In The Beginning
Chapter Thirty: Jackie and Eric
"Jackie, can we please, please go home?"
The brunette rolled her eyes to herself, as she glided her hand through her hair, inching forwards towards a display of bright pink halter tops. Summer was approaching rapidly, after all, and Jackie really would look good in one of those.
"Jackie, don't make me beg."
Jackie slumped her shoulders, turning towards the boy behind her, who was weighed down by tons and tons of shopping bags.
"Eric, you volunteered to go shopping with me. And I'm not done just yet." Jackie clicked her tongue towards the boy, who groaned, dropping all the bags as Jackie rifled through the halter tops for the right size.
"Volunteered?"
Jackie turned towards Eric as she snatched up one of the tops, holding it against her chest and nodding in satisfaction.
"Volunteered?" Eric repeated in shock. "You dangled my Luke Skywalker action figure over Donna's cat until I agreed to come."
"Oh, Eric, your doll's just fine, quit whining." Jackie huffed, taking one last look at the boy as she made her way to the fitting rooms.
"Action figure!" Eric shouted, picking up all the bags and following her.
It was close to closing time at the mall, and the few customers left were hurriedly rushing past Eric, towards the exit of the tiny boutique Jackie insisted they stop in. He was already an hour late for his date with Donna, not to mention, he didn't want to come shopping with Jackie in the first place.
How did he end up here with her anyway? Oh yeah...
Eric tapped his watch impatiently, leaning against the Vista Cruiser. He had his license for a whole three days, and already he was growing tired of the amount of time it took for everyone else to walk. Where was everyone else anyway? He knew that Donna and Fez went to the Hub after school, Kelso was off chasing girls, and Hyde was at work. And he was supposed to be tutoring Jackie, who was supposed to be here a half an hour ago. He looked up towards the street, but sighed as there was still no sign of the tiny pixie.
A huge clap of thunder struck above his head, and he let tiny droplets of rain glide down his throat as it started to pour. He stayed under the porch for a few minutes, still waiting, and then figured the cheerleader had gotten distracted and slipped inside the kitchen.
"I was Summer Queen when I was a freshman!" Laurie shouted excitedly as she walked in from the living room, casting a sideways glance at Eric. "Why are you wet?"
"It's raining." Eric said, pointing towards the slider, as streams of rain came flying downwards.
He stumbled backwards as Jackie came in behind Laurie, giggling harmoniously as she sat down with Laurie at the table.
"Jackie, where have you been?"
"Oh, Eric..." Jackie stopped her laughing. "I was just, um, catching up with Laurie."
"But you hate Laurie." Eric pointed out.
"Yeah, Eric, but us cheerleaders need to stick together." Laurie smirked. "Jackie, I have a date, but tomorrow, I'll tell you all about my Summer Dance." Laurie patted Jackie's head happily. "You're going to make such a cute Summer Queen!" She smiled bitterly down at Jackie then stuck her tongue out at Eric before disappearing into the living room.
"That was weird." Eric laughed as he grabbed a coke from the fridge and sat down at the table, next to Jackie, who just shrugged.
"Laurie's not that bad, Eric." Jackie's nose sniffled softly. "Besides the fact that she's a big whore, she's actually sort of sweet."
"Sweet?" Eric laughed incredulously. "Yeah, ok, and Red's got a full head of hair."
Jackie smiled at Eric devilishly, leaning towards him, "So, I'm feeling kind of down, Eric...can we skip the whole tutoring thing, just for today?"
Eric nodded his head appreciatively, "I didn't feel like tutoring today either."
"Good, so let's go somewhere!"
"Together?"
Jackie patted Eric's wrist playfully, "Well, who else do I know has their license?"
"Um, Kelso?"
"Yeah, but he drives that dirty van and besides..." Jackie rolled her eyes. "I don't really..."
"Yeah, I know, it's weird with you two." Eric nodded in understanding. "Why don't you ask your new best friend Laurie to take you? God knows she gets more gas money then I do."
"She has a date, remember?"
"Oh yeah, probably with Satan." Eric huffed and Jackie batted her lashes forcefully.
"Pretty, pretty please, Eric? Can you take me to the mall? You can just drop me off, I swear."
"Ok!" Eric jumped up ecstatically. "I love the mall!"
"Really!?" Jackie stood up as well, jumping up and down ecstatically.
"No." Eric crossed his arms complacently, noticing that the rain was clearing up.
