Vacation

Chapter One: Breaking Up

"Donna!" Jackie screamed as she entered the bedroom, exasperated.

"What?" Donna's head poked out of her bathroom, drops of water falling to the ground as she quickly closed the door behind her, the water still running in the shower.

"Oh, sorry." Jackie said absentmindedly, taking a seat at Donna's desk, staring blankly at the books in front of her as she picked up a pencil and began to write her name on a sheet of paper, over and over.

Donna immediately realized something was wrong with her best friend.

"Jackie, did something happen?" Donna made sure the towel wrapped around her body was secure as she sat down on the edge of her bed, crossing her legs carefully as Jackie turned to face her.

"Steven and I had a fight." Jackie sighed, twisting a strand of her chocolate brown hair childishly as she dropped the pencil, sighing upon its release from her grip.

Donna wasn't sure how to respond. Jackie and Hyde fought all the time, but it was never serious. It was usually quick banter that ended in compromise.

"He..." Jackie paused, tears forming in the creases of her eyes. "He broke up with me."

"WHAT?" Donna screeched, instantly going to Jackie's side.

"It just happened so fast." Jackie sobbed, resting her head in her hands to avoid Donna's concerned glare.

Before Donna could reply, a large thud and yelp was heard coming from Donna's bathroom.

Jackie's head popped up, eyeing Donna suspiciously as Donna tried to laugh it off.

"Who's in there?" Jackie asked passively, already knowing the answer from Donna's eyes. "Ew, Donna!"

At once, Eric, lazily holding a towel to his dripping form, waved casually towards Donna, nervously eyeing Jackie, who immediately dropped her head again, avoiding any contact with a naked, wet Eric.

"Eric?" Donna gestured towards Jackie, a fierce edge in her tone.

"I dropped the shampoo on my foot." He whined, "I..."

Eric quickly ducked back into the bathroom as Donna sighed loudly, turning back to her friend.

"Jackie, what was this fight about?" Donna asked, squeezing Jackie's hand softly, letting her know it was ok to let it out.

"Well..." Jackie drifted off into thought, wiping remnants of tears from her cheeks.

"I missed you." Jackie landed on Hyde's lap, pecking his cheek, making her way down his throat as he smirked widely, reciprocating the kisses.

"Same here." Hyde mumbled, savoring the taste of her lips.

"Can you skip work tomorrow?" Jackie asked in a whiny manner. "I can't stand not seeing you all day."

"I can try," Hyde nodded. "How was your day?"

Jackie shrugged, holding Hyde's body tighter between her legs, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body. God, she wanted him so bad. If Kelso and Fez weren't just upstairs, she would rip all his clothes off and ravage him, right there in the basement.

"That bad?" Hyde asked, raising his right eyebrow suggestively.

"My mom was bothering me all day, asking me all these questions about my future." Jackie pressed her palms against his chest, whimpering softly as she spoke, "I already told her that I'm taking some classes at Community College." Jackie rested her head against his body. "Besides, all I need in my future is you."

Hyde didn't say anything, he found it better to stay quiet when Jackie was in one of her contemplative moods. He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly against him as she sighed once more, sadly. He hated seeing her this way, but knew there was little he could do besides hold her and comfort her.

"I almost forgot." Jackie jumped up excitedly, grabbing her purse from the couch as she sat back down in Hyde's lap, ignoring his grunt of discomfort. "This..." Jackie sifted through her bag, producing a tiny box, wrapped in pretty pink paper, "Is for you."

"For what?" Hyde laughed, eyeing the box in her palm.

"Just for being you." Jackie shrugged, getting up again and grabbing a pop from on top of the washing machine, she grabbed Hyde's keys from his pocket, using his bottle opener to get the cap off. She took a sip and swung the keys around her index finger, smiling warmly at him as he began to rip through the wrapping paper covering his present.

Hyde finally got the paper off, crumbling it into a little ball and tossing it aside. He lifted the top of the box off, blinking widely at its contents. "Jackie..?"

"Do you like it?" Jackie asked excitedly, leaning against the washing machine, focusing on his Zen like reaction.

"It's..." Hyde picked up the plastic card, holding it up to his face to better examine it. "A credit card?"

"Yeah!" Jackie wrapped her arms around him quickly. "This way, you can buy things for me all the time." Jackie nodded her head in confirmation. "Expensive things."

"You got me a credit card?" Hyde repeated, looking at her in a wide eyed fashion.

"Yeah..." Jackie paused, biting her lip. "You don't like it?"

"Jackie," Hyde put the box down on the table. "We're not in high school anymore. We have to earn money and save it, not waste it on stupid presents like this."

"But..."

"It's a nice thought and all, Jackie, but," Hyde groaned as he adjusted his position in his chair. "We can't have a good future together if we're millions of dollars in debt, all because you want me to max out a credit card for you."

