A/N: I am SO sorry it took me so long, guys. If you follow me on tumblr, then you probably already know what happened, but for those of you who don't have a tumblr blog, here's a brief explanation of what happened:
I tested positive for covid, and things got pretty bad pretty quickly. I never thought it would actually hit me this hard, I'm young, I'm healthy, I'm not in the risk group, but well... this is a sneaky virus, lol.
I won't talk too much about it here because I know you're probably interested in the story, not in my personal life, but I just wanted to explain why I haven't updated on the day I promised to. If I could've updated, I would've, believe me, but I could barely leave my own bed without feeling like I had ran a marathon, and my brain also wasn't working properly. It was awful, but I'm getting better now!
I'm still recovering, and I figured that it was about time for me to post the last chapter of this story, so... here it is, enjoy!
Part four:
A week, it's been a week since Edna left, and he's been trying his hardest to keep his cool.
Jackie has no idea, neither does the Forman's. He used almost all of the money he had saved to pay for the water bill yesterday (he had to choose between that and electricity), and he bought some food with the rest. That should make him last for another month, which means that he still has some time before dropping out.
He raised his head and smiled. He was under the bleachers, watching Jackie as she practiced along with the other bitchy cheerleaders. She looks so fucking beautiful in that little uniform of hers, he felt like he was about to go insane every time she did one of her splits or did another one of her high kicks.
When the practice finally came to an end, he watched as Jackie made sure there was no one paying attention to her as she made her way to the bleachers.
He heard her footsteps and turned around to face her.
"Hey doll," He said, giving her an honest smile.
She didn't even say "Hey" back, she just ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him as passionately as she could.
Fez was walking near the bleachers with a big smile on his face and a blow pop on his hand, the jock who was trying to lock him inside a closet was caught by the vice-principal, and he was enjoying his freedom.
He'd have to walk to the Forman's, because it looks like Eric already left, but he didn't mind. Sure, it was almost 100 degrees outside, but he had his candy to keep him company.
Then he heard the sound of lips smacking together and smiled to himself, his day was about to get even better.
He followed the sounds, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible, and then he saw it, two people making out furiously under the bleachers.
The girl was shorter than the guy, Fez couldn't see much of her due to the shadows, he could only see the cheerleading uniform. He couldn't see much of the guy either, since his face was glued to the girl's, but he could see his wild curly hair. The girl's hands were buried in said hair, and the guy had his arms around her waist.
Fez's breath caught in a quiet gasp when he saw the guy pulling the girl closer to him, kissing her like his life depended on it.
He doesn't know who these two people are, but the heat between them was palpable, and it put to shame all of the other makeout sessions he'd ever witnessed between Kelso and his girl of the week… and Eric and Donna too.
The couple broke their kiss, and the guy started sucking on the girl's neck. Fez heard her giggling.
"Steven…"
Fez squinted his eyes when he heard the girl saying the boy's name, isn't Hyde's first name Steven?
Then the guy smiled at her and Fez covered his mouth with his hand. He could see it clearly now, the wild hair, the sunglasses, the scruffy boots...
This is Hyde!
"You like that?" Hyde said, his voice hoarse, and Fez heard the girl moaning
Fez squinted his eyes harder, he would give up his candy for an entire week if that meant he would be able to actually see clearly what sexy stuff were these two were doing.
"Steven, please…" She whimpered "Don't start something you won't be able to finish..."
"Fine" Hyde replied, pecking her lips multiple times.
"Gotta go to work now… You think I can go over to your house today?" He asked in between kisses, and the girl giggled before gently pushing him away
"Sure, my parents are not home, and we can finish what we started here..." The girl replied, and Hyde smirked before leaning his head down to kiss her again.
"Alright…" He said, pressing another kiss to her lips "I should take off now. Love you, doll"
She giggled "I love you too, Pudding Pop"
Then Fez could hear Hyde's footsteps and ran away as fast as he could, letting his blow pop fall into the ground.
"Oh my God," Fez said, barging inside the basement "You guys are not going to believe what I'm about to tell you!"
"Did you manage to see another side boob again?" Eric asked, looking disinterested
"Hyde has a girlfriend!" Fez blurted out, and Kelso sent him a weird look, while Eric and Donna exchanged looks of their own.
"What?" Kelso asked "There's no way, man, Hyde would've told us"
"I saw them!" Fez said, "They were kissing under the school bleachers!"
"Are you sure this wasn't just a hookup?" Eric asked "Hyde doesn't do relationships"
"I thought that too! But then, Hyde told her he loved her, and she told him she loves him too!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time
Kelso laughed "Good one Fez, Hyde doesn't love people"
"Are you sure it was Hyde, Fez?" Donna asked. She and Eric have been suspecting of Hyde for a long time now, but never in a million years they would've thought Hyde would say that he loves another human being "It could be someone else"
"I am 100% sure it was him," Fez said "It was dark, but I could see his sunglasses and hear his voice"
"Who was the chick, Fez?" Kelso asked
"I don't know, I could barely see her!" Fez replied "I could only see her uniform"
"Well, damn it, Fez! Now I'm curious!" Kelso said
"She called him Pudding Pop," Fez said, "And instead of yelling at her, he kissed her!"
