Chapter Text
It was a sunny afternoon in Jasper, Nevada. The sky was clear and the desert surrounding the town was blistering from the heat. The small quiet town was extra quiet today but it wouldn’t be for long. At Memorial High School, students eagerly waited for the bell to ring and to leave the building.
In one such classroom, there was an 11-year-old girl. She was younger than most of her high school peers except for the 12-year-old boy next to her. Her olive skin and freckles glistened in the light with her long blonde ponytail. She wore red, black, and pink skater clothes with a silver necklace. A robot insignia and a silver bull charm were its only accessories.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, The bell rang. Some students cheered and whooped at the sound while others just began chatting with their friends as they packed up and left. The girl stood up, beginning to pack her things away.
“Man, Today was long! I thought it would never end, Raf!” The young girl said, feeling relieved. The boy next to her, Raf, chuckled before nodding. He had brown eyes, olive skin, and nerdy clothing. His wood-brown spiky hair stood up and back a bit along with red blocky glasses on his face.
“It wasn’t that bad, Heidi,” Raf said. The girl, Heidi, gave him a knowing look, making both kids laugh. Before they could walk away from their seats, a girl in punk-like clothing, black hair, and pink tips sprinted past them. Both kids looked to see the Japanese transfer student who arrived this year. She was sticking her tongue out at the still-sleeping teacher. After making multiple faces at the teacher, she darted out the door, shoving past some of the kids.
“That’s Miko, Right? She’s… spirited.” Heidi said, chuckling. Raf nodded and after a moment, the two walked out of the classroom together. The high school hallway was busier than ever, with teens shoving past each other towards the exit. Raf and Heidi made their way to the lockers and opened them. Each took out and put away stuff from their locker or backpack. Raf then turned to her, closing his locker with a clank.
“So, I was wondering if you were free to hang out at the canal later today? I got a new toy car for my birthday and I want to test it out in a race.” Raf asked, a little shy. Heidi giggled at his shyness as She swung her bag back on her shoulder. She closed her locker before beginning to walk down the hallway with Raf again.
“I need to help mom at the bakery now but I’ll be there later for sure!” Heidi said, winking at Raf. Raf smiled widely, excited by the response. Soon enough, they left the school building, walking down the stairs and past some of the snotty teenagers. Coming to the end of the walkway, the two turned to each other.
“See you later then,” Raf said. Heidi nodded happily before waving goodbye to Raf. He returned it and the two went in opposite directions. As Heidi began to walk away, Another familiar face crossed her view. A tall, skinny teen with messy black hair, fair skin, and comfy clothes. He checked over his old bike which looked ready to fall apart. To be honest, Heidi was surprised it was still in one piece.
“So the old rust bucket lives. Surprise you can still ride it, Jack.” Heidi teased, walking towards him. The boy, Jack, looked at her, locking eyes. He was a little startled but at seeing Heidi, chuckled. He glanced back at his bike before standing up and patting it.
“Har har, Heidi. You’re a riot.” Jack said, sarcastically. Heidi only smirked, shrugging as he got onto it.
“Going to your job again?”
“Yup, gotta earn those paychecks somehow. Especially if I’m gonna get a motorbike soon.” Jack said, scratching the back of his head. Heidi remembered Jack had wanted one for ages. Though his mom wasn’t keen on it.
“Oh right! You did say you wanted one. How’s that going?”
“Pretty well. I just need a little more money along with convincing Mom but otherwise, I’m good to go. How are those clubs of yours going?” Jack asked. Heidi paused, unsure of what he meant until it hit her. He was talking about her cover story with the bots. She had told him and Raf she was going to a science or Robotix club every day after school and on weekends.
“It’s… going okay. Haven’t been doing much lately.” Heidi said, rubbing her arm. With the Decepticons in hiding, Optimus has been trying to get a bot in every timezone to look for them. It hasn’t been easy and she didn’t go to the base much unless she was needed. She hadn’t been able to talk to any of the bots in a long time either. She hadn’t even talked to Cliffjumper in the past couple of weeks.
