Admittedly, Miko felt bad as she watched her best friend sit shell-shocked on the couch, simply gaping at the tunnel Jack and Smokescreen had zoomed out of. Every Autobot in the base did, they all kept turning their helms to see if Torryn would do anything else other than sitting on the couch with her mouth hanging open.

"This is ridiculous!" Ratchet was finally the one to break the silence, turning and staring at the red-haired teen girl harshly. "Stop being dramatic, Smokescreen and Jack can go for a drive."

He would never admit it, ever, but Ratchet, under all the hard cold layers of metal was a teddy bear. He cared for everyone more than he let on, and when he cared, you could expect him to do anything in his power to keep them safe. Therefore, it was no surprise that he started worrying about Torryn's state of mind along with everyone else in the base.

For Torryn, while it was true she was naturally a dramatic person, this situation ran far deeper within her than just some petty jealousy. When Torryn was young, back when her mother was still alive, the girl always had a hard time making friends. In fact, she never made one friend until after her mother passed, before that, her only friends were her imaginary ones; A.K.A, the voices in her head.

Once Elena Wilde died in the horrible plane crash which Torryn had to watch at just eight years old, she went into a catatonic state. Even with being so young, Torryn had started descending into madness and allowed her powers to begin demolishing her from the inside out.

The guilt she felt for catching the vision of her mother's death too late was too much for her to handle. In Torryn's defense, she was an eight-year-old with very little control over her abilities. Back then, the visions came at random, whether they be of the past, present, or future was not something she could decide, and things tended to float when she did not mean for them too. However, Torryn did not view it like that, she believed if she had the ability to see her mother's death before it happened she could have stopped it, which she could have if she had seen it. But she did not.

After her father put her on Buspirone, her abilities were dialed down and were no longer strong enough to continue wreaking havoc within her mind.

Even so, she still did not get her first friend until two years later when she was in the fifth-grade. Her name was Kelsey Davis, and she and Kelsey Davis were the best of friends until she moved away a year later.

Once again, Torryn went friendless for three years until she turned thirteen, eighth grade was the year that all changed. She had managed to fall into a particulary "wild" crowd and while the people she associated herself with were not true friends, Torryn was still grateful for them.

It was better than being alone after all.

The first real friends of Torryn did not come until Jasper, Nevada. With everything that had happened in her life, friends and family was something that Torryn did not take for granted. That was why the inevitable feeling of despair was currently clawing at her throat at the thought of both Smokescreen and Jack ditching her for each other.

"Torryn," Torryn was shaken out of her thoughts by Optimus's low baritone voice, the girl slowly turning to look at the righteous leader. All the Autobots cringed at the sight of Torryn's right eye twitching slightly, the girl clenching her fists as the feeling of despair and jealousy flew like a tornado inside of her. "I have already said partners will not be switched, Jack is simply teaching Smokescreen..." Optimus's voice became a whirlwind in Torryn's mind, the girl's stomach suddenly giving a lurch.

She felt sick. It had been since yesterday that Torryn took any of her medication and with the stress of everything, the anxiety of her natural banshee nature was starting to make an appearance.

It was not uncommon for stress to cause visions to pop up for Torryn, especially when it had been more than a few hours after taking Buspirone.

In short, Torryn was an addict for Buspirone. While Scott Wilde gave it to her in hopes of it helping the visions (which it did), he was not expecting it to cause his only child to succumb to the addiction of it. All in all, while it may have saved Torryn from falling into madness at the time, it was now slowly killing her with how much she had to take in order to keep the visions away.

Often, Scott wondered why he did not just send her away to Daren Travers at Kavemen Academy boarding school, it would have been the best solution. At the time though, his wife's death was still fresh and losing his only daughter (the last thing he had to remember Elena) would have destroyed him.

Frowning, Torryn gagged a bit cutting Optimus off. Miko's eyes widened, the girl moving closer to Torryn.

"Torryn?" Her friend questioned with worry, Arcee understanding a little of how Torryn currently felt edging closer to the human girls.

