Chapter 5: Breakups and Goodbyes

Donna crept into her room, not wanting to wake up her roommate. She shed her clothes, put on her cotton pajamas, and crawled into bed. However, sleep did not come. The events of the night kept replaying in her head, and the thought of what she would tell her fiancé the following morning kept her up for a good portion of the night. Finally, she drifted off to sleep.

Surprisingly, the next morning, the red head got up at her usual hour. With sleepy eyes, she looked over at the cot, which was now empty. Donna swung her legs over to the side of the bed and made her way to the kitchen.

"Morning, pumpkin," her father greeted her happily. He was finishing up his breakfast with Jackie seated right next to him. The brunette didn't even bother to look up.

"Hey, dad," she replied, getting a bowl and plopping down right next to her friend. Jackie was eerily quiet, swirling her spoon in the cereal. 'Eric must have told her.'

Soon enough, Bob left for work, leaving the two girls in an awkward situation. Donna was more than happy to keep her mouth shut. She had no idea how Jackie would react to her spending more time with Hyde. The girl maybe tiny, but she can throw those fists. She had seen what she had done to Laurie.

"Did you have fun with Steven?" Jackie's voice was low and toneless. Donna would have preferred if she yelled; it would have been less creepy.

"Yeah, it was fun," she replied, rather quickly. 'I need to get out of here.'

Jackie smirked at the sight of the oddly, panicky Donna. "I'm not mad… surprisingly."

She nodded. "You shouldn't be."

"I know, but Eric is." Donna rolled her eyes, remembering that she had to talk to him. "You should really tell him how you really feel about Steven."

Donna smiled. "How do you know I have feelings for Hyde?"

She chuckled. "I can read people easily. It's one of my many gifts." The older girl shook her head and got up from the table. She had to change before she went next door.

* * *

At the Forman residence, there was yet another awkward breakfast. Eric had not looked or said anything to Hyde that morning. He was beyond the stage of snarky comments; he was pissed off.

Kitty had noticed the tension at her table. She looked from her son to her 'adopted' son. "Okay, what's going on here?"

Eric flashed her a fake smile. "Nothing, Mom. We're just having a nice breakfast, right Dad?"

Not looking up from his paper, he muttered an 'ahem'. Kitty, however, was still concerned. "Don't you lie to me. What's going on, mister?"

Before anyone could answer, Donna walked in through the sliding door. "Eric, can I talk to you?" Eric threw his spoon on the table and followed her outside.

Kitty gave Hyde a look. "You don't want to know," he told her.

* * *

The couple made their way to the garage. Donna closed the door to make sure no one could eavesdrop. What she was about to say was too important.

"Eric, I know you're mad." He rolled his eyes, but she ignored it. "I need to say something and it's not going to be easy." She could feel his eyes piercing through her. "I d-don't want to get married." His unblinking eyes were still on her. He didn't say a word. 'For the love of god say something.'

Eric turned his back to her. "I can't believe this. What did Hyde say to you?"

Donna's eyes narrowed. "It's not Hyde's fault! I didn't want to get married for long time."

He snapped around. "Then why didn't you say anything? Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"I didn't know how," she answered him as a couple of hot tears streamed down her face. "You seemed so happy."

He placed his hands firmly on his hips. "You know what? You're right. I was happy. I was happy because I thought I was marrying the woman I loved. Boy, was I wrong!" he spat at her, the last remark reeking in sarcasm.

Donna grabbed him by the shoulders. "Eric, believe me. I didn't want this to happen. It just did."

"So, you don't want to marry me, right?" he asked. "Do you even want to be with me anymore?" 'Please don't say no.'

She didn't really say anything, but as she covered her face and sobbed, Eric knew the answer. He took a few steps away from her, not believing what just happened. He walked over to the door and tried to open it.

Donna noticed what he was doing and tried to stop him. She took a hold of his arm. "Wait don't leave."

"No, I think we're done here." He jerked his arm away and walked back to his house.

* * *

After seeing Donna come home in tears, Jackie decided to walk straight over there and reason with Eric. She reached the driveway where Hyde was playing basketball. "Is Eric inside?"

Hyde stopped dribbling the ball and looked at her. "Yeah, but he's locked himself in his room, so you can't talk to him."

She sighed. "I need to smooth things out since Donna is in no state to talk."

"So, I take it that the broken engagement news didn't go so well?"

"I don't think it's just that," she began. "I think she broke up with him for good."

Hyde tossed the ball aside. "I told her not to do this," he said, running his hands through his curly hair. "I shouldn't have let her kiss me."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You guys kissed?"

It finally dawned on him on who he was talking to. "Uh… well…"

"I don't care, Steven," she laughed. "I thought I would, but I don't."

Hyde was relieved and slightly hurt that this didn't bother her. "Wait, you're not mad?"

She shook her head. "You've always wanted Donna. I remember the way you used to look at her. You'd try to impress her, but she didn't notice." Jackie could recall the time when he asked her about what to get Donna for Christmas. She thought it was so sweet and was disappointed that her clueless friend didn't see it.

