Kelso turned and ran out of the basement. Jackie stared after him, her eyes beginning to mist up with tears.
"So um that… that… that was the smartest thing I've ever done… and um, and the best…" Jackie paused to sob and Eric and Donna jumped to their feet to comfort her. She rushed past both of them and threw her arms around Hyde. "Hyde!" She squeaked.
Hyde, surprised by this sudden turn of events, looked up at Eric and Donna, and attempted to shrug although his actions were somewhat inhibited by the attachment of a short brunette around his neck. "Why does she always come to me?"
Eric and Donna simply shrugged back; Eric giving him a sly grin and Donna a sarcastic thumbs-up before they disappeared up the stairs, presumably to have sex. Hyde internally groaned, sometimes he wondered why he hung around with these people.
He looked down at Jackie. He tried to take a step away but she clung on fast. For such a small girl, she was strong. Like a limpet, he thought.
"Er… Jackie?" he attempted. God, he had no idea what to do with girls sometimes. He was cool, he shouldn't have to deal with this emotional crap. Keep it all bottled up inside, that's what he did, why couldn't she?
All he got was a sob in return, and she pressed herself in even closer. If she moved another inch parts of their bodies which Hyde didn't even want to think about right now, especially not on Jackie, would be touching.
"There, there…" he muttered awkwardly, patting one hand on her back. It hung there awkwardly until he slowly slid it down to rest on her side. This was comforting, right?
Man, she was tiny, he thought. Not just height-wise, although she was right up on her tip-toes to hug him, but her waist was impossibly thin.
Yet again – for these moments where coming far too frequently as of late – he was struck with the unsettling reminder that Jackie was HOT.
He shook his head, trying to remove any traces of such abominations from his brain.
Jackie finally looked up at him with those big, brown eyes of hers, throwing Hyde yet again into dangerous waters.
"What's the matter, Steven?" she whispered, voice cracking.
Man, he hated it when she called him that.
"Er… what?" he eloquently replied, half his mind still somewhat preoccupied.
"You…" she gestured shaking her head.
Hyde panicked, his mind went blank; he couldn't exactly admit that he was just thinking how hot she was. Which she wasn't. Well, not that hot.
"You're thin…" he heard his own voice saying after an uncomfortable pause.
"What?" she blinked, confused.
"Don't… don't act like you don't know... You're not fooling me into complimenting you or anything like that…" Hyde stumbled. Man, this was so unlike him.
Jackie blinked again, still somewhat baffled, but also enjoying the attention to her body, which, let's be honest, she was proud of.
"Damn it, Jackie, your waist is tiny!" Hyde continued, still not entirely sure why his mouth kept saying words he hadn't permitted it to say. He was usually so composed, what the hell was happening to him. Damn crying girls, he thought.
"Are you… hitting on me?" Jackie demanded, eyebrows furrowing in anger.
"No!" Hyde protested. "God, no way, man… but… look… why is your waist so ridiculously tiny, I can fit my hands all the way around it…"
"You are hitting on me!" Jackie exclaimed, jumping away from him.
Well, he supposed, at least he managed to get what he wanted in the end.
"No! Eugh! No! Gross!"
At the last minute, Hyde realised perhaps he shouldn't have said that. With yet another wail, Jackie shoved past him and ran out the door, sobbing once again.
Hyde watched her go, for the first time in ages actually feeling bad about upsetting somewhat.
Then he shrugged, she'd get over it, and if she didn't, who cares right? It's only Jackie.
And with that, he sat down and turned the TV on.