Okay, first off, I want to thank u for all your reviews! It was really encouraging to me, and it makes me want to update this story faster. Also, I was curious if anyone had a picture of Chip from Jackie Bags Hyde so that I can see what he looks like. If you do, I'd appreciate it if u could send it to me. Anyways, thanks and enjoy this chapter! I don't own this awesome show or any of the characters unfortunately. If I did, we would've written the scripts for Season 8 cuz it sucked!
"Jackie, what the hell happened to you?" Eric asked Jackie, his jaw practically hanging on the floor. He wanted to convince himself that those bruises were just from cheerleading practice or something, but he couldn't. Those weren't the kind of bruises you got when you fell; they were the kind of bruises you got in a fight.
Jackie tried not to meet Eric's eyes. She couldn't admit what was going on to him or even herself. Admitting it would make it more real. Jackie could easily ignore the pain or hide the bruises, but she couldn't take back any words. She had to be careful.
"Nothing," Jackie answered casually. She put her jacket back on and headed for the door. Eric lightly grabbed her wrist to stop her. Jackie flinched as he unknowingly pressed his thumb into a fresh bruise.
"Jackie, tell me what's going on." Eric's voice was low and serious, the kind of serious Jackie never expected from a guy who played with dolls or "action figures". His eyes looked sincere, as if he actually cared about her well-being. This threw Jackie off guard for a moment.
"Why do you care anyways?" she threw back, hoping to faze him. Plus, Jackie really wanted to know the answer to that question. Sure, they were civil because of Donna, but Jackie had never really considered Eric a friend.
"Because friends care," Eric replied firmly. He watched the tiny brunette's surprised reaction. It felt weird saying the words, but Eric meant it. Sure, he called her the devil and various other nicknames, but he had come to care about the midget and her well-being. He, Eric Forman, actually considered her a friend. "Look, I know I call you the devil and blame you for minor catastrophes, but I'd never wish anything bad on you. You're apart of the gang."
These words touched Jackie's heart more than anyone could ever imagine. Even while being head cheerleader and everything, Jackie had always felt left out. She didn't fit anywhere, which is why she crammed herself into the shallow cheerleader mold. Jackie would rather feel left out in a group of people than be completely alone. Jackie hated being alone more than anything on the planet. When she had started to date Kelso, Jackie had been enthralled by the basement gang. She loved how they were different in so many ways and yet collectively fit as one. Jackie longed to be part of that and slowly but surely earned her place there. Having Eric accept her as one of them was the best thing she could wish for.
"Jackie, what happened to you?" Eric questioned softly, the only sound in the room being the Vista Cruiser horn being pressed. Jackie sat down on the couch and tried to compose herself by taking deep breathes. It wasn't working. Eric, knowing it would take a while, went outside and told them that he couldn't find the keys. Everyone decided to take the El Camino to the Hub. Eric conveniently decided to stay in the basement and look for the keys. He asked for help, and everyone said not it at the exact same time. Since Jackie wasn't there, they decided she should have to stay and look for the keys. Eric walked back to the basement with a smile. That had been way too easy.
Jackie was still sobbing when Eric came back into the basement. She tried to control her tears, but they just kept on coming. Eric asking her what happened just sent Jackie into a whirlwind of her memories. Every hit, blow, and nasty word mumbled with a dark, whiskey-scented voice was revisited in her mind. It made all her bruises hurt just a bit more. "I'm scared of him, Eric," Jackie admitted like a scared little girl. It made Eric uncomfortable to see the shallow cheerleader so sad and vulnerable. It didn't feel right, like if Luke Skywalker decided to try on Darth Vader's mask.
"Who, Jackie?" Eric was starting to freak out. Who would do this to Jackie? The evil, manipulative girl who at the same time had the biggest heart you'll ever find. Eric only knew this because of a day the gang had spent in a park.
They had been walking towards the ice cream truck to get a treat to fulfill Fez's chocolaty needs when Donna had spotted a little girl crying alone on the park bench. None of them had known what to do. "We can't just leave her here," Donna had argued, a worry line creasing her forehead. It didn't feel right to walk away from a crying kid.
"Let's just leave her. I'm sure her mom's around here somewhere." Eric tried to persuade his girlfriend. He didn't have a great feeling about it either, but he didn't think the little girl would tell them what was wrong anyways.
No one would've noticed the tiny cheerleader walking towards the little girl if Kelso hadn't shouted, "Hey, dude, where's Jackie going?" Everyone turned around to see Jackie taking a seat on the bench. They all wanted to say something but were curious to see what she would do.
Jackie turned to the little girl. She couldn't have been any older than 4. The girl's green eyes were flowing with tears, and Jackie could tell she was scared by the why she kept pulling at her dress, which was obviously new. She immediately felt sympathy for this kid; she had Jackie's childhood. "Hi," Jackie said loudly, capturing the little girl's attention.
The little girl stared at the older girl sitting next to her. She was really pretty. The little girl wanted to be like her so badly. She bet the older girl's parents didn't leave her alone in the park. They probably didn't force her into new, uncomfortable dresses. "Hi," the little girl responded softly.
"My name is Jackie. What's yours, sweetie?" Jackie asked in a soothing matter. The little girl took an instant liking to Jackie.
"Delilah!" she answered cheerfully. Jackie smiled. She could tell Delilah had a lot of spunk and no place for it.
"Delilah. Wow, that's a pretty name," Jackie complimented the little girl, who beamed. "So, Delilah, why do you look so sad?" The little girl looked down at her Mary-Janes. She didn't want to lie to her new friend.
"Mommy had some things she said she had to do, so she just left me here," Delilah confessed, another tear running down her face. Jackie knew she must've looked furious at that moment. Delilah's day sounded a lot like her childhood. Mrs. Burkhart would always leave Jackie in the park while she ran errands or, as she later learned, went to cheap bars and did it with the truckers in the bathroom stall. Jackie gave the little girl an understanding look.
"Don't worry. My mommy used to do that to me, too." That made Delilah feel much better. None of her friends' mommies ever left them alone at the park, but hearing Jackie say hers did comforted the little girl. "So, do you like kindergarten?" The little girl squealed in delight. The entire gang watched in amazement as Jackie cheered Delilah up in less than twenty minutes.
Eric smiled at the memory. "Who, Jackie?" he asked for the second time. Jackie tried to hold back all her emotions, but they were starting to overflow.
"Chip," Jackie sobbed into Eric's shoulder. What she said was muffled, but just clear enough that he could hear it. Eric sat there, a sobbing Jackie on his shoulder, and put all of this together in his head. The long-sleeves, the flinch when he had grabbed her wrists… Oh shit. Eric knew Jackie was way in over her head now. He tried to think of a way to help the "spoiled princess".