Melting: Chapter 7
Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of you who are so generous with your feedback. I appreciate it greatly. A major complaint seems to be my short chapter lengths so I've tried to make this one a bit longer. As always I am anxiously awaiting your reactions. Please let me know what you think, and as always I sincerely thank you for even taking the time to read this and I hop you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Not Mine.
The apartment was dark, except for the lights from down the street filtering through the blinds. Jackie listened to the quiet, and rolled over onto her other side. She just couldn't sleep.
The seconds ticked by, falling away to the early morning hours, and Jackie grew increasingly uneasy. She just couldn't stop her mind. Worry about the voice and the man that just wouldn't go away; the anxiety of having Steven so close after all this time; the delight of seeing her friends; her worsening homesickness. All of this plagued her thoughts until her head ached from the pressure. Growling in frustration she pushed herself out of bed.
Creeping into the living room, she tip toed passed the sleeping bags ofthe boysandthe sleepingDonna curled uptightly on the couch. Making her way to the tiny kitchen she poured herself a glass of cool water and sipped it slowly, thoughtfully, in the dark.
"Can't sleep?" came the unexpected whisper.
Though shefelthim, before he spoke, she still jumped at his voice. She had thought she would have to be the first to talk.
"No, Steven. I can't."
"Anything to do with that phone call?"
Not sure she wanted to get into this, she played dumb half-heartedly. "Phone call?"
"Jacks. What's going on?"
She couldn't hide her physical reaction to the nickname. The softening, the chill, then the return to her hardened expression.
"It was a wrong number, a prank call. Nothing's wrong."
"You don't sound like you believe that, Jackie. Has it happened before?"
She concentrated on the faucet as she refilled her glass. "A couple of times. It's nothing."
"Jackie." He rarely was so persistent, and she was surprised that his concern eased her mind slightly.
"I used to work at a bar. Not a nice bar. And aman would come inalmost every night andjust watch me. And now I've seen him a few times on the street. And these calls have happened a couple of times and so it scares me a little, okay?"
They'd been whispering the whole time, but her voice got even smaller somehow.
He stepped closer and she could see a worried expression as he passed through the window's shadow blue glow.
"Have you told anyone?"
She just shook her head. For the first time she let the fear come out, and she let the anger fade back. At that moment she saw Steven Hyde not as the former love, but asa current friend. And surprising them both, she let him pull her into a hug.
"Jackie, I want to see the babes of Hollywood!" Fez whined as they all mad their way to her audition. Jackie had told them they could go out and she'd meet up with them after, but Steven had refused to let her go alone and naturally, Michael and Fez just wanted a chance to see famous girls.
She was a little proud when they walked into the building and the receptionist remembered her name. She hoped that her friends realized how hard she'd been working, but she also wanted them to think she didn't need to; that she was memorable. She wanted to impress them, maybe she even wanted them to envy her,but thenshe scolded herself for her old ways.
She had every intention of leaving them in the lobby as she went up for her reading, but as she headed for the elevator, Steven followed close behind.
She wanted to tell him to go back downstairs, that she didn't need to be watched, that she didn't want him so close to her. But she didn't say a word. And when the director asked who he was, he introduced himself as her agent, giving the look that dared them to question.
She'd been reading well, but the actor opposite her was having trouble getting through the scene. It was an ex-lover's quarrel, and the boy, maybe only 17, was flushed and blushing. The director dismissed him and Jackie's heart sank that she too would not be asked to continue when they offered a script to Hyde and asked him to lend a hand. He looked prepared to protest but she pleaded with her eyes. She needed the work badly.
"If you could just start on page 42, Mr. Hyde."
She watched Steven gulp, remove his glasses, and wet his lips.
"You know this isn't fair." His voice was quiet, slow, flat. He cleared his throat in discomfort.
"What isn't fair?" She delivered the line like a pro.
"You and him. Right here, in front of me, everyday. I can't take it, and I shouldn't have to. This isn't how it's supposed to be." His voice gained a little volume, a little inflection.
"Maybe not, but this is how it is, Frank. And I can't change that. I can't just walk out on him now."
"You don't love him." His voice was soft, but very real.
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. You love me." Jackie gulped to hear him say that, her throat was getting dry.
"Maybe. But I'll learn not to. It's over and we can't go back. And I'm too tired to try again."
"You would let it end this way? Let it end because you are just too tired? I never thought I'd say this, Grace, but you are a coward. A scared little girl. We were just too real and you panicked. But I'm sick of paying for your hang ups. We can fix this. If you are too tired, I'll do it. Just let me try for us."
Jackie couldn't believe what she was hearing. And she knew it wasn't lost on Steven either. She didn't know the exact situation of the characters, but this all felt very familiar. Very familiar, yet very reversed.
"No, Frank. I've got somebody and I can't just leave that. I won't be that girl who runs. We had our chance, and it's over. Maybe we jumped to conclusions, maybe we let ourselves believe lies, but we hurt, Frank, badly. We hurt each other and that was real. And we can't just go back. I won't."
Her eyes were glistening with new tears. His eyes were clouded, and his voice heavy.
"Then I'll follow you forward. I'll come for you. Always."
The stare was broken by the sound of the director's voice.
"Thank you, Miss Burkhart. Mr. Hyde, we appreciated you stepping in. We'll let you know in a couple of days."
They left the room silently, went back down to the lobby and rejoined their friends. As Michael got the receptionist's number, and Fez whined that not a single hottie had been in to audition, and Donna talked excitedly about how she thought she saw Burt Reynolds, Jackie avoided Hyde's eyes deliberately.
Things were getting even more confusing.