Chapter One

It was going to be one of those days.

It was an often occurrence for Jeanie Mathews to find herself sitting with her two friends outside their favorite coffee shop. Unfortunately, that Saturday morning when she had gotten up to go out with her friends, the weather had looked rather dreary. The dark gray clouds had been threatening rain for a few days now, though it had yet to really open up and let loose on the city below. So she had dressed, preparing for what was usually inevitable in Clallam County. It rained more often than not, so when one saw clouds; it was only a matter of time before the heavens would open up and pours down on the poor inhabitants of this small Northwestern city.

Now, it was about two in the afternoon with the sun shining high above them, barring down upon her and making her skin itch inside her clothes. Sweat perspired between her breasts and down along her back, making her restricting clothes cling to her awkwardly.

It was going to be a hot day, through and through, and here she sat, sipping on her second 16oz triple shot latté, in a green quarter-sleeved shirt that reached all the way to her elbows and a pair of jeans that were marred from years of wear and tear. The dark denim had permanent stains that no detergent could wash out, which she thought gave them character. They were her favorite pair. Her only reprieve from her attire was the holes at her knees, which allowed a semblance of airflow to reach the flushed skin beneath. The wind breaker she had talked herself into wearing that morning was now tied loosely around her waist and made her wish she had a car, for the umpteenth time since she turned sixteen almost two years ago. Then she would have somewhere to put it instead of creating more layers around her hips.

Turning to her two friends, she glowered at them a bit behind her coffee cup as she took another sip from its warm contents. Yeah, Mother Nature really liked to screw with her. What she wouldn't give for a cold frappe coffee instead.

Unlike herself, Amber and Lin were clad in lighter and much looser clothing. Dressed in shorts and tank tops, they had opted to forgo the jackets, for a more fashionable sense of attire. They would rather take the chance of freezing to death then dress for rain. Maybe listening to the weatherman every once and a while wouldn't be a half bad idea, Jeanie mused to herself. Then maybe she could actually dress a little more in tune with the weather, instead of looking up at the sky and taking an educated guess.

There's always next time, she mused to herself.

Amber snickered suddenly at something Lin had said, drawing Jeanie's attention from her own inner turmoil.

The three of them were friends, not best friends mind you, but as close as three girls that didn't have a whole lot in common could get. Amber and Lin were thick as thieves though, having gone to school together for as long as they could remember. Jeanie had only joined their motley crew recently, since she had been home schooled up until she entered high school, two years ago. The three of them were close enough to where they could get along for the most part. Amber and Lin had a whole other group of friends, which kept the three of them from hanging out at every chance they got outside of chores, part-time jobs and school.

Jeanie kind of preferred it that way though. Sure, she liked Amber and Lin enough, but all they wanted to talk about was what shoes to wear with which outfit, or which hot guy's ass looked better in their jeans. Jeanie didn't wear makeup and she didn't wear the latest fashionable outfit. She wore what felt comfortable and tied her mass of chestnut brown curls up into a ponytail more often than not. She didn't spend hours in the bathroom each morning trying to get ready for school. She only spent enough time to take a shower, dress and take care of her hygiene needs, before she had to race out the door.

It was a wonder sometimes, why Amber and Lin picked her to be their friend, when they could have easily ignored her like the rest of the school had done. While Jeanie was curious as to why they befriended her on her first day of school, as they weren't well known for their kind heartedness, she found she really didn't want to know the reason either. If she had to guess, she would say they didn't find her much of a challenge in gaining a boy's attention. They had enough competition with each other to want anymore.

"-he is so hot," Amber sizzled next to her.

The small petite blonde leaned back on the table, causing her tank top to ride up and expose her pierced belly button. Amber shifted, drawing the attention of several male pedestrians walking by, and take in the B-size cup breast she flaunted with her low v-neckline. The table they sat at was right out in front of the coffee shop. If they got here early enough in the day, they always commandeered the table, to give them front row seats to the coffee shop interior, without having to be inside.

Following Amber's smoldering blue eyes to the guy who ran the counter, Jeanie just shook her head. That was why this was their table. It had a direct line of sight into the coffee shop, where Jim Mackey worked the counter taking customer's orders and delivering their coffee.

Amber made an appreciative sound beneath her breath when Jim turned to reach for something on the shelving behind him.

Amber Wells was your usual blonde haired, blued eyed southern beauty with a nicely even tanned and toned body. She was seen more often than not in a pair of short shorts, or miniskirts, with a V-neck type shirt to expose as much as decently possible. You would never see her hair pulled into a half hazard ponytail like Jeanie's.

"Mmhm," Lin hummed beneath her breath, agreeing with Amber. She also was seated on the table instead of the bench seat, leaning back on her elbows that kept her from being completely sprawled across its surface.

Lin Jones was the exact opposite of Amber, despite the fact that they were two peas in a pod. She was Chinese American descent, her skin a dark olive shade and toned from running track during the school year. Her hair was a thick mass of ebony strands, flattened from hours of straightening with a flatiron that morning. Her eyes a dark chocolate and slightly almond shaped, also followed the young clerk's every move.

That is what separated Jeanie from her two friends. They were laid out across the picnic-like-table, propped upon their elbows, openly ogling the man in the coffee shop. Jeanie sat behind them half turned so that she could watch the traffic and also keep an eye on the two girls. She wanted to be prepared; just in case they decided to take their stalkerish tendencies to the next level, one could never tell when it might kick in.

Jeanie wasn't interested in Jim the same way they were. Sure he was a nice guy, but that didn't exactly make him dating material in her book. Not that many boys did, actually. To her, that was all they ever were, boys.

