Cafeteria Calamity

*Here's what the cafeteria looks like. Reminds me of my childhood a bit. As always, enjoy the show! Take it away Tanya!*

Hey everybody! Tanya here to give you the lowdown of what's going to happen. I am your guide to my school's intrepid caste system!

There are twelve tables in the cafeteria, not counting the one I have with my posse. Each table has a different group of kids at them. You have your Nerds, Popular Kids, Goths and Emos, Losers, Gamers, TAG students, Bookworms, Athletes, Bullies, and the miscellaneous spectrum! We aren't even in middle school and yet we have a sectional system!

Anyways, the lunchroom was its usual way until the new students showed up. Everything changed the first day of school.

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The cafeteria was bustling with life and activity.

Kids all around were loudly chatting in lines or at tables. The tables were covered with an assortment of different food scraps, chewed gum, and spilled milk. The air was full of B.O, sour milk, and pizza. The floors were littered with discarded wrappers, empty cartons, and plastic cutterlery. The teacher in charge was on his phone at the stage. The two lunch lines winded around the tables, students eager to get their new lunch pins.

"Welcome to the cafeteria Optimus!" Tanya exclaimed, waving her arms out in a welcoming gesture. "The next three years of your school life will be spent gossiping in this very room!"

Optimus nodded, clearly surprised at how many humans could fit in one room. He had only been eating with his entire family so this was all very new to him. Tanya grabbed his servo and lead him to the table closest to the big window. Arcee was already there with Roxanne, making small talk with the girl. Next to her was a African American female who looked to be in the fifth grade. Her hair was in multiple dark braids with golden beads and a yellow headband in the middle. She wore a blue tank top, blue jeans, and white sneakers. She was writing stuff down in a journal. Next to her were two empty chairs reserved for Tanya and OP.

Arcee waved at Optimus as he sat down. "I didn't know you were going to be here Prime."

"Neither did I, but Miss Tanya invited me to sit with her friends." Optimus said, taking out his copy of Robin Hood. "Why are you here?"

Arcee pointed a digit at Roxanne who smiled and gave a polite nod. "Roxy invited me over. We got along quite well during class today."

"You must be the Prime character I've heard about." Roxanne said, shaking his hand. "Welcome to the Bookworm table."

"Ugh...is that what they call this table now?" The older girl made a silly face. "Why are we not classified as nerds? We're capable of being intellectual!"

Tanya gestured towards the other girl. "This is Onyx, she's basically our senpai."

"Senpai?" Optimus asked.

"She means I'm their senior. Stop using Japanese terms on the new kid!" Onyx said, lightly hitting Tanya on the arm. She turned to face Optimus. "Don't worry bout her, she can be kind of a know-it-all when it comes to reading. She claims that people get smarter from the multitude of books they read."

"She's right you know?" Roxy said, whispering to Arcee. "Tanya loves reading a bit too much."

"Hey I can hear you guys whispering about me!" The small girl said, the others laughing at her. Before she could retort, a gasp came from the other side of the lunchroom.

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Knockout couldn't believe his optics.

Julie had "insisted" that he joined her and the other popular kids at the popular table today. At first he was skeptical because of how filthy the lunchroom was. But then she brought him over to the corner by the stage and saw that the floor was spotless. The table had a red tablecloth draped over it and the kids around it had premium lunchboxes of silver and tin. Julie herself had a plush pink pillow in her chair, marking her territory as queen of the popular kids.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Popular Table," She said, gathering their attention. "I would like to announce that we have a new student joining our ranks in society." She gestured over to the stunned face Knockout. "This is Knockout, I would like to put him on a trial run for the popular table."

"Objective!" A girl with cinnamon brown eyes and almond brown hair stood up. She wore a red-orange jacket over a dark gray romper, light gray tights and brown high heel boots. "He's too new to be part of this table! I don't see any value in keeping him here." She glared at Knockout, making him shrink a bit further into the floor.

"Vicky, I think the word you're looking for is "objection", not "objective"." The Hispanic boy spoke from next to her, smiling at Knockout. He had brown hair with green tips and bright green eyes. He wore a green and black jacket, black pants and a white shirt, and cool electric green sneakers. A set of headphones were draped over his neck. "Nice to meet you Knockout. I'm DJ Walkins, the girl who just screeched your ears off is Vicky Vale."

"Oh not to worry." Knockout said smiling. "I have a brother who talks just like her. Her screeching is more of an annoyance than intimidating."

DJ laughed at this. "I like this guy. He should sit with us."

Vicky opened her mouth to protest, but Julie beat her to it. "It's decided. Knockout is now officially part of the Popular Kids."

"Glad to be apart of your group." Knockout smiled as he sat down next to Julie. "Wow Julie, you've got to be the most friendly person in school."

"It comes with age KO, it comes with age." The girl grinned at her newest comrade. "Sit next to me and we'll do the initiation at recess."

A gasp came from over at the nerd table as the whole cafeteria went silent.

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Soundwave was in quite the predicament.

"Why don't you share lunch with me Soundwave!" Nikki pushed her bagged lunch near him, her face on full blush. "You can try my homemade cookies made with natural grains and fibers with a hint of chocolately goodness in every bite!"