"Oooh, cheesy pet names?" Kelso said "Hyde must really be in love then. I called him Steven once and I had a black eye for a week"
"How do we get him to confess?" Fez asked "That selfish son of a bitch, what if she's pretty? Fez could use some eye candy"
Donna and Eric rolled their eyes.
"We're just going to talk with him the next time we see him, it's no big deal," Donna said, and Eric nodded.
"But…" Kelso was about to protest, but Donna cut him off with a glare
"We're going to ask him, like normal people," Donna said, making Kelso cross his arms and pout like a child "If Hyde really has a girlfriend then there's a reason why he hasn't introduced her to us, and I'm betting you two bozos have something to do with it"
"Fine!" Fez said, "But if she's pretty, I am going to be really mad!"
"If she's pretty then you're going to keep your mouth shut," Eric said "Hyde almost killed you when you took his magazine, imagine what he'll do to you if he hears you talking about his girlfriend"
"You guys are no fun" Kelso muttered under his breath, making Eric and Donna roll their eyes.
The couple exchanged another look before redirecting their attention back to the TV. They had a feeling that Hyde wouldn't like his secret being out.
It was the next day, and Hyde was fucking exhausted.
He actually worked today, a lot more than he usually does, and he hadn't seen Jackie yet, so it's safe to say that he was cranky as hell.
He's only meeting up with her at night, so he still has about 5 hours to kill, and why not do that at the Forman's?
Besides, he was starving. He hasn't eaten today and Mrs. Forman always has something ready for whoever is in the basement.
He opened the door, muttered a tired "Hey", and sat on his chair, smiling and nodding when he saw that "Charlie's Angels" was on TV. The basement was full, everyone was there, and he could feel their stare from a mile away.
At first, he ignored it, he just wanted some peace and quiet for once.
But then he heard Fez faking a cough to get his attention, and he huffed, taking his eyes away from Farrah Fawcett's spandex jumpsuit.
"What?" He asked impatiently
"Hyde, how could you have not told us you have a girlfriend, man?!" Kelso asked indignantly
Hyde's eyes widened underneath his sunglasses, how…?
"I don't have a girlfriend" Hyde lied, knowing it wasn't going to cut it this time.
"Yes, you do! I saw you two making out yesterday!" Fez said
"It was just a hookup" Hyde tried to explain lamely "You know… some cheerleaders like to go slumming it every once in a while, and who better to slum with than the town's delinquent?"
"I see…" Fez said, scowling and crossing his arms "Now, Hyde, do you say 'I love you' to all the girls you slum with?"
Hyde's face paled "I didn't say that"
"Yes, you did!" Fez yelled, "You said you love her, and she called you 'Pudding Pop'!"
"C'mon Hyde!" Donna said, scooting away from Eric so she could be closer to Hyde "Don't lie to us anymore, we know you have a girlfriend by now. Why can't you introduce her to us?"
"Because it's none of your damn business" Hyde replied, sighing in defeat
"We're your friends, man," Eric said "And judging by your many disappearances in the last year, you've been going out with this girl for a long time and you didn't tell us"
"Yeah Hyde! What if she's hot? I'd like to have another girl to stare at" Kelso said
Hyde frogged the boy in the arm "See why I didn't want to tell everyone?"
"Kelso's an idiot," Donna said "But seriously Hyde, how is she like? Is she pretty? What does she like to do? How did you two meet?"
"She's gorgeous, bitchy, bossy, and kind. Not telling you anything else because I already told you: it's none of your damn business"
"Aha!" Eric said, pointing his finger at Hyde, who scowled at him "So you're admitting it! You have a girlfriend!"
"Yeah, I have a girlfriend, Forman," Hyde said, rolling his eyes and ignoring the way his stomach rumbled. He doesn't want to deal with this shit now.
"Why don't you introduce her to us?" Donna asked again "We would love to know who stole the rebel's heart"
Hyde sighed "You're not gonna let that go, are you?"
Every single member of the basement gang shook their heads.
"I'll talk to her," He said after a couple of minutes, and Donna smiled "But there's no guarantees, and I swear to God, if I see one of you morons hitting on her, I'm going to kill you"
"Okay then," Eric said, wrapping his arm around Donna "So, let's watch some TV?"
"Nah, you do that. I'm gonna see if I can score a snack upstairs" Hyde said, going up the stairs before anyone could say something.
He opened the fridge and started working on a sandwich for himself. Edna's been gone for a week, and he just knows she's never coming back, she meant every word she wrote on that letter, so maybe…
Maybe it's finally time to introduce Jackie to everyone. God knows she'll be ecstatic.
He's not going to lie, part of him is ecstatic too. There's nothing he wants more than to kiss her in front of everyone, punch the shit out of Kelso every time he makes one of his inappropriate comments about her, and let everyone know that she's his chick and will be his chick for as long as he lives.
But the other part of him is scared, because they've been living in this bubble for so long… What if they're not strong enough to deal with all that crap for now?
He took a deep breath and started to spread mayo on the pieces of bread, he's just being paranoid.
Jackie giggled into his mouth as he kissed her and gently pushed her against the Willow tree bark, hungrily running his hands through her body.
She started kissing the sensitive spot behind his ear lobe, and he pulled apart after a few minutes of furious kissing and groping.
