AN: Not all of us have a mom; and sometimes even when you do, they're not exactly the greatest role models in the world. But I grew up believing in one thing; doesn't matter who you are, you have to have respect for everyone. That's not the same as liking them; but it is a matter of respecting someone as a person. You have to have respect for your family, respect for your friends, and even respect for your enemies. That's why I think single mothers like June Darby deserve the most respect. Because they sacrifice so much for us; just to make sure that we grow up safe and happy. Moms are the best. Now let's jump into this story.

Chapter 4 New friends

Autobot base

Jack was surrounded by darkness on all sides; and no matter how far he ran, there was no source of light that could be seen. Suddenly, that all change when two Bright lights headed right for him. They were revealed to be none other than headlights of an out of control car. The car sped right past him and crashed into a mountain. Rocks from the mountain, broke off and fell on top of it; seemingly burying the car. Just as soon as the car appeared, it vanished. It was then replaced by a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. The next thing he knew, she was reaching out to him and began to run towards him. She was halfway to him before she shouted "JACK!"

Jack shot up from his bed in a fright. His face was all sweaty; no doubt caused by the intense dream he just had. He decided to take a walk around the base to clear his head. When he got to the command center, he saw his mom and Agent Fowler arguing about something. "He should go now, while the school year is still young." Fowler said to a less-than-convinced Arcee. "He's not ready" Arcee explained to Fowler. "He's not ready, or you're not ready?" Fowler shot back. "He doesn't even know how to drive yet. You really expect him to know how to survive in the outside world?" Arcee said, annoyed at the thought of Jack leaving the nest. "Arcee, while you're concerns are warranted; the fact remains that we cannot overlook matters of such importance. It is imperative that Jack learns of his planet's history; as well as that of his people's." Optimus said, trying to put Arcee's mind at ease. "Optimus, with all due respect; this is my son we're talking about here. I just want him to be safe."

"What are you guys talking about?" Jack asked as he approached the group. "What are you doing out of bed?" Arcee questioned. "I had a bad dream. Is something wrong? What's going on?" Jack inquired. "Nothing sweetie, go back to bed." Jack obviously knew that something was in fact bothering his mother. "Come on mom; whatever this is about, you can tell me, I promise." Arcee was truly moved by Jack's level of understanding. She decided that he would be able to hear the truth of the matter. "Fowler and the others think that it's about time that you started going to school with kids your own age." As she said those words, she could only begin to imagine what his response to them would be.

"So, when do I leave?" Jack asked. Arcee's spark started to break at the thought of her little boy growing up. "Well, I told them that you couldn't go." She said with a certain amount of honesty in her voice. "I don't understand. Why don't you want me to go to school?" he wondered. "Because in case you haven't noticed, we're fighting a war here. A war we won't win if I spend all my time worrying about you." To say that Jack didn't see where his mom was coming from, would be untrue. He knew that if he was a parent, he would be just as concerned for his child's well-being, as she was. But he also knew that he couldn't hide out in a secret base for the rest of his life. Sooner or later, he would have to join the rest of the world. It was just a question of whether or not he could convince his mom to go along with that. "I don't see what the problem is, mom. I mean, I'm not exactly defenseless. And I'd only be gone for half a day." He said in an attempt to bring her around to his point of view.

"It doesn't matter; a lot can happen in that brief window of time." Arcee said, trying to discourage him from making a bad decision. "If you're worried about me, you don't have to be. You always taught me to make smart choices, and I always will, you know that." As time went on, Arcee got more and more annoyed with this conversation. "Jack, you're not going, and that's the end of it. Now go to your room. I'll be coming by in a little bit to check on you." With a heavy heart, Jack turned around and began to walk back to his room. He walked a few feet away from her, before turning back to look at her and say "You know, if you can go off to war; then I don't see why I can't be let out of the house every once in awhile." Jack then turned around and proceeded to walk the rest of the way back to his room. That had been the first time in a long time that Jack had ever talked back to his mom. "You know, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if the boy actually learned more about his kind." Fowler said before he walked off. "Did I make the wrong decision, Optimus?" Arcee asked, seeming unsure of herself. "As his parent, it is your duty to guide him on the right path. However, you must also allow him to make his own choices." Optimus responded to Arcee's question with the full wisdom of the Primes. Arcee let out a sigh in defeat and went off to find Jack.

