Ep. 1.5 - Out of Element - [Closed]

[Deleted]

Raf generally enjoyed car rides. It was the quiet, contained space that lulled him into relaxation. Whereas Miko or Jack found excitement as passengers, Raf found the rhythm of the open road very soothing. Even if Bumblebee was the one tearing up the asphalt. The hum of tires on the ground and the rumble of the engine could settle even the tightest of muscles in the young man's body. No worries bothered his mind as he sat in the seat, his books settled on the floor just below his feet. In his lap he cradled his calculator and laptop.

Serene, Raf's thoughts were settled on a drink and maybe a small order of fries if Jack was feeling generous. Raf liked the extra crunchy ones with a little bit of ketchup to dip them in. His stomach gurgled at the thought of the snack and he looked to the building with a small smile on his face. Just as he reached for the door and opened it, the quiet of the parking lot was shattered like a baseball thrown through a plate glass window.

Two cop cars, sirens and lights singing the song of their people, pulled into the lot far faster than the normal hunger for greasy burgers should allow. They came to a haphazard park in the middle of the lot and pedestrians halted in their tracks. Four police officers leaped out and sent the people away with authoritative shouts and the power of the badge. Still, the curious and bold lingered on the fringe of the lot, near their cars to gawk at the suddenly busy building.

Hand still on the door, Raf's jaw dropped enough to admit any number of passing insects. They declined the offer this day, luckily, and Raf sat back in his seat with a numbed, disbelieving stare at the building. But..but his fries...

"...maybe they're just here because a really important person is coming? Like...the president?" Raf's voice wavered between uncertain and hopeful.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus was about to assist Raf by opening the door once the hand was placed upon the interior panel, however? He never got a chance to do more than ease it ever so slightly ajar before the cop cars screeched into the lot from near full speed to a grinding halt. The change in moods was palpable, almost the equivalent of a Cybertronians field, as the cops poured out of their vehicles and started towards the fast food restaurant.

A sharp clunk sounded, as the door snapped shut securely when Optimus was positive it wouldn't strike Raf in the process. He recognized this was no normal event, and despite what the small human had said? This was not a security sweep to make way for someone of importance. There were many clues to this, but namely the barking urgency of the police officers were the primary tell. They did not request someone back up to make room, they DEMANDED it. One also had to consider why an individual of such value would come to a place such as this, but alas... point was? It seemed there was a robbery occurring.

A pair of snapping clicks rang out as the doors on either side of the cab locked shut securely in response to this realization. If there were robbers? They would not be able to swing up from a blind spot to try to hijack the idling truck as a 'tank' of a getaway vehicle. While he wouldn't move, and would just remain stationary to not assist them of course, he didn’t want them getting anywhere near Rafael. As such? The locks also kept the human inside.

Raf was no fool, he wouldn't pull a Miko and charge out from the side to go investigate to play hero, but... better safe than sorry right? The only thing really that could change this, is if Jack came out towards them. Of course Optimus would then let him in to safety.

"As much as I would hope for such to be true, I do not believe this to be the case."

The Prime peered pointedly at the windows to the building, watching the cops and how they moved with a high level of attentiveness. He wanted to keep track of every nuance of what was going on, though there wasn't much he could do anyway no matter what occurred. If things got too bad, he of course would want to retreat back to keep Rafael safe, though he also wanted to pull Jack out from the situation unharmed.

[Deleted]

Raf reached for the phone he in his pockets but hesitated to call. What if Jack was being held hostage?? What if someone was waiting on a hair trigger and his call set them over into a bloody murder spree of-The phone rang and Raf promptly fumbled it from his lap onto the seat. Against all odds, the call was from Jack. For one moment Raf envisioned some serial killer calling to taunt his horrible deed and then realized that perhaps he should stop watching the late night movies with Miko if they were going to make him this jumpy.

Biting his lip, he reached down to press the speaker phone option for Optimus' benefit. "Hello?"

"Raf? You don't happen to be in the parking lot, are you?" Jack's voice came through the line clear and decidedly less stressed than Raf would have thought. The older teen sounded more like Ratchet when asked a series of stupid questions endlessly by Miko.

