In The Beginning
Chapter Thirteen: The Aftermath
Jackie's face hurt. A lot.
She was conscious now, completely, but regretted it as soon as she cracked an eye open, fluorescent light beating down on her wounds. She winced in pain, forcing her eye open further. She felt puffy and gross and she just wanted to go home, take a shower, and cry herself to sleep.
She needed to check the damage on her face, first.
Jackie picked up her arm, attentively, as she sat up, hearing the crunch of paper underneath her. Jackie rested one arm on whatever she was lying on, which felt very much like one of the elevated cots in the nurse's station and used the other arm to feel her eye. As soon as her fingertips grazed her eye, she began to cry, which only made it worse.
"Don't touch it." She heard a voice say, from behind her.
"Too late." Jackie said, between muffled tears, her voice dry and raspy.
She turned her head gently to see who Hyde, lying down on the opposite cot. Jackie turned her whole body around to face him, her legs dangling down to the floor. She noticed that her feet were bare, and that her shoes were on the floor, beneath her, covered in vomit. Jackie scrunched her nose up in disgust and looked back at Hyde, in all of his sunglass covered glory. He was staring at the ceiling, or maybe he was asleep, Jackie wasn't sure.
"Where's the nurse?" Jackie asked, crying in pain as she blinked.
"Well, here's the thing..." Hyde sat up slowly, leaning towards her with a grin. "The school doesn't really expect any big accidents, or cat fights, during Saturday night dances like this, so the nurse..."
"Isn't here." Jackie finished for him, beginning to roll her eyes, but quickly stopped when shooting pains went through her forehead. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Hyde asked with shock. "It was only the funniest thing I have ever witnessed. I mean, Jackie, you totally kicked Pam's ass. Well, until your head hit the wall."
Jackie couldn't help but smile as Hyde pushed himself off the cot, coming closer to her.
"Well, some teacher came and broke it up. Pam was sent home, so was Kelso, since he was still sort of drunk." He paused, "They're both suspended for a week."
"Am I suspended too?" Jackie asked quickly, only because she kind of thought of school as her daily getaway, her oasis, her home away from home, seeing as how home wasn't so homely.
"No." Hyde said quietly. "Everyone explained that you were provoked."
"Oh." Jackie said, relieved. She looked around the room slowly, searching for something. "Do you see a mirror in here?"
"Typical." Hyde scoffed.
"Excuse me?" Jackie knew that slowly Hyde was inching closer to her as he continued to scoff.
"You've been beaten to a bloody pulp and all you care about is what you look like." Hyde said with a knowing glare.
Jackie sighed heavily, deeply insulted.
She shut her eyes, carefully, as to not induce any more pain on herself.
"So, that's what you think of me, huh?" Jackie asked quietly, keeping her eyes shut. She waited for a response, but only heard his feet shuffling. "I guess that's cool, I mean, that's what everyone thinks of me. That's what everyone expects of me. That's how my mom is, so that's how I am." Jackie felt his breath against hers, and knew he was too close for her to shut up. A million thoughts rushed through her head, her heart began to pound as she continued; letting things that had been shut up for so many years, out, in a rush. "You have no idea what it's like. You're always judging me. She's always judging me."
Jackie had began to cry, even though it gave her an incredible headache to do so. She shut her eyes even tighter and her skin felt as if it were going to burn off.
Jackie felt his hand, wiping against her cheek, her tears being wiped off by his fingertips.
She opened her eyes slowly, startled by how close he was.
"I do know," He said slowly, taking off his sunglasses and throwing them on the cot beside her.
She gave him a confused expression and he confirmed, "I know what it's like."
Jackie opened her eyes wider, gasping when she realized that both of Hyde's eyes were red and swollen.
"Both arms at once," He laughed bitterly. "The Forman's are making me move in this week."
"My parents have been gone for two weeks." Jackie sighed, wiping a tear herself, "Both of them." She paused, "And this time, I know she's not in Mexico." Jackie inhaled sharply, as a new set of tears came about, "All her stuff is gone."
Hyde furrowed his brow, paced back and forth slowly, before pulling a chair aside and sitting down in front of her, resting his head on his arm, propped on his knee. "My dad left after he..." Hyde's voice cracked slowly, "Hit me."
