To my ever faithful nikole salvatore, I'm sorry to have disappointed you but the kiss-miss (hehe, I'm a poet and all that jazz…) but yes, they will get there. I did promise a slow burn didn't I? *wink* Think of it like a dance… come in, push away, come in again, sort of sashay around each other, you get the picture. They'll get there, but it'll take a hot minute first. And thank you so much for your well wishes. My dad is really surprised and grateful to you and everyone else. And you totally have my thanks, too. *bows lowly to you*
To the wonderful marina2351, *evil chuckle* I couldn't let them have it that easily, could I? That would be totally out of character for Hyde and we like Hyde the way he is. It'll get them there. I'm just testing your patience. And thank you for both the favorite and follow. I'm sorry for not mentioning it before.
To jessofitz, Sambam15, sailor cresent moon star, ladyby16 and Just-An-Average-Dude thank you all for the favorites/follows! Drop me a line and let me know what you think, if you want. Reviews are always appreciated.
Last thing (for now), so, I went back and reread my entire fic myself and realized I made a slight error about Beth. In Ch1 in my A/N, I mentioned that Beth's birthday is in May, while in the actual story plot I sorta mentioned that it was in February. I would like to confirm that it is in FEBRUARY for two reasons: that I like the idea of Eric and Beth being Irish twins and because I skipped over May in the previous chapter and I'd like to write about her birthday, when it happens.
Chapter Word Count: 2,912
Original Post Date: 23 MAR 2016
Chapter Seven
Hyde turned back around to see blood leaking from an inch-long cut on the blonde's lip. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be right back," she muttered, the taste of copper on her taste-buds. He rubbed his face, cursing quietly and stormed out of the disco, muttering he was going out for a smoke.
Donna chased Beth into the bathroom. "Oh, god, what happened?" the redhead demanded. The blonde took a wad of paper towel and got it wet, leaning over the sink and letting her lip dribble blood into the porcelain before she wiped the wound clean. "Oh, man, that looks kinda deep. You might need stitches." Pinciotti took more towels and began dabbing at a few blood droplets that had landed on her dress. "And this might stain."
The blonde moaned in utter disappointment; she had just gotten this dress!
Donna narrowed her eyes, suddenly. "Wait? How exactly did you get a cut on your lip?"
Beth flushed but admitted, voice muffled by the paper towel, "I kissed Hyde." The older girl's eyes widened. "Well, he kissed me first." Her jaw dropped. "Then when I went to kiss him back, a guy bumped into him and he—Hyde—must have accidentally bit down."
"No!" The two girls turned to see Pam Macey leaning out of one of the toilet stalls, clearly on her way to hooking up with someone if the grabby hands on her waist were any indication though her smeared lipstick and messed up hair were also indications. The girls shuddered as she added, "Jackie said you were dating Danny Glum and you can't date him then turn around and date someone rough and scruffy like… like… Hyde! It's social suicide!"
Beth frowned at the slutty blonde. "First, why the hell is it any of your business? And second, when have I ever cared about social standing?" She made a face and turned back to her friend. She pulled up the napkin. "Am I still bleeding?"
Donna leaned in. "Looks okay now," the redhead replied. "Just don't try making out with Hyde for an hour or so." The blonde flushed, smiling slightly and wincing again. She dabbed at her lip again and threw out the mess of stained brown. "All cleaned up. Let's go home, shall we?" Donna asked, raising her brows and turning away.
"Sorry I screwed up the night," Beth murmured as they collected Eric from the table. He promptly had a freak out until she assured him three times that she was okay and that it wasn't bleeding anymore.
Eric leaned in and examined her lip. "Mom will probably want to see this and maybe stitch it up." She made a face and immediately winced again, smacking his hand away and telling him, again, that she was fine. "Alright, let's go get Hyde. He's outside smoking. And Jackie and Kelso are probably defiling the car."
