CHAPTER TEN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Late Sunday afternoon*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hyde made the drive home to Point Place in record time. As he screeched to a halt in front of Jackie's he hesitated for a moment. He looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror. He needed to calm down. To be Zen. 'Don't let her see you like this,' he told himself.
He regained his composure as he walked toward her front door. He was just going to ask her what the hell...no....He was just going to calmly ask her what was going on between her and this Jason guy. He was not going to get all emotional. That was so not him.
He knocked on the door and heard a guy's voice yell, "Just a second!"
The door swung open to reveal a tall blond guy with no shirt on. He looked about 18. Hyde noticed he looked kind of sweaty and guilty.
"Jason?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.
"Yea. Who are you?"
Hyde turned around and walked straight toward his car. He heard Jason yelling after him.
'Wait!'
But he just got into his car calmly and drove away.
By the time Jason realized who Hyde was, it was too late. He ran out into the yard and yelled down the street.
'Hey Hyde! Wait!' but he knew Hyde couldn't hear him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hyde wasn't sure where he was going. He drove down Jackie's street until he hit the dead end and then he just started turning down random streets. He felt numb. He couldn't believe what just happened. He hadn't felt like this since...since...his mom left? No, that wasn't this bad. Since Jackie called Kelso her boyfriend? Maybe, that was closer. He felt like his world was falling apart.
He didn't know how, but he found himself parked outside the Foreman's house. He guessed it was because they were the closest thing he had to family, and when something this bad happens to you, you need to be with your family. Mrs. Foreman would know what to do. She was always there for him. She was the only one he had now.
He walked up the driveway and slid the kitchen door open.
He stopped dead. Jackie and Mrs. Foreman were standing by the oven...making cookies. Mrs. Foreman was mixing batter and Jackie was sifting flour into a bowl.
"JACKIE!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at your house?"
"She's been here all day," Kitty said as she pulled Jackie into a little hug with her free arm. "We're making cookies for the church bake sale! We've already made peanut butter, chocolate and oatmeal raisin. Now we're on to M&M! Try one Steven," she said as she gestured to the kitchen table. It was covered in stacks of cookies.
Jackie just stared at him, not sure what to say.
"But...I just went to your house and that guy Jason answered the door. And he didn't have a shirt on!"
"Steven," she said sincerely, "there is nothing going on between Jason and I."
"Then what was he..."
She hesitated for a second and then blurted out, "He's sleeping with my mother!"
Kitty dropped her mixing bowl on the floor. "I'm just going to go..away" she said as she flew through the kitchen door into the living room.
"WHAT?!?" he exclaimed.
"I know! It's sick!"
"How long have you know about this?"
"I just found out about it yesterday."
"Jesus Jackie! What are you going to do about this?"
"Well," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Please don't think I'm weird...but...I kind of like having him around."
"WHAT?!?"
"I know! At first I was totally grossed out. But, well ever since my dad left.."
Hyde decided to calm down and hear her out, even though he was sure she had gone crazy.
"He's really nice. He treats me like his little sister or something. He fixed my car...and he watches out for me. He was so supportive after I thought you stood me up and then cheated on me with that Sara girl..."
"Jackie, I don't...wait, what to you mean 'I stood you up?'"
"He was the one who defended you and encouraged me to call Donna and straighten everything out," she continued. "He said if you cared for me as much as I cared for you than everything had to be just a big misunderstanding. So, I called Donna and talked to her and Fez. They explained everything. How George told you the dance was postponed. How you tried to call me and my mom's drunk friend told you I was gone. How you let Sara stay in your room because of her roommate. How you let her wear your t-shirt because you spilled beer all over her."
Hyde was floored. She had calmly straightened everything out while he was driving around all pissed off. Wait, Jackie was out Zen-ing him? No, that wasn't possible.
"So you and Jason were never.."
"No"
"And you have been here all day baking cookies with Mrs. Forman?"
She smiled as he pulled her into a big hug. Everything was going to be ok.
He leaned down and kissed her deeply. He couldn't believe he had to go back to school tonight.
"Steven!" she exclaimed, breaking away. "I almost forgot! I have great news. I was going to surprise you. I talked to my counselor at school on Friday. I'm graduating early!"
"Really?"
"Yes! It's not that big of a deal really. A lot of seniors have enough credits to graduate early, but they don't because they want to stay around for their senior year, prom, ditch day and all that."
"Are you sure you want to miss all of that?"
"Yes! I want to be with you! Besides, I already did all of that stuff with you guys last year. My counselor thinks I will be able to start at UW spring semester!"
"Really?" he said. Suddenly, he got a funny feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was excitement or claustrophobia. He was glad he and Jackie had worked everything out, but going to school together? What if she wanted to move into his dorm?
She stared at him. It was obvious she was waiting for more of a response.
"That's cool," he choked out.
"Really?" she said as she gazed dreamily into his eyes.
"Yea," he replied, hoping he wouldn't live to regret it.
"Let's go down to your old room," she said, giving him a sly little wink.