"We're here. I mean, we being Optimus and I-we're-" Raf fumbled over his own words as he watched the parking lot and a uniformed officer walk near the truck. For a moment he thought he was going to have to make up some lie or the other, but the public servant kept walking by, in no hurry to snoop at overly fancy trucks.

"Yeah, I get it. Look, we're being held up by some idiot." Raf could almost hear the other teen rub his face in sheer irritation. "They don't know it yet, but the gun he's waving around is fake. I can see the orange tip from here. Right now he's having a shouting match with my manager and-" Here he broke off and some commotion made the line go fuzzy with static. "-sorry, I had to duck behind the counter. They're throwing ketchup packets at each other."

Raf just stared at the radio on Optimus' dash and tried to even begin to understand this situation.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus listened silently as Raf spoke on the phone. He was immensely grateful that the small human had put it on speaker, as it kept him in the loop to what was actually happening. It turned out what was occurring? Wasn't anywhere near as bad as what it could have been. This was relieving, and took a bit of strain off of him. If he thought watching Raf get bullied was bad? He didn't know what he would have done if this was a serious robbery that could have evolved into shooting.

Normal handgun bullets would just ping and scrape at his paint, not even shattering his windshields or really being a threat at all if the shots happened to fly out of the building's large windows and towards them. However Jack or any of the other undetermined number of innocents within the building? Would not have had such luxury. As such knowing it was a fake gun? And that the young adult within the building was not even worried? Turned a fretful situation into just another annoyance.

The Prime side eyed the officer as he passed, grateful that he did not stop to ask Raf anything. There may have been a good chance Raf was too small, and Optimus' cab was too high for him to be even... seen... from the ground level. Either way, Optimus took a scan around, taking an extra note of where everyone was, before peering back into the building.

"I am glad to hear you are relatively safe Jack. Take what time you need to remain unharmed."

The voice was projected within the cab, and there only, Optimus cutting off the ability to speak externally. He did not want to alert anyone to something being amiss, and as such his own voice seemed to only emanate from the radios. It figured that the one day he was picking up the children, all of this happened. He could never recall any of the others speaking about these sorts of shenanigans.

[Deleted]

Far too belatedly, Raf had slid down in his seat to avoid the sight just in case one particularly tall cop, with NBA dreams, walked by. So, the situation wasn't too bad after all. But, judging from the alert nature of the policemen, it didn't look like they knew the threat wasn't as serious after all. Which meant this was going to take awhile to sort out. He sighed and poked at a book...maybe he could do his homework here while he waited...

Jack had gone silent a moment, likely watching the silly display over the counter as the struggle of minimum wage and no prospects duked it out. With an aggravated snort, he came back on the line. "Oh yeah, this is going nowhere. I think it's Chaz's older brother...whatshisname...can't remember. Think it started with a B? Definitely a B word," he muttered mostly to himself.

"Bobbie, short for Robert," Raf finished for him while succumbing to the temptation and opening his calculus book.

"...How do you know that?" Even across the line, Jack's voice sounded equal parts amazed and incredulous. "No, never mind. I don't need to know. Listen, um, judging by the decreasing amount of sugar packets being thrown, I think they're running out of ammunition. I'm going to try and break this up. Maybe talk Bobert, I mean, Bobbie, from doing something stupid like running outside and getting gunned down. Wish me luck."

"Can I get a drink when you're done?" Raf perked up, hair bobbing over the dash like a cockatiel crest.

"....sure, Raf.....sure."

[Optimus Prime]

Not able to do much, Optimus just remained rather quiet and observed. In addition, because there was no immediate danger of death for those involved? He permitted himself to relax a bit. The tension was still there among the humans however, the cops were still riled, but if they followed their codes? And the gun within the establishment was truly a fake one? Then there would be no shooting this day.

An unseen gaze settled down atop the police force, watching the way they maneuvered and spoke to one another. It was... intriguing to watch how they tried to coordinate, relying upon walkie-talkies and other tools rather than built in elements his species likely took for granted. It was while he 'people watched' the children spoke to one another.

