Disclaimer: That '70s Show copyright The Carsey-Werner Company, LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC.

CHAPTER 2
THE WINNING MARGIN

In the morning, Jackie slipped Bud's letter back into the duffel bag. Steven was using the bathroom, and she bolted from his room in time. She saw him next in the kitchen downstairs. Rosa, the cook, had prepared pancakes and sausage, something Jackie knew Steven liked.

They were served at the cozy breakfast table. Usually, when either one or both of her parents were home, Jackie ate breakfast in the dining room. They never wanted her to forget her upper-class upbringing, but that room was too vast and lonely without another person there. Its sumptuous décor—including ornate furniture and expensive, nearly untouchable crystal—did not make for good company. Shade wasn't allowed inside, so she was glad to eat in the kitchen where he devoured his can of premium-brand cat food.

Steven devoured his pancakes just as quickly. He finished before she was halfway through her plate. He'd been reading Daddy's Milwaukee Sentinel, and he separated the Real Estate section of the paper from the rest.

"Gotta work," he said and stuffed the paper under his arm. "Gonna try finding a room to rent—"

"Or you could move back in with the Formans'," Jackie said, "like a sane person."

He grinned at her, too widely. "Who ever said I was sane, man?"

"Ugh."

"Anyway, I'll be back later for my crap. Thanks for the grub and the place to crash."

He moved toward the kitchen door, the one that lead to the living room, but Shade lay down on the floor and stretched out in front of him. That was Shade's "I want cuddles" maneuver, and Steven fell for it. He knelt down and rubbed Shade's cream-colored belly. Shade took this well until it inspired him to wrestle. His front paws grasped Steven's hand, and his hind legs kicked at Steven's wrist.

"N'uh-uh, Cat." Steven extricated himself from Shade's grip. "We'll play later."

"With a toy!" Jackie shouted, but Steven was halfway through the kitchen door.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he called back. He disappeared into the living room, and a few moments later, the front door slid open and clicked shut.

The sound startled her, but not because it was loud. Steven had been gentle enough with the door, but his simple act had unearthed labyrinthine feelings. He was the kind of boy who opened his own doors—those inside his mind and heart—when he chose to. She'd been lucky enough to be let in once or twice, and what she'd found on the other side both frightened and fascinated her.

He was so different from anyone she'd ever known, like a complex math equation that needed solving, but math was her least favorite subject in school. That letter she'd illicitly read filled in some variables, but it also complicated him further.

"Are you finished?" Rosa said.

Jackie glanced up at her, "No," and tried to eat the rest of her pancakes, but her appetite was gone. "Yes. Thank you."

Rosa paused a moment before clearing the plates. Then, under her breath, she muttered in Spanish, "Al menos uno de los Burkharts tiene un corazón."

Jackie understood only two words in that sentence, "Burkharts" and "corazón". The latter meant "heart," and she knew this because Michael took Spanish. He sometimes called her "Mi corazón," but her own heart must've gotten its color from red ink. It was in need of severe correcting, like her last Geometry test.

Steven's equation wasn't hers to solve or even to understand, not unless he wanted her to. And he clearly didn't want her to. Her act last night had unbalanced things between them, despite that he didn't know it.

Hyde returned to the Burkhart Mansion earlier than he'd planned—and in time for dinner. The scent of garlic and basil hung in the air, and he followed his nose to the dining room. Sitting at the too-long table were Jackie and Kelso. Their plates had barely been touched, and Kelso said to him, "Hey, what're you doing here?"

"To see Cat," Hyde said.

Kelso seemed to accept this answer, even though Shade wasn't allowed in the dining room. "Good luck finding 'im. He always runs away when I come over."

Hyde smirked. "Smart cat." Then he said to Jackie, "Did Rosa make another—"

"Yes," she said. "Just go to the kitchen and let her know you're here."

"Cool."

He walked toward the room's fancy doors—French doors Jackie had called them—but Kelso caught his elbow. "You were MIA in the basement today. Why didn'tcha come over after work?"

"Who are you, my wife? You sound like Forman." Hyde pulled his arm free from Kelso's fingers. "Me and Bud are hangin' out a lot. Might not be in the basement for a few days. We got eight years of catchin' up to do."

"But haven't you been doing that this whole time?" Kelso said. "You've been livin' with him over half a year. How much catching up can you guys do?"

Hyde didn't answer and strode into the kitchen. He elected to eat dinner with Rosa, Maria, and Shade in the pantry. Then he went upstairs to the guest room. A private circle was calling his name, but Kelso had started up on the piano. His arrhythmic playing reached Hyde from the living room, and the only song Kelso seemed to know was "Chopsticks".