Like all the Saturdays before this one, since Jim had come back from WASU after the last Semester, they would hang around till his shift ended. Just so that either Amber or Lin could get an opportunity to start up a conversation with him.

It was always amusing to watch and see which one would get to the poor guy first. Or at least it had been the first couple of times. Now, Jeanie just wanted to find a nice shaded spot or maybe even go home to her air-conditioned house and chill out for the remainder of her weekend.

"I heard he broke up with that college girlfriend of his," Amber said a little wistfully.

"Really," Lin said dragging her eyes away from Jim long enough to see if Amber was joking with her or not.

Amber shrugged, neither admitting nor denying the rumor.

Well this could get ugly, Jeanie thought worriedly, her eyes darting between the two of her friends.

The last time Amber and Lin had really fought over a guy, Jeanie had found herself playing courier between the two of them for a month. Not the most desirable position, she had found out the hard way. When those two fought, it could almost compete with WWII. There were always casualties involved. Jeanie had the misfortune of being stuck in the middle of their war. She had to narrowly duck flying insults, and dodge epic cat fights a few times during their last disagreement, which had been over some stupid boy too.

And neither of them even liked him, Jeanie had found out after the two had finally made up.

Jeanie leaned a little ways away from the pair as they started to eye each other competitively. This was why she avoided the male species altogether. It was just not worth the cat and mouse games. She had the misfortune of witnessing Amber and Lin play it time and time again with each guy they liked.

"Well then I'll just ask him," Lin said turning her gaze back to the man in question.

"What," Amber spluttered, sitting up on the table to look at her friend incredulously. "You can't just ask him!"

"Why not," Lin asked simply. "It worked with Mark."

Amber's mouth dropped open, for one humiliating moment she looked like a fish out of water trying to catch its breath. Jeanie snorted beneath her breath, masking the sound behind her coffee cup and quickly took a long drink from the cooling liquid to cover up her reaction to their argument. It was rather amusing to see her friend's startled expression, as brief as it was.

Then Amber shut her mouth with the audible click of her teeth, grinding her back molars in irritation. Then a sly look crossed her face and she relaxed back into her sprawled position. "Because, I'm going to ask him first," was her cocky reply.

The scandalized look Lin sent Amber had Jeanie gritting her teeth to bite back her groan.

Here we go again, Jeanie thought, not the least bit happy about it. It looked like her weekend was going to be nothing but playing negotiator between the two of them.

What was is the guy's motto that she had heard them use a few times, 'bros before hoes'?

Apparently that motto didn't work for girls, or at least with Amber and Lin. Sighing, Jeanie sipped from her coffee only to grimace at the nuke warm taste. It was only ever good when it was hot.

Lifting her head, she shaded her eyes with her hand to glimpse at the sun that was overhead.

Damn, all the clouds are gone.

This meant that if she stayed out here any longer under the direct sunlight, she was going to be a cherry tomato for school on Monday. It was bad enough she was already feeling sticky and a bit gross from all the sweating she had been doing for the past hour, but to be burnt red as well would be hell on Earth.

She really needed to talk her parents into letting her get a car. Or let her at least get a job, so that she could buy one herself. Amber was the only one out of the three of them who owned a vehicle. Which meant Jeanie wasn't going anywhere unless she either;
A. waited till Jim got off work and her two friends got their chance to talk to him. Or
B. hitched a ride home with someone else. And she didn't have any other friends.

She could have taken the bus, but she didn't think to bring any extra cash with her. There was no way she was going to be able to pay for a cab either. She didn't even have a job yet, thanks to her parents trying to smother her. Luckily she had convinced them to let her take Driver's ED last year otherwise she wouldn't have a license to go along with her list of things she was still too 'young' for.

Her parent's excuse was that they weren't ready for her to grow up yet. She was their 'baby girl' after all. So she had no job and no car, at least until she was eighteen and out of high school. It made her feel at odds with her fellow classmates. Even Amber had a job working at the boutique just down the road and Lin worked for her mom filing paperwork.

Sighing out loud, she rolled her shoulder to try and work out a kink forming between her shoulder blades. Jeanie was going to voice her woes to her friends, but found they were still in a heated argument over who was going to talk to Jim first.

For the first time in her life, Jeanie wished she wasn't so nervous around new people. That she could make new friends as easily as Amber could. If she wasn't so shy around new people, she would go out and make some new friends, ones that might think of her before their latest crush. This was just ridiculous.

At that moment, an engine revved nearby stealing her attention away from her friends. Glancing out into the street, she watched as a 1975 Camaro drove up on the other side of the street. Jeanie wasn't really a car person, but she could appreciate a nice set of racing stripes as much as the next guy. It was an old car she could tell, with a rusted yellow paint job and black racing strips down the middle. She watched as it maneuvered into a parallel parking spot across from the coffee shop. Jeanie pursed her lips at the sight of the car thinking it looked familiar.

Isn't that-, Jeanie sat up, thinking that it could be her neighbor's son, Max's car. She didn't really know him that well, but had seen him drive a car if not exactly the same, it was very similar to the one she was now squinting at. It wasn't like there was too many of those beat up old clunkers driving around in her hometown anyway. This was a retirement community after all. It has to be him, right?

Maybe today wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

OoOoO

Just a day,
Just an ordinary day.
Just trying to get by.
Just a boy,
Just an ordinary boy.
But he was looking to the sky.
And as he asked if I would come along
I started to realize
That every day he finds
Just what he's looking for,

Like a shooting star he shines.