"Ericcccc..." Jackie whined, pushing him slightly. "What else are you going to do?"
"Anything that doesn't include you and shopping." Eric grabbed his keys from his pocket and left the kitchen, Jackie quickly behind him as he opened the driver's door to the Vista Cruiser.
"Fine, I didn't want to do this, but..." Jackie grabbed Eric by the collar of his jacket, which was a big leap, since he was much taller then the tiny girl, and started groping around his chest, lunging her hand into his pocket as he struggled to get the girl off of him.
"Jackie, what the hell are you doing?" Eric shouted as she leaped off of him, clutching a tiny figurine in her hand.
She spotted Donna's cat, lingering by the Forman's porch and scooped up the cat, petting it as it purred.
"Jackie..." Eric watched in slight disbelief as Jackie dangled his brand new Luke Skywalker figurine in front of the cat, who was pawing it intensely. "You are so the devil."
"Now, Eric," Jackie lifted the action figure so the cat couldn't get a hold of it and continued to dangle it playfully, "Take me to the mall, or Luke gets it."
"What did he ever do to you, huh?" Eric whined, motioning for her to get into the car. Jackie smiled, petting the cat as she let it down on the ground.
She scrambled to get into the car, not letting go of the figurine until they reached the mall parking lot.
Eric grabbed at the doll in her hands, pocketing it, and then watched as Jackie shut the door and waved him off.
"How are you going to get home?" Eric asked gently.
Jackie shrugged, as Eric looked past her and at a few, older boys leering at the tiny girl.
Eric sighed in frustration.
"Wait here, I'm going to find a place to park."
Eric sighed inwardly as Jackie was stopped by a lady with a bright pink name tag.
"Do you need me to open up a fitting room for you?" The lady asked Jackie politely and Jackie nodded, looking back at Eric with slight determination. "Just be quick, the store's closing soon."
Jackie smiled appreciatively as the lady opened a dressing room and put the shiny pink top inside. Jackie smiled at Eric eagerly, shutting the door behind her.
Eric threw the bags onto a bench beside him.
"You're girlfriend's quite the shopper." The lady chuckled, taking a seat beside him.
"Huh?" Eric looked up in confusion.
The lady pointed to the bags, as she adjusted her hair and groaned.
"Oh." Eric laughed. "She's not my..."
"She's awfully pretty." The lady said, thinking deeply. "The pretty ones are always a handful."
"Yeah, she's pretty demanding." Eric laughed to himself.
"You two make a darling couple." The lady said dreamily. "Darling."
"Thanks, but she's not my.."
"Hold on to her...." The lady paused, searching Eric's eyes for his name.
"Eric."
"Eric." The lady breathed in heavily. "Hold on to her, I can tell you two really have something."
Eric couldn't help but crack a smile as the lady nodded at him, getting up to continue clearing the store of customers.
"Eric!" Jackie's voice called pleadingly. "I need you help!"
Eric stood up, pushing bags from his arms as he stode towards the closed dressing room.
Jackie opened the door timidly, holding her hair up with one hand as she held the ties of the halter with the other.
"Can you tie this for me?" She turned her back towards him and he slid his fingers nervously towards the tie, making a sloppy knot.
Jackie sighed in the mirror, and then turned to face him.
Her face looked pained, for a split second, as she checked the tag and muttered to herself.
She looked back at Eric, her eyes bright and big as she smiled.
"It looks terrible, anyway." She said to justify something or other and pushed Eric out.
Eric mumbled to himself nervously as he sat down on the bench.
He didn't know what she was talking about. The contrast of the bright pink make Jackie's tan shoulders gleam and her hazel eyes pop out fiercely. She looked absolutely adorable in the bright, sparkly top. And well, he couldn't see why she wouldn't buy it, since she bought so many other things already. He thought her heard a slight whimper come from Jackie's fitting room as he picked up one of the bags, looking at the price tags and almost gaping in shock.
Jackie had been buying things on clearance all day. A shirt for 2 bucks, a pair of pants for less then 5. And they were simple clothes too, not her usual elaborate, cutesy, preppy things. He knew Jackie's parents were good as gone, but he hadn't thought about where she was getting money. In fact, she wasn't. She was using her money sparingly, probably some left over cash from her last birthday or something.
Jackie came out of the stall and Eric quickly threw the clothes back into the bag, grabbing all in one big swoop as he walked towards a very sad looking Jackie, who quickly threw on a smile as she handed the top to the sales lady.
