Life continued.

Vince wasn't sure what he expected. After he had yelled at Optimus and bridged home he had sat down on the couch to think (and make the room stop spinning).

Was he going back?

Did he want to go back?

He slumped back on the couch with an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was an idiot. He didn't have a car and got rid of the only transportation he had. He knew it was a problem when he didn't want to ask his own friends for a ride. He didn't care though. The school wasn't that far, he could walk. He just didn't want to.

He knew his dad would be out tonight and it was one of the few times he didn't have to join him at the shop. He made some ramen and did some math problems before deciding to watch a movie. He was bored and it was only seven at night when the movie ended. He wondered what the Autobots were doing now. His second official day at the base had ended with him yelling at the leader about protection and family and storming out. If they didn't hate him already, they probably did now. Especially Jack, Miko, and Raf. Or maybe they were relieved. He wasn't sure. Either way, it was better this way. If he was supposedly in danger, he felt that something probably would have happened already.

He couldn't forget the feeling of being plucked off the ground and thrown into the air though. He saw the robot for just a second before he transformed, but he knew it was bad news. Part of him wondered what kind of elaborate lie Jack would have pulled if he hadn't woken up when he did. He smiled to himself before deciding on another movie. He had nothing better to do.

***

The next morning Vince pressed the snooze button on his phone again, not in the mood. He remembered that he needed to walk today though, and with a heavy sigh lifted himself off the bed. He quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before pulling on his jacket. He shoved a piece of bread in the toaster and pulled on his shoes, double-knotting them. He grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, grabbing his toast before walking out, not bothering to butter it or anything. He had a headache.

He got his music player out and put in his earbuds, letting the music drown out the world around him. He still had a headache but he'd ignore it for now.

Everything was fine until he rounded the corner and saw the red and blue semi parked on the side of the road. He stopped in his tracks as he saw it, before glaring at it and crossing the street. He wanted nothing to do with him, didn't he know that? He thought he had told him that when he left. He raised the volume of his music and didn't look back, continuing to walk.

School was still mostly the same. Vince had arrived a couple of minutes later than normal because he walked, and his buddies had gotten to Raf before he could tell them otherwise. Part of him didn't care, really, but the other half was worried about being crushed by a twenty foot tall yellow mechanical being. He shook the thought out of his head. It would never happen.

He passed Jack in the hallway, who was setting his helmet inside his locker before pulling out his needed textbook. The two made eye contact but there was nothing behind it. Jack looked away a second later and continued on as if things were normal. Vince wasn't sure how he should take that. Had they already moved on or were they giving him space?

Whatever, it didn't really matter to him, did it?

He shrugged to try and show his indifference and walked over to his own locker, setting his stuff down before taking what was needed for his English class. Good. He needed time to think. He slammed his locker shut and made his way over to his class. Sierra greeted him as he sat down at his desk. He gave her a nod in her direction but nothing else.

Tuning out the teacher, he scratched random lines into his notebook as he thought. Why was this bothering him so much? If the Decepticons were all that the Autobots said they were they probably would have found him already. Maybe they had and were just waiting to attack again.

Ha, what a joke. The 'cons took him by accident. They're not interested in him.

But then again.

He pressed harder onto the paper as he sketched. He had been with the Autobots for "protection". All that did was probably put him in danger even more. If anyone saw him with Optimus, the leader of the Autobots, that was an immediate red flag. He wasn't exactly an average sedan on the road to begin with. And what did Optimus mean by family? He hardly knew him, and he wanted to talk to him about family? Vince's eyes narrowed. He didn't know him. Optimus didn't know any of the humans. He never would. He just sees them as people he needs to protect, like all humans. If anything, it just made him want to protect the planet even more, which, hey, great for him, but Vince doubted that Optimus did and ever would ever truly learn more about humans and what the three in his care were actually like-

"Mister Raider."

Vince snapped his head up at hearing his last name and saw the teacher was giving him a disapproving stare.

"It would be easier to follow along with the reading if you had your book out, don't you think?"

"Probably," he replied casually, twirling his pencil in between his fingers. That was the point. He realized that he didn't want to do this today.

"Take your book out, Vince."

"I'd rather not, thanks."

"Last warning."

"I'll take it."

She gave him a hard stare before pointing to the door. He shoved his notebook in his bag before standing up and slinging it over his shoulder, leaving before she could tell him to leave the bag in the classroom. He knew he was supposed to sit outside and wait for a lecture but he wasn't interested. He walked out and kept walking, sneaking past school security even though by then his teacher had to have notified them by now. How many times had he done this? He shrugged to himself and smiled.

His dad would be at the shop today, where he needed to be after school, too. So he knew he had peace and quiet until then.

Or so he thought.

Turning the corner, he saw a way too familiar semi turn onto the street as well. He was too surprised to move until it rolled up to him and pulled over, as much as a semi could on a main road. The doors unlocked, telling Vince he should get in.

~~~

Vince's thoughts are all over the place aha

Fun fact: I chose his last name as "Raider" because that's the last name of his VA.

I'm super happy to be writing this again!! I hope you all enjoy it!