OoOoO

Working at a coffee shop wasn't nearly as impressive as he thought it would be. While Jim Mackey loved coffee as much as the next guy, if not maybe a little more than most people, it wasn't all that appealing making it for everyone else. People were just so damn picky. Cappuccinos, Espressos, lattes, mochas, single, double, triple shot, flavor or no flavor. Over and over, drink after drink. The only bonus of working there was that he could drink all the coffee he wanted. Which wasn't necessarily a good thing, he found out soon enough.

He had considered admitting himself into a Coffee Anonymous group, if there was such a thing. He'd do anything to try and slow, if not stop it all together, his addiction for the stuff. It was really affecting his ability to sleep at night, which affected his ability to function during the day. This had him consuming even more coffee just to get through the day. It was a vicious cycle, he had gotten himself into. Too much caffeine had his brain running 24/7 to the point that if he closed his eyes, the room spun.

But he was a coffee addict and he thought what an ingenious idea it would be to work at a coffee shop. He was only on his second week being there and already he was bored out of his mind.

"You outta here," his boss Sandy asked him as his shift was coming to an end and hers was just beginning. She was just coming in from the backroom and taking his place at the counter.

"Yea," he said on a sigh, his eyes briefly trailing to the three girls sitting at the table outside the coffee shop.

Same shit different day, as the saying goes. He didn't understand how high school girls could just sit there for hours, waiting and watching. It reminded him of this one episode he watched on Animal Planet about Vultures, and how they would circle their prey until it finally keeled over and died, before they would finally swoop in to feast on the remains.

It was really unnerving, especially for a guy like Jim. He wasn't used to all this attention. Sure he had a girlfriend, liked having one too, even if they were going through a rough patch in their relationship this past week. Girls were just high maintenance was all and he just couldn't keep up with their demands.

"You know, some guys would be flattered by all the attention," Sandy said with a sly look his way, when she caught him staring at the girl's waiting for him.

Jim only sighed again. Yea most guys would, but he wasn't most guys. All through high school, he'd been kind of dubbed a nerd and most girls had avoided him like the plague back then. Now he was in college and he'd started working out a little. He'd traded his glasses in for contacts and BAM! He had to beat them off with a stick now.

"See you tomorrow Sandy," he said.

He ignored the laugh she gave him, at his expense and headed to the back of the coffee shop to get his things from the closet. He really needed to start thinking about what courses he was going to take in the fall, instead of trying to find ways to avoid his accumulated groupies. He was only home until September. Hopefully by then he'd have his head wrapped around on what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He didn't have time to worry about girls, let alone girls that could get him thrown into jail for statutory rape just by looking at them.

Christ, are they even sixteen, he wondered.

Retrieving his bag, he grabbed his jacket but didn't bother to put it on. It was warm inside, even with the fans on high and he knew it would only be just as hot outside. Tucking his jacket over his arm, he slung his backpack over his right shoulder. Reluctantly he headed to the front of the shop. He glanced briefly out the window, getting a quick look at the three girls waiting for him.

Well here goes nothing, he thought.

He stepped outside and for a moment, breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn't instantly bombarded. Instead the two high school girls were arguing over something and hadn't realized he was off work yet.

Amber and Lin, he recalled their names. They were sweet girls and he liked them well enough, but they should at least try to play hard to get. He was only going to suffocate from all of their attention.

Reaching up to run his hand over his hair, he realized he needed to get it cut soon. The black curls were starting to get long enough that he could run his fingers through them. His movement seemed to catch the two girl's attention, much to his dismay. Their gaze narrowed in on him like two heat seeking missiles. He cringed a little, but hid it with a quick smile and waved at them.

Amber was up off the table before Lin had even blinked. She'd hurtled herself at him and he drew back to brace himself for the impact.

"Hey Jim, are you off work," she inquired, though it was obvious that he was.

"Uh- yea, hey Amber how's the uh-" he struggled with what it was she had mention just two days ago to him. "Uh- dance classes?" Relief swamped him when he finally remembered.

The flush to her cheeks, indicated she was thrilled he remembered.

"Horrible," she said with a pout. Taking a lock of her blonde hair with her index finger, she twirled it in her distress. "They're only teaching the boring routines. Nothing fun and hip you know."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jim said truthfully.

At that moment, Lin seemed to regain her composer and suddenly appeared at his side a lot faster than was deemed normal. "Jim," she said with a pout, her full bottom lip jutting out as she stared up at him.

If they weren't so young, Jim would have allowed himself to play out a little fantasy with that full bottom lip against his skin, but he squashed the idea before it could surface. Bad, bad, bad, he reprimanded himself.

"Hey Lin," he said, trying to fight back the flush that crawled up his neck to fill out his cheeks.

You would think after two weeks of this, he'd be immune to their wiles. But it was hard to fight the heat that seared him when they clung at his arms and fought for his attention. Yea, maybe working at the coffee shop hadn't been the best idea he ever had.

Recalling their other friend, he looked back out to the table. What was her name again? Jen- no, Jeanie! He had only heard it once or twice and she never seemed to vie for his attention like Amber and Lin did. It was easy to forget she was even there half the time. Jeanie was no longer seated in her usual spot. Searching the sidewalk, he caught sight of the brunette as she crossed the street at the crosswalk.

Out of the three girls who came nearly every day to buy coffee, she never once tried to fight for his attention much to his relief. If anything she was a sight for sore eyes when she came in with the other two. At least he could get a decent conversation out of her, one that didn't consist of make-up or clothing opinions. Which were things he didn't understand.

"Uh-" he started, having not heard Lin's question. "Where's uh Jeanie going?"

