Fight For Your Right
"Guys. I'm gonna get Jackie back."
There is silence in the circle as Kelso's cheerful statement takes a moment to process through the haze they've created for themselves. Eric is the first to react, letting out a high-pitched, girlish giggle that Hyde would make fun of he wasn't frozen in place by the news.
"You're gonna do what?" Eric laughs.
"He is going to get Jackie back," Fez explains patiently, then narrows his eyes as it sinks in. "Hey, you bastard, what makes you think that innocent flower will take you back again?"
"Oh, please! Did you see the way she was looking at me this morning? She kept catching my eye and touching her lips." Kelso rolls his eyes at his friends' obliviousness. "She obviously wants my body. Ow!"
Hyde retracts his fist calmly. "Dude, you're an idiot. She was trying to tell you that you had chocolate all over your face."
"He still does, actually," Eric stage-whispers to Fez, and they cackle together as Kelso frantically paws at his mouth.
"Listen, dweeb, focus," Hyde says, knocking Kelso's hand away from his face. "When're you gonna put this master plan into action?"
"At Rebecca Morrison's party," Kelso informs them smugly.
"I heard about that party," Fez nods wisely. "When I was listening outside the girl's locker room, Rebecca told Kelly Luzman that her parents would not be home and she would be getting a keg from the frat she slept with."
"Do you mean … frat guy, Fez?" Eric carefully enunciates his words, wanting the other boy to hear him clearly.
Fez purses his lips. "No, she most definitely said 'frat'."
"Well, who cares how many times Becky's saddled up?" Hyde expertly changes the subject to something more pertinent. "She's got free beer! When is this shindig, Kelso, and do we need to forge invitations?"
"It's open house, man, and it's tonight!" As his own words dawn, Kelso scrambles out of his seat. "Oh, man, I gotta go get ready! Jackie will never go back out with me if I smell like a stoner!"
Jackie arrives in the basement a few hours later, dressed to kill and proclaiming, "Don't I look fabulous?" with a model's turn so her audience can get a glimpse of every angle.
Fez applauds and Donna, smirking, leans over to whisper in Hyde's ear, "Shut your trap, you're catching flies."
He glares at her, but re-fastens his jaw and manages to sit stoically while Kelso spins Jackie once, twice, then dips her and declares her, "Fit for a King."
The entire room, minus Jackie, catches the reference and instead of letting anyone dwell on it, Donna claps her hand briskly. "Alright, is there a party to go to or not? Let's get this show on the road!"
Hyde's first order of business upon arriving at the party is securing them all a beer, which Jackie eyes distastefully but gulps down like a pro. "Ugh, that stuff's awful," she claims upon draining her cup. "I'm gonna go sit and see which cute boy will be first to get me another one."
"Oh, Jackie, I'll get you one," Kelso offers.
Her finger jabs into his chest. "No. No way, Michael, you stay far away from me. Boys won't come near me if they think I'm with you."
Hyde sniggers, "Burn," and grabs another beer as the group disperses. Parties really aren't his thing, but since Kelso was planning to make a move, he figured he had to be there for this one. He situates himself against the wall, keeping a careful eye on Jackie and her steady flow of admirers. One by one, guys turn up, hand her a drink, and are awarded the privilege of sitting next to her on the couch until she finishes it.
Hyde shakes his head disapprovingly, but can't turn away when Kelso decides to try his hand. The clueless boy puts an arm around Jackie, whispers something in her ear, and is rewarded with a slap in the face. As Jackie storms past him, Hyde notices her lack of balance and hurries to follow her.
"Jackie, Jackie, Jackie!" he calls just before she barricades herself in the bathroom. "Hey, wait a minute! Can I come in?"
"The more the merrier," she says sarcastically, and he slips in anyway just before she closes the door in his face.
"Ugh, I can't stand Michael Kelso anymore, I really can't!" she seethes, slurring the words together. "He is such a sleaze! Was he so sleazy when I was going with him?"
"Well, yeah," Hyde answers bluntly. "That's why you broke up with him, remember? Pam Macey? Prom?"
"Aw, prom." She grabs his face with both hands, her palms soft and cool on his skin. "You were so nice to take me to prom, Steven Hyde. Did I ever properly thank you for that?"
"It was no big deal," he says, a little uncomfortable as her hips grind against his. "Besides, I didn't think Jackie Burkhart "did" grateful."
She tosses her hair, pouting prettily. "Yeah, well, maybe you don't know me as well as you think."
"Maybe you don't know what you're doing right now," he tells her. And stepping back is probably the hardest thing he's done since the time he had to convince Mrs. Forman that he wasn't stoned out of his mind at the dinner table, but he does it, because it's the right thing to do.
And when exactly he, Steven Hyde, became a 'nice guy' who did the 'right' thing all the time is a mystery even to him. He's not sure he likes it. But it has to be better than saying 'screw it' and kissing her like he wants to and pushing her up against the wall like he's dreamed about. Because he does know Jackie, and she'll make him pay for it tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that.
"Come on," he says finally, lacing his fingers with hers. "I'll take you home."
"I don't wanna go home," she mumbles, staggering down the sidewalk with his arm looped around her waist for support. "No one's ever there and I'm tired of being by myself all the time."
He'd actually meant the basement when he said 'home'. Hyde forgot, sometimes, due to the amount of time the six of them spent beneath the Formans, that some of them had other places to go and people to answer to. Before he can explain that to Jackie, she leans her head on his shoulder and mumbles, "Can you carry me, Steven? I'm so dizzy."
"You better not remember this in the morning," he whispers sternly, and sweeps her into his arms.