1 - The Burkhart Center For The Arts

Hyde leaned against the brick wall of the Burkhart Center for the Arts. The building across from him, the DeLancey Technology Building, created a hidden alleyway where he could peacefully smoke without being interrupted.

Or so he thought.

"Go away, Michael! I already told you I wouldn't date you even if you were the last man on earth!" a girl yelled, her shrill voice carrying to Hyde's spot against the wall.

"But Jackie, I'm the hottest guy on campus! And you're the hottest chick! It's, like, basically a rule that we have to hook up."

"Oh, Kelso…" Hyde muttered. He'd picked a new girl to start preying on, apparently. Last week it was Pam Macy. The week before, Forman's sister. The week before that, Donna. Which had somehow brought Kelso into their group in the first place. Hyde only let him stick around so he didn't have to third wheel Donna and Forman all the time.

"God, you're just another stupid frat guy, aren't you?" the girl said. "Well get this through your thick skull: I. Will. Never. Date. You. Ever! So get the fuck away from me."

Kelso spluttered for a moment, then said, "Fine! You're missing out, though!"

Hyde smiled. This chick was badass. Now that that was over, he could continue his smoke. Then the girl- Jackie- walked into his little hiding spot. Why couldn't he catch a break?

She caught his eye. "Oh! I didn't know other people came here. I didn't think anyone even paid attention to this building."

"Only if you're a stoner tryin' to find a place to smoke," Hyde said. And that was the truth. Not many people acknowledged the Burkhart Center. It was mostly covered in ivy and graffiti due to years of neglect from the people who'd paid for the building. Barely anyone had classes there anymore. The better art classes were held in the Ezrin Hall of Arts, a fancy modern building littered with sculptures and student art showcases.

Jackie took his words as an invitation to join him. She stood next to him, leaving a good amount of personal space, which Hyde was grateful for. He wasn't a fan of physical contact outside of sex. "So, are you skipping class or something?" she asked.

He snorted. "No. I may be a burnout, but I don't skip classes. I wouldn't waste money like that."

"Oh. That makes me feel great about skipping my Calculus lecture right now," she said, sarcasm tinging her voice.

Hyde smirked at her. "Not as straight-laced as you look, huh?"

"What do you mean I look straight-laced?" she asked indignantly.

"You're wearing jeans that aren't ripped and a light pink sweater with a bow on the back. You're straight-laced."

She frowned and looked down at the ground. "I'm trying not to be."

Hyde looked at her for a moment, trying to figure her out. She was probably a trust fund kid, who had her future decided for her the day she was born. Whether that was right or wrong, she seemed desperately in need of some healthy rebellion. He offered his joint to her. "Since you're trying not to be straight-laced…"

She glanced between his face and the joint. She tentatively took it from him and inhaled. She coughed and exhaled. "Oh, God, how do you do that without coughing?"

"You get used to it. I'm guessing you've never smoked before?"

"Nope. I'm guessing you've smoked since you were a teenager?"

"Yep." He took the joint back from her and took a pull. He blew a smoke ring into the air. She watched with a somewhat awed look on her face. He offered the joint back to her.

Her second pull ended with less coughing. The one after that, even less. The fourth, no coughing at all. They continued trading off until the joint was burnt out. Jackie giggled, and Hyde had to admit it was cute. "Why are you wearing a shirt about doors? Do you like doors that much?"

Hyde smiled. "It's The Doors. They were a band in the '60s and '70s."

"Oh. Weird band name."

"Yeah? What bands do you listen to?"

"Pop stuff, mostly. Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, y'know. But I also really like ABBA and the Captain and Tennille."

Hyde grimaced. "The Captain and Tenille? Really?"

"Really! They're good!" She smiled. "I bet you've never even listened to them."

"No, I've heard Love Will Keep Us Together. I wasn't a fan. I bet you've never heard a Led Zeppelin song."

"Come on, who on earth hasn't heard Stairway To Heaven at one point in their lives?"