Jackie's heart sunk as he continued.
"He..." Hyde choked back his voice, "He said I was worthless. That I'll end up just like him." He shook his head firmly, "And the thing is, I know he's right."
Jackie shook her head, cautiously, and jumped off the table, kneeling down slightly so she could look him straight in the eye.
"No, he's not." Jackie said quietly. "You are so much more then that, Steven, you have no idea, but you are."
Hyde laughed, grabbing his sunglasses back from the cot, as he sidestepped Jackie. "You barely know me."
"I know you better then you think." Jackie paused, pursing her lips, "I'm going to end up like my mom, if I keep this up." She laughed, slapping her hand down on the cot, "I mean, my mom married my dad because he looked good in a suit and he had lots of cash. Now, let's see," Jackie laughed again, bitterly, "Michael's family has some money and he looks good in a suit. I can't get rid of him because I'm scared to try something different and I can't stay with him because I can't be like her." Jackie took a breath, staring back at Hyde who had started towards the door, but he stood frozen, clearly uncomfortable. His shades were back on, to Jackie's dismay.
"Do you love him?" He asked quietly.
Jackie bit her lip, noticing his eyes roll. "No." She said firmly.
"Then why did you say it?" He asked angrily, his fists curling up. "Why did you say it when I was right there? To hurt me? To make me jealous, what?"
Jackie's eyes widened in fear as she saw parts of Steven Hyde that he reserved only for his parents, in the confinement of his broken home.
"I said it because," Jackie sniffled slightly, "I don't know."
"Bullshit." He paused, uncurling his fist. "We both know why you said it."
He raised his hand, then let it fall again,
"You know what?" Hyde said, laughing angrily. "I'm over this."
"What?"
"You're a Burkhart, for god's sake."
"What the fuck does that mean?" Jackie asked angrily, marching up to him, her nose inches from his.
"I don't like spoiled, rich brats."
"Well, I don't like poor, scruffy, potheads."
"Hey, I'd rather be a pothead then a bitch."
Jackie bit her lip, anger flowing through her blood at this comment.
"Well if you don't like me, why did you kiss me?" Jackie waited impatiently as Hyde stammered slightly, thinking of an answer.
"Because Kelso said you were easy." He spat out.
"That's a lie and you know it!" Jackie screamed. "You like me, admit it."
Hyde laughed it off, watching Jackie's head explode. "Me, like you?" He whispered, "In your dreams, Princess."
Jackie almost laughed, because well, he had been in her dreams. But right now she just wanted to wring his neck and choke him.
"Well, good, because I don't like you either." Jackie screamed, flailing her arms around to prove her point, "In fact, I hate you. I always have."
"I hated you first!" Hyde screamed back in her face and she laughed at this mediocre comeback.
"I hate everything about you. I hate your ratty clothes," She pulled on his shirt, "I hate your curly hair," She tapped his head, "I hate those stupid sunglasses." She tore them off, throwing them to the floor, "I hate those lips," She pointed at his mouth, "And I hate that they touched mine. And I hate the fact that it was the hottest, sweetest kiss I had ever had." Jackie slowly thinking off hand, and before she knew it, those lips she 'hated' were mashed against hers, and Hyde's hands were tangled up in her hair, which was starting to frizz. She leaned him against one of the cots, letting her fingers pull down on his curls, stroking his neck slowly as she kissed him harder, not letting herself breathe. They flipped around, so that Jackie was now leaned against the cot, the kiss becoming hotter and hotter, as sweat and spit mixed together.
Jackie winced as Hyde's nose hit the area under her swollen eye, and they both pulled their lips back.
"Are you ok?" He asked quietly, carefully stroking her cheek.
"I want to go home." Jackie whispered.
"I'll walk you."
"No..."
Hyde looked confused, but she smiled.
"I just..." Jackie hesitated. "I need time to think." She picked her shoes up, and his sunglasses, handing them to him gently, "And heal." She said, pointing to her eye. "But, I'll call you," She paused, "When I'm ready."
She kissed his cheek gently and started to walk past him, glancing backward when he called her name.
"Jackie," He muttered. "Don't tell anyone about...things that were said, ok?"
