Kat Peterson and Jane Jenson had been out to get Hyde under them since the beginning of the school year, and their efforts kept getting thwarted, making tensions run high.
At first, it didn't bother him. He liked the attention, and jealous Jackie was crazier in bed than she was when she wasn't jealous. He liked that he got under their skin. He liked that they hated the fact that he and Jackie were friends.
He liked that they were hopelessly pining for one of the loser kids that hungout in the basement to burnout. And he liked that they were the fakest bitches on the planet, who wanted one of the realest boys in town.
Then after a few weeks, it really started to get old. Especially after he had gotten the Camino from Leo. All bets were off.
So when Kat Peterson and Jane Jenson showed up with a stash of their own in a parking lot, of course, with his luck. They got caught.
And then, his big mouth, decided to say that it was his.
And that was how his dumbass found himself sitting in a cell, thrumming his hands against his thigh, and waiting the arrival of Jackie and Laurie.
Of course, he had never been happier to see Laurie Foreman in his life, until Red had walked in behind her, and crushed his dreams of ever seeing Jackie again. And he was mad. As in mad mad.
"So, the curly dumbass is on dope." He pointed at him, and Steven bit his lip, coughing. "Sir-"
"I don't want to hear it Steven. Ass in the Toyota."
"Red-"
"Now." He told him, and the boy nodded, as they took the cuffs off of him, and he followed Laurie outside. She smacked him. Once, twice, a third time.
"Why the hell would you have done that, you- you- stupid little orphan boy!" She screeched, face red. "You should have saved your charitable acts for something that would actually help someone, you goon. Now, Red thinks you're on drugs, and there's no way Kat Peterson or Jane Jenson are gonna say anything about your stash being theirs. You know this goes on a record?" She babbled, and he just stared at her.
"Listen, I already got a record. And, they don't. If their parents are anything like Buddy's parents were, or anything like Jason's, they'd be in my position anyways. Kitty wouldn't let anything happen to me, Laurie. I'm a dead end kid. Dead end, since day one, and that's all I'm ever gonna be." He told her, and she coughed, pointing behind her.
"That was a real dumbass move, Steven. Not only do you have a record, but I found more of that insane crap in my basement. Do you know how bullshit I am at you right now. How long have you been doing this for?" He prodded, and Steven shrugged. "Like a week."
"Do my kids do it?"
"No, sir." He shook his head. Laurie rolled her eyes.
"Wrong. Eric already fessed because I threatened to kick your ass out for lying."
"I-" He sputtered, freezing. What was he supposed to say to him? "He's my friend-"
"And apparently he's yours too. Because this isn't happening anymore!" He roared, slamming a fist down on the steering wheel. "No more cars, no more friends, you're all grounded, all three of you!"
"Three?"
"I was gonna kick both of you out, and then Jackie came in to save your asses."
"Red-"
"Shut up!"
The car ride was quiet, and the house was quiet, but the living room was full. Eric and Jackie sat with their heads down, but she shot a glare in his direction, and he frowned.
"Why the hell would ya do that, Steven?" She asked, her tone laced with jealousy. Seriously, that's her problem? "What do you mean, Doll?"
"Kat Peterson told me what happened, you ass!"
"Jaquelyn, watch your language!" Kitty scolded.
"No, Mom, he wouldn't have been arrested if he didn't open his stupid mouth." She continued, crossing her legs to make room for him on the couch. "Kat Peterson doesn't matter that much, her parents would have swept it under the rug like they do everything else." She told them. "She just threw another idiot under the bus."
"I get it." He told her, dropping onto the couch and ripping his shades off. A circle sounded amazing right now, and he couldn't even do that, because he had pulled an assenine move.
"I can't believe you guys were doing this in my house." Kitty scolded. "Do you know how hard I work to make this house smell lemony-fresh?"
"Enough!" Red shouted. "From now on, you all are grounded. No friends. No boyfriends or girlfriends. No parties. No weekend outings. You will go to work, school, and home. You too, Laurie. Your babysitter just got demoted."
