Chapter 10
"Ready...hut!"
Jack took the ball and dropped back a couple yards, looking for someone to hit. He saw Arcee get past Bumblebee on the slant and was about to release when he was taken down.
"Yeah, that's how you do it Bulk!" Jack said as the big guy got off him and helped him to his feet.
"Tell me again how this is helping them practise for the tryout?" Arcee asked. Jack's been taking some serious punishment from Bulkhead's sacks and was starting to get worried he might get injured soon.
It was around six o'clock and the sun could set any minute. The group minus Optimus and Ratchet were at a nearby field playing some football. Earlier, Jack had spent an entire hour explaining the rules and how to play and eventually they understood. It was Miko's idea to take it to the field which was exactly what they did.
"We're helping Bulkhead out with his position. He's going to be put on the line because of his size but I'm not sure on which side of the ball. If he plays offense, he'll need to know how to protect the quarterback from the rushing linemen. If he plays defense, he'll need to know how to run through the guy in front of him and sack the quarterback" Jack explained. Miko and Raf snickered at the word 'sack' but regained composure quickly.
"I'm just afraid you'll get hurt Jack" Arcee said. Bulkhead was a big guy, even in human form, and if Jack was squashed underneath him, she'd never forgive herself. Or actually, she'd never forgive Bulkhead.
"It's alright Cee, I've taken plenty of sacks before. If you're really worried, we'll move on to helping Wheeljack out." Jack complied in which Arcee agreed.
"Bulk, I think we'll like playing football a lot" Wheeljack said as he walked over to Jack. It combined two of his favorite things; competition and hitting. "So what am I playing coach?"
Jack laughed. "Enough with the coach Wheeljack, I'm just helping you out a bit. Alright, so the way I see it, you'll be placed at running back or linebacker because of your size. Lucky for us, both of those positions practise in the pit so we'll be able to work on two things at the same time."
"What's the pit?" Wheeljack asked, confused about the football terminology.
"The pit is also called the Oklahoma Drill where there's a running back, linebacker, and a blocker, but we'll modify it a bit. Basically the running back has to get past the linebacker in a small area while the linebacker is trying to tackle him. Simple enough?" Jack explained and quickly got things set up.
"Okay, Wheeljack, you're the running back and the rest of us will rotate being the linebacker." Jack said but looked over at Raf and Miko who raised their eyebrow. "Ok, some of us will rotate being the linebacker."
Jack decided to go first to show everyone what to do while Wheeljack held the ball tightly. They waited until Bulkhead came around and gave them the signal.
"And...hut!"
Wheeljack ran forward, unsure what to expect from Jack. He eyed his stance and decided to go with a simple stutter-step to get past him. He smirked knowing Jack wouldn't expect the juke. The wrecker came closer to Jack and when he felt like the time was right he faked right and cut hard left.
What happened next took him completely by surprise.
Wheeljack was practically thrown off his feet and onto the ground, dropping the football. Jack got up from on top of him and helped the shocked wrecker off the ground. Wheeljack couldn't believe it, he was taken down by Jack. Miko, Raf, and Bumblebee laughed on the side while Jack started to explain to Wheeljack some mistakes.
"Hey, don't let it get to your head. I've been playing for a while. When you come into the run, you have to decide right then and there whether you're going to truck or juke. You decided to juke, which was fine, but you have to make sure the other guy buys it. Throw your entire body into the stutter-step as if you were actually planning on going to the right, then change to the left." Jack explained, picking up the ball and handing it to Wheeljack. "Let's run it again but we'll have Bulk over here at linebacker instead."
The two wreckers set up and Jack signaled for them to go. Wheeljack ran forward with a little more confidence than last time. Knowing that Bulkhead was slower on his feet, Wheeljack played the stutter-step again, only this time making it look for real. Bulkhead fell for it and anticipated Wheeljack running to the right, only to have him switch to the left side and get past him. He even put in a little footwork into it by spinning around.
"There you go Wheeljack, that's how you do it!" Jack said, fist bumping with the wrecker as he came around.
"You know Jack, you're really good at football. Why don't you tryout too?" Bulkhead asked, getting up from the ground.
