CH9. Leo

Before Jackie could correct him, the old hippie was hugging Colette, "Oh kids! You grow up so fast!" He then pulled back and told Colette, "You know, I remember when yer mom was knee high!" He then looked over at Jackie, saying slowly, "Now that I think about it, she's still knee high."

Colette giggled at this as Jackie shook her head, smiling despite her best efforts not to, "I've missed you too, you old relic."

Jackie then introduced them, "Little Jackie, this is Leo, my hippie friend. Leo, this is my protégé, Lil Jackie."

The hippie gave a warm, one armed hug to Colette, "Hey man, it's good to meet you, Junior. And I gotta tell you, I never thought I'd live long enough to see any of the kid's kids."

Colette tried to explain, "Well, I'm not her daughter-"

Jackie interrupted, "But I love her anyways."

Colette tried not to smile. It wasn't working. Leo then looked at Jackie, "So what brings you back here?"

Jackie asked, "Back to town?"

Leo shook his head, "Naw man, in the basement."

Jackie made a face, "Leo, we're at Grooves."

Leo looked around, jolting in surprise, "Whoa man! How's you do that?!"

Jackie folded her arms across her chest, "I never realized how much I missed this place before." She then told Colette, "Little Jackie, when you're older, you'll realize all the great things you had growing up that you never really appreciated. And it's always the little things."

Colette sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "Why doesn't she call me by my name- Colette?"

Jackie gave Colette a look, "Little Jackie, now is not the time to be arguing about details."

Colette's eyes grew, "My name is a detail?"

The ex-cheerleader came over to her and put her arm around her, telling her, "Your name is Little Jackie."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jackie could see Randy slipping to the backroom. With Randy checking inventory in the back, and Little Jackie keeping Leo preoccupied, now was her chance to sneak into Steven's office for evidence that he was not with Donna.

"Um, Little Jackie, ask Leo that question you've been bothering everyone with all day with."

"What question?"

"Oh, you know, that one about Eric and Donna."

Colette gave her a suspicious look, "Why?"

Jackie smiled innocently, "Just, you know. Ask him. See his opinion. Keep him busy while I go to the bathroom."

Colette told her, "Grooves doesn't have a bathroom for customers."

Starting to get aggravated, Jackie groaned, "Fine! Then I'll step outside for a smoke-"

Leo laughed, "You could smoke in here, Loud Girl! No one cares. The boss man does it all the time!"

Jackie softly smiled at Leo before telling Little Jackie, "Just keep him busy!"

Colette's eyes flashed as she realized, "You're going to mess around in that Hyde guy's office!"

Jackie tried to laugh it off, "What?! Me? No! Never!"

Colette's told her frankly, "I caught your eyes darting at it."

"Oh, you be quiet and just keep the hippie busy."

Colette turned around, unsurely checking the store to make sure no one was noticing an excited brunette picking the lock to the boss's office door. She then peeked out the window, trying to look inconspicuous while the few customers shopped on. She then walked back over to Leo who had been carefully watching both girls. Colette waved at him, telling Jackie, "Okay, here I go." She then said happily, "So Leo-" But he stopped her, going to Jackie instead. The brunette young woman had been trying to not-obviously stick a hair pin in the lock. She was so concentrated on it that she missed it when Leo came by her side, offering her his key, "It might go easier with this, man."

Jackie stopped, staring at him like her hand was caught in the cookie jar. He smiled at her, offering her his key, "Go on. Try it."

Unsurely, she flashed a smile before hesitantly taking the key. As she opened it, she thanked Leo. As she slipped inside, Colette walked up to Leo, "Why'd you let her in?"

Leo shrugged, smiling warmly, "The lock is there to keep thieves out. And she's no thief, she's on old friend. A loud one, but I remember her."

Colette was somewhat stunned by this, "You do?"

Leo nodded, "Yeah, her names Laurie, right?"

A smile wormed it's way on Colette as she stuck her hands in her pockets, "Well, no, but good try."

"So what did Laurie want you to ask me?"

Colette shook her head, "Noting, it's stupid."

"Naw man, ask me. I'm as open as a book. Unless it's closed."

The teenager sighed, mulling it over in her mind before deciding- What the hell? Turning to Leo, she asked him, "Hey, did you know Eric and Donna?"