Beth felt the butterflies flutter in her belly as she followed her brother and his almost-girlfriend out of the club, looking for Hyde, her… maybe… almost-boyfriend? There he was leaning against the side of the Vista Cruiser chatting up a scantily clad girl who was standing between his thighs and tugging at his shirt. The slut stepped back, giving him a slip of paper and he pocketed it, eyes following her retreat. The blonde froze, seeing the almost sleazy grin on the rebel's face. Donna had noticed the same scene and put a protective arm around the smaller girl. Beth sighed, hugging the redhead for a moment before crawling into the front seat and not meeting Hyde's gaze. Donna crawled in after her.
She just wanted to cry.
Ten Minutes Prior
Hyde stormed outside and pulled out a cigarette he had stolen from his mother's pack this morning from the inside pocket of his jacket and lit it up, taking a deep drag. God, he had screwed this whole thing up. What was he thinking, kissing her here? He should have done it somewhere nice and quiet. Chicks liked that kinda shit. Right? He sucked in another breath of the tobacco and turned his head, watching Kelso drop Fez onto the concrete before the idiot and his vapid girlfriend started making out almost desperately. Again.
A skinny brunet wearing a sparkly gold, very deep V-neck halter-top with red hot pants, a light blue jean jacket and knee-high argyle socks with platform heels approached him, eyes raking over him. "Oh, a hot guy with a nice… big… roll. Kinda sexy," she purred, pausing about a foot from him. She was kinda hot, definitely giving off easy vibes. He took another drag and offered the cancer-stick to her. He watched her take a puff and hand it back to him, stepping closer. "So, what are doing out here?"
"Girl problems," he shrugged.
The girl lifted her brows. "What, your girlfriend leaving you… unfulfilled?"
Hyde opened his mouth but immediately the thought of Beth leaning up to kiss him made him pause. "It's… complicated," he replied, making a face immediately and shaking his head. God, he sounded like a whipped bitch.
The girl's drawn-on brows rose and she stepped between his thighs, leaning forward slightly to better present herself to his gaze. Her breath stunk of the menthol, beer, and something else he didn't dare identify. "How complicated is 'complicated' because what I'm offering isn't really all that complicated." She gave him a lascivious grin. She tugged at the lowest button of his shirt, freeing the plastic and slid her fingers through the small opening to caress the soft skin of his abdomen with her painted nails. He nearly groaned, thinking about finally being presented the opportunity to be able to do it, only to have Beth once again enter his thoughts and how devastated she would be. He shook his head and slid a step away. "Well, fine," she pouted, "if things ever get not complicated, here's my number. I can totally rock your world, stud." She handed him a slip of paper with her number on it and sauntered away, adding an extra sway to her hips. God, he was a whipped bitch.
"Damn, Hyde! She totally wanted to bang you!" Kelso shouted, lifting his hand for a high five. The rebel smirked and smacked skin with his before Beth suddenly brushed by him.
'Shit,' he thought. He opened his mouth to speak but Donna was already sliding in after the blonde and slamming the door closed behind her. He sighed and got into the back. 'Fuck!'
The rebel stared out the window the entire drive back to Point Place and got out as soon as Eric stopped the car and stomped away, shoving his hands into his pockets only to duck into the bushes and wait for everyone to disperse before heading back and climbing the tree like he had done a week ago. Just as he reached the roof by her room, he watched her step into her bedroom and turn on a light. He paused and watched as she kicked her shoes off. Then she reached behind herself. Hyde sucked in a sharp breath as he watched her unzip the back of her dress and push it down to her hips and then towards the floor.
'Oh fuck… does she look so freaking hot,' he thought, feeling his blood starting to change direction, the sight of her in her underwear burning into his mind's eye. 'Oh man. Oh man!' She reached behind herself again to unclasp her bra. 'Do it! Do it! I want to see your tits!'
It was then she glanced up and met his gaze before glancing down. Then she glanced back up again and shrieked and stumbled back and fell onto her bed.
