16: The Chapters of Little Riley!
Chapter 16 - Newbie
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers Prime or the franchise. All characters (except Riley and her friends) belong to Hasbro.
The next day from Chapter 15...First week of August
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Riley got up the next morning, feeling much better. For once, she felt relieved to wake up in a bed rather than a seat or a sleeping bag. She got herself ready for the day, heading downstairs for her breakfast. Lawerence was gone and Rachel was still in bed.
She looked at the time, 10:00pm. 'Wait today was-' her thought got interrupted by a knock at the door. She ran over to it, smiling. She knew exactly who it was. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by 4 pairs of arms.
"Hey guys, missed you so much!" Riley said smothered. Her friends backed away, giving her a chance to breath. Life was weird. Back home she wanted zero friends but now she had 4 of them. Maybe cause it was easier to have them. Either way, she couldn't imagine living here without them.
When she came in the middle of April, she had no one in the neighborhood. When she entered school in May, she still had no one until she met Rosalina. They instantly became friends, eventually Rosalina got Riley to join up in her crazy bunch.
The group was Rosalina (Rose) the leader, Mei-Ling (Mei) the athlete, Kissh (KK) the genius, and Jayden (Jay) the clown. The 5 girls grew really close to eachother over May and June. Especially during the summer. Riley may have only been with them for three months but she felt like she knew them forever.
"How was the trip Ry?" Rose asked. "It was pretty fun! The beach was amazing! You guys would have loved it." Riley explained further of the trip but leaving out Arcee and her storm experience. "Wish I could go on those trips but I don't think my dad could handle the me and my 4 siblings for a week. He can't even stand it for a day! We drive him crazy on purpose, don't tell him tho." KK said with a sneaky grin before fixing her glasses. "Well Riley, we heading out or what?" Mei asked, punching Riley's arm.
"Ow ow! Ok! Lemme just tell Rachel" she said pointing behind her. She excused herself as she closed the door. Didn't need Collette running off or attempting anything. Riley made her way upstairs and gently woke Rachel up.
"Rachel? Rachelll?" Riley whispered. Rachel opened her eyes slightly and stared at Riley. "What is it Riley?" She asked. "Can I go out with my friends?" Riley questioned. Rachel nodded her head back. "Come back in time for dinner ok?" Rachel said turning over. "Of course Rachel, sorry to disturb you." Riley apologized as she quietly left the room. "Not a problem" Rachel assured smiling.
Riley filled Collette's food bowl and wrote a note saying the dog had been fed. Then she fled out the door, joining her friends who waited on the porch. Riley of course closed the door behind her and joined her friends as they started to walk towards the park.
"So guys, now that we are all here I wanted to say...I'm getting a baby sister! Well adopted but still!" Jay announced excitingly. Everyone looked shocked but happy for her as they all got in a group hug.
"You sure you want one? They can be annoying" Kissh mentioned. Jay just dismissed her comment as they all continued on.
"What's her name?" Mei asked. "Don't know but my parents won't stop fussing about her arrival. She isn't exactly a baby baby but she's like 2 or something." Jay explained.
"So 6 years younger? That'll be fun" KK said. "And cute!" Rose chirped in. "Better hope she's potty trained or when you have to babysit, you'll have to change her" Mei taunted. KK ignored Mei's antics and the others gushing over the baby.
"Hey guys, look." Riley pointed towards a house. There was a bunch of boxes outside, the front door wide open as two people moved stuff inside. "Newbies?" Rose questioned. "Whatever, the parks right there. Last one there is a rotten egg!" Mei started to run but was stopped by Riley's quick reflexes.
"Wait. Look." She said. A girl with red hair walked outside. Her hair was in two braids and she looked like the groups age. "Should we greet them?" KK asked, looking at Rose.
"Of course!" Rose said as it was obvious. Rose dragged everyone over, then walking up to the girl.
"Hey, are you new here?" Rose asked the girl who was caught off guard by the sudden interaction. She looked pretty shy, her hazel eyes not making contact with anyone. She nodded her head slowly.
"It's ok, no need to be shy. I'm Rosalina but you can call me Rose. Want us to show ya around?" Rose asked gently, placing her hands on the girls shoulder.
The girl slowly raised her head up smiling at the act of kindness. She nodded her head, "one sec" she quickly said. She ran to her parents, returning moments later with a thumbs up. Rose smiled as she introduced the rest of the group.
"This is Kissh, our brains! We call her KK. This is Mei-Ling, our athlete. We call her Mei. This is Jayden, our joke machine! We call her Jay. Finally, this is Riley! She's our most recent member and she's proven to be quite the daredevil. We call her Ry." Rose said, pointing to each member who greeted the girl in their own way.
