Disclaimer: I do not own That 70's Show
Chapter seven:
ERIC
Jackie and Hyde were still locked in her room, and I was starting to get worried about Hyde. Donna, Kelso, Fez, and I tried to pretend that we are not interested to know what the hell is happening in that room, but after a while, we heard Jackie yelling, and we all exchanged worried looks. We are hearing everything she's saying, and honestly, I am feeling bad for the girl. This must be killing Hyde. Kelso and Fez look really uncomfortable, and Donna looks extremely worried. Just when I was about to suggest an intervention or something, Jackie stopped yelling and we hear her saying something like "sorry isn't going to cut it, Steven". And now they lowered their voices significantly, because we can't hear them anymore, and I breathe in relief. We all thought that Hyde was going to leave the room looking dejected after all the yelling, but he didn't.
"Do you think they're doing it?" Kelso asked
"No, Jackie's not going to forgive him that easily, especially after all the yelling" Donna answered him, but she still carried a worried expression
"Besides, when they used to do it, Jackie was very loud" Fez stated, and we all looked at him, disgusted
"Ew! I'm not even going to ask how you know that!" Donna grimaced, and Fez was about to say something else when I interrupted him
"Fez, if you don't shut up I'm telling Hyde" I threatened him, and he cringed
"But shouldn't we go check on them or something? Jackie probably killed Hyde by now" Kelso stated
"Leave them be" Donna warned him "They have a lot to talk about"
I nod in agreement with Donna. They do have a lot to talk about, and I'm assuming that after hearing Jackie's words, Hyde would be spending a lot of time apologizing to her. We all sat on the couch, making small talk and watching The Brady Bunch, Donna wasn't paying attention to the TV though, she was often glancing in the direction of Jackie's room.
"Do you think they'll be able to figure things out?" I ask
"I hope so" she answers "I don't expect Jackie to forgive him so soon though, he really damaged her"
I nod and smile slightly to myself, noticing that this is the first civilized conversation we had since I came back. I know better so I do not push. After reflecting a lot, I decided that she needs to be the one to reach me to talk about us, I don't want to pressure her into talking to me.
"I hope he grovels" I hear her mumbling angrily to herself
"Oh he will grovel," I say "Besides, I don't think he wants to get punched again" I look at her and she was grinning shyly
"Well, he deserved it, he was being an asshole"
"So I've heard" Every week I was in Africa my mother would call me, and every week she mentioned how worried she was about Hyde. When I came back, Kelso told me everything about the day Donna punched Hyde. According to him, it was one of the best days of his life, apparently Hyde's face was bruised for over a week, and judging by everything I was told, he indeed deserved that punch. I'm just glad he changed, because I don't think I would be able to be friends with that version of Hyde, the post-Vegas Hyde. "By the way, I would like to state that you're Red's new hero, according to Fez, every time Hyde was being a dumbass Red would grin slyly, saying if he doesn't watch it he was going to 'pull up a Donna' on him" I laugh, and so does she.
God, I missed this so much.
I looked deeply into her eyes, and she was opening her mouth to say something. Then we all saw Jackie and Hyde leaving the room, he was wearing his shades so I couldn't read his expression well, but he did have a small grin on his face. Jackie looked like she was crying, but she also had a small grin on her face. Are they back together?
"Are you two back together?" Fez asks suspiciously, earning a threatening glare from Hyde and an uncomfortable smile from Jackie
"No" Jackie answers Fez and I look at Hyde, he seems a little disappointed, but not as much as I thought he would be "We're talking, for now" she completed
Donna is analyzing both Hyde and Jackie right now, I guess she's trying to see if they were telling the truth. In the end, she sent a very meaningful look to Jackie and directed her attention back to the TV.
"I think we should head back now" Kelso stood up "I have to watch Betsy tomorrow morning"
Then, Donna looks directly at me and asks
"When are you leaving?" Her tone wasn't hostile, though. It was a genuine question.
"Actually Forman, we need to leave in the morning" Hyde answers "Fez and I need to go back to work" then he looks at Jackie and smiles a little "But I'm thinking of paying another visit to Chicago on Saturday, what do you think?" He asks me and I smile in appreciation, I nod but I don't think he noticed, he had his eyes on Jackie, who was trying to bite back a smile.
Oh, they are so getting back together.
I looked expectantly at Donna, and she was trying to bite back a smile as well.
"See you on Saturday?" I ask
"Yeah" she smiles brightly and I swear to God my heart stopped at this very moment.
She doesn't hate me. She smiled at me. She's going to talk to me. Maybe things will be fine between us. Before I could send Donna one of those sexy looks that I know she loves, Fez pulled her into a tight hug, literally pushing me aside and tossing me onto the floor. Hyde, Jackie, and Kelso chuckled at the sight of my misery, but Donna looked apologetic and tried to get away from the foreigner's tight embrace. Jackie probably noticed her discomfort and called Fez, who promptly pulled away from Donna and rushed into Jackie.