Jack thought for a moment before responding. "I... have a history with this stuff and decided that I would quiet. If you want, I'll go to the tryout to watch you but I won't actually try out."
"Alright, thanks Jack." Bulkhead said before they set up again.
Arcee walked over to Jack as the two wreckers continued to practise playing. She came from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his neck. Jack turned his head slightly and kissed her on the forehead before looking back at Wheeljack running towards Bulkhead.
"Babe, what did you mean by history?" Arcee asked curiously.
Jack let out a sigh. "I used to play football a lot. It became a normal part of my life and everything resolved around it. During one of my games, I was running with the ball when I was hit by two defenders. The first one got me in a weird position and when the second guy came around, it was too late for him to stop. He got me right in the left leg and it broke instantly. I tore my ACL and it took months to heal. That's when I realized that my mom was spending a lot of money on me playing football and especially for that injury I had. Once i healed, I decided to quit playing, not just for myself but for my mom. We were already low on cash at the time and football was taking up too much of our income. I dropped football and never went back."
Arcee leaned upwards and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't know about that." She tapped his left knee at the knee cap. "Does it still hurt?"
Jack shook his head. "No, not anymore but the doctor said that it'll never be the same."
Arcee nodded, not saying anything else and watched as Wheeljack got past Bulkhead with a slick move.
"Alright, I think I'm going to give it a shot." Arcee said, motioning for Bulkhead to come over.
The female ran past Bulk who was now covered in dirt and gave him a high-five. She got into position like Jack was and waited for Wheeljack to set up.
"Ready... hut!" Jack said and Wheeljack took off.
The wrecker analysed Arcee's size and decided to just truck through her since she was smaller than him. He ran, lowered his shoulder and burst upwards only to catch air. His eyes widened in confusion at where Arcee could have went but his given his answer a moment later. Arcee had used her agility to dodge the hit and tackle him from the side. Wheeljack was taken by surprise and was completely blind-sided as he fell to the ground. He didn't drop the ball this time but he was humiliated, especially because he got taken down by Arcee.
Everyone burst out laughing at Wheeljack getting demolished by Arcee and ran over to see him picking himself up from the ground.
He groaned as he handed Jack the ball.
"Can we switch roles now?"
...
"Wow, they look like professionals out there!"
Jack, Arcee, Miko, Raf, and Bumblebee sat on the stands watching the football team run different drills. Wheeljack and Bulkhead finished each of them with amazing times, surprising the coaches and the players on the team. They had just finished the 40 yard dash where Wheeljack had just crushed the team leader by almost a second.
"Cameron, Ryan, great job you two! You both show excellent skill for rookies so why don't we run a little scrimmage?" Principal Evans yelled to his team.
"If I didn't know better, their basically on the team already" Arcee said, happy that her two friends were doing something they liked.
"Well they certainly think so" Jack said, pointing at Wheeljack and Bulkhead getting into position. Just like Jack had said, Bulkhead was placed on the defensive line while Wheeljack set up as the running back.
Carson started to yell out different calls as he walked over to the snapper and placed his hands underneath him, ready to receive the ball. Moments later, he took it and in full stride dropped back. Bulkhead started to move as soon as the ball was lifted off the ground, running right through the guy in front of him and reaching Carson in a surprising amount of time. The quarterback was startled at the wrecker's fast movement and quickly faked the throw while handing it off to Wheeljack who exploded into a sprint. The former explosive expert ran right through a hole, trucking through a defender and juking another before he was taken down by Paul.
The play was blown dead and Paul helped Wheeljack onto his feet, slapping the top of his helmet.
For people who didn't even know what football was a day ago, Wheeljack and Bulkhead were doing very well and clearly the coaches and the players were impressed.
"Jack!"
Jack turned to where the voice came from and sure enough, it was Coach Sherman. Jack raised an eyebrow wondering why he was approaching him. In response, the man smiled.
"You did an excellent job training those two. I think we might have a winning team this year because of you." Coach Sherman said.
"No problem coach, they wanted to play so I just helped them out a bit. I was surprised at how good they are" Jack responded.
