Transformers: A Matter of Fate

FLIRTATIONS AND RIDES

A/N: I know I've said this a lot. But the feedback you guys have given me just makes my day! I love seeing all the reviews, favorites, and alerts I've been getting. It really makes me feel happy knowing that my writing is being enjoyed so much. :) I just can't thank you guys enough for your continued support of this story. :)

...

CHAPTER 23
Flirtations and Rides

Mark was having a very bad day, and it had hardly even started. Perhaps, it was just because of his exhaustion, considering he'd been awakened in the early hours of the morning by another incident of the Dinobots trying to go rogue. But if it wasn't it didn't change the fact that he had barely dragged himself out of bed that morning to take the half an hour ride to school. If it weren't that, it might have been the fact that he'd been assigned two papers in place of final exams, which were coming in close to three weeks. But either way, he was frustrated, and most of all, he was ready for the day to be over. He sighed quietly, closing his locker as he prepared for third period math.

As he turned around, he bumped into a young girl, nearly jumping as books toppled. "I am so sorry!" Mark shouted "I didn't see you coming, and I'm tired as hell." He crouched down, beginning to pick up the figures books "I'm so clumsy sometimes, I can't even..."

As Mark stood handing the books over, his face paled. It was the Maria girl, the one that he'd already walked into once before. And to say that he was embarrassed by the fact that this was the second time in a row was an understatement. "You know, if you just wanted to talk to me, you could use a new approach." Maria teased playfully "It's fine, really. I get it." She explained.

Mark smiled a little bit, trying to catch himself. "Is that a bit of an accent I hear? Sounds... Italian maybe?" He questioned.

"Good catch." Maria replied with a bit of a smile "Most people don't really notice it much. It's kinda repressed, even though it comes out sometimes. It's mostly on my fatha's side of the family though." She nearly covered her mouth at the pronunciation of "father" "You know, like that." She laughed.

Mark gave a small chuckle, though he was visibly nervous. She was actually talking to him, him. He definitely wasn't expecting this after what Tessa had said about her popularity. "I guess I should kinda introduce myself in case this happens again." He held out a hand slowly "I'm Mark..." He introduced himself.

"Maria." She took his hand and shook it.

"Yeah, I kinda know. You're friends with my buddy, Tessa, right?"

Maria nodded her head, smiling a little and tilting her head. "Yeah, you could say that, we were closer when we were younger though. She has two years on me now, and it's high school, so." She shrugged her shoulders a little bit "Hey, I couldn't figure it out when we ran into each other before, but now I know where I know you from... The newspapers. You're the son of that Savoy guy, right? The one they found hiding out there?" She asked.

Mark froze up, unsure of how to respond to that. Would it weird her out? "Y-Yeah... I didn't realize that made the papers." Mark paused a minute "But I guess with the whole Decepticon attack thing it would." He shrugged his shoulders slightly "But yeah, short answer, that was me." He explained.

"Yeah, what was up with that?"

Mark hesitated, he thought most everyone in the school knew by now. Didn't rumors travel fast in small towns? He sighed a bit, and leaned against the lockers. "I had been living with the Autobots... I kinda still am." He could see her eyes visibly widen at that "Yeah, I know, I get that a lot. That look or, "holy crap, your dad's an Autobot!?"." He laughed a little "Most people find it weird."