"Everything okay?" Jackie asked, running her fingertips through his chest
"Yeah…" He said, looking down at the ground "Here's the thing, I've been thinking and… Maybe it's time for me to introduce you to my friends?"
"Wait, really?" Jackie asked with a big smile on her face
"Really"
"As your girlfriend?" She asked, her glassy eyes filled with hope
"Yup," He said, kissing her neck a few times "What do you say, you're in?"
"Of course I'm in!" Jackie said, giggling and wrapping her arms around his neck "Thank you"
"No Jackie, thank you," He said before gluing his lips to hers again, enjoying the feeling of her fingernails lightly scratching his scalp as she kissed him back eagerly.
He kept her occupied for the next hour.
"Just to let you know…" Hyde said as they walked hand in hand on the concrete stairs that led to the basement "They're idiots, all of them"
He managed to stall his friends for a couple more days, but ever since he mentioned he's ready to introduce her to everyone, Jackie's been ecstatic, and she wouldn't stop asking him when he would finally do it.
So instead of spending the day by themselves, sitting under the Willow tree, Hyde decided that they could spend the day in the basement with his friends.
"Please, Steven, I doubt they're that bad," Jackie said
"Kelso and Fez are going to ogle all over you, and I'll probably kill them for it," He continued "Forman might get a little snippy, and Donna… Well, Donna might be the only one who'll actually see you as a person, but I'm not sure. Just… Stick by me, alright?"
She nodded and he kissed her before opening the door and entering the basement, still holding her hand.
And as if they just saw an explosion, the gang immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at Jackie and Hyde, eyes widening, jaws dropping.
Hyde rolled his eyes and gently squeezed Jackie's hand.
"Guys, this is my girlfriend, Jackie," Hyde said "Jackie, these are my friends, Donna, Forman, Kelso, and Fez"
"Hi!" Jackie said in her usual cheerful tone and walking over to the gang. She saw that Donna was the only one smiling at her and pulled the taller girl to a warm hug "It's so nice to finally meet you!"
"Uhhh…" Eric said, and Donna slapped the back of his head, offering a kind smile to Jackie
"Nice to meet you too, Jackie. Sorry about my idiot boyfriend, he's just in shock" She said, gently squeezing Jackie's shoulders. Jackie nodded and went to stay by Hyde's side again.
"Jackie Burkhart?" Kelso asked in awe "You're dating Jackie?"
"And what's wrong with that?" Jackie asked, wrapping her arms around Hyde's waist
"I hit on you like, all the time!" Kelso said, "You could've had me, and you chose Hyde?!"
"By the way Kelso," Hyde said, leaving Jackie's side and punching Kelso repeatedly on the arm.
"OW!"
"That's for hitting on my girlfriend," Hyde said, and sat on his chair, gently pulling Jackie to sit on his lap "If I ever catch you hitting on her again I'll make you swallow your own teeth. Got it?"
"Fine!" Kelso said, pouting and sitting on the lawn chair "You're mean!"
"He's been wanting to do that for a while," Jackie said, and Hyde gave her an endearing smile.
The gang watched in awe. They've never seen Hyde smiling like this before, and it was weird, to say the least.
"So…" Donna started nervously "When did you two meet?"
"Last summer," Jackie said, smiling at Hyde and taking his hand in hers.
Hyde watched as she gently started playing with his fingers. She was nervous, and this was one of her tells, but so far, she's been nice and patient, something he wasn't expecting.
"Wait, so this has been going on for almost a whole year?" Eric asked
"Pretty much, yeah" Hyde shrugged, and Eric gaped at them.
"A year?!" Kelso said "Why would you hide that for a whole year? If I was dating a chick as hot as Jackie, I would be shouting through the roofs!"
"Kelso, what did I just say to you?" Hyde asked, clenching his fists
"I'm not hitting on her!" Kelso promptly said, raising his hands "I'm not, I swear!"
"Whatever" Hyde said, sending a death glare to Kelso and making the taller boy gulp in fear
Jackie leaned her head on Hyde's chest and he started to gently run his fingers through her hair to calm himself down, just like he always does when they're alone.
She grimaced though, not because of Steven's gentle strokes, but because of the music playing in the background.
"Can I change the record?" She whispered in Hyde's ear, and he looked questionably at her
"Is not 'Captain and Tenille' again, is it?" He asked, and she chuckled
"No,"
"Then go ahead," Hyde said, and she pecked his lips quickly before going to the record player
She leaned down to pick up a new record and he grimaced when he finally caught a glimpse of the record she chose.
"C'mon Jackie, not the Bee Gees" Hyde grimaced while Jackie took the Bruce Springsteen record out and put the disco record on the player. The basement gang watched the scene in front of them in awe.
If anyone else had done that, Hyde would've chopped their hands off with no hesitation. He has very strict rules about the basement's choice of music, and no one was ever brave enough to break them.
"Just one song, then I promise I'll put your record back on" She pouted at him. He glared at her for a few seconds before sighing and nodding dejectedly. She squealed with joy and kissed him briefly on the lips again, and he frowned as the Gibb's abnormally shrill voices filled the basement.
But then he saw Jackie dancing and couldn't help but smile a little. She's so fucking cute.