Smoking up with that racket was a no-go. Hyde's thoughts would grow as choppy as the song rather than smoothing out. His alternate plan: searching through his small, gray book of contacts. It would probably serve him better anyway. He grasped the doorknob, intending to close the door, but Shade darted into the room before he had the chance.

"Yeah, I don't like the moron's playing, either," Hyde said.

Shade bounded onto the bed then jumped onto the bureau. The Burkharts had put several useless knickknacks up there, some carved from onyx and jade. Shade's paw batted at a ceramic elephant. Hyde would've let the kitty wreak havoc, but Shade had it good at the Burkharts. Jackie's parents were liable to put him down if he busted something, valuing a few expensive decorations over Shade's life.

"Can't be doin' that, Cat." Hyde pulled Shade off the bureau and onto his shoulder. Shade settled there, and Hyde walked with him across the room. "Let's see if this helps..." He tried again to shut the door against Kelso's playing; but a small, strong hand with pink fingernails kept it open.

"Steven, can I come in?"

Hyde opened the door wider in response, and Jackie stepped inside. She seemed to be taking short breaths, but she closed the door behind herself, which significantly muffled the piano.

"I'm sorry about Michael—"

"Doesn't a piano like that have a lock?" Hyde lifted Shade from his shoulder and deposited him onto the bed. Then he tossed Shade a rolled-up pair of black socks to play with.

"Not about that," Jackie said. "About him being here."

"Nothin' to apologize for. He's your boyfriend, right?"

"Right..." She sat on the edge of the bed and snatched the socks from Shade. "Are these my dad's?" Hyde nodded, and she looked as if she would yell, but she returned the socks to Shade. "Did you find a place to live?"

"Not yet." Hyde bent down by his duffel bag. He took his gray book from an outside pocket and stood again. "Look, I don't want Kelso—or anyone—knowin' I'm homeless, okay? You think you can keep that one to yourself?"

"But you have a home. It's waiting for you. If you weren't so afraid, you'd see that."

"I ain't afraid of crap." He stuck his thumb between pages of the gray book. He couldn't go back to the Formans. Red had been right about Bud; he was no good. He'd traded one addiction for another, booze for gambling. His life was a series of miserable dead ends, and Hyde would more than likely follow his in tracks.

"Then what is it, Steven?" Jackie was glaring at him, as if she were trying breach his defenses. "Pride? Guilt? What?"

"You and me," he gestured between them, "we got two different lives, man. That's it."

She said nothing, but did she get what he was saying? Probably not. The very nature of his point would block comprehension. She had parents who'd bribe her way into college if they needed to. A dad who owned half the town and could get her any job she wanted. A guarantee that at least two people would give a damn about her as long as they lived.

Hyde had visitation rights with a cat.

"Fine." She lowered her gaze to the rug. "I won't say anything."

"Thanks."

He opened the door for her to leave, and Kelso's piano playing burst into the room. It sounded like he was mashing the keys, and she rushed into the hallway, shouting, "Michael, get off the damn piano!"

Shade scampered behind her.

Hyde didn't quite close the door after Jackie left. He stood by and listened as she stomped down the stairs. She'd become silent, but her silence was followed by a discordant slam and a cry of pain from Kelso. She must have shut the fallboard on his fingers.

Peace and quiet at last, man, and Hyde planned on taking advantage of it. He unzipped his duffel bag and rummaged around, but Jackie's voice reached him before his stash did.

"No, Michael. You can't stay over tonight!"

"But this is a perfect night for doin' it!" Kelso shouted. "Both your parents are gone. You always invite me over when they're away."

"Well, not tonight."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said. "Maybe tomorrow."

"All right!" Kelso said, and his conversation with Jackie grew quieter until Hyde couldn't hear it anymore.

"Finally," he whispered, "stash time." He pulled out the paper bag out with his joints, but Shade trotted back into the room. A pink foam ball was in his mouth. He dropped it at Hyde's feet and looked up at him expectantly. "Like a freakin' dog," Hyde said.

He snatched up the ball. Shade was a smart kitten. Jackie had taught him how to play fetch early-on, and he didn't do a half-ass job of playing. He always brought the ball back to a waiting hand.

Hyde tossed the ball into the hallway, and Shade chased after it. He'd be back in seconds, and Hyde went to the nightstand. He stuffed his stash into the drawer. Didn't need the kitten getting into his joints.

Shade returned with the ball and jumped onto the bed with it. The cat could play fetch for a good twenty minutes, and Hyde obliged him. On Hyde's seventh throw, however, the