Hyde tilted his head. "True."

They sat against the wall in silence for a moment. Then Jackie sighed and looked up at the ivy clinging to the bricks above their heads. She took out her phone and checked the time. "I should probably get going."

"Wait one second." Hyde pulled out a notebook from his bag and a pen. He ripped off a piece of a back page and wrote down his number. "If you ever want another smoke. Or some better music recommendations."

Jackie smiled and put the piece of paper in her pocket. "Thanks. See you around, I guess." She stood up and waved, then walked away. Hyde smiled peacefully and rested his head against the wall. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Kelso had chosen her to pester this week.

Jackie was curled up on the edge of her bed in her dorm room. She felt a warm buzz still from the pot she'd smoked with that boy. She pulled up Spotify on her phone and searched 'the Doors.' The artist picture showed four men, which she looked at disdainfully. They weren't all that attractive. Except for one of them, with a strange patterned shirt on.

She tapped on the first song in the 'Popular' section, titled Riders On The Storm. It started with the sound of rain and thunder, then the instruments came in. Keyboard seemed to be a big part of it. Then a man started singing, with a gorgeous, deep voice. Jackie had to admit it was soothing.

"What are you listening to?" Brooke asked, dropping her bag on her bed.

Jackie startled and paused the music. "Brooke! Hi! I didn't see you come in. It's the Doors."

Brooke smiled and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Okay. Why the Doors?"

"I met this boy who likes them. He said I need to listen to better music."

She giggled. "All right. Who is this boy?"

"Uh…" It was then that Jackie realized he hadn't told her his name. "Hold on." She took out the piece of paper with his number on it. She typed it into her phone quickly and sent him a text.

Jackie: Hi, this is Jackie, from earlier. You never told me your name.

A few seconds later, he responded.

Unknown Number: Steven Hyde. everyone calls me Hyde

"His name is Hyde," Jackie said.

"Steven Hyde? He's in my US History class. He just sits in the back and doodles in his notebook. He always reeks of pot, like you do now."

Jackie blushed at being caught. "Sorry. I can change and shower if you don't like the smell. I barely even noticed."

"It's fine. You seem happy for once, so I'm glad you found something- or someone, maybe- that you enjoy."

Jackie smiled. She was glad she'd found that too.

Hyde walked in and laid on his bed in his dorm. Forman and Donna were sitting together on the other bed, finishing a lab report for their Biology class. Forman looked over at him. "Hey, Hyde. You're back later than usual."

"Yeah, I stopped for a smoke after English."

"Why?" Donna asked. "You never smoke that early."

"Ran into Chrissy before class. She said some shit and I just… needed a minute." Hyde shrugged, hoping they wouldn't question him further.

"Oh. What kind of things did she say?" Forman asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Luckily, Hyde got a text, giving him an excuse to get out of the conversation. It was Jackie, asking his name. He texted it back, then saved her contact in his phone. He wasn't sure what to put as a last name, so he put 'straight-laced.'

"Who are you texting?" Forman asked.

"Why is that your business?" Hyde asked.

Forman frowned and went back to his work. Hyde got another text from Jackie.

Jackie: I'm trying out the Doors. Whoever the leads singer is, his voice is hot

Hyde: that's jim morrison, a lot of chicks felt that same way in the 60s

Jackie: Which one is he in the picture? (image file)

Hyde: top right

Jackie: I was hoping you'd say that, he's the only hot one

Hyde smiled, despite himself. Jackie was one weird chick. He kinda dug that. It was a nice change.

"Well, I should head out. Brooke's holding study group in the library for our Women's Studies class," Donna said. She kissed Forman quickly and waved to Hyde, then left. Forman watched her leave with a lovestruck look on his face.

"You're so whipped," Hyde said.

"I'm in love, I'm not whipped. There's a difference." He gave Hyde a look. "You of all people should know that."

"Low blow. Right after I ran into her."