"Oh, my goddess, I will miss you" he threw himself into Jackie's arms, not a smart decision, Jackie is a tiny person, if she wasn't leaning into the wall they would've collapsed into the floor, not that Fez would complain. Hyde was visibly glaring at Fez, who was completely oblivious of his presence, he cleared his throat and Fez pulled away from Jackie.
"Wait, Fezzie, aren't you coming back on Saturday too?" She asked
"No" he pouted sadly, then he smiled proudly "I, Fez, have a date on Saturday"
Jackie chuckled, but she realized he wasn't kidding "Wait, really? With who?"
"My beautiful Big Rhonda is back and she called looking for some brown sugar if you know what I mean" he grinned perversely, making all of us grimace, except Kelso, of course, he looked really happy for our little friend
"Alright! Fez is going to nail a fat chick!" He grinned and gave Fez a high five.
Yeah, some things never change.
The girls walked us to the door, Donna was giving Fez and Kelso a lecture about respecting women, no matter their weight, I wasn't paying much attention because I noticed that Jackie pulled Hyde aside, she lowered her voice, he took off his sunglasses, he seems to be doing that a lot in her presence.
"Steven, I…" she paused, probably trying to figure out what she's going to say "The roads… they are all icy and stuff… just… call me when you arrive home, okay?" She asked tenderly and he looked at her, adoration reflected on his unshaded eyes. He smiled at her and nodded, and just when we were about to leave, he kissed her hand, like a true gentleman, if I wasn't so impressed and shocked I would've probably come out with a pretty good burn, but Jackie looked like she was about to melt. As we waved goodbye I took one last glance at the girls and Jackie was trying really hard to hold back a big smile. Hyde is one lucky son of a bitch, they were going to be fine, eventually.
HYDE
There were no stuffed animals in her room.
That was the first thing I noticed when we went there to have our talk. There were also almost no pictures, Jackie loves pictures, but I only saw two. The one on her nightstand showed tiny Jackie and her father, she was riding a pony and laughing, she showed me this picture many times before, it's her favorite. The other picture made me smile, it was one of the entire gang, Mrs. Forman took it the day we missed our graduation.
The first time I entered her room back at Point Place I felt like I was standing inside of a blown piece of bubblegum, I remember how uncomfortable I'd felt at the time. Now, I've never seen a room so bland, so… un-Jackie. And that bothered me profusely.
Our talk was something. It was progress, we definitely made some progress, but man, when Jackie told me how much I've hurt her, that fucking killed me. Hearing her saying out loud all the damage I've done, I felt like a worthless piece of shit.
I caused her the worst pain of her life. I was supposed to take the pain away, not to be the cause of it. And what the hell was that about her mom abandoning her twice?
When Jackie started to cry, I felt like my world was ending, I felt like scum, all I wanted to do was to hold her, and tell her everything is going to be alright, but I couldn't, because I'm the reason she was crying in the first place. So I just leaned my head in my hands and let Jackie say everything she needed to say. A sharp pain ripped across my chest every time she sobbed, and for the second time in those last 6 months, I've felt tears leaving my eyes. I didn't even try to hide it, there was no point.
I laid my heart out for her, and I was surprised when she didn't stomp all over it with her high heels. She had every right to, but she didn't. I told her I was willing to wait for her, and I am. And in the end, she actually gave me a chance. She told me that we are not back together, and I'm okay with that, because she gave me hope.
So this whole friendship thing isn't that bad, in fact, it's a great way for me to earn her trust again.
And I meant what I said to her, I really do trust her. She may be bitchy and bossy, but she has a heart of gold, she would never cheat, not when she knows how it feels to be cheated on, I just wish I figured that out sooner.
In the end, she ended up in my arms, it was only a hug, but still. For a long time, I never thought I would have the privilege to hold her again, to feel her heartbeat against my own. The smell of strawberries and vanilla filled my nostrils, and it gave me a high no other drug could ever give me, I felt like I was in heaven. I could've stayed like that forever, but the morons were waiting for us, so after a while, I kissed the top of her head and we headed to the door. And then she smiled.
When we were leaving, she pulled me into a corner and asked me to call her when I arrived home. She was actually worried about me. I looked deeply into her mismatched eyes, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how much I love this woman, so involuntarily, I did something I never thought I would do, I took her hand in mine, and kissed it, just like those pansy-ass dudes in those shitty soap operas do, but when I saw the look in her face though, oh boy, she just looked to perfect to be real. She always does.
I try to wipe the grin off my face every time I remember her smile, but I'm starting to think that's literally impossible. Forman also looks pretty happy, he's driving us back to Point Place right now and for the first time since we arrived in Chicago, he's not whining.
We dropped Fez at his place, then we headed back to the Formans. As soon as we left the car, we were engulfed by Mrs. Forman's arms.
