Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all? This was the phrase she asked her reflection every morning before her vanity, " You Jackie. You are the most beautiful girl in all the whole world." her reflection would say. Now, as she combed her hair in front of the mirror. She didn't think she was so incredibly beautiful because the guy she loved more than anything else took her heart away and then her heart ran with it.
" Jackie," Donna, who was already dressed to the nines, called walking into the pastel colored bedroom, " we are going to be so late if you don't stop playing Marsha Brady with your hair! One-hundred strokes create split ends, Jackie. Now, will you come down stairs?"
" Just a minute. Is Clark here yet?" she asked referring to her volleyball player date.
" Unfortunately. He's down there trying to play Mr. Nice Guy with Kelso and Hyde. Kelso already hates him, Fez asked him if you guys had slept together, Eric's laughing like a freaking Hyena, and Hyde's playing the Zen card. You know, 'That's Cool' and 'Whatever'. He's obviously pissed and jealous." Donna replied smugly.
" Good. I hope he's suffering! Let's go."
Jackie grabbed her bag, wisped her hair to one side, and padded down the carpeted stairway.
*~*~*~*~*
" You're from Wisconsin too, huh?" Clark asked uncomfortable. He could tell from the moment he walked in that he obviously wasn't welcome by any means.
" It's God's country. Long live the cheese heads!" Eric exclaimed sarcastically.
" Why did I become friends with these people?" Vicky asked herself shaking her head.
" Because you love us and our dairy products?" Kelso asked.
" At least we're not Canadians." Hyde replied gruffly.
" That is true." Fez agreed.
" Where did you say you were from?" Clark asked him.
Fez then went over to him and whispered something in his ear.
" O-kay," the buff athlete replied, " I think we'll just say you're from Wisconsin."
" Say who's from Wisconsin?" Jackie asked perkily as she and Donna walked down the stairs.
" Jackie, you look beautiful!" Clark exclaimed, kissing her hand.
" Oh, so do you." she answered with her face blushing with crimson.
" I think I'm gonna hurl." Hyde muttered.
Eric gave him a glare and smacked him on the shoulder. His friend gave him a warning of danger with his infamous stare as if to say "Remember what happened the last time you hit me?"
*~*~*~*~*~*
The eight sat at a rounded booth at the back of the restaurant. It was more like a club than just a place to eat. It looked like the setting of Saturday Night Fever. The dance floor and walls were adorned with multicolored lights. The bar looked like something from a John Wayne movie with an antique-looking mirror, an array of large bottles filled to the brim with hard liquor, and a guy with a crooked mustache serving drinks as fast as he could make them. Dry. On the rocks. Two olives. An onion. With a twist. Make that a double. So many different ways to drink so many different kinds. Martini. Margarita. Bloody Mary. Screwdriver. Roman Coke. Long Island Ice Tea. Tequila Sunrise. Mudslide. Bahama Mama. Sex on the Beach. Amaretto Sours. Sweet Vermouth. Too many drinks, too little time.
" Once I was afraid. I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. How I spent so many nights just thinking how you did me wrong! But I grew strong, and I learned how to get along! Now, you're back from outer space. You just walked in with that sad look upon your face! I should have changed that stupid lock. I should've made you leave your key if I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me. Now, go on. Go! Walk out the door. Just turn around now you're not welcome anymore! Weren't you the one that tried to hurt me with your lies? Did you think I'd crumble? Think I'd lay down and die! Oh no not I! I will survive!" Jackie, Donna, and Victoria sang with the familiar music. It was corny. They knew, but couldn't help it. There was just something about that song that made it so addictive!
" Man, I hate that song! Better yet, I hate everything disco!" Kelso whined as he watched his female friends giggle over the dance tune.
" I think that is the smartest thing I have ever heard you say, Man! Kudos to that!" Hyde replied.
" We don't want to hear about your Government conspiracies on Disco music, Hyde!" Donna stipulated.
" Man, I swear to you! Disco is from hell, and not the cool part with all the felons, but the really lame-ass part where all the accountants live!" He repeated as he had a million times.
His faithful friends rolled their eyes. They weren't sure which they had heard more. Hyde's conspiracies on Disco, his rambles about the Government being tied with the Anti-Christ, or about his car that runs on water.
" My dad's an accountant." Clark informed, highbrowed.
" Well your dad is really lame-ass." he uttered nonchalantly.
" Steven, be nice." Jackie demanded.
" I don't do nice. You of all people should know that. Besides, you show up here with Mr Barbell, flaunt him in my face, and you want me to be nice? Get real, Jacks!"
" I should have known you'd be jealous. Always have been. You were jealous of Michael. Why should I think any differently of a sleazy, dirty, hippie wannabe cheater?" Jackie rambled. It was her oldest threat. A cheater was a cheater in her book. The only guys she ever dated or went out with either cheated or wanted nothing but sex.
