Ahh, I know it's been FOREVER since i've updated, i've been busy. But here's the latest installment for you to enjoy!
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Chapter 4 - Can't Cry in Front of You
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"Hey losers."
Hyde romped down the stairs in his normal fashion, Kelso and Eric were hanging out as usual.
"Hyde, man, where ya been?" Eric asked as he fiddled with a paddle ball.
"No where. Cruisin, partyin, the usual." He sat in his chair and grabbed a magazine. Kelso got up from the couch and walked over to the freezer.
"See, Eric, I knew he was over the whole Jackie thing. And you were worried!"
Hyde shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kelso continued giggling.
"This guy bounces back!" he said as he reached for a popsicle, "See, he can't handle the short leash because he's not a one woman man! He an every woman man!"
Eric looked at Kelso. "Yeah, so are you."
Kelso waved a finger at Eric, "Ahh, but I can handle the short leash. There's the difference."
Eric rolled his eyes and continued playing with the paddle. "You know this whole Jackie thing has got Donna mad at me. And I'm not even involved! Hyde, you're causing a lot of problems for me man. Sticking up for you is making my fun time with Donna go down the crapper. And do you know what it is not to have fun time? ......well it's not fun I'll tell you that."
Hyde put his magazine down. "Look Forman, I don't like you guys talking about me behind my back. Whatever Donna has to say, you don't have to stick up for me. I can handle it myself."
Eric shrugged as the door flew open.
"Eric! Where the hell have you been!"
Eric looked up to a furious Donna. "Um...in the base....ment?"
Hyde piped up, "Give him a break Donna. Where the hell else would he be?"
Donna cocked her head to one side and made her way across the room.
"Well look who's talking! Sitting there, acting like everything's normal, not a care in the world. I guess it's easier to be the cheatER than the cheatED, huh?"
Hyde threw his magazine down on the floor. "Look, I don't need another lecture from you or anybody else. I'm going to my room."
As Hyde staggered to his room, Eric got up and walked towards Donna. In a low voice he muttered, "Donna be easy on him. I know he feels bad enough about Jackie, so just let it go."
Donna teetered back and forth as she thought.
"Yeah, fine.....I guess that was harsh. But he's not the victim alright! He deserves to feel bad, it's his own fault." She sat down with a huff as Eric took hold of her hand.
"Look if they're meant to be, then they will be. Just like us, you know. We went through hard times, and look at us now. We're really happy together and we love eachother. It'll be all the better for nature to just take it's course with those two."
"Yeah," Donna agreed. "We are really happy now." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss. A look of doubt came across her face as a thought crossed her mind.
"But Eric....you never cheated on me..."
Just then, the door swung open.
There was Jackie, looking as fresh and polished as ever. Her hair was curled accentuating her face and her makeup was impeccable.
She made her way over to the couch and nestled her self in between Donna and Eric. She threw an arm around both of them.
"What's going on guys?" she chirped.
Surprised to see Jackie out and about, Donna and Eric shrugged.
"Jackie, what are you--" Eric started. He caught sight of Donna giving him a look and glanced back at Jackie. Her cheerful exterior, as genuine as she tried to make it appear, still lacked a Jackie personality. Her normal tendencies just wouldn't make themselves known, and Eric knew why. The sadness wouldn't allow her to be herself.
The Devil had feelings and as much as he didn't want to, he felt for her.
He started again. "..it's good to see you on your feet, Jackie."
A grateful smile managed to creep out onto her face and she gave his arm a squeeze.
"Thanks Eric." she picked up the magazine that Hyde had dropped on the floor and started scanning through the pages. "So....where is everyone else?"
"Forman, I thought I told you to stop hiding your magazines in my--" Hyde caught glance of Jackie as he walked out into the basement. "--room."
Jackie stood up and faced him.
"Hi..." she said quietly.
Hyde walked across the room so he was directly in front of her. "Hey."
Eric looked at Donna, "Maybe we should go." They headed for the door and yanked Kelso from the lawn chair.
As the door swung shut behind them, Jackie and Hyde had already made their way on the couch.
He looked at her. "How you been?"
"Well I've been busy...um, you know with school, and....and cheerleading. Things like that."
"Yeah." Hyde removed his gaze from her eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to look into them without letting go of his feelings. And right now he wanted them pent up.
"...What have you been doing?" she stared at him curiously.
Looking down at the floor, he managed a reply. "Oh, you know...the same."
She let out a little chuckle. "I didn't know you liked cheerleading, Steven."
He smiled to himself. It was good to hear her call him Steven. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before they both turned to eachother.
