Chapter Two
Our Own Private Party

Eric just looked on quietly as he watched his girlfriend and his best friend talk about running away together. Running away. Donna was running away from HIM.

He watched Donna walk out the door, and for a brief second contemplated following her and talking to her. But then he realized this was Donna Pinciotti he was talking about. And as beautiful as she was, she was also as stubborn as hell, and once her mind was made up, well, there wasn't much Eric could do.

So he watched her walk out the door. He watched Hyde walk to his room. Then he just sat there on the stairs for a few minutes, feeling like a total loser.

What the hell was Donna going on about when she mentioned them 'getting sick of each other'? Eric wasn't sick of his girlfriend. He loved her more than life itself. He'd give anything up to be with her. That's why he proposed to her, even though they were only eighteen. And why the hell would she accept if she were sick of him?

Eric felt so confused and alone. And then he remembered there was one other person in the same boat as him – Jackie. Of course, it wasn't Jackie's fiancé who offered to come along, but still... Eric knew Jackie was head-over-heels in love with Hyde. He hadn't heard the two of them fight, only Hyde recapping what happened to Donna. Eric made a mental note to tell Jackie what happened before Hyde could get to her. That way, Jackie would be even more pissed off at Hyde when he tried to call. Eric was in a revengeful mood. Served that stoner right for dragging his Donna away to Madison.

He stood up and went out the way he came in.

It was around 10:00pm when Jackie came back to the basement. Eric, Fez and Kelso were all sitting down watching TV, and Eric had told both of them about what happened. Fez and Kelso had tried to get Eric out of that funk he was in, but it seemed impossible. It was like nothing could cheer him up. Until Jackie walked in, he seemed to brighten up a little then.

"Have any of you seen Steven?" Jackie asked. By the sound of her voice, she hadn't cooled down at all.

"Has Hyde tried talking to you?" Eric asked. He slightly hoped he would be the one to tell Jackie the news, because it would hurt Hyde more that way. And despite how confused Eric felt at the moment, he knew that Hyde deserved everything he was about to get.

"Are you kidding me? If Steven tried talking to me, it would seem like he tried to talk first, which would seem like he's trying to fix this whole thing up, which would seem like he actually cares about what happens to us."

Eric just stared at her. "So, in other words..."

"No, I haven't talked to that cheating scumbag ever since he basically admitted he was telling other girls he wasn't with me."

Kelso laughed. "Boy, what a loser."

Eric pulled Jackie down next to him on the couch. "Well, I have something to tell you. You see, Hyde –"

"Hyde and Donna ran off together to Madison to get away from you and Eric for a few days because they feel that you two are smothering them and they need to think about their relationships with you." Fez was pleased he interrupted Eric and got to tell Jackie the news himself.

For a second Jackie looked as if she was going to cry. Then her eyes hardened. "BASTARD!" she screamed, standing up in outrage. "Who the fuck does he think he is, running off like that? Kelso?!" She pointed to her ex-boyfriend, signaling how he had run to California when Jackie tricked him into proposing to her. Funnily enough, he had run off with Donna. Eric was beginning to see the pattern here, and it appeared Jackie was too.

"Asshole!" she shouted, kicking the couch and barely missing Eric's legs. "He needs to think about our relationship? Well, I'm telling you, when he gets his sorry ass back here there'll be no goddamn relationship to talk about!"

"Jackie-" Eric started to reason, but Jackie interrupted with "DICK!"

Eric thought that Jackie would be really upset over this. He expected her to start crying and weeping like she did when she heard about the California incident. But instead she was kicking and hitting everything in sight, screaming and cursing her head off. Eric knew that deep down, her heart was crushed, and any moment now she would break down.

And he was right. Jackie sat back down next to him, and then rested her head on his shoulder and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. And once she started, she found it hard to stop. Eric felt her pain. "They'll be back in a few days, y'know," he tried to soothe, but it was hard to calm down someone who was feeling just as shit as he was. Jackie responded by sobbing harder. "And you believe that, Eric?" she spoke in-between cries.

Truthfully, Eric didn't know. Last time, Donna had been gone for a whole summer. True, they said they'd be gone for a few days, but since when did Hyde do what he originally said he'd do?

