, waited for the customers ahead of them, and placed their orders with the cashier. After Jason paid, they received a numbered receipt and moved toward the pickup section.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was busy enough that several other customers were already waiting for their food.

Haley leaned against the railing separating the pickup area from the main walkway. "So, Penny, how's work going? Still dealing with those creepy guys who think leaving their phone number on the receipt is attractive?"

"Ugh, please don't remind me," Penny groaned, shifting her bag to her other shoulder. "Yesterday, some guy spent twenty minutes bragging about his 'business empire' before asking if I wanted to come over and check out his home theater. When I shut him down, he left me a two-dollar tip."

"Two bucks?" Haley repeated, looking personally insulted on Penny's behalf. "What a total catch. I can't believe you let that one slip through your fingers."

"Right? I'll probably lose sleep for the rest of my life wondering what could've been," Penny laughed.

"Maybe he spent all his money on the home theater," Alex suggested with a perfectly straight face. "You might've missed your chance to watch movies on a very expensive television."

Penny stared at her for a second before cracking up. "You know what? Now I actually feel kind of bad for turning him down."

Jason smiled as he listened to their conversation while keeping an eye on the pickup counter. He was pleased to see Penny getting along with Haley and Alex. Their first meeting had been somewhat tense, which was understandable considering the circumstances, but the three had gradually become more comfortable around each other.

A few minutes later, an employee called their order number.

Jason stepped forward to collect the first tray while Penny took the second. Haley gathered the drinks and napkins, and Alex picked up the smaller tray containing her panini and salad.

With everything collected, they found an empty four-person table near the windows overlooking the mall's central atrium.

Jason set his tray down and pulled out a chair for Penny before taking the seat beside her. Haley and Alex settled across from them, arranging their food and moving the extra napkins toward the middle of the table.

For the next few minutes, everyone concentrated on eating while occasionally commenting on the movie or pointing out something happening in the mall below.

Jason had just finished another bite of his burger when Alex set her water bottle down and turned toward him.

"By the way, how far did you get with those programming books you bought on Tuesday?" she asked, picking up another piece of her panini. "Have you actually started learning C++, or are you still collecting textbooks?"

Jason swallowed his food and reached for his Coke. "I finished all four of them. The C++ intro was pretty straightforward, and Objective-C wasn't bad once I got used to the syntax. The algorithms book was actually way more interesting than I thought it'd be."

Alex stopped halfway through cutting her panini and looked at him. "Wait, you finished all four books already?"

"Yeah, I finished them yesterday and spent the afternoon studying the code examples," Jason explained. "Haven't actually built anything real yet, though. I still need to set everything up and start writing some code."

"You know, I really should've stopped being surprised by your brain a long time ago," Alex muttered, shaking her head. "Four programming textbooks in a few days. Meanwhile, normal people spend half that time trying to understand one chapter."

"Well, reading the theory doesn't magically make me a software engineer," Jason replied with a shrug. "I get the concepts, but I still need reps. I'm just gonna start with some basic scripts and scale up."

"That's probably the smartest approach you could take," Alex admitted, looking rather pleased with his answer. "Although I still want to see what happens when your first program refuses to compile and you spend three hours looking for a missing semicolon."

"You sound way too excited about that hypothetical failure," Jason pointed out, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I just want to see how you handle your first programming disaster," Alex replied innocently, though a smirk totally gave her away.

Penny dipped an onion ring into ketchup. "Wait, so now you're learning to code video games?" She chimed in. "Because between the streaming, the tech reviews, and your sudden Gordon Ramsay cooking phase, I'm starting to wonder how many full-time careers you're trying to stack."

"Speaking of cooking, did you see the steak video I uploaded?" Jason asked, remembering he hadn't talked to Penny about the finished recording yet.

"I did! And I'm still waiting for my invitation to that rooftop barbecue you promised me," Penny replied, smiling at him. "That steak looked amazing, by the way. Seriously, you could've put it in a restaurant commercial."

"Well, I want to nail a few more recipes first," Jason told her. "Once I've got the menu locked down, I'll have you guys over for a proper cookout."

"Awesome, because I already have a new bikini picked out," Penny announced, reaching for her milkshake.

Haley leaned forward across the table, lowering her voice just enough to make Jason pay attention. "Well, I also picked a nice one," she whispered with a teasing smile. "And it gets transparent in the water."

Jason simply cleared his throat, already imagining Haley in it. 

'Damn it! She's good,' Penny thought as she glanced at Haley, who was looking far too pleased with herself. She'd been pretty confident about her new bikini until now, but clearly, Haley had other ideas. Well, two could play that game.

Alex watched the two women exchanging competitive smiles and quietly returned to her food. She seemed perfectly content to stay out of their little competition, although the small smile playing on her lips suggested she had a few ideas of her own.

For now, she decided to shift the conversation... "Anyway, what are you planning to do once you've learned enough programming? Are you seriously going to develop an entire mobile game by yourself?"