"Would you like me to get you another size, miss?" The lady asked, winking towards Eric.
"No, that's ok." Jackie smiled gently. "Pink's not really my thing anymore."
She walked on ahead, Eric trudging behind her, not sure what to say to the girl, who was clearly upset.
Jackie broke into a run, breaking through the mall exit in a rush.
"Jackie, hold up!" Eric called as he followed her towards the car, where those older boys were still sitting, outside the mall, smoking cigarettes and swigging down beer as Jackie huffed past them.
One whistled loudly and Jackie turned around, a look of anger plastered across her face.
"Hey baby." One of the guys laughed. "Don't forget your boyfriend."
Eric caught up with Jackie, panting as he grabbed the girl's arm, before she said a word, and pulling her towards the car.
"Jackie, what the hell?" Eric asked as he shoved the bags into the back of the car and sat next to her.
"Eric, do you believe in karma?" Jackie sniffled.
"Um..."
"I always made fun of poor people. You know, how could I not, they're poor! And even now, when I'm dating a poor person, I still make fun of them. But it's finally happened, Eric!"
"What's finally happened?" Eric asked in confusion as he turned towards her.
"I'm..." Jackie groaned, choking back tears, "I'm poor!"
"Jackie, you're not poor. Neither is Hyde."
"Yes, we are. We're poor and in love. We're like Romeo and Juliet. It's so tragic."
"Romeo and Juliet weren't poor, Jackie."
"Fine, then we're like poor, homeless bums." Jackie looked towards the group of boys who were eyeing the car manically. "Eric, it's getting late..."
Eric nodded, starting the car and not saying a word until the mall was out of sight.
"Sorry that I overreacted just now." Jackie laughed. "I tend to do that."
"It's ok." Eric chuckled. "Jackie, you know, when my dad stopped giving me cash I went out and got a job."
"Yeah, that's fine for people like you Eric, but..." Jackie shook her head. "No, I'm like you now, I'm poor."
Eric ignored this and continued, "I saw a 'help wanted' sign in that boutique we were just in. Maybe if you applied..."
"I cannot work at the mall, Eric. People will see me there!"
"Ok, fine." Eric muttered. "Forget I even tried to help."
"Ok, I'm sorry." Jackie groaned. "It's just...I'm so used to being spoiled. I've never worked in my life. I'm...I don't know, I guess I'm kind of scared."
"What if you worked with someone you know?" Eric asked, a beam of hope lighting up in his head. "For weeks, Red's been complaining about needing a new cashier at Price mart. It's perfect for you, Jackie."
"Price mart?"
"Yeah, I mean, I work there, and so does my dad. You'll get a discount, so you can buy all the lip gloss you want."
Jackie nodded happily, pleased with this.
"And all you'll really have to do is stand around and look pretty while you run things through the cash register."
"It's perfect!" Jackie said happily. "You think Red will hire me?"
"Sure, he likes you." Eric nodded. "And now I won't have to hear him bitch about needing a new cashier."
"Glad to help you out." Jackie grinned.
"Yeah, but Jackie, you can't slack off, ok?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Seriously, I mean, Red will kick my ass if you screw up."
"Eric, it'll be fine, I promise."
Jackie's smile made him want to believe her, so Eric forgot about it until Jackie grabbed her bags, pecking him on the cheek before rushing to Donna's for a late dinner.
Later that night, after Eric told Red about Jackie wanted to work, which actually went pretty well when Red remembered just how well Jackie held a flashlight, Eric told the gang in the circle about his night.
"You hung out with Jackie?" Kelso asked in astonishment.
"At the mall?" Fez asked out of jealousy.
"So, Erica, did you buy anything pretty when you were out shopping?" Hyde snickered.
"Shut up, I actually had fun." Eric laughed. "And Luke is still safely intact, so I forgive Jackie for almost murdering him." Eric took out the action figure and started to play around with it.
"Great, now he's playing with dolls." Kelso muttered, groaning as Eric threw the action figure at him. "Man, Jackie barely talks to me anymore..."
"Man, can we not discuss your ex girlfriend who is now my girlfriend in the circle?" Hyde asked with a mischievous smile. "Man, Forman, I've never even been shopping with her before."
"Well, maybe if you spent more time with her, without sucking her face off, you'd realize how rough things are for her right now."