"Torryn, are you alright?" Arcee questioned in a gentler tone than she normally used.

The feeling clawed its way up her throat, Torryn's eyes beginning to water as one hand went up to cover her mouth and the other to cover her stomach.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," she ground out: while the others had adapted to using Autobot slang, often using the word "Primus" instead of "God" or "slag" instead of "shit", Torryn had not yet conformed. "I think I'm going to be sick!" With those words, Torryn raced toward the human bathroom of the base.

Optimus's gaze turned into one of worry along with the others, the Prime, in particular, going over every word he had said to Torryn that day. Perhaps he was too harsh with her? He knew as well as everyone else while the red-head put up a tough front she was more delicate than anyone else here.

Guilt stirred within the Prime, Optimus watching as Torryn darted from the large room. It was silent, the Autobots gaping while Miko looked back at them.

"Um," Miko wrung her hands, backing away toward the direction of the bathroom, where if they listened hard enough they could hear the unmistakable sound of vomiting, "I'll go check on her!" Miko turned around, flitting toward the bathroom with concern.

Silently, the Autobots look to each other, Optimus not removing his gaze from the hallway Miko and Torryn went down. Ratchet had scanned her along with the others earlier and was confident that she was not sick nor pregnant, so all the doc-bot could deduce of her situation was that she got anxious enough it actually made her physically sick.

Before anyone could say anything, Arcee had transformed into her alt mode. Suddenly, her holoform fizzled to life, the shorter woman with the rad haircut walking toward where she assumed the human bathrooms to be.

Torryn had burst into the restroom, barely closing the door behind her when she fell to her knees, all the sick bursting from her throat. The girl did not dare to grab the edges of the toilet in fear of the dirtiness, Torryn already hating the fact that she was kneeling on the floor.

Memories of her mother flashed by her mind in an instant, thoughts, and snippets of the voices taking hold of her consciousness. The stress and anxiety was beginning to win over her banshee. She would need to take a few tablets of Buspirone as soon as she was finished vomiting.

Torryn felt tears unconsciously running down her cheeks, but alike to a beacon of heaven, her hair was pulled behind her along with a comforting hand placed on her back. It was a few more seconds until all of Torryn's breakfast was gone, the girl gasping for breath with a few more heaves.

Pulling back, Torryn while using her hands to wipe away the tears. Silently, Miko handed her some toilet paper, Torryn wasting no time in wiping her mouth with it.

"Thanks, Miko," Torryn groaned as Miko helped her stand up, a worried look crossing over the usually carefree girl's face.

After flushing the toilet, the two walked over to the sink, Miko placing her hands on her hips. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" She murmured in an unusually low voice for her.

Torryn threw her a curious glance in the mirror, bending down and cupping some water in her hands before gargling it in her throat. "Meaning?" Torry asked while spitting out the water and gargling back some more.

Giving her a deadpan look, Miko rose a brow. Miko knew her friend well enough to be able to tell she was hiding something. She had known for quite a few weeks now but had decided not to mention it. From Torryn being rather secretive and vague about her home life to the nerves her friend seemed to randomly get, Miko realized she was holding something back from them.

At first, Miko did not think it was anything major, but in the past week or so, she was questioning exactly how major it might just be. Miko was no fool, whatever her friend was hiding was something important.

She just did not understand why she wasn't saying anything. Especially to her, it was one thing to not mention it to Jack, Raf, or even the Autobots, but Miko was her best friend for Christ's sake!

"I'm not stupid, Torryn. What's going on, you can trust me." Torryn looked to her friend in the mirror and cringed.

Torryn was being a fool to think none of them would begin getting suspicious, especially Miko. Opening her mouth, Torryn was not sure what she was going to say, but luckily she did not need to say anything as the door to the bathroom opened revealing Arcee's holoform.

The cool-looking woman walked in, gently closing the door behind her.

Torryn whirled around in surprise, her eyes wide.