Both Amber and Lin turned to look.

Jeanie had crossed the street and was approaching an old rusted Camaro that was parallel parked in front of the First Federal Bank. Before he could ask them a second question, both Lin and Amber left him and raced after their friend.

Jim stared after them, a little confused by their odd behavior. Usually it took everything he had to pry the two girls off of him after work. Once they zeroed in on him, it was hard to shake them off his tail. Looking over at Jeanie, he hummed beneath his breath as he realized he was free to leave without the two girls seeing him make a run for it. He'd have to thank her for this later. Maybe he could buy her a cup of coffee as she seemed to like it as much as he did?

Taking the opportunity given to him, Jim hurried down the sidewalk to where he'd parked his car in the lot behind the coffee shop. If he was lucky, they wouldn't notice his absence till well after he was gone.

OoOoO

He said "Take my hand,
Live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand"

OoOoO

The Autobot, currently residing in the form of a beat up old Camaro, only started to panic when he noticed that the human femme was hurrying across the street, just to reach him. This would be the first time in three earth months since he landed on this small planet, that anyone had even acknowledged his presence. It was something he was good at, being able to infiltrate and gather information without anyone realizing he was even there.

He had stumbled upon this backwater planet after tracking a strange Energon reading to this side of the solar system. It was the first planet he had come across in a long time that had held life on it. He and his fellow Autobots had been searching every planet and star looking for the Cube. Also known as the Allspark had the energy to restore their home, Cybertron which had been destroyed by the war between Autobots and Decepticons.

Though he was here alone on this planet, it would not be long before the others caught up to him. As soon as he located the Cube, he was to contact Prime. Though he had not found any information linking to the Cube, the reading of Energon was curious enough for him to investigate this planet further. It was the reason why he had not left yet, as he hoped to find the source of Energon and hopefully have some good news to give to his fellow Autobots.

Slowly he had traveled the surface of the planet, following the reading he was getting. It had taken him across the Continent known as North America to a city in the Northwest. So far he hadn't been able to find anything. Once landing on the planet, the trace of Energon he had been tracking was gone, leaving him confused and suspicious. He had yet to run into any Decepticons, which was amazing all on its own. Were they behind in the signature vanishing? Surely they had tracked the very same Energon signal he had come across?

He had just arrived in a city on the Northwest Peninsula that morning. On this side of the Mountains the land was rich in soil and trees, the weather not quite as warm as the Eastern side of Washington had been. He had been planning to head right on through and start south to search the Peninsula for any information. However, upon arriving in the small retirement community he had found himself growing weary and considered to search for a place to stay for the night to give him time to recharge. That was how he had found himself pulling over onto the side of the road to get his bearings and plan on where you could hold up for the night.

He soon realized what a mistake that had been.

He couldn't flee now though, the human was close enough to see that he held no driver. How could he detour her from approaching him? He had seen these humans strip a car down for parts within less than an hour. Why else would a human come towards him unless to see if he was of value? These humans relied on material possessions, as if they were a requirement to live. He had seen their huge houses and expensive cars. The luxuries humans thrived on. While the rich enjoyed their wealth, the poor stole from them and stripped them of what they owned.

He had tried to blend in the best he could, picking a late model car as his choice of disguise. It was in hope that the humans would find him of no value and leave him alone. So far it had worked and he had been able to travel without being noticed. Until now that is.

As she reached him, he noted the way her expression clouded over, her brows drawing together as she pursed her lips. To his dismay, he noted that two more femmes were quickly joining the one that was staring at him from the driver side of the car.

This is not going according to plan!

OoOoO

And as he spoke, he spoke ordinary words
Although they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
And you'd swear those words could heal.
And as I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine.
And I know he's no stranger,
For I feel I've held him for all of time
.

OoOoO

Jeanie tilted her head slightly as she studied the car. Okay, that's weird, she thought to herself. She walked entirely around the car, coming to a stop in front of it. Okay, she knew she had seen it park while she had been sitting at the table. So where the hell did Max go to?

She eyed the empty driver seat, her brows furrowing in concern. "Where'd he go?" she asked out loud.

He couldn't have gotten out of the car and disappeared into one of the buildings that fast. Could he? It had what, taken her maybe five minutes to leave the table and cross the street all together? She had only taken her eyes off the car for a split second.

"Jeanie what are you doing."

Torn from her thoughts, Jeanie looked over to see Amber crossing the street. Instead of using the crosswalk like Jeanie had done, she cut across in front a car and the driver honked at her angrily in retaliation. In reply, Amber flipped him off and hurried to stand next to Jeanie.

"Girl what the hell are you doing over here," Amber asked her, but seeing her friend's attention averted, followed her gaze to the yellow Camaro. Lin was quick to across the street next, pausing long enough to let the driver Amber had flipped off to pass before she darted across the street to join them. Expecting Jim to be tugged along, Jeanie was a little surprised to find the young man gone.

Huh… There's a shocker. She thought an act of God would have to pry them off the poor man, before they were willing to let go of him.

"Did any of you see where Max went?" Jeanie asked them, instead of commenting on Jim's absence.

"Max," Amber said the name like she didn't recognize it. She cocked her hip to the side, resting her hand there as she fixed Jeanie with a confused stare.

"You mean that dorky kid that lives next door to you," Lin asked her after a moment of silence. The look she sent Jeanie was one of annoyance. "We walked away from Jim's fine piece of ass to talk to Max?"

Jeanie sighed out loud.

