Dinner at the Dunphy house was, as expected, a chaotic affair. Claire was flitting around the kitchen, making sure everyone had enough lasagna while also subtly prying Jasper for information about his "intentions" with Alex. Phil, as always, was enthusiastically trying to bond with Jasper over something random—this time, it was his failed attempt at writing a screenplay in the early 2000s. Luke was busy playing with his food, and Haley was only half-listening while scrolling through her phone.
And then there was Alex, sitting stiffly at the table, desperately trying to shrink into the background and avoid any further embarrassment.
Jasper, on the other hand, seemed to fit in effortlessly. He answered Phil's ridiculous questions with the same ease he debated in AP English, threw in a few witty remarks that even made Claire smirk, and somehow managed to avoid Luke's attempts to rope him into some dumb prank.
But as the evening wore on, something became painfully obvious to him.
Nobody was paying attention to Alex.
Sure, they talked to her, but in the same absentminded way someone might acknowledge background noise. When she spoke, her words were often dismissed or talked over. When she rolled her eyes at Phil's antics or Haley's sarcasm, nobody even noticed.
It was subtle, but Jasper saw it.
At one point, Claire turned to Alex and asked, "So, sweetie, how's school?"
Alex perked up slightly. "It's fine. I—"
"Ugh, Mom, please don't make us do the whole 'school talk' thing at dinner," Haley groaned dramatically, barely looking up from her phone. "It's boring."
"Yeah," Luke chimed in. "Unless Alex suddenly became cool and got a life, I don't think we need a recap."
Jasper expected Claire or Phil to say something. To tell Luke to stop. To at least acknowledge that Alex looked like she had just been slapped.
But they didn't.
Instead, Claire just sighed. "Luke, be nice to your sister." Then, without missing a beat, she turned to Jasper. "So, Jasper, tell me, what are your plans after high school?"
Jasper's jaw tightened slightly as he glanced at Alex. Her expression was neutral—too neutral. But he could see the way she had withdrawn, how she was no longer even pretending to be engaged in the conversation.
"Alex and I actually talked about that earlier," Jasper said, his voice light but purposeful. "She has some really impressive ambitions."
Claire smiled distractedly. "Oh, I'm sure she does."
Jasper raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Because it kind of seems like you don't actually listen to her."
The room went silent.
Alex's head snapped up, eyes widening in horror as she mouthed, What are you doing?!
Claire blinked, caught off guard. "Excuse me?"
Jasper just smiled, but there was a sharpness in his blue eyes. "I just mean, it's interesting how everyone here seems to have a lot to say about Alex, but nobody really asks her about herself." He took a casual sip of his drink, then added, "Kinda ironic, considering she's probably the most interesting person at this table."
Phil let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, of course we care about Alex! She's our daughter!"
"Yeah," Haley said, rolling her eyes. "She just doesn't exactly scream exciting, you know?"
Luke snickered. "Yeah, she's like a human Wikipedia page."
Alex was silent.
Jasper, however, leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he studied them all. "Funny. I thought she was a beautiful overachiever with a wicked sharp mind and a love for knowledge." He smirked. "But hey, maybe I just have better taste than the rest of you."
Haley made a gagging noise. "Ew. Are you flirting with Alex right now?"
Jasper shrugged. "I mean, if you want to call appreciating intelligence flirting, who am I to stop you?"
Claire cleared her throat. "Alright, that's enough of that. We do appreciate Alex. We just—" She paused, as if struggling to find the right words.
Jasper tilted his head. "You just what?"
Alex abruptly stood up. "Okay! Dinner was great! Thank you, Mom, for feeding my guest! Now, Jasper and I really need to finish our project, so—" She grabbed Jasper's wrist and practically dragged him out of the dining room.
The moment they were back in her room, she slammed the door shut and whirled on him.
"What was that?!" she hissed.
Jasper looked at her, utterly unbothered. "That? That was me pointing out the obvious."
Alex threw her hands up. "Yeah, well, maybe don't call out my entire family at the dinner table next time?!"
Jasper leaned back against the bookshelf, crossing his arms. "Why not? They needed to hear it."
Alex let out a frustrated groan, pacing back and forth. "Look, I know my family doesn't always see me the way I want them to. But that's just how they are! It's fine."
Jasper's gaze softened. "No, it's not."
Alex stopped pacing. "What?"
He sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Alex, you spend so much time trying to prove yourself—to your family, to your teachers, to everyone. But you shouldn't have to fight to be seen. They should just see you."
Alex swallowed hard, not sure how to respond. No one had ever put it into words like that before.
Jasper gave her a small, knowing smile. "Look, I know I get under your skin, but that's only because I actually see you, Beautiful Overachiever." His voice was softer now, more serious. "And maybe it's time someone else did too."
Alex looked away, her arms tightening around herself. She hated how much his words affected her. How much she wanted to believe him.
But she wasn't ready to admit that yet.
So instead, she huffed. "You're still annoying."
Jasper grinned. "I know."
Alex shook her head, moving to sit back at her desk. "Let's just finish the project."
Jasper chuckled, flopping onto the bed dramatically. "Ah, avoidance. Classic coping mechanism."
"Jasper."
"Right, right. Pride and Prejudice," he said, opening his notebook. But before they started working, he glanced at her one more time. "For the record, Alex… I think you're kind of extraordinary."
Alex didn't respond. She just focused on her book, trying to ignore the warmth spreading in her chest.
Jasper smirked. He knew she heard him.
And for now, that was enough.