"Torryn, you alright?" Arcee questioned with real concern.

And for the first time, Torryn wanted to say "no". She wanted to tell them exactly why she was acting the way she was about Jack and Smokescreen, she wanted to tell them about the voices, about being so reliant on Buspirone that she was scared it would kill her within the next few years.

However, Torryn was scared and she knew better, so instead, she feigned a stressful sigh, rubbing her temple.

"Yeah, I just drank spoilt milk this morning, and I won't lie, I'm jealous of Jack with Smokescreen. It's childish, I know, and I'm already over it, don't worry." She added a fake smile at the end for the extra effort.

Walking forward, Arcee placed a comforting hand on Torryn's shoulder. "I know how you feel," she stated with a small smile. "You and Smokescreen are close, especially after only a month or so of knowing each other. Anyone would feel the same," Arcee smiled reassuringly before the sound of tires squealing caught their attention.

"Sounds like dumb and dumber are back," Arcee and Torryn both cracked smiles and snickers at Miko's words, the two walking out of the bathroom to see how it went.

Torryn frowned at the sound of laughter, stopping next to Miko at the railing as Jack got out of Smokescreen laughing. Arcee furrowed her brows before her holoform fizzled away and her bi-pedal mode stood up. Ratchet turned away from his work, looking to Torryn in concern before his attention fell on Smokescreen and Jack cackling like mad.

"I am so posting this tonight!" Jack howled while gazing at something on his phone. "Arcee, check out Vince's car!" Jack turned his phone for Arcee to see, the femme kneeling down to get a better look.

"The bully?" From what Arcee had heard of Vince, he was simply a bully as well as somehow a friendly acquaintance to Torryn.

Narrowing their eyes, Miko and Torryn both gaped when they were able to make out Vince's nice collectible car smothered with K.O. burger fast food. Torryn scowled, remembering when Vince told both her and Sierra how he had been saving money since he was ten to be able to afford his car.

However, Torryn did not bother saying this out loud as she knew Jack and Miko would immediately argue about how mean Vince was. While it was true, and Jack, Raf, and Miko did not approve all that much of her friendly nature with the bully, Torryn still held sympathy for Vince because of his home-life.

"Hey, Vince, you want fries with that?" Jack laughed along with Smokescreen, both boys acting as if they were the best of friends.

Optimus was nowhere to be found, Torryn cursing that fact as she knew Optimus would scold them for this and probably not let Jack continue teaching Smokescreen. Alas, he was currently who knows where.

Scowling, Arcee stood up looking to her charge and colleague with a glare. "Let me get this straight? You taught Smokescreen everything he never needed to know about fast food?"

At this moment, Torryn had never loved Arcee more. Her gaze, which was quickly turning red hot in anger, flashed back and forth between the still laughing Jack and Smokescreen who were acting as though they were the best of buddies.

Here was the thing, it was not like before Jack and Smokescreen never spoke or anything like that; however, their interactions had been nothing like this.

Not to mention, this plan of Optimus's seemed to completely backfire. He no doubt thought Jack would have been a better influence than Torryn (which was true), but he did not count on Smokescreen being a bad influence on Jack. The outcome of these two being alone together for just under an hour ended not with Smokescreen learning the essentials of human-life, but rather how to total a person's car with fast food. And in reality, that was worse than whatever he and Torryn would have done because she would have never allowed Smokescreen to go near Vince's car.

"Hey, he passed Driver's Ed: work hard, play hard," Jack shrugged with a smile, pocketing his cellphone while beginning to walk up the steps to the rec-zone.

"Yeah," Smokescreen grinned, eyeing his newest human pal. "No humans were harmed in the making of these photos, honest!"

Ratchet, Arcee, and Bee all glanced at each other with similar looks. There was no way this was going to end well.

Growling, Torryn took a deep breath before furiously making her way over to her backpack in the corner.

"Want to play a game, Smokescreen?"

Smokescreen barely even glanced at Torryn, further igniting her irritation as he accepted Jack's proposal.

