Here's the gang, as promised! I even threw in a circle!
Soon we were sitting in a messy, but cozy, basement. Hyde was sitting in a chair next to the torn couch where I sat. The Brady Bunch was flashing on the T.V. There was no one else in the house.
"Are we allowed to be here?" I asked nervously. He looked relaxed, feet propped up, hands resting on his belt buckle.
"Yeah. Forman's basement is where we always hang out." He got up and pulled two sodas out of the cooler by the wall.
"Thank you. Who is we?" I said as he handed one to me and sat back down.
"Well, Forman is a twiggy little guy, this is his house." He paused to take a sip of his coke. "Donna is a saucy red-head, she lives in the house next door. Kelso is an idiot, you'll know him when you hear him. Jackie is a bitch. Fez is the foreign one. Red and Kitty are Forman's parents, but they shouldn't be home until after the others get here."
"Forman: twiggy, Donna: saucy, Kelso: idiot, Jackie: bitch, Fez: foreign, Red and Kitty: parents. Got it." Just as I finished the list a group busted through the door. The first one through was a tall boy with longer brown hair, dressed in a polo and jeans. He wasn't twiggy, and didn't look foreign. He must be Kelso. He was closely followed by a smaller guy that also had brown hair, dressed in a button down shirt that looked way too big on him. Forman. Then a tall red-headed girl walked in wearing a cute top and jeans; that could only be Donna. A shorter man was next. His pants were way too tight, and his skin was tan. I guessed that he was Fez. Lastly, a short girl dressed in a fur coat and hat huffed in, arms crossed and an angry look on her face. I didn't even have to guess. Jackie. They all stopped to stare at me.
"Hello." I smiled, taking a sip of coke.
"Guys, this is Lilly. She whopped Pam Macey's ass today." Hyde smirked and gestured to me.
"That was you!?" Jackie yelled, looking astonished. "She can't cheer for a week! You broke her nose!"
"If it makes us even, she busted my lip." I shrugged and shot Hyde a glare. That's not exactly how I was hoping to be introduced. The new girl in town would've been nice, but instead I was the girl that kicked some girl's ass.
"Ugh! Trash! Michael, take me home!" She stomped outside.
"Nice to meet you!" The tall boy threw over his shoulder as he ran after her.
"Well, it's official. You have to come here every day." Forman plopped down next to me and put an arm around my shoulder. "I'm Eric Forman. That was Jackie and Kelso. This is Donna and Fez."
"Hello." Donna waved as she sat next to Eric.
"Hello, pretty lady." Fez grabbed my hand as kissed it.
"Um… Hi. Nice to meet all of you." I laughed a little and glanced at Hyde. He just shrugged and continued watching the T.V.
"So you just moved here, right, Lilly?" Donna asked politely.
"Yeah, from Arkansas." I smiled. I liked Donna. She seemed the most normal.
"Hey, Fez, change the channel." Hyde called out. Fez quickly scooted forward on the tricycle he was sitting on and switched stations. Happy Days started up.
"My parents are apparently throwing a party tomorrow." Forman frowned.
"Sounds fun. Think there's any chance of beer?" Hyde raised his eyebrows.
"Maybe…" They continued their conversation as Donna and I talked about classes and what all the teachers were like. Then she asked why I got into a fight with Pam. I glanced over to Hyde, and all he did was look at me. I don't know how he would help me anyway.
"I just, uh… She made fun of my dialect." I smiled uncomfortably.
"Your what? Sounds dirty." Fez smiled.
"A dialect is… well… It's not dirty." Eric shook his head, giving up on trying to explain it.
Hyde grew bored and went into a back room. When he came back he had several rolling papers and a baggy of pot.
"Anyone got a light? I left mine at home." He sighed as he sat down. I pulled my pack of Winston Gold's from my back pocket and took the lighter from it. I waited until he rolled the joint, then leaned forward to light it for him. "Thanks." He mumbled through the paper. Taking a deep drag, he passed it to me. I shrugged and took a drag as well.
"Wow, that's smooth." I took the smoke into my lungs and held it there, passing the joint to Donna before blowing it out my nose.
"You really are an angel. My little southern belle, ass kicking, class skipping, toke taking angel." Hyde hugged my head to his chest.
"You smell like sunshine!" I giggled, pinching at his shirt. "Hot damn, this stuff is fast!"