"Do I!" Leo laughed.

Colette seemed impressed, "You still remember them?!"

Leo shook his head after pausing, explaining to her, "No, I was asking you 'Do I?' as in 'Do I know them?'"

Colette's face fell, "Well, do you at least remember Eric?"

Leo smiled goofily, "Yup! He's that uptight guy who lives in that house with the cool basement."

The teen nodded, "What about his girlfriend?"

Leo seemed shocked, "Girlfriend? You mean that chick that was always with him?"

Colette sat down on the red couch, "Yeah, I guess so."

Leo turned to Colette, exclaiming, "I assumed they were married! I didn't know they were still goin' out!"

"Married?"

Leo then bashfully looked down, giggling, "I think she's pretty."

Colette leaned forward, a little shocked, "You think whose pretty?"

Leo admitted, "The girlfriend…"

At that moment, Randy walked in, carrying a box of records. Colette's eyes flashed toward Hyde's office. He placed them on the counter, showing off his muscles purposefully as he did so. He then sat next to Colette on the couch, smiling that perfectly white smile of his, "Where's your namesake?"

Colette tried not to look in the direction of Hyde's office as she lied, "She stepped out. For air."

Leo chimed in, "She's not Hyde's office, man."

Colette flashed Leo a nasty look while Randy crammed his head to get a better view of the office. Randy squinted his eyes, noting the blinds were conveniently closed.

Colette sensed he was going to investigate and immediately said, "Leo liked Donna!"

Randy explained, his eyes still on the office, "Well, when Eric was in Africa, Leo had a crush on Donna-"

Now Leo was looking at the office, saying slowly, almost to himself, "I remember when I was in an accident and Forman's girl took care of me. She loved me, man." He turned to Colette, "I had to break it off with her."

Randy stood up, still thinking about the possibility of someone in the boss's office, "Donna took care of you? When was this?"

Leo answered him, going on to say as he too stood up, "I remember one time I went over to the Forman's and there she was…in all her beauty. I asked her out, but she turned me down, she said she was seeing somebody. Gosh, I bet she settled down with some lucky fella- and had a couple kids too! She…she probably doesn't remember me. Oh…whatta woman."

This time it was Colette standing up, also thinking about the person in the office who wasn't supposed to be there.

Randy pointed at the office, addressing the elephant in the room, "Jackie's in there, isn't she?"

Colette blurted, "Jackie who?"

Leo smiled, "No, Laurie is in there."

"Kids, I got a call from Micheal and-"

Everyone turned around to see Mrs. Forman just walking in, a feverish expression on her face as she checked her watch, "-and I need someone to rush over and pick him up!"

Leo stood up, smiling, "She does remember me!"

Kitty gave a stunned look at Leo, nodding, "Of course I remember you Leo. You were at my home yesterday, eating the cookies I made for Red."

"Wait…" Colette processed, "This entire time you were talking about Mrs. Kitty Forman?"

Leo asked her, "Well, who else was I gonna talk about?"

Colette and Randy's voice joined in unison, "Eric and Donna!"

Leo dismissed her comment with, "Oh, I dunno who they are." He smiled at Kitty, "But aint she a woman? Took care of me and everything!"

Kitty gave them all queer looks before continuing, "Anyway, Red and I were in the living room, enjoying some television when the phone rang. Apparently Michael and Brooke got into a big fight and Michael needs someone to pick him up at the Greyhound bus stop!"

Colette asked her, "No disrespect intended Mrs. Forman, but how come you can't do it? You're already here."

Kitty sighed, "Red, well, he doesn't like Michael too much since he burned down our original garage in '81. So, naturally, I knew I couldn't be the one to escort him back home! In fact, I picked up the phone in the kitchen while Red watched the Price is Right! He has no idea it was Michael who called! I told it him it was my sister and that was enough to keep him from picking up the other phone in the living room! And then I lied to him and told him I was going to step out to pick up some medicine but I've really just been around this darn town looking for someone to go get him! He should be here in 30 minutes! I was hoping Jackie-"

Colette nodded, "I'll go get her-" but she paused when she noticed Randy was still in the room. Colette then asked him, "Um, don't you have something to do?"