Coach Sherman laughed. "You and me both. It's too bad we don't have you back; otherwise we'd definitely have a contending team."
Jack shrugged at the man's compliment. "Stopped playing for a year now coach. I think I forgot the rules." He joked making the man laugh again.
"Well, thanks again for your help Jack. Take care of yourself" Coach Sherman said before returning to practise.
Arcee wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You really are something Jack." She said, smiling into his eyes.
"Well, I'm nothing without you" he said, making her blush. They kissed each other before separating because of Miko grossing out behind them.
"Ok seriously, you two have a problem" she said in a fake serious tone. She held her straight face for a couple seconds longer before she burst out laughing.
"Wow, that's a new record Miko" Jack said rolling his eyes.
"I know; I'm proud of it" the girl smiled.
The group turned back to the field where Bulkhead had just managed to sack Carson. They cheered happily for the former wrecker who looked up and gave them a wave before Wheeljack came over and slapped him on the back.
"Well, practise is about to end in a couple minutes so we should get ready to go" Jack said, grabbing his bag and standing up. Arcee looked back to pick up her bag, but realized that it wasn't there.
"Scrap, Jack, I think I forgot my bag in my locker" Arcee said.
"Don't sweat it babe, I'll go get it" Jack said, taking out his keys from his pocket. "Here, you can take them to the car and I'll meet you there."
Arcee smiled. "Ok, thanks. Don't be too long." She said, getting a kiss on the cheek from his boyfriend before he left.
Jack walked through the hallways of the empty school towards Arcee's locker. It's been about two hours since ended and the halls have never been so dead. Jack instantly remembered walking through these hallways after school about a year ago, sweaty from football practise and craving water for his dry throat. Now, he had a completely different reason for walking with the dark walls; to get something from his girlfriend's locker.
Jack couldn't help but smile at what fate had brought to him. Not just a family of aliens from another planet but the girl of his dreams. The one who cared for him and someone who he card for back. Someone who could read his emotions and talk about anything with. Someone who would never leave his side no matter what. That someone, was Arcee and Jack knew they were destined to be together from the start.
Suddenly Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening. He spun around and saw Sierra walk out from the girls' change room.
What's she doing here? He asked himself.
Maybe she was in the bathroom for two hours. Came a voice that startled Jack. He realized that it was Agent 000 and he grunted in annoyance.
I don't have time for you right now. Jack said into his head. By now, reaching into his sub-conscious has become something of a second nature to him. Whether to set up a mind barrier or talk with Agent 000, he's pretty much become an expert for communicating with psychopaths stuck inside your mind.
Relax kid; I'm just going to watch... like I've been doing for the past month.
"Hey Jack, didn't see you there."
Sierra's greeting snapped him back to reality as he saw her come closer. She was wearing a crop top that really exposed her features and short shorts that were so short, they don't count as shorts in his book.
"Hey Sierra, what are you doing after school? There wasn't a cheerleading practise today." Jack asked.
"Oh you know, just chilling. So, I saw that your friends have joined the football team" Sierra said, changing the subject. Jack noticed but went along with it.
"Yeah, Ryan and Cameron are pretty good players. I think the team definitely got better." Jack said.
"Mm hm. It's too bad you're not playing anymore. What has it been, a year now?"
"Just about, but I put all of that stuff behind me. Now I'm just helping out some friends with the game."
"That's nice of you." She said, walking forward and touched his arm. "You know, when you used to play, I watched you all the time. You were amazing and you played like a professional."
Jack cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable from the whole situation. "Uh... yeah thanks. I was ok but like I said, I stopped playing a while ago."
"So what have you been doing in your spare time lately?" Sierra asked, getting a little closer.
"You know; work, school, that's about it."
"Mm hm. You know, if you're free Friday night, maybe we should go see a movie or something..."
Is she asking me out on a date? Jack asked himself, bewildered by her offer. If she had done this about half a year ago, he would have gladly said yes. Although, he's moved on, moved on from his crush on Sierra and now he dating Arcee.