"Why, you worried that our friends will actually know that you have feelings?" She cracked a smile.
"I'm serious." He said slowly. "Please."
Jackie smiled warmly, "Of course I won't say anything."
He grinned back at her as she left the nurse's office, her heart and head aching all at once. She decided it would be much easier to slip through one of the fire exits, rather then the main doors, so she could avoid the throngs of people who would ask her questions. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of the kiss she had just shared with Hyde, when someone darted out of the bushes.
Jackie screamed, dropping the shoes to the ground and throwing her hands up, ready to throw punches.
"Jackie," She kept her senses clear as Kelso stepped out into the light from the building, "It's me."
"Michael, god," She picked up her shoes, continuing to walk up the street. "You scared me."
"You look like hell." Kelso laughed insensitively.
Jackie gave him a nasty glare, because even though she didn't actually catch a glimpse of herself, she knew by the feel of it that it was way beyond repair and nasty as could be. She smiled again, realizing that even though she was uglier then ugly, Steven had still kissed her. But of course, Steven didn't care about stuff like that, really.
"I feel like I just came from hell." Jackie laughed as Kelso nudged her playfully.
"Listen, Jackie," Kelso started, as they reached her house, minutes later, "We don't have to do it, tonight."
"Really?" She asked dryly. "Thanks, Michael. Because whether or not I was going to have sex with you was really my top priority tonight."
"Well, it's a big deal." Kelso laughed. "I want you to be comfortable, you know - when we do it."
Jackie smiled softly, touched by this sentiment, but shook her head. "Listen, Michael, you should come inside,"
"Why, are we going to do it?" He asked loudly and happily.
"Get inside." Jackie said, laughing sadly.
She took a deep breath, remembering the taste of Steven as she closed the door behind her and Kelso.
The house was dark and cold, like she left it.
She watched as Kelso sat down in the living room, picking up a magazine off the coffee table, flipping through it absentmindedly as Jackie sat down, preparing herself for the inevitable.
This was the true beginning of the end.
She was going to let him go, she was going to let it go.
Her past.
And make way for the future...
Steven.
Chapter Thirteen: The Aftermath
Jackie's face hurt. A lot.
She was conscious now, completely, but regretted it as soon as she cracked an eye open, fluorescent light beating down on her wounds. She winced in pain, forcing her eye open further. She felt puffy and gross and she just wanted to go home, take a shower, and cry herself to sleep.
She needed to check the damage on her face, first.
Jackie picked up her arm, attentively, as she sat up, hearing the crunch of paper underneath her. Jackie rested one arm on whatever she was lying on, which felt very much like one of the elevated cots in the nurse's station and used the other arm to feel her eye. As soon as her fingertips grazed her eye, she began to cry, which only made it worse.
"Don't touch it." She heard a voice say, from behind her.
"Too late." Jackie said, between muffled tears, her voice dry and raspy.
She turned her head gently to see who Hyde, lying down on the opposite cot. Jackie turned her whole body around to face him, her legs dangling down to the floor. She noticed that her feet were bare, and that her shoes were on the floor, beneath her, covered in vomit. Jackie scrunched her nose up in disgust and looked back at Hyde, in all of his sunglass covered glory. He was staring at the ceiling, or maybe he was asleep, Jackie wasn't sure.
"Where's the nurse?" Jackie asked, crying in pain as she blinked.
"Well, here's the thing..." Hyde sat up slowly, leaning towards her with a grin. "The school doesn't really expect any big accidents, or cat fights, during Saturday night dances like this, so the nurse..."
"Isn't here." Jackie finished for him, beginning to roll her eyes, but quickly stopped when shooting pains went through her forehead. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Hyde asked with shock. "It was only the funniest thing I have ever witnessed. I mean, Jackie, you totally kicked Pam's ass. Well, until your head hit the wall."
Jackie couldn't help but smile as Hyde pushed himself off the cot, coming closer to her.
"Well, some teacher came and broke it up. Pam was sent home, so was Kelso, since he was still sort of drunk." He paused, "They're both suspended for a week."
"Am I suspended too?" Jackie asked quickly, only because she kind of thought of school as her daily getaway, her oasis, her home away from home, seeing as how home wasn't so homely.
