Chapter Ten | Come with Me

                                    

                                          
COME WITH ME
                          
⬵⤁
Warning: Physical Harm and Emotional Torture
⬵⤁
                          
"Mirror mirror on the wall,
Says you'll catch me when I fall,"

                          
⬵⤁

                          
"Are you sure? You know June will scrap me if she knew you were skipping school again."
                          
    "I'm positive, Arcee," he said, the phone trembling in his hands. "I don't . . . I just don't feel safe."
                          
    The excuse worked, as he knew it would, the two-wheeler sighing on the other side of the line. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
                          
    "Thanks," he genuinely did not feel safe, so he did not exactly lie to his partner, but at the same time it was not solely because of that. Anxiety twisted in his gut as he recalled last night, and exhaustion clung to his eyes like wool. Every time he closed them he was thrust back into the Nemesis, trapped with a screaming medic begging for mercy. 
                          
    He stood outside at the corner of the block, Jasper High School quiet as the students inside paid attention to their classes. Briefly he wondered if anyone noticed his absence, but that was unlikely. Maybe Miko and Raf, however they would not know until the third module and lunch respectively. Secretly he wondered if Sierra would ever think about it, however he crushed his own dreams. She hardly paid attention to him now, so his absence would be overlooked.
                          
    Arcee pulled up next to him exactly fifteen minutes later, taking a moment to scan their surroundings before she deactivated Sadie. 
                          
    "Hey partner," she greeted, turning her wheel toward him. Her voice became concerned. "You look tired."
                          
    "Didn't sleep much last night," he decided not to lie about that part, or at least not try to make up a story. "I . . . I'm worried, y'know. About Ratchet."
                          
    "We all are," something was off about her inflection, and Jack wondered if she too had more to say than what she was letting on. Gripping her handlebars he gracefully slid on, putting on his helmet and letting her drive him toward the Autobot base. 
                          
    "What happened to your cheek?"
                          
    "Huh-?" he could not help but touch the spot on his helmet, grimacing beneath the tinted visor. "Oh . . . scratched myself in my sleep, I think. I'm not quite sure what I did."
                          
    Arcee bought the excuse more than June did, the nurse having nearly sent him to the hospital. The mark probably could have used stitches, but at that point his blood had clotted and made it look worse than it felt. After washing it up a bit in the mirror Jack had practiced his lines in the mirror on what he would tell Miko and Raf. He knew the former would be more inclined to question him and not believe his story; however, all of that practice was for naught, as the mere idea of Megatron's ability to think nearly sent Jack into panic territory. He was half afraid the tyrant would show up in his science class.
                          
    Despite his worries the ride to base was uneventful, Jack barely registering the sound of the wind whipping past them and the feeling of the occasional pebble striking his leg, just wanting to get to base and hide - or at least feel a little bit safer.
                          
    "I suppose since you are no longer of use to them, you won't need this."
                          
    He cringed, subconsciously gripping Arcee's handlebars tighter. The visual and the sound - oh god the sound - was permanently seared into his brain. Jack debated telling Optimus and Arcee about what happened, but a part of him was reluctant. The last thing he needed was his partner to have a Level 10 meltdown and to have his mom do the same, and to couple that with telling Optimus . . . and Megatron's own threat.