The Choice of a Lifetime
Choice Two - Naperville, Illinois – So Sweet
It's a year later, and Jackie's moved on. She has a new boyfriend, and someone is none too pleased about it.
While his parents and their friends gathered in the driveway and backyard to celebrate Veteran's Day, Eric Forman sat on the porch with his three best friends. He took a long drink of his beer and glared at the festivities in front of him. "Well, I guess Donna's not coming," he said.
His complaint was rewarded with a dirty look from Hyde, who sat next to him.
"Well, gee, Forman, that could be because you dumped her," Hyde said. He made a face and grabbed the beer out of Eric's hand. "Gimme that. You don't deserve beer." He took a drink and looked towards the people in the driveway, nearly all of them gathered at the food table. "Dumbass."
Fez stood behind them, and he nodded. "Yes, Eric, you are a dumbass. You gave up a woman who would actually have sex with you." He crossed his arms and looked away. "Idiot."
Eric tore his beer back from Hyde. "Shut up. She didn't want to…I mean, she wasn't as committed…" He rolled his eyes. "Never mind. You wouldn't understand." He looked to his left at Kelso, who was staring straight ahead and had been surprisingly quiet. "Don't you have anything to add, Kelso? Like how you're gonna try to do it with Donna now that we broke up?"
Kelso shook his head. "I don't get it, man. What is Jackie doing with that guy?"
Eric followed Kelso's hard stare. Jackie stood near the food table, with the arm of a tall, dark-haired, good-looking guy wrapped around her shoulders. He grinned. "Who, Chip? She's on a date with him, Kelso."
"I know that, Eric, but why?" Kelso began tapping his foot, quicker and quicker. "He doesn't even go to Central. He goes to North."
Love raised an eyebrow. She could see through Hyde's sunglasses, and the look in his eyes as he stared at Jackie and the Chip guy was downright nasty. "Well, Kelso's not the only jealous one," she commented, suppressing a giggle. She looked at the Paul. "Are you sure that Jackie ends up with Kelso and not Hyde? He sure does like her."
The angel shrugged. "Just keep watching, my dear."
Hyde shrugged, feigning casualness, though his jaw remained rather tense. "She said he's a football player," he said, knowing it would get Kelso's goat. "Quarterback, wasn't it?"
Kelso rose to his feet, his body twitching. He pointed at Hyde. "See? She's a traitor. Cheerleaders aren't supposed to date guys from other schools. Especially quarterbacks."
Hyde rolled his eyes. "Stop it with the jealous whining, moron."
Kelso gave him a nasty look. "I'm not jealous!"
Hyde stood up and faced him down. "Yes, you are. And you know what? I don't feel sorry for you. You had your chance with her, and you blew it. Get over it." He turned and stalked into the house, closing the sliding door behind him so hard it bounced in its frame.
Eric lifted his eyebrows. "Well, I guess Hyde isn't in a good mood today."
Kelso waved his hand at the space Hyde had just occupied. "Whatever." He turned back at again stared at Jackie and Chip. His eyes darkened. "I'm not jealous."
Eric and Fez exchanged glances, and spoke together. "Whatever, Kelso."
About an hour later, Kelso headed for the food table. He'd told the guys he was going for a beer, but the truth was that Chip was standing there, alone, munching on the food. Kelso tensed his jaw. That dude had a few words coming to him. "So," he said as he came up next to the guy in a disgusting, orange-beige colored jacket. "You and Jackie."
Chip nodded and grinned. "Yep. Isn't she something?"
Kelso nodded slowly, sizing the guy up. "Yeah, she's…something."
"I kind of hate it when she talks, though."
Kelso chuckled. "Yeah."
"And she talks all the time." Chip shrugged. "But I figure it's worth it if I can nail her."
Kelso sighed. He should have known. Quarterbacks were never up to any good. "You might wanna rethink that, man. I mean, she's really young, she's never had a boyfriend before."
Chip grinned. "Not surprising. She's a bitch."
Kelso stared at him, and his face twisted with anger. He reeled back, curled his right hand into a tight fist, and flung it up and forward. Bone cracked audibly when that fist made hard contact with Chip's jaw, and the struck man fell to the ground.
Kelso looked down at him, rubbing his right hand, until the clapping of heeled feet rushing towards him distracted him. He turned, and there was Jackie, her eyes dancing between the heap of Chip on the ground and his own flushed face.
"Michael, what happened?"
He shrugged. "I…well, I mean, he…he goes to North, ya know? And…" She looked at him expectantly, and he rolled his eyes. "And he called you a bitch."
Jackie's mouth opened, her eyes widened, and she placed one hand on her heart. "Oh my god, Michael, you…you hit him because he called me a bitch! You don't like anyone calling me a bitch…you love me!" She took a few steps towards him, reaching up with her hands, ecstasy coloring her cheeks with pink, her eyes with shine.
