Author's Note: S'been a while. Hopefully not too long for you guys. Hope you guys like this chapter.

Cruel Summer

-chapter four-

The Kelso's, June 15, 2:46pm

Ringing the doorbell another time, Jackie flipped her hair over her shoulder impatiently. Tapping her foot, she surveyed her nails and then banged on the door.

"I know you're in there, Michael!"

He could not hide from her. How could he even think of hiding from her? He knew her better than that. But obviously, Jackie did not know him as well as she thought she did, otherwise he wouldn't try a stupid thing like hide from her.

"Go away!" she heard from the other side of the door. "Michael's not—" the owner of the voice cleared his throat and began to speak again. "Michael's not here!" Now, the voice was an obviously exaggerated female voice.

It was the day after Michael Kelso had come home from his vacation in New York City and exactly six days after he had ditched Jackie.

Jackie rolled her eyes. Michael was so dumb. "Mark my words, Michael, I'm going to get you!" she called. "You have to come to Eric's house sometime. And I. Will. Be there." Quickly, she walked off in a huff, swinging her hair over her shoulder, irritated.

Kelso slowly opened the door, grinning. His plan had worked. He had fooled Jackie. Feeling rather smart with himself, he crossed his hands over his chest and his smile broadened. He was so smart. I should be a teacher, he thought. 'Cause they're super smart, and they get to do it with their students.

Thinking of an experience he had, he chuckled to himself, turned around, and jumped, startled. "Jackie!" he shouted.

"Michael." She stood in his doorway and her hands were placed on her hips; she looked up at him with a stony gaze.

"Don't do that, Jackie!" he scolded. "You know I'm jumpy! Damn!"

She tilted her head to the side in disbelief. "Aren't you forgetting something, Michael?"

Kelso looked around, trying to stall. He knew what she was getting at. "Uh…how'd you get in, anyways?"

"Casey let me in through the back; now don't change the subject, Michael!"

"Uh…" If he could just focus her attention on something else, maybe, just maybe he could get into his car and drive to Forman's. No. Getting into his car would waste time. He would have to sprint—

"Michael!"

"What?"

She reached up and squeezed his face, turning it to face her. "Look at me. You have some explaining to do. Now start. Explaining." Jackie crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Kelso threw his hands up in the air, defeated. "Fine." He sat down on the stoop. Jackie sat down beside him. "Well…"

"Well?"

He sighed. "She was really hot!" he whined.

Jackie shook her head in disbelief. "So what, Michael?"

"Look Jackie," said Kelso. "Did you see this girl? She was perfect. She was…was…hot. And easy. Hot and easy isn't something that you can come by very easily these days. It's like there's a drought, or something."

"Michael, all the girls are hot and easy!" protested Jackie. "It's summer!"

"But…well, yeah, I guess you're right."

Scowling, Jackie stood. Why was she even trying with him? He was hopeless, completely hopeless. "Look, Michael. I came here for an apology."

"Now we're getting somewhere. Apologize away."

"From you!" she exclaimed through clenched teeth.

Kelso stood. "Look, Jackie, I don't know why you're getting all uppity about this. We're not even going out anymore. It's not like you're my girlfriend." He laughed and then was suddenly serious. "Unless…you want to be."

"I…" Jackie hesitated. He was right. Kelso was right. For the first time in his entire eighteen years, Michael Kelso was right. "You're right, Michael. You're right. But, you know what you told me before we took that trip? You told me that we were going as friends, Michael. Friends. Friends don't do things like that to each other." She walked away from him, not wanting to look at him anymore.

Kelso called after her, "Apology accepted."

Fez peered from a cluster of bushes to the house across the street: Jackie's house. "Agent Skywalker, Operation Necklace is under way, do you read me?" he said into his walkie-talkie.

"Say the whole thing."

"Eric—"

"Say it."

"Agent Luke Skywalker, sole protector of the universe, our one true and only hope, do you read me?"

"I read you loud and clear," said a clearly happy Eric.

Fez frowned. "Eric, why do I have to call you that? You are no Skywalker."

"Hey, hey, hey, you lost the necklace, you're calling me whatever I want you to call me, alright, buddy? Now what do you see?"

Raising a pair of binoculars to his face, Fez squinted through them. Slowly, he began to smile. "Eric, you will not believe what I am seeing right now." It was one of the most glorious sights he had ever seen. Jackie was undressing in front of her window.