He could watch her all day, the gang, on the other hand...
"She's dancing" Eric whispered to Donna, baffled at the sight in front of him
"To disco" Donna completed, looking just as shocked "She's dancing to disco in the basement, and Hyde's just… cool with it"
"He's smiling at her!" Eric hissed "She's the devil, she brainwashed him, Donna. I don't like her"
Donna sighed "You can't not like her because she has a different music taste than you, Eric"
"It's not that, she makes Hyde act weird," Eric said "The Hyde we all know and love would never act this way!"
"Love changes people, Eric!" Donna hissed in his ear, but Eric wasn't having it
"They're too different, man. It's creepy and unnatural" He whispered, and Donna rolled her eyes. She knew her boyfriend, and she knew that it would be very hard to make him see reason for now.
"Let's just… see how the rest of the day goes, alright?" She whispered back
"Fine" Eric said, scowling at the dancing girl and her drooling boyfriend.
What has she done with Hyde, man?
"Crap, it's raining," Hyde said as he and Jackie looked through the glass sliding door
They spent their entire day at the Forman's, and it was very pleasant. For the most part, at least.
Hyde knows that Jackie's a tough pill to swallow, he loves her very much, but he knew his friends might have some trouble dealing with her at first. Kelso didn't say another word about them, but he kept glaring at them and pouting until he had to go home, and Fez went with him.
He could tell that Forman didn't like Jackie at all. He kept staring at her like she was a plague, and he did have to intervene in a few banters they had.
He didn't know about Donna. She seemed weirded out about Jackie, but she was trying to be nice to her for a while. She wasn't used to Jackie's backhanded compliments though, and he had a feeling that she might have been offended a few times.
"It's okay, I'll just drop you off at your house," Jackie said, and he went pale.
"There's no need for that, doll," He said, but she sent him a weird look
"I'm not going to let you walk alone in the rain, Steven!" Jackie said, crossing her arms
"Fine," He said, as they walked to her car. Hyde tucked Jackie's head under his jacket to protect her from the rain, and once they were safe and sound inside of her daddy's Lincoln, he ran his fingers through his wet hair
"I don't think your friends liked me," Jackie said, starting the car
"Well doll, you could've not called Forman a skinny geek, and Donna a lumberjack" Hyde said
"But… She dresses like Paul Bunyan, Steven!" Jackie said "And I only said that because her boyfriend was looking at me like I was the devil"
"Because you were dancing to disco in the basement!"
"But you said you think it's cute" She argued back
"It is, but they don't think like me, do they?" He said "Also, did you have to complain about the soda, man? Red's being laid off the plant, they're having money problems"
She sighed "I'm sorry, I acted like a spoiled brat"
"You don't need to put on that facade in front of them, alright?" He said, gently placing his hand on her thigh "Forman might be a little too difficult for you to win back, but Donna's cool, and she never really had a girlfriend before"
"I could tell!" Jackie said "I was dying to give her a manicure when I first saw her fingers"
"Then why don't you?" He suggested "Ask her nicely the next time you see her, I promise you she'll be cool, as long as you don't insult her"
"Okay…"
"Look at the bright side, Mrs. Forman loved you," Hyde smiled, and she smiled back. The warm feeling he had on his chest when he first saw Mrs. Forman and Jackie bonding in the kitchen is something he'll probably never forget.
"Yeah, she's really sweet" Jackie smiled "Which kind of made me sad, I wish my mom was like her"
He sent her a sad smile and rubbed her thigh "Me too"
She parked in front of his house, Hyde pecked her lips quickly and got out of the car, but before he knew what was happening, Jackie was following him.
"Jackie, what the hell?" He asked
"I'm sorry but I really need to pee," She said, smiling apologetically at him "You said your mom's out of town for a few days, and it'll only take a few minutes"
"You can pee at your own place," Hyde said, but she glared at him
"No, I can't!" She argued, crossing her arms "C'mon baby, you're not going to let your pretty girlfriend pee her pants, are you?"
He rubbed his temples nervously, his heart beating frantically inside his chest. If Jackie saw his house, she would notice right away that something's off. She's not stupid.
"Jackie, if you had gone home as soon as you dropped me here you could've peed already," He said
She huffed "Steven, my bladder is hurting!"
"Well…"
"Ugh!" She said, pushing him to the side and opening the door to the house, running inside and quickly entering the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…
She's going to notice man, and there's nothing he could do about it. So he just sat on the couch, defeated, waiting for the explosion.
A couple of minutes later, Jackie left the bathroom, glaring at him.
"What the hell was that?!" She asked indignantly "Why were you so reluctant on letting me pee, Steven?"
He looked at her, baffled that she hadn't noticed anything so far. Maybe if she just got away…
"Sorry. Look, I'll just see you tomorrow, okay?" She said, gently pushing her to the door, which only appeared to make her more pissed
"Steven!" She yelled, getting away from his arms "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I just want to go to bed," Hyde said, but Jackie wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking around the living room, her eyes scanning every single thing.
He was busted.