Jack was sitting on his bed; all alone in his room. As one thought kept entering his mind. The thought that maybe his mom would have changed her mind if he had just talked to her more. Suddenly, without warning, his bedroom door was open; and his mother was standing there in the doorway. Arcee walked right over to where Jack was sitting, and sat down on the floor, directly across from his bed. Now that she was facing him, she felt as if she could have a more open conversation with him. "You better get to sleep. Next week is going to be a very busy time for you" she said. "What?" Jack asked with a look of confusion towards his mother. "You start school next week. I'll talk to Fowler tomorrow about the details" she told him. "Are you serious?" he asked in excitement. Arcee just nodded her head in response as Jack smile began to widen. "But first, tell me why this was so important to you." For a moment, he thought about what she wanted to know, and said "Because I've never once in all my life been outside of the base. And I've never even interacted with another human being; unless you count Agent Fowler. I know next to nothing about the outside world; and I think that's something that should change. But I can understand why you don't want me to go. You're worried I'll get hurt."

Arcee wanted to be honest with Jack after hearing all that. So she decided to tell him the truth. "That's not the only reason I didn't want you to go. Ever since you were a baby, I've always taken care of you. And if you left, then it feels like I'd be all alone." Then Jack finally realized what had been bothering her. "Mom, I would never leave you, ever." Jack said as he grasped her servo in his hand. Arcee let a small smile creep across her face as she said "I know. You are such a good boy, Jack; and I just know that one day you'll grow into a good man. And I'll just have to get used to the idea of sharing you with the rest of the world. Now get some rest; there's a lot to do before next week" she instructed."Ok" he said before crawling under the covers to go to sleep. Arcee left shortly after he was settled in. The course of the next few days were spent trying to prepare Jack for his first time in the outside world. He was taught how to drive, he was given a cover story, and he was told what not to do when interacting with other people.

Memorial High School

Jack rolled up to the school's parking lot on a blue and pink motorcycle. As he got off, Arcee asked him if he had everything he needed. He did a quick check, and told her that he did. "Do you have your phone; and do you remember the cover story?" Arcee asked him with concern in her voice. A lot had been done to get Jack ready for today. Agent Fowler had given Jack a phone so he could call home, or Arcee. Fowler had also arranged for Jack to take his driving test from home; and set up a cover story for him to use.

The story was that Jack was a ward of the state, who was recently adopted by a single mother. Jack wasn't stupid though. He knew all about Arcee adopting him when he was a baby. They've had tv for a few years now; and in that time, the concept of adoption was finally explained to him. But whenever Jack would ask about how and why she adopted him, her answer was always the same; she didn't want to talk about it. Although, to Jack, it really didn't matter why; because he loved her like she was his real mom.

"Yes, I have it; and I remember" he told her reassuringly. "Okay, well, I'll pick you up after school. So have a great day, Jack." With that, Arcee discreetly engaged her hologram and drove off. As Jack made his way up the stairs to the school, he was stopped by a group of boys. Their leader had red hair and wore a green jacket with a white shirt, blue jeans and brown boots. "So, you must be the new kid." The leader said with a distinct tone in his voice. "Hi, I'm Jack Darby." Jack said while holding out his hand to shake the other boy's hand. The boy just scowled at Jack; looking at him in disgust. After a few seconds went by, Jack lowered his hand.

"The name's Vince; and let me give you a little heads up. I run the school; and you and I are never going to be friends. If anything, I'm top dog, and you're just another loser that's beneath me. You got that?" The boy now known as Vince said bluntly to Jack. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to be intimidated? Because I've had nightmares more scary than you." Jack said with a fair amount of confidence. Vince and his friends started to chuckle before he pushed Jack down the stairs. Luckily, his backpack broke the fall.

After they left, Jack got up and went inside to find his locker. While he was walking the halls, he saw Vince and his friends picking on a young boy. The boy's name was Rafael Esquivel. He had Brown spiked up hair and wore red glasses, a white shirt and orange sweater vest, blue jeans and orange and white sneakers. Vince had knocked his books from his hands before calling him a nerd, and then he walked away. Jack went to go see if he could help him. "What is wrong with that jerk?" Jack asked as he helped him pick up his books and scattered papers. "Oh, it's nothing new. Vince and his friends have been picking on me for years now." When Jack heard that, all he wanted to do was pummel Vince. "Why don't you stand up to him?" Jack asked. "Are you kidding; he'd destroy me. Besides, it's not worth it. My name's Rafael Esquivel, but you can call me Raf." He said while holding out his hand. "Jack Darby" he said while shaking Raf's hand. After his books were organized, they both went their separate ways.

Jack found his locker and dropped off his backpack before making his way to his first class. When he got there, he sat down at an empty desk and waited for the teacher to give them today's lesson. It didn't seem that hard. As a matter of fact, none of the lessons he learned were that hard. Compared to the Cybertronian lessons Ratchet had been giving him, all the subjects in school were small potatoes. As the day went on, Jack aced every subject that came his way. Math was no problem, science was done in a jiffy, and even gym class was no match for his Autobot training. The only class he had trouble with, was history. He wasn't exactly what you'd call an expert on human history.