"What the hell does that mean Forman?"
"I'm just saying, Hyde," Eric said, calming down, "Jackie practically broke down at the mall today."
"Why, did she miss out on some major sale or something?" Hyde asked with a apologetic grin.
"Did she max out her credit card?" Kelso joined in.
"Did she accidentally rip her new blouse and therefore exposed her creamy, white skin?" Fez laughed, as the three boys stared at him strangely. "What? I'm horny."
"No," Eric muttered. "She has like, no money."
"Well, duh, Eric, her parents are gone." Kelso muttered.
"She's getting a job." Eric said proudly. "I got her a job at Pricemart."
"Pricemart?" Hyde muttered. "She can't work at Pricemart."
"Well she can, and she is." Eric said matter of factly. "I think she'll do ok."
Kelso and Fez burst out laughing, and Hyde just glared at Eric angrily.
"What?" Eric asked towards Hyde who just rolled his eyes.
"She's my girlfriend, Forman."
"For now." Kelso added, shielding himself from Hyde's punches.
"Yeah, so?" Eric asked timidly.
"She's my problem." Hyde spat out. "Not yours."
"Did I freak out when Donna confided in you instead of me?"
"Yes!" Hyde shouted.
"Ok, then, go ahead." Eric muttered. "But I was just being a friend to Jackie."
"Since when are you and Jackie friends, man?" Hyde asked quickly.
"Since when are you this jealous?" Eric asked back, getting angry as well.
Kelso and Fez looked between the two as the door burst open.
"Hey guys!" Jackie said with a grin, oblivious to the tension between the boys. She gave Hyde a quick kiss on his forehead, and then sat next to Eric on the couch. "So, Eric, did you talk to your dad?"
"Yeah," Eric tore his eyes away from Hyde, who was fuming, and to Jackie, patting her back softly, "He wants me to show you the ropes and stuff."
"So I got the job?" Jackie asked happily.
Eric nodded, standing up quickly. "Come on guys, I promised Donna we'd go meet her at the Hub."
Eric took one last look at Hyde, as Fez, Kelso, and him left the basement in a hurry.
"Jackie, why didn't you tell me you were running low on cash?"
Jackie flushed red with embarrassment, before picking up a magazine, with extreme interest.
"Jackie, answer me." Hyde moved towards her, taking the magazine from her hands.
"I didn't want you to worry about it." Jackie mumbled.
"How much do you need?" Hyde took out his wallet, handing her a twenty.
Jackie stood up quickly, frowning. "I don't need your money, Steven. I'm going to be working now."
"No, you're not." Hyde stood up angrily. "Jackie, just take this." He held the twenty out for her.
Jackie's eyes soared with anger and temptation, and she almost grabbed the bill, but instead closed Hyde's first and shook her head.
"Steven, I need to do this, ok?" She sat back down. "I keep thinking that maybe my mom will come back, maybe my dad will come home, but they aren't coming back, and if they did, they'll just leave again. I can't keep living off other people. I owe it to myself to try to make it on my own."
Hyde nodded in understanding, putting his wallet back in his pocket.
"Ok, I get it." Hyde said, taking her hand. "But from now on, when you need something, you tell me first, ok?"
Jackie nodded briskly, "Ok." She planted a soft kiss on his lips, smiling in contempt. Jackie and Hyde continued to make out softly, until Red burst downstairs, handing Jackie a smock and a name tag.
Jackie stood up quickly, holding the maroon smock to her chest.
"Does this come in any other colors?" Jackie asked in dismay as Red shook his head and ran back upstairs.
Hyde chuckled as he pulled Jackie back down on top of him, pushing the smock aside as he flipped around, cradling her beneath him.
Shivers went down her side as his hands explored her body, his fingertips grazing her underwear as their kisses deepened.
Everything felt so right and so perfect, and Jackie wanted to cement that feeling.
"Steven," Jackie paused, wondering if she should tell him or just, let it be, spontaneous.
"Hmm?" Hyde asked, licking her neck softly, causing her to erupt into giggles.
"Love ya." Jackie muttered, covering up what she really planned on saying.
"Love you too."
Jackie's heart fluttered and her body melted beneath his as he covered her with more kisses. She could tell by his pulsating breath that he wanted to go further, that he was craving her, completely. And soon she'd make that wish come true.
She was finally ready..
She was going to lose her virginity to Steven Hyde.
