"What do you mean "We do nothing"?!"
Haley and Alex said in unison to Mathew. Having expected this response, he raised his hands to try and calm down both girls.
"Listen. Luke is a good kid. The most he and Becca are going to do is make out." Mathew reasoned as he tried to help Luke out as a true believer of the Bro-code. "I mean, what's the worst you've done when you were 14?"
Alex remained silent, having nothing to add due to her rather lackluster dating experience. Haley, on the other hand, gained a thinking face as she recalled all her past experiences.
"We have to stop them!" Haley exclaimed, her voice barely above a frantic whisper. Panic flooded her eyes, which widened with fear as she realized the gravity of the situation. Just as she turned to dash up the stairs, Mathew reached out and firmly grasped her shoulders, his grip both reassuring and forceful. Alex had a thoughtful look before she eyed her sister warily.
"Haley... what exactly were you doing at 14?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all! All I know is that we have to stop Luke and Jacky from being alone together!"
Mathew released Haley and stared at her with suspicion. Turning to Alex, he arched a brow and received a shrug. "It's Becca. Still, Luke isn't you. Have some faith in your little brother."
"Maybe Matt's right." Alex crossed her arms and stepped closer to Haley. "Maybe we should trust Luke?"
"Ugh! Fine! We'll leave them alone. For now." Haley relented, fighting her instincts as an older sibling. Turning to Mathew, she jabbed a finger in his face. "But if something happens, it's on you!"
"Got it."
Marching to the family room, Haley sat down with a huff before pulling out her phone. Meanwhile, Alex stood beside Mathew, a watchful eye trained on him. Her gaze was sharp and filled with suspicion.
"Are you sure about this?"
"...yes."
"I'll take that as a no."
••o••o••o••
Within Dunphy's kitchen, Manny shook a silver cocktail shaker while pouring some of its contents into a glass. "Can I offer you a pina Delgado? It's my own concoction."
"What's in it?" Joyce said with a wrinkled face, her magazine momentarily forgotten.
"Let's just say it's cool, it's sweet, and it's not afraid to embrace its own whimsy."
"I'm not saying that. I'm not drinking it, either."
Manny watched her push the glass away with a bit of disappointment. "So... you making any resolutions?"
"Yeah. No more blind dates."
"You're mean." Lily stopped drawing on one of the kitchen walls to look at Joyce.
"You know, she's right, Joyce. You are mean." Manny nodded at Lily's comment and turned to Joyce with an annoyed frown. "I've been a gracious host while you've been rude, sullen, and dull. You'll forgive me if I choose not to start the new year on such a negative note. Oh, and if you're hungry for broccoli later, you'll find a piece in your teeth."
From the other room, Alex and Mathew watched Manny walk off. "Damn. Manny can be pretty savage when he wants," Mathew said.
Stepping back into the family room, they sat down and watched the muted television broadcast of the New Year celebration in New York.
"Do you have any New Year's resolutions?" Alex asked.
Humming, Mathew leaned back on the couch while staring up at the ceiling. "I guess I want to become better. If that makes any sense."
"What do you mean?" Haley asked, putting her phone away.
"I guess I mean that I want to grow as a person. Learn new skills. Become more than I am today. I don't know. I want to be better." Mathew said with closed eyes. His thoughts go to his game-changing system.
"I get that," Alex nodded, her own thoughts flying through her future plans on how to be the best at school. "In the future, I want to look back at past Alex and see how much I've grown."
As Haley listened to her sister and new friend discuss their future and aspirations, a frown creased her brow. Waves of uncertainty washed over her as she contemplated her own future, which felt increasingly bleak.
After being kicked out of college, she could almost feel the heavy weight of disappointment pressing down on her shoulders. The hurtful glances from her parents replayed in her mind, each one a reminder of their dashed expectations.
Can I be better, too? Haley thought, hugging herself.
"Hey, Matt. Can I ask you a question?" Alex said.
"Shoot."
"Why boxing? You have such a brilliant mind. You grasp concepts so quickly that you can learn anything. So, I can't help but wonder why, out of all sports, why choose the one with the highest chance of brain damage and physical injury?" Alex said softly. She was worried her question could have offended Mathew.
Mathew blinked and thought about her question. From beside Alex, Haley leaned in and waited alongside her sister for his answer.
"You'd be right to say boxing is a dangerous sport. A professional boxer goes into every fight with the knowledge it could be their last. Even so… I've come to really love the sport." Mathew leaned forward and held his hands with a fond smile. "Boxing is so much more than just two people hitting each other over and over for no reason. There's so much more to it than just that."
Mathew sat quietly, reflecting on the countless years he had dedicated to honing his skills in the sport he loved. Each drop of sweat he had poured during grueling training sessions, each aching muscle after a particularly intense practice, became vivid memories that filled him with pride.
"It may have taken me a few years, but I know now that I love boxing. It's what I want to do. For as long as I can."
Haley and Alex leaned back in their chairs, enveloped in a heavy silence. The air was thick with the lingering energy of Mathew's impassioned speech, his words streaming with fervor and conviction. They exchanged glances, each lost in thought, struggling to find the correct response.
The intensity of Mathew's enthusiasm had ignited a whirlwind of emotions within them, leaving them momentarily speechless and unsure of how to articulate their feelings in an adequate way.
"Wow, Matt," Haley whispered.
"I didn't know that's how you felt," Alex said with a growing smile. "Well, I guess you got yourself your first fan then."
"Yeah. Me too." Haley nodded.
"Thanks, you two." Mathew smiled at them, feeling a swell of confidence build in him hearing their support. "I think it's time to go check on Luke. Don't you think?"
"Oh my god! You're right!"
Haley and Alex jumped and hurried up the stairs to knock on Luke's door, ready to confront him about his relationship with Becca. Meanwhile, Mathew was left alone. It didn't take long for the young girl to come rushing down the stairs, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Twenty minutes later, her mother came to pick her and Joyce up. Leaving behind a fuming Luke and a disappointed Manny.
As the hours slipped away, only a few minutes remained until midnight and the new year's arrival. In the cozy living room, Mathew, Alex, and Haley stood together, their laughter mingling with the cheerful chatter on the television.
They held frosty glasses filled with Manny's piña coladas, the tropical scent of coconut and pineapple wafting through the air. Their eyes were glued to the screen as the iconic New York New Year's ball began its slow descent.
"5… 4… 3… 2… 1. Happy New Year!" The three said in a hushed voice, mindful of the sleeping kids upstairs.
Clinking their glass together, they all took a drink of their drink. Happy to have spent the welcoming of the new year together.