CHAPTER SIX
~~~~~~~~~*Back at the Pizza Pit*~~~~~~~~
"I can't believe she would do this to Hyde!" Donna yelled as she watched Kelso's van drive away.
"You know, I always knew something like this would happen," Eric grumbled. "I knew Jackie couldn't be trusted!"
"Yea, well Eric, I'm starting to agree with you!"
"Did you see Hyde's face? He looked pissed."
"Eric, I have to confront her about this. Come on! If we cut across campus we might be able to beat them home!"
Donna took off running and Eric rambled after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~*5 minutes later*~~~~~~~~~~
They got back to the dorm just as Kelso and Jackie were pulling into the parking lot.
Donna flung the van door open and almost ripped it off it's hinges.
"Damn Donna! Be careful with the love bus!" Kelso yelled.
Donna glared at Kelso and then turned her attention to the brunette in the passenger's seat.
"Jackie!" she yelled. "How could you do this to Hyde!"
"Wait, Donna. What are you talking about?"
"Eric, Hyde and I just were having pizza across the street and we saw you KISSING this IDIOT!"
"HEY!" Kelso said. "I'm sitting right here!"
"WHAT?!?" Jackie screamed.
"Donna WE were not kissing," she said as she shot a disgusted look at Kelso. "TELL her Michael."
Kelso squirmed in his seat, but didn't say anything.
"Fine! I'll tell them. He SAID he wanted a hug, but then he just turned and kissed me! I didn't want him to! I pushed him off!"
"And then you slapped me! I mean...she wanted it! It's your word against mine Jackie!" he said as he jumped out of the van and ran into the dorm.
"So, wait, you weren't cheating on Hyde with Kelso?" Donna asked, softening.
"No! I am NEVER getting back together with him. My relationship with Steven made me realize that what Michael and I had was not love. It wasn't even close."
"I'm sorry Jackie," Donna said quietly. "I shouldn't have assumed...I mean, I know how much you care about Hyde...I should have known you wouldn't..."
Jackie looked up at her. Tears started to spill down her cheeks.
"Donna, why doesn't he want to marry me?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know Jackie." Donna was starting to feel really guilty about yelling at her, especially after everything she had been through over the past few weeks. "He doesn't know what he's missing."
"It broke my heart to give him that ring back," Jackie whispered.
Eric looked at Donna. He remembered how bad it felt when she gave him his promise ring back. If Hyde really did want to marry Jackie, as crazy as that sounds, and she gave him his ring back...but she really wanted to keep it..
"Jackie, this goes against my better judgment," Eric heard himself say, "but...Hyde still wanted to get married, even after you lost the baby."
"What?"
"He told me that he wasn't marrying you just because you were pregnant."
"What?!? Oh my GOD Donna! What have I done? Why I am so STUPID?"
"Jackie," Donna said softly as she put a comforting arm around her, "don't be so hard on yourself. You've just been through a very traumatic experience..."
"Donna, I just gave the man I love, who wanted to MARRY ME, his ring back! I've got to find him!"
"Yea, and now he thinks you're cheating on him Kelso!" Eric added with a small laugh, his moment of compassion for Jackie clearly behind him.
~~~~~~~~*A few hours later*~~~~~~~~~
As Kelso walked into the Thunderbird bar, he started to lose his nerve. His plan was to go to Hyde and tell him about the kiss. He knew how jealous he could be. He thought that if he talked to Hyde before Jackie, there was a chance he wouldn't believe her later when she tried to explain away what happened between them that afternoon.
He also knew, if he didn't go through with his plan, Jackie would tell Hyde what really happened and they would make up and stay together. He couldn't let that happen.
Luckily, Jackie didn't know that Hyde was at the Thunderbird. His band had never played there before. It was a last minute gig. A big name band cancelled and they were given the opportunity to fill in. Kelso only found out about it because he ran into the band's drummer, Jimmy, at the Pizza Pit.
He knew this was his only chance.
"Hyde," Kelso said as he tapped him on the shoulder.
"Kelso, what the hell are you doing here?"
"I wanted to apologize. We've been friends for a really long time, and well, I did something this afternoon that I'm not really proud of."
Hyde just stared at him. He had a pretty good idea what he was going to say.
