Some minor cursing in this chapter, and I don't own any of Ozzy's music.

CH16. Buddy

"Uhhhhhhh" The blond groaned.

"No! You shut the hell up!" Angie snapped at the blond woman in the backseat, tied up with duct tape.

Caroline groggily opened her eyes, "What hap-happened?"

"Scared the shit out of me in the woods, that's what!" Angie spat. Sitting behind her, sharing the backseat with Caroline sat Jackie, who was sitting there because she absolutely refused to let Little Jackie sit next to Caroline.

Jackie eyed Angie in the rearview mirror, hissing, "Would you just focus on the road! We almost crashed into a tree!"

Angie resumed looking in front of her, but admitted, "Damn, it's so dark out here."

In the passenger's seat, Little Jackie sat, her body turned so she could see all the other three occupants in the car- somewhat. The youngest member of this group spoke up, "Y'know… I heard that a woman died on this road. It was night, just like this, and she was coming home late from work."

Angie eyed her, obviously getting spooked, "Then what?"

Jackie held up her hand, stopping Little Jackie from continuing, "No more ghost stories, Little Jackie. We don't want Angie making us ghosts, so stop distracting her."

Next to Jackie, Caroline groaned, "My head!"

Jackie glared at her, aiming the tip of a shovel at her, "Oh you shut up!"

Colette rolled her eyes, smirking until something caught her eye. She pointed at a sign eagerly, "Hey, Angie! Take a right over there and we'll make it into the heart of Point Place in minutes!"

Angie eyed her suspiciously, "How do you know?"

Colette rolled her eyes, "I live in this area- I know. Besides, that used to be the main entrance to the town before they made the main entrance 242, for like the eighteen wheelers and stuff."

Angie exchanged looks with Jackie before reluctantly taking a right, "Alright, I'll trust this 'Little Jackie' of yours."

At the same time, Caroline and Jackie smiled, "Thank you."

Jackie then glared at the other woman, "Caroline, you don't get to talk! You lost those privileges when you went all Texas Chainsaw Crazy on us!"

As Colette promised, they were in the in the middle of the downtown Point Place in ten minutes. They all looked back to the dirt road that got them there to begin with and Jackie couldn't help but say, "You know, all these years I thought that was just a really long back alley."

Colette shrugged, "Me and my brothers ride our bikes down that road all the time."

Angie shook her head, "I would not ride a bike down that thing… I barely drove my car through it."

Caroline spoke up, "I'm hungry."

The other three women shouted, "Shut Up!"

Angie drove through the town slowly, letting everyone take in the sight of Point Place at dark. It eerily quiet, almost like a ghost town. No one was in sight.

Angie shivered, "Where the heck are all the people in this town anyway?"

Colette looked around, "I don't know… little kids and the adults are in bed. I guess everyone else are at Bucky's."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "Bucky's?"

Colette nodded, "Yeah, it's this place up ahead. It's pretty cool, any other night I'd be there too, but I don't wanna go looking like this." She gestured at her Dorothy dress.

Jackie nodded, "So I guess this Bucky place is pretty groovy, huh?"

Colette rolled her eyes, smirking, "Don't ever use the word 'groovy' again. It's been out of circulation for a decade already."

As Angie cracked up at how 'out-of-date' Jackie apparently was, the ex-cheerleader snapped, "Well, you know what? At least my daddy's former empire wasn't called 'Grooves' which stems from the word 'groovy'."

Angie stopped laughing. She pointed at Jackie using the rearview mirror, "Now you shut up."

Caroline interrupted the glares between Angie and Jackie with a loud, "Yo, I'm hungry over here! Is there a McDonalds close by?"

Angie purposefully pressed her foot on the gas pedal, zooming past Fatso Burger as she shrugged, "Whoops, sorry 'bout that."

As Caroline grumbled, and began fidgeting in her duct tape restraints, Colette pointed out the window, "Hey look over there. I guess there are some signs of life after all."

Everyone turned to where she was pointing at. By a bus bench, were two men. One was scraggly, in a denim jacket, the other was tall with really good hair. Angie shook her head, "I aint stopping for those two, they have 'murderer' stamped on their foreheads clear as day!"

Caroline squinted her eyes, "Lemme see…" As she inspected the pair, she shook her head, "Nah, I know murderers when I see 'em, I mean, back in the psychiatric hospital they had me in, I was friends with a few. No, I just think they're a couple of losers."

