I watched the smoke travel up to the ceiling and gazed, lazily at it. Sometimes I wished I was just a billow of smoke-especially a billow of smoke coming from pot. Life would be so much fucking easier that way.

I looked around the empty basement and tried to push away that feeling of un-welcomeness that I had been feeling the last few weeks.

Donna had tried fully-convince me that the rest of the gang wanted me here, but sometimes I thought otherwise when I saw Hyde half-staring, half-glaring at me from his chair across the room. Or when Jackie would giggle and look at me when she whispered something to Donna. Bitch.

I heard clunking on the stairs and glanced over to see who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Hyde grumbled as he sat down next to me in the circle (made of 2 people) and took the lighter from me.

"Well, hello to you, too," I said, smirking.

"It's Janis, right?" he asked, studying me and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't pretend like you can't remember my name, because I know you do."

"Whatever," he murmured as fresh puffs of smokes filled our nostrils and then he got up to turn on some music.

"I'm not changing it, so don't bother trying," he said as Zeppelin came on, and sat back down again next to me.

"No problem. I love Zeppelin," I admitted as the marijuana started to mess up my emotions.

For a while I didn't have to deal with not feeling welcome. I didn't have to deal with hiding my crush on Hyde and at the same time acting like I hated him as much as he hated me. Right now he was just, you know, a guy. He meant as much to me right now as Kelso or Eric or Fez.

"You do?" Hyde asked, dumbfounded and I nodded.

"Yeah. What's not to like?" I said, and let the music fill my ears and the marijuana fill my lungs before admitting, "It's helluva lot better than the crap music that Jackie makes me listen to." Hyde laughed.

"Yeah. I wish Kelso would just dump her already, and get her the hell out of here."

"Totally," I agreed, and for a while we just laughed and talked about other stuff that we agreed about, like how the government was out to get all of us, how much we hated our crappy home lives, and wondering what country Fez was from. It was creepy finding out how much we had in common.

"Well, I have to go. Sadie (my sister) will be wondering where I am," I said, getting up with a sigh. "I'll see you at school."

"Yeah. And today changes nothing. I still hate you!" Hyde snapped and I smirked at him.

"Yeah, well, I still hate you, too."

***

I shoved the key into the lock and opened the door to my small, crappy house that I shared with my older sister, Sadie. She's 21, so she can buy me beer. Haha, just kidding.

"Sadie, I'm home!" I called, shoving the key in my pocket and throwing my backpack on the table. When there was no response, I assumed she was out with Rick (her boyfriend).

So she wasn't missing me at all. Great, I thought as I scoped out our fridge for something decent to eat. Nothing. Big surprise.

I grabbed a beer and climbed the stairs to my room. Just because Sadie doesn't buy me beer doesn't mean that she doesn't keep track of all hers, which means she's basically handing me the alcohol herself. Good ol' irresponsible Sadie. Gotta love her.