Mitchell, Cam, and the rest of the family arrived at the stadium minutes before the gates opened.
The atmosphere was already fully charged, a constant mix of noise, music, and people moving in every direction, with a sense of anticipation hanging in the air.
It didn't take them long to find Haley, Leonard, Howard, Monica, and Rachel, who had been there for quite a while.
Haley greeted her parents and the rest of the family naturally. Leonard and Howard were already familiar faces, part of the circle for years as Andrew's friends.
As for Monica and Rachel, Haley made the formal introductions as her roommates and friends. Claire and Phil already knew them better from previous visits, but for Mitchell and Cam, they were mostly just names.
And for Jay, Gloria, and Manny, it was their first time meeting them.
Gloria welcomed them with a wide smile, openly looking them up and down with curiosity, while Manny nodded politely, thinking to himself that they were two beautiful ladies.
Jay, for his part, kept his greeting brief, more focused on the game itself than anything else.
"This looks like a party," Gloria commented, impressed by the atmosphere around the stadium.
"It is," Haley replied with a smile. "Since two in the afternoon, it's been crazy."
Leonard, beside her, nodded. "Now it's actually calmer."
The parking lot was still packed, cars everywhere, groups of people, music playing from different spots, grills going, drinks circulating.
It was classic tailgating.
A tradition almost as important as the game itself: gathering before the event, eating, drinking, and sharing around the stadium, turning the pregame into part of the spectacle.
But now, with the gates about to open, the atmosphere was beginning to shift. People were packing up what they could, leaving behind the improvised gatherings, and heading toward the entrances, forming longer and longer lines.
"Let's move," Jay said, adjusting his cap and starting to walk without waiting for a response.
The rest followed immediately.
"How are the fans, Howard?" Cam asked, his tone somewhere between curious and nervous, glancing at the camera hanging from his neck.
Howard had been doing his usual thing, quick interviews with fans before the game, asking for predictions, impressions, that kind of stuff. More out of habit than anything else.
This time, Andrew wasn't going to upload anything to his channel. No practice footage or pregame content like in high school. Between the lack of time, his total focus on the debut, and the image he wanted to project, more professional, less show, he had decided to leave it aside. Besides, it involved permissions from coaches, teammates… too complicated.
"Excellent!" Howard replied immediately, almost as if he'd been waiting for someone to ask. "Actually… too excellent."
Cam raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
"One redheaded guy with a beard said Andrew's going to throw eight touchdowns and UCLA wins 65–0," Howard continued. "Another said seven touchdowns, like against Bosco, zero interceptions, and a seventy-yard pass."
He paused briefly, then added, "And another one talked about eighty percent accuracy. Among others."
Cam's eyes widened slightly.
Jay, who was walking ahead without slowing down, clicked his tongue, "They're living in a fantasy."
It wasn't a lack of confidence. He knew exactly how talented Andrew was, and how hard he worked.
But he also understood the context.
Matt Barkley, the Heisman favorite, had just finished his game with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was leading a well-established team, loaded with talent, running a polished system, and ranked number one in the nation.
To think that Andrew, in his very first game, with a new system, surrounded by several freshmen and leading a team that was still coming together, would throw eight touchdowns, complete 80% of his passes, and so on, against an opponent on Rice's level, maybe even a step above for Hawaii, was, at the very least, an exaggeration.
At the back of the group, Rachel walked alongside Monica, speaking in a low voice.
"Do you think I should've bought a Bruins jersey?" she murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
As she spoke, her eyes kept moving. Around her, almost everyone was wearing UCLA colors, that light blue paired with gold details, jerseys repeating over and over again, nearly all with the same number.
19.
It was impossible not to notice.
More than seventy percent of the people passing by wore that number. There were no names on the back, which was normal in college. The official jerseys fans bought didn't include the player's name, a way to avoid directly using an amateur athlete's identity for commercial purposes. But in practice, everyone knew exactly who that number represented.
Rachel wasn't wearing one.