Angie's eyes grew wide, "Okay, I'm gonna pretend you only said that last sentence."

"Wait." Jackie drew out slowly, before she practically jumped out of her seat, "Stop the car!"

Angie craned her neck to get a better look at the brunette backseat passenger, "Now why would I do that?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, banging the back of Angie's seat, "I know them!"

Angie gave her a look, "You know those people?"

Jackie narrowed her eyes, "Yes, and you do too. It's Randy and Leo."

Caroline smiled brightly, "So I was right?!"

Angie seemed indifferent, "Well, when we drive past them we can roll down the windows and wave 'hi,' coz I aint stopping while I have a Looney Tune in my vehicle."

Jackie grumbled, "I wanna know what's going on with Steven."

The business woman shook her head, "I already told you what is going on with Steven! Were you not paying attention while we were lost in the woods?"

"I wanna know from them!" Jackie told her flatly.

Colette's eyebrows tensed, "What's going on?"

Caroline groaned, "I don't know but I. Am. STARVING!"

"Gah!" Jackie shouted, throwing her hands up over her head before digging out a handful of dollars and throwing them at Angie's face, "Here! Take Donald Duck and Little Jackie to Fatso Burger while I go talk to Leo and Randy!"

Colette tilted her head, "What happened to your purse?"

Jackie waved her hand in frustration, "At this point, I don't know! It could be at Grooves, or the mall, or Fez's apartment, or the church, or the police station, or the woods-"

Colette's eyes grew, "The police station?"

Angie ignored Colette, counting the money as she said in a superior tone, "You do know Donald Duck is from Disney, not The Looney Tunes, right?"

Caroline chewed on the duct tape binding her wrists together, giggling, "Mmmm, taste like chicken!"

Jackie was losing it. She pointed the shovel handle at Angie threateningly, "Stop this Crazy Train and let me out!"

By now, Angie saw the seething temperature of Jackie's flushed and frustrated cheeks and noticed a slight glint of mania in her eye. Slowly she pressed on the brake, nodding as calmly as she could muster, "Okay… okay… I'm stopping."

At that Caroline started chanting, "I'm going off the rails on a crazy train!"

As Jackie tumbled out, carrying her now trusty shovel, Caroline continued to sing, "I know that things are going wrong for you! You gotta listen to his wordzzzzzz!" And then the blond burst into a fit of giggles. Jackie ignored everything behind her. She could've sworn someone was calling out after her, but she just wasn't in the mood to hear either Angie or Caroline.

She powered on toward the bus bench where Leo and Randy were, Leo oblivious to her while Randy wide-eyed stared at the shovel in her hand.

"Jackie!" Someone behind her cried out, reaching for her arm. Jackie whizzed around, ready to snap, but stopped when she noticed a homely looking teenager with freckles and a Dorothy dress.

"Little Jackie?" She blinked, before pointing back to the car where Angie was now shouting at Caroline for something, "Go back. I got some business to settle and Angie will buy you dinner, you're probably starving."

Rubbing her neck awkwardly, Colette agreed, "Well, yeah, I am pretty hungry but…"

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "But what?"

Colette let out a long breath, shrugging her shoulders dramatically, "It's been a super long day… and I guess I wanna help you with yer Hyde thing. Like, there is a thing going on between you two isn't there?"

Jackie sucked in her breath, a vision of her and Hyde's first kiss in the basement. His strong body on top of hers, his arms swallowing her into the folds of his dark tee, his spicy cologne on her nostrils… their bodies sinking into that dingy, orange, basement couch… his beard tickling her neck mercilessly, his soft lips gently kissing her, claiming her…

"Jackie?"

Jackie shuddered, swallowed hard and tried to remember where she was, and then she did- she was in the middle of a road, with a shovel, with Little Jackie. And speaking of Little Jackie, the teen was giving her a strange look, "You okay there? I mentioned Hyde and you totally zoned out on me."

Jackie cleared her throat awkwardly, "Um, yeah, I'm fine."

Colette couldn't help the lopsided smirk on her face, "Wow, you are stuck on him bad, huh?"

"What? No!" the ex-cheerleader denied, but all it did was make Colette's smirk grow into a mischievous smile, "Liar. I could tell something was up between you guys at breakfast this morning. And don't deny it, it's obvious."