"Steven. where's Edna?" Jackie asked
"Out of town, she'll be back though," He said, but instead of answering him, Jackie walked around the house, opening the door to Edna's room and entering without even giving him a second to come up with another excuse
"Her wardrobe is empty," Jackie said, mostly to herself, then she looked at Hyde, with tears in her eyes "And you introduced me to your friends today…"
"Jackie…"
"She left for good, didn't she?" Jackie said, her voice cracking
"Yeah," He said, looking down at the floor.
Jackie walked to him and engulfed him in a tight hug, her fingers softly stroking his hair. He sat on the trashed couch, and she climbed on his lap, holding him as close to her as humanly possible.
He could feel her tears wetting his shirt, and he tightened his grip on her. This is what he's been trying to avoid, he knew that she hurts every time he's going through something, and he knew that knowing that he's alone now and barely has any money is going to kill her just as much as it's killing him.
"When did it happen?" She asked, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head
"A couple of weeks ago" He replied as he ran his hands up and down her back
"Normally, I'd be happy that the bitch is gone, but Steven… What's going to happen to you?" She asked, her eyes showing how fearful she is, and he sighed
"I don't know, doll" He answered, and she started crying again "I think… I'm going to have to drop out in a few weeks, get a full-time job if I want to y'know, get some food and have a roof on top of my head"
"You can't drop out of school!" Jackie said, but he gave her a sad smile
"It's okay, everyone in my family did. I'm surprised I've lasted this long" He said, cursing himself when she started sobbing "No… Please don't cry baby, I'm going to be fine"
She just kept on sobbing, and he hugged her tighter "Jackie… c'mon baby, it's alright"
"It's not!" She said, burying her face on his chest "You're still a minor, and… You deserve so much better, this can't be happening…"
"I'll figure it out, Jackie. Don't worry about it" He said, and he felt her shaking her head against his chest
"No. What if someone calls social services and they take you away? I can't lose you, and you… you can't…"
Hyde couldn't make out the rest of her sentence due to her heavy sobs, so he just kept on holding her, whispering comforting words in her ear and pressing desperate little kisses on the top of her head, trying to get her to calm down. He hates seeing her like this, he hates it more than anything.
He knew he was going to have to come up with something to tell Jackie, but right now, he just felt like sobbing with her.
Jackie took a deep breath as she walked through the Forman's driveway. This is the second time she's been to the Forman's since that fatigued day seven days ago.
It's been a week since she found out that Steven has been all alone, which means that it's been a week since she was able to sleep through the night and finish a whole meal.
She was constantly worrying about him, trying to come up with solutions for his problem, thinking about how unfair this whole situation is, and how he deserves so much better.
She tried talking to him, but he asked her to drop it. He said that he was going to deal with it by himself, and that he doesn't want her worrying about him.
He made her promise that she's not going to do anything. He was very clear when he said that she's not allowed to tell anyone about this, that by telling someone, she would be breaking his trust, and that's not something he's going to put up with.
But what the hell did he expect her to do? This has been eating her alive, she couldn't let him live like this, she won't let him live like this, not when she knows there's something she can do to help.
She swallowed a few tears, but continued walking. If he breaks up with her because of it, so be it. For the first time in her life, she's putting someone else's safety and happiness above her own.
She looked inside the kitchen, and Eric was sitting alone at the table, eating a sandwich. Perfect.
"Eric we need to talk," Jackie said, barging inside the house and sitting next to him.
He started coughing, her sudden appearance startling him, she rolled his eyes and handed him his glass of orange juice.
After a few seconds, he started breathing normally, and she raised her eyebrows at him.
"You done?" She asked, not giving him enough time to answer "Look, Eric, I know you hate me, but I really need to talk to you"
"What? I don't hate you…" Eric said, and Jackie rolled her eyes
"It's okay, many people do," She shrugged it off. "As long as Steven loves me I'm good, but that's not what I want to talk to you about. I need to tell you something and Steven is probably going to hate me after that, but I can't let him live like this because I love him…" She rambled, not being able to keep her tears in anymore. She buried her face in her hands and started crying.
"Easy there Jackie," Eric said, awkwardly patting her back in an attempt to comfort her "Hyde would never hate you"
"He might after I tell you this…" She mumbled, taking a deep breath to gather some courage. "Steven's mom ran away with some trucker and he's been living by himself for weeks"
"What?!"
"I found out last week after he introduced me to you guys, and I tried to help him but he's too God damn proud and he barely has food and heat and I can't let him live like this..." She said, breaking down in sobs "He asked me not to tell, and I know he's going to be mad that I told you and he's probably going to break up with me, but… I think you're the only one that can actually do something to help and I just want the best for him"
"Why… Why hasn't he told me, man?" Eric asked
"You know Steven just as much as I do, Eric," Jackie said sadly "You know why"
"I'll talk to my parents as soon as they're back from work," Eric said, and Jackie nodded gratefully "Thanks for telling me, Jackie"
"I just hope he won't hate me" She whispered dejectedly "I can't lose him"
"You're not going to, alright?" Eric said. He took a deep breath before wrapping his arm around Jackie's shoulders, giving it a light squeeze "Everything's going to be fine now, my parents and I… We'll do something"
She nodded again, letting Eric console her as she cried.
Please God, don't let Steven hate me…
Hyde put his feet up on the couch, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to rest for the first time in the day.