"Look, I know this might come as a shock," he said as he looked Hyde right in the eyes, "but Jackie and I sort of hooked up this afternoon. I didn't mean for it to happen. I mean, I'm not after her or anything like that. Jackie and I are over. It was just a stupid mistake. I'm sorry man."
He just thought to add the last part, about not being after Jackie, at the last minute. He thought his story would be more credible if Hyde thought he wasn't trying to get back together with Jackie.
"Kelso, I already know about you and Jackie."
"You do?" Kelso said, pretending to be shocked.
"Yea."
"Then how come you aren't trying to kill me?"
"I will, if you don't get out of here RIGHT now."
~~~~~~~~~~*Meanwhile, In the Vista Cruiser*~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for giving me a ride Eric," Fez said as he leaned over into the front seat of the Vista Cruiser between Donna and Eric.
"No problem Fez. We're just driving around anyway. Um, why are we doing that again?" Eric asked Donna.
"Because, we promised Jackie we would help look for Hyde."
"Oh yeah, right." Eric said, bored.
"Fez," Donna questioned, "You swear you have no idea where he is?"
"Nope. Rhonda and I were packing for the camping trip all day and we never saw him."
"So Fez," Eric said, "Are you looking forward to your big weekend with Rhonda?"
"Oh yes. Rhonda and I, alone in the woods, what could be more romantic?"
Eric pulled up to the Alpha house and parked next to a bus with a big banner on the side. It read 'Annual Alpha House Keg Camping Trip.'
As Eric walked around to the back of the car, to help Fez unload his tent, he noticed three guys loading beer kegs into the back of the bus.
"Um, Fez, I don't know how romantic..."
"Eric! Will you help me unload this tent already? I'm late!"
"Ok, fine," Eric said as grabbed the other side of the tent.
Once all of Fez's luggage was unloaded he looked up at Eric.
"Ok! Ummm, what were you saying earlier?"
"Nothing. Good Day!" Eric said, doing his best impression of Fez.
"Hey!"
"I said Good Day!" Eric said as he jumped into the front seat.
~~~~~~~~*
~~~~~~~~~*Back at the Pizza Pit*~~~~~~~~
"I can't believe she would do this to Hyde!" Donna yelled as she watched Kelso's van drive away.
"You know, I always knew something like this would happen," Eric grumbled. "I knew Jackie couldn't be trusted!"
"Yea, well Eric, I'm starting to agree with you!"
"Did you see Hyde's face? He looked pissed."
"Eric, I have to confront her about this. Come on! If we cut across campus we might be able to beat them home!"
Donna took off running and Eric rambled after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~*5 minutes later*~~~~~~~~~~
They got back to the dorm just as Kelso and Jackie were pulling into the parking lot.
Donna flung the van door open and almost ripped it off it's hinges.
"Damn Donna! Be careful with the love bus!" Kelso yelled.
Donna glared at Kelso and then turned her attention to the brunette in the passenger's seat.
"Jackie!" she yelled. "How could you do this to Hyde!"
"Wait, Donna. What are you talking about?"
"Eric, Hyde and I just were having pizza across the street and we saw you KISSING this IDIOT!"
"HEY!" Kelso said. "I'm sitting right here!"
"WHAT?!?" Jackie screamed.
"Donna WE were not kissing," she said as she shot a disgusted look at Kelso. "TELL her Michael."
Kelso squirmed in his seat, but didn't say anything.
"Fine! I'll tell them. He SAID he wanted a hug, but then he just turned and kissed me! I didn't want him to! I pushed him off!"
"And then you slapped me! I mean...she wanted it! It's your word against mine Jackie!" he said as he jumped out of the van and ran into the dorm.
"So, wait, you weren't cheating on Hyde with Kelso?" Donna asked, softening.
"No! I am NEVER getting back together with him. My relationship with Steven made me realize that what Michael and I had was not love. It wasn't even close."
"I'm sorry Jackie," Donna said quietly. "I shouldn't have assumed...I mean, I know how much you care about Hyde...I should have known you wouldn't..."
Jackie looked up at her. Tears started to spill down her cheeks.