"That's the rough plan, yeah," Jason replied, grabbing another fry. "I'll probably have to outsource some art or sound down the road if I scale up, but I want to master the core pipeline myself first."

Alex nodded thoughtfully, clearly approving of that approach.

Jason took another sip of his Coke and leaned back in his chair. The conversation about programming had reminded him of something he'd been considering since yesterday.

"Actually, there's something else I've been thinking about," he said, setting his drink down. "I might go back to college and finish my studies."

That immediately caught Alex's attention, while Haley stopped reaching for another curly fry.

"Wait, seriously?" Haley asked, blinking at him. "Since when are you looking to trade gaming for midterms?"

"Since yesterday, honestly," Jason said after a second. "Reading through those books made me realize how dumb it was to quit college halfway through. I was already halfway through my junior year, so it just feels like unfinished business. But then again, if I hadn't done that, I might not have won that jackpot or met you girls."

Haley studied him for a moment before gesturing toward him with a fry. "Okay, let me get this straight. You have a huge house, a rental property, enough money in the bank to live comfortably, and you just bought a ridiculously expensive grill and a car. And now you wanna go back to college?"

"When you put it that way, it does sound a little strange," Jason admitted with a laugh. "But I put a ton of hours into those credits. I'd rather just close the loop than leave it hanging."

Penny smiled and reached over to rest her hand on his arm. "Sweetie, I say go for it if it's bugging you. Besides, you literally spend your free time studying nerd stuff for fun anyway. You might as well get a piece of paper for it."

"See? Penny gets it," Jason said, giving her a grateful smile.

Alex, who'd been quietly considering the idea, leaned forward slightly. "Actually, how much of your degree did you finish before dropping out? Do you still have your old transcripts?"

"I should be able to get them," Jason replied, setting his Coke down. "I haven't contacted my old college yet, but I was already in my third year, so I'm hoping at least some of those credits will transfer."

"Well, that depends on where you apply and what degree you're going for," Alex pointed out. "Are you planning to continue your old major or switch to computer science?"

"I'm leaning toward computer science, especially with the mobile game development plans," Jason explained. "But I don't really want to spend another two years attending lectures. I was thinking about finding a college that offers online courses or lets you earn credits by passing exams."

Alex's expression brightened with interest. "You mean credit-by-examination programs? That's actually an option at some colleges. You'd still need to meet their degree requirements, though."

"Yeah, I was looking into Thomas Edison State College yesterday," Jason replied. "From what I've read, they offer some pretty flexible options. If I can transfer enough credits and handle most of the remaining subjects through independent study, I might be able to finish without disrupting everything else I'm doing."

Haley looked between them, suddenly interested. "Wait, so you can basically skip classes, take a bunch of tests, and still graduate? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"Because you still have to study and pass those tests, Haley," Alex reminded her, smiling at her sister. "And some courses require actual assignments or other coursework."

"Well, there goes my interest," Haley muttered, reaching for another curly fry.

Penny laughed before turning toward Jason. "I think it sounds perfect for you, sweetie. You can study whenever you want and still have time for all your other projects."

"That's what I'm hoping," Jason agreed, then glanced at Alex. "Actually, would you mind helping me look into a few colleges? I could use another pair of eyes when it comes to their requirements."

Alex smiled, clearly pleased by the request. "Of course I'll help. Just get your transcripts first, and we can figure out which institute would give you the most credit for what you've already completed."

"Great, because I was already dreading having to read through fifty pages of admission requirements," Jason admitted with a grin.

"You're willing to read four programming textbooks in two days, but college admission requirements scare you?" Alex asked, giving him an incredulous look.

"Hey, at least programming books teach me something interesting," Jason replied, making Penny laugh.

The conversation continued for a while longer, with Alex suggesting a few universities worth investigating. Penny and Haley eventually lost interest in the finer details of college admissions and started scrolling through their phone, although they still joined in whenever something caught their attention.

By the time they finished eating, Haley had already found a shoe store running a sale and was trying to convince Penny to come with her. Penny needed very little encouragement, especially after Haley showed her a picture of a pair of heels she'd spotted in the store's online catalog.

"Come on, guys. We can look around for a little while before heading home," Haley suggested, gathering her handbag and pushing her chair back. "Besides, I need to walk off those curly fries."

"I'm definitely coming," Penny agreed, finishing the last of her milkshake before getting up. She glanced at Jason with a teasing smile. "You two can keep discussing college applications while we look at shoes."

"C'mon, you two," Haley said. "You can talk about college again when we get home."

Alex rolled her eyes but didn't argue as she gathered her things. "Fine, but I'm warning you now that I'm not spending an hour watching you try on twenty pairs of shoes, and I'm not buying heels."

'Oh boy, now I gotta carry their shopping bags...' Jason thought as he stood up.

...

[AN: Yeah, I'll show a little bit of streaming of Prototype in the next chapter. Also, Cam, Mitch and Lily.]