He was exhausted. He spent the entire day moving around. He skipped school today, because one of his neighbors offered to pay him if he helped them move his stuff into a moving truck. After that, he had a shift at the FotoHut (where he actually worked instead of slacking off), and then another neighbor paid him to mow their lawn. He didn't even have the time to see Jackie today, which sucks, because he could really use some of her gentle massages right now.
He hasn't had the time to eat too. All he had to eat today was a very small bag of chips he found at the FotoHut, and he was hungry. He could get up and try to prepare himself something, but he didn't have a lot of food and he needed to start rationing it. The little money he has is going towards paying next month's rent for now.
He was almost falling asleep when he heard pounding sounds. Someone was knocking at the door, and judging by the loud sound, that person lacked patience.
It better not be one of Edna's old drug dealers, she's gone now and there's no way in hell he'd be able to pay off whatever debt she had.
He opened the door, and saw none other than the Forman's standing outside. Kitty was smiling kindly at him, Red looked pissed and uncomfortable, and Eric was fiddling with his jacket, avoiding Hyde's eye.
"Steven," Mrs. Forman said softly, "You haven't been by in a few days, how are you?"
"Um..." He mumbled, looking at his trashed house and trying to close the door as much as he could behind him, his smile disappearing due to his nervousness, "I'm... fine, I guess..."
"Let us in, dumbass" Red said sternly, and Hyde sighed before opening the door and letting them inside the house.
He just hoped they didn't call CPS on him, because he's not leaving Jackie.
Jackie paced around the empty Forman's kitchen nervously, glancing at the glass door every few seconds.
After shedding an amount of tears large enough to fill up a bucket, Eric asked her to tell him and his parents everything she knows, and she did. She talked and cried until her throat started to hurt, and the Forman's asked her to wait for them here while they go check up on Steven.
She didn't know what they were going to do, but she hoped they would make them move in with them. Steven deserves a family, and judging by the way Steven talks about the Forman's, they are it. They're his family.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the Cruiser entering the garage, and she could've passed out when she heard Red's angered voice.
"You're staying in Eric's room, so put your crap there!"
She saw Steven leaving the car with Eric by his side. Steven was carrying a large duffel bag, and Eric was grinning at him. Mrs. Forman followed Red inside the garage, smiling from ear to ear.
Steven and Eric entered the kitchen, and Eric sent Jackie a small, grateful smile before opening the fridge and starting to prepare a sandwich for himself.
"You're moving here?" Jackie asked Hyde, who looked shocked at her presence, she had a huge smile on her face "Oh my God, that's great! Steven, I…"
"Jackie? What are you doing here?" He asked her, not smiling back at her. Her smile died, and he sent her a weird look.
"Jackie, come here," Hyde said, gently grabbing her arm and dragging her to the Forman's porch for privacy.
"Steven, what is it? Are you not moving in? What's going on?" Jackie asked desperately
He took a deep breath and sent her another look, and right there she knew that he knew that she was the one that told everything to the Forman's.
"Jackie, were you the one who told Forman?" He asked carefully, and she took a deep breath before nodding.
Her eyes filled with tears again, but she didn't look away from him.
"Jackie, what the hell?" Hyde asked angrily
She sent him a look of her own. She knew that he knew took his privacy very seriously, but she also knew that he would understand why she did the things she did eventually. He would've probably done the same if the situation was reversed, he cared about her just as much as she cares about him, and he wanted for her to be okay, just like she wants for him to be okay.
He has to understand.
"You can yell at me all you want, but I'm not sorry, okay?" Jackie said with tears in her eyes "Because now you have a home, you have food, you have heat, and you have people who care about you around all day! I'm not sorry, Steven"
He took a deep breath "Jackie, I asked you not to tell, and you said you wouldn't"
"And you said you were going to be okay. Guess what, Steven? You weren't!" She said "You… You can't live by yourself, you can't drop out of high school, and you can't… You can't let her win, Steven!"
"Don't change the subject" He said sternly "I trusted you, and you broke that. You lied to me"
"Steven…"
"I need some time to think," He said, stepping away from her and running his hands through his face "Give me some time to think, alright?"
The tears were running freely down her face now "Steven…"
"I'll see you around, Jackie," He said before entering the house, leaving her standing on the porch by herself.
"Tell me you didn't break up with Jackie because of what she did," Forman said as he got ready to bed, and Hyde sighed. He wasn't in the mood to talk now, especially about Jackie. His head was a mess, and just thinking about her hurts.
"Forman, I don't want to talk now," Hyde said "I'm exhausted, man, and I just want to sleep"
"If you broke up with her, you're the stupidest guy alive" Eric stated, and Hyde sent him a weird look
"I thought you hated her?"
"Well, you thought wrong," Eric said as he got inside his covers, and Hyde shook his head before laying on his new cot.
"I didn't break up with her" Hyde said "I just need some time to think man, that's it"
"That sounds like a break up to me," Eric said, and Hyde rolled his eyes
"It's not, alright? Now just drop it, man!"
"Prom is in a week" Eric continued, and Hyde sent him a death glare "I'm just saying… We all know about you two now, and she looks like the kind of girl that'd go nuts over prom"
"Forman…"
"Alright, alright… I'll go to bed now!" Eric said, turning the lights off "But for what its worth… I really misjudged her, she's pretty cool, and she really loves you"
Hyde didn't reply, he just kept staring at the ceiling in thought.
