Eric's mind was in a blur as he drove through is home town. He just couldn't process everything that had been happening.
As he drove down Main Street, he passed the Hub. Although Eric had fond memories of the place, he barely gave it a glance.
Deciding to drive through the winding neighborhoods, Eric tried to piece together what he knew about his current situation. Something had caused Hyde to do some serious drinking, Jackie was less annoying than he remembered, and his parents were happy that he was back.
It was getting dark outside when he decided to head home.
Eric got out of the Vista Cruiser and went into the kitchen. He took the newspaper off the table and stood there for a second. Kitty was pulling brownies out of the oven when she saw him in the doorway.
"Hey, sweetie. You look a little pale. Is everything okay?" She looked worried, but Eric decided to play it off.
"I'm fine, mom. It's just weird to be back after being gone for so long."
She thought for a second and said," Is it because Donna left?"
"In a way, it is. I was just surprised that she left. I mean, I loved her and we went through a lot together. I thought she was the girl for me." He sighed heavily as he got that off his chest.
Kitty looked as if she might cry, but simply said,"I understand, Eric. I had a feeling this would happen. You can find someone better than her anyway."
"I don't know about that, but okay. I'll see you later." Eric left the room quickly and went upstairs to his bedroom.
He unfolded the newspaper and laid it out on his bed. He needed to get a job until he could start teaching next Fall, so he decided that he would start looking now.
After an hour and a half, he still couldn't make up his mind on which job to try so he just quit for the night. He changed into his pajamas and had just climbed into bed when the phone rang.
"Hello," he said through a yawn. He was surprised by the voice that answered him.
"Hey Eric, it's Jackie. I hope i'm not calling too late. I was just wondering if maybe you would want to go get some ice cream with me or something tomorrow."
Puzzled, Eric just tried to be casual. "What's the occasion? Is it your birthday?"
She giggled and said in a high, yet smooth voice,"No, silly. I just thought we could hang out and talk about stuff. Maybe it will make you feel better."
"Who said I didn't feel good?" Eric was wondering if Jackie could read his mind, or if his emotions were that obvious.
"Your mom said you were feeling weird. She said you were sad, so I decided that I am going to cheer you up.
Eric was wondering why his mom was telling Jackie about his emotions, but was too tired to ask. "Well I'll see you tomorrow Jackie. I guess you can pick me up around 10:00 if that's okay with you."
"Sure. See you tomorrow."
Now Eric had more questions than answers and he hoped that he could go to sleep quickly.
Sleep did not come as easily as he wanted it to.