"It's ancient history." Jackie told her in what she hoped was a dignified tone before she nodded toward Randy and Leo, "Now, if yer gonna help me interroga- I-I mean, ask about Steven, then help me and let's stop standing around, twiddling are fingers like a pair of-of-"

"Of what?" Colette asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Of dumbasses!" Jackie promptly answered before again heading to two Grooves employees, but this time with Little Jackie hot on her heels.

While Leo looked his usual out-of-it self, Randy seemed fidgety and even a bit awkward- something Jackie had never seen from Mr. Perfect. Jackie immediately brought it up, "Why so twitchy, Eric Wanna-Be?"

Randy's face grew instantly stern, "I am not an Eric Forman Wanna-Be!"

Leo laughed, "Well to be fair, who'd want to be Eric?"

While Colette tried to hold in her chuckle, Jackie nodded, "Okay, what's going on around here? Grooves is locked up tight and you two are hanging around this bus bench for support."

"Nothing is happening!" Randy chirped, a little too high pitched for Jackie's liking. She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth to the point of doing a Clint Eastwood impression. Even though Randy looked like he was sweating guilty bullets, Leo was the one who absentmindedly said, "We didn't just spend hours with Hyde working out the details of the store closing or anything."

Randy glared at the stoner before assuring Jackie with such sweetness it was nauseating, "That's right. We just closed up shop to take in the wonderful sights of Point Place."

Colette raised her eyebrows, "Wonderful sights of Point Place? Oh, now we know you're lying."

Leo then said, pointing at a two story building that seemed both vintage and modern, "And that isn't the place that's buying us out."

Jackie looked over at the building. Randy harshly whispered to Leo, "Will you be quiet?!" But it was too late, Jackie knew exactly what to ask him. She kneeled down so she could be eye-level with the sitting older man, and flashed him one of her dazzling smiles, asking, "And I'm guessing Hyde isn't there?"

Leo nodded, looking as innocent as a child, "That's right."

Jackie stood up, motioning to Colette, "Alright, I get the picture. Little Jackie, let's go."

But as they started making their way to the building, Randy jumped in front of the pair, his eyes wide with worry, "You can't!"

"Randy, outta the way."

But Mr. Perfect refused flatly, "No."

"Randy," Jackie tried, going so far as to raise the shovel at him, "Get out of my way."

He gulped, looking a little apologetic as he said slowly, "I'm sorry, I can't let you do that."

"Goddammit, Randy!" Jackie shouted, losing her temper, "I've had the worst day ever! My car is shot to hell, I was arrested, I was attacked- FREQUENTLY-, hit on by the cheese-guy, hit on by a goofy teenager, and to top it all off… I'm pretty sure I chipped a nail! Now get the hell out of my way, I need to see Steven!"

Colette was shocked, "Arrested? That's why you were at the police station?!"

"Not now Little Jackie!" Jackie threw over her shoulder before darkly telling Randy, "I need to stop Steven from making the worst decision of his life… now move."

Randy actually looked torn. He took a moment to look away, choosing to focus on a local pizzeria to gather his thoughts before he faced Jackie, "I'm sorry, but I can't. Hyde's worked really hard for this deal… I mean, at least he's getting something! The guy we're selling too… he's ruthless. He barely was gonna give Hyde enough for lunch money! Now Hyde has a chance at a little something and-and… I just… I'm sorry, Jackie. I can't let you ruin this."

Jackie raised the shovel even higher, "Step aside or I'll ruin yer face."

He gulped, gentlemanly stepping aside, "O-kie, Do-kie!"

True to his word, he stepped aside, and Jackie blew past him, Colette following her as she awkwardly smiled at Randy, "Have a nice day, and I like your hair!"

Randy called out after them, "Thanks… I have a special shampoo!"

Jackie then reached the front of the building, nodding like a drill sergeant, "Okay, here's the plan: I go in there, and then you go in there, and then we find the bastard that's forcing Steven into selling, and I'll knock him over the head with a shovel while you provide a believable distraction."

Colette raised an eyebrow, "I'm beginning to see why you were arrested."

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Are you even planning your believable distraction?"

Colette merely shrugged, "I already know who owns this place- it's Bucky's after all."

