How Deep Is Your Love?
It was two months into Eric and Jackie being a couple when Kelso found out about them. They didn't flaunt their love in the basement like the OTHER couple did. It was almost time for Thanksgiving break and school had just let out after a half day. Fez sat in Hyde's chair and rubbed his hands together.
"This is going to be good!"
"Do you want to hit me, Kelso? Go ahead and try. But I love Jackie more than you ever did."
Kelso grabbed Eric by his collar and pinned him against the wall, Eric broke free and punched him in the stomach. Normally, Hyde would have loved nothing more than having ringside seats and watch this unfold sitting next to Fez, but he knew Donna would totally freak out if he was here the whole while and let it continue.
"Okay," Hyde got between them, "ENOUGH!"
"This isn't over, Eric!" Kelso said, feeling his lip for blood, when did scrawny Eric Forman learn to throw a punch?
"Go, Kelso." Hyde said, watching Kelso to make sure he left.
"Thanks, man." Eric replied
Slowly but surely it seemed that they were getting their friendship back, it was still very difficult to see him with Donna. He wished it didn't bother him, but it did. Maybe, it always would.
"You developed a good right hook, Forman, I'm impressed."
'Do you know how close you came to being punched?' Eric thought
"Fez is hungry."
"Get a popsicle." Eric said
"Screw that." He ran upstairs to get real food. Maybe he could be invited to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow if he asked Mrs. Kitty very nicely.
"You don't have a problem with me and Donna having Thanksgiving dinner here, do you?" Hyde raised a brow, through his shades. He wanted to say, 'I live here too, you dill hole' but refrained.
"No." Eric lied. Why did it bother him so?
"You're lying. What's your problem, Forman? Tell me now, before Donna gets here."
"How long did you lust after MY-okay, she's not my girlfriend anymore, but it's been bugging me just the same."
He sat down on the couch.
"You can't let things go, can you? Are you sure that you really want to know? Because if you get all whiny and twitchy, I'm out of here."
"I'm fine, Hyde. Go ahead."
"Remember when we went to the disco in Kenosha? At first, I didn't want to go. Because I couldn't dance, but your Mom taught me and I did it FOR Donna—can you handle the rest?"
"Don't baby me."
"But she wouldn't let me kiss her—"
"Is that it?"
"No," Hyde thought they didn't even break out the weed yet and he was not the type of guy to air his feelings out to anyone, but he supposed Eric did have the right to know considering everything that happened because of it, "Then I kissed her when we all went to Jackie's cabin. But,"
"There's more? Christ, Hyde!"
"You wanted to know, Forman. Then you got all paranoid about Donna helping me study at the library, and I told her how I felt about her at the Vineyard, but she was drunk and chose you."
Eric stood up, "That's it. It was because you were underhanded and sneaky, secretly plotting this all along. That's why I can't get a handle on this."
"I wasn't secretly plotting anything, Forman, that's the government's job, not mine. I respected Donna and never forced her into anything. Why are you angry with me? Is Jackie squeezing the life out of you that you can't breathe, man?"
"No! I just don't like how I lost Donna."
Hyde stood up, "I get it. You don't like how you lost Donna TO ME. Get bent, Forman."
Hyde went to his room as Donna wasn't going to come over until later on tonight, as she had to do the 'daughter thing' and go grocery shopping with Bob. If Forman couldn't handle things it wasn't his problem.
Donna was finally glad to be done with the shopping. They ate dinner at the Forman's every year so why did Bob feel the need to buy 12 cans of cranberry sauce, 4 pumpkin pies, 2 spray cans of whipped cream, and
10 bags of mini marshmallows? She had to go somewhere first before seeing her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Steven Hyde. It felt naughty, like it shouldn't be the FACT that it was. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a maid.
"Are you here to see Miss Jackie?"
"Yes, I am." Donna felt as if she were in a high school production of Gone With The Wind.
She told her to go upstairs to her room. Donna felt uneasy, she knew Eric wasn't there, and that wasn't it, because even though the two girls talked a little and hung out in school and the basement it still didn't feel right between them. Donna knocked on the door.
"Come in," Jackie said spraying on her perfume, "Hi, Donna. What brings you by?"
"I have to ask you a question, Jackie. I don't want you to be angry or offended by it, but I want to know—do you love Eric?"
"Isn't that statement a little ironic coming from you, Donna?"
Jackie grabbed two lip-glosses and sat on her bed, she had to decide between "Roller Rama Pink" and "Disco Gold Twilight".
"Nothing like passing judgment. Answer my question, do you really love, Eric? Because he falls in love very easily, and I don't want you to break his heart."
Jackie stood up, "I guess you don't really know me at all, if you have to ask that question. Goodbye, Donna."
She settled on "Roller Rama Pink" and threw it in her purse.
"Jackie—"
"Goodbye, Donna."