When lunch rolled around, Jack got his food and was looking for an empty seat. Sure enough, he found one right at the table where Raf was sitting. Raf was sitting alone with his face glued to a book. Jack walked over and set his tray down on the table. "Is this seat taken?" Jack asked politely. "Uh, no, by all means, help yourself" Raf murmured. "So, is this what school's always like?" Jack said as he sat down. "You sound like you've never been to school before" Raf stated. "I haven't; I've been home schooled all my life. But I got to say, aside from that jerk Vince, this has actually been a pretty good day." They spent the rest of lunch getting to know each other. Apparently, Raf was a twelve year old genius. Jack even told him about some of the aspects of his life. He left out the part about the Autobots though.

As the school day came to a close, Jack was getting ready to leave. Then he saw Vince in the parking lot; yet again, picking on someone. This time it was a young Asian looking girl. Her hair was arranged in pigtails and dyed partly pink; the other half was raven black, just like Jack's. She wore a purple shirt with a sleeveless blue shirt over top of it. She had on a yellow belt with shorts and purple leggings; and finally, black boots with pink laces. "Give it back, Vince." She said as she struggled to get her phone back from him. But Vince just got annoyed and pushed her to the ground. Jack clenched his fists as he saw that. That was the last straw, and he was going to make him pay. He walked over to him and said "Hey Vince. Leave her alone" he commanded. "Well, if it isn't big boy Darby, trying to be a hero. You want to take her place; because that can be arranged." Jack remained unfazed, with only one thing left to say. "Then come and get me" he said, unafraid of Vince. Vince's cronies were shocked by the amount of guts Jack had. Vince let out a small laugh before walking over to Jack and trying to punch him in the face.

Jack dodged the first punch Vince through, and the one after that, and the one after that. Finally, Vince got frustrated and started throwing as many punches as he could before tiring himself out. "So, are we starting now; or are you still getting warmed up?" Jack asked half jokingly. In his angered state, Vince through one last punch; but this time, Jack caught it. He socked Vince in the gut, and followed up with an uppercut to the jaw that sent him back a few steps. Vince saw Jack do the "bring it on" gesture, before he shouted "GET HIM!" The girl watched as one by one, Vince's friends fell to the ground in agony. Jack punched some of them in the face, while doing a spinning kick to the others. He even tried a few grappling moves on the ones that were still standing; until finally, Vince was the only one remaining. Jack quickly did a drop kick that nailed Vince right in the face, sending him to the ground. "I'll take that, thank you" Jack said as he grabbed the phone that rightfully belonged to the girl.

He walked over to the girl, and gave her the phone back. "I think this belongs to you, miss...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Jack said, trying to be as polite as possible. "Miko, Miko Nakadai" she answered as she took her phone and the offered hand Jack gave her. "Nice to meet you, Miko. My name is Jack darby." He said as he helped her to her feet. As he looked into her hazel eyes, and she looked into his blue eyes, they had forgotten that they were still holding hands. They both blushed bright red before releasing each other's hands. "So, where did you learn how to fight like that?" Miko asked. "My mom taught me" he said. "Wow, she sounds like a really great mom" said Miko. "Yeah, she is. Anyway, I have to go, but I'm glad you're okay. So, see ya later." Jack said as he was leaving. "Wait" she said in an attempt to stop him.

"Can I see your phone first?" Miko asked, hoping he'd say yes. Without saying another word, Jack handed her his phone. He waited as she punched in her number and gave it back to him. "Call me sometime, okay?" She said to him, hoping that he would. "Oh, you can count on that" Jack answered. As he walked off, he realized that all in all, it wasn't a bad day. He couldn't wait to go home and tell his mom about all the fun he had; and about the new friends he made.

I wish that moment between Jack and Miko would've happened to me in real life. I mean, what guy doesn't want to be a hero and get the girl at the same time? It's like one of those romantic fairy tales. Also, it feels like it would be harder to hide the fact that you're adopted if you weren't on a deserted island for years with no tv or internet. Especially if you were in modern times, unlike Tarzan. I also wanted to tell you guys, before I forget; I tried to describe Raf and Miko's outfits based on the way I remember them in the show. So I hope that staves off any confusion you have about their wardrobes. And remember, if you didn't like something, then that's all you have to say. Please don't go out of your way to insult me in the reviews. Be honest, but fair. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it; and please be patient for the next chapter.

STAY AWESOME!