"Bucky's?" Jackie lamely repeated, looking up at the purple blinking sign above the building that read in cursive, 'Bucky's Records, Radios and MORE.' Jackie narrowed her eyes, "You said you and your friends went to Grooves, not this place!" Before Colette had a chance to reply, Jackie reached out and pinched the younger girl's arm. Colette yelped, rubbed the pinkish, just-pinched, blot on her arm, and shrieked at Jackie, "What is wrong with you?! Yeah, sometimes we go to Grooves, but my friends like this place better!"

"Traitor." Jackie hissed before entering the record store, telling Colette over her shoulder, "I highly doubt this place can be better than Groo-" The words died on her lips as soon as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room that was swarming with people under the age of 30. They were laughing amongst themselves, listening to music, and a suspicious few in the corner looked as if they were lighting up.

The space was wide, with tiny, almost private, sunk-in spaces. The spaces had couches built into them, and several walk-mans in the sleek tables that were in the centers of all the sunk-in spaces. All around the room, on the walls, were records, cassette tapes, and even VHS tapes. What separated each section were posters of bands and photographs of a young man with dark sunglasses, dark-straight hair, and a debonair smile, posing with musicians Jackie recognized, while others she had no clue. From the few she did recognize were ABBA, Queen, and David Bowie. When Little Jackie filled her in on the other musicians, perhaps because her loss was written all over her face, she mentioned the names, 'Madonna', 'Prince', 'Cindi Lauper', 'The Thompson Twins', 'The Human League' and 'Michael Jackson.' Jackie's mouth fell open, "The little boy from the Jackson 5?!" She turned back to the photo. Nothing made her feel older than seeing little Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5 all grown up. Trying to cover up how impressed she was, she was about to mention how tacky the ceiling was, but stopped when she realized it was a giant mirror.

The ex-cheerleader couldn't help but whistle, "Pulled out all the stops."

She noticed that furniture, in the dim lighting, looked to be white. It was a fashion error that even she wouldn't have made if she had a fever and a cold. But there were no stains at all. Before Jackie could comment on that miracle within itself, she noticed the spiral staircase. She breathed out in an awe that she hated herself for, "What does that lead up to?"

Little Jackie informed her, "The second floor that's mostly made up of TV sets to play games like Pong or to check out movies before you buy them. Also, the radios and headphones and state-of-the art games and TV sets are up there if you wanna buy 'em."

On that note, Jackie heard the Ka-Ching of a cash register and sharply turned to her left, where- and she could not believe her eyes- two beautiful twin girls who were no older than nineteen were in heavy eye makeup wearing butterfly wings and costume were ringing out two men, behind the twins, several TVs playing what looked to be music videos, only without the sound.

"What's playing behind them?" Jackie asked, feeling more and more out-of-sync with the times than ever.

"Oh that?" Colette asked, shrugging indifferently, "That's MTV."

And then Jackie smelled it- the wonderful incense from her teenager years. She closed her eyes, inhaling as much as she could, remembering all the circles and Oreo cookies from over the years. She now knew why poor Steven never stood a chance against this place. Hyde was selling merchandise, but this place, this Bucky's, was selling an experience.

Clap

Clap

Clap

Both women jumped when they heard the clapping from behind them, both recognizing the man from all the photographs with Michael Jackson and ABBA. But while Colette saw an accomplished man, Jackie saw one of her old classmates.

But Jackie tried not to be impressed, "Buddy Morgan, what a surprise."

Buddy shrugged casually, "I own this store."

The ex-cheerleader referenced the photographs, "Yes, I can see that."

He smiled at the woman who said his name, flashing her a debonair smile, "Ah! Where are my manners? Jackie Burkhart! So good to see you!"

Before Jackie could utter a sound, he reached into a bin right by him, and pulled out a long tube, smiling at Colette who instantly turned red at the aspect that Mr. Morgan of Bucky's was paying her any attention, "Here you go, lassie. A poster of The Rolling Stones for one of my loyalist, and favorite, customers."

Colette eagerly reached out for the tube, gushing like a schoolgirl, "Thank you, Mr. Morgan, sir! It's such an honor to talk to you!"

Jackie huffed, "Save your breath, Little Jackie, you're feminine wiles won't work on him."

Buddy chuckled, folding his arms across his pastel suit as he checked his Rolex wrist watch, lighting up the face just so he could show it off and pretend he was checking the time before addressing Jackie again, "Alright, alright! You caught me, I'm gay." He then yawned before winking at Colette, "Big deal. So's Freddy Mercury." At that note he pulled out a pair of tinted sunglasses and placed them on his face, still smiling.

