The Final Hope - Transformers Prime (3)

Chapter Forty

This song also goes with the chapter mood and all, so please listen to it while you read :)
Also, a lot of you commented that you were crying over the last chapter... as a person, I'm sorry, but as a writer, my job here is done 😁💖

Two months later...

[Amanda]

"I can't believe this!" Miko grinned. "Year 12, people! Time of our lives!"

  "Hey!" Raf said. "I'm still in grade 11!"

  "Well then you have to suffer another year before you enjoy life."

  Finn, Jack, and I laughed at that, and I shook my head at my best friend with a smile still playing on my face. We stood at the bottom of the steps that led up to the high school, which looked exactly the same as it had before the Decepticons destroyed the town. Jasper as a whole had been rebuilt and back in business for the past two months, and truthfully, life continued as though nothing wrong happened. Which meant, when September rolled around again, so did school.

  But I think we were all glad for something new to do. While we spent most of the summer working around the military base, mostly with all Cybertronian related tasks, there wasn't much to keep us occupied. With Cybertron able to produce and sustain life again, most Cybertronians had left Earth behind and returned to their homeworld, except for a certain old medic that had grown attached to us. Ratchet was spending his time learning all about Earth technology, engineering, and all the goods Earth had to offer, since he never had the chance to before. It was good to see him so into learning everything he could.

  Finn, Miko, Raf, Jack and I spent most of the summer doing everything that came to mind. We had spent nights out camping, traveled to the surrounding big cities for the weekends, visited outdoor activity places, gone to a few monster truck derbies, and anything in between. The five of us had gotten even closer, if that was possible, especially after the team lost its leader.

  A pang of the familiar hurt filled me for a moment. Today was the first school day where I'd woken up to not find Optimus waiting for me in my driveway for a reason other than having to work. Even when he was on Earth, in the middle of some massive mission, he made it his top priority to drive me to and from school. It was just how he did things. Before and after school drives were our father-daughter time, and we had both cherished that.

  I knew the others felt the same though. Their Autobot guardians weren't there to drive them to school either, since they were presently on Cybertron, leading the rebuilding of the planet. I had visited a couple times over the summer, and the progress they were making was amazing, but it still distanced them from their human counterparts. That's why I made sure to be in my Audi Q5, outside each of their houses at exactly the right time this morning, so that they'd know someone still had their backs.

  Finn slipped his arm around my waist, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I gave him a smile. We'd continued dating throughout the summer, and I was grateful to have him by my side. While the summer was fun, it was also hard, and he was nothing but patient and present for me every time I needed him.

  "Time of our lives, huh?" Jack said. "I give it a week. Once the assignments start pouring in, you're going to forget all about having the 'time of your life'."

  Miko elbowed him. "Don't be a party pooper, Jack! Think about it! Fresh new school- even though it looks like the old one- which means fresh new chairs and desks and everything! I bet the new building smell is still there too."

  I nodded. "Actually, it does still smell."

  "See!"

  Finn laughed. "So, are we going to stand outside all day, or are we going to head inside?"

  "I don't know," Raf smirked. "If we walk through those doors, we won't walk out again without the stress until June."

  "When you put it that way..." Jack pretended to turn and walk back to the car, making our group laugh again.

  "Come on, guys," I stepped forward, turning to look at each of them. "We've helped end a war, tamed a mountain-"

  "Yeah, and I'm never hiking again." Miko commented, making me fight back a smile as I continued.

  "We survived Miko's monster truck derbies, we spent nights in the wilderness, we've braved the big cities, and we've done more things that I can't remember at the moment," I continued, earning me grins from each of them. "The point is, we've done tougher things. So yeah, let's get on with having the time of our lives."

  "You heard our leader!" Miko proclaimed, leaping forward to link our arms. "After you, oh brave one."

  I looked at the boys. "Well?"

  Finn moved first, slipping his fingers through my free hand. "I'm in."

  Jack hooked his arm with Miko's. "Same."

  Raf was last, linking his arm with Finn's. "Well, I'm not going to stay behind."

  I grinned. "Then let's do this."