Optimus didn’t really tune in too much to what was being said once it diverged to the info on this individual, something about them being a sibling of one of the bullies that were harassing Rafael earlier. It made sense, a similar upbringing could spawn two that choose to go down a path of violence and aggression, but it wasn't his business. He only really focused back in when Jack spoke of the changing developments inside the building.

Optimus was about to speak, only for Raf to interject a request that was hardly the time and place to do such a thing. It was a nice reminder that for as old Raf could seem at times? How intelligent the tiny human was? He was still very young. It was likely why his mind had latched down onto the idea of a soda, and really didn't wish to let go. The Prime carefully continued, ignoring that comment and Jack's reply entirely.

"Be cautious. Even unarmed, one cornered can find unexpected capability."

It was a warning backed by millennia of personal experience. He would rather face an armed con out on the battlefield, than an unarmed and injured one that was boosted on fear and self preservation. Those were the individuals that one had to be wary of, for they believed they didn’t have anything else to lose. While this situation was not anywhere near as dire? This 'robber' could become offended or feel belittled depending on how he was approached, potentially leading to physical violence.

[Deleted]

Inside the take out joint, Jack clicked the end button on the phone and slipped it back into a pocket. He hadn't been bluffing when he assured Optimus and Raf that the situation was likely coming to a close. Which was a shame for the sheriff's department. They'd put all the work into putting up a block on the road and gathering man power all for what was, essentially, a false alarm by one moron.

For a moment, he pondered his next move and ruffled his hair. Some day soon he was going to have to get a haircut. In between the next time he was trying to help fight off a hostile invasion and keep up with his academics. Right. He wasn't even going to try to think about having a social life.

After taking a deep breath, Jack stood up from behind the counter and faced the would-be robber. The manager had retreated to his office, apparently giving up the fight in the daunting light of minimum wage. Bobbie was just now realizing that his brilliant plan wasn't going to well. The young man stared out the windows at the seizure lights of the closest cop car like he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Which made Jack wonder just what, exactly, the idiot had thought was really going to happen? Had Bobbie truly expected to just knock up a joint and get away without any hassle?

Looking over the unkempt clothes and greasy hair, he wasn't too sure the guy had even slept in the last few days. Jack had his lazy days, sure, and sometimes he skipped laundry day and would wear the same shirt over and over. But the guy standing there, fake gun dangling from his finger tips, was just slovenly to the nth degree. The wrinkles in his clothes had wrinkles. There was an unsightly stain on the leg of his pants that Jack didn't want to imagine the origins of.

And I thought I was having a bad day.

Sighing, Jack moved slowly but deliberately from behind the counter. He didn't make any pretense about sneaking up on the man. The last thing that he wanted to do was spook a dude who looked like he was already on the edge and falling over at a rapid pace.

"Bobbie...look, man, if you just go out now they'll probably go easy on you." Jack didn't think that was actually how it looked, but he wasn't about to say that. Oh, and by the way, you probably pissed off half of the town with this stunt. It's close to quitting time, so you just wasted the officers time who were heading home. No biggie, dude.

Twitching, Bobbie twisted around to look at Jack like he'd never seen another human being before. For a moment, Jack almost felt sorry for him until he remembered that he was supposed to have clocked out thirty minutes ago and was up to his eyeballs in chemistry assignments he couldn't seem to get done in the evenings. It was oblivious a-holes like this guy that ended up ruining Jack's life. All because he didn't have a care to think ahead of time, of consequences.

"...I just thought...I didn't think they'd-" Bobbie tangled his fingers in his long hair and turned to stare at the milling officers outside. "My mom is going to kill me!"

"I'm sure you had your reasons..." Jack didn't care what his reasons were. They were stupid and so was Bobbie. But he was willing to say anything to get the idiot to give up and leave so he could leave. "Come on, let's go outside and explain that this was all a big misunderstanding..."

"...Yeah...yeah, you come with me..." Bobbie licked his chapped lips and eyed Jack like he was a lifeline. It wasn't exactly a reassuring gaze...

"O...kay...."