But when?
Chapter Thirty: Jackie and Eric
"Jackie, can we please, please go home?"
The brunette rolled her eyes to herself, as she glided her hand through her hair, inching forwards towards a display of bright pink halter tops. Summer was approaching rapidly, after all, and Jackie really would look good in one of those.
"Jackie, don't make me beg."
Jackie slumped her shoulders, turning towards the boy behind her, who was weighed down by tons and tons of shopping bags.
"Eric, you volunteered to go shopping with me. And I'm not done just yet." Jackie clicked her tongue towards the boy, who groaned, dropping all the bags as Jackie rifled through the halter tops for the right size.
"Volunteered?"
Jackie turned towards Eric as she snatched up one of the tops, holding it against her chest and nodding in satisfaction.
"Volunteered?" Eric repeated in shock. "You dangled my Luke Skywalker action figure over Donna's cat until I agreed to come."
"Oh, Eric, your doll's just fine, quit whining." Jackie huffed, taking one last look at the boy as she made her way to the fitting rooms.
"Action figure!" Eric shouted, picking up all the bags and following her.
It was close to closing time at the mall, and the few customers left were hurriedly rushing past Eric, towards the exit of the tiny boutique Jackie insisted they stop in. He was already an hour late for his date with Donna, not to mention, he didn't want to come shopping with Jackie in the first place.
How did he end up here with her anyway? Oh yeah...
Eric tapped his watch impatiently, leaning against the Vista Cruiser. He had his license for a whole three days, and already he was growing tired of the amount of time it took for everyone else to walk. Where was everyone else anyway? He knew that Donna and Fez went to the Hub after school, Kelso was off chasing girls, and Hyde was at work. And he was supposed to be tutoring Jackie, who was supposed to be here a half an hour ago. He looked up towards the street, but sighed as there was still no sign of the tiny pixie.
A huge clap of thunder struck above his head, and he let tiny droplets of rain glide down his throat as it started to pour. He stayed under the porch for a few minutes, still waiting, and then figured the cheerleader had gotten distracted and slipped inside the kitchen.
"I was Summer Queen when I was a freshman!" Laurie shouted excitedly as she walked in from the living room, casting a sideways glance at Eric. "Why are you wet?"
"It's raining." Eric said, pointing towards the slider, as streams of rain came flying downwards.
He stumbled backwards as Jackie came in behind Laurie, giggling harmoniously as she sat down with Laurie at the table.
"Jackie, where have you been?"
"Oh, Eric..." Jackie stopped her laughing. "I was just, um, catching up with Laurie."
"But you hate Laurie." Eric pointed out.
"Yeah, Eric, but us cheerleaders need to stick together." Laurie smirked. "Jackie, I have a date, but tomorrow, I'll tell you all about my Summer Dance." Laurie patted Jackie's head happily. "You're going to make such a cute Summer Queen!" She smiled bitterly down at Jackie then stuck her tongue out at Eric before disappearing into the living room.
"That was weird." Eric laughed as he grabbed a coke from the fridge and sat down at the table, next to Jackie, who just shrugged.
"Laurie's not that bad, Eric." Jackie's nose sniffled softly. "Besides the fact that she's a big whore, she's actually sort of sweet."
"Sweet?" Eric laughed incredulously. "Yeah, ok, and Red's got a full head of hair."
Jackie smiled at Eric devilishly, leaning towards him, "So, I'm feeling kind of down, Eric...can we skip the whole tutoring thing, just for today?"
Eric nodded his head appreciatively, "I didn't feel like tutoring today either."
"Good, so let's go somewhere!"
"Together?"
Jackie patted Eric's wrist playfully, "Well, who else do I know has their license?"
"Um, Kelso?"
"Yeah, but he drives that dirty van and besides..." Jackie rolled her eyes. "I don't really..."
"Yeah, I know, it's weird with you two." Eric nodded in understanding. "Why don't you ask your new best friend Laurie to take you? God knows she gets more gas money then I do."
"She has a date, remember?"
"Oh yeah, probably with Satan." Eric huffed and Jackie batted her lashes forcefully.
"Pretty, pretty please, Eric? Can you take me to the mall? You can just drop me off, I swear."
"Ok!" Eric jumped up ecstatically. "I love the mall!"
"Really!?" Jackie stood up as well, jumping up and down ecstatically.
"No." Eric crossed his arms complacently, noticing that the rain was clearing up.