Hyde scrambled up the roof and shoved her window up and slid in. She was sliding her dress back on when he landed face first onto the carpet. He pushed himself to his knees only to get a pillow to the face. "What the hell are you doing in here, you idiot?" she hissed angrily. She smacked him again and he grabbed her pillow from her.
"You didn't even give me a second to explain," he replied quietly.
Both teens suddenly turned when they heard a knocking on her door. They glanced at each other before the rebel dove under her bed. Red and Kitty both peered in at her. "There was a really… really big spider," she attempted. "Honestly, I'm okay. Sorry that I woke you guys." She fiddled nervously, very aware of how exposed her back was since she hadn't zipped it closed again; her father looked uncomfortable.
Kitty stepped forward. "Honey," she said, "is that blood on your dress? And what happened to your lip?"
"I just got shoved at the disco and bit down," she waved it away. "It stopped bleeding and it's already scabbing and I'm fine, Mom, I promise." The nurse inspected her and made a face telling her to let her know if it continued to hurt or to come get her if it opened back up. "Good night." They closed the door and Hyde came back out, dragging a random bra with him. "Hyde!" she hissed, grabbing the white material from him and throwing it into her hamper.
He shrugged. "What? You're the one who left it under here." She shot him a look and scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. He sighed, realizing she was waiting for an explanation. "Look, yes she was hitting on me but I told her it was complicated."
Beth pursed her lips. "Then give me her number," she demanded, handing out her hand.
"What?"
"If you're not going to try and hook up with her, then give me her number."
"Why? You're not my girlfriend."
The words were out before he could stop them, the instinctive rebuttal.
Beth stared at him for a long moment before nodding slowly. He opened his mouth to speak, to somehow make this right, but she held up a hand and said, "Don't. Just… leave." He edged toward her but she stepped back, snapping forcefully, "Please leave." He nodded once and stepped back, pushing himself out the window. She snapped it closed and pulled the curtains closed before a quiet sob broke from her lips and tears built in her eyes. "Damn you, you stupid, stupid, boy," she whispered to herself. She wiped her face and got ready for bed, peeking out the window but he was gone, like she had asked. She had half hoped he would still stay and demand that he get his words out, make her believe that it was all going to turn out okay. "I'm so stupid," she murmured and got into bed. Letting out a sigh, she stared at the ceiling, regretting this whole night.
The next few months were… tense. Beth tried spending her free time with the gang when Hyde wasn't with them and he was with them most of the time, so that left her with Tiffany and Danny, whenever he wasn't with newest girlfriend, Penny Griffin, sometimes even Sarah from work because she was surprisingly pretty cool. And whenever Beth and Hyde did come face-to-face, she avoided his gaze and he never spoke a word to her but stared at her whenever she wasn't looking, which made things awfully tense. All the while, she continued to buy groceries every week with her earnings and go to work, even when school resumed, still saving up for a used car once she got her license in February for her 16th birthday.
Now, however, it was the day before Thanksgiving and the Foreman family was at the bus station waiting to pick up The Slut and it was freezing but Red was refusing to go back to the car and turn on the heat for them all. "Please, Daddy?" Beth begged. "I think I've lost feeling in my toes."
"Oh, Eric, Beth," Kitty announced, "I forgot to mention that your sister—your older sister—is bringing home a friend so Beth, you're sleeping in Eric's room and Eric, you're sleeping in the basement."
"The basement? Why can't they all sleep in Beth's room?" Eric shouted as Beth gasped, "I don't want some slut sleeping in my bed! Why can't she sleep on the cot?"
Ignoring her son, she turned to her husband and added, "Oh, and Red, I've been thinking, maybe this Thanksgiving we should skip the big turkey. The small ones are on sale at the Piggly Wiggly."
The Foreman patriarch shook his head, snapping, "This family doesn't scrimp on holidays. Can you imagine my mother sitting down to a chicken?"
Beth protested, "Grandma won't eat Mom's cooking and I can afford the big turkey, Mom. But can we get back to the fact that you want to put a dirty whore into my bed?"
"Or just put both girls in the basement!" Eric added.
