They were all there, gathered in Eric's kitchen, all eyes practically on Jackie as she sat at the table, with Steven beside her and Donna on the other side. Mrs. Foreman was standing across from them, Eric beside her as he awkwardly looked away, not sure if he should even say anything or be there. It seemed too personal, and he wasn't as close to Jackie as the others.
Just then Jackie's mom came through the back door. "I came as soon as I could," she said to Kitty as her eyes met with Jackie's.
"That was a half hour ago, you live beside us," Kitty told her, raising an eyebrow in question at her.
"Jackie, you are in so much trouble young lady, come on, let's go home," she said, choosing to ignore Kitty as she waved Jackie to follow her. Jackie more than gladly got up from the table, moving past Hyde and Donna to go over towards her mom. "Thank you for telling me everything Kitty, I had no idea things were this bad," she said densely, even with all of Donna's accusations in the past few days, she had chose to just block it all out and label it as harmless dieting.
"Wait, you can't just ignore this," Hyde snapped at her, raising up from the table as he walked towards Jackie's mom. "You're just going to let her go home and punish her? She needs help, damnit." His voice was raising more in anger as he looked at Jackie's mom. He couldn't believe she was so careless about her own daughter.
"Mom, I'll be next door," Jackie said quietly to her mom, giving Hyde an angry glare before taking off out the door. Hyde bolted across the kitchen to catch her, but Jackie's mom stepped in his way.
"I will handle this Steven, don't worry. We are going to figure things out tonight," she said, in a rather annoyed tone. She found him to be the most likely to blame, since in her own past she had only known guys who wanted their girlfriends to be pretty and perfect. In her eyes, Hyde was at fault.
Outside, Jackie stopped once she got to the edge of the Foreman's yard. She looked back at the house, almost surprised Steven hadn't followed her this time. Just then she heard the sound of a car pulling up to the side of the road, and turned her head abruptly. It was Michael. He leaned over the passenger's seat and rolled down the window, looking out at Jackie.
"Want a ride?" he asked her, for once in his life not having that stupid unknowing grin on his face. Jackie's frown remained etched on her lips, as she nodded and went towards his car, opening up the door and hopping in.
The car ride remained silent for the first ten minutes. Jackie sat there staring out her side window, as Kelso drove slowly down their suburbian town, until reaching the highway. There was hardly anyone on the road, and at times he would catch himself looking over at Jackie and just staring at her, seeing if she would be the first to try and talk. But he knew it would be up to him.
"You haven't been over at Eric's lately," he said, but with the responsibility of Brooke about to have his child, he probably shouldn't have been over there as much either. A major part of him wasn't ready for all of this, he just wished things could be like they used to.
"Yeah, me and Donna are fighting," Jackie lied, her voice nonchalant and just above a whisper as she spoke. She didn't turn away from her window though, she just kept staring out at the passing trees and guardrail that lined the edge of the road.
Kelso didn't say anything for the longest time. Many thoughts were running through his head, especially about his past with Jackie. "Was it my fault?" he asked, his voice almost cracking as the words escaped his lips.
Jackie finally turned her head, looking over at Kelso with a puzzled look on her face. "No Michael... I started this before I even knew you," she told him softly, a part of her wanting to blame him for the vain relationship that they had together, but another part of her knowing how much she cared about him and that deep down, it was only her fault.
Kelso nodded only to let her know that he had heard her, as he looked back at the road, the car entering into the next suburbian town over. Another long period of silence followed, until Kelso broke it. "I only loved you," he told her, thinking of Brooke then, and how he was afraid that he might never love her as he did Jackie. "I do care about Brooke, a lot, and I love her... But I think I will always be in love with you," he admitted to her, his hands beginning to shake against the steering wheel as he tried to hold onto it steadily. He could feel the tears threatening to fall as he thought about how much his life had changed, and more importantly, what he had lost for good now. There was no chance he would ever be able to have her back, it was over and he knew that.
Jackie jerked her head over to look at him. She was so angry right now. How could he do this to her, at a time like this?! "Pull over," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt like she just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. After all he had put her through, he was trying to mess up her life once again. "NOW!" she screamed when Kelso failed to respond, reaching over for herself and grabbing onto the wheel. Kelso quickly stepped on the break, haulting to a stop as Jackie let go of the wheel and flung open her door, taking off as quick as she could.