KK fixed her glasses while smiling, Mei crossed her arms smiling, Jay did her classic finger guns while smiling, and Riley waved, smiling.
"Hello everyone, my name is Emma but you can just call me Em for short." She said shyly. "Wait, are you British?" Mei asked, noticing Emma's accent. She nodded smiling, still keeping her head low. "That's so cool! Wait are you from Britain or are you just British?" Jay asked. "From. We moved here today and came from Britain 2 days ago." Emma explained quietly.
Everyone asked Emma questions and she did the same in return.
"So do you eat crumpets and have tea every morning?" Jay asked. "Puh-lease hehe. That's just a stereotype although I do like tea." Emma answered amused and slightly offended. "Warming up already I see? Not for long because tag, your it!" Mei shouted, quickly tapping Emma's shoulder before making a beeline to the park. Emma was shocked but quickly recovered by touching KK's shoulder and running after Mei. KK was about to tag Riley but she dodged the incoming hand and ran with Rose and Jay to the park.
"I may not be fast but I'm smarter than you all! I'll get you somehow someway! Today will be the day!" KK taunted loudly running after her friends.
"What does she mean by today's the day?" Emma asked climbing on to the play structure with Mei. "She usually has a hard time catching us, time to see if your a 'KK' or one of us." Mei said quickly before climbing on top of the monkey bars.
In tag, Mei was the hardest to get with Riley in close second. Rose usually felt bad but she could dodge easily. Jay was the taunter and KK was the one who could never catch anybody and/or easily got caught. Emma rarely played tag back home, only because she was too good for the other kids. Time to show that to her new friends.
Riley looked at her surroundings. Mei was on the monkey bars, per usual. Rose was near the swing set, Jay and Emma were on the highest part of the play structure, and she was at the slides ready to go. KK stopped and looked at all of her friends, calculating who was easiest and her plan of attack.
"You gonna stand there all day or are you gonna catch us?" Jay asked with a smirk. KK shot her a glare before bolting underneath the play structure, out of sight. Mei relaxes herself on the monkey bars, waiting for the chase to unfold.
"Where did she go?" Riley asked slightly panicked. Jay tried to look through the tiny hole in the play structure floor but it was too dark underneath. Emma shushed Riley, listening for KK's footsteps. As if she had spidey-sense, she quickly shifted away from the opening that led to the fire pole (thingy).
Mei smiled in approval as Emma laughed slightly. KK's hand retracted from the spot before running and jumping at Mei, who of course, was out of reach. "Maybe if you were part kangaroo, you'd have a chance at getting Mei" Jay joked. Rose watched from afar as KK kept jumping up at the unreachable Mei.
"If you keep jumping, you'll get too tired to catch anyone" Mei remarked. KK pouted in defeat as she ran towards Rose. Rose quickly ran to the right only for KK to run that direction too. Rose started to run left, so did KK. This was it, Rose was going to have to make a full dash if she wanted to make it. Rose, with all her speed, ran left diagonally, leaving space between her and KK. She took a sharp right and climbed on the play structure where KK joined in.
Riley jumped from the slide entrance to the ground and backed away. Emma went to the fire pole and slid down halfway before jumping off and joining Riley. That left Rose cornered. KK smiled triumphantly before tapping Rose's arm.
"Tag your it, no tag backs!" She chimed quickly before running. Rose looked down at her two friends on the ground before going down the bigger slide and chasing after them. Emma and Riley split up, leaving Rose to chase Riley. Riley hopped onto the platform and went up the stairs back to where Rose started off. But she didn't let herself get cornered. She went to the railing, climbed over to the other side, and shuffled in the direction of the slide. Rose went to touch Riley's hands but watched as Riley took quick action and let go. Riley basically jumped back from the railing, to the ground.
Riley landed on her feet, stumbling a bit for balance. Rose looked shocked but quickly changed focus to Mei and climbed the monkey bars.
"Now that was a bloody awesome move, Rose was right, you are the daredevil of the group." Emma praised, wrapping her arm around Riley.
The game of tag went on for an hour more, and yes, Mei did get tagged a couple of times but she wasn't 'it' for more than a min. After, the girls decided to show Emma around town. They weren't far from their neighborhood so it was all good.
"That's the school" Rose pointed. "That's 's shop, the best bakery ever" Mei said. "The grocery stores are down the road" KK gestured dramatically with her whole body. "And if ya need anything or have any questions just ask us" Jay said wrapping her arm around Emma's shoulders. "Cause we are going to be your besties from now on" Riley said kindly, opening her arms as if welcoming her. "Whether you like it or not!" Mei ended as she slapped Emma's back.