Kelso backed up, pressing Jackie away from him with a light touch of his hands to her shoulders. His heart was racing, yet the prospect of kissing Jackie panicked him. "Yeah, just…go away! Forget this ever happened, okay?"
He turned and walked away, away from the Forman house, the party, Chip, and most importantly, Jackie, who suddenly loomed large in front of him with the threat of a brutal tornado.
Love shook her head, still gazing down at the beaming Jackie. "Wait…okay, that was really sweet of Kelso to punch that guy, but why did he do it? He seemed jealous. It seems like he likes her. But he's running away from her."
Paul nodded. "He's scared of Jackie."
"Scared? Of her? She's tiny. And he's…well, he's built well. Why is he scared of her?"
Paul smiled. "He's scared of something else about her. Which you'll understand in good time. Now come along, my dear."
A few days later, Jackie has finally found a way to convince Kelso to spend time with her.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Kelso grumbled as he stumbled along, tugged by Jackie's insistent grip.
"Shhhh," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "We have to be quiet." She stopped walking and stared at the school in front of them, a brick building drenched in darkness. The only faint light came from behind them, a street lamp, and she squinted in order to see more clearly. "Okay, Chip said the window that's always unlocked is on the south side of the building somewhere around the dumpsters." She scanned the school, reminding herself which way was which. "That way. Come on."
Kelso sighed, rolling his eyes, yet followed her. "Remind me why we're doing this."
"Because, Michael, you want to humiliate North at the game on Friday, don't you? Don't you think us having their stupid stuffed husky mascot will do the trick? And…" She stopped and turned to him, smiling up at him as flirtatiously as she could, though she knew he could hardly see her. "You'll be a hero, Michael. The football team will be so excited, you guys will win by twenty points, and everyone will love you. They'll put you on their shoulders and everyone will worship you."
Kelso grinned and nodded. "Yeah, and all the chicks will be begging to do it with me. Yeah, I like this idea!"
Love raised an eyebrow. Jackie didn't exactly look pleased by his comment. "He still wants other girls? Even after the whole thing with Chip?" She noticed the strain in the angel's smile, and looked down, the corners of her lips turning up sheepishly. "I'm driving you crazy, aren't I?"
"You're not as bad as some. At least you don't argue. For instance, Hy…" Paul stopped and cleared its throat. "Hyanthia, a girl I mentored a few days ago, was much worse."
UBS snapped her head up. "Hyanthia?"
"Her parents were drunk when they picked a name. At any rate, keep watching."
Love stared at the Paul, but when he didn't look at her, she sighed and resumed her watch.
Jackie rolled her eyes and opened her purse. She pulled out a small flashlight and handed it to Kelso. "Here. You're in charge of the light."
"Cool!"
"Keep the light on the ground, Michael, until I tell you, okay?"
They walked on.
"Wait, how are we gonna know where they keep the mascot?"
"Chip showed me. It's really near the room we're gonna climb in." Jackie stopped. "Okay, hold the light up." Kelso did, shining the rather inadequate beam onto the wall in front of them. He moved it, left to right, and several windows neighbored one another. "Let's check them out."
The twosome hurried to the windows, and Kelso aimed the light at the bottom of the first one. Jackie tried to raise it, until a much larger beam of light, coming from behind and reflecting in the window, stopped her. They both gasped.
"Hold it right there. Don't move, you two."
Kelso glared at Jackie. "Great, just great!" he hissed. "God, this is what I get for agreeing to do anything with you!"
Jackie looked at him, her eyes wide and fearful. "Michael, I didn't…I mean, I just wanted…" Her voice broke.
"Turn around."
They turned, and in the dim light, a police officer stood in front of them. He shined his flashlight in their faces, and both Jackie and Kelso held their hands in front of their eyes.
"What are you two doing here?"
Kelso looked at Jackie, whose lips were trembling so hard that when she tried to speak, all that resulted was a sort of choked whinny. He sighed. "Look, officer, this is my fault. I told my girlfriend here that it would be cool to break into school and do it." He grinned cockily. "And since I'm so hot, you know, she said yes." Jackie looked at him, and he gave her a look before turning back to the officer, his smile fading. "It's not her fault, okay? So just don't arrest her or anything, 'cause it was all my idea."
The officer focused the light on Jackie, but her eyes remained fastened on Kelso's face.
"Is that true, miss?"
"I…" Jackie shook her head, somehow finding her voice, finding her composure, though her heart beat a million times a second. "Yeah, it's…true." She looked down at the ground, her cheeks suddenly warm from the thought of doing that with Michael.
The officer snorted and glared at Kelso. "You know, I ought to arrest you for trying to take advantage of this little girl. Not to mention trespass, and breaking and entering."
