ugh, mornings. Especially 8:00 Am. Charlie Watson smacks her alarm clock to shut its annoying ring, muttering it to shut up. She sighs, preparing for the day. She grabs her mixtape, put on her headphones, and starts playing her music. After all, how can she get up without it? Her favorite band, The Smiths start playing, it’s familiar song bringing a bit of comfort. She swung her legs over the bed, standing up and walking to her bathroom, but not before saying good morning to the picture of her father. ~~she still isn’t over it~~. And with that, she starts her morning routine, brushing her teeth and drumming to her music. She had put away her diving trophies despite her mother’s rather confused and a bit upset look about it. After all, those are well earned trophies. But Charlie says it’s taking up too much in her room.

God, how she wanted a car. She’s stuck with a moped, when all the other people her age are already upgrading their car. But… instead, she got a flower themed helmet, something she didn’t even need, but her mother said so because she’s seen people crash. It was.. a bit disappointing. But Charlie wasn’t about to voice that. And adding to that, she said Charlie had to take Otis to Karate! on her BIRTHDAY. And of course, mom’s boyfriend Ron had to pipe in with a stupid book about ‘smiling more’. Honestly? Charlie was upset. Like genuinely offended.

Then Ron had the audacity to compliment how her hair is growing back. So, of course Charlie cut it back to shoulder length.

she dropped off her step brother at Karate class, and finally, off to work. As if she even enjoyed it, working at a fair, in a damn hotdog shop, mashing lemons and putting hot dogs on sticks. She glanced over- seeing how other people, especially those popular people are enjoying their years, dating whoever, befriending whoever. She judges their outfits with her coworkers, joking with them. It’s deserved, because those popular girls are mean as hell… and.. then her only two friends at the shop left her, saying she changed since her dad died. Of course she’s changed! It’s her dad, she was close with him. She scoffed and left.

can this get any worse? Yes, because she spilt lemonade all over one of the popular boys, Tripp. The girls laughed at her, especially Tripp’s girlfriend. God, she wanted to cry as she drove to Uncle Hank’s. She needed spare parts for the corvette that she and her father never got to finish. She’s gotta finish it for him. To honor him. As she walked through the junk yard, searching for parts, she knocked over a sailing boat accidentally, which got a dominos effect. But.. then she saw it. A car. An actual car, covered by a tarp. She had to know.

she uncovers the tarp, and noticed.. noticed that the cat could still be fixed! This could be her chance. Her car. No more moped.

Shes GOT to strike a deal with Uncle Frank!

And thankfully, despite Uncle Hank’s attitude, he agreed to just hand it over to her since it’s her birthday. She was so, so happy. Best. Birthday gift. EVER! And so, she got to work!

—

Meanwhile… you. You, a Cybertronian, were that car. You made it to earth, but your damages were so bad that you couldn’t make it far enough to find a safe place. So, in your last moments of being online, you copied the nearest car. The nearest disguise… before you went offline. And for years, your offline car disguise was laying in that old junk yard, gathering dust. Rather pathetic for a Cybertronian, huh.

—

And now was the moment of truth. She breathed out a nervous breath.

“Please work.. please work.”

she whispered.. then turned the key in the ignition a couple times.. then BOOM! It worked!

“Oh my god, oh my god! Oh my god thank you so much I love you!”

obviously, she doesn’t know she’s talking to an actual person. It’s a human thing. So with a grin, she drove the car out of the junkyard, waving to Uncle Frank before driving back home in her new sweet ride.

she pulled into the garage, parking you by the Corvette, then getting out and shutting the garage door. Yes! Her own car!!