A new beginning - Sideswipe & Sunstreaker

Chapter 1 - Sam's first car -

— BLAKE WITWICKY —

Captain Archibald Witwicky was gazing out of an old newspaper displayed on a laptop screen. My pen was suspended above the sheet of paper I had been drawing on. That wasn't the worst part of Sam's presentation. My gaze dropped back to the newspaper. Beneath his stern formal seaman's portrait, a considerably less restrained caption screamed:

ARCTIC ADVENTURER ALLEGES ICE MAN FOUND!

Madding. I had lived for years with the Witwicky family, so I knew the story and that this had upset people back in the day, but for Sam to throw this story in the face of people who didn't like him... he wasn't making himself any more popular.
The clipping was in service of an ad on eBay selling a pair of old glasses that had once belonged to the older man. That wasn't the only item on eBay. I knew he didn't want to sell the glasses but needed the money for his car. Ron would pay the other half if he got one more A. Though enough junk was in his room, he had a better chance of selling.

My eyes zeroed in on the laptop screen. According to the advertisement, the one he had carefully composed, no one bid on them yet or any other relics on auction. I was amazed by how easily Sam made a fool out of himself by not even doing something but just standing there watching us — or Mikaela Banes in particular. I hated to admit it, but she was pretty. With her dark eyes and sparking deep blue eyes.
Sam cleared his throat and cut a fleeting glance at Mr. Hosney. "These are also on eBay if you wanna tell the folks — I take PayPal." I exhaled softly and turned back to my doodling. Sam cleared his throat a second time. "They'd make cool gifts. Like the compass for Columbus Day."

"Sam..." Mr. Hosney's voice boomed through the classroom. "Right." He smoothed his shirt down. "I guess years of suffering through bouts of recurrent hypothermia froze Captain Archibald's brain, and he ended up going blind and crazy. He was put in a psycho ward, where he spends all his time drawing weird symbols and babbling about a giant ice man."

I gazed at the newspaper clipping he was holding up. A different photo of the captain was displayed with strange, cryptic symbols. They made no sense to anyone in this class. In fact, I was sure they wouldn't make sense to anyone on this planet. Before Sam could say anything else, the bell rang, and people promptly got up and rushed to get out.

   I slowly rose, putting everything back in my backpack, and signed to Sam I'd be waiting outside. I got a wave of his hand in return.
      The halls bustled with people, all trying to make their way out. I couldn't wait to get out, too. It wasn't that I disliked people, but I wouldn't say I liked the business — I couldn't deal with all the yelling and loud noises. After the experiments, everything seemed ten times louder. Some noises went straight through my skull.

"Ey!"

I turned my head. Trent flashed me a grin. One that meant trouble. He wrapped an arm around me. "Are you coming to the party, darling?" He brushed some strands from my face. "No." I shrugged his arm off my shoulders and stepped away. "Pity. I got a new car, thought you might want to see it."
"Don't you get into trouble with Mikaela?" He shrugged casually. "There's enough space for two. There's a party at my place later tonight. I want you to come."

It probably meant Sam wasn't invited. "I will think about it."
"Come on, Blake. How many times do you get the opportunity to get invited to a party like mine? It'll be fun."
"You laughed at Sam."
"His presentation sucked, and you know it."

I said nothing, and he continued. "Besides, he's dragging you down while you've so much potential of being more. One date is all I ask." I sucked in a breath. One date. He had asked it so many times already. "Trent—" he cut me off. "Blake, darling..." He grasped my hands. "Let's make a deal..." he stepped closer. "I will stop bullying your brother, and you will come to my private party tonight and go on a date with me. One date is all I ask, and if it doesn't work out, we will deal with it."