"But we didn't break, and we sure as hell didn't enter!"
Jackie elbowed Michael, and smiled sweetly at the officer. "Michael, be quiet!"
Kelso sighed and rolled his eyes, but shut up.
The officer grinned slightly. "But, I'm young enough to remember what it's like to be a kid. You two get the hell out of here, and if I see you back again, you're heading for jail, you got it?"
A few minutes later, as Kelso guided his van towards Jackie's house, she smiled at him. "He might have arrested you, Michael."
Kelso didn't look at her. "I know." His eyes widened. "Can you imagine what would have happened to me in jail? I mean, god, those guys are always just waiting for some hot dude to come along." He shook his head, his brow furrowing. "I'd have been somebody's bitch, man!"
Jackie leaned her head back against the headrest, and she continued to gaze dreamily at her handsome escort. "And you were willing to do that for me. For me."
Kelso glanced quickly at her, back at the road, back at her, back at the road, back at her. And then he shook his head. "Oh, no, Jackie. Don't be thinking this means anything. I just…I was just bein' nice! It doesn't mean I'm in love with you or anything, okay? So stop smiling like that!" He gestured wildly with his hands.
Jackie frowned at his flailing hands. "Michael, keep your hands on the wheel!" When he put them back, she smiled again. "Whatever, Michael," she said softly, contentedly, as her eyes adored him. "Whatever you want to tell yourself."
She knew better.
Kelso grimaced and gripped the steering wheel as tight as he could without losing all circulation. "Oh, god!"
"Awww, he does love her!" Love chirped, clasping her hands together. "He's a sweet guy, Michael Kelso. Not so bright, and kind of spazzy, but sweet. I bet he'd be really great for Jackie." She looked at the Paul. "Are they together after this?"
He smiled. "All in good time. Come on. One more thing to see."
Several months later, summer vacation has just started. Jackie has finally managed to convince Kelso to go out on a date with her. He's told her to meet her in the Forman basement, but when she arrives…
"Where's Michael?" Jackie stood just in front of the basement door, her hands on her hips. She was dressed to kill; wearing a black suede skirt, a slit on the side up to her mid-thigh, a red, off- the shoulder peasant blouse. Her hair was beautiful, falling in jet black curl. And on her face, it wasn't so much her impeccable make up than the glow of excitement insider her that had her looking absolutely gorgeous. She raised an eyebrow at Eric, who sat morosely on the couch, a piece of paper in his hand, and at Hyde, who was, as usual, slumping over in his chair. "Have you seen him? He told me to meet him here for our date, and I'm late, because I had to keep him waiting, of course. Where is he?"
Eric lifted up the paper he held. "He and Donna took a trip." He smirked, but his eyes burned with anger. "Yeah. Just a little trip to California." He shook his head, and his cheeks flushed. "God, I mean, can't she understand why I didn't want to get right back together? She was only coming back to me because Casey screwed her over. I was gonna be her rebound from her rebound." He threw the letter to the table, stood and stalked towards the stairs, grumbling all the way. "Stupid California. What does she think she's gonna find there, anyway?"
The sounds of Eric stomping up the stairs were lost on Jackie. She stood paralyzed, her eyes fixated on the letter lying on the table. "Michael…he went to California?"
Love frowned. "Why did he go to California? He was supposed to go out with Jackie."
Jackie looked at Hyde, who was gazing at her, sans sunglasses, cautiously. "Did he go to get out of going on a date with me?"
Love gasped and grabbed Paul's arm. "Oh my gosh, what? Why would he do that? Did he not really want to go out with her? But he likes her!" She looked imploringly at her guide. "Tell me what's going on!"
The angel patted UBS's hand. "Calm down. You'll see soon enough, okay?"
Hyde looked away, and that was all the answer Jackie needed. She nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor. She studied it, the cold concrete, and thought she was just like it; seemingly solid, seemingly strong, but riddled with tiny cracks easily hidden by paint or carpet. In her case, hidden by beautiful clothes and perfect make up.
"Hey, uh, you wanna go for a drive or something?"
She looked up, and Steven's eyes met hers. He wore just the slightest hint of a smile, the kind that said "It sucks, I know, I get it,", and despite the pain encircling her heart, she smiled slightly, too. He was a tough one, rough around the edges, with a tendency to be rude, and yet he had all these moments of sensitivity. Her stomach relaxed. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Hyde nodded, the corners of his lips struggling, as if he wanted to smile but was forcing himself not to. "Cool. Come on."
Love shook her head, unable to comprehend the situation. "I'm really confused."
"So is Jackie." Paul smiled. "You'll find out why Michael took off soon."
"But what about Hyde? He's so nice to her, and she doesn't even notice him."
He lifted one shoulder. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Love blinked slowly at the cryptic answer. "What does that mean?"
"It means, you'll see. Come on."