"No." Hyde said quietly. "Everyone explained that you were provoked."
"Oh." Jackie said, relieved. She looked around the room slowly, searching for something. "Do you see a mirror in here?"
"Typical." Hyde scoffed.
"Excuse me?" Jackie knew that slowly Hyde was inching closer to her as he continued to scoff.
"You've been beaten to a bloody pulp and all you care about is what you look like." Hyde said with a knowing glare.
Jackie sighed heavily, deeply insulted.
She shut her eyes, carefully, as to not induce any more pain on herself.
"So, that's what you think of me, huh?" Jackie asked quietly, keeping her eyes shut. She waited for a response, but only heard his feet shuffling. "I guess that's cool, I mean, that's what everyone thinks of me. That's what everyone expects of me. That's how my mom is, so that's how I am." Jackie felt his breath against hers, and knew he was too close for her to shut up. A million thoughts rushed through her head, her heart began to pound as she continued; letting things that had been shut up for so many years, out, in a rush. "You have no idea what it's like. You're always judging me. She's always judging me."
Jackie had began to cry, even though it gave her an incredible headache to do so. She shut her eyes even tighter and her skin felt as if it were going to burn off.
Jackie felt his hand, wiping against her cheek, her tears being wiped off by his fingertips.
She opened her eyes slowly, startled by how close he was.
"I do know," He said slowly, taking off his sunglasses and throwing them on the cot beside her.
She gave him a confused expression and he confirmed, "I know what it's like."
Jackie opened her eyes wider, gasping when she realized that both of Hyde's eyes were red and swollen.
"Both arms at once," He laughed bitterly. "The Forman's are making me move in this week."
"My parents have been gone for two weeks." Jackie sighed, wiping a tear herself, "Both of them." She paused, "And this time, I know she's not in Mexico." Jackie inhaled sharply, as a new set of tears came about, "All her stuff is gone."
Hyde furrowed his brow, paced back and forth slowly, before pulling a chair aside and sitting down in front of her, resting his head on his arm, propped on his knee. "My dad left after he..." Hyde's voice cracked slowly, "Hit me."
Jackie's heart sunk as he continued.
"He..." Hyde choked back his voice, "He said I was worthless. That I'll end up just like him." He shook his head firmly, "And the thing is, I know he's right."
Jackie shook her head, cautiously, and jumped off the table, kneeling down slightly so she could look him straight in the eye.
"No, he's not." Jackie said quietly. "You are so much more then that, Steven, you have no idea, but you are."
Hyde laughed, grabbing his sunglasses back from the cot, as he sidestepped Jackie. "You barely know me."
"I know you better then you think." Jackie paused, pursing her lips, "I'm going to end up like my mom, if I keep this up." She laughed, slapping her hand down on the cot, "I mean, my mom married my dad because he looked good in a suit and he had lots of cash. Now, let's see," Jackie laughed again, bitterly, "Michael's family has some money and he looks good in a suit. I can't get rid of him because I'm scared to try something different and I can't stay with him because I can't be like her." Jackie took a breath, staring back at Hyde who had started towards the door, but he stood frozen, clearly uncomfortable. His shades were back on, to Jackie's dismay.
"Do you love him?" He asked quietly.
Jackie bit her lip, noticing his eyes roll. "No." She said firmly.
"Then why did you say it?" He asked angrily, his fists curling up. "Why did you say it when I was right there? To hurt me? To make me jealous, what?"
Jackie's eyes widened in fear as she saw parts of Steven Hyde that he reserved only for his parents, in the confinement of his broken home.
"I said it because," Jackie sniffled slightly, "I don't know."
"Bullshit." He paused, uncurling his fist. "We both know why you said it."
He raised his hand, then let it fall again,
"You know what?" Hyde said, laughing angrily. "I'm over this."
"What?"
"You're a Burkhart, for god's sake."
"What the fuck does that mean?" Jackie asked angrily, marching up to him, her nose inches from his.
"I don't like spoiled, rich brats."
"Well, I don't like poor, scruffy, potheads."
"Hey, I'd rather be a pothead then a bitch."
Jackie bit her lip, anger flowing through her blood at this comment.