"Have some of my lunch Soundwave!" Catherine opened her bento box of well-organized food. "I have some of everything in here including my basic balance of dietary needs."

"Soundwave doesn't want your girl food." Joshua, a mixed boy with curly brown hair, piped up. "He needs a guy meal like mine! You've got to try this yogurt! It has different colors in it that make it look psychedelic!"

"Just reading the nutrition label would make your guy go psychedelic." Amir joked, pushing his container towards the silent robot. "Have some of my mother's spicy lamb bites. Try it with the naan for extra flavor!"

"You could burn his mouth feeding him stuff like that. If he has one that is." Sira, another female classmate, said. "What he needs is something flavorful like my tuna noodle casserole!"

"Are you even certain that's tuna?" Ben's face contorted at her sludge of a lunch. "Gross!"

Soundwave watched as his classmates bickered on around him. He was just about to explain that he couldn't even ingest human food when a tap on the shoulder caused him to see Lotus sitting shyly with her lunch bag against her chest. She put her hand inside and placed a small piece of hard candy in front of him. Soundwave inspected the piece to discover that it was grape flavor to his delight. He flashed a smiley face emoticon for her, making the mute girl giggle silently.

A gasp came from the table next to them, making the bickering and arguing stop.

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Breakdown was all alone. Knockout had ditched him to go sit with Julie, leaving the one eyed mech to find a place in the large room. He was so nervous without his best friend by his side that he was left to wander around the cafeteria to find his place.

"Hey Breakdown, over here!"

He turned to see Midnight, the girl from his class, waving at him from the darkest part of the cafeteria. Damien was sitting next to her, reading out of her rather large book. Another boy sat beside him, writing in ketchup on the table. A small girl with pale blonde, almost white hair, sat next to him with a set of cards. The final girl at the table was dressed in classic Victorian-like clothing and playing with a crystal ball. Breakdown sat between Midnight and Damien, uncomfortable with the other three.

"Check this out guys, Breakdown only has one eye!" Midnight told the rest. The pale haired girl lifted her head up to see what she was talking about. The sight of her eyes made Breakdown's jaw drop. Her eyes had a glassy look to them.

"That sounds cool, wish I could see it though." The girl said, smiling sadly at him.

The Lolita-like girl shook his servo. "Cool eyes you have! My name is Lolita, the leader of the Dark Magic Club! I'm a fourth grader." She pointed at the oddly colored eyes girl. "This is Seraphina, but we call her Seer. She's blind and likes to read fortunes." Then she pointed at the boy in the corner. "That's Alastair, he likes writing runes because he's a wizard."

"Are you really a wizard?" Breakdown asked the quiet boy, who looked up and nodded.

"I keep runes all over my body." He rolled up his jacket sleeve to reveal black ink drawings along his arm. "I protect the school from demons."

"Woah, that's so cool!" Breakdown said.

"You've already met Midnight, she's our nature lover. Her connection to nature runs deep, which is why she's our healer." Lolita went on.

"If you have a problem with any ailment, I can help you." Midnight said, showing him the cover of her book, which was called The Magic of Botany.

"And last but not least is Damien. He's a exorcist, but you can't tell anyone!"

Damien pulled the chain around his neck to reveal a cross. "I'm undercover."

Breakdown nodded, amazed of how cool the table actually was. Seer gazed at him, her fingers brushing lightly on his frame.

"Amazing, you have a soul just like us." She said, her eyes seemingly glowing in the light. "It's a beautiful glow."

"Seer, what do you mean "just like us"?" Lolita leaned forward to take a closer look at the bot, who backed away slightly.

A gasp went from two tables down, making the whole table snap their necks towards the commotion.

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"Welcome to the coolest table ever!"

Smokescreen sat among the many different athletes of the school. His excitement was skyrocketing thanks to his new friend Aidan, who had given him a spot at the table. There were other boys around them and one girl in the middle of it all.

"Hey Cole, I'll arm-wrestle you for the last pudding cup." Tori Manson challenged, putting her arm on the table. She was one of the rare tomboys in the school that was actually into sports. Her red hair was tied in a high ponytail, contrast to her brown eyes. The blonde boy named Cole smirked and placed his arm on the table too.

"Oh you are so on!" Cole said, starting to arm-wrestle the third grade girl.

"Are they like this all the time?" Smokescreen asked Aidan, who merely shrugged.

"Only on Wednesdays." Aidan replied, cheering for Cole. "Once you find your calling, you'll be doing it too."

Smokescreen hoped he did. He really wanted the pudding cup too.

A gasp came from a few tables over, making Cole lose his concentration. Tori slammed his arm down, making the boy yelp in pain. With a laugh, she snatched the pudding cup from his hands.

"Winner!" She cheered, then stopped when she saw it. "No way, is that Marion Taft?"

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Dreadwing was having a hard time trying to socialize.

For ne thing, he was sitting next to Bulkhead and his new friend who was nice enough. She kept forgetting who he was though. Bulkhead had to inform him that she had a poor memory, making him somewhat sympathetic for her.