"My boys! I missed you so much! So, how did it go? Are the girls okay? Oh I bet they're too skinny, none of them knows how to cook properly, I need to send them another box of cookies…"
"Mom!" Eric interrupts her endless ramblings
"Oh, I'm sorry! Come inside, I'll make you two a sandwich, then you can tell me everything!" She claps excitedly and heads inside, dragging us with her.
Red's sitting at the kitchen table, polishing some of his shoes.
"Dumbasses" he greets us, then he looks at me "I see Donna kept her fists to herself during this trip, huh?"
"Is nobody ever going to let that go?" I sit on the bench near the kitchen counter, Forman sits on the bench next to me.
"No" Red grins
Mrs. Forman places a plate full of sandwiches in front of us and I grab one, I'm pretty hungry, we haven't eaten breakfast today.
"So?" Mrs. Forman asks expectantly
"The girls are fine," Eric says "We're going back to Chicago on Saturday"
"I'm sorry you're what?" Mrs. Forman asked dumbfounded "No, no, no, you're barely back! There's no need to go there again, you can talk on the phone, you know!"
"Mom…"
"Kitty, if the boys want to leave my house for the weekend you let them!" Red protested
"Well, this is fun" I smile wryly "But I have to head to the store, see ya" I kiss Mrs. Forman's cheek and leave.
As soon as I got into the store I headed into my office, Jackie asked me to call her. She actually asked me to call her when I arrived home. I dial the number that I've gotten from Mrs. Forman months ago.
"Hello?" I hear her voice from the other side of the line. I'll never get tired of her voice.
"Hey"
"Steven?"
"Yeah, it's me"
"Hey," I notice her tone went soft and I smile
"So… I arrived home okay" I say "Forman didn't whine on the trip back so I assume he and Donna must've talked"
"Oh, they didn't" she responds "I mean, they talked, but not about their problems, Donna's planning on having the talk on Saturday"
"Jackie…" I start "I just wanted to say that I meant it, everything I've said yesterday, I've meant it"
"I know"
There's an awkward silence between us.
"Steven?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to forgive you, I really do" she pauses "But… it's going to take a while, you know?"
"I know doll" I sigh "But I'm not giving up this time, okay?"
"Okay… so, how are Mr. and Mrs. Forman? I really miss them"
"Red seems really happy that Forman and I are planning to take a few trips to Chicago in the near future" I answer her "But Mrs. Forman was about to cry by the time I left"
"Wait, you're not at the Formans?" She asks
"No, I'm at the store" I answer her "Next time you visit Point Place you should visit the store, in those last few months I've been doing some pretty nice work here. Plus, I wanted to call you from my office because Mrs. Forman tends to eavesdrop on some conversations she mind find interesting"
"Really?"
"Yeah, you know how she likes to know stuff and I'm not usually a guy who shares…"
"No, Steven," she chuckled, "I mean, are you really working in the store? Like, actually working?"
"Yes" I shift uncomfortably in my seat "I actually like it, and we've been selling really well, I even hired two new guys to help me out, since Angie's gone and Leo is pretty much useless"
"I'm proud of you," she says, and I smile "I always trusted in your potential"
"You were the only one" I groaned sadly "God, letting you go was the stupidest thing I've ever done"
"Yeah, I'm pretty amazing" she jokes and, again, I smiled "Steven… not everything's your fault, you know? I shouldn't have given you that stupid ultimatum"
"But I understand why you did. I didn't then, but I do now. I should've been more open to you, about my feelings and stuff… I should've told you how much I love you every day"
"And I shouldn't have been so bitchy and manipulative"
"I guess… but my list of mistakes is way bigger than yours doll, I have a lot to make up for" I admit
She pauses for a few seconds, and I hear her sighing "Yes, you do"
"I'm not letting you down this time" I promise her, then I hear a knock on the office door "Shit, I have to go back to work"
"It's okay"
"Hey Jacks… can I, I don't know, call you tomorrow, maybe?"
"That would be nice"
"What time are you back from work?"
"Around 7"
"Then I'll call you tomorrow, around 8"
"I would like that, bye Steven"
"Bye doll"
I hang up the phone, and I answer the door, the new guy I've hired a few weeks ago, Dom, was waiting for me.
"Sorry to bother you, boss, but the store's pretty full and I can't find Leo anywhere"
I exhale and head to work, thinking about how I can right my wrongs.
A/N: Hello again!
So, I'm not a big fan of this chapter, mostly because I tend to struggle when I try to develop some dialogue between the entire gang without a circle envolved. And also because this is mostly a filler chapter.
The next couple chapters are definitely my favorites so far, seriously, I love chapter 8 and chapter 9.
As I mentioned before, I normally have trouble writing Eric and Donna, but chapter 8 is mostly focused on them and chapter 9 is completely focused on Jackie and Hyde, I loved writing these chapters and I'm very anxious to see how people are going to react to them.
Anyways, I normally ramble a lot on the notes, sorry
If you leave a review I'll be very happy, see you on Sunday!