Looking around, Torryn made sure no one was watching her before she dug into the front pocket of her bag pulling out an orange pill bottle. Quickly, she shook five tablets into her hand, downing them all at once while putting the bottle back in its place.

She swallowed while zipping up her bag, standing up with the swirling backpack in her hands. Giving one last heated glare with her guardian who was too busy playing with Jack to notice her, Torryn swung her backpack over her shoulder.

She caught sight of the other Autobots watching her with a worried look from past the railings, the girl getting the guilty idea of hurling herself over the railings just to spike a reaction from her guardian. She banished those thoughts with a shake of her head, pulling on her socks before pushing her feet into her previously discarded converse.

"Bulk and I were planning on going dune-bashing, Torryn. Want to come?" Miko invited Torryn to do one of her favorite past times, figuring the girl needed something to keep her sane.

Not only that, but Miko had the slightest irk that Torryn was planning on leaving right about now and truly, she did not want her to go.

Pushing past her friend with her gaze set on Jack who was sitting on the couch with Smokescreen's holoform next to him, Torryn barely uttered an answer.

"Thanks but no," she stopped right in front of Jack who groaned trying to see past her.

"Grr, Torryn move! You're going to make me lose—!" Jack cut himself off with a cry as Smokescreen shouted in victory when his avatar won against Jack's.

Glaring at Torryn, Jack was thrown off by the icy look his friend was giving him. Sure, he and Torryn went at it all the time but never had she nor him looked at the other so coldly.

"Thanks, Torryn—" Smokescreen never got to finish his sentence, because Torryn cut him off.

"Did you really vandalize Vince's car with fast food? Do you realize how long he spent to save up to buy that car?" Torryn was tapping her foot, Jack immediately glaring when he thought he realized what this was about.

He seriously did not like Vince and he hated whenever Torryn tried to defend him the slightest. It wasn't Jack's fault though, Vince had messed with him since kindergarten when Jack accidentally spilled apple-juice on him and lied saying he peed his pants. Since that day, it was always a rivalry with Vince.

Well, it was, until high school rolled around and Vince became semi-popular, then it was just him flat out bullying Jack along with half of the school's population.

"Oh my gosh! Are you really defending him again? I don't care if you're friends with him or whatever, he is rude and nothing but a bully—!"

"Wait?" Smokescreen cut off hotly, looking to Torryn as if she had grown a second head. "You're friends with the slagger who threw a burger at me?"

By now, this had caught the attention of all eyes in the room. Optimus had just made his way into the room, freezing when he saw the situation at hand.

Torryn blushed, looking to the ground with clenched fists. "I could have washed you off!" She finally snapped, glaring at both of them heatedly before stalking away from them and down the stairs at a fast rate. "I need to go home now, and Smokescreen the garage will be closed tonight, so don't bother coming at all!"

"What!" She heard Smokescreen yell in outrage, the sound of the video game controller hitting the floor reverberating around.

"And I do not want a ride home either, from anyone!" She shot the Autobots dangerous look, none of them cowering under the tiny human's stare. "Now, if you would please give me a ground-bridge."

"You can't just not let me sit outside your—"

"I can do whatever the hell I want." Torryn snapped.

   "Torryn–"

   "I WANT TO GO HOME!" Torryn shrieked at an uncanny volume, every single being in the base cringing from the loud noise.

Silently, Ratchet pulled the level while putting in the coordinates to Torryn's house. Everyone knew trying to argue against the girl while she was in this state would be futile and only work her up more.

As soon as the ground-bridge powered to life, Torryn began walking toward the swirling green vortex.

"Wait, Torryn!" She heard her guardian shout along with the sound of transforming, but Torryn ignored him walking through the ground-bridge.

Seconds after she appeared on the other side, ignoring the way her bones felt like they were shaking, the portal closed behind her. Looking at her big home, Torryn swallowed the sadness and tears threatening the push their way up, she was not going to cry over this. She was not going to cry about the fact that Smokescreen obviously wanted Jack as his charge more than her.