She was dressed in her own style: a carefully put-together but relaxed outfit. A skirt, a fitted top, sunglasses resting on her head, and a light jacket tied around her waist. Everything perfectly coordinated. She looked like she had stepped out of a magazine. As she walked, she didn't go unnoticed, more than a few people turned their heads, especially guys, though she barely seemed to notice, or rather, didn't care.
Rachel had chosen not to wear the jersey on purpose. She didn't want to look like just another fan in the crowd. But now, surrounded by that sea of blue and gold, the decision was starting to weigh on her.
Maybe she looked out of place, or worse, like she didn't support Andrew.
Monica glanced at her. "It's not a big deal," she said. "I don't think he'll care or think you're trying to stand out… just stop overthinking it."
They finally reached one of the stadium's access areas.
"These lines are massive…" Monica murmured, surprised at the number of people gathered at the main entrances.
But Jay and the others didn't head that way.
They had Player Guest Tickets: tickets assigned directly by the program for family members and people close to the players.
They took a different entrance, far more controlled. A couple of quick checks, tickets verified, and that was it. The line was practically nonexistent.
Rachel couldn't help but smile, excited, as they moved forward almost without stopping. She leaned toward Monica. "I told you it was a good idea to accept these tickets," she whispered.
Monica nodded slightly.
In truth, she had already decided she was going no matter what. Being so close to UCLA, missing Andrew's debut would've been absurd. Besides, her relationship with Haley, and by extension, with the rest of the group, was already good enough to accept the tickets Haley had offered them.
The normal way would've been to buy them like the general public. The base price for a game like this was usually between $45 and $70. Better seats, closer to the field, went up to $80 or $120. And premium sections could reach $150 or $250.
That was under normal conditions.
With all the hype surrounding this game, tickets would most likely sell out in minutes once they went on sale. Websites crashing, endless virtual queues, guaranteed frustration.
And they weren't even UCLA students. They had no priority. They were general public.
That left them practically at the mercy of resellers.
That's where prices skyrocketed: $100 or $150 for standard seats, $200 or $300 if you wanted something closer to the field.
Monica had already accepted that reality. So when Haley offered them free tickets, she had been speechless.
These weren't just any tickets.
They were Player Guest Tickets. No lines, excellent seats, and direct access.
All for zero dollars.
Her first reaction had been to refuse, because of what it implied. It felt like too much.
But Rachel hadn't hesitated and accepted for both of them. She wasn't stupid.
And Haley had made it clear: Andrew received a large batch of tickets per game, more than he actually needed. The whole group didn't even come close to using them all.
So why refuse?
It made no sense to go through the whole buying process, pay inflated prices, and end up sitting far away when they could be right there.
And for Rachel, there was something more.
It was the perfect opportunity to get closer to that world, to know Andrew's family better, to become part of that circle naturally.
'It's fate,' Rachel thought, almost unable to help herself. Ever since she had arrived in LA, everything seemed to be falling into place, well, except for that one small detail.
That mysterious girl.
She made a slight face.
In truth, they didn't even know if it was a girl. But for her, and for the rest, it was the most likely scenario.
Even so, it made sense that she wasn't there. If Andrew wanted to keep it a secret, it wouldn't make sense to give her a ticket and introduce her to his family on a day like this, especially without him there by her side to do it himself.
'Stop thinking about it,' she told herself, forcing the thought to cut off before it could grow any further.
Besides, she had an opportunity.
That night.
Andrew had agreed to go to a party, after some insistence from Steve and the others, but he still seemed willing. Even a bit excited, as long as his debut went well.
She would be there with Monica and Haley.
If there was a mysterious girl around him, it made sense that she would show up in that setting. That she would get closer and give some kind of sign.
That's where she could confirm it.
With that plan in mind, she let the topic go. Her gaze drifted across the group until it settled on Lily.
She watched her for a few seconds.
'His little sister,' Rachel thought, a faint smile forming. She looked adorable in her jersey, with improvised face paint on her cheeks, completely immersed in the moment.