"You know you can always talk to me about it, right? Especially after you see her."

Hyde scratched his neck. "I know. I don't want to talk about it, though."

Forman sighed and nodded. Hyde would talk to him about it, one day. But for now, what had happened between him and Chrissy could stay between him and Chrissy. He didn't feel the need to tell people that he'd nearly fallen in love with a girl who didn't give a shit about him.

But that was the past, and he didn't like to linger on the past. He focused on the here and now, and currently that was the strange girl he'd smoked with today.

Hyde: let me know what you think of the doors once you listen to more of their stuff

Jackie: Will do!

Hyde smiled and put his phone down. He wanted to figure this chick out and help her rebel a little. As long as she was up for it.

Jackie's thumb hovered over the 'send' button on her phone. She took a deep breath and pushed the button quickly, sending the text.

Jackie: Can we meet up in the place? Need to get my mind off of something and weed is a good distraction.

It was a few minutes before she got a response.

Hyde: yeah sure meet you there in 10?

Jackie: Got it!

Jackie spruced up her hair in the mirror and grabbed her purse. She walked briskly to the Burkhart Center, the building her parents had paid for and proceeded to ignore completely. Like her.

"Hey, man," Hyde greeted her. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, a backpack near his feet.

Jackie sat next to him, but not too close. "Hi! Thanks for meeting me."

"No problem. You actually had good timing. Kelso showed up at my dorm and started complaining about this chick that won't go out with him. It took me a minute to realize it was you he was talking about 'cause he chases after so many girls."

"Ugh. That guy is so annoying. I hope someone actually finds him attractive and shuts him up."

Hyde chuckled and took out a joint from behind his ear. He lit it with a psychedelic patterned lighter and took a few pulls before handing it to her.

She inhaled, this time without coughing, which was nice. While she was taking her turn, Hyde took out his phone and a small Bluetooth speaker. She managed to catch a glimpse of his phone and saw a Spotify playlist titled 'Circle Songs.' A song she didn't know started playing.

"'Circle Songs'? What does that mean?" she asked.

"Oh, my friend and I call getting high 'the circle' 'cause we used to sit in a circle in his basement when we did it." Hyde gestured to his phone. "We've compiled this playlist throughout many years of circles. These are the best songs to listen to while stoned." He plucked the joint out of her hand and took a pull, playfully blowing the smoke in her face.

"What song is this?"

"Black Friday by Steely Dan. They're a good band for this 'cause their lyrics don't really make sense most of the time." He gave her the joint back.

She took a few pulls, then handed it back. As she did, a thought occurred to her. "Why don't you charge me for this? Usually people pay for this."

"If you were smoking your own instead of sharing, yeah, I'd charge you. But I get high with your high, so I don't care."

"Oh." Jackie watched as he exhaled smoke into the air and it curled around the ivy on the side of the building. "So, what, you don't even wanna know what I wanted to get my mind off of? Usually people ask when I say stuff like that."

He shrugged and handed her the joint. "I don't really care. Besides, it's your business, not mine. I don't need to know, even if I wanted to."

Jackie tilted her head at him. "Huh. Everyone I know seems to think it's their business."

"Yeah, I know what that's like." He watched her exhale before he continued. "I had a weird summer and all of my friends kind of inserted themselves into my situation even though I didn't want them too. So I get it."

Jackie really wanted to know what he had gone through, but she forced herself to keep quiet. He was respecting her privacy, now she had to respect his. A new song came on, and she took the opportunity to change the conversation. "What's this song?"

"Lovesong by the Cure."

She nodded and handed him the joint. They passed it back and forth until it was nearly burnt out. "Want the last hit?" he asked.

"Sure." She blew the smoke out in his face like he had done to her earlier. He smiled. They stared at each other for a moment, smiling, then they broke down into laughter. When they eventually stopped, she smiled softly and said, "Thanks for helping distract me. It means a lot."

"No problem. It's been a while since I had a good smoking buddy."