CH17: Mitch Miller

Jackie and Colette had just walked outside of Bucky's when Angie's car pulled up.

Angie rolled down the window, saying loudly, "Hey, I'm gonna take Caroline to the police station, wanna come with?"

But Jackie had had her fill of cops for the day. She simply shook her head and told Hyde's sister, "No, I think we're just gonna walk to The Forman's. It's like, four blocks from here."

Angie nodded, "Alright." It looked as if she was about to drive off before she turned back to Jackie suddenly, "For what's it's worth, I'm sorry about Hyde."

Jackie nodded, "Thanks. And I'm sorry your dad didn't take you seriously. I think you would've made a great business woman."

Angie smiled, a genuine one this time, "Thanks. Say, if Hyde needs my help… I'll look into it for him. I guess now that I think about it, maybe Grooves should be a family thing, I guess. Maybe." Her smile faltered for a bit, and then she admitted, "I guess another reason I didn't like him was because he was conceived while my dad was still married to my mom. But, I suppose that's not Hyde's fault."

Jackie shrugged, "It's not. And by the way, ask for Officer Kennedy, he's a friend."

Soon, Angie sped off in the direction of the police station. Colette stood behind Jackie, asking her offhandedly, "Is that your shovel or something?"

Jackie handed the girl the instrument, smirking, "Nope. It's yours. Let's get to the Forman's and clean you up."

They walked through the darken town, side by side. Every so often Colette picked at the dried blood on the side of her head. Her muscles ached, terribly sore, but the girl still carried a shovel in one hand and a poster tube of The Rolling Stones in the other.

She said softly, "Jackie, Buddy Morgan wanted to gimme a job."

Jackie nodded, "You should take it. He'd probably give you good benefits."

"I turned it down." Colette said, her voice raspy, "Just didn't sit right, y'know?"

Jackie turned to her, her eyes showed a bit of light, "I know."

Colette let out a breath, "Been a helleva long day."

"It has." Jackie smirked, rubbing the back of her head, "I honestly don't remember the last time I was in so many fights."

They rounded the corner, passing The Hub.

"Can we just sit for a bit?" Colette asked, her calf muscles tightening.

Jackie nodded, "Of course."

They walked inside, taking a booth at the corner. They barely sat when someone strolled over to them, "Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!"

With her face in her hands, Jackie didn't even look up. She just let out a tired sigh, "Mitch Miller…" She then looked up, slapping a false smile on her face, "What do we owe the pleasure?"

Mitch Miller just stared at them for a moment before declaring, "You guys look like crap."

Jackie and Colette said in unison, "We know."

Mitch nodded, his grown red hair bobbing to and fro, "Y'know Jackie, I was gonna bust yer balls… but if I do that now, it'll be like the equivalent of kicking a man while he's down. And Mitch Miller is no kicker of men while they are down!"

Jackie narrowed her eyes darkly, "I'm not a man."

Mitch ignored her, and dragged a chair from a nearby table and plopped himself down by the edge of their table, "So Jackie, I was wondering-"

"Nope." The brunette instantly cut in.

"-if maybe you were still in touch with Donna-"

"Nope." She said again.

"-maybe she broke up with Eric!" He ended cheerfully.

Colette leaned in, "Hey, Richie from Happy Days, she said 'no.'"

Mitch turned to the younger girl, sneering, "Richie huh? Coz me and Ron Howard are both redheads, huh? Good one, kid. May I remind you that you are also one of the crimson chosen?"

Colette beamed, "That's why I can make fun you about it."

Mitch rolled his eyes, gesturing his thumb at the girl, and asking Jackie, "Who's this twerp?"

"Eric and Donna's love child." Jackie answered seriously, "Her Aunt Laurie calls her 'Donna 2.'"

For a split second Mitch looked alarmed, as if he actually believed Jackie. But then after a quick second of doing math in his head, he pulled a face and spewed at Jackie, "Real mature! You and I both know that's impossible! She's too overgrown!"

Jackie grinned, "But for a moment…. You believed." Jackie then shrugged, "And who knows, maybe Donna 2 is really 5 years old. You have to remember that Donna is a big girl."

"Fat chance!" Mitch puffed out his chest, "Donna would never let herself be impregnated by some wimp like Eric who places the force field generators of a Tie Fighter on backwards!"

Jackie pulled a face, "Mitch, you seriously need to move on. You haven't seen Eric in Donna in years!"

Mitch only smiled, "But that's about to change!"

Colette raised an eyebrow, "How?"

Mitch eagerly rubbed his hands together before leaning in, whispering excitedly, "I went to a psychic!"

Jackie groaned, "Ugh, last time someone suggested that, Fez ended up dressed in a toga, wearing a towel on his head, covered in jewelry. We had to call him 'Mystic Fezzeroni'."

Mitch rolled his eyes, "Back to the psychic-"

With a huge smile on her face, Colette shook her head, "Nu-uh, I wanna hear more about Mystic Fezzeroni!"