" That is so like you to never blame yourself! The only reason is because I wanted to get back at you for going back on your word! You promised me, Jackie. I can't help but get jealous if the only girl I have ever felt anything for in my entire lifetime is sneaking around behind my back with her ex-boyfriend when earlier that day she practically swore on the Bible that she wouldn't. So don't start feeding me your analytical, cheerleader, psycho babble because I don't wanna hear it!" His voice began to rise as his anger grew.
" Steven Hyde, that's crap, and you know it! Once a cheater, always a cheater! You're just like Michael. Always finding ways for it to be my fault that men just can't take their ball and chain like a true man. They just want a screw partner on the side! Ahem, Laurie!" she bolted.
They were standing up now. It was just like watching a debate on Rush Limbaugh or Donahue. The four who knew all too well why they were arguing knew it would play out eventually. Hyde would drive back to the house, sulk in his room for awhile, and listen to old Hank Williams records. Jackie would shine through, continue out the evening, and finally when she got home later that night, she would feel guilty and apologize. However, he would get mad again, and the dance they did around each other would be a waltz instead of the tango. Clark just sat there embarrassed and completely confused.
" Let's not bring me into this!" Kelso stipulated after his ex's Laurie comment.
" Shut-up, Kelso!" they both yelled at the exact same time.
Just before Jackie called out, " Jinx, you owe me a soda." A hot blonde moseyed to their table with a Farrah Fawcett hairdo, platform shoes, white bellbottoms, and a shirt that showed more cleavage than arm, and this girl was batting her eyelashes and totally toying with Hyde. He noticed the vixen eyeing him and thought, " Two can play this game."
" I saw you over here. You looked kind of tense with an empty beer bottle. Thought I would bring you a new one." the coquette replied.
" Thanks." he answered, grabbing the beer from her hand, removing the cap with his teeth, and continued to spit it out on the floor, and then taking a long chug.
" That's really sexy. Maybe you can teach me to do that . . . I didn't get your name."
" Steven, but you can call me Hyde."
" Hyde," she said his name to herself, " I like that. You don't really sound like a Steven. Anyway, I'm Caroline, but you can call me Cara."
" I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Wanna dance?"
" Sure, but only if you buy my next beverage. I did it for you. And for future reference, Vodka and cranberry juice on the rocks."
" Duly noted. I'm warning you ahead of time; I'm pretty light on my feet."
" Nice to know, Jimmy Stewart. Can I be your Ginger Rodgers?" She asked, letting him take her hand.
" Why not? You only live once, right Ginger?"
With that, Hyde guided her to the dance floor. His friends just growled, and Jackie gnashed her teeth and clenched her fists. She was hot as hell. They watched him gracefully spin her around to the Doobie Brother's "Long Train Runnin'."
" Clark, you wanna dance?" Jackie asked quickly, turning her head from Hyde and his dumb blonde.
" Sure unless of course you'd rather dance with Hyde." Clark inquired.
" The man catches on quick." Eric dead panned.
His fiancé glared at him. Then, Victoria looked at Jackie then to Clark and then to Hyde on the dance floor clearly knowing what Jackie wanted her to do.
" I would love to dance with you." Jackie replied with a smug grin.
Clark took her hand and guided her to the dance floor. As the two whirled, Jackie noticed Vicky approaching the dancing couple opposite them.
" May I cut in?" Vicky asked Hyde tapping his shoulder lightly with her index finger.
" Sure." he answered enthusiastically, swivelling around to her view.
" Hey, get your own guy!" Cara exclaimed.
" Listen, Barbie! He's my friend. He's staying at my house. You've known him for what? Ten minutes? I think it would be safe to say that if I wanted to dance with him, there would be no objections. Right, Hyde?"
" Right." he answered.
Hyde then padded over to the bar grabbing a napkin and a pencil. He wrote their beach house number upon it. Giving her the number, he kissed her on the cheek.
" Call me or I won't be able to get you that drink next time."
" You can count on it! See ya." Cara called as he and Vicky walked out to the dance floor once again.
" Thanks," Vicky praised, wrapping her arms around his neck for a slow dance to "Stairway to Heaven," " you have no idea how much this means to me."
" Huh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
" Never mind."
Victoria just laid her head on his shoulder and looked over at Jackie. She smiled knowing what her friend had done for her.
" Thank you." Jackie mouthed across the floor.
Victoria just winked at her.
*~*~*~*~*~*
This is chapter 3! Sorry it took me so long to update, but real life got in the way. I hope you like it just as much as you did the other two. The next chapter is gonna be the planning of their party, and I'm estimating that chapters 5 and six are going to be the party. In other words, the climax! Anyway, only 48 more hours give or take a few until the season premiere! Yes, I am counting hours so what's it to ya? Thanks for all you kind reviews! I expect them now! Please R/R. Peace Out.