Rachel tilted her head slightly, evaluating. Maybe she should try to get closer. Talk to her, get her to like her.
It shouldn't be that hard to win over a six-year-old… right?
They finally entered the stadium and took their seats.
They were excellent spots, close to the sideline, near enough to the tunnel where the players would come out. Nothing like the far-away seats Monica and Rachel had had at the Army Bowl.
The minutes began to pass, slowly approaching five in the afternoon. The stadium was already around seventy percent full… which, at the Rose Bowl, meant a massive crowd. And there was still more than an hour to go before kickoff.
The anticipation kept building.
At any moment, players from both teams would come out onto the field to begin warmups.
But then, a murmur started to spread through the stands, and it had nothing to do with the players coming out.
"Bieber's here!"
"And Selena!"
Rachel and Haley turned their heads at the same time, quickly searching for the people who had shouted. They were a few rows back, pointing insistently upward.
They followed the direction, toward the jumbotron, the massive stadium screen.
And there they saw exactly what they expected.
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
The most famous young couple of the moment. Jelena. Absolute icons of youth entertainment.
The stadium reacted immediately, applause, cheers, and phones rising to record. The attention shifted completely for a few seconds.
On the screen, both of them were settling into one of the VIP sections up high, surrounded by security.
At the reception, Justin smiled and raised his hand in greeting. Selena did the same beside him.
The noise grew louder.
The reception was surprisingly good, even warm.
And considering it was Justin Bieber in 2012, that wasn't a small thing.
Not long before, Bieber didn't exactly have the best image among young male audiences. His style, his music, and the entire phenomenon around him often drew rejection. He was commonly seen as a symbol of "too soft" teenage pop, and that kind of audience, closer to sports, competition, tended to react with mockery or outright dismissal.
But something had started to change.
On one hand, Justin himself had been trying to shift his image. He had always liked sports, and little by little, that was starting to show.
And a big part of that shift had a clear name: Andrew.
It had all started months earlier, when Bieber began commenting on Andrew's televised high school games at Mater Dei, impressed tweets, real-time reactions, and Andrew replying back.
That interaction exploded.
Two completely different audiences colliding: Andrew's, associated with discipline, performance, and a competitive mindset, and Bieber's, more tied to entertainment and youth pop culture.
And the two of them, you could say, ended up forming a kind of online friendship. Then came a few private messages. Until Andrew offered something more concrete.
In May 2012, when Andrew finished spring practice and had a bit more free time, he invited him to record a video together, something fitting for his channel.
Justin accepted.
The result was a nearly twenty-minute video centered around football, a light, not overly competitive sports challenge.
The video went viral. It now had over twenty million views, a massive number for the time.
But beyond the numbers, what mattered for Justin was the image it projected.
He looked different there. More athletic, keeping up with the pace, loosening up. Not like a guest celebrity, but like someone integrated, almost like one of Andrew's friends.
That, in a way, also came with indirect validation. If someone like Andrew, with everything he represented to that audience, accepted him into his circle, it shifted perception.
It didn't erase all the criticism. But it reduced it significantly and gave him something he hadn't had before in that environment: respect.
"They came together!" Rachel said, clasping her hands, her gossip mode fully activated.
"Yeah!" Haley added, nodding repeatedly, just as invested.
"A way to shut down the cheating rumors!" Cam chimed in, jumping into the conversation with immediate enthusiasm.
Within seconds, the three of them formed their own little parallel circle, completely detached from the rest, talking as if they were analyzing a case study.
The Jelena relationship had been building tension for months.
Since early 2012, outlets like TMZ had been constantly publishing rumors: breakups and reconciliations, trust issues, models being linked to Justin, party photos, stories feeding the narrative.
On the other side, Selena was also going through a shift. She had filmed a movie that, even before its release, was already generating buzz, a project clearly meant to break away from her more childlike image from Disney Channel.