"You guys are super nice. I guess I'll be seeing more of you guys in school. Grade 3 right?" Emma questioned. Everyone nodded. "This is going to be a very fun summer, now that we've got you Emma. You'll fit right in" Rose said with her soft and kind tone.
Sometimes Riley wishes Rose and her father met. They were basically the same person. Both of them were sweet and kind, willing to protect friends and family at any cost, and welcomed everyone that crossed paths with them. Having Rose here was like having Optimus here. She missed him so much, especially when she's reminded that he can't be there for her like before.
She must've been thinking to hard about it because Emma was putting both her hands on Riley's shoulders and asking if she was alright. Snapping back, Riley shook it off and nodded. Everyone didn't look convinced though.
"You sure Ry?" Mei both asked and demanded. Riley was trying to hold back the water gathering in her eyes. Why was it when someone asks that or if your ok, that you feel the urge to cry more?!
"I'm sure, just remembering home." Riley tried to say in an enthusiastic voice. Everyone but Emma understood immediately. "Isn't this your home?" Emma asked confused. "It is now but I'm thinking about my old home, I don't exactly live with my parents or family, not anymore." Riley explained getting a bit quiet. Emma didn't ask any further, just embracing Riley in an unexpected hug.
"If you need to talk, come to me. I'm a good listener. I assume Rose is too. You've got your friends here to back you up." Emma gestured to everyone who smiled kindly at Riley. "You mean OUR friends." Riley corrected, her mood changing back to normal.
The girls spent the rest of the day giving a tour and hanging out with their new member Emma. Once everyone was home, Riley told Rachel and Lawerence about her new friend. Riley knew that she would be close to Emma more than anyone in the group. Well maybe except Rose but still closer.
(Later that week)
"Collette? Collette?" Rachel called out. Riley stirred in bed, annoyed from the shouting that woke her up. She closed her eyes but only to open them again when Rachel walked in.
"Have you seen Collette?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Noooo" Riley let out tiredly. Rachel sighed before walking away, without shutting the door. Great, now Riley had to get out of bed to close the door. So that's what she did. As she was about to touch the door handle, Rachel called out for her.
"Riley! I think Collette got out somehow. I wanna check around the neighbourhood. Are you gonna be ok while I'm gone?" "Wait Collettes missing" Riley muttered to herself. "Yeah! I'll help if you want!" Riley shouted back. She didn't even bother to wait for the response. She quickly got dressed, not bothering with putting her hair up, and left her room in a mad dash.
Riley joined Rachel as the two called out for Collette. Emma just so happened to be outside playing hop scotch. She took notice of the shouting and didn't recognize Riley at first. Riley didn't wear her usual overalls, instead she wore a yellow t-shirt with jean shorts. Plus her hair was down.
"Morning Riley, didn't even recognize you. Why are you shouting Collette?" Emma asked confused. "I wouldn't recognize me either and Collette's my dog. We can't find her!" Riley said suddenly panicked. Emma stopped playing and said "one moment" before running inside. She came out seconds later and gestured for Riley to continue.
"First off, you have a dog?! Second, I'm helping you" Emma pronounced, not letting Riley have a say in the choice. Riley just smiled at the kind gesture. "You don't have too Ems" Riley offered but Emma was firm on her decision.
"I see Emma is helping us, this is Emma right? I've seen all your friends Riley but I haven't seen her around." Rachel said once Riley caught up to her. Riley nodded as Emma introduced herself awkwardly like most kids do with parents.
"Well I think I'll look in the dog park while you two go down the path." Rachel suggested. Riley looked before realizing the path led the forest. The same forest she told Cliffjumper was rumoured to be very scary, even during the day. Before she could protest, Emma dragged Riley towards the forest.
"Wait! wait! I d-don't want to go down there. There are scary stories about this forest." Riley panicked, escaping Emma's grip. Emma looked at the path then at Riley confused.
"Aren't you the daredevil of the group? Surely this can't be that scary. People make up stories all the time. I bet you none of them are true." Emma said in a unbelieved tone. Riley just shook her head, backing away from the forest. She could feel the horrors awaiting.
"What if your dogs in there? Shouldn't we rescue her from the 'scary forest'" Emma quoted using her fingers. Riley looked conflicted now. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk towards Emma and the forest.
Emma smiled in victory before joining Riley as the world around them got darker. "You know, people probably told you those stories so you wouldn't come in here in the first place" Emma added as they continued on. The only light was from the sun peaking through the leaves. If Riley wasn't scared, she would be amazed at the lush forest around her.