"Ericcccc..." Jackie whined, pushing him slightly. "What else are you going to do?"
"Anything that doesn't include you and shopping." Eric grabbed his keys from his pocket and left the kitchen, Jackie quickly behind him as he opened the driver's door to the Vista Cruiser.
"Fine, I didn't want to do this, but..." Jackie grabbed Eric by the collar of his jacket, which was a big leap, since he was much taller then the tiny girl, and started groping around his chest, lunging her hand into his pocket as he struggled to get the girl off of him.
"Jackie, what the hell are you doing?" Eric shouted as she leaped off of him, clutching a tiny figurine in her hand.
She spotted Donna's cat, lingering by the Forman's porch and scooped up the cat, petting it as it purred.
"Jackie..." Eric watched in slight disbelief as Jackie dangled his brand new Luke Skywalker figurine in front of the cat, who was pawing it intensely. "You are so the devil."
"Now, Eric," Jackie lifted the action figure so the cat couldn't get a hold of it and continued to dangle it playfully, "Take me to the mall, or Luke gets it."
"What did he ever do to you, huh?" Eric whined, motioning for her to get into the car. Jackie smiled, petting the cat as she let it down on the ground.
She scrambled to get into the car, not letting go of the figurine until they reached the mall parking lot.
Eric grabbed at the doll in her hands, pocketing it, and then watched as Jackie shut the door and waved him off.
"How are you going to get home?" Eric asked gently.
Jackie shrugged, as Eric looked past her and at a few, older boys leering at the tiny girl.
Eric sighed in frustration.
"Wait here, I'm going to find a place to park."
Eric sighed inwardly as Jackie was stopped by a lady with a bright pink name tag.
"Do you need me to open up a fitting room for you?" The lady asked Jackie politely and Jackie nodded, looking back at Eric with slight determination. "Just be quick, the store's closing soon."
Jackie smiled appreciatively as the lady opened a dressing room and put the shiny pink top inside. Jackie smiled at Eric eagerly, shutting the door behind her.
Eric threw the bags onto a bench beside him.
"You're girlfriend's quite the shopper." The lady chuckled, taking a seat beside him.
"Huh?" Eric looked up in confusion.
The lady pointed to the bags, as she adjusted her hair and groaned.
"Oh." Eric laughed. "She's not my..."
"She's awfully pretty." The lady said, thinking deeply. "The pretty ones are always a handful."
"Yeah, she's pretty demanding." Eric laughed to himself.
"You two make a darling couple." The lady said dreamily. "Darling."
"Thanks, but she's not my.."
"Hold on to her...." The lady paused, searching Eric's eyes for his name.
"Eric."
"Eric." The lady breathed in heavily. "Hold on to her, I can tell you two really have something."
Eric couldn't help but crack a smile as the lady nodded at him, getting up to continue clearing the store of customers.
"Eric!" Jackie's voice called pleadingly. "I need you help!"
Eric stood up, pushing bags from his arms as he stode towards the closed dressing room.
Jackie opened the door timidly, holding her hair up with one hand as she held the ties of the halter with the other.
"Can you tie this for me?" She turned her back towards him and he slid his fingers nervously towards the tie, making a sloppy knot.
Jackie sighed in the mirror, and then turned to face him.
Her face looked pained, for a split second, as she checked the tag and muttered to herself.
She looked back at Eric, her eyes bright and big as she smiled.
"It looks terrible, anyway." She said to justify something or other and pushed Eric out.
Eric mumbled to himself nervously as he sat down on the bench.
He didn't know what she was talking about. The contrast of the bright pink make Jackie's tan shoulders gleam and her hazel eyes pop out fiercely. She looked absolutely adorable in the bright, sparkly top. And well, he couldn't see why she wouldn't buy it, since she bought so many other things already. He thought her heard a slight whimper come from Jackie's fitting room as he picked up one of the bags, looking at the price tags and almost gaping in shock.
Jackie had been buying things on clearance all day. A shirt for 2 bucks, a pair of pants for less then 5. And they were simple clothes too, not her usual elaborate, cutesy, preppy things. He knew Jackie's parents were good as gone, but he hadn't thought about where she was getting money. In fact, she wasn't. She was using her money sparingly, probably some left over cash from her last birthday or something.
Jackie came out of the stall and Eric quickly threw the clothes back into the bag, grabbing all in one big swoop as he walked towards a very sad looking Jackie, who quickly threw on a smile as she handed the top to the sales lady.