"Red," Kitty continued, "last Thanksgiving, your mother said her jaw wasn't strong enough to chew the turkey and it was a beautiful turkey!"
"Dad, it's my room and it's Beth's room! They shouldn't have the power to kick us out of our rooms!"
"What he said!" Beth agreed, talking over her brother. "I don't want to have to burn the sheets when they leave! Plus, I can always get a ham just so Grandma can't complain." Kitty even opened her mouth to continue with her version of her part of the conversation.
"Alright, that's enough! Hold it!" Red thundered, silencing his family. "Kitty, don't get worked up over my mother. Beth, we're going to show true good hospitality and if you want, we can wash your sheets twice. And you," he turned to his son, "you're sleeping in the basement!"
Beth threw her hands up. "No, since it's such a big deal I'll sleep in the basement! And I'm burning the sheets!" she snapped. "I'm not putting Eric out of his room just because The Slut's friend is here because no one loves her."
Red looked like he wanted to argue some more when he suddenly heard, "Mommy! Daddy! This is Kate!"
Everyone turned to see the oldest Foreman daughter standing there with another blonde, both grinning and jumping slightly to keep warm in the bitter cold of winter. Each held a bulging suitcase. Kitty immediately embraced her daughter before turning back to the car. Beth was already high-tailing it to the vehicle, knowing warmth was soon to follow. She remained quiet on the trip home and instead of helping her mother with the last minute groceries she had just purchased for the family the minute they pulled up to the house, she ran up to her room to make sure her secret stash of money was well hidden, pulling a box of old toys and artwork and miscellaneous nick knacks from grade school from the back of her closet and sliding it over the cut fabric of the carpet for better hiding. Then she stripped her bed, just as Laurie and Kate came into the room.
"And you'll be sleeping in the Virgin's bed. Where will you be sleeping, Prude?"
Beth glared at her sister before glancing at the friend and said, "Please, if you have any respect for anyone at all, no bringing a boy back to my bed. Or wearing any of my clothes, like some bitches. I'll go get you clean sheets."
"Hey, I asked you a question."
The youngest blonde froze in her doorway and turned slowly, hate filling her gaze. "Why the hell do you care? Just worry about which teacher you need to sleep with to keep getting good grades." She stormed out of her bedroom, thanking whatever deities that she had work that night so she would have less time to interact with the bitches that invaded her house.
Sarah and Tiffany both had noticed something off about Beth the moment she walked into The Vineyard. They looked at each other and ganged up on her as she got changed. "What happened?"
"My sister brought a friend," she replied, slamming her locker open and ripping her shirt in her haste to get it off. Realizing what she had done, her lip trembled and the platinum blonde immediately wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I just absolutely hate her. You have no idea how much I absolutely hate her. And she just had to bring home some slutty chick to help invade my home for the holidays."
Sarah rubbed her back. "Just take a deep breath and let it out. Slowly. She's gone on Friday, right?"
"Yes," she muttered, slowly shrugging on a white blouse for her hostess position tonight.
"Then focus on that," Sarah insisted. "She's only here for tomorrow and then you'll probably never see her again."
Beth smiled and hugged her dark haired friend. "Thank you."
"You're coming to my place Friday night, right? You, too, Tiff?" The girls grinned. They were having their first girls' night together having shifted all of their shifts around to be able to manage a night off together. "Sweet. Alright, just focus on the fact that you'll be seeing the bus drive away Friday morning taking those bitches with them and that Friday night we're going to have loads of fun." The girls all smiled and left the locker room for their shift. "Oh, and we can brainstorm what you can get Hyde for his birthday on the 28th."
Thanksgiving at the Foreman's in the next chapter, duh, duh, duh! Meaning more Laurie-time, more Kate-time, and maybe even a face-off with Beth and Hyde… depending on how they want to behave. Then, if there's enough time, I'll add a bit about the girls' sleep-over at Sarah's place.
Until next time, I wish you all good health; good weather and I'll talk to you later, especially if you give me reviews.
