Chapter 1: Good Times Roll
let the good times roll, let them knock you around, let the good times roll, let them make you a clown
1978
Everything was better in Forman's Basement, the good times were always rolling…just as long as I had something to roll myself. It wasn't just about the weed, though that helped, but just being down there and knowing that I was wanted was all I really cared about.
"Hey guys, I think I can shove my whole fist in my mouth." said Kelso.
Of course being around Kelso made me feel like a genius so that was good stuff too. Every group needs a Kelso though, it's a give in. We had the entire freak show assortment of stereotypical best-buds. Eric was the nice guy, Kelso the idiotic clown, Fez was the one nobody understands, Donna was the hot tomboy and Jackie was the bitchy princess. I was the anti-government radical (the most essential part). Everyone is a freak in high school and everyone has friends, whether they want them or not.
"Kelso, I'll give you five dollars if you can, ten if you can shove both fists in your mouth." I said.
I spent most of my teenage years down in that basement, hell, I lived there until I was 19. We were the inseparable six. Eric was the ringleader, mainly because it was his basement, but also because you could go to him for anything. He was a guy who really cared about people and was willing to help you out. Even if he had no idea what he was doing. Donna, Eric, and Kelso have been my friends since second grade. Jackie and Kelso were on and off their entire relationship but Jackie always stayed. I'm sure she felt the same way that I did, welcome. Even though I we were a little hard on her.
Those were good times, but with all good times, there was the pain. I don't mean the part about my mom leaving, or my dad coming back and being a worthless wretch. I mean real pain. Heart wrenching, gut pounding, barfing up your brownies pain. It was the same scenario every night:
"Hey Eric, I was thinking we could go to the movies tonight." Donna looked at him expectantly, her big blue eyes shiny and full of secret thoughts. Movies meant make-out and Donna was just a normal girl who wanted to be touched like everyone else.
"Well, um, yeah, okay." Eric replied, twitchy, annoying, and completely oblivious to the fact that Donna had those secret thoughts too.
Eric and Donna were an inevitable thing. From the moment they met Eric was in love with her. That's the way things were with Donna, you couldn't help but love her. She was everything a man wanted. They had their troubles and I'm not exactly happy to say that some of them were my fault.
let the good times roll, let the stories be cold, they can say what they want, let the photos be old, let them show what they want
That Christmas when I gave Donna a picture of us on my front porch, that was one of the worst moments of my life. I'd been in love with Donna since she was beating up Eric for lunch money that he'd happily give her. That picture was all I really had left of what little love we'd had. Puppy love and childhood promises, but they meant something, to me anyway. I was hoping to jog her memory but it didn't work and after I gave her the picture, all I had was the illusion that I had her first.