It was ten thirty but I hadn't left my bed. Mom had called me down for breakfast more than an hour ago, but I felt chained to the sheets, the night before on repeat in my mind: Hyde's gruff, angry voice, the muscle memory of easing off Donna's clothes, the numb feeling that radiated out to my fingertips as I touched her in all the ways I knew she liked, the disappointed look on her face she tried to mask when eventually nothing happened and I slipped back out her window not long after. I had tried to chalk it all up to a lot being on my mind about the future, which wasn't untrue, but I knew that wasn't entirely it. I didn't know what Hyde was so pissed about, and I didn't know how to make it better, and now it was invading my every thought. I pressed my hands to my eyes, blocking out the morning light filtering through my curtains, as I heard Kitty's voice emanating from the kitchen "Steven, will you go get Eric out of bed?"
I didn't hear Hyde's response, but I subconsciously groaned. I was hoping to wait it out, go scavenge for food when he was safely back in the basement and we wouldn't have to see each other, but that dream was dashed as soon as I heard loud footfalls coming up the stairs from behind my closed door. He stopped just outside and I felt my breathing halt, nervously.
"Get out of bed Forman, your mom wants you." He didn't even bother to open the door or wait for my answer before his footsteps retreated away and I let loose a sigh of relief that left me confused. This was getting ridiculous, why couldn't we just talk to each other like human beings? I didn't even do anything wrong, what the hell was he taking out on me? When I was away my mom had filled me in on a few things that had been going on with him, Jackie and Sam in particular, but none of that was in any way my fault. Yawning, I slowly got out of bed and slid into the pair of jeans I had left on the floor last night after Donna's, grimacing at the condom in the back pocket that I threw on the bed so I didn't have to look at it, before making my way out of the room. If I was lucky, Hyde would already have left for the store, and I could just eat my cereal in peace.
"Good morning Snicklefritz!" Still overly enthusiastic about having me back, mom rushed over to me to kiss both my cheeks once I entered the kitchen, which had only just become easier to avoid as the days I was back went on, even though her hugs were so tight it was still hard to breathe out a "morning, mom" in reply. I glanced over at the table to find Hyde thankfully gone and I felt immediately more at ease. Red was still reading the paper, glancing up at with me a look in his eye.
"Eric, now that you're back I think it's time you started pulling your weight in this house again." I tried to fight an eye roll as a poured a bowl of Cheerios. "I want you and Steven to clean out the garage."
I nearly choked on my first spoonful. "What, w-why?"
He lowered the paper and glared at me. "Because I said so. And if you don't like it, we can see instead how much you like my foot in your ass."
"No, I meant...why do I have to clean it with Hyde? Can't I clean it by myself?"
"Well Eric," he raised the paper again, "I'd like it done sometime this year, and Steven's been helpful around the house since you left, so I know he'll actually hold you accountable. And I want it done by the end of the night when Steven gets off work. Understood?"
"I'm nineteen, I can clean a garage by myself." I grumbled in between bites.
"Foot in ass, Eric." Was Red's only reply, not looking up at me.
I spent the rest of the day waiting for Hyde, nervously fiddling with a loose thread on the basement couch while pretending to watch TV, neck snapping up at any noise that sounded like the El Camino. On Saturdays I knew he didn't work until close, so at any minute I'd have to be face to face with him again. At long last, I heard the car park in our driveway, and mustering my strength, I made my way up the back steps. Hyde was reaching in the backseat for his jacket, either not seeing me or pretending not to, until I cautiously tapped on the window.
"Hey, uh," I swallowed nervously. "Red wants us to clean the garage…"
"I know." Was his bitter reply, still not looking at me, now full-on pretending to dig around his backseat for something, even though I could see there was nothing there and his jacket was in his other hand.
"So...do you want to start now, or wait for a bit…?"
After a deep sigh, Hyde got out of the car, slamming the door behind him, making me jump. "Whatever. Let's just get it over with."
The garage wasn't particularly messy, but a lot of scrap metal was surrounding my dad's work station, and old bottles and empty paint cans were scattered around in the corners. It really wasn't a two person job, I could have finished this by myself in about an hour, maybe less, I had no idea why Red wanted both of us to do this. We stood in silence for a moment before I went and grabbed a trash bag, sheepishly extending one to Hyde which he ripped out of my hands. I didn't know what to say, so the only sound coming out of the room was the rattling of metal and the clink of glass. It continued on until the last bag was tied in thrown in the can, Hyde immediately turning heel and heading for the basement.
"Wait." The word escaped my mouth before I had a chance to stop it. He turned to look at me, eyes dark behind the lenses of his glasses.
"What?" Barely a question as much as it was a statement.
"Look, man," I felt my palms get clammy. "I don't know what I did, but...I'm sorry. You've been acting super weird since I got back and I just, can't take it anymore."
"You can't take it anymore?" His volume didn't change, but I could hear the anger rising in his tone. I felt myself matching it.
"Yeah, ya dillhole. You're supposed to be my friend. I'm gone for a year and I finally come back, excited to see you guys again, and you're making it seem like I ruined your life. So I'm sorry, for whatever it is I did, but you're acting like a real dick."
"You better fucking watch it, Forman." He started walking closer to me until our faces were only about a foot away. "You keep talking to me like that and I'm gonna have to kick your damn ass."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Oh yeah?!" Catching him by surprise, I reached out and shoved his shoulder, the force knocking the glasses off his face. Blue eyes reached mine in the split second I had to completely regret what I had just done, before he tackled me. The back of my head smacked the concrete floor of the garage with a start, white stars blooming in my eyes at the impact, before I started fighting back, arms and legs pushing back at him with all my strength.
"Fuck you," he snarled, "you fucking asshole."
"Get off me!" I shouted back, trying every way I could think of to hit him where it would hurt most, but he dodged everything I threw at him with ease. We went back and forth, with me occasionally getting the better of him, but eventually getting flipped on my back, no longer spitting insults at each other and instead focusing on the fight. Always the least athletic though, I ran out of breath.
"Alright, alright!" I gasped. "I give, okay? Jesus."
He stopped, but was still on top of me, chest heaving, hair a mess from my trying to yank at it, but said nothing. We stared at each other for a moment, I watched the flush on his cheeks die down to a rosy pink, our breaths evening out, but still we said nothing.
"Hyde…" I swallowed, his gaze intensifying. "What's going on with-"
"God dammit." He ripped away from me. "God dammit, god dammit, god dammit." Kneeling down to pick up his shades, he gave me one final venomous look. Before I could say anything, he retreated to the basement steps, leaving me alone on my back with nothing left but the buzzy hum of the overhead light and the quickening darkness of the winter evening.