A tray plopped down next to him revealing the sullen face of Louis. Sighing, Louis plopped down in the chair and lazily glanced at Dreadwing with interest. A question formed within this troubled soul's mind.

"What's your gimmick? The others seem to have one."

Dreadwing raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"You're related to the other new students. They all have something special about em." Louis took a sip of milk. "What's your story?"

"Well...I'm not as smart as Soundwave, I'm not lovable like Bee, I'm not a leader like Optimus..." Dreadwing found his voice trailing a bit. What was his purpose in the family? He didn't have a clue!

"Sounds like you're having a crisis." Louis blew some hair from the pages of a sketchbook. "I like drawing people in crisis."

"Louis, you can't just make people wonder about their purpose. That's kind of messed up." Another girl sat across from Dreadwing, giving him a slight smile. "Don't mind Louis, not all of us figure out our purpose at the moment. My name's Dianna, and you are?"

"Dreadwing."

"Huh, odd name. Then again, at least I can tell your gender from it." Dianna glared at Louis, who was hunkered deep into the sketchbook. "What are you today Lou, male or female?"

"I'm sorry to ask, but what do you mean by that?"

"Oh you don't know? I forget you are a new student." Dianna munched on her sandwich before swallowing. "Louis is..."

A gasp was heard following a crunching sound and a grunt nearby, cutting Dianna off. Dreadwing stood up to see Megatron facing down a tall boy older than him. He sighed, Penny was not going to be happy about this.

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Megatron wasn't having it, not one bit.

No one wanted to sit next to him. No one wanted to talk to him. It was like they were avoiding him all together. He was eating lunch in a corner for crying out loud! He sulked horribly, leaning against the grimey wall. He saw Starscream sitting at the nerd table, chatting up with his fellow scientist. Bee was trying out the Gamer table with all the boys teaching him how to play handheld consoles. Heck even Ratchet was sitting at one of the miscellaneous tables, Alex sitting beside him and blushing. It sicken him that everyone had found a niche to fit in at. He missed Penny deeply, feeling loneliness filling his spark. What he would do for a hug from her.

He was just about to leave to go find her when he saw something that made his spark seize up.

A young boy, looking no older than six, was leaping up and down. He had grey,lively eyes and dirty blonde hair. He wore a white and blue striped shirt ,green shoes, and purple pants. He was reaching for something in the hands of a tall, cruel looking boy.

He had brown eyes and really short brown hair. He wore a dark grey track suit and red trainers. He had some muscle to him, making him have a large frame. He was grinning, holding a small book over his head.

"Give me my book back Marion!" The small boy squeaked, trying to reach the book.

"Come and get it Freddy boy! Oh wait, you're just a little shrimp!" He pushed the boy to the ground, making him since in pain. "And what have I told you about calling me Marion. The name's Brooke!"

"Hey leave him alone, you bigot." Nadia said, walking towards the large boy. "Fred never did anything to you. Your just a meany!"

"Look at little Nadia trying to be a hero. Shut up girlie, no one cares about your bleached blonde locks anyways." Marion snapped, making the girl clench her fist. "Why don't you go back to your nerd table and talk some stupid stuff!"

"Give Fred back his book NOW!" The girl looked ready to pound the living day lights out of the fifth grader.

"I'll give his baby book back." With a swift motion, he grabbed hold of Nadia's ponytail. "But first, I'll cut this limp noodle off your head!" Pocketing the book, he brought out a pair of scissors, frightening the girl.

Megatron had seen enough and walked slowly over to him. Nadia made eye contact with him, trying to warn him not to interfere. But one look into his eyes made her blood run cold. He looked ready to murder someone.

"Hey you big shot, let the girl go and give the boy back his book." Megatron said, gaining Marion's attention. The bully looked down to see the gunmetal grey mech glaring at him from underneath his hoodie. He laughed and growled at Megatron.

"Well looky here, another squirt wants to play hero. You must be one of those new students. I'll educate you in the ways things go around here."

"No need, because the way I see it, you either surrender or I'll use force." Megatron grinned and shrugged. "Your choice really."

Marion wasn't having it though. He put the scissors down at the lunch table and brought his fist back to punch Megatron's lights out. Before he could even do anything though, a horrible feeling overcame his face. A crunching noise was also heard as he felt blood running down his face. His grip loosen on Nadia's hair and Fred's book fell from his pocket. He suddenly felt lightheaded and woozy as black spots appeared before him.

CRASH!!!

Megatron stood over his fallen body, his fist covered in blood. A small look of satisfaction filled his face as a hush went over the lunchroom. Nadia gasped at the fact that the new kid was able to knock Marion Taft onto the ground. The whole lunchroom leaned forward to see the person who defeated the school's top bully.

"Isn't he one of the new students?"

"Yeah, he's is in the second grade."

"I've never seen a second grader punch that hard!"

Megatron turned to Fred and gave him his book back. The stunned boy looked at Megatron, then at the book in his hand. Stars filled his eyes as admiration grew for this new student.

Megatron smiled at his reaction before feeling hands on his shoulder. He turned around only to see a tall woman smiling down at him.

"Well that was most impressive! How about we discuss this in my office, shall we?"