"Steven--"
"Jackie, I--"
They paused mid sentence and stared at eachother. Once again Hyde tried to turn away, but this time it was no use. He was captured by her eyes, and no force would be able to turn him away.
They stared long enough that he could see the sadness in her heart. And she could see the remorse in his.
He leaned forward. She could feel his breath on her face as he slowly inched his way to her lips. She felt a warm brush against her cheek as he drew closer and closer to her mouth. She closed her eyes and touched his face with a heavy hand. Then quickly turned away.
"Steven....you can't kiss me and make things better. I can't just forget what you did."
He paused, still inches away from the side of her face. Sitting back he looked down to the floor. "Jackie....I know. I'm not trying to make you forget or trying to fix things."
"Well you should fix it!"
Hyde shook his head, "No, I didn't mean it that way. I mean....okay, I don't think that by kissing you I can just undo what I did. It's just....I felt.....look, just forget it." He unfolded his glasses from his shirt and covered his eyes.
Jackie looked at him, knowing this was his way of hiding from her. "...Steven, I promised myself that I wouldn't go out with another cheater. I can't just go back on that promise."
"Well you went back out with Kelso a couple times I recall." Hyde remarked, crossing his arms.
Jackie stood up. "Look, Hyde, you can't judge me on Michael. He was my first and only boyfriend until you. It meant something to me. I was young, I wanted to be in love. And I thought that was love!"
Hyde regretted his words, but still managed to come off as if he didn't care.
Jackie lowered her voice. "But we were in love, Steven. Real love. Not a silly crush or a fling, even though that's what I thought it was in the beginning. It was love."
"Well.....maybe it wasn't love." he choked. "Maybe it was just a stupid fling that should have never happened."
Jackie looked at him with surprise. ".....Steven you can't mean that. I thought you said.......you told me you loved me."
Hyde stood up and faced her. "Well," he started, his voice shaking, "I think we both said a lot of things that we didn't mean."
She stood there for a few seconds, looking at his cold expression, taking in his hurtful words.
He looked back at her, holding his own, his emotions hidden behind the unfeeling look on his face.
Bewildered, Jackie waited and hoped for a glimmer of truth to come forward behind his dark glasses. But he didn't falter.
In instant deja vu, she bolted out the door.
Hyde looked on, arms still crossed. He was thankful for his glasses. His eyes shielded from hers.
She hadn't been able to see the tears welding up inside of them.
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Chapter 4 - Can't Cry in Front of You
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"Hey losers."
Hyde romped down the stairs in his normal fashion, Kelso and Eric were hanging out as usual.
"Hyde, man, where ya been?" Eric asked as he fiddled with a paddle ball.
"No where. Cruisin, partyin, the usual." He sat in his chair and grabbed a magazine. Kelso got up from the couch and walked over to the freezer.
"See, Eric, I knew he was over the whole Jackie thing. And you were worried!"
Hyde shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kelso continued giggling.
"This guy bounces back!" he said as he reached for a popsicle, "See, he can't handle the short leash because he's not a one woman man! He an every woman man!"
Eric looked at Kelso. "Yeah, so are you."
Kelso waved a finger at Eric, "Ahh, but I can handle the short leash. There's the difference."
Eric rolled his eyes and continued playing with the paddle. "You know this whole Jackie thing has got Donna mad at me. And I'm not even involved! Hyde, you're causing a lot of problems for me man. Sticking up for you is making my fun time with Donna go down the crapper. And do you know what it is not to have fun time? ......well it's not fun I'll tell you that."
Hyde put his magazine down. "Look Forman, I don't like you guys talking about me behind my back. Whatever Donna has to say, you don't have to stick up for me. I can handle it myself."
Eric shrugged as the door flew open.
"Eric! Where the hell have you been!"
Eric looked up to a furious Donna. "Um...in the base....ment?"
Hyde piped up, "Give him a break Donna. Where the hell else would he be?"
Donna cocked her head to one side and made her way across the room.
"Well look who's talking! Sitting there, acting like everything's normal, not a care in the world. I guess it's easier to be the cheatER than the cheatED, huh?"
Hyde threw his magazine down on the floor. "Look, I don't need another lecture from you or anybody else. I'm going to my room."
As Hyde staggered to his room, Eric got up and walked towards Donna. In a low voice he muttered, "Donna be easy on him. I know he feels bad enough about Jackie, so just let it go."
Donna teetered back and forth as she thought.
"Yeah, fine.....I guess that was harsh. But he's not the victim alright! He deserves to feel bad, it's his own fault." She sat down with a huff as Eric took hold of her hand.