"Would you like me to get you another size, miss?" The lady asked, winking towards Eric.
"No, that's ok." Jackie smiled gently. "Pink's not really my thing anymore."
She walked on ahead, Eric trudging behind her, not sure what to say to the girl, who was clearly upset.
Jackie broke into a run, breaking through the mall exit in a rush.
"Jackie, hold up!" Eric called as he followed her towards the car, where those older boys were still sitting, outside the mall, smoking cigarettes and swigging down beer as Jackie huffed past them.
One whistled loudly and Jackie turned around, a look of anger plastered across her face.
"Hey baby." One of the guys laughed. "Don't forget your boyfriend."
Eric caught up with Jackie, panting as he grabbed the girl's arm, before she said a word, and pulling her towards the car.
"Jackie, what the hell?" Eric asked as he shoved the bags into the back of the car and sat next to her.
"Eric, do you believe in karma?" Jackie sniffled.
"Um..."
"I always made fun of poor people. You know, how could I not, they're poor! And even now, when I'm dating a poor person, I still make fun of them. But it's finally happened, Eric!"
"What's finally happened?" Eric asked in confusion as he turned towards her.
"I'm..." Jackie groaned, choking back tears, "I'm poor!"
"Jackie, you're not poor. Neither is Hyde."
"Yes, we are. We're poor and in love. We're like Romeo and Juliet. It's so tragic."
"Romeo and Juliet weren't poor, Jackie."
"Fine, then we're like poor, homeless bums." Jackie looked towards the group of boys who were eyeing the car manically. "Eric, it's getting late..."
Eric nodded, starting the car and not saying a word until the mall was out of sight.
"Sorry that I overreacted just now." Jackie laughed. "I tend to do that."
"It's ok." Eric chuckled. "Jackie, you know, when my dad stopped giving me cash I went out and got a job."
"Yeah, that's fine for people like you Eric, but..." Jackie shook her head. "No, I'm like you now, I'm poor."
Eric ignored this and continued, "I saw a 'help wanted' sign in that boutique we were just in. Maybe if you applied..."
"I cannot work at the mall, Eric. People will see me there!"
"Ok, fine." Eric muttered. "Forget I even tried to help."
"Ok, I'm sorry." Jackie groaned. "It's just...I'm so used to being spoiled. I've never worked in my life. I'm...I don't know, I guess I'm kind of scared."
"What if you worked with someone you know?" Eric asked, a beam of hope lighting up in his head. "For weeks, Red's been complaining about needing a new cashier at Price mart. It's perfect for you, Jackie."
"Price mart?"
"Yeah, I mean, I work there, and so does my dad. You'll get a discount, so you can buy all the lip gloss you want."
Jackie nodded happily, pleased with this.
"And all you'll really have to do is stand around and look pretty while you run things through the cash register."
"It's perfect!" Jackie said happily. "You think Red will hire me?"
"Sure, he likes you." Eric nodded. "And now I won't have to hear him bitch about needing a new cashier."
"Glad to help you out." Jackie grinned.
"Yeah, but Jackie, you can't slack off, ok?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Seriously, I mean, Red will kick my ass if you screw up."
"Eric, it'll be fine, I promise."
Jackie's smile made him want to believe her, so Eric forgot about it until Jackie grabbed her bags, pecking him on the cheek before rushing to Donna's for a late dinner.
Later that night, after Eric told Red about Jackie wanted to work, which actually went pretty well when Red remembered just how well Jackie held a flashlight, Eric told the gang in the circle about his night.
"You hung out with Jackie?" Kelso asked in astonishment.
"At the mall?" Fez asked out of jealousy.
"So, Erica, did you buy anything pretty when you were out shopping?" Hyde snickered.
"Shut up, I actually had fun." Eric laughed. "And Luke is still safely intact, so I forgive Jackie for almost murdering him." Eric took out the action figure and started to play around with it.
"Great, now he's playing with dolls." Kelso muttered, groaning as Eric threw the action figure at him. "Man, Jackie barely talks to me anymore..."
"Man, can we not discuss your ex girlfriend who is now my girlfriend in the circle?" Hyde asked with a mischievous smile. "Man, Forman, I've never even been shopping with her before."
"Well, maybe if you spent more time with her, without sucking her face off, you'd realize how rough things are for her right now."
