I don't own Transformers or the Riordanverse; they belong to their owners.

Content Warning: This chapter has a bully character make an insensitive comment towards Piper.

Chapter 6: I Get My Fourth Expulsion.

The long stretches when Thundercracker wasn't around to be there for me and my dad were terrible.

Sure, it was nice to have someone to hang out with—someone I could talk to, someone who accepted me for who I was—but it just made the days when he couldn't be there even more unbearable because now I knew what I was missing out on.

In some ways, Thundercracker being gone was worse than when my dad was gone. At least when Dad was busy, I could call him. Usually, it went to voice mail, got intercepted by Jane, or we could only talk for twenty seconds, but I could still try something.

Thundercracker was different. For some reason, he refused to give me or Dad his contact information. Something about "Autobot communication channels being restricted". That meant I couldn't call him and ask, "Hey. I need a lift to Ohio so I can see the Misfits concert," "I want to visit New York where my dad is on a talk show," or even something as simple as "I'm lonely. Can you keep me company?".

So the only way I could talk to the big oaf was when he personally showed up at the mansion.

There was this one stretch of time that must have been super chaotic for the Autobots because me or dad hadn't seen Thundercracker in three weeks. To make things worse, Dad was busy with a guest spot on a TV show. That meant I was left to deal with school and Jane all alone.

Again.

One day at school, I felt like absolutely crap. I hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and my morning had also been frustrating because I overcooked the scrambled eggs I had been making for breakfast. Now my schoolwork was threatening to drive me insane. I couldn't keep track of all this stuff. My dyslexia and ADHD just wouldn't stop. The words flew off the pages, circled around me, and just blended together. I couldn't focus for the life of me.

I wanted to try, and I really did. I told my dad I was going to try harder. But I was absolutely miserable, and it showed.

Which made me a target.

It happened at lunch. I was getting my usual assortment of veggies when Danielle, one of the local bullies, approached me.

"Hey, Piper. The usual blend of yuck to eat?"

I snarled. I wasn't in the mood for this: "For the record, I'm helping to save the planet and the animals." Of course, the real reason I went vegan was because one whiff of the output of a meat processing plant made me sick one time, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"Oh, so you're a hippie, then?" She asked, "Stepped out of a time machine from the 60s?"

All I had to do was ignore her. Just ignore her. I just had to make it through the day. She was nothing. She didn't matter. It was almost summer break. I just had to put up with a few more weeks of this, and then I'd be free for a few months.

"But hey. I guess that's what I expect from a primitive native girl like yourself."

That was it. I knew I was gonna get in trouble but at the moment I didn't care.

I turned around and threw my entire lunch tray at Danielle's head. The vegetables were scattered across her school uniform.

That wasn't enough, though. I punched her in the gut. She glared at me. For a mean girl, she didn't seem to be afraid to get into a fight because she slapped me across the face.

Everything after that was a blur. The next thing I remembered was the teacher grabbing us both by the shirt.

The good news was that Danielle got into trouble too. Witnesses confirmed the utterly terrible way she insulted my culture and provoked me.

The bad news was that I still got in trouble for starting the fight in the first place.

I got sent to the front desk. I sat in one of the chairs outside the principal's office, looking at the floor and looking miserable, when I heard the tapping of high heels.

I looked up and saw Jane walking in. As usual, since Dad was busy, she was the one who had to come and deal with my mess.

She didn't even say a word to me. She just glared. A glare that said, "As expected."

She walked into the principal's office and had a long talk with them.

I couldn't make out all the words, but I got the general gist of the conversation.

She didn't try to defend me, and she didn't even point out that Danielle was the one who made that horrible comment to me.

Instead, she just went through her usual routine when this happened. About how I was a "problem kid," a kleptomaniac, an embarrassment to my dad's lucrative and amazing career.

I knew in my heart that it was all true. That's all I was. A failure, a "problem kid." I couldn't even stand up for myself right.

Since it was so close to the end of the school year, they ultimately decided that, while I would be allowed to finish the semester, I wasn't going to be invited back next year.

Swell.

And yet the funny thing is, there was a part of me that didn't regret what I did.

When I got home, I made a beeline for the backyard. I needed some fresh air.

I found a lawn chair and sat on it. I stayed like that for a few hours, looking up at the sky. I was wondering how I was going to explain this to Dad when I saw a familiar jet flying overhead.

Thundercracker circled around the backyard before finding a spot to transform and land on. He walked over to me.

"Hey, Thundercracker..." I didn't even turn around to greet him.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He said, "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

I told him the story.

He seemed confused when I finished it.

"I don't understand.".

"What don't you understand?" I asked.

"You attacked Danielle even though you knew it would get you in trouble?"

"Of course I did." I retorted

He looked completely baffled. "But you got in trouble," he pointed out.

"I know," I confirmed. I swerved to look at him with a defiant look on my face. "But I still had to do it."

"Why?"

I sighed "Because sometimes, Thundercracker, when you know something isn't right, when you know in your heart that something is wrong, you stand up." I slammed my fist into my palm. "You do the right thing. Even if it means facing the consequences, no matter how unfair."

Thundercracker turned away. He looked toward the city pensively.

I think I gave him a lot to think about.

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