Unlike everyone else, Jackie didn't buy into the idea that Donna and Eric were the perfect couple. She knew, from the beginning, that there was something off about them. She didn't keep her opinion a secret. Unfortunately, no one else saw it, except for her.

"I didn't want this to happen," he said, his eyes on the ground.

"I know you didn't mean it," Jackie told him. "But, I think you need to talk to him."

Hyde shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm not going to deal with that now."

"You have to," she reminded him. Donna and Hyde needed each other. Even though she still had feelings for him, she couldn't ever go back to him. He would be better off with someone else and so would she.

"Fine, I'll go." He was about to head inside, but he turned around to say one more thing. "Thanks." She only smiled at him. Jackie would forever hold a piece of his heart. She wasn't the first girl he ever loved, but she was the first to return it. It was something he would always appreciate.

He walked into the kitchen where both Red and Kitty were waiting for him. "He's in the basement," Red told him before he could ask.

Hyde took a few steps towards the basement door, but Kitty took a hold of his arm. "Wait, take these," she handed him a plate full of brownies. "They always used to cheer him up." Hyde nodded and made his way to the basement.

* * *

Eric could hear footsteps coming down the stairs. He knew who it was; he was the last person he wanted to see. Hyde knew this; nevertheless, he placed the plate full of brownies on the table and sat down next to him. "Hey."

"I don't feel like talking, man," Eric muttered, his arms crossed.

Hyde ignored him. "You gotta believe that I didn't plan all this to happen, man. I'm sorry. As much as you like to believe it, I wasn't trying to steal Donna away from you."

Eric snorted. "Funny, because that's what you just did."

Hyde clenched his fists. "I don't know what else to say to you."

"Good, then you can leave." Hyde got up from the couch and walked out of the basement. 'I don't need this.'

An hour later, Eric walked upstairs to the living room. He was about to head up to his own room when Red called him over. "Sit down, Eric."

The young man plopped down on the couch and faced his father who was sitting in his recliner. "What do you want, Dad?"

"I heard what happened," Red began, "and I'm sorry. I know you're hurt, but you guys weren't ready for marriage."

Eric could feel himself filling up with anger. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to hear it," he told him firmly. "You two were not ready for marriage and one of you knew that. If it was really meant to be, it'll happen."

"It was supposed to happen," he muttered. "It should have happened." With that, he walked away.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed rather quickly. Eric barely spoke to any of his friends. He did cool off a bit, but he still was angry with both Hyde and Donna, who have been spending much more time together. They weren't dating, but they weren't just friends either. It was something in between that couldn't be described. Hyde didn't need a label for them; he was happy to just be with her.

Although the break up still upset her, she couldn't help feeling free. She was about to start college, experience new things, meet new people, and finally become something. She was about to dive into a new life independently, away from the small town of Point Place. Hyde, of course, would visit her at the university. But, she wanted to take things slow, which Hyde was more than happy to do. He always knew that Donna wasn't the type of girl you can just tie down.

The day had finally arrived when Donna, Eric, and Kelso would head off to UW. Fez was going, along with the parents, to help them move into the dorms. Plus, he told Hyde that he would "keep an eye on Donna" and report back if any guys hit on her. Hyde just laughed and thanked him. He wouldn't be able to go himself since he had to work.

The Formans, plus Kelso, were already on their way to Madison. It was a good thing because Donna wanted to say goodbye to Hyde without Eric looking. She gave him a hug and planted a kiss on his lips. "I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

He held her close to his chest as his finger ran through her hair. "Sure, have fun over there. I'll come visit later."

She pulled away and looked over at Jackie who was standing next to them. "Bye, Jackie." She gave her friend a small hug. "Are you sure you can't come?"

Jackie pulled away. "Yeah. As the captain of the cheerleading squad, I have to hold practices."

She said her final goodbyes and got into the car with Bob and Fez. They pulled out of the driveway and drove off. Jackie waved to them until they were out of sight. She turned and smiled at Hyde. "You miss her already, don't you?"

"Shut up." He walked back inside, leaving a giggling Jackie in the driveway.

* * *

Hyde searched his drawers for his uniform. He was rummaging through his sock drawer when he spotted a picture hidden underneath his clothes. It was a picture of him and Donna at Lake Michigan. They were 10 at the time. He could remember that day clearly. Eric had gotten food poisoning, so he and Donna spent most of the day together.

He was about to put it back in the drawer, but decided to put it on the dresser instead. He didn't feel the need to hide it anymore. Eric would never completely get over the break up; Hyde knew this. If he really loved Donna and if his friendship with Hyde meant anything to him, he would accept it.

After retrieving his uniform, he made his way to the garage where his parked El Camino waited for him. He was upset that he wouldn't be able to see Donna as much as he used to, but he would join her next year, along with Fez and Jackie.

He was turning on the ignition when it dawned on him: He was with Donna. After all these years of dreaming about it, he was finally with her. He pulled out of the driveway and drove off. A smile tugged on his lips when he thought about the days when he would get to visit her at school. She would be in his arms again, where she belonged.

'This is definitely something to look forward to.'

* * * * * *

Well, that's the end of my fic. I know there's some unresolved issues involving Eric, but I will leave that up to your own imagination. Hopefully, you enjoyed it. I love feedback.