In an instant, Fez's smile changed to a yelp. He was yanked upwards by his right ear.

"So, a Peeping Tom, eh?" observed the old woman who had pulled Fez's ear.

Fez grimaced. She was one of the ugliest old women that he had ever seen. The walkie-talkie crackled in his hand. "Fez! Come in, Fez, do you read me? What do you see?" came Eric's strained voice.

The old woman eyed Fez nastily. "What's your name, boy?" she demanded.

"Eric Forman," answered Fez, hastily. "Please do not eat me," he pleaded.

Curiously, she asked, "And why would I do that?"

"Well," began Fez, nervously, "Don't witches eat people?"

The old woman gasped. "How dare you!" She pulled on his ear.

"No…" moaned Fez, in pain.

The walkie-talkie crackled again. "Fez!"

"Who is that talking to you?" demanded the old woman.

"Um, um…look!" he shouted, pointing. "It is Frank Sinatra!"

Her eyes lit up and she turned around. "Where?" she asked, happily.

Fez took this as an opportunity to run.

Donna laughed, pounding on Louis's back. "Hey!" she shrieked. "Put me down!"

Two days. It had been two days since they had gone to that movie. It had been two days since they had started hanging out. It had been two days for Donna to see what a cool guy Louis was.

And he was cool.

No, it wasn't a Casey kind of cool, it was different…she didn't know what it was. He was just…fun. And she could talk to him about stuff. Stuff that she didn't talk to Eric about. Stuff that she didn't talk to Jackie about, whom she told everything, surprisingly.

Maybe it was the fact that he was in California, so far away from Wisconsin, and the chances of him ever meeting her friends and fiancée were slim. Extremely slim. But, was it wrong to tell him things when she hadn't known him very long?

Possibly. But she didn't care. She was lonely.

There was a down side to hanging out with Louis, also. He reminded her of Eric. Oh, he was very far from Eric, personality wise, but he still reminded her of him. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the new warmth from the thought that she might actually fit in with her new family because of Louis. Eric gave her warmth. Maybe it was the fact that he made her laugh and made her happy. Eric did both those things too.

But he wasn't Eric. She didn't need to tell herself that. It was practically incest. He was her step-brother-to-be. Secretly, she was glad that there was that boundary between them…

Louis set her down lightly. They were on the beach. "Having fun?" he asked her, watching her lay down on the beach blanket. He sat beside her.

Donna considered the question and then answered. "Surprisingly, yeah."

"Surprisingly?" repeated Louis, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…last time I was in California, I had the worst time. It was just me, my mom, and my friend Kelso. And Kelso's not the smartest cookie on the pan." She gave a half-hearted smile at the thought of last summer.

Louis saw the smile. "I've been meaning to ask you…what happened last summer?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom mentioned…now don't think that we discuss you behind your back or anything, but she mentioned that you ran away to California last year."

Donna hesitated. Should she tell him? What was there to tell? "What's there to tell?" she started. "I mean, I wasn't happy at home, so I came here. But I wasn't happy here either until Eric kind of rescued me." A dreamy smile was plastered onto her face.

"Eric, huh? So, how come this Eric never calls you?"

"I dunno," she answered, hugging her knees to her chest. "He just…doesn't."

"Sounds like somebody's not setting their priorities straight," Louis shrugged. He stood. "You want anything to drink?"

"Yeah, anything." Donna watched Louis walk off. He had a good point. Why didn't he call her?

Review Corner

Raider: Thank you. I'm glad you think they act and sound like they do on TV. And thanks for checking my Newsies story out, too.

twiniitowers: Thanks for the review.

L.J: More Hyde and Jackie to come. I promise!! Don't give up on me.

Candy.7: I know. Poor Fez. Glad you like Jackie's character.

kenzimone: I strive for your happiness. Oh, and the Edna thing…hmmm…I was actually considering that. Oh! I've said too much!

cyberchick: I absolutely LOVE the fact that you reviewed. I am soooooooo happy about that. Hope you enjoyed your does of Donna.

anni: Wow. Thank you SO much. That's a huge compliment for me.

End Note: People, I know you're getting antsy, but there will be more Hyde/Jackie. I repeat, there will be more Hyde/Jackie.

January 28, 2003

Copyright, theMuse