He has a lot to think about.
"I know you guys hate me, but I…" Jackie cried on Donna's shoulder "I just wanted to help him"
The redheaded girl sighed, and she gently rubbed Jackie's head as she cried.
Eric told her everything that happened, and she couldn't help but feel extremely bad for Jackie. She ran into the smaller girl at school earlier today, and asked her to stop by her house after her cheerleading practice.
They've been hanging out for a couple of hours now, and Jackie's surprisingly good company. It sucked to see her this sad though, she wished Hyde would get his head out of his ass already. According to Jackie, he hasn't talked to her in five days.
"You're not that bad, Jackie," Donna said with a small smile "Hyde will come to his senses eventually"
"I hope so," Jackie replied, leaning her head in her hands "I miss him so much"
"I know, midget," Donna said, patting Jackie's back "Come on, I want you to help me pick a dress for prom"
"But prom is in two days…" Jackie said, sending Donna a weird look "Are you telling me you don't have a prom dress?"
"Why would I have a prom dress before prom?"
"To be prepared!" Jackie said like it was the most obvious thing in the world "I bought my prom dress over a year ago!"
Donna sighed "Well, I don't have a dress now, and I need your help"
"You really want to go shopping with me?" Jackie asked, not being able to hide a smile
"Is it going to help you feel better?"
"Yes!"
"Then let's go" Donna laughed, taking both of their coats and gesturing for Jackie to follow her.
"Crap, please tell me this isn't country music," Donna said, listening to the faint guitar sounds that were coming from the basement, and Eric sighed
"Not just country music, he's been listening to an endless loop of Willie Nelson for days," Eric said "I share a room with him now, Donna, it's been driving me nuts!"
"I don't get it, why can't he just go and talk to her?" Donna asked "She hadn't done anything wrong, she was just worried about him!"
"He's an idiot" Eric
"He truly is" Donna muttered "I mean, they haven't even broken up, they just need to talk, and he's been avoiding her for days! Jackie has been nothing but a good and patient girlfriend to this idiot, he needs to talk to her!"
"Well…"
"I had enough," Donna said, opening the door "They're going to fix this, and they're going to fix this now"
Donna walked over to the record player and turned it off, breaking Hyde out of his self-deprecating daze.
"Hey!" Hyde protested, but Donna glared at him
"You! You are going to hear me out right now!" Donna said, pointing her finger at him and sitting on the couch
Hyde squinted his eyes at Donna's hands, and couldn't help but smile lightly when he saw her nails.
"Is that pink nail polish?" He asked, and Donna slapped the back of his head, making him wince
"I've been hanging out with Jackie," She explained "You know… Your girlfriend, someone who has been very depressed because of you! You need to talk to her!"
Hyde sighed and rubbed his aching head "I know, man"
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"
"I'm a moron, I was a dick to her with no reason, I don't know how I'm going to apologize" He explained "I feel like an idiot, she hasn't even done anything wrong and I almost broke up with her. That's messed up, man"
"It is" Donna said "That's why you're going to fix it, today"
"And how exactly do you suggest I do that, Pinciotti?"
"Ask her to prom," Donna said, and Hyde raised his eyebrow. Huh. "She already has her dress, and she might have mentioned a few times that she would kill a unicorn if that meant you'll ask her to go with you. Those are her words, by the way, not mine"
Hyde smiled. Jackie must have really meant it if she mentioned unicorn murder.
Besides, ever since they started their relationship, Hyde wanted nothing more than to go out with her in public, kiss her in front of everyone and show everyone that she's his. Going to the prom with her would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
"Alright, thanks," Hyde said, getting up from his chair and grabbing his coat
"Hyde?" Donna called him from her seat at the couch, and he turned to look at her
"Yeah?"
"Her dress is lavender," Donna said with a small smile, and he smiled back before leaving the basement.
He could see her dad's car was at the driveway, so he couldn't knock at the front door right now, nor could he call, since Jack Burkhart insists on taking practically every single phone call whenever he's at home.
He glanced at her bedroom window and sighed, looks like he's about to put in practice some of the burglary tips "uncle" Ian taught him when he was a kid. He just hoped Jackie would realize that it was him before hitting him with the baseball bat he gave to her in the beginning of their relationship, back when he found out she spends lots of nights alone.
After his enlightening talk with Donna, he went to the mall and rented an atrocity of a tux, but it matched the color of Jackie's dress, and he's sure she's going to love it. Then, he bought her a corsage, and after that, he scored two tickets to the prom.
There was no doubt that she was going to say yes, but he couldn't help but be nervous. He acted like a dick, and he hadn't talked to her in five days, she has every right to be pissed at him, and he has some serious apologizing to do.
He took a deep breath and started climbing the oak tree that conveniently stood by her window, and once he was at the top, he gently tapped the glass, hoping she'd still be awake.
"Steven?" Jackie mumbled sleepily, opening the window and sending him a weird look.
He smirked at her, she was wearing her nightgown, and she looked extremely cute and confused. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew he owed her an explanation for his disappearance in the last few days.
"Hey doll," He said, "Can I come in?"