"What the hell does that mean Forman?"
"I'm just saying, Hyde," Eric said, calming down, "Jackie practically broke down at the mall today."
"Why, did she miss out on some major sale or something?" Hyde asked with a apologetic grin.
"Did she max out her credit card?" Kelso joined in.
"Did she accidentally rip her new blouse and therefore exposed her creamy, white skin?" Fez laughed, as the three boys stared at him strangely. "What? I'm horny."
"No," Eric muttered. "She has like, no money."
"Well, duh, Eric, her parents are gone." Kelso muttered.
"She's getting a job." Eric said proudly. "I got her a job at Pricemart."
"Pricemart?" Hyde muttered. "She can't work at Pricemart."
"Well she can, and she is." Eric said matter of factly. "I think she'll do ok."
Kelso and Fez burst out laughing, and Hyde just glared at Eric angrily.
"What?" Eric asked towards Hyde who just rolled his eyes.
"She's my girlfriend, Forman."
"For now." Kelso added, shielding himself from Hyde's punches.
"Yeah, so?" Eric asked timidly.
"She's my problem." Hyde spat out. "Not yours."
"Did I freak out when Donna confided in you instead of me?"
"Yes!" Hyde shouted.
"Ok, then, go ahead." Eric muttered. "But I was just being a friend to Jackie."
"Since when are you and Jackie friends, man?" Hyde asked quickly.
"Since when are you this jealous?" Eric asked back, getting angry as well.
Kelso and Fez looked between the two as the door burst open.
"Hey guys!" Jackie said with a grin, oblivious to the tension between the boys. She gave Hyde a quick kiss on his forehead, and then sat next to Eric on the couch. "So, Eric, did you talk to your dad?"
"Yeah," Eric tore his eyes away from Hyde, who was fuming, and to Jackie, patting her back softly, "He wants me to show you the ropes and stuff."
"So I got the job?" Jackie asked happily.
Eric nodded, standing up quickly. "Come on guys, I promised Donna we'd go meet her at the Hub."
Eric took one last look at Hyde, as Fez, Kelso, and him left the basement in a hurry.
"Jackie, why didn't you tell me you were running low on cash?"
Jackie flushed red with embarrassment, before picking up a magazine, with extreme interest.
"Jackie, answer me." Hyde moved towards her, taking the magazine from her hands.
"I didn't want you to worry about it." Jackie mumbled.
"How much do you need?" Hyde took out his wallet, handing her a twenty.
Jackie stood up quickly, frowning. "I don't need your money, Steven. I'm going to be working now."
"No, you're not." Hyde stood up angrily. "Jackie, just take this." He held the twenty out for her.
Jackie's eyes soared with anger and temptation, and she almost grabbed the bill, but instead closed Hyde's first and shook her head.
"Steven, I need to do this, ok?" She sat back down. "I keep thinking that maybe my mom will come back, maybe my dad will come home, but they aren't coming back, and if they did, they'll just leave again. I can't keep living off other people. I owe it to myself to try to make it on my own."
Hyde nodded in understanding, putting his wallet back in his pocket.
"Ok, I get it." Hyde said, taking her hand. "But from now on, when you need something, you tell me first, ok?"
Jackie nodded briskly, "Ok." She planted a soft kiss on his lips, smiling in contempt. Jackie and Hyde continued to make out softly, until Red burst downstairs, handing Jackie a smock and a name tag.
Jackie stood up quickly, holding the maroon smock to her chest.
"Does this come in any other colors?" Jackie asked in dismay as Red shook his head and ran back upstairs.
Hyde chuckled as he pulled Jackie back down on top of him, pushing the smock aside as he flipped around, cradling her beneath him.
Shivers went down her side as his hands explored her body, his fingertips grazing her underwear as their kisses deepened.
Everything felt so right and so perfect, and Jackie wanted to cement that feeling.
"Steven," Jackie paused, wondering if she should tell him or just, let it be, spontaneous.
"Hmm?" Hyde asked, licking her neck softly, causing her to erupt into giggles.
"Love ya." Jackie muttered, covering up what she really planned on saying.
"Love you too."
Jackie's heart fluttered and her body melted beneath his as he covered her with more kisses. She could tell by his pulsating breath that he wanted to go further, that he was craving her, completely. And soon she'd make that wish come true.
She was finally ready..
She was going to lose her virginity to Steven Hyde.
But when?