"I didn't ask you two to follow me," she stated the obvious. "But this is Max's car and I saw him pull up-"

Her eyes searched the sidewalk once more. She hadn't seen him get out of the car, she was sure of it. But it was obvious no one was inside it. Where he could have gone to was beyond her. She didn't think he'd be anywhere near this side of town. Maybe on the west side where Game Stop was located, since he was more into video games then shopping for clothes.

"Are you sure this is his car," Lin questioned. She was eyeing the car a little skeptically.

Jeanie only shrugged. "It looks like it," she replied, but not sounding very convincing.

Lin rolled her eyes and walked to the back of the car to check the license plate.

"Is Max from California by any chance?"

Jeanie looked over at her friend. "Uh no-" she said wondering why Lin would ask her that. Max had been her neighbor for her whole life, she didn't think he ever left the city let alone cross a state line.

"Then this isn't his car," Lin said simply and pointed to the back of the car.

Hurrying to her friend's side, Jeanie noted the license plate. In bright red lettering it scrawled out 'California'.

Damn, Jeanie thought to herself.

"Oh no," Amber suddenly cried out.

Both Lin and Jeanie looked over at their friend quickly, only to find Amber staring back at the coffee shop.

"What's wrong," Jeanie asked her. From the expression on her friend's face, something awful must have happened.

"Jim's gone."

Looking to the sky, Jeanie asked herself. Why do I even bother?

"What?" Lin cried out and rushed to Amber's side. They both searched up and down the sidewalk for him, but Jim was nowhere to be found.

"Doesn't he park behind the coffee shop?"

Jeanie was going to mention that that could be classified as stalking, but she figured it would fall on deaf ears. Why try to talk reason to a brick wall? There was no arguing with the two of them once they set their eyes on a man.

"Yes he does," Lin confirmed with a nod of her head.

Before Jeanie could stop them, her two friends ditched her and raced across the street. She watched them with her eyes, following them as they disappeared behind the coffee shop. For one brief moment she felt sympathy for the young man.

"Poor Jim,"she spoke out loud, in a hushed tone.

Sighing out loud, Jeanie found herself leaning back against the yellow Camaro without really thinking about it. It didn't even occur to her that the owner of the car might object to her using it as a prop to hold herself up. But she was standing in the shade now, the tall building of the bank behind her was shading her from the sun's glare and that was what mattered to her at the moment.

"This is getting old," she muttered out loud. She had been putting up with it for the past two years and it was about time she put her foot down. Enough was enough. "What is so cool about some guy anyway?" Not that she would expect an answer. She asked Lin and Amber that question numerous times. And they would just smile that weird knowing smile, which wasn't even an answer to her question at all.

To her dismay, Jeanie's thoughts were interrupted by a strange whirling sound behind her. She's a Man-eater, Make you work hard, Make you spend hard, Make you want all, of her love, She's a Man-eater-

With a yelp, Jeanie sprang up off the car and whirled around. She stared in through the window, her heart hammering against her ribcage as if it wanted to break free from her chest.

What the hell was that?

Looking around quickly, she found that she was pretty much alone on the street. A few people were loitering around outside the bank and near the ATM machine, but nowhere near to where she was standing on the side of the street. Definitely not close enough to explain the music she had just heard.

So where had Nelly Furtado's, 'Man-eater', come from?

She could have sworn it had come from the Camaro's own speakers. With a weary hand, Jeanie touched the side of the car. Had she really felt the vibration of the blaring music against her backside?

"Oh boy," Jeanie whispered, her heart straining inside her chest. She felt a little light headed and took a moment to breathe. She bent at the waist, putting her head between her legs in hopes of stilling the merry-go-round that had become her vision. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep calming breaths.

Looking back at the car, Jeanie drew up to her full height. She was finally losing it. Her Aunt Matilda had always said it ran in the family and that her Uncle Bill had been locked up years ago after finally succumbing to his delusions. And here she had thought her Aunt had been messing with her all these years.

There wasn't anyone in the car, her eyes told her that much. Maybe it came from someone else's car, she thought hopefully. It was possible right? Someone probably had their stereo on too loud and it just seemed like it had come from the Camaro. Jeanie latched onto that thought desperately.

Yea that had to be it. She just had to ignore the fact that it had sounded and felt like it came from the Camaro. She could do that.

Shaking her head, Jeanie walked around to the passenger side of the car, so that she was no longer in the way of traffic, but in fact standing on the sidewalk. She glanced across the street, but Lin and Amber hadn't returned yet, which probably meant they had caught up to Jim. That or they had forgotten she was with them and they had left her behind. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"I can't wait until I get my own car," she said mostly to herself. "Then I wouldn't have to worry about being left behind anymore."

Or she could maybe turn the tables and leave them behind for a change. Now there was an appealing idea. But some things were just not meant to be and as such, she was stuck with finding her own way home once again.

With another quick look at the Camaro, Jeanie gave up on hoping that it could belong to Max. Oh well. Stuffing her hands into the pocket of her jeans, she kicked the tire of the car halfheartedly. As if to tell it, you disappoint me.

Reluctantly, Jeanie turned away and headed down the sidewalk to where the crosswalk was. At least home was only about a mile and a half from here, or she just might have to disown her two friends. This wasn't the first and most definitely wouldn't be the last time they'd forgotten about her.

She had only made it the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the light to change, when the hairs at the back of her neck seemed to stand up on end. She felt a chill crawl down her spine, something that should have been impossible under the heat of the sun's rays.

Jeanie turned just slightly to look behind her, wondering why she felt like she was being watched. Her eyes widened a fraction and her heart lodged itself in her throat. Was it just her or did it look like the car had moved from where it had been parked? Eyeing it inconspicuously from the corner of her eye, she tried to gauge the distance between her and the car.