“Oh, sorry bout that,”
“It's fine. I guess you should get going, huh?” Heidi said, smiling softly. He nodded as he kicked up the kickstand on his bike. A group of girls then walked by in front of them. Heidi saw one of the girls leading the group as they talked with bright smiles. She had red-ish orange hair in a ponytail, green eyes, and schoolgirl-like clothes. It was Sierra, one of the popular girls and the cheer team captain. Heidi only knew her by title and because Jack had the biggest crush on her which he didn’t hide well.
Heidi turned to see Jack staring at her in awe, maybe even a bit of drool hanging out. Heidi couldn’t help snorting and laughing quietly at him. Soon enough, she snapped her fingers near his ear, bringing him back to the real world. He turned to her, a little embarrassed while Heidi just gave a knowing look.
“Don’t you have a job to get to, Romeo? And wipe that drool off your face while you're at it.” Heidi said, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. Jack was surprised, before quickly wiping his mouth. His face went red with embarrassment as Heidi laughed at him. She gave him light pats on the arm before walking back onto the sidewalk. He calmed down and quickly left the scene on his bike. Heidi waved, watching him leave before beginning to walk down the sidewalk.
She had gotten a few yards away from the school when her phone began to buzz violently. She took it out and her eyes widened in excitement. A beaming smile came across her face as she quickly answered it. She placed the phone to her ear and an energetic voice spoke on the other end.
“Howdy, little lady!” The voice said. It was Cliffjumper.
“Cliff, Hey! It’s been a while. How are you?”
“I'm great! Just got off my last patrol and decided to call in.”
“Well, it’s great to hear from you. Everything has been pretty dull in my life without you.”
“Ha! It must've been. You’re living in dullsville after all.”
“First, It’s not that bad. Second, I hadn’t had someone close to talk to about stuff. Other than Raf sometimes.” Heidi explained. She then began walking again as she and Cliffjumper continued to talk.
“Oh yeah! That mini fleshy who you say is a tech wiz, right?”
“Yup. My best friend.”
“Oh really? Well, What am I then? Scrap?” Cliffjumper teased, laughing a little. Heidi rolled her eyes with a smirk as she stopped at a sidewalk corner. She waited, watching the lights to know when to cross.
“He’s my best human friend. You’re my best alien friend.”
“Mind saying that again? Just happens to make my day.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi chuckled as the crossing sign turned on and she was allowed to cross. She was about to cross when a purple car zoomed past her. She jumped back, yelping in surprise. She stood up after a moment, angrily watching the car leave. Before she could yell out something, Cliffjumper spoke up after hearing the commotion.
“Woah! Little Lady, What happened?!”
“Ugh, Don’t worry. Just some road hog almost running me over. I’m okay thankfully.” Heidi said, growling a bit before crossing the street.
“Geez. What a jerk! Want me to get Arcee and hunt him down?” Cliffjumper joked. Heidi smiled and laughed at that. Cliffjumper always knew how to cheer her up. She came to a small parking lot then. On the other side, Kala’s bakery was among the multiple stores in the plaza.
“Tempting but I’m good, thanks,” Heidi said.
“No problem! No one touches my little lady!” Cliffjumper said. Heidi laughed again, wiping a tear away. She began to cross the parking lot, looking around to make sure no cars were there. Suddenly, Cliffjumper spoke up.
“So, I’m about to go on patrol just outside of Jasper. Wanna tag along?” Cliffjumper suddenly asked. Heidi stopped, her grin widening into the biggest smile. She had wanted to hang out with Cliffjumper for a while. This was the perfect chance!
“You bet! As long as you don’t tell Ratchet. I’m over at-”
“Your mom’s bakery, right?” Cliffjumper said. Heidi paused, confused and surprised when an engine revving caught her attention. She looked behind her to see a red Dodge Challenger pulling out of a parking spot. It stopped next to her and the car door swung open. Heidi stood there, surprised as the call dropped.
“Let’s ride, little lady!” Cliffjumper said, confidently revving his engine. Immediately, Heidi’s smirk returned with a cheer as she jumped into the car’s passenger seat. She threw her bag onto the car floor and put on the black leather seatbelt. The car door closed and Cliffjumper sped out of there faster than the eye could see.
Meanwhile, Kala watched through the bakery window, a small smile on her face. She had a feeling she wouldn’t see Heidi until nightfall. Usually, she’d be against it but this time was different so she let it slide. Soon, she turned away from the window and walked deeper into the bakery.