"Well if you don't like me, why did you kiss me?" Jackie waited impatiently as Hyde stammered slightly, thinking of an answer.
"Because Kelso said you were easy." He spat out.
"That's a lie and you know it!" Jackie screamed. "You like me, admit it."
Hyde laughed it off, watching Jackie's head explode. "Me, like you?" He whispered, "In your dreams, Princess."
Jackie almost laughed, because well, he had been in her dreams. But right now she just wanted to wring his neck and choke him.
"Well, good, because I don't like you either." Jackie screamed, flailing her arms around to prove her point, "In fact, I hate you. I always have."
"I hated you first!" Hyde screamed back in her face and she laughed at this mediocre comeback.
"I hate everything about you. I hate your ratty clothes," She pulled on his shirt, "I hate your curly hair," She tapped his head, "I hate those stupid sunglasses." She tore them off, throwing them to the floor, "I hate those lips," She pointed at his mouth, "And I hate that they touched mine. And I hate the fact that it was the hottest, sweetest kiss I had ever had." Jackie slowly thinking off hand, and before she knew it, those lips she 'hated' were mashed against hers, and Hyde's hands were tangled up in her hair, which was starting to frizz. She leaned him against one of the cots, letting her fingers pull down on his curls, stroking his neck slowly as she kissed him harder, not letting herself breathe. They flipped around, so that Jackie was now leaned against the cot, the kiss becoming hotter and hotter, as sweat and spit mixed together.
Jackie winced as Hyde's nose hit the area under her swollen eye, and they both pulled their lips back.
"Are you ok?" He asked quietly, carefully stroking her cheek.
"I want to go home." Jackie whispered.
"I'll walk you."
"No..."
Hyde looked confused, but she smiled.
"I just..." Jackie hesitated. "I need time to think." She picked her shoes up, and his sunglasses, handing them to him gently, "And heal." She said, pointing to her eye. "But, I'll call you," She paused, "When I'm ready."
She kissed his cheek gently and started to walk past him, glancing backward when he called her name.
"Jackie," He muttered. "Don't tell anyone about...things that were said, ok?"
"Why, you worried that our friends will actually know that you have feelings?" She cracked a smile.
"I'm serious." He said slowly. "Please."
Jackie smiled warmly, "Of course I won't say anything."
He grinned back at her as she left the nurse's office, her heart and head aching all at once. She decided it would be much easier to slip through one of the fire exits, rather then the main doors, so she could avoid the throngs of people who would ask her questions. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of the kiss she had just shared with Hyde, when someone darted out of the bushes.
Jackie screamed, dropping the shoes to the ground and throwing her hands up, ready to throw punches.
"Jackie," She kept her senses clear as Kelso stepped out into the light from the building, "It's me."
"Michael, god," She picked up her shoes, continuing to walk up the street. "You scared me."
"You look like hell." Kelso laughed insensitively.
Jackie gave him a nasty glare, because even though she didn't actually catch a glimpse of herself, she knew by the feel of it that it was way beyond repair and nasty as could be. She smiled again, realizing that even though she was uglier then ugly, Steven had still kissed her. But of course, Steven didn't care about stuff like that, really.
"I feel like I just came from hell." Jackie laughed as Kelso nudged her playfully.
"Listen, Jackie," Kelso started, as they reached her house, minutes later, "We don't have to do it, tonight."
"Really?" She asked dryly. "Thanks, Michael. Because whether or not I was going to have sex with you was really my top priority tonight."
"Well, it's a big deal." Kelso laughed. "I want you to be comfortable, you know - when we do it."
Jackie smiled softly, touched by this sentiment, but shook her head. "Listen, Michael, you should come inside,"
"Why, are we going to do it?" He asked loudly and happily.
"Get inside." Jackie said, laughing sadly.
She took a deep breath, remembering the taste of Steven as she closed the door behind her and Kelso.
The house was dark and cold, like she left it.
She watched as Kelso sat down in the living room, picking up a magazine off the coffee table, flipping through it absentmindedly as Jackie sat down, preparing herself for the inevitable.
This was the true beginning of the end.
She was going to let him go, she was going to let it go.
Her past.
And make way for the future...
Steven.