Eric found himself feeling exactly the same as he had a few months ago: pissed, alone, sad, angry, and confused. And once again, Jackie was going through the exact same torture. He could feel tears prickling the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, and be labeled a sissy by Kelso and Fez.

Fez watched the two heart-broken souls from his chair, and realized something needed to be done. "That's it," he said, standing up. "I refuse to let you two carry on like this for the rest of the afternoon. I know what shall cheer you up. He jumped over Hyde's chair and pulled out their secret stash. "What do you say?" he said, a big fat grin spread all over his face.

"BINGO!!!!" Kelso cried rather insensitively.

Jackie had to take her head off Eric's shoulder to see what Fez was holding up. She sighed. "Why not?" she sniffed, though she sounded rather unenthusiastic. Eric wasn't keen on the idea either, he would rather lock himself up in his bedroom and wallow in self-pity until Donna returned, but nodded anyway.

Within ten minutes, the four were in The Circle and high as kites. Fez and Kelso were as giddy as four-year-olds, but Jackie and Eric still seemed depressed.

"I wonder why she left," Eric droned sadly. "I mean, as far as I knew, we were great. And then, BANG, all of a sudden she's 'sick of me' and leaves without saying a word."

"Hehehe, talk about tough love, man," Kelso laughed at Eric.

"Shut up, Kelso," Fez snapped, then looked across the table to Eric sympathetically. "It's okay, Eric. No one really thought you and Donna would work out anyway. It seems that Donna has caught on, and realized she is too young to marry some high school crush who still cries when he watches 'Little House on the Prairie'." He smiled sadly. "Not to worry, though. You don't realise it now, but this is saving you a lot of future pain and heartbreak."

Jackie just sat there, looking sullen. "Why does everybody I care for run away from me?" She looked as if she was about to cry again. "I mean, am I THAT hard to be with? Is it that hard to want to be with me?" Silent tears rolled down her face.

Fez looked stern. "Jackie, I know you are greatly upset, and although I feel for you, you know the rules. No crying in The Circle!"

Kelso looked at his ex-girlfriend. "Listen, Jacks, you and Hyde are gonna work this thing out, okay? He just needs time to clear his head, but once he does that, he'll realise how much of an idiot he's been and come crawling back to you like some pitiful loser." There was a look of regret in Kelso's eyes as he told her this, but it went within a blink and a stoned look replaced it almost instantly.

Eric looked between Jackie and Kelso, and then sighed. "Guys, I know I'm in the Circle, and I know I'm supposed to feel better, but this isn't going anywhere. I really just need to hit the sack."

"I'm gonna have to agree with Eric," Jackie seconded, wiping away her tears. "I just need some time alone to think."

Fez shook his head. "After what happened last summer, do you really think I am letting Eric hold himself captive in his room again? No, I have an idea." A small, mischievous smile spread across his face. "Eric, are your parents awake?"

"Nah, when I went to the toilet upstairs, they were in their room," Kelso answered, sniggering a little. "Probably DOIN' IT!"

Eric just stared at him. "Thanks, Kelso," he gulped. "That... really makes me feel a whole lot better."

"What's your idea, Fez?" Jackie said, looking exhausted. "I really just want to get home."

"Not to worry, Jackie. I'll be back in a few minutes." Before either three could say another word, Fez left their sacred Circle and ran upstairs.

"What is that foreign freak up to now?" Jackie asked curiously.

"Don't know, don't care," Eric dismissed. "Christ, I feel so shit..."

Kelso looked behind him and saw Fez walking down the stairs with something rather heavy in his hands. "OH MY GOD!!!" he screamed. "Fez, you are a LEGEND!"

Eric and Jackie looked up, and raised their eyebrows straight away. "Okay, Fez, no offense," Eric started as Fez sat back down, "but I don't think chugging down a 6-pack is gonna make neither me or Jackie feel any better."

"Yeah Fez," Jackie agreed. "I'm not really in the mood for drinking."

"But c'mon, you two, it's beer," Fez stated simply, as if this answered it all.

"Since when does Eric turn down beer?" Kelso asked.

