Tessa

If ever was a time to return to normal, it was now. Tessa Yeager stood in front of her bathroom mirror, tugging at the tangled strands of her golden hair. She brushed at the stubborn knots, which hurt like crazy. But that wasn't the reason to return to normal. It was what came after. Her friends and her would be heading to the race track. It had been two days since her last talk with Shane, and now he was returning. What excited Tessa the most was the fact that with Shane back, he'd also be driving again. She loved the rush of driving in the car with him, the adrenaline that overtook her when he sped up and turned a corner too fast or skid across the race track. But that also meant that she wouldn't get to have a private reunion with Shane. There would be dozens of people at the race track, ready to catch a glimpse of the racer. And that meant the only alone time she got with him was in the car, and he would be too busy focusing and driving to talk with Tessa. But, she knew she could wait.

When Tessa finally managed to pull out all the matted strands, she was satisfied with her hair pulled back. Besides, if she drove in the car with Shane, she didn't want her hair becoming a problem. She wanted to be able to see everything, including her boyfriend. Tessa was excited, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She was also jittery; hopefully that would go away though.

Downstairs, though, Tessa wasn't jittery or enthusiastic. No, she knew her dad wouldn't support the fact that her daughter was getting into a rally car with a rally driver - and not just any rally car driver; her boyfriend - and getting caught into a dangerous situation. So. Tessa managed to keep her excitement at bay. At least until she was out the door where her dad couldn't see.

"Morning, Tess," Cade, her father, said with a smile as she stepped into the kitchen. The smell of bacon and grilled cheese overflowed her senses.

Tessa was grateful that she didn't have to cook breakfast this morning. That way she could get out of the house and to Shane faster. "Morning, Dad. Smells good."

Cade slid a grilled cheese sandwich on to a plate and handed it to her. She took it with a smile and bit into the delicious breakfast food. It wasn't until that she realized how hungry she really was. Her stomach grumbled for more, and she took several more bites without thinking about anything else. She didn't want to eat too little, or too much. Not when she'd be in a speedy rally car race.

As Tessa took another bite of grilled cheese, she studied her dad. He was awfully tense, and there was something in his expression, in his face, that showed he was up to something.

"Dad?" Cade turned to his daughter, putting a plate of piling bacon on the breakfast nook table.

"Yeah, Tess?" He looked at his young daughter.

"I. . . " Tessa struggled to find the right words. That, or she couldn't make the words come out. She was puzzled. What was wrong with her dad? And what could she say? "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Her dad answered, making his eyebrows furrow and making a crease between his eyes. "I'm just. . . tired."

Tessa believed him, but also knew that he was only telling half of the truth. "Dad, look at me."

"Hm?" Her dad stopped what he was doing and looked Tessa straight in the eyes. "Tessy, I'm fine. I promise."

Tessa sighed. "Okay."

The rest of the morning went quickly, and without words. Tension followed Tessa's dad wherever he went, and she was too perplexed to say anything. She wanted to question her dad even more, but knew that he probably wouldn't budge. Also, Cade probably wouldn't enjoy being interrogated by an seventeen year-old. After making sure that Tessa was fine, Cade left the house and took the crackling tension and a bemusing attitude with him, leaving Tessa to ponder what was wrong with him.

But all the muddled feelings disappeared from Tessa when she looked at the clock on the stove.

It's time. She though excitedly, grabbing her purse and phone. Hopefully, when Tessa told her dad she was going out, he wouldn't ask too many questions.

Tessa walked into the new barn, the smell of fresh paint and rusty metal in the air. Her eyes tuned into the darkness. Sure, there were lights in the barn. But with no windows, it was sort of dark in there.

"Dad!" Tessa shouted, her voice echoing.

Cade Yeager appeared minutes later, holding metal scraps in one hand and a hammer in the other. Some new inventions were scattered around the barn, and Tessa didn't even want to know what half of them did. Tessa looked over at her dad and saw that he was waiting for her to speak. That silent tension back in the air.

"I'm, um, going out for a few hours," Tessa jabbed a thumb behind her, towards the door.

"Go ahead," her dad replied. "Be back before dinner."

Tessa sighed at her dad's bewildering attitude. What in the heck was wrong with him? "Yeah, sure."

When her dad turned on his heel and started to walk back to wherever he was before, Tessa wanted to call out to him. She wanted to know what was wrong. Yesterday he wasn't like that; he had been completely normal. Well, as normal as Cade Yeager could get. And now, he was acting. . . what were the words? Tessa filed through her mind for the right words to describe her father's odd behavior. Different. Strange. Utterly bemusing.

Whatever it was, Tessa didn't like it. Not one bit.

The race track was the perfect example of a chaotic crowd. Compared to Tessa, her jittery self was nothing to the crowd. Everyone buzzed around, talking, shouting, and some shoving others out of the way. She steered clear of the big crowd as much as possible, pushing her way through the crowd and murmuring "excuse me" every once in a while.

Security let her pass into the garage where, thankfully, Shane was sitting on the hood of his car. When Shane's eyes moved on to her, a big smile was plastered on his face. He jumped off the hood and ran up to her, wrapping her in his warm arms, his leather jacket bringing comfort to Tessa. It was familiar, and it felt good to be able to have that again. Only a few days apart, but it felt like years. When Tessa pulled back, she felt the edges of her mouth tug upwards, and, before that full grin could appear, she pulled him into a kiss that lasted for what seemed like a long time.

Finally, Shane pulled back. "Tessa," was all he managed to say as he pulled a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

She replied with a big smile. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Oh, trust me," Shane leaned back on his car, folding his arms across his chest. The hint if an Irish accent showed when he spoke. "I am too."

"H-how was Colorado Springs?" She asked, keeping the excitement at seeing her boyfriend hidden.

"Pretty," Shane said. "I'm just happy to be back to rally races and you."

"Me too."

"So," Shane said, grabbing her hand and playing with her fingers. "Anything new going on?"

Tessa bit her lip. Should she tell Shane about her dad's strange behavior? No, she told herself. Not now. She didn't want to distract him with problems; not on his first day. Besides, he was about to race, and distractions from the Yeager family wouldn't exactly help.

"No," she said casually. "Same old, same old."

"Humph," he exhaled. "Ready to ride?"

The big smile returned to Tessa' face. "Always."

Shane pulled her into another kiss and said, "that's my girl."

And even as Shane and Tessa climbed into his rally car, Tessa thought only about three things. One, that nothing, absolutely nothing, could ruin such a perfect moment. Two, that she could forget about her worries about her dad; that could come later. And three. . . .

Maybe things could return to normal. No Autobots, no Deceptions, and nothing else for that matter.

Just normal. Simple as that.