"Wait I think I see something." Emma said, pointing at a certain direction. Riley perked up, looking at said direction. "There nothing-" Riley looked back at Emma who wasn't there. Then she felt hot air against her neck. She spun around but found no one there and then-
"Boo!" Emma said jumping behind Riley. Riley turned around suddenly, screaming before collapsing on the ground backwards. She trembled as she held one arm in front of her and the other supporting her weight. Emma laughed her head off before helping Riley up.
"Not. Funny" Riley said annoyed, sending a glare at Emma. "Come on...just a little?" Emma held her hand up, making a space between two of her fingers. Riley stared for a moment before giving a small smile. "Okayyy maybe a little" Riley admitted. Emma smirked before continuing down the path.
The two girls kept walking until Riley heard a familiar bark. Riley nearly leapt for joy when she did. She grabbed Emma's wrist and ran in the direction of the sound. Riley stopped once she saw Collette barking at a squirrel in a tree, who looked down at the puppy tauntingly with its nut.
"Oh my gosh! Thank Primus your ok!" Riley said quickly wrapping her arms around her dog. Collette just started to lick Riley's face.
"Who's Primus?" Emma questioned as she bent down to meet the dog. "Old saying in my family, don't know where it comes from" Riley said quickly, half true half lie. Emma just nodded before cooing at Collette.
"What breed?" Emma asked. "German Shepard and Greyhound mix" Riley said, scratching the dogs ears. "Aw she's gonna be a big doggy when she's older, yes she is, yes she is." Emma cooed more, cupping her hands around the puppy's face.
"We better head back to my house to drop off troublemaker here" Riley said getting up and scooping the dog up. Her and Emma walked down the path with the dog safe and sound in Riley's arms.
Once they were out and back into the suns hot beam, they walked to Riley's house. They noticed a couple of guys staring at them but Emma blocked their view from Riley, urging her to keep going and ignore them. But the two guys had other plans, blocking their way.
"What are you kids up to?" One of them asked. Emma could tell they were clearly drunk from whatever party they were at last night. Emma ignored them, pulling Riley with her to go around but the other guy stepped in that direction too.
"Where are you girls off to so soon? And hasn't anyone told you it's rude not to answer someone's question?" The guy asked annoyed. "Stranger danger" Riley said bluntly, clutching onto Collette in her arms. Emma backed up, using her arm to put in front of Riley to also push her back.
"Have a good day sirs" Emma tried to defuse, turning around with Riley. Both were stopped by hands on their shoulders, keeping a firm grip on them. They were spun around and faced with angry and amused expressions. One of the guys was about to swing at Emma but was stopped by another figure.
Emma closed her eyes waiting for the impact that never came, instead she opened them to see another man stopping the guy's fist.
The man looked very young, he had blonde hair and vibrant baby blue eyes. He had a black scarf around his mouth and neck, a yellow hoodie, and black track pants with black and yellow running shoes. He looked super friendly but not someone you wanted to mess with.
Riley instantly recognized who it was and quickly pushed Emma away from the situation. The two girls stood further away and watched as the two men got angrier at this new person stopping them.
"Problem punk?!" One guy asked, straightening out to look more intimidating. The man who had saved them let go of the other guy's fist and stood there, ready to strike if needed.
"Bryan. Don't fight them, they aren't worth it." Riley said worried for her friend. Bryan aka Bumblebee didn't flinch at her words, standing there for a few more mins. The three all stood there, intensely staring. A mini Mexican standoff if you will. Bee just shook his head before turning away and towards the girls. That's when the guys finally threw their punches.
Luckily, Bee managed to notice and dodge, quickly pushing the guys to the ground and ushering Riley and Emma to run towards and past them. Riley nodded that it was ok to Emma before making a sprint past Bumblebee and the guys. Emma did as well, as Bee kept the guys down.
As Riley ran, she saw Bee's alt form sitting there. She stopped and looked behind her at the sight of Bee slowly backing away from the guys and towards the them.
"Riley, it's not safe to enter your house. They might see you and do something bad later" Emma quickly said. Riley nodded before trying to think of a solution. Luckily, Bee heard what Emma said and pointed to his alt form.
"Come on!" Riley said. She ran towards Bee, Collette still in her arms. Emma opened the door and pushed the seat down so they could get in the back. Once settled in, she put the seat back, letting Bee hop in and drive off.
Riley and Emma both visibly relaxed as the guys disappeared from sight. Bumblebee's holoform sent a concerned glance at Emma and Riley through the rear view mirror.