"Well for starters," Jackie told her young friend, "It wasn't even that original. He tried doing Mr. Sexeroni Pizza or something like that the year before. So it was pretty much like that, minus the sausage jokes-"

"THE PSYCHIC!" Mitch shouted, gaining both girls' attention, "Was this girl named Caroline who works out by an abandoned meat warehouse! She told me she that through the vibrations of the universe, she could feel that Eric and Donna were returning, and that Donna would look me up!"

Jackie pulled a face, "Crazy Caroline is you psychic? Mitch, what the hell?! The vibrations were probably the electroshock therapy they buzz into her system!"

"Crazy who?" Mitch whipped his head to Colette, "What's she talking about?"

Colette deadpanned, pointing at the flakes of dry blood in her red hair, "The chick who gave me this?"

Mitch Miller's eyes widened, "What?! She couldn't! I-I mean, I was alone with her for hours-"

"Consider yourself lucky she didn't go nutso on you then." Jackie told him, leaning back in her seat and shaking her head, "Me and Little Jackie here almost died today."

The younger girl looked up briefly, shaking her head with a smirk on her face, "Colette."

Jackie turned to her, "Huh?"

"My name," The younger girl added softly, "-is Colette."

Mitch snapped his fingers, as if just thinking about something for the first time, "Y'know, I work for a lock and key, mom and pop store down Franklin. You don't think those keys she gave me and asked me to plaster for her to make duplicates happened to be the same ones Fez misplaced last week, right?"

Jackie raises her eyebrows, "What?"

Mitch nodded, "Yeah, in exchange for her psychic services, she gave me these keys and told me they weren't Fez's! And when I asked Fez if he had keys to his apartment, he just shrugged and told me he lost them but that he was positive they'd turn up somewhere."

Jackie ignored him and turned toward Colette, pointing at her, "Let this be a lesson to you," she then pointed at Mitch, "Never be this stupid."

Colette agreed, "Amen."

Jackie then stood up from the booth, stretching her legs, "Alright, me and my friend here are going home, Mitch."

Mitch seemed distracted, as if contemplating his own actions before mumbling, "I feel like an idiot." He then looked up at Jackie, saddened, "I bet Donna's not even gonna look me up when she comes in town."

"She's not even coming to town and if she did 'look you up', more than likely she'd look over your head!" Jackie blurted, her voice high and shrill before continuing, "And besides, what you should be thinking about is how you placed Fez's and Laurie's lives in danger! Caroline could've done some real psychopathic damage on them!"

Colette raised her shovel, "Here, here!"

Jackie narrowed her eyes at Mitch, seething, "Let's get outta here, Little Jackie. Mitch Miller is really starting to piss me off."

As Colette rose, Mitch stood up, taking a double look at Colette when he realized he was shorter than her, only to then ignore it and tell Jackie, "Wait. Let me take you guys home. I feel kinda bad about Caroline, as if I gave her the means to like, attack you two or something."

"Means, motive and opportunity." Colette quickly threw out.

Jackie thought about it for half a second, "Alright Mitch, but take us to the Formans. I need to speak with Steven, and he's gotta be home sometime."

Mitch agreed, "Okay, just let me see if my car can start." While both girls stared at him, he nodded his head, "It usually does on the fourth try."

As he left to the parking lot, Jackie turned to Colette, "Hope you don't mind going a couple blocks with that do-do bird."

"I can't believe he made those keys for Caroline." Colette mumbled, shaking her head.

"I know." Jackie said, "Yesterday Fez was telling me how things in his place were disappearing and he thought there was a ghost in his apartment!"

Colette shook her head, "That's so creepy. To think Caroline was in there, collecting their things and God knows what."

Jackie shuddered, "Let's not think about that, or I won't get any sleep tonight!"

As they made their way over to the exit, Colette carrying her poster and shovel, Jackie opened the door for her. Colette then turned to her friend, "Hey Jackie, did you know The Hub was originally titled 'The Pub'? It was owned by this Irish family-"

As both girls left The Hub, the few customers it still retained munched on their burgers and shakes. In the corner, a little boy of twelve played Pinball. Jackie's voice could be heard from the inside say, "I didn't know that."

Someone from behind counter of The Hub rang the bell, gaining the customer's attention, "Place closing in Five!"

Most of the customers nodded, one girl who sat by the jukebox rolled her eyes, "Alright!"

And true to his word, five minutes later, everyone piled out of The Hub, Jackie and Colette long gone by now, having hitched a ride with Mitch. The guy who had rang the bell stayed a little later, turning off grills and shake machines, wiping off counters, until it was time for him to leave too.

He then clicked off the light of the old teenage hangout, and turned toward the door. The usual 'We're Open'/ 'We're Closed' sign was replaced with a 'Closing Soon' marker that had been placed on the door awhile back. He made sure that was noticeable before locking up, and leaving The Hub, quietly in the dead of night.

After 30 years of business, it was closing its doors.