She nodded and he climbed inside his room. Once he looked at her again, she had her arms crossed, and she was glaring at him.
"I'm sorry for acting like a dick, doll" He said, looking her in the eye "You did the right thing, and I was an idiot. I had no real reason to be mad at you"
"Steven…"
"The truth is, I would've probably done the same if the situations were reversed" He confessed "But I was just so pissed at Edna, and I was embarrassed that the Forman's knew about everything, and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry"
She smiled at him and engulfed him in a tight hug, he hugged her back just as tight. God, he missed her.
"Thank you" She whispered "You're forgiven. And I'm sorry for breaking your trust, but…"
"It was the right thing to do, I know," He said, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs "So, I was thinking… You wanna go to prom with me tomorrow?"
Her smile could've lighted a whole street.
"Are you serious?" She asked, and he nodded
"Figured it was about time for me to show my chick off to everyone," He said, and her smile brightened even more.
She threw herself at him and wrapped her legs around his waist "Yes!"
He laughed, and kissed her deeply, reveling in the feeling of her lips on his. Five days was way too long.
Hyde adjusted the collar of the lavender dress shirt one more time, this thing was suffocating him.
Jackie would kill him if she saw him doing that, she had said many times that "Cotton doesn't rebound, Steven!", so he stopped it, because she's arriving any minute now.
Forman and Donna were already at the prom. Forman offered a ride to him and Jackie, but he denied it. He and Jackie had plans for after prom, and they would need a car of their own for that.
They're taking her dad's car, which means that she's the one who's going to pick him up at the Forman's, but he didn't mind, he just wanted to see her and enjoy the night with her by his side.
He never thought he would actually look forward to prom, he had declared his hatred for school events many times before, but it's the first time that he and Jackie are going out in public, and everyone's going to know about them now. He couldn't help but be a little nervous, going public with Jackie is something he'd been wanting to do for a long time now.
Then he saw the white Lincoln parking in the driveway and his world stopped when he finally saw her.
He had seen her dressed up many times before, hell, she was wearing a gala gown on the night they first met, but her beauty is something that'll never cease to amaze him. She manages to look more beautiful every single time he sees her.
"Wow… you look beautiful," He said, his mouth watering at the sight of her
"So do you…" She said, and he smiled at her.
"Here, I got this for you," He said, handing her a small, golden box.
"A corsage?" She asked, and her smile was so bright that he swears that she was radiating "Thank you, baby"
"Oh my God, you two are so cute!" Mrs. Forman said, interrupting their moment, her voice followed by a blinding flash
"Sorry, I tried to hold her back, but you know how she is," Red said, showing up behind his wife as she took pictures of the young couple
"Jackie, you look so pretty!" Mrs. Forman said, and Jackie smiled "Steven, wrap your arms around her!"
Hyde couldn't help but smile a little too. He and Jackie had to hide their relationship for so long because of Edna, it was kind of weird to have a mother figure acting like their personal cheerleader. But it was the good kind of weird.
They posed for a few pictures, and Mrs. Forman was so ecstatic that Red had to physically drag her back to the house, because if she kept going the way she was, Hyde and Jackie would've never made it to prom.
"You ready to go?" He asked, offering his arm to her. She smiled and nodded, and he walked her to the car.
He kissed her gently before starting the engine and driving them to school, his heart beating frantically inside his chest.
"God, it sucks that we can't stargaze today," She said as he nuzzled her neck with his nose "The full moon is beautiful, but it outshines most of the stars"
"Well, I had plenty of fun," He said, pressing a gentle kiss to her soft skin
"Me too," She said "I'll never forget how stupid the other cheerleaders looked when they saw us, Kat actually spat a little of her punch on her dress, it was hilarious"
"How are you feeling now that everyone knows about us?" He asked
She smiled at him "I'm feeling incredible, Pudding. What about you?"
"It's no worse than bowling" He smiled back "And I love bowling"
She giggled, and he kissed her for what had to be the hundredth time in the night.
Prom was incredible, and they had an amazing time. They spent the whole night kissing and dancing together, not caring about the many, many looks they received from people. They were in their own little world, just enjoying each other's presence, and it was incredible.
They drove to their spot in the woods when prom was over, and they're currently sitting under the willow tree in their usual position. She was sitting between his legs and resting her head on his chest as he leaned his back on the hardwood and watched her with amazement.
He glanced at his wristwatch and groaned, making her laugh.
"I can't believe I have a curfew now" Hyde complained
"Well, I couldn't be happier that you have a family that cares enough to give you a curfew," She said, smoothing her hands on the sides of his face "You know I love you, right?"
He smiled at her and pecked her lips "I know doll, I'm sorry I acted like a dick. I love you too"
She didn't say anything, she just glued her lips against his, showing him how much she loves him with something other than words.
He kissed her back just as enthusiastically, and when they broke the kiss, they shared a tender look before laughing.
He helped her up, and they both smiled when they saw the new carving on the Willow tree, the carving Steven surprised her with tonight.
S.H + J.B
forever
A/N: That's it, that's the story. I hope everyone liked it, I definitely loved writing it.
Thank you all so much for the kind comments! You guys are awesome! I'm posting a new one-shot in just a few minutes, so keep an eye on your feed!
Lots of love! xx