'Maybe having Jackie up at school won't be so bad..." he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am thinking of continuing this...How will things change when Jackie joins the group at UW, etc. Let me know what you think!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Late Sunday afternoon*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hyde made the drive home to Point Place in record time. As he screeched to a halt in front of Jackie's he hesitated for a moment. He looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror. He needed to calm down. To be Zen. 'Don't let her see you like this,' he told himself.
He regained his composure as he walked toward her front door. He was just going to ask her what the hell...no....He was just going to calmly ask her what was going on between her and this Jason guy. He was not going to get all emotional. That was so not him.
He knocked on the door and heard a guy's voice yell, "Just a second!"
The door swung open to reveal a tall blond guy with no shirt on. He looked about 18. Hyde noticed he looked kind of sweaty and guilty.
"Jason?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.
"Yea. Who are you?"
Hyde turned around and walked straight toward his car. He heard Jason yelling after him.
'Wait!'
But he just got into his car calmly and drove away.
By the time Jason realized who Hyde was, it was too late. He ran out into the yard and yelled down the street.
'Hey Hyde! Wait!' but he knew Hyde couldn't hear him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hyde wasn't sure where he was going. He drove down Jackie's street until he hit the dead end and then he just started turning down random streets. He felt numb. He couldn't believe what just happened. He hadn't felt like this since...since...his mom left? No, that wasn't this bad. Since Jackie called Kelso her boyfriend? Maybe, that was closer. He felt like his world was falling apart.
He didn't know how, but he found himself parked outside the Foreman's house. He guessed it was because they were the closest thing he had to family, and when something this bad happens to you, you need to be with your family. Mrs. Foreman would know what to do. She was always there for him. She was the only one he had now.
He walked up the driveway and slid the kitchen door open.
He stopped dead. Jackie and Mrs. Foreman were standing by the oven...making cookies. Mrs. Foreman was mixing batter and Jackie was sifting flour into a bowl.
"JACKIE!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at your house?"
"She's been here all day," Kitty said as she pulled Jackie into a little hug with her free arm. "We're making cookies for the church bake sale! We've already made peanut butter, chocolate and oatmeal raisin. Now we're on to M&M! Try one Steven," she said as she gestured to the kitchen table. It was covered in stacks of cookies.
Jackie just stared at him, not sure what to say.
"But...I just went to your house and that guy Jason answered the door. And he didn't have a shirt on!"
"Steven," she said sincerely, "there is nothing going on between Jason and I."
"Then what was he..."
She hesitated for a second and then blurted out, "He's sleeping with my mother!"
Kitty dropped her mixing bowl on the floor. "I'm just going to go..away" she said as she flew through the kitchen door into the living room.
"WHAT?!?" he exclaimed.
"I know! It's sick!"
"How long have you know about this?"
"I just found out about it yesterday."
"Jesus Jackie! What are you going to do about this?"
"Well," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Please don't think I'm weird...but...I kind of like having him around."
"WHAT?!?"
"I know! At first I was totally grossed out. But, well ever since my dad left.."
Hyde decided to calm down and hear her out, even though he was sure she had gone crazy.
"He's really nice. He treats me like his little sister or something. He fixed my car...and he watches out for me. He was so supportive after I thought you stood me up and then cheated on me with that Sara girl..."
"Jackie, I don't...wait, what to you mean 'I stood you up?'"
"He was the one who defended you and encouraged me to call Donna and straighten everything out," she continued. "He said if you cared for me as much as I cared for you than everything had to be just a big misunderstanding. So, I called Donna and talked to her and Fez. They explained everything. How George told you the dance was postponed. How you tried to call me and my mom's drunk friend told you I was gone. How you let Sara stay in your room because of her roommate. How you let her wear your t-shirt because you spilled beer all over her."
Hyde was floored. She had calmly straightened everything out while he was driving around all pissed off. Wait, Jackie was out Zen-ing him? No, that wasn't possible.
"So you and Jason were never.."
"No"
"And you have been here all day baking cookies with Mrs. Forman?"
She smiled as he pulled her into a big hug. Everything was going to be ok.
He leaned down and kissed her deeply. He couldn't believe he had to go back to school tonight.
"Steven!" she exclaimed, breaking away. "I almost forgot! I have great news. I was going to surprise you. I talked to my counselor at school on Friday. I'm graduating early!"
"Really?"
"Yes! It's not that big of a deal really. A lot of seniors have enough credits to graduate early, but they don't because they want to stay around for their senior year, prom, ditch day and all that."
"Are you sure you want to miss all of that?"
"Yes! I want to be with you! Besides, I already did all of that stuff with you guys last year. My counselor thinks I will be able to start at UW spring semester!"
"Really?" he said. Suddenly, he got a funny feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was excitement or claustrophobia. He was glad he and Jackie had worked everything out, but going to school together? What if she wanted to move into his dorm?
She stared at him. It was obvious she was waiting for more of a response.
"That's cool," he choked out.
"Really?" she said as she gazed dreamily into his eyes.
"Yea," he replied, hoping he wouldn't live to regret it.
"Let's go down to your old room," she said, giving him a sly little wink.
'Maybe having Jackie up at school won't be so bad..." he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am thinking of continuing this...How will things change when Jackie joins the group at UW, etc. Let me know what you think!