Truthfully, Jeanie couldn't really tell. At this distance she was still able to see that there was no one inside the car, let alone sitting in the driver seat. But she could have sworn the car had been completely covered by the shadows of the First Federal bank. Looking at it now, the front bumper of the car was exposed to the sunlight, making the bright yellow paint job of the car gleam, despite all the dirt and scratches that marred the hood.

Maybe it's a trick of the lighting, Jeanie tried to convince herself. Though the hairs on the back of her neck told her she wasn't quite buying it. But what else could it be, she tried to reason? That or she was losing her mind and she didn't like that possibility at all.

It was possible the light from the sun, the harsh heat and her overindulgence of caffeine that morning, was making her see things. From this angle, the car almost looked well cared for, like it didn't hold any rust stains or that the paint job wasn't faded from years of being left out in the sun.

Jeanie wouldn't have minded having a car like that one. Though she didn't know a thing about cars, she liked the older frame it was built with and the well-used look the paint job expressed.

It has to be the lighting.

That or she was officially losing her mind. Those were the only two ways to explain her hallucinations. Cars don't drive themselves, they just don't, she argued with herself.

First, she had the audacity to consider that a car could have driven and parallel parked itself. Then she accused it of messing with her by turning the radio on just to scare her.

Yea-

She was going crazy, because now Jeanie was starting to believe it was following her.

Keeping the car within her peripheral vision, Jeanie pressed hard on the button of the pole next to her several times, to signal the light that she wanted to cross now not later. She waited anxiously for the light to change, tapping her foot in the universal sign of impatience. Finally the light changed and she was forced to turn away from the car, to cross the street and reached the sidewalk on the other side in mad dash to beat the traffic.

Again she looked back, half expecting to see the car coming after her. The movie 'Christine' came to mind and she shook her head to clear the notion. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled and a chill that had nothing to do with standing in the shade of a tree had her crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're being paranoid, Jeanie, get it together," She tried to argue with herself. Only, she realized too late that she was talking out loud and the couple who had joined her at the crosswalk had overheard her. Flushing beat red Jeanie quickly pressed the button, trying to hide her face from the couple as they sent her curious looks. When the light changed again, Jeanie was hurrying to the other side before the couple had even realized it was time to cross. Now Jeanie stood east of the coffee shop. The bank and the Camaro had been south of it, which made them now Diagonal from where she stood across the intersection.

Realizing she had taken her eyes off the car, she whipped around to look back at the side of the street the Bank sat on. Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest at the sight before her. It was like the air had been knocked from her lungs as Jeanie struggled to breathe. Her eyes darted up and down the road, but no matter how hard she looked, it didn't change the fact that the car was gone.

Don't panic, her mind screeched at her.

That's easier said than done!

Oh Jiminy Crickets.

Swallowing thickly, Jeanie searched the road again, her eyes straining to see in the far distance. How the hell had it disappeared like that without her knowing?

Okay, just breathe, Jeanie told herself over and over again. Nothing to worry about, it's gone, that just means the owner of the car drove off. It did not mean the car was following her. It didn't! Stop panicking!

Forcing herself to turn away from the busy street, Jeanie looked ahead of her instead. There was a parking lot with some public restrooms just down a ways and she headed straight for it, trying to keep her pace normal and not break out into a run. If she cut through the parking lot, it would shave off some of the distance to get to her house and safely in her bed where she wanted nothing more than to be in right now. Her neighborhood was about a half a mile from where she stood, but it was nearly two miles if she stuck to the streets to get there.

Passing a small café, Jeanie turned into the public parking lot and headed to the back. There was a chain link fence that separated some houses from the empty lot. A while back, someone had cut some of the links creating an opening just big enough for someone her size to squeeze through. This was the same path she took to get to the coffee shop when she couldn't bum a ride from her parents or her friends.

Jeanie took this route today ducking through the gap and stepping out into someone's backyard. Her shoes crunched along the dry grass and scattered leaves as she made her way to the street. From here, she would have to stick to the road. Each individual house was fenced in and guard dogs just beyond each gate, kept her from taking anymore shortcuts. Crossing her arms over her chest, she kicked a pebble out of the way as she followed the sidewalk to a four way stop. Hopping down from the curb, she only briefly glanced both ways, before darting across. In this neighborhood, there were hardly much traffic and she wasn't worried about getting ran over.

This part of town was always quiet, minus the sounds of children half her age playing in their backyards. The neighborhood was very quaint, even with it just being on the other side of a shopping district and the main road that ran all the way through town. But it was a nice neighborhood, not very many people driving around these streets, unless it was the owners of the homes that she was walking passed.

Turning, Jeanie looked both ways before she crossed another street and headed east. Four more blocks and she would be in her own neighborhood. She hadn't walked much further when a voice interrupted her trek home.

"Hey Jean."

Jeanie stilled at the voice, feeling her heart leap to her throat again at the familiar nickname. Only this time it wasn't because she was worried Christine had become an old 1975 black and yellow Camaro, hell bent on stalking her. No it was because Jake Sullivan was leaning up against a car parked on the side of the street. She had been so set on getting home that she hadn't realized he was standing there. The fact that he had called her by the nickname he used when they were kids, had her hesitating.

Wearily, she turned her gaze over to him. It wasn't that she disliked Jake per say, it was just the guy was a punk who liked to bully people when he was with his friends. He always had to impress his motley crew of misfits. To her chagrin, Mikey, one of Jake's friends came running out of the house he was currently hanging out in front of. Of course she would be passing Mikey's house and run into the pair, today of all days. It wasn't as if her day was going spectacular already; why not add this little run in to finish her off.