The plot didn't exactly help maintain that innocence. Four college students rob a restaurant to fund a vacation in Florida, only to fall into a world of crime, drugs, and violence under the influence of a character named Alien.
The aesthetic, from what was already known, was provocative and heavily charged with sexual symbolism.
A clear shift.
All of that had been creating cracks in the couple's public image. So seeing them there, together, at such a visible event didn't go unnoticed.
They weren't the only celebrities shown on the jumbotron.
There were also former college and NFL players, recognizable figures for the more sports-oriented crowd. Snoop Dogg made another appearance, it wasn't the first time he'd been seen at one of Andrew's games, drawing applause and a few laughs.
Even Kobe Bryant was caught on camera, generating a much stronger reaction: a clear, almost automatic ovation.
There were also a few young actors and actresses, familiar faces within the LA scene, though not an endless list. After all, it was still a college football game, not a Super Bowl packed with top-tier stars.
And even so, it was already a lot.
But all that attention vanished in a matter of seconds when the players took the field.
First, Rice.
Then, UCLA.
The special teams unit came out first, running through the tunnel to growing applause. But that wasn't what everyone was waiting for.
All eyes stayed fixed on the entrance.
The murmur kept building, rising in volume like a wave about to break.
From the darkness inside the tunnel, a silhouette began to take shape. For a moment, only the contrast between shadow and light was visible, then the first thing they saw was the number.
19, illuminated by the California sun as he took his first step out of the shadows.
A second later, the face: Andrew.
That's when the stadium exploded.
The sound was immediate and overwhelming, a burst that spread through every corner of the Rose Bowl. Screams, applause, and phones rising all at once, far more than at any previous moment.
Andrew walked at a normal pace, unhurried. His gaze fixed straight ahead, detached, or at least appearing to be, from the noise surrounding him.
Until he slightly turned his head. He scanned the stadium with his eyes and raised a hand in greeting.
The effect was immediate. The noise grew even louder.
'And this isn't even the main introduction…' Andrew thought, surprised.
It was just warmups. It still wasn't the moment when they ran onto the field minutes before the game with confetti and their names announced over the speakers.
He began searching for his family and friends in the crowd. It didn't take him long to find them.
Cam, Mitchell, Jay, Leonard, Phil, Luke, Lily, who kept waving at him excitedly, and the others. As soon as they noticed he had seen them, they stopped clapping for a second and raised their hands, greeting him enthusiastically.
Andrew smiled and returned the gesture. His gaze also passed, briefly, over Rachel.
She stood out for not wearing a Bruins jersey, and, on her own, she was striking.
At that moment, he felt a pat on his shoulder and set the greeting aside.
"Great reception," Steve said, catching up to him with a sideways smile.
Andrew let out a light snort, amused, but Steve was already onto something else. He looked down at his uniform and frowned.
"But these pants…" he muttered, placing a hand on his hip. "They're too tight. And gold… I'm not convinced."
He liked the jersey. The colors reminded him of Palisades, of his high school years. But the gold pants were another story.
A great color, but maybe not for pants.
"Although maybe the girls will be checking out our butts," Steve added, half serious, half joking. "They say girls like it when guys have an butt, you know?"
A heavy snort came from behind.
It was Andrus. Over three hundred pounds of presence, walking like it was nothing. "Focus, Steve. This isn't the time for that. We need to warm up."
Behind him came Amari, Alexander, Jordan, and the rest of the freshmen, laughing.
"Always so serious…" Steve muttered, shaking his head.
Andrew couldn't help but smile as he kept walking with them toward the field.
'Did he look at me?' Rachel thought, feeling her pulse quicken slightly. Without realizing it, she adjusted a strand of hair that was already perfect.
She followed him with her gaze as he walked away.
And when Andrew was already walking with his back to them, her attention dropped a little lower than she would've admitted out loud.
Confirmed.
Steve wasn't that wrong.
Rachel quickly looked away, as if someone might have seen her, and focused back on the field, trying to compose herself.
The most anticipated debut game for a college player was about to begin.
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