One week after the baby oil incident, Liam received an unexpected message:
Hayley: My family has a weird family dinner tonight. My uncles are introducing their new adopted baby. My mom said I could invite you so we "have more normal people" lol. Want to come?
Liam almost dropped his phone. This was earlier than he'd anticipated. In the pilot episode, he didn't exist, and he certainly hadn't been invited. The system was accelerating things.
System notification:Mission "Family Drama" now availableObjective: Attend the dinner and create at least 3 memorable momentsReward: 15,000-45,000 pointsWarning: Interaction with multiple main characters - high risk of meta-knowledge
Liam checked his points: 83,273. He needed specific skills for tonight. He browsed the store:
Understanding Jay (Level 1) - 22,000 pts → Understands 40% of his sarcasm and how to respond appropriately
Handling Cameron (Level 1) - 18,000 pts → Knows when to join his drama and when to avoid it
Connecting with Manny (Level 1) - 12,000 pts → Appreciates 50% of his advanced cultural references
Surviving Gloria in Spanish (Level 2) - 35,000 pts → Now understands 60% and can respond with basic phrases
Everything was too expensive. He decided to buy Understanding Jay (Level 1) and Connecting with Manny (Level 1), spending 34,000 points. He had 49,273 left.
New skills activated:
You detect when Jay is being sarcastic vs. genuinely annoyed
You recognize literary/cinematic references Manny makes
He dressed carefully: button-down shirt, jeans without rips, light jacket. Formal enough for a family dinner but not so much as to seem like he was trying too hard.
At 6:30 PM, Phil arrived to pick him up. "Liam, my savior! Get in."
The car smelled like cleaner and something chemical. "New car scent," Phil explained. "Claire says it smells like unrealized ambitions, but I say it smells like success."
During the drive, Phil talked nonstop about real estate, magic tricks he was practicing, and his theory that teenagers today "don't appreciate retro enough."
Liam used his Understanding Phil skill to detect the jokes and laugh at the appropriate moments. +50 points for positive interaction.
"You know, I like you, Liam," Phil said as they parked in front of Mitchell and Cameron's building. "You're like a teenager... but with common sense. It's weird."
"Thanks, I think."
Upon entering the apartment, the first thing Liam noticed was the music: a soft piano melody that sounded suspiciously like a movie drama soundtrack. The second thing was the smell: something burnt mixed with expensive perfume.
"They're here!" announced Cameron from the living room, wearing a sweater that looked like it was made of blue-dyed clouds. "Welcome to the official presentation of Lily Tucker-Pritchett."
Mitchell appeared behind him, looking tense. "Hello, everyone. And... Liam, right? I didn't know you were coming."
"That was my idea," said Claire, entering behind them. "I thought it would be good to have... balance."
Liam understood: Claire wanted a "normal" teenager to contrast with the situation she considered abnormal.
System check: Mitchell's discomfort level - High
"Nice to meet you both," said Liam, shaking hands. "Congratulations on the baby."
"Thank you!" said Cameron, suddenly hugging him. "You're sweet! See, Mitchell? Today's youth is progressive."
Liam felt Mitchell's tension increase. Skill "Understanding Jay" activated: Detects Mitchell is about to make a sarcastic comment.
"Sure, because a teenager who doesn't run away screaming is the definition of progressivism," Mitchell muttered.
"Mitchell..." Cameron warned.
Just then, Jay, Gloria, and Manny entered. Liam recognized them immediately: Jay with his expression of perpetual discontent, Gloria radiant in a red dress, and Manny in a little suit with an air of poetic melancholy.
"Who's the extra?" Jay asked directly, pointing at Liam.
"Dad, that's rude," said Claire. "This is Liam, a friend of Hayley's."
"A 'friend,' huh?" said Jay with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "How old are you, kid?"
"Seventeen, sir."
"Jay. Call me Jay. 'Sir' makes me feel old." Pause. "Older."
Gloria approached, studying Liam. "You have sad eyes. Are you okay, mijo?"
Skill "Surviving Gloria in Spanish" (level 1) activated: Detects genuine concern mixed with curiosity.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Just a little nervous to meet so many important people."
Gloria smiled. "Ay, how sweet! He talks like Manny."
Manny approached, formally extending a hand. "Manny Delgado. A pleasure."
"Liam Parker. Likewise."
Skill "Connecting with Manny" activated: Detects Manny is evaluating his social sophistication.
"Parker? Like Dorothy Parker, the writer and poet from the Algonquin Round Table?"
Liam smiled. "Not related, as far as I know. But I appreciate the reference."
Manny nodded, approving. "Most people think of Peter Parker first. It's refreshing."
+800 points - Connection established with Manny Delgado
Dinner was a disaster from the start. Cameron had tried to make coq au vin but had burnt the outside while the inside remained raw. Mitchell was trying to serve wine while holding Lily, who was crying constantly.
"Maybe she's hungry," suggested Claire.
"We fed her twenty minutes ago," said Mitchell, frustrated.
"Maybe it's the atmosphere," Jay murmured. "We're all so tense the baby can feel it."
Liam observed, analyzing the dynamics. The system showed real-time opportunities:
Moment 1 available: Help with Lily - Potential: 2,000-5,000 ptsMoment 2 available: Ease tension between Jay and Mitchell - Potential: 3,000-7,000 ptsMoment 3 available: Help with the disastrous food - Potential: 1,000-4,000 pts
He decided to start with the easiest. "Can I try?" he asked, approaching Mitchell.
Mitchell looked at him skeptically. "Do you have experience with babies?"
"My... cousin has one." A lie, but in his previous life, Leo had been an uncle twice. "Sometimes they just need a change of pace."
Mitchell hesitated, but Cameron intervened: "Let him try! Trust the youth!"
Liam took Lily carefully, remembering the technique he'd seen in videos. He rested her against his shoulder, starting a gentle rocking motion as he slowly walked toward the balcony. "Look, Lily, the city lights. Like fireflies trapped in buildings."
To everyone's surprise, the crying subsided to whimpers, then to silence.
+3,500 points - Unexpected skill demonstratedMitchell Pritchett: Approval level increased by 25%
"What did you do?" asked Mitchell, impressed.
"Change of scenery," said Liam, returning inside. "Babies sometimes get overstimulated."
Jay grunted. "That's common sense. Something lacking in this room."