It took a few minutes before Kelso could regain sense of reality, and got out of the car to go after her, but it was too late. She was nowhere in sight. Hyde was going to kill him...
Just then Jackie's mom came through the back door. "I came as soon as I could," she said to Kitty as her eyes met with Jackie's.
"That was a half hour ago, you live beside us," Kitty told her, raising an eyebrow in question at her.
"Jackie, you are in so much trouble young lady, come on, let's go home," she said, choosing to ignore Kitty as she waved Jackie to follow her. Jackie more than gladly got up from the table, moving past Hyde and Donna to go over towards her mom. "Thank you for telling me everything Kitty, I had no idea things were this bad," she said densely, even with all of Donna's accusations in the past few days, she had chose to just block it all out and label it as harmless dieting.
"Wait, you can't just ignore this," Hyde snapped at her, raising up from the table as he walked towards Jackie's mom. "You're just going to let her go home and punish her? She needs help, damnit." His voice was raising more in anger as he looked at Jackie's mom. He couldn't believe she was so careless about her own daughter.
"Mom, I'll be next door," Jackie said quietly to her mom, giving Hyde an angry glare before taking off out the door. Hyde bolted across the kitchen to catch her, but Jackie's mom stepped in his way.
"I will handle this Steven, don't worry. We are going to figure things out tonight," she said, in a rather annoyed tone. She found him to be the most likely to blame, since in her own past she had only known guys who wanted their girlfriends to be pretty and perfect. In her eyes, Hyde was at fault.
Outside, Jackie stopped once she got to the edge of the Foreman's yard. She looked back at the house, almost surprised Steven hadn't followed her this time. Just then she heard the sound of a car pulling up to the side of the road, and turned her head abruptly. It was Michael. He leaned over the passenger's seat and rolled down the window, looking out at Jackie.
"Want a ride?" he asked her, for once in his life not having that stupid unknowing grin on his face. Jackie's frown remained etched on her lips, as she nodded and went towards his car, opening up the door and hopping in.
The car ride remained silent for the first ten minutes. Jackie sat there staring out her side window, as Kelso drove slowly down their suburbian town, until reaching the highway. There was hardly anyone on the road, and at times he would catch himself looking over at Jackie and just staring at her, seeing if she would be the first to try and talk. But he knew it would be up to him.
"You haven't been over at Eric's lately," he said, but with the responsibility of Brooke about to have his child, he probably shouldn't have been over there as much either. A major part of him wasn't ready for all of this, he just wished things could be like they used to.
"Yeah, me and Donna are fighting," Jackie lied, her voice nonchalant and just above a whisper as she spoke. She didn't turn away from her window though, she just kept staring out at the passing trees and guardrail that lined the edge of the road.
Kelso didn't say anything for the longest time. Many thoughts were running through his head, especially about his past with Jackie. "Was it my fault?" he asked, his voice almost cracking as the words escaped his lips.
Jackie finally turned her head, looking over at Kelso with a puzzled look on her face. "No Michael... I started this before I even knew you," she told him softly, a part of her wanting to blame him for the vain relationship that they had together, but another part of her knowing how much she cared about him and that deep down, it was only her fault.
Kelso nodded only to let her know that he had heard her, as he looked back at the road, the car entering into the next suburbian town over. Another long period of silence followed, until Kelso broke it. "I only loved you," he told her, thinking of Brooke then, and how he was afraid that he might never love her as he did Jackie. "I do care about Brooke, a lot, and I love her... But I think I will always be in love with you," he admitted to her, his hands beginning to shake against the steering wheel as he tried to hold onto it steadily. He could feel the tears threatening to fall as he thought about how much his life had changed, and more importantly, what he had lost for good now. There was no chance he would ever be able to have her back, it was over and he knew that.
Jackie jerked her head over to look at him. She was so angry right now. How could he do this to her, at a time like this?! "Pull over," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt like she just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. After all he had put her through, he was trying to mess up her life once again. "NOW!" she screamed when Kelso failed to respond, reaching over for herself and grabbing onto the wheel. Kelso quickly stepped on the break, haulting to a stop as Jackie let go of the wheel and flung open her door, taking off as quick as she could.
It took a few minutes before Kelso could regain sense of reality, and got out of the car to go after her, but it was too late. She was nowhere in sight. Hyde was going to kill him...