Breathing deeply, Torryn trotted in the large manor, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. Scrolling through her contacts, she made it a point to ignore every single one of the base profiles, not even glancing at the messages she got from Miko, Arcee, and surprise, surprise, Optimus and Bee asking if she was alright, Jack texting about how Vince was not the victim, and finally Smokescreen in all his glory genuinely confused at Torryn's antics.

Instead, she pressed Sierra's contact sending her other red-haired friend a quick text.

TORRYN:
   u wanna go 2 the mall in 30?? i can drive.

   A response came barely two minutes later after Torryn ran upstairs to her room, throwing her backpack on the floor and practically melting on the soft cushiony chair of her desk. Because of the Autobots, it had been a hot second since Torryn had hung out with Sierra, Vince, or any other girl on her cheer team outside of school and practice.

Before she knew of the Autobots, back when she never hung out with Raf, Jack, and Miko outside of school, Torryn could be found hanging with the usual crowd of jocks or rebels playing hooky. When her phone buzzed, Torryn quickly opened the message.

SIERRA:
hell yea, u care if annie, vince, and aj come? will ur car fit all 4 of us?? annie can sit on aj's lap if she needs too.

Torryn smiled at the thought of all of them. Annie was on the cheer team with her and Sierra: and AJ is one of Annie's booty calls, A.K.A, he was a starter on the school football team.

TORRYN:
nah it'll fit all of us... but annie can sit on aj's lap if she wants? be @ ur place in 30.

As soon as Torryn closed Sierra's text box, she opened Vince's. She chortled seeing the last time she texted him was over a month ago in which they were having a meme war in the middle of American History class.

TORRYN:
yo, sierra told me u was coming to the mall w/ us. bring molly, i fuckin need it.

Molly or MDMA was a common ecstasy drug used among the rebels and jocks of high school. Torryn, unlike Miko, Jack, and obviously Raf, was not above using this. Especially taking into account she used to hang out with a rough crowd back in Washington. All in all, Torryn—while she did not show it toward her three best friends and the Autobots—was an extremely fucked up teenage girl.

Vince's reply came not thirty seconds later.

VINCE:
on it, i had a crappy day too, someone screwed w/ my car.

Torryn frowned with guilt after reading that, sighing while giving a sappy reply.

TORRYN:
sorry to hear, hopefully, mall time makes you feel better. i got my dad's card, im buying shit today.

Torryn always had her dad's card when he was away, and when she went to the mall, she spent some serious bucks. Well, it was serious bucks to most teens, it barely made a mark in Scott Wilde's bank account with how much he was making. Along with the fact that she was currently on a rampage about Smokescreen and Jack, you could expect some angry spending to be done on Torryn's part.

With that thought, Torryn cracked her neck tossing her phone carelessly on her bed. Maybe she would fucking buy a new phone at the apple store just for the hell of it, she didn't need one but she didn't care. All Torryn knew was that she was mentally making a list of all the shiny new things she would be getting.

If she wasn't making Vince help her carry some bags by the end of it, she would be disappointed in herself.

Smiling, she stood up from her chair walking toward her closet with the mindset of a new outfit. She was not about to go out with Sierra, Vince, AJ, and Annie looking like anything less than a thot.

With those thoughts, Torryn was soon a whirlwind of bold makeup, tightly curled haired, croppy shirts, and a tight-ass mini skirt. Oh, and don't forget the white Gucci boots with the matching handbag, never forget the Gucci.

Smiling at her appearance, Torryn threw her white handbag over her shoulder, placing dark sunglasses at the tip of her nose before walking out of her room. She had no intention of returning with less than twenty bags and anything less than fucked up on Molly.

The heels to her boots clicked and the keys to her Benz jangled as she walked through the hallways of her large manor, a smirk playing on the girl's lips. If you couldn't handle your emotions, then bury them with gold was how Torryn put it.

Smokey wanted Jack instead? Fine, she could have fun on her own.