"You guys are so adorable! Lilly you're my bestest friend! Hyde give her to me!" Donna yanked me from Hyde and hugged me.
"We just met though!" I hugged her back, before looking at her hair. "So… Red..." I mumbled, making myself a mustache with her hair.
"This is so cool. This basement is just so…roomy!" Eric threw his arms out wide and laughed.
"Lilly, what country are you from?" Fez asked, munching on a Butterfinger.
"She's from the South, Fez. A land stranger even than yours…" Hyde took another drag and passed it to me again.
"That's mean. You're mean." I mumbled, still sporting my Donna-stache. "Hey! Watch this!" I sat up straight, put my finger to the middle of my lips, and started blowing double smoke rings.
"Oh, God. I think I love you." Hyde laughed.
"Witch!" Eric pointed at me menacingly. Donna and Fez just started laughing.
"I am? Damn… Oh! Do I have superpowers now!? Please tell me I can turn people into frogs!" I leaned forward excitedly.
"Frogs are slimy…" Fez smiles.
"Don't you dare insult the frogs!" Donna pointed at him angrily. Then looked at her hand and started laughing hysterically.
"Oh! Guys, I can do another!" I grinned from ear to ear and took the blunt from Hyde's lips. I took a long drag, held it in my mouth, and blew a circle. Quickly, I blew a circle through that one and suck both up, one by one, through my nose. I coughed a little and laughed. "That burnt." I wiped my nose and laughed again.
We laughed and joked around for about thirty minutes after the joint was long-gone.
"Oh, man… I gotta get home…" I sighed and stood up, feeling my high wearing off fast. "How do you get there again?" I mumbled, heading towards the door.
"I'll walk you." Hyde followed after and stretched.
"Thanks." I smiled. "It was really awesome meeting all of you guys." I waved to everyone else.
"Come back anytime, all the time. We're always here." Eric waved back. Everyone said their goodbyes and we were gone.
On the way home, it was relatively quiet. I shivered and lit a cigarette. Suddenly I felt very warm. Hyde had put his jacket around me. I smiled and thanked him.
"Do they not have jackets in Arkansas?" He rolled his eyes.
"Okay, Mr. Smartass. This temperature right here, your 'fall', is our coldest winter. How do people live up here?" I held the cigarette between my lips and pushed my arms through the warm sleeves and held the jacket close around me. It was so warm.
"Well, for one, we're smart enough to wear jackets." A silky chuckle escaped his lips.
"Shut up." I laughed. We continued into the rough part of Point Place, and finally we reached my front yard.
"I have to get something for Edna, so I'll come in with you." Hyde looked reluctant, but headed towards to door anyway. I followed after him shyly, praying to God that James was in a good mood. He had been passed out on the living room floor when I left this morning, so I had no idea what we were walking into.
When we went through the door, I saw him sitting at the kitchen table, organizing receipts. He looked so normal that it was unsettling.
"James." Hyde spoke up, catching the man's attention.
"Steven. You're here to pick up your mom's usual? How's Edna doing?" He smiled and stood, going to a drawer and opening it. "You know she still hasn't paid me for last time." I watched the conversation carefully, it seemed that James had chosen to ignore me.
"I've got it all right here." Hyde's eyes hardened behind his aviators as he pulled a wad of money out of his pocket.
"Good boy. Lilly, count that." James was going through a paper bag, making sure everything was there when he finally spoke to me. I jumped, and looked to Hyde. He handed me the money and nodded. I counted the green papers, shocked at how much money was there.
"One thousand forty five." I mumbled, carefully setting the money on the table between myself and the intimidatingly peaceful man.
"Good, good." He smiled, handing the bad to Hyde and grabbing the money. "You can go now." He waved us both away. I followed Hyde outside, feeling shaken to the core.
"You okay?" The curly haired man put a hand on my shoulder.
"What? Yeah. I'm fine. Here's your jacket." I pulled the jacket off and tried to hand it to him. He shook his head and started his way to the house cattycorner to mine.
"Keep it. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He waved goodbye and I shuffled awkwardly. When he was in his house and out of sight, I went around the house and climbed through the window that lead to my room. There was no way I was going to face James when he was acting this sickeningly sweet. This was the calm before the storm and I knew it.
How was that? the next chapter will either be based on the first episode, a skip to Eric's Christmas party, or a scene between the two. Not sure yet. Alright, tell me what you think!