2. Charge (A TFP Fanfiction)

Chapter 18

He was late to pick me up. Again. At least, this time, the others were, too. Miko was standing next to me, tapping her foot impatiently. Jack sat next to me on the stairs, glancing at his mom's text messages that said she would pick him up soon. Raf was behind me, fiddling with his backpack nervously. His parents said they would pick him up, too. Miko was reluctant to ask her host parents, but we had convinced her to anyway. It was obvious the bots were all busy with something. I held my phone in my hand, anxious to see any messages from my guardian. 

Nurse Darby's car pulled up and beeped at us. Jack hurried over, leaning in by her window and saying something we couldn't hear. When he got into the car, June stuck her arm out of the window and waved us over. The three of us got over and walked over to her car.

"I called each of your parents already," she told us. "I'm taking all of you home."

Miko and Raf nodded to the nurse, but I held back. "What about me? I have to get to base.."

She gave me an apologetic look. "I can drop you off, honey."

I nodded, following the other kids into the car. I sat in between Miko and Raf, staring at my hands in my lap as we left. Raf and Jack were quiet despite their curiosity, but Miko, of course, was dying to know and didn't care to wait.

"Why weren't the Bots able to pick us up today?" she whined, looking in the nurse's direction.

June's blue eyes looked at the teen stressfully. "I'm not sure. It was a rather brief message from Ratchet, actually. He didn't tell me why, just that they wouldn't be able to come get you all today, and that you should just head home."

I sat up straighter in my seat. "Wait, Ratchet told you that?" Why had he contacted her and not me? Was something going on?

"I'm sorry about this," she told us, her eyes turning back to the road. 

All of us, even Miko, remained silent for the duration of the ride. The other kids all got dropped of at their homes, even Jack. After June told her son goodbye and that she would be back in a few minutes, we were on the road again, heading straight to base. I could feel her continuously glancing back at me as I fiddled with my fingers. My eyes wandered everywhere but where she sat.

"Taylor," she finally said. "Are you okay?"

I blinked back tears from my blue eyes. "I'm just... worried. What if something happened to them?"

"I'm sure they will be fine," she assured me. "They have fought this war a long time."

I nodded my head, squeezing my eyes shut. "Yeah."

She paused for a few more moments. "Honey.. are you sure you're alright? What I mean by that is.. are you okay living with the Autobots?"

My heart squeezed in my chest. I didn't reply, simply squeezed my hands together.

"I'm just worried that you aren't getting the proper care that a sixteen year old girl needs," she began. "You should be living in a house, getting appropriate sleep, reading books, watching tv, doing your schoolwork... I don't know, honey, the environment your in.. it's different than the other  kids. They do have a home to go back to, and-"

"I do have a home!" I shouted suddenly, my voice raised. "I have a family, and I am being cared for!"

She stopped, her blue eyes anxious. "I... alright. Just.. if it ever gets to be too much for you, you are always welcome to come to our house."

I sat back against the seat, my face red from my outburst. "Okay. Thanks," I said quietly.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. When we drove into base, she stopped the car halfway down the hall, turning back to look at me. "I really have to get home. Stay safe, okay, honey?"