Randy smiled, his eyes betraying his eagerness to catch Jackie where she wasn't supposed to be at. Kitty noticed this and cleared her voice, asking Randy, "Did that Perry Como Album I've been asking for come in?"

Without taking his eyes off Colette, Randy's smile eerily grew, his teeth long and white, "I'll go check, Mrs. Forman." As he made his way to the back room, he paused. Turning around, and keeping that plastic smile, Randy told Colette, "You really are Little Jackie, aren't you?" Soon he left to the backroom, with everyone letting out a sigh of relief, except for Leo who smiled warmly, "Well that was weird, dudes!" He high-fived Kitty and Colette, "But I think he fell for it!"

Colette gave Mrs. Forman a weak smile before running over to the Hyde's office. But just as she was about to knock, Jackie stepped out, as radiant as ever.

"Good news?" Colette hoped.

Jackie didn't answer, looking past the teen to Kitty, "Mrs. Forman! What brings you to Grooves?"

A Few Minutes Before:

She ran in his office, quickly locking the door behind her. She then closed the blinds Steven would sometimes look out of to see how the store was doing. Next she skipped to his desk, obsessed with finding something to do with him. She was sure he was up to something, her instincts were all on high gear- screaming to her that something was being kept hidden from her. And they were never wrong. When she thought Michael had been cheating on her- she was right. When she suspected Eric and Donna were engaged- she was right. When she knew her parents were only together for money- she told herself she was wrong, but she was right yet again. This was no different.

As she pried drawers from his desk open, rummaging through each one, her thoughts collided with one particular Christmas. It was 1976. Laurie had spiked the punch. Jackie and her fellow cheerleaders drank said punch, believing it was non-alcoholic. And when she was good and drunk, she said and did things she barely remembered. But she did remember the look on Hyde's face, when she blurted, "And Hyde loves Donna!"

Jackie slammed the one drawer particularly hard, cursing. For a moment, she stepped out of herself, wondering what she was doing. Invading a friend's personal space for what? To prove he wasn't with her best friend? A friend she barely spoke to, a friend who left her behind? She sat in his business chair, crossing her legs and crashing her face in her hands, "What am I doing?"

She then looked up, and sitting on her ex's desk was a photograph that nearly made her scream. It was a black and white of Samantha, in her Jeanie outfit, blowing the camera a kiss obviously meant for Hyde. Jackie couldn't help herself as she reached over and slammed it down on the desk, leaving it's back exposed. Angrily she growled, "Stripping whore."

She then leaned back, hurt. He could have a randevu with Pam Macy, and a thing for Donna and a freaking photograph of Samantha but there was virtually nothing that tied him together with her. Not a goddam thing.

She looked up. On the wall, there were two records (both Led Zeppelin), one shirt (of the Rolling Stones), and record sleeve of AC/DC's Back in Black. All were behind glass cases. Jackie had to crack a smile, "You would care more about these things than me, or anyone else." Bitterly she looked around the office, just realizing the only photograph was of "beloved" Sam.

She then remembered something. She opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an old pair of black aviators. Maybe they were his spare. Maybe he forgot he left them there. Either way, she found them while she was looking for a trace that he was with Donna. Or at the very least, a trace that maybe he had feelings for her.

She placed the aviators on top of the desk, right in front of her. A thin line of dust covered them, something that she didn't even bother wiping away because dust always reminded her of Steven. Licking her dry lips, she sighed, "It's me."

The glasses stayed so still, as if paying her the attention Hyde never had.

"I'm the one."

She gazed into the pools of blackness in the glasses, imagining Steven was listening to her.

"I'm the one you should've picked. And you're the one I should've as well. And I know things have gone too far, and I'm aware that it's too late, but I just, I can't let go." She croaked, a single tear sliding past her eyes, "And I'm trying to be a tough girl, the type you seem to be into, but I just am having such a hard time here, Steven. Everyone's gone!" She couldn't help the feelings that overcame her. She broke down, the tears flooding her face, ruining her makeup, "Fez is busy with Laurie, Michael has his own life in Chicago, Eric could still be in Africa for all I know and Donna isn't here! She told me when my mother left that she would be, and she's not! And I can't do this anymore! Living with the Forman's is fine, but you looking at me, hating me because of one stupid mistake in Chicago!"