-

Raf was pleased with himself. He'd finished most of his written assignments and was just cracking open one of the assigned reading for the week. At this rate, he'd be able to mill about that evening with Bee without feeling any guilt! Providing something unfortunate didn't happen to Jack.

But the teen had assured him that the situation was ok. He wouldn't have lied, would he? That wasn't like Jack at all. He stretched the truth often to protect his mom, but he wasn't know for telling tall tales. (Again, that was Miko's department.) So, Raf felt reasonably good about requesting a drink and putting his free time to finishing his homework.

It wasn't as if anything untoward had happened. In fact, when Raf looked up to squint across the parking lot, he spied movement in the burger joint. Jack walked out first and Raf sat up straighter. See? Everything was just fi-

The bottom felt like it had dropped out of his stomach. Arm wrapped around Jack's neck, the assailant had the convincing enough looking pistol held to the younger teen's head. Raf felt his face trying to change into a homage to the tragedy mask. What the what?? Why??

The two of them shuffled to the end of the sidewalk and stopped. Bobbie hid behind Jack, which involved some awkward stooping over and up close and personal time with the younger man. From the storm cloud look on his face, Jack wasn't exactly pleased with being a hostage. From inside the cockpit, Raf couldn't hear what was being said by the idiot, but just judging by the cautious officers creeping closely and then mincing back, it may have been bluffs.

"Maybe we should...you could.." Raf wasn't sure what they could really do. The pistol held against Jack's head wasn't real but the ones being pointed at them by the officers sure as sugar was. The situation was going from comical to scary. "You can-" Raf blinked and sat back in the seat. "Oh, nevermind. Jack can do that instead."

Growing fed up with being a hostage, Jack had kicked back with one foot straight into the man's cash and prizes. Raf squirmed in sympathy as the man staggered back and lost his grip on the convenient cover. Almost machine-like, Jack twisted to swat the toy gun out of his hand and shove him into the grass with the most "done" expression Raf had ever seen him wear.

Throwing his hands up, Jack walked away from the swarming cops and shrugged off their offer for help. He was more than ready to go home.

[Optimus Prime]

Idling while watching the scene unfold before him, Optimus was trying to keep track of everything that was happening. The way the officers set up barricades, and how they strategically placed themselves around the scene to prevent fleeing if it were to come to that. It was fascinating to see how the humans had so many similarities to his own species. So much about the two ran parallel to one another, only for there to be a sudden drastic turn in the path of similarities that confused the Prime, reminding him that no... they were indeed aliens to him, and were quite different.

Everything had calmed down some, but he knew it was the eye of the storm.

Optimus watched carefully as Jack was leaving the building, only to be confronted by the sight of the false weapon being held up to his head. A hostage situation was not something he was ready to work on at this time, and even if he was? He couldn't do a thing about it anyway. The Prime's thought process unknowingly went right along with Raf's own.

The gun in the assailant's hand was worthless, but the police force... they may not realize this. They could decide deadly force was a necessity for the moment to save the most amount of innocents. This meant one wrong move? One false lurch? And things could cascade down to a rattling impact of less than favorable outcomes.

Optimus couldn't do anything, he COULDN'T. This wasn't like... one robber and one cop with Jack in a secluded area. If he was forced to act? If he HAD to do something? The statements from two could have been seen as conspiracy or nonsense. But here? There were so many witnesses, so many to recall what had happened that it would send the populace into a panic, and Fowler into a FRENZY. He had to remain in place, and trust the local police force.

Optimus internally flinched when Jack lashed out against the robber. No, he did not feel sympathy pains for the strike since such... sensitive points... like what humans had there weren't even issues for Cybertronian. He didn't even have a proper frame of reference to understand WHY a strike there would be bad enough for Rafael to squirm in sympathy. What he did flinch for? Was the fact that Jack HAD lashed out in a quick motion. All it could have taken was for one trigger happy police officer thinking that lurch was the action of the robber? And down everything would go.

Luckily, it did not, and Jack found himself freed and approaching, which prompted Optimus to unlock his doors so that the teen could grab onto one and open it on his own. Unlike Rafael before, he did not partly swing open the door, as at this point he was playing a hundred percent inanimate object with so many witnesses around. Last thing he needed was for Jack to be questioned on why he had access to a rather... obscenely expensive semi truck with odd custom modifications to let it unlock when the 'owner' approached with no keys in his hands.