Jackie couldn't believe it, "Seriously?! Sunglasses in a dimly lit room… at night?"

"Everyone does it…" He snapped his fingers before cockily flashing another smile, "Doll."

Upon hearing Steven's old pet name for her, Jackie's face paled. And then a song started, beats first:

I wear my sunglasses at night
So I can, so I can
Watch you weave then breathe your story lines…

As the rest of the song faded into the background, Buddy then gestured at the pair of them, "So I'm in, but what's going on here?" He gestured toward Colette, "She looks like she just flew in from Kansas," He then pointed at Jackie, smirking, "And you have a shovel. Is there a Beverly Hillbillies convention in town?"

Jackie looked over at the shovel in her hand before planting it on the ground, leaning on it and trying to be cool, "Okay, I get it, yer a little bitter from High School-"

"Bitter?!" Buddy cried out, angrily yanking off his glasses as he snarled at Jackie, "For what? Making fun of me and tormenting me relentlessly for having a crush on Eric?"

Colette's face was the picture of surprise, "Wait… what?"

Buddy shook his head at Jackie, "You and that little group of yours made the last two years of High School a living hell for me! Football players spray-painting obscenities on my locker, cheerleaders giggling and flashing me their business when I walked by, and to top it all off, I learned all the teachers were super conservative! I couldn't get one of them to write me a stupid letter of recommendation to Harvard! All because I kissed Eric Forman at some carwash!"

Colette raised a hand, looking like a student at school more than a girl caught in the crosshairs of an old rivalry, "Hold up… there is a difference between having a crush and kissing."

Both ignored her, Jackie flaying the shovel, "That wasn't me! I didn't learn about you kissing Eric for a whole year after the incident occurred, and the only reason I found out was because it was in Donna's diary!"

Colette raised an eyebrow, trying to piece the information together, "So Eric was gay and Donna wrote about it in her diary?"

Jackie again ignored Colette, telling Buddy, "I remember because I wrote next to her entry 'OhMyGod! Had no clue! Buddy is super cute, who would've figured? I'll read the rest of it tomorrow, when I have popcorn.'"

Colette just stared at Jackie, "You wrote in Donna's diary?"

Buddy pointed a finger at Jackie, "You are guilty by association! Because I know who told everyone about me and Eric…" Both girls waited for Buddy to continue until Colette said flatly, "Oh no… the suspense is killing us." Buddy then jumped, "HYDE!"

Now it was Jackie's turn to make the faces, "Steven Hyde? Is this a joke? Granted he never liked you, but Steven wouldn't out you for fun."

Buddy folded his arms across his chest, "Oh yeah, then who?"

Jackie thought about it really hard before asking, "Well, I don't know, but why are you so sure it's Hyde?"

Buddy nodded enthusiastically, "Because the writing on the boys bathroom was an unintelligent scrawl! Words were misspelled, there was a smiley face under it, and it all obviously belonged to man whose IQ is below 50!"

Jackie squinted her eyes, "Smiley face? Was… was it on fire by any chance?"

Buddy thought for a moment before nodding, "Uh yeah, it was. Why?"

Jackie smacked her palm to her forehead, grumbling, "Buddy! Open your eyes! It was on fire! It was burning, as in burn, as in Michael!"

Buddy's slick smile faltered, "What?"

"Michael Kelso!" Jackie exclaimed, "He wrote that scribbled jargon on the wall, probably to burn Eric! You said it was about the kiss, right?" As Buddy dumbly nodded, Jackie exclaimed, "You see?! He was probably trying to burn Eric, and you just got caught in the middle! And you said it yourself! Whoever wrote it would have to have an IQ below 50, well, Steven was posed to be the smartest man…" She then murmured quickly, "in his cell block."

Buddy looked genuinely stunned, "So… after all these years of plotting and planning and revenging… it was Kelso and not Hyde?"

"Yes!" Jackie smiled from ear to ear, "And now that you know the truth, you can leave Steve alone, not buy-out Grooves and we can all live happily ever after all!" She then flashed a smile at Colette triumphantly, "Damn, I'm good."

"I can't."

Jackie whizzed her head around to face Buddy once more, "You can't what? Of course you can! Forget this whole thing and let Steven go!"

