Modern Family:The life in a crazy family

Phil On Wire

"Sitting all by yourself at the table. Now where have I seen that again? Oh, right. Every day in the school cafeteria" Haley said looking at Alex sitting at the table

"I do that by choice"

"The school's choice" Haley said

"Isn't that your nickname?"

"Haley, be nice to your sister. Alex, good save" Claire told them

"Mom, sign these" Alex said

"What is it?"

"They finally bumped me up to the harder math class. Third period, Mr. waters. And to the journalism course after school at Chilton"

"What? No, Mom, you cannot sign this. This is my same course. How can you be in a course at Chilton if you don't even go to Chilton?"

"It's open to everyone who does good in the test, even if from other schools"

"Well, this is my class. You're a freshman. What are you doing in second-year math?" Haley asked

"You're a senior. What are you still doing in second year math?" Alex asked her

"Not "still!"... Again" Haley said

"Used to say that now, aren't you?" Sophie told her

"I am"

"Alex, Sophie, be nice to your sister. Haley, not good saves"

"I knew it would suck having you at my school" Haley told Alex

"Well, hang in there. A couple more years, you'll have it all to yourself again. Come on, girls" Claire said

Later, in the car

"I swear, you mess up my place in the paper, I'll kill you" Sophie told Alex

"It's just a school paper, it's not the New York Times"  Alex said

"It's my way to get to the New York Times"

"You don't look at me in class. You don't text me" Haley told Alex

"Who would text during a class?"

"What are you?"

"Hon, I realize that this situation is not ideal for either one of you, but sometimes we just rise above things" Claire said

"Yes?" She said when a cop knocked on the window

"Excuse me. Did you notice the curb here is painted yellow?" she asked

"Uh, no, I did not" Claire said

"Wow. It means loading and unloading" 

"Okay, well, I was just dropping off my kids"

"And yet I see no kids emerging from the vehicle"

"Well, we were chatting"

"Wow. At the risk of surprising you a third time, officer, I've been dropping off here for years, and I--"

"Move it"

"Okay. You betcha"

"What was her problem?" Sophie asked

"Oh, you know what you should have said to her--" Haley started saying, but Claire interrupted her

"Nothing. I should have said nothing would be the point. I have to see her every day. I mean, why make it worse? That's exactly what I'm talking about. Awkward, unpleasant situation--
Rise above"

"Have a nice day" Claire said as Alex and Haley hopped off the car

"Love you!"

"Bye-bye!"

"Mom, I'm gonna be late" Sophie told her, and Claire started driving to Chilton

  "And yet I see no children emerging from the vehicle."How'd you like to see my fist emerging into your face? Oh! Now I think of it!" Claire said

Later

"She literally took the teacher place, she tried to correct her every 2 seconds and she basically did all the work the whole group was supposed to" Sophie told her mother, hoping she'd take Alex out of the course

"She wasn't specific, and half of group didn't know how the work should've been done"

"Mom, Chilton was the only place i didn't have to share"

"Her hand's in the air, like, every five seconds, and she actually reminded Mr. Waters to assign homework" Haley said

"The class loved that" Alex told her

"Do you know how embarrassed I was?"

"Not as embarrassed as I was when she said 8 was a prime number. 8, Mom"

"Okay, fine. You know what? I'm gonna call the school today and have your schedules changed.Then I'm gonna call Chilton and get Alex out of the course to find her another one, but I want you to know a little part of me died today, okay?"

"I thought the three of you could understand how being in the same course and class would benefit you three. Alex, you-- you could've tutored Haley. Haley, you could've helped Alex with her social skills. Sophie, you could've helped Alex with a more advanced school activitie"

"Come on. The three of you could've been three Super Dunphys. And instead, what are you? Three bickering half-Dunphys, and I'm the fool that expected more. No, I don't even want to hear it. Just go upstairs. Go"

In Haley and Alex's room, all three of them were doing homeworks

"Hey, what'd you get for number 3?" Haley asked Alex

"You're not going to learn if I just give you answers"

"What was the thing the teacher explained in class about the homework?" Alex asked Sophie

"I'm even surprised you let her spoke for 10 minutes" Sophie said, meaning she wasn't gonna answer to her question

"Well, what if I gave you something in return?" Haley asked Alex, and Alex asked Sophie

"Like what?" Sophie asked Alex

"What do you want?"

"You'll stop acting like it's only you in the course" Sophie told her

"Deal" Alex said and they shook hands

"What will you give me?" Alex asked Haley

"You can talk to me in class"

"I want lunch at the cool table"

"Then I want all the answers"

"Then I want a week at the table"

"That'll cost you two pop quizzes"

"A month"

"The midterm"

"Deal"

"Mom. Mom. Mom" All three of them yelled running to the kitchen

"What? What? What? What? What?"

"Mom. Did you call the schools yet?"

"Uh, not yet, but I was just about to"

"Good. Because we are thinking we might want to stay in that class and in the same course" Alex told her

"Really? Oh, girls, I don't know about that"

"Oh, please let us try it. Super Dunphy?" Sophie told her 

"Well, maybe one more week"

"Thanks, Mom"

The next day, at Haley and Alex's school, Claire picked up Sophie early when Chilton called to let her know both got kicked out of the journalism course

"Ah, there they are, my others Super Dunphys" Claire said

"We're sorry, but we just--"

"Unh-unh-unh. You don't get to talk. You had a chance to be better people today. You, to be more well-rounded and in an advanced course, you to have someone to have the same interest as you in the family and you, to be a better student. You could have elevated the Dunphy name, but instead, you chose to tarnish it, so, congratulations, ladies, you brought this family to a new low"

"Mom, are you--"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am, and I would actually like to get these loosened up, if I might"

"Are we gonna have any more trouble?"

"No, ma'am"

"Oh, Claire, do you need me to drive the girls?"

"All good, Janet. All good"

 In the car

"I let down my Mom and Dad today, and... worse than that, I let down my teacher" Alex said

"I got kicked out from the course of my dreams, because i couldn't stand to stay 2 hours in the sam class with my sister. I'm such an idiot" Sophie said

"It's all my fault. Everything I touch turns to Detention" Haley said

"I'm sorry, Mom" Sophie said

"Me, too" Haley said

"Same"

"Oh, I don't really have a whole lot of moral high ground to stand on. I wasn't exactly my best self today either. All in all, not a great day for the Dunphys" Claire said as they got out of the car

"Come on, Dad! Believe in yourself! You're making the impossible unimpossible" They heard Luke yell

"Phil. Oh, my God"

"Don't even bother. He's in the zone. He can't hear you" Luke explained

"Go, Dad! You got this!" The girls cheered for him, as Phil was walking on a wire

"All week long, I'd been telling my girls how to act instead of showing them, but not Phil. Phil could have said, "Sophie, don't give up your dreams, just because you don't like the way to get there." Or "Haley, challenge yourself. Don't give up so easily." But instead of talking the talk, Phil walked the walk. And isn't that what we're supposed to do for the people we love? It's definitely a challenge... But Phil made it look easy seven feet off the ground. You're awesome! Oh, my goodness! Turns out, I've had my Super Dunphy all along" Claire said looking at the camera

"What was on my mind as I was walking across that wire? I kept thinking, if I can do this, then I've got two ways of getting across my yard" Phil said looking at the camera