"Donna, why doesn't he want to marry me?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know Jackie." Donna was starting to feel really guilty about yelling at her, especially after everything she had been through over the past few weeks. "He doesn't know what he's missing."
"It broke my heart to give him that ring back," Jackie whispered.
Eric looked at Donna. He remembered how bad it felt when she gave him his promise ring back. If Hyde really did want to marry Jackie, as crazy as that sounds, and she gave him his ring back...but she really wanted to keep it..
"Jackie, this goes against my better judgment," Eric heard himself say, "but...Hyde still wanted to get married, even after you lost the baby."
"What?"
"He told me that he wasn't marrying you just because you were pregnant."
"What?!? Oh my GOD Donna! What have I done? Why I am so STUPID?"
"Jackie," Donna said softly as she put a comforting arm around her, "don't be so hard on yourself. You've just been through a very traumatic experience..."
"Donna, I just gave the man I love, who wanted to MARRY ME, his ring back! I've got to find him!"
"Yea, and now he thinks you're cheating on him Kelso!" Eric added with a small laugh, his moment of compassion for Jackie clearly behind him.
~~~~~~~~*A few hours later*~~~~~~~~~
As Kelso walked into the Thunderbird bar, he started to lose his nerve. His plan was to go to Hyde and tell him about the kiss. He knew how jealous he could be. He thought that if he talked to Hyde before Jackie, there was a chance he wouldn't believe her later when she tried to explain away what happened between them that afternoon.
He also knew, if he didn't go through with his plan, Jackie would tell Hyde what really happened and they would make up and stay together. He couldn't let that happen.
Luckily, Jackie didn't know that Hyde was at the Thunderbird. His band had never played there before. It was a last minute gig. A big name band cancelled and they were given the opportunity to fill in. Kelso only found out about it because he ran into the band's drummer, Jimmy, at the Pizza Pit.
He knew this was his only chance.
"Hyde," Kelso said as he tapped him on the shoulder.
"Kelso, what the hell are you doing here?"
"I wanted to apologize. We've been friends for a really long time, and well, I did something this afternoon that I'm not really proud of."
Hyde just stared at him. He had a pretty good idea what he was going to say.
"Look, I know this might come as a shock," he said as he looked Hyde right in the eyes, "but Jackie and I sort of hooked up this afternoon. I didn't mean for it to happen. I mean, I'm not after her or anything like that. Jackie and I are over. It was just a stupid mistake. I'm sorry man."
He just thought to add the last part, about not being after Jackie, at the last minute. He thought his story would be more credible if Hyde thought he wasn't trying to get back together with Jackie.
"Kelso, I already know about you and Jackie."
"You do?" Kelso said, pretending to be shocked.
"Yea."
"Then how come you aren't trying to kill me?"
"I will, if you don't get out of here RIGHT now."
~~~~~~~~~~*Meanwhile, In the Vista Cruiser*~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for giving me a ride Eric," Fez said as he leaned over into the front seat of the Vista Cruiser between Donna and Eric.
"No problem Fez. We're just driving around anyway. Um, why are we doing that again?" Eric asked Donna.
"Because, we promised Jackie we would help look for Hyde."
"Oh yeah, right." Eric said, bored.
"Fez," Donna questioned, "You swear you have no idea where he is?"
"Nope. Rhonda and I were packing for the camping trip all day and we never saw him."
"So Fez," Eric said, "Are you looking forward to your big weekend with Rhonda?"
"Oh yes. Rhonda and I, alone in the woods, what could be more romantic?"
Eric pulled up to the Alpha house and parked next to a bus with a big banner on the side. It read 'Annual Alpha House Keg Camping Trip.'
As Eric walked around to the back of the car, to help Fez unload his tent, he noticed three guys loading beer kegs into the back of the bus.
"Um, Fez, I don't know how romantic..."
"Eric! Will you help me unload this tent already? I'm late!"
"Ok, fine," Eric said as grabbed the other side of the tent.
Once all of Fez's luggage was unloaded he looked up at Eric.
"Ok! Ummm, what were you saying earlier?"
"Nothing. Good Day!" Eric said, doing his best impression of Fez.
"Hey!"
"I said Good Day!" Eric said as he jumped into the front seat.
~~~~~~~~*