It was one thing for her fake friends on the cheerleading squad to be giving her a hard time over dating Eric, but for Donna to act like that Jackie felt was a large insult on her character. She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hi, Eric, it's me."
"I was going to call you," long pause, "What's wrong, Jackie, are you okay?"
She sniffed, "I just had an unpleasant exchange with your ex."
"Oh, I'm sorry. What did Donna say to you?"
"She thinks I'm going to break your heart."
His heart started to beat rapidly. He wanted to say, 'Are You?' but he knew better, he couldn't help having the insecure thought though.
"Ignore her."
"I kicked her out of my room. How am I going to get through Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with HER there? Michael isn't coming is he?"
"No, we kind of got into a little fight today."
"Are you all right, Eric?"
"Yeah, I just have a little scratch on my face. Hyde broke us apart, but I could've kicked his ass."
'And Hyde's too. I think.'
"Well, I can kiss your boo boo and make it all better." She said in a soft baby voice.
"There are other areas you can kiss that would make me feel WAY better." Eric replied
"I know we were going to go out later, but come over now, I'll send the maid out so we'll have the house to ourselves."
Eric wondered if Hyde encountered the drought yet with 'his' precious Donna? It made him laugh a bit as he grabbed a few square pouches from inside his dresser drawer and shoved them in his jeans pocket. He has had more sex with Jackie in the short time that they've been together than all the time he was going out with Donna! And the absolute cool thing was half of the time, he wasn't the one to initiate it, she was! Hyde was going to be in for quite a surprise and for some reason that made Eric Forman a very happy young man.
Next day, Thanksgiving
Eric opened up two bottles of Coke with the free Pricemart bottle opener that was given away as part of a promotion when you bought the 24-count case.
"Are they, you know?" Jackie took a drink from her soda bottle and tilted her head, to Hyde's room.
"No, it's too early, and my Mom is right upstairs, but that shouldn't stop us from fooling around on the sofa."
Eric took the bottle out of her hand and placed it next to his on the cluttered table next to the candles.
"You're going to get your shirt all wrinkled," she warned as she climbed on top of him.
She lowered her head, the ends of her long dark hair tickling his chin, "I love you, Jackie."
She kissed him deeply, letting her body fall on top of his. They knew they couldn't go any further, so she put her head on his chest. "I love you, too, Eric."
Was it yet just another high school empty promise? Eric thought what ruined it with Donna, other then her secret feelings for Hyde, was that they were too young, too new, and with no sexual experience between them. Now, after all that Donna History 101 behind him, Eric decided to just take it slow with Jackie. Maybe, they were meant to be, maybe they weren't. Still, though he wasn't lying to Donna about wanting to be married to her and having children together. He meant that. If he was blinded by love at the time, he didn't think it scarred the thought of him meaning that. He didn't want to ruin the nice relationship that he was having with Jackie. He was just going to try his best to let it unfold naturally.
"Eric, you are awfully quiet—" Jackie observed and he was chatty for a guy.
"It know it shouldn't and it's not a reflection on you, but it STILL hurts, you know?" he whispered.
"I understand." She hugged him tighter
"If Donna had feelings for Hyde she should have told me right from the start."
"And I should've realized that Michael only wanted popular cheerleader p****."
He was a little surprised by Jackie's candor, but she summed up the Kelso/Jackie pseudo relationship perfectly.
"Jackie, is it out of line," Eric learned to be polite in situations like this, although Jackie was the anti-Donna, he still didn't want to take the risk of her flipping out, "for me to say that you and Hyde NEVER would have worked?"
"No, Eric, that's not out of line that's an astute observation."
He put his hands on her shoulders to kiss her again, before Kitty came down the stairs scaring the Hell out of them, that Jackie almost fell off the couch!
"Sorry, kids," Kitty laughed, "I didn't mean to scare you two. Eric, I need you to bring up two bags of ice."
Kitty went to the freezer to get the frozen strawberries for the special extra pie she was making along side the traditional pumpkin and mince meat.
"Do you need any help, Mrs. Forman?" Jackie asked
"You could set the dining room table."
Kitty figured it was best not to have Jackie alone in the basement if Donna and Steven should enter the house this way.
"I have a flair for fine things." Jackie replied, she'd have given Eric a playful slap on the bottom if Kitty weren't present.
'Then why are you with ME?' Eric thought, hating his insecure self as he went to the freezer to get the bags of ice for his Mother.
It was going to be the most awkward Thanksgiving with his ex-girlfriend and [alleged] best friend as a couple passing around the biscuits ever.
The Forman table looked as if it was taken out of the pages of Good Housekeeping. Kitty thought Jackie did an excellent job setting the table, she even took the fancy silver candlesticks that belonged to her Grandmother out of the cabinet. Eric tried not to look at Donna and Hyde, it seemed unnatural. He tried to be accepting, but if Donna wasn't making an effort with Jackie, why should he make an effort? He was happy his Mother set them on opposite ends of the long table.