"Look if they're meant to be, then they will be. Just like us, you know. We went through hard times, and look at us now. We're really happy together and we love eachother. It'll be all the better for nature to just take it's course with those two."
"Yeah," Donna agreed. "We are really happy now." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss. A look of doubt came across her face as a thought crossed her mind.
"But Eric....you never cheated on me..."
Just then, the door swung open.
There was Jackie, looking as fresh and polished as ever. Her hair was curled accentuating her face and her makeup was impeccable.
She made her way over to the couch and nestled her self in between Donna and Eric. She threw an arm around both of them.
"What's going on guys?" she chirped.
Surprised to see Jackie out and about, Donna and Eric shrugged.
"Jackie, what are you--" Eric started. He caught sight of Donna giving him a look and glanced back at Jackie. Her cheerful exterior, as genuine as she tried to make it appear, still lacked a Jackie personality. Her normal tendencies just wouldn't make themselves known, and Eric knew why. The sadness wouldn't allow her to be herself.
The Devil had feelings and as much as he didn't want to, he felt for her.
He started again. "..it's good to see you on your feet, Jackie."
A grateful smile managed to creep out onto her face and she gave his arm a squeeze.
"Thanks Eric." she picked up the magazine that Hyde had dropped on the floor and started scanning through the pages. "So....where is everyone else?"
"Forman, I thought I told you to stop hiding your magazines in my--" Hyde caught glance of Jackie as he walked out into the basement. "--room."
Jackie stood up and faced him.
"Hi..." she said quietly.
Hyde walked across the room so he was directly in front of her. "Hey."
Eric looked at Donna, "Maybe we should go." They headed for the door and yanked Kelso from the lawn chair.
As the door swung shut behind them, Jackie and Hyde had already made their way on the couch.
He looked at her. "How you been?"
"Well I've been busy...um, you know with school, and....and cheerleading. Things like that."
"Yeah." Hyde removed his gaze from her eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to look into them without letting go of his feelings. And right now he wanted them pent up.
"...What have you been doing?" she stared at him curiously.
Looking down at the floor, he managed a reply. "Oh, you know...the same."
She let out a little chuckle. "I didn't know you liked cheerleading, Steven."
He smiled to himself. It was good to hear her call him Steven. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before they both turned to eachother.
"Steven--"
"Jackie, I--"
They paused mid sentence and stared at eachother. Once again Hyde tried to turn away, but this time it was no use. He was captured by her eyes, and no force would be able to turn him away.
They stared long enough that he could see the sadness in her heart. And she could see the remorse in his.
He leaned forward. She could feel his breath on her face as he slowly inched his way to her lips. She felt a warm brush against her cheek as he drew closer and closer to her mouth. She closed her eyes and touched his face with a heavy hand. Then quickly turned away.
"Steven....you can't kiss me and make things better. I can't just forget what you did."
He paused, still inches away from the side of her face. Sitting back he looked down to the floor. "Jackie....I know. I'm not trying to make you forget or trying to fix things."
"Well you should fix it!"
Hyde shook his head, "No, I didn't mean it that way. I mean....okay, I don't think that by kissing you I can just undo what I did. It's just....I felt.....look, just forget it." He unfolded his glasses from his shirt and covered his eyes.
Jackie looked at him, knowing this was his way of hiding from her. "...Steven, I promised myself that I wouldn't go out with another cheater. I can't just go back on that promise."
"Well you went back out with Kelso a couple times I recall." Hyde remarked, crossing his arms.
Jackie stood up. "Look, Hyde, you can't judge me on Michael. He was my first and only boyfriend until you. It meant something to me. I was young, I wanted to be in love. And I thought that was love!"
Hyde regretted his words, but still managed to come off as if he didn't care.
Jackie lowered her voice. "But we were in love, Steven. Real love. Not a silly crush or a fling, even though that's what I thought it was in the beginning. It was love."
"Well.....maybe it wasn't love." he choked. "Maybe it was just a stupid fling that should have never happened."
Jackie looked at him with surprise. ".....Steven you can't mean that. I thought you said.......you told me you loved me."
Hyde stood up and faced her. "Well," he started, his voice shaking, "I think we both said a lot of things that we didn't mean."
She stood there for a few seconds, looking at his cold expression, taking in his hurtful words.
He looked back at her, holding his own, his emotions hidden behind the unfeeling look on his face.
Bewildered, Jackie waited and hoped for a glimmer of truth to come forward behind his dark glasses. But he didn't falter.
In instant deja vu, she bolted out the door.
Hyde looked on, arms still crossed. He was thankful for his glasses. His eyes shielded from hers.
She hadn't been able to see the tears welding up inside of them.