Buddy took in a deep breath before explaining, "I've spent years working on this deal. It's too good to be true. I'm sorry Jackie, I wish I learned this years earlier, but I'm gonna go through with this, I'd be a fool not to."

Jackie's smile faded and was replaced with a flat line as she asked bluntly, "Where's Steven?"

Buddy eyed her for a moment before saying, "Gone."

"I call bullshit on that." She stated, glancing up the stairs, "Is he up there?"

"Jackie-" He warned.

"Is he?"

"Jack-"

"Get out of my way!" She soon blew passed him, stomping up the spiral staircase, calling out, "Steven?! Steven?! Are you up here?!"

As soon as she was gone, Colette shook her head, "The plot thickens."

Buddy looked the girl up and down before telling her, "You got a sweet face, kid. How would you like to work for me, huh?"

Colette's eyes widened, "Work for you? Here?" She nearly passed out with giddy excitement as she squealed, "At Bucky's?!"

Buddy nodded, "Why sure! I remember you and your little ragtag group used to come by way back before this place was the place to be! Way back when this place was called Buddy's instead of Bucky's." He then leaned into her, looking her in the eye, "And I reward my faithful."

"Yeah! That would be great!" Colette gushed, "I've been looking for a job and-"

She replayed his last word in her mind. It whispered, "faithful."

As soon as she looked down, her eager excitement gone and replaced by a mournful look, Buddy shrugged, "Don't worry, Big Jackie will understand." When she looked up, she saw the face of a very honest man staring back at her. Soon he winked, "Right?"

She then looked at the poster tube in her hands. Feeling the guilt sit at the pit of her stomach, she could feel herself shaking her head, "I don't know Mr. Morgan…" She then looked up at him passionately, "Jackie's my friend. If I take this job, it might upset her."

Buddy nodded, "So, yer turning me down, huh?"

She gave a small shrug, "It was really tempting, but, well," Buddy nodded, "I understand."

She looked a little awkward standing by him so soon after she turned down his job, so she just handed him the poster tube, "You might want this back."

Buddy glanced at the tube before shaking his head, "Naw, keep it. Free of charge, on the house. Think of it as 'Thanks, but no thanks' gift."

Colette stared at the poster before nodding, "Thank you, Mr. Morgan."

"I'm really not older than you," He smirked, "Just call me 'Buddy.'"

"Um," She adjusted her feet awkwardly, trying to wrap her head around calling the owner and entrepreneur of one of her favorite hangouts by his name- especially when he was so rich, "'Kay."

He then asked her innocently, "So since yer hanging around this group, tell me: What's become of Eric Forman?"

Colette shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Buddy's smile faltered, "How do you mean? Is he still with Donna?"

Colette shrugged, but this time eyed the stairs, wishing Jackie would just come down already. But the only people who flew down the staircase were patches of people, each complaining about a woman with a shovel who was barging in around them.

Buddy shook his head in disbelief, "How can you not know?! You're hanging out with Jackie! She's a gossiper! I'm sure she said something about them!"

Colette sighed, "Look Mr. Mor- Buddy, Eric and Donna dropped off the face of the earth. We have no idea where they are. They could be in France, Egypt, right behind us or-"

"-Dead." He cut in bitterly, "How anyone can lose contact to the point of complete dissolution?!"

Colette looked him in the eye, "To tell you the truth Buddy, I've heard a lot about them today and do you know what I think? I don't think they are dead or anything that bad. I just think they're embarrassed. I think things didn't work out as either of them planned out, and they might be too ashamed to come home and face everyone they've grown up with."

Buddy folded his arms across his chest, huffing, "Well I for one think they are in some kind of trouble. I mean, who leaves home severing all contacts?"

At that note, Jackie glumly came down the stairs- emptyhanded with no Hyde in sight.

Colette responded, her heart going out to how miserable Jackie looked, "People who don't want to be found." She then walked over to Jackie, asking a question she already knew the answer to, "You didn't find him?"

"No." Jackie croaked before shaking her head, "Let's get out of here before we get super high or something."

Colette nodded, taking the shovel from Jackie's hand, "Okay."

But just as they were making it to the exit, Buddy's voice picked up, a hidden taunt in it, "Told you he wasn't here!"

Before Colette could stop her, Jackie whizzed around and marched right up to Buddy, practically foaming, "If you do anything to hurt that man, his pride or his business, I will personally come back here and fill these sunken rooms with water!"

Buddy raised an eyebrow, "Is that a threat?"