Come on kid, you can't be that stupid. I'm new to the whole living aspect in life but even I can tell she's flirting with you. Agent 000 said.
"Uh... sorry Sierra but I'm with someone right now." Jack said, trying to make things clear that he was taken.
"Oh...right... with Sadie." Sierra said, looking a bit disappointed. "So how long have you two been dating?"
"Over a month now but we were really close friends before that." Jack answered.
Sierra pouted and started to stroke Jack's arm. "You know, a while ago I wanted to ask you out on a date but you were just never around."
She looked straight into his eyes and moved his hands onto her hips. "Why don't we get together Jack? Sadie is cool and all but we would make a much better couple." Her voice had a bit of seduction in it and slowly, she started to move Jack's hand down to her ass.
Kid you're falling right into her trap! Agent 000 said into his mind.
Jack quickly pulled his hands away from Sierra. "Look Sierra, I appreciate the offer but I'm with Sadie now and we're happy together. Now, uh, if you excuse me, I have to go get something."
Sierra frowned, angry that her attempt at him didn't work. "Alright Jack, see you around."
She started to walk away but her phone 'accidently' slipped out of her pocket, falling onto the floor.
"Woops" she said, turning around and bending over to pick it up. Her entire cleavage could be seen from Jack's point of view and since it all happened so fast, Jack didn't have enough time to look away. Sierra slowly got up, letting him see a little more before giving him a smile and walking away.
Jack stood there, dumbfounded at what had just happened.
Man, Arcee would kill me if she found out about this. He thought.
Then don't tell her kid. Can't you see that Sierra was baiting you in that whole time? Once you got away from her grasp, she used her trump card. You fell for it so easily, you're pathetic. Agent 000 said.
Hey! Don't tell me what I did wrong. What would you have done in my position? Jack asked angrily into his head.
I would have killed her.
Jack faced-palmed.
Of course you would, of course.
...
A couple minutes later, Jack had Arcee's bag and returned to the parking lot where the group was talking.
"Hey, there you are" Arcee said, walking over to him and pulling him into a hug. "Thanks babe, I owe you one."
Arcee gave Jack a quick kiss in which he gladly took. She broke off and looked into his eyes and saw that something was bothering him.
"You ok Jack?"
Jack perked at her voice. "Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine, just thinking about stuff."
Arcee didn't believe him but let it drop. She was about to turn around when she felt him hold onto her and pull her in for another hug .He pressed her against him for a bit before letting go. Arcee was slightly startled at her boyfriend's sudden affection and but enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Hey Jack, we made the team! Coach says that he likes our potential and our first game is on Thursday." Wheeljack said.
"Not only that but we might start" Bulkhead added and fist bumped with his fellow wrecker.
Jack couldn't help smile. They deserved to make the team and he knew that they would play well. "That's awesome guys. You two are naturals and if you do exactly what you did today, I'm positive you'll start."
The two wreckers nodded back and smiled before heading for their car with Miko following them. Raf and Bumblebee also scampered into Jack's Honda Civic and Arcee was about to go before Jack pulled her over.
"Hey Cee, I was thinking that maybe we should go on a date soon." Jack said, wrapping his arms around Arcee's waist.
"Really? A date huh? I've always wanted to go on one but what made you want to go suddenly?" Arcee asked.
"Oh I don't know. I thought it would be nice for us to have a night out alone. Just like before but now, we're human." Jack said, making her giggle.
"Ok then, a date it is" Arcee smiled and gave him a quick kiss.
"Awesome, Friday night sound good to you?" Jack asked, planning the entire thing out in his head.
Arcee flinched. "Ooo, I don't know. I think I'm going out with someone else on that day."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Someone else?"
Arcee giggled again and gave him another quick kiss. "You know that I'm just joking. Friday sounds great."
Jack smiled at brought her closer, touching noses in the middle and staring into each other's eyes. All that was going through his mind was how beautiful she was.
Suddenly the car horn went off and the couple jumped. They looked over to who it was and saw Bumblebee leaning over the seat and giving them a look saying 'hurry up'. Arcee and Jack laughed and looked at each other before walking towards the car.
...