"Oh, I dunno, since MY GIRLFREIND RAN OFF WITH ANOTHER GUY WITHOUT SPEAKING TO ME AT ALL OR TELLING ME ANYTHING!" Eric burst out.

Jackie began to cry again, and leaned over to hug Eric. Eric didn't really know what to do, so he just did what first popped into his head: he hugged her back as if he was hugging Donna.

Fez looked on at the two in disgust. "This sickens me," he spat. "Here I am, offering alcohol, and all you two can do is whine and mope in self-pity and hug each other?! I am very disappointed in the two of you." He got up. "Come on, Kelso, we are leaving."

Kelso gaped at his foreign friend. "But-but, what about the beer?"

Fez just gave him a don't-mess-with-me look.

"Fine!" Kelso said, disappointed. He looked at Eric and Jackie, hugging each other as if they had been best friends their entire lives. "He's right, y'know," Kelso informed them. "All we're trying to do is cheer you up. But it's hopeless." He got up to leave, but returned seconds later, and snapped off one beer. "For the walk home," he explained, and then left the basement with Fez.

Jackie sighed, and then let go of Eric. She let out a small laugh. "God, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I think it's the dope. I just really needed to hug someone."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Eric told her. "I'm serious. Don't worry about Hyde at the moment. He's not worth it, okay? Like Kelso said, he just needs to clear his head. But he'll come back to you, I know he will, and everything will turn out fine." Eric wished he could follow his own advice somehow.

Jackie shook her head, not really believing him, but left it at that. "Eric?" she asked timidly, as if she didn't really want to continue, but needed to anyway.

"Yeah?"

"What's going on with you and Donna?"

Eric stayed silent for a while.

"Eric?" she repeated.

He let out a huge sigh. "To be truthful, I have no effing clue." Jackie nodded in an understanding way. "I mean, sure, the last few days haven't been the prettiest, but it's not something serious or anything. We've had worse, you know?" Jackie nodded again.

"I know," she whispered, and for a second Eric swore she was about to cry again. But then realization dawned on her, and she seemed to perk up.

"Hey, you know what, Eric?"

"What?"

"Fez and Michael are right. Do you have any idea how pitiful we must seem right now?" She was seeing the situation in a new light. "We look like losers who have nothing important in their lives besides their partners."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Well, Jackie, I've got to say you're getting a whole different interpretation on this. Just thirty seconds ago you were sobbing and holding onto me for dear life."

"I know, and that proves my point exactly!" Jackie stood up. "Donna and Hyde aren't the only things in our life, Eric! We are good people, and did you ever think that maybe Donna doesn't deserve you?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying, that girl walks all over you, like she can do anything and say anything and still expect things to be the same when it comes to you. Think about it. She thinks she can run off to Madison with Hyde because although you're fuming now, she'll pull the puppy-dog face, apologize, and you'll forgive her instantly. It's happened before, like, a million times, it sure as hell can happen again."

Eric, despite not wanting to admit it, knew Jackie was right. So many times Donna had hurt him by doing whatever the hell she wanted, and didn't once think how he would be affected by it. Only after the damage was done would she 'pull the puppy-dog face', as Jackie put it, and Eric would be a sucker and forgive her.

"You know what, Jackie, I think you're right!" Eric was standing up as well. "Donna and Hyde think they can do whatever the hell they want and then come back to everything being just the way they were."

"They expect us to be crying over them, pining for them and wishing for their return," Jackie added.

"Well, you know what, Jackie? Let's prove those two idiots wrong!"

"I 100% agree with you, Eric Forman! Bring it on!"

It may have been the affect of the dope they smoked a while ago, but did they care? No. All they wanted was to prove they could have a good time with or without their partner.

"But what can we do now?" Eric asked her. "Where can we go?"

Jackie smiled at him. "We don't need to go anywhere," she said. Holding up the six-pack, minus one beer, her grin spread. "We can throw our own private party."

A/N: I'm sorry about Fez's harshness. But it needed to be done. Anyway, I'm really appreciating and treasuring the feedback, so I'm asking you to press that little button and tell me what you think of it. :)