Gritting her teeth, Jeanie nodded once in Jake's direction and tried to continue on. At one time or another when they were just kids, she had been friends with Jake. Then they had gotten to that age, when reputation meant everything and it wasn't cool to be friends with a girl two years younger than you. Or at least it had to Jake and their friendship just faded away, like it never existed. It didn't matter all those times she'd held him when he cried after his father had beaten him or his mother ignored him.

"Hey," Jake called after her, his voice indicating he was annoyed that she was just going to ignore him. He pushed himself from the car. "Where do you think you're going to?"

"Home," Jeanie said tightlipped.

She came to a stop when Jake stepped in front of her path. Before she could try to go around him or try and head in the other direction, Mikey followed his move and stepped up behind her. She found herself boxed in by the pair in the middle of the street.

Jeanie tried to ignore the vigorous beat of her heart within her chest and the rush of blood that made her skin flush. She tried to not let on how much he intimidated her. She was barely 5'6 and looked petite to his larger frame. Jake was well over 6ft so he towered over her. She could recall back when they were kids; he had to look up at her, when they stood like this. She lifted her chin, giving him her best tough-guy look she could muster.

"What," she asked him, trying to sound braver than she felt. To her relief her voice didn't tremble.

When Jake grabbed her arm, Jeanie flinched back having not expected it. Usually, if their paths crossed he would just call her a name and leave her alone. Which worked fine for her, she'd been called many names by him over the past several years, so his words no longer bothered her anymore.

But the feel of his hand on her arm was like a cold splash of water to her face and it had that same effect on her. She jolted from her thoughts just in time as he jerked her around to face him. He looked pissed off, with his face slightly pinched as he glowered down at her.

"-I'm talking to you."

Jeanie only caught half of what he said. Instead her eyes had focused on the hold he had on her arm. His grip was tight, tight enough for it to actually hurt.

"Let go of me," Jeanie demanded suddenly, her eyes jumping up to look at him now.

She knew Jake had a temper. It was something he got from his dad but he had never raised a hand to her, let alone touch her. If anything he avoided getting close to her at all costs. Sure he was quick to fight a guy when they pissed him off but he never hurt a woman, at least from what she seen and heard at school. But that didn't mean that if he was pressed hard enough that he wouldn't. She'd never seen him get that mad but this was the first time he'd tried to touch her in nearly ten years. It kind of frightened her.

"Make me," Jake shot back and behind him, Mikey snickered. "I just want to talk to you Jean, that's all," Jake continued ignoring his buddy.

"Well I don't want to talk to you," Jeanie snapped. She glared at him, trying to hide the weariness she felt. The use of the nickname was only making all of this worse than it was. Why was he being so cruel to her?

He raised his other hand as if to strike her and Jeanie actually flinched back from him afraid. The look on his face was unnerving. He looked pissed and maybe a little sad. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing, as his hand fisted and he dropped it to his side. He shoved her from him, his hand letting go of her arm as he did so. Jeanie staggered back a step, holding her arm close to her as she stared at him.

In the distance they could hear a police siren. It was faint at first, but as it wailed, the sound grew louder and louder as it drew closer. The noise dragged Jake out of his stupor and he shook his head as if to clear it.

"Jake, the cops," Mikey hissed to him. He was waving his hand for Jake to follow him back to his car. Instead of listening to his friend, Jake stared at her for a long moment until the siren grew close enough that it was just a block away from where they were standing.

"Whatever," he muttered and he turned away from her. He stopped at the passenger side of Mickey's car and jerked the door open. He climbed in without another word to her.

As the engine started, Jake stuck his head out the window to glare at her one more time. It seemed like he was going to say something to her but then he changed his mind. He pulled back into the car before they sped off, leaving her alone on the side of the road.

Unconsciously, Jeanie touched her arm in the spot where Jake had gripped her. The skin there was tender under the sleeve of her shirt. The Police siren faded away and she was grateful that Jake had actually believed the cops were coming this way. Who knows what he would have done had he not gotten spooked.

"Jerk," she muttered beneath her breath and with a shaky hand wiped away the hot tears that leaked from her eyes. She dropped her hands back at her side and clenched them into fists.

Jeanie wished not for the first time that things had never changed between them. That his abusive parents hadn't changed him mentally and made him into the person he was today. He had changed from all of the physical and mental abuse he had endured as a kid growing up. By the fifth grade he had no longer resembled the sweet boy who had befriended her when she and her family moved into the neighborhood. She was home schooled while he had gone to public school, but they used to hang out all the time when they were younger.

But those days were gone.

From behind her, an engine revved high as if someone had pressed hard on the gas pedal while in park. Her first thoughts were to get back up onto the sidewalk to get out of the way of traffic, especially if it was Jake coming back around to scare her. She wouldn't put it passed him, after what just happened. But then she heard that familiar sound again and it wasn't until she heard it now, that she realized she'd heard it before.

The only way she could describe it was kind of like when her younger brother got a hold of her old radio she kept in the bathroom. He had played with the radio dial spinning through the channels back and forth and annoying the hell out of her with it. It was just a warble of noise, until it stopped on a certain station.

Or in this case the song they wanted to play.

Bad boys bad boy, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do, when they come for you. Bad boys- Will Smith and Martin Lawrence horrid rendition of the song was what greeted her ears. Their off tune version of the song from 'Bad Boys One' was cut off mid chorus and she knew it was coming from directly behind her. Briefly, Jeanie closed her eyes, trying to muster up any amount of courage she might have.