"What are you talking about?" Jackie's voice rose with anger. "I was just trying to be nice. I thought you'd like it. Everyone has credit cards now."

"So, if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?"

"No, that's stupid." Jackie spat sharply. "Why are you picking a fight with me?"

"I'm not picking a fight with you Jackie." Hyde growled, scaring her a little. He never really yelled at her. No one really yelled at Jackie Burkhardt. She wouldn't take that.

"Yes, you are!" Jackie screeched back. "You always are."

"Shut up, Jackie." Hyde muttered.

Jackie's jaw dropped momentarily as she regained composure. "You can't talk to me like that!" Jackie's cheeks flushed with anger as she hovered over him.

He stood up, facing her eye to eye as she continued.

"You know, Steven, when someone does something nice for you, you're supposed to say 'thank you', not 'shut up'." Jackie crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

"Something nice for me?" Hyde snorted, his voice rising in intensity. "Jackie, the credit card is obviously for you! Everything's always about you!"

"Well, duh!" Jackie screamed in his face. "God, when you get like this I..."

"You what?"

Jackie stared at him, not sure how to finish her sentence.

"Forget it." Jackie mumbled, grabbing her purse. "I hate when you're like this." She gave him one last expressionless look, as she turned towards the door.

"You hate when I'm like this?" Hyde grabbed her arm, whipping her back around. "Like what, Jackie? When I'm myself? I'll never be good enough for you, will I?" Hyde hadn't realized how loud he was or how tightly he was gripping her arm.

"Steven, you're hurting me." Jackie said softly, tears spreading across her face as his words stung her skin.

Hyde let go of her arm, wincing at the red marks left on her wrist.

"Jackie..." His eyes softened.

Jackie didn't say anything as she rubbed her arm tenderly, her eyes still on his, confused and scared.

Hyde couldn't believe what had just happened. His anger had gotten the best of him, as it usually does. He would never hurt her intentionally, she must know that. But as he looked deeply into her pained eyes, all he saw was fear. And it disgusted him to know that he was the cause of it.

"Jackie, I can't be with you anymore." He said softly, sitting back down.

He stared straight ahead at the TV screen.

Jackie inhaled sharply, her mind lost in a fog as she ran out the door, in tears.

Hyde kicked the table angrily.

What did he just do? He just lost the only thing in his life that truly matters.

All over a stupid credit card.

But it wasn't just her present. Lately, he'd been having little notions of what it would be like to spend the rest of his life with Jackie Burkhardt. And to him, it seemed that she would never have the life she wished for. No matter how much money he made or how many times he says 'I love you', he'd never be what she deserves, and that killed him.

It was better this way, he thought. Maybe now she can find someone who's worthy of loving her. Because, he, as it turned out, wasn't.

"Hyde, man, I heard you broke up with Jackie." Eric spoke up as Hyde stumbled out of his bedroom, looking quite a mess.

"Yeah, so?" Hyde muttered.

"It's just...she..." Eric clammed up, remembering that Donna had made him swear he wouldn't repeat anything Jackie had told them earlier about the breakup. "It's kind of sudden, that's all."

"Whatever." Hyde mumbled, pushing his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. He sat in his chair, eyeing the credit card, still in the box on the table.

"Well, if you want to talk about it," Eric's voice trailed off as Hyde nodded in understanding.

"Thanks, man." Hyde mumbled, picking up the box. "Give this back to her, will ya?"

Eric took the credit card out of the box, pocketing it. "I can't believe she gave you a credit card." Eric laughed softly. "I mean, it's so not you."

Hyde nodded once more, heading back to the bedroom.

Eric sighed sadly, deciding to head back to Donna's to give Jackie the card back.

But as soon as he reached Donna's bedroom door, a brilliant idea popped into his head. Maybe Hyde doesn't appreciate plastic cash, but Eric sure did.

Donna recognized the look on his face as soon as he walked in.

"What are you thinking about?" Donna asked with a smirk.

"How would you like to go on an all expense paid vacation with two of our best friends?" Eric asked, wrapping his arm around her gently.

"That sounds great!" Donna laughed. "But where..."

"Shh," Eric held his finger up to her mouth. "Let me work it all out. Just tell Jackie to pack her bags because we're going to..." Eric eyed the map against Donna's wall, motioning his finger in circles, trying to decide on their destination. "Florida!"

"Florida?" Donna asked skeptically. "Why Florida?"

"Come on, Donna!" Eric screamed excitedly. "It's sunny, it's hot, and it has Disney World!"

"Jackie loves Disney World!" Donna hugged Eric wildly. "She thinks it's romantic."

"Well, that's perfect then." Eric clapped his hands together, deviously. "We're going to Disney World!"

Donna hugged Eric again, though she knew exactly what he was plotting, she couldn't help but find it sweet. Besides, they'd get to enjoy a vacation as well as get their two best friends back together. Who could ask for anything more?