A/N: Hi everyone! Just wanted to wish you guys a very happy new years, hope it started right for all of us!
It was the day after her conversation with Steven over the phone and Jackie sat in her office, still unsure about what to make of it. The entire conversation, from beginning to end, had gone incredibly smooth, something she was definitely not expecting. Never in her wildest dream would she think that Steven would be the one to make the first move to get in touch with her. And even crazier is the fact that there seemed to be no resentment, on either side. Well no...on his side, because truthfully there was still some resentment on her side. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she did resent Hyde.
She had been the one who saw another woman take her place. She was the one who lost her best friend to the same woman. She was the one who, within weeks, lost everything and everyone that had meant anything to her. She was the one who had to pack up her life and move across the country just because the shame would not allow her be seen in public. No matter how much she tried to put up a front and show others how strong she was, she would go home every night and pretty much cry herself to sleep. Seeing how easily she was pushed aside by her so called friends, her "family," she knew she was on her own, just as she had been since she was a child and her parents were not around to care for her.
She remembered one afternoon when she spoke to Donna about her feelings of being cast aside and all her "best friend" said was that she was not trying hard enough. Not trying hard enough? She went to the basement everyday, knowing damn well that the one man she had truly loved would be all over some blonde stripper he barely even knew. She went to the basement knowing that everyone would be caught up in their own problems, Donna worrying about Eric in Africa or Randy, Kelso trying to figure out where he would work, and Fez trying to figure out which old lady he would sleep with that night. She wasn't looking for attention, she just wanted some reassurance that her friends still cared about her, but she never got that.
The more she went, the harder it became to hold on the hope that things would stay the same.
Things had gotten so bad that she even convinced herself that she wanted Fez, that they were meant to be together. God how dilusional she must have been to think they were meant to be anything other than friends. I mean, this was Fez! How many years had she spent saying that foreigners and Burkharts just did not mix? How many times had she turned down his advances at her? Far too many to count, and yet there she was, chasing him.
Looking back at it, she couldn't describe it any other way but that she was completely lost and miserable. Not only did Jackie Burkhart not chase men, she didn't chase foreign ones.
After a few weeks, she had came to her senses and realized that she needed to get the hell out of Point Place before she really went insane. After breaking up with Fez, and a very unpleasant encounter with Steven Hyde in the basement, she gained the courage to pack up her belongings and head to California. With a little bit of money she had saved up, and a few more that the Forman's had given her for the journey, she was ready for a new life, a new Jackie Burkhart.
The phone in her office rang all of a sudden, taking her out of her trance.
"This is Jackie Burkhart" she answered.
"Hi, Jackie it's Jason."
"Oh, hi how are you?"
"I'm fine. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch later on."
"Yes, of course that sounds good. What time do you have in mind?" Jackie asked.
"I have a class at one and should be done before 2: 45 so, I'll say three. Does that work for you?"
"Yeah, three is fine, there's not much to do around here today anyways."
"Alright perfect. I'll call you as soon as I get out of class. Do you want to meet at the little diner by campus?"
"The one with the outdoor sitting?"
"Yeah that one."
"Okay, I'll meet you there."
"See you soon, bye."
"Good bye" Jackie said and hung up the phone.
Jason was someone Jackie felt comfortable with. She was surprised that they had in fact remained friends after their break up for she had never managed to stay good friends with her exes. Perhaps Michael Kelso was an exception, but she had not spoken to him in quite some time so she didn't know if she could actually refer to him as one. She was glad things were different with Jason though. Not only had they had a good relationship, but she also owed him a lot. He helped her get on her feet in California, and had it not been for him she would still probably been serving tables at some hole in the wall restaurant.
Since she still had a few hours before she had to meet up with Jason, Jackie tried to keep herself busy with whatever work she could find.