"Babysitter?" She scoffed, glaring. "Jackie comes with me for moral support. Not to babysit me. I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself. It's been nine months."
"You wouldn't be sober if it wasn't for us." He told her.
"I got there because of myself. I got myself a job. I pulled myself through rehab. Maybe you put me there, but I put in the real work. So don't come at me like that, Dad." She told him, tears welling into her eyes. "Pot isn't that big of a deal, you've all done it. You just love to have control. And this is your leeway." She trotted up the stairs, leaving the younger kids alone.
"She know's she's eighteen right?" He looked at his wife. "We legally can tell her to get out."
"Reginald Albert Foreman! Stop it right this instant!" She scolded him, tearing up. "I can't believe you told her that! And, grounding the kids is one thing, not forever!"
"It's my house, and I'll be as strict as I want. Everyone in their rooms, and I don't wanna see any of you until dinner." The three stood, Jackie and Eric with a glare, and Steven with his head hung.
"Your boyfriend is an idiot." She told her sister, when she entered the bedroom, voice low from her nose being so stuffy.
"Gee, thanks, sis." She told her, before sitting beside her on the bed. "Are you okay?"
"I can't believe he would say that." Her eyes welled up again, and they spilled. "I don't need a babysitter. I didn't need one ever. You offered to hangout with me. You and I are cool now." She cried.
The smaller one rubbed her back, fighting that ugly feeling to run in the other direction at the thought of picking through hard emotions. "We are cool. I never thought of myself as your babysitter."
"But he did, and Mom did, and that means everyone else does." She cried. "It follows me everywhere, and sometimes I wonder why sobriety is worth it if everyone still thinks I'm insane."
"You've always been insane." Jackie joked, and let her rest her head on her shoulder. The blonde giggled, sniffing. "Why are you sober?"
"At first it was because I never wanted to detox again." She admitted. "But then you and I started hanging out. And Hyde and Eric got along with me. And Fez and I became friends. And you and Hyde are all buddy-buddy. And Mom smiles at me. And Dad doesn't look at me like I'm gonna go snort a line off the table." She told her. "Now, it feels like he thinks everything is gonna go back to how it was this summer."
"To be fair, he doesn't know how to deal with emotions. And he bottles shit up until he blows." She wasn't wrong. "He didn't mean it."
"He means everything he says. He still hasn't apologized to Eric about his behavior when he got tuberculosis. He could have died and he still told him to fuck off in the end. He doesn't care."
A knock on the door sounded, and Jackie stood to let in the knocker. Eric stood there, a stony look on his face. "Dinners ready." He said solemnly, and they waited for Laurie, who shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
That was a lie, but going downstairs was a stupid decision. She didn't need to give Red more ideas to yell at her about. "Mom will bring you a plate later."
The dinner table was silent until Red noticed a head missing. "Where's your sister?" He asked gruffly, and she glared at her father. "You made her cry. She doesn't want to talk to you because you basically told her that she's a child who can't control herself."
"She's an addict."
"So? Addicts can regain control. If my mother regained control, she could still be here. If she was still here, I wouldn't be your problem anymore." She shot back, stabbing her meal with a fork.
"Jackie." Eric warned, and Steven coughed awkwardly.
"I took this kid in-"
"This conversation has nothing to do with Steven, and everything to do with that unnecessary comment you made to Laurie." She cut him off. He looked at her.
"You want your grounding to last longer?"
"Stop for a second!" She cried. "You-You-you-" She grunted, tears running down her face. "This isn't because I'm grounded! I'm always here anyways."
"Two more weeks. For all of you."
"Jackie." The two boys spoke again.
"No, why are you being like this? Why do you say these things? Why do you hate Eric?"
"I hate kids who don't listen."
"I hate people who make my sister cry, and I hate people who hurt my brother."
She stood, running to her room, forgetting about her dinner.
Dinner passed by in silence.
"Not cool, Dad." Eric told him, ignoring the fork sent flying in his direction.