"Jack..."

Optimus was just about to say something as the Teen opened the door, just about to address him directly, when he saw one of the officers approaching. Instantly his words had cut off, and he fell silent, engine keying so low it would give off appearances of being off entirely. Optimus essentially 'shut down'.

[Deleted]

Jack was essentially done with today. Not only had his shift ended nearly an hour ago, he wasn't even sure his manager was going to pay him for staying. (Did companies comp for hostage situations?) His mother was probably beside herself if she happened to find out, which was iffy. There weren't any news crews yet, but that didn't mean they weren't on their way. He needed to get away, especially with Optimus Prime in the parking lot. This was not low profile!

Nearly to the flashy door, Jack smiled at the side panel of the truck, all sheepish and nearly feeling like a child. As compelling as the leader of the Autobots was, he was also incredibly intimidating. There was something in that deep voice of his that felt nearly like judgment even if the action was nearly not there. Jack felt safe around him and knew that, without a doubt, Optimus would go to the line to protect him. But Prime also, sorta felt like a judgmental grandpa at times.

"I-" he cut himself off with surprise because someone behind him was calling his name. Wrinkling his brow in annoyance, Jack turned around and felt the emotion and possibly blood drain from his face as he faced an actual police officer. Great. Just great! This is exactly where he where he wanted this evening to go!

"Can, I help you, officer?" He hoped he sounded calm and neutral. And not as awkward as he thought he sounded. Sometimes his voice did that awkward thing when he was under pressure and it was so embarrassing.

"Son, we had a few questions for you. I'm sure you understand that we're a little concerned given what took place here." The police man was middle aged, in decent shape and had the bland look of most small town sheriff office officials. He looked like Jack felt: like they'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Hey, what, I'm fine." Jack held up his hands in front of him. "I just want to get home. It's been a long day. Can't I come back and give a statement later...with my mom?" He added the slight nudge that perhaps he shouldn't be getting questioned alone at his age. It wasn't often that he liked to be reminded of his minor status, but when facing a badge, it was a useful thing.

Unfortunately, his tactics backfired. Yes, he was a minor, technically, and he also had a learner's permit. He was also standing near a gigantic, well loved truck and didn't own a trucking permit.

"Son...is that yours?"

Jack mentally floundered. What do?? He couldn't think of a single thing to say to get him out of this situation that wouldn't be suspicious as heck. He borrowed it?? It wasn't his?? It was his moms?! Maybe?! Ohgod, none of those sounded right. So, he stammered a reply.

"Er, th-this? N-yes, this is mine. I mean, it's my mom's...uncle's. My mom's uncle's truck. He's letting me use it since my bike is not-it's in the shop. Broken um, ahm fuel line. So I'm using this. I have a permit. It's-it's not even that good of a truck. T-the paint covers up the rust. It's really, it just looks good ya know? It's, it's not even worth driving. I mean, it's legal!" Ohgod, when would this torment end? Was this how Miko felt all the time? "It's just...it's just a piece of...it's just old."

Timidly, he patted the truck's door, internally wincing and saying a thousand sorries to the Prime.

[Optimus Prime]

Well this was just one more unpleasant turn for the evening.

Optimus watched the exchange occur silently. As to be expected, he did not move, he did not openly ventilate, and he kept his engine at such a low setting that he would appear truly off for the moment. But just because he seemed inactive, did not mean his mind was. He was contemplating, and thinking, curious how Jack would handle this.

Would he say he was just observing the truck and move on, or would he try to take ownership in some way? Optimus had not known how Jack convinced his mother previously that he had gotten a motorcycle on such a low income, but he doubted whatever it was could account for a vehicle of his size. There was definitely a difference between the cost of a motorcycle and that of a semi truck when it came to earthly vehicles.

