I don't own That 70s Show.
They said that they were bored and had nothing better to do, but the summer that Jackie and Hyde got together was more than just a hookup. And the attraction didn't just start that summer. It had been going on for awhile.
Beyond Words
Chapter 9: What Kelso Sees
Kelso blinked slowly. He was stopped short of storming the basement in his loud and happy manner. His ice cream was dripping on the cement, but he had long forgotten his frozen treat.
Inside the sliding glass door Hyde was sneaking a quick kiss on Jackie. It was just a peck on the cheek as she giggled about something the curly haired man said.
Kelso blinked again as he dropped the food and walked down the basement steps. The door came flying open.
"Hey guys."
Eric, Donna, and Fez gave him strange looks. Fez quickly went back to watching tv.
Donna quirked her hot red head at him. "Is everything okay, Kelso?"
"Yeah. Can't a man say hi? Geez!" Kelso plopped down on the chair by the door. His mind tried to figure out what he saw. What it meant… But the show on the tube was more interesting, so he quickly forgot about Hyde's affectionate peck.
A few hours later Kelso noticed Hyde wasn't in his normal seat. It had taken awhile to focus on that point because Donna was sitting in the chair Hyde had claimed as his and since she was wearing a skirt his full focus was on trying to see her panties.
And they were sexy pink ones too.
After she had gotten up to go get drinks with Eric, Kelso had peeked around. Jackie and Hyde were sitting on the couch together. Fez was humming to himself as they watched the commercials.
Hyde discreetly whispered something into Jackie's ear and she smiled back. Kelso squirmed in his seat. They were too close to each other.
It was unnatural.
He wondered when his best friend had started cuddling up to his girlfriend. He didn't like it.
Wait. She was his ex-girlfriend now. Sometimes Kelso got confused when they were on or off since it happened so regularly for years. It was something safe to fall back on.
Their new coziness was threatening that.
"So… Jackie…" Kelso licked his lips before flipping his hair. He knew he was easily the most attractive male of their group, so it would be easy to get Jackie on the same page as him. "Can we talk outside?"
Everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head. Was there something on his face? "Is there something on my face?"
Hyde and Jackie shared a look. Anger coiled through his stomach, though he didn't understand why, he suddenly wanted to make a cruel comment about it.
Instead he stretched his long legs and led the way, never thinking that she would refuse.
Jackie rose from her seat. She felt uncomfortable and put on the spot, but everyone of the gang had figured this was where the two most beautiful people they had ever met would get back together and it'd be happy ever after.
Well all except for Hyde. He gave her a look. She thought it might mean 'you don't have to do this'. However, she wasn't sure. Instead Jackie steeled herself.
There would be no more Mrs. Jackie Kelso heart bubbles in her life.
She sighed as the door closed behind her and she wandered up to the Forman's garage. Kelso was looking around, avoiding her eyes much like he did when he didn't want to tell her something.
Like when he cheated.
Still, she had always forgiven him. As horny as he was he could also be sweet and affectionate. Add in the fact that they both were silly and superficial they were practically made for each other.
She shook her head as she realized that she didn't want it to be that way anymore. It had become too easy to hide behind fashion, popularity and looks. Though she still relied on it most of the time Steven was changing her little by little.
She was noticing things about herself and her life that she hadn't before.
Jackie appreciated Michael's good looks as he found the 'right' thing to say. It wasn't like he changed much when he was in California; he was the same ole' handsome idiot. She smiled to herself.
"Jackie… I know I messed up."
Her eyes rose. She focused on Steven's Zen lessons. "That's an understatement."
Kelso closed the large gap between them. One second he was across the room and the next he was hugging her tightly.
"I love you, Jackie. I want to know if you'll still marry me. I won't run off this time. I promise."
He was lying, he knew that much. As much as he loved the small brunette the commitment she wanted never seemed important to him. He didn't want to be tied down and trapped. Kelso prayed she didn't say yes, but knew her too well for her to say no.
"No…" Jackie whispered. She was upset. The heartbreak she tried too hard to let go of took over her entire body. She started to cry. "No! Don't do this to me, Michael!"
Kelso stepped back like she was on fire. He just offered her everything she wanted, why was she not happy? "Jackie…"
"No! Stop it! Stop hurting me!"
Jackie rushed away from the Forman's property. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she wanted to be far away from everything that had ever shattered her into pieces.
She was going to go far away from every place that she had ever seen Michael Kelso at.
Kelso gazed after her hopelessly. He was even more confused than he was to begin with. What was going on here? Why'd she say no?
He turned to walk back down the basement steps. At least he had his friends to fall back on.
XXX
Hyde twitched in his seat when Kelso came back alone. He had been wound up since the two of them left. He watched his friend sit on the couch by Donna. Kelso looked depressed.
Well that just brightened his day.
"Where's the Devil woman?" Eric asked with a large smile. Calling Jackie the Devil had been the only semi burn he could come up with without making him seem like a total idiot.
"She took off." Kelso replied desolately.
"Oh god, here we go with the sob story all over again." Hyde complained as he crossed his arms and focused on the television. He wouldn't feel bad for his friend.
He had a crush on his best friend's ex-girlfriend. That was guilt enough.
"I proposed to her."
"You did what!?" Donna screeched.
Eric chimed in with, "Are you insane?"
Fez chewed on a piece of candy. "When's the wedding?"
Hyde sat very still in his seat.
Kelso continued. "She said no and ran away crying. Do you think she's seeing someone else?"
Hyde could just see Fez's mouth open. He beat the foreigner to it. "Nah man. She probably has PMS."
A shudder went through the males of the group while Donna rolled her eyes.
"Well I'm going to see if Jackie is okay."
They watched Donna leave the basement. "Quit looking at my ass you pervs!"
They smiled at each other before Hyde broke out the stash. Jackie's breakdown was far from their minds.
"Hey did you know that there's a car that runs on water, man?"
XXX
Jackie buried herself in the Nancy Drew section of the library. How she loved mysteries. Her nerves soothed from the touch of the pages.
She withdrew into the world of the book. She forgot about the little drama in her life.
XXX
Donna had given up on finding Jackie and had come back to smoke with them. Hyde's buzz was wearing off as he sat away from the circle and refused his turn on the pass around.
Where was she? Where could that silly cheerleader go? She didn't have a car; she refused to take the bus…
She probably didn't want to be around anything that reminded her of Kelso if he did in fact make her cry…
He contemplated the possibilities before announcing to the group.
"I'm going to get out of here. I have someone to meet."
They waved him off. They were too high to think to ask him about his weird behavior or joke about meeting a girl.
Hyde froze his ass off driving around with the window down. His high was officially gone and he was bummed and a little pissed he had to track down Princess Jackie.
He noticed her coming out of the library as she said goodbye to the librarian who was locking up. He pulled up in front of her.
Jackie was surprised he was there. Somehow Steven had a tendency to see right through her. She wondered if it was because she was so 'shallow'.
If he were to answer the unspoken question Hyde was afraid that tracking her down would mean exactly what he didn't want it to mean. He was just in the neighborhood.
"Hey, need a ride? I was going to the Hub."
She smiled as she settled into the passenger seat. Both decided to drop the 'Michael Kelso' conversation.
Why make an already bad day worse?
I have put a deadline on when I want this fan fic complete and I'm afraid I'm already two days late on the first date I was supposed to update : ( Hopefully, I can get it together enough to not do that again.
3 more chapters to go. I'll be sad when this is done.
NEXT! Jackie blurts out something after getting questioned…