Slowly, she pivoted on her heels and her eyes opened to take in the car behind her. She really had been hoping to see Jake Sullivan glaring at her through the windshield of Mikey's car. But of course her luck was not with her today.

Oh god.

Jeanie would have peed her pants, if what little dignity she had left didn't squelch that urge. The engine of the black and yellow Camaro revved and instinctively, her hands went up defensively.

"Wait-wait" Jeanie shouted, not sure why she was shouting. But the part of her that was usually pretty sensible, even during bizarre situations was finally starting to panic right along with the rest of her. "Look I'm sorry I leaned against your car and kicked your tire-" She knew she was rambling, but it was the only thing she could think of to try and calm what could only possibly be some stalkerish road rage fanatic, and she was desperate to appease the person.

"I'll pay for any damages I did, I'm-" at this point, Jeanie hesitated. The glare of the sun behind her was reflecting off the windshield and made it hard for her to see inside. Squinting while raising her hand to shield her eyes, Jeanie realized that there was no one inside the car. Let alone a driver. A new type of fear settled over her, squeezing her heart in her chest painfully.

"Oh god," Jeanie whispered. "I've completely lost my mind."

Jeanie clutched at her head then, afraid it had finally betrayed her. She was going to be just like Uncle Bill, locked up with only four padded walls and a straightjacket for company. The paranoia of being stalked by a car was just the beginning. Now she was talking to it. Or in this case, she was begging it to not kill her.

The sound came again, quick, before the radio sang out. "You're a crazy bitch, you look so good I'm on top of it-,"

Jeanie yelped, startled from her induced hysteria and looked wildly at the car. What the hell-

"D-did you just call me a bitch," Jeanie accused it. Then bit her tongue when she caught herself talking back to the car. She wasn't sure if she should be more worried about a car talking to her or that she was talking back to it. Maybe both?

The car made that warbled noise again and it almost sounded like laughter. If her eyes could have gotten any wider, they would have resembled the size of saucers. She stared at the car, half expecting it to attack her in the same manner the car 'Christine' had killed it's owners. But instead the car drove forward, revving high and then idling low. The door popped open on its own violation.

A familiar voice, which sounded hauntingly like Bruce Willis' voice, told her to "Get in the car kid."

Jeanie stared into the interior of the car. Yea right, she thought comically. She had seen enough Law and Order and CSI reruns to know not to get into a car with a stranger. She was sure that included talking Cars she didn't know either.

"Why," Jeanie asked it, trying to push away the notion that she really was having this conversation. She should just run to the nearest house and call the police. Oh yea, there's an idea, Jeanie thought sarcastically. And while you're at it, just grab one of Uncle Bill's spare straightjackets and tie yourself up to save them from having to bring their own.

"Come with me if you want to live," Arnold Schwarzenegger's monotone voice answered her.

"What," Jeanie whispered. She did not miss the idle threat from the voice. But then again, the actor had been playing a robot from the future. The whole outlook of the Terminator was threatening. Again the car laughed at her expense and she realized it had been messing with her.

"Not funny," Jeanie snapped as she pursed her lips together. She fumed for a moment, her temper getting the best of her. She did not like being made fun of by a car.

"I can't wait until I get my own car-"

Jeanie started at the sound of her own voice. So far the car had talked to her from movies or music clips and it was unnerving, but not nearly as much as hearing her own words thrown back into her face.

"Wait a minute," she started to say and the car made a noise that sounded impatient. "You want to be my car?"

Jeanie had heard of a driver picking out its car, but she never heard of a car picking out its driver. Then again if she was in its shoes, or in this case, tires, she would be a little picky about whom she'd pick to be her driver.

The car honked at her and made another sound of impatience, its engine rumbling low at her. It won't wait around forever, she thought to herself. She gave the car another skeptical look. Her whole life she had been sheltered by her parents. Never had she taken such a bold step in her life. Against her better judgment, Jeanie found herself sliding into the driver seat, feeling the warmth of the old worn seat as she sank into it. The door slammed shut of its own violation, closing her in.

"What-what do you want from me," she asked the car. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know, now that she had gone against her better judgment.

There was a long pause before Rihanna sang, Just shut up and drive, drive, drive. Before Jeanie could do just that though, the gas pedal hit the floorboard. The car lurched forward, speeding off in a squeal of tires and black exhaust coming from the tail pipe.

Jeanie cried out, grabbing the oh-shit handle as the car tore down the road, barely breaking for the four-way stop and taking a sharp turn. She slid sideways in her seat, hitting the driver side door, when it belatedly occurred to her that she should strap on her seatbelt. Jeanie had barely gotten it fastened when the car crested over a hill. They were leaving her neighborhood behind as they seemed to gain some air, before all four tires touched back down onto the road.

The scream she let loose was loud enough to startle the grazing cows in the field they flew passed.

OoOoO

And as I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine
And I know he's no stranger
For I feel I've held him for all of time

Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton

OoOoO


AN: This a cute little story about how I think Bee could have gotten his name, though I go beyond that with this story of course. There will be plenty of laughs, tears and heartache in the future of this story, I promise.

I don't own Transformers and I wish I owned Bee but I don't. Jeanie, Amber, Lin, Jim and Sandy are mine though. I love Jeanie, she reminds me of a friend I had in school, very naive, with a very expressive personality.

Let me know what you think of this story, drop a review to let me know if I should continue writing it. :)

I don't have a beta-reader right now, so I do apologize for any mistakes I missed.

Revised 06/03/2015

Inky out