Jackie narrowed her eyes, "I cannot believe I thought you were cool!"

His face softened, "Y'know Jackie, when you say stuff like that it almost makes me want to give you a discount on a TV set. The portable ones, of course."

"You wanna give me something? Let Grooves go and give Steven some time to get his business back up. A year or-"

Buddy laughed at that, "A year?! Do I look like a charity to you, Burkhart?"

"Six months!" Jackie cried out desperately, "Before you buy him out!"

Buddy's chuckles died down as he eyed her suspiciously, "How would things be different for Grooves in six months vs now, hm?"

"Nothing." Jackie grumbled, "So what's the difference? Six months or now? I'm just asking you to wait a little longer before you buy him out."

Buddy mauled it over in his mind before nodding, "Fine. Six months, but not a day more."

She sighed, giving him a short nod, "Thanks."

He then asked her, rubbing his thumb on his chin, "Do you and Hyde talk much?"

"Not really." She murmured, shrugging, "Stupid mistakes, kid stuff."

Buddy then reached out, holding on to her shoulder, "Look, we all make mistakes. I'm sure what happened in Chicago will eventually blow over."

Colette was so confused. Just as she was going to ask what that meant, Jackie took an awkward, shocked step back. "Chi-Chicago?" Jackie stuttered, "What do you know about Chicago?"

"Point Place is a small town," Buddy tried, taking a step back, "Everyone knows what happened to you and Hyde there. But, I was just trying to assure you that, with time, you'll eventually be able to move on-"

Soon an unreadable mask passed over Jackie's features and she agreed hollowly, "Yes, move on."

Buddy's eyebrows furrowed, "I think I've upset you. I apologize-" But she cut him off and turned toward Colette, "Let's go, Little Jackie."

Colette didn't even have the heart to correct her on her name followed obediently.

As Buddy watched them leave, he reached into his suit jacket to pull out a cigar. "I truly didn't mean to hurt her, I just assumed that after all this time she came to peace with it, but perhaps I should've known better. Things from ones past always have a nasty way of crawling into the present, don't they…Steven?"

From the second floor stairs, Hyde walked down slowly. As he emerged, he let out a short breath, asking, "How did you know about her and Chicago, rich kid?"

Buddy whizzed around, still smiling that cocky smile that made Hyde hate him since day one, "You mean you and Chicago. See, I always make it a point to know everything about a man before doing business with him. It's a strategy dear old dad taught me. Besides, the local gossip wasn't too hard to keep tabs on."

After Hyde fell silent for a moment, Buddy reached out his hand to him, saying pleasantly, "You can leave now. We'll finish up the details of the contract six months from now."

Hyde gritted his teeth, "I spent a fucking DAY in this orgy of bad techno! I want to finish out hammering the details and be done with it!" From behind him, he pulled out a binder and threw it at the back of Buddy's head, "I've read all the fine print and even got Randy's second opinion on it- yer ripping me out of my own money!"

Buddy dusted off his shoulders indifferently, successfully ducking the binder, "Six months, Steven."

Hyde groaned, his hands gripping the rails of the stairs, "I don't believe this!"

"Six months." He smiled, "And have a wonderful evening." Hyde stormed past him, but Buddy grabbed his arm and tucked a card into Hyde's shirt pocket, explaining, "If you want to come back, we're having a sale on walk-mans, buy one, get one 50% off." At that moment, the butterfly twins rang up another customer. Hyde looked over at them before looking back over at Buddy, asking him, "Why'd you listen to her?"

Buddy offered a small smile, almost sad smile, "Because I have a feeling few people do… including the man she cares about deeply."

Hyde pushed Buddy away so forcefully the Bucky's owner dropped his cigar, angrily storming to the back exit, "You don't know anything, Rich Boy! Born with a freakin' silver spoon and all of a sudden he thinks he's Donahue!"

As soon as he left too, Buddy shook his head, picking up his cigar and mumbled to himself, "He's worse than that guy I fired who was responsible for the management error that changed the name of this store." He then looked up, asking his reflection on the ceiling, "Earl was it?" He then smiled, shaking his head, walking toward the ashtray by the counter where the twins were checking out a group of teens and their new cassette tapes.

Buddy then jogged up the spiral staircase, high fiving several people. What he didn't notice was the intro to a song in the background:

All aboard! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay

Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate

Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train!