"Let's all hold hands and say grace." Kitty said
And of course, no one would say no to Kitty's request, even the stern Red.
"Everyone," Donna said after an uncomfortable five minutes of eating in silence, "I'd like to make a toast."
'What the Hell?' Eric thought
She turned to face Hyde, who was wearing a second hand suit from the Salvation Army, but Kitty took it to the tailor's and you could never tell it was on the bargain rack.
"Thank you, Hyde for everything. I love you." She kissed him on the cheek, and he blushed slightly.
"You have some nerve." Eric muttered with his head down.
"Do you have something to say, Forman?"
"You know what? Yes, I do." He dropped his silverware on his plate and stood up.
"Eric, sit down." Red ordered
"NO. I have something to say. You have some nerve Donna, you really do. You upset Jackie yesterday and then have the audacity to sit at my parent's dining room table and declare YOUR love for Hyde, as if I NEVER mattered to you? As if Jackie and I somehow do not have the same kind of deep love that you and Hyde have. How dare you, Donna? How dare you?" Eric caressed Jackie's cheek with his hand before running upstairs to the sanctuary of his bedroom.
Five minutes later
"Eric," Jackie softly knocked as she opened the door, "May I come in?"
"Of course. I'm sorry to have freaked out at the table."
"I'd say you were provoked by that Amazonian lumberjack." She climbed into his small bed to hold him.
"What was the point of Donna's toast? If she wanted to say that she could've done it at her house."
And she wanted to be friends? Between hurting Jackie and what happened during Thanksgiving dinner she wasn't doing a very good job of it.
"I don't know," She whispered, "Come on, Eric, let's go out for a walk. I'm sure your Mother will keep our plates warm and we can eat in the kitchen later. We can light the candles and it'll be romantic. You know you like that corny stuff, like I do."
She kissed his neck.
"Okay," he smiled, "Let's make it a long walk to give Romeo and Juliet
time to leave."
"It's bound to be complicated. Because we're all friends or we're supposed to be all friends."
Eric tried to flatten the wrinkles out of his shirt with his hands. "Then maybe, we don't really need them as friends."
She took the tie that he threw on the dresser when he came upstairs and put it back on for him. Donna never would have thought of that extra touch. Hell, not once did Donna ever declare her "Thanks" for Eric being her boyfriend in front of family and friends at the dinner table.
"You might have a point," she handed him his brown blazer, "Where's your coat?"
"Downstairs."
"Eric, let me see you really smile, you're with Jackie Burkhart."
He did smile, because what some people took wrongly as her being snobby was just Jackie being perky and beautiful. She really did seem to care about him and for that he WAS thankful.
Dinner With The Beauty Queen
"There you two are!" Kitty exclaimed when Jackie and Eric came back from their walk.
"I hope you aren't mad that I walked out---"
"Eric, there was something I never really liked about Donna as your girlfriend. I would have gotten up and ran upstairs too. Sit down, I have your plates in the oven."
"Thanks, Mrs. Forman." Jackie said
"You're welcome."
Eric helped Jackie take off her coat (Donna would have slapped him upside the head if he tried anything of the kind!) and placed it over the light green kitchen chair. He did the same with his coat.
"Are THEY still in the dining room?" Eric asked
"No, they went over to Bob's house for desert, and I had three pies made!"
"Give one to Fez, and he'll love you forever." Eric said
Once Kitty put their plates in front of them, she left the kitchen to give them some privacy.
"Are you sad not to be with your family on Thanksgiving?" Eric nervously stirred his mashed potatoes with his fork.
"No," Jackie sighed, "You get used to it."
You shouldn't have to get used to your parents not being around. No wonder she had a brief crush on abandoned by both his parents Hyde.
"Now this is more like it." Eric said.
"Wait! Something's missing!" Jackie got up and ran to the dining room and Eric didn't have to wonder about where she was going for too long because she came back with the candlesticks.
"Will you light them?"
Eric stood up and went to the utility drawer for a pack of matches.
"Of course, my lady."
Eric was the first guy that she has ever had a relationship with who treated her like a whole person. He turned off the kitchen lights so that they could have a romantic candlelit dinner.
"I used to think you were such a loser, Eric."
"That's okay, I used to think you were a major snob."
"I meant when I said that I loved you."
"And so did I, Jackie."
"Do you want to go shopping tomorrow?"
"Do I have to?" he made the I-am-a-male-I-hate-shopping-face
"I'll buy you a new sweater." She seemed to reply desperately.
Eric put down his fork to hold her hand, "You don't have to buy me things, just so I'll go shopping with you, if you'd like the company, Jackie, just say so."
"Okay. Eric will you keep me company in the mall tomorrow while I look for
some new boots?"
"Sure."
She'd still buy him that sweater anyway; she could buy it for their first Christmas present exchange. If Michael Kelso just wanted the hot cheerleader for the hot sex, it made her nervously wonder if Eric Forman really was her soul mate?