The answer to all of this came shortly, and Optimus had to internally cringe at the way Jack stumbled forward. It was painful enough hearing how his lies fumbled and stammered along in a disjointed mess, but it was extra uncomfortable simply because of how much it reminded him of himself as Orion. Lying was... never a strong point for him. He frankly was very poor at it, and even now as Prime if one were paying close attention, they could tell when he was doing so. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but seeing Jack... flounder... was still uncomfortable.

It was only a secondary response to realize exactly what Jack was saying, the words processing a split moment after the initial secondhand embarrassment. He understood the logic behind it, for a damaged older piece of machinery would not be as financially detrimental, and would explain why someone would be more apt to loan it, but still... He didn't look damaged in the slightest. A few scrapes and dings from battle, but nothing massive.

With an unheard sigh of resignation, Optimus acted when Jack patted the cab door. The panel of metal let out a crackling noise as internally a few gears shifted, before the door itself drooped down at a ghastly angle as if one of the hinges had snapped free from the motion Jack had done. The door hung off of just the bottom hinge now as the glass on it rattled a moment, the upper area disconnected while a few insulated cables were now strung taunt. It looked like if someone were to pull on it, the entire door could come clean off and fall to the ground below.

This was not the case, and merely was an uncomfortable shift of his frame more so than true damage, but it looked bad. It was the equivalent of dropping a shoulder down and back painfully far and holding it in place to make it look dislocated. He wouldn't want to hold it long term, so he hoped this evidence of how 'old' the vehicle was would be enough to deter the officers.

In the backdrop, there was a loud bark of a laugh from a different officer who had been overhearing the exchange. The sound was short, popping out a moment in an obnoxious 'hah' before being paired with a snort as if he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. The officer was standing a short distance from the others, still in earshot but outside of the normal conversational range. His hands loosely folded under his chest, a smirk pulling back and into shape.

"I would pay to see that kid even try to pull that out of the parking lot."

Perhaps a bit irresponsible of a comment. But either way some of the other cops were turning to look, not all of them preoccupied getting statements.

[Deleted]

Curled up on the, weirdly immaculate, floorboards of the cab, Raf had time to suffer from second hand embarrassment from the verbal dump coming out of Jack's mouth. The little geek's eyes were wide as an owls behind his glasses. Silently, he willed the older teen to just stop. Why couldn't he just stop while he was ahead?? Had the trauma of the hold up been that bad? Did he need to see the school counselor? Raf made a mental note to speak to Ratchet about this later providing Jack dug himself out of the verbal trench he was rapidly digging.

With a little shake of his head, Raf reached for one of his books and gently opened it to the last chapter he'd left off. There wasn't much he could do to help the older teen besides to stay quiet and not add to the confusion. Besides, Jack had forgotten his drink...

-

Jack, on the other side of the Autobot, was running out of steam and cleverness. He never prided himself on any overabundance of smarts and this whole incident cemented the belief that he was a genius. A part of him wanted to call his mother just to hear her voice on the other end of the line because, even though he was an adult and was wearing his big boy pants, the sound of his mom's voice made everything better. Even if she would be fussing at him over the failed hold up.

He was about to give up the ghost and just start confessing to things he hadn't even done if only the cop would just go away...that is until Optimus' door just unhinged with a terrifying noise. Jack actually felt his jaw pop open in shock and horror at the sight of the door hanging at such a grotesque angle. Had he broken him somehow?! Reflexively, the teen grabbed a hold of his hair with one hand, as if to anchor himself to the horrible reality that was his life, and he stared at the door while silently saying a litany of "sorries" and "nos".

"Holy shhhhyeah, kid, I see what you mean now." The cop coughed behind him and turned to eye the other milling just away from them. Jack didn't need to see the look, but judging by the body language, he was either about to sneeze or he was holding in a laugh. "Just ah..get your uncle to look at that before it falls off, right? This isn't a jeep."

"Y-yeah..." Jack said, eyes still on the door. With a feeble smile for the officer's benefit, he stepped forward to try and 'adjust' the door back into place. At that, the policeman nodded and stepped away, apparently happy to talk with him later in the presence of a legal guardian. Once he was far enough out of hearing range, Jack jerked his hand away from the door as if stung.