"We're fine now thanks to you Bryan." Riley said noticing his concern. Now everyone was visibly relaxed as Bryan (Bee) kept driving. They circled a block for a few mins before checking back at Riley's foster home to see if the guys were gone. Thank goodness that they were.
Bee gestured for them to stay as he got out. He looked around, not leaving a single detail out before deeming it safe. The girls hopped out and thanked Bryan (Bee) again for the save.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." Riley told Bee as she rushed inside her house with Collette and Emma. Once inside, she put Collette down after making sure all the doors leading outside were closed.
"That. Was. So Cool!" Emma exclaimed. Riley smiled. "Us nearly getting beaten is cool?" She asked sarcastically. Emma rolled her eyes, "you know what mean." The two girls left the house and back to Bee who was waiting by his alt form, still looking out for the guys.
"Don't worry Be- Bryan. They aren't coming back" Riley assured him. Bumblebee didn't look convinced but stopped his little lookout.
"I'm uh Emma by the way" Emma introduced, holding her hand out. Bryan shook her hand, pulling his scarf down momentarily to show his smile. He put it back on after that.
"So how do you two know eachother? And is he mute or shy?" Emma questioned, trying to make the last question seem not rude.
"We're friends, way back. He's a family friend really but we're close. And yeah, he is mute but doesn't stop him from being the coolest!" Riley said, holding her hand up for a high five. She so badly wanted to finish the sentence off with "big brother ever" but Emma was around.
Bee gave Riley her high five before Emma spoke again. "Well, now that your little fur baby is home and safe, I should get going. It's nearly lunch." Emma said looking at her wristwatch. Riley nodded, waving at her friend goodbye as she left.
Riley then looked at Bee before giving him the biggest hug ever. Now she could say what she wanted to say. "Your the best and coolest big brother ever Bee" she said. Bumblebee's alt spoke up as his holoform kept in the tight hug.
"And your the bravest and cutest little sister ever. You never wanted to make friends yet here we are. Also, like the yellow shirt. Its nice for a change" Bee said jokingly, the last being a compliment. Riley laughed. "5 actually, all my age. Emma moved here a week ago" Riley corrected. "And thank you" she finished. "Hold on 5?! Your growing up too fast. Stop it." Bumblebee said. His holoform proceeded to shake Riley gently to correspond with his words.
"I can't help it...Bee Bee" she smugly said the last part. Bee just let out an offended gasp before his holoform picked Riley up and threw her in the air and catching her again. Riley just wanted to hop inside Bee's alt and go back to base with him.
She just wanted to go with him, to go home, to see everyone again, to go back to the way things used to be. She must've been overthinking again because Bee's holoform put her down and bent down to her level, staring at her worryingly. She just hugged him again without saying anything. The two hugged eachother in silence for a while before Riley let go.
"You should...get back. Optimus probably needs you or Bulkhead needs your protection. Who knows, you could be missing out on a race." Riley said in a joking manner. Bee moved his scarf again (leaving it this time), smiling at her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before messing her hair.
"See you soon?" Bee asked. Riley nodded, letting tears escape before brushing them away. Bee's holoform started to even cry a bit but smiled and entered his alt. He waved goodbye as his holoform fizzled away. Riley went on to the sidewalk and waved goodbye as well. Bumblebee honked a few times before speeding off.
Riley entered her house, calling Rachel's cell to tell her that Collette was found and safe at home. A few moments later, Rachel came in, happy at the sight of Collette sleeping on her bed.
"We are going to chip you soon young lady" she said softly, petting her fur. Riley was on the couch, trying to hide her slightly red eyes. Rachel sat next to her and sighed. "Thanks kiddo. Collette really needs to stop getting adventurous. That's your job" Rachel said jokingly. Riley and her both started to laugh.
"Well, it's nearly lunch time and I don't feel like cooking after all that" Rachel said straight forward. "Mood" Riley said quietly to herself. "Wanna go out?" Rachel asked. Riley immediately nodded, running to the front to get her shoes on. "Collette, you'll be staying in the kitchen like usual ok? We'll be back unlike you. And Riley! Your pick!" Rachel shouted. Riley did an air fist pump as she stood up and waited for Rachel.
(The next day)
"And that's when we found her! Barking at a bloody squirrel with its nut" Emma concluded. The other girls started to laugh more. Emma was a great story teller, that was for sure. "Yeah Collette is never leaving my sights again." Riley vowed. "Oh I didn't even tell you about Riley's friend here!" Emma piped up. Riley internally face palmed.
'Oh boy' she thought 'If this is what making friends is all about, then I should have made some long ago'.
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