The glasses never moved an inch, something eerily similar to how they would've been if they were on Hyde's face.

Jackie sniffed, wiping away her tears, "Okay, I admit it! I was going to sleep with Michael that night! I know it was wrong, and I know it was stupid but I was so-so hurt and so lonely! I thought you turned your back on me, leaving me to fend for myself…I know it's not an excuse. I'm not excusing my behavior, but it was just so much! I took it when Michael cheated, and I swallowed my pride when you did, but you couldn't overlook it when I messed up, huh?" A stab of guilt twisted in her gut, she leaned back in the chair, crying, "I really thought we were gonna make it. If Eric and Donna could make it, two people so obviously opposite of one another, than I knew we had a chance." She wiped her tears away, sniffling, "But who am I kidding? They didn't make it for the same reason me and you couldn't: opposites may attract, but they cancel each other out. Devour the energy of the other until there's nothing left."

The aviators had drops of Jackie's tears on them, each tear sliding off the tinted glass and falling off the rim of its steel frames.

She looked down at her own hands, sighing sarcastically, "Whatever happened to Eric and Donna?" She looked up at the glasses, asking honestly, "Whatever happened to us?"

The glasses said nothing.

She bitterly laughed, "And as usual, you have nothing to say." She grabbed the glasses and shoved them back in their drawer. Angrily she stood up and walked toward the door. She paused, catching sight of herself in the mirror by the door. She looked like she had been crying. Jackie shook her head, "Oh, I can't let Little Jackie see me like this." She quickly reapplied her makeup, wiping away any track of her tears. She then placed her makeup away, feeling someone was on the other end of door. When she opened it, she saw Little Jackie walking up to the door with Leo right behind her.

Jackie flashed her classic "everything's perfect" smile, hiding her pain from her young friend.

"Good news?" Colette hoped.

Jackie didn't answer, looking past the teen to Kitty, "Mrs. Forman! What brings you to Grooves?"

Kitty explained everything all over again, pausing to glance at her watch only to mumble about whether or not Red noticed she was gone.

Jackie coolly responded, "Whatta 'bout Steven? He's not here, so he must be back in the basement. And if he isn't there or here, I'm sure you'd know of another place he'd be."

Kitty threw up her arms, "That's another thing! I have no idea where that boy is at!" She then nervously looked at her watch, "Oh, I have to be getting back otherwise Red will be suspicious!" She gave a short wave at the girls, "I'll be seeing you both for dinner, alright? Just go and pick up Michael."

As she was just about to leave, Leo called out to her, "Dinner? Maybe I can make it, darling!"

Kitty blinked a few times before awkwardly smiling. When she did, Jackie rolled her eyes, "She was talking to us."

Colette told her 'namesake', "You just missed it. Leo was telling me a story about Eric and Donna which turned out to be Mr. and Mrs. Forman." Jackie smirked, looking over at Leo who asked them softly, "So Laurie, you and little Laurie leaving already?"

Jackie sighed, "I'm afraid so, Leo." She then leaned in, giving Leo a hug. She squeezed his shoulders before letting go. Leo gave her a genuine smile, "I've always liked you, Laurie."

The ex-cheerleader chuckled, "Yeah." She then stepped aside, instructing Colette, "Hug Leo, Little Jackie." Colette shrugged, Leo giving her another one arm hug. Both girls said their "goodbyes", exiting with Mrs. Forman.

As the girls left Grooves, Randy came out from the back with some records in his hands, asking the old hippie, "Where's Mrs. Forman? I found that album she wanted."

Leo turned to him shaking his head, and walking over to his usual place behind the counter, "That better be all. She's mine. I think she digs me. It's the beard. Chicks and squirrels love my beard."

Randy assured him, sitting down on the stool, "Still talking about Red Forman's wife, are we?"

After a brief pause, Leo looked up from the register, telling Randy, "I hope she stays with Mr. Forman."

Randy was surprised, "Wait. You actually want your lady love to stay with Red?"

Leo made a face before shaking his head, "My woman? No way, man! I meant the redheaded chick! I hope she stays with the other Mr. Forman."

Randy could only smirk, "We don't know any redheads, Leo."

"Yeah we do."

"We don't."

Leo smiled lazily, "We do, it's just other people know her better than you."

That last sentence, was a Leo Burn.