"Wh-what was that?? I'm so sorry, I didn't know what else to tell them. I didn't think they'd-they never question Arcee. Heck, no one even notices Arcee! Except that time she picked me up in front of Sierra." He felt a frown creeping into his voice and tried to will that away.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus' intention was the validate Jack's words, and his actions most definitely had done so. In addition, it sadly got a far too valid and frantic response out of Jack himself. He had not intended to spook the human like that, but all things considered it was for the best, as it made him look truly upset over the damage, ending up fearful of what repercussions would come from the nonexistent 'uncle'. It was just the trick it seemed, to make the cop take a metaphorical step back and accept the stumbled lies spat out moments prior.

The cop in the backdrop was having issues hiding his laughter. He couldn't believe what he had just seen happen, yet had to feel sorry for the poor kid as well. What kind of luck was it that the truck would break in such a way? Whatever the case he simply tried to stifle his laughs as the other cop said his final words and retreated back with them. The police station would definitely have some new things to gossip about after this fiasco of pathetic robber and stumbling teen.

When Jack had tried to push the door back some, the locks and mechanisms clicked a bit, but it didn't fix itself, at least not until the cops were well gone and milling about with other things. Once the coast was clear enough, the door panel snapped back into place with a heavy clunk, before settling into its hinges as if nothing wrong had even occurred moments prior.

"There is no need to be apologetic; I was merely adding validity to your words."

Optimus tried to be reassuring, speaking in a low tone that none of the other humans across the way would be able to pick up upon. He wanted to make sure Jack understood Optimus had 'broken' his own door intentionally and it was in no way by Jack's hand. Honestly, Jack could probably hang off the door and try to break it and not cause issues...

"Nonetheless this scenario is only a chain of bad luck. We would do best to leave the vicinity before one requests a trucker permit."

It was a real worry, and given enough time one of the cops would likely come back over to check if the kid borrowing his uncle's truck was even old enough to have the appropriate permit. They were essentially on leased time, and Optimus' quiet words had a touch of this urgency in play to just get things moving. The moment Jack was secure in the driver's seat, and Raf was once more buckled up, Optimus would push his engine into gear, and intentionally 'cough' it to further reaffirm Jack's story. The cops nearby were all watching, probably half expecting Jack to drive over one of the police motorcycles, or go flying off the curb or other such things.

To try to help Jack save some face after the embarrassment, the Prime reversed, and made his way out of the far too small parking lot with a maneuverability that would surprise them all. Granted... he still made his engine make awful noises... but other than that, everything was well and good. It was only upon getting far enough out of range down the street, that Optimus 'straightened up' and returned to normal, his engine making one legitimate noise after all the faking before evening out to an even sound.

"We will need to detour back to the school I am afraid."

[Deleted]

Prime needn't have worried about sparing Jack from all the embarrassment. In that special ways teenagers functioned, he was silently suffering in eternal, and endless agony. How could his day, which had started out so boringly normal, have ended like this. He wasn't even supposed to work today! But he'd dropped by after school to cover part of a shift for a fellow coworker who wasn't sure if they could have made it. And this is what he got for his generosity? What the crap?!

Breathing out a steady breath through his nose, Jack worked on shaking off any lingering bad vibes from the scenario and focused on present company. He gave Raf a wane smile. The younger guy was buckled in his seat but absolutely dwarfed by the size of Prime's interior. He looked like a child who needed a car seat. His short legs didn't even reach to the floor and with his over sized glasses, he looked like an child trying to imitate an adult. Cute, really. But Jack wasn't going to say that to him.

"Ahm, sorry about the drink, Raf." The older teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and would have further elucidated his failing but the little computer whiz stopped him with a little shrug of his shoulders.

"It's ok. My mom says I need to cut back on the sugar anyway and focus on food that will stick to my bones." Raf smiled, comfortable in the good advice of his mother, advice that left Jack just a little baffled.

I don't think it works like that... Jack thought, while looking at the kid for a touch longer than he should have.

"..right, well, I'll buy you lunch next time." Dropping the weird, and just this side of awkward conversation, Jack turned his attention to the steering wheel of the truck. It was a minor debate among the humans as to where to address the Bots in their vehicle mode. Miko liked talking to the radio, but Jack had to contend with Arcee whose design was a lot harder to converse with without feeling just a little stupid. At least he could cover his head with a helmet and people would assume he was talking on a Bluetooth.

"Why are we going back to the school? What did Miko do this time?"

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus did not know all the ins and outs of humans and how they functioned. He rather was a bit more oblivious than he'd care to admit when it came to understanding the other species very well. But one thing was for certain, and that was the fact he shared Jack's sentiments that he didn't think that the food a human consumed directly adhered to their collagen and calcium frame struts.

He didn't say anything on the matter however, both to save himself from displaying just how little he understood on how organics worked fully, and to not call out one so young and innocent for being led astray. Or it was just hypothetical phrasing Raf had used and he had completely missed the 'ball' so to speak. Point was it was better to remain quiet and simply neglect commenting upon it entirely.

Luckily the subject changed to why exactly they had to return to the school. As far as Optimus was aware, mentioning a need to go back, and the fact Miko wasn't there, really was plenty of red flags. It pretty much was a sure thing that she was in trouble if one were to bet on it. However while they did need to pick up Miko, that was not the only concern, as Raf very well knew.

"I am not aware exactly what Miko has done, but she is in detention. This is not the only reason for our return."

There was a pause in his words as he took a turn, being extra mindful of other vehicles as well as were pedestrians were.

"Rafael's bag has become entangled within tree branches, and I am unable to retrieve it."

Which was... somewhat a stupid statement. He could reach it easily, it was so low if he was in his root form he would have to kneel over far to pluck it from its branches. But no... in his truck form he was incapable of doing such a thing, and Raf was too short even with a boost on his front bumper. If Jack couldn't just reach up and grab it, he definitely should be able to do so while standing on the bumper.

Or so was Optimus' plan.

"It is my hope that you, Jack, will be able to assist."

[Deleted]

(OOC: Time jump approved by both parties!)

It was decided, by mutual agreement, that they wouldn't speak of the book bag. Optimus certainly didn't seem to want to chat about it and Raf trailed off into mumbling. A sure sign the younger male was embarrassed by bullying. Jack was just exhausted and fighting a sudden moodiness that the onset of nerves didn't help. The common thought was just focused on getting to the school, get the book bag, and then get everyone back to the base.

Which would have been lovely if the universe was going in that direction. However, as the Prime pulled into the parking lot, nearing the bag containing the bag (and yes, the faded brown leather could be seen winking in the sunlight through the scraggly branches) another scene showboated the minor drama. Detention had apparently let out earlier or Miko had somehow slipped her way free, which wasn't unheard of. Somehow the girl managed to stay in the good graces of the school. Either way, she was standing in the yard, looking up at the bag...and flanked by the three males that had ruined Raf's day.

From their distance, no one but the Prime would certainly be able to hear the altercation.

"Ey, you! Where's that scrawny punk? When I get my hands on him..." Blaine rolled up his sleeves, like he was literally going to lay his hands on Raf if he could only set his marble eyes on the kid.

Miko turned her attention from the bag in the tree to the trio. "Did you do that?"

Someone of snickered, possibly Brody. Behind the two bullies, Chaz had nearly sunken into himself, arms crossed and a scowl so powerful it could nearly be physically felt. Somebody had gotten the news about their older brother's follies...

"You want to be next? I've seen you around with that little shrimp. You got five seconds to cough him up or your ass is going up in that tree too." Blaine took an aggressive step forward towards Miko.

For her own part, the teen had been fairly quiet, nearly thoughtful about the entire situation. If she'd seen the Prime approaching, she gave no sign of noticing. Instead, she kept her eyes on the three males. Her eyelids narrowed, her jaw set, and her fingers slowly curled into loose fists. Her entire body language changed to a loose, nearly hunched stance with her legs spread to evenly balance her weight on her boots. One could even say it was a fairly Wrecker pose before violence usually followed.

"I didn't even know you could count that high, Blaine!" Miko smirked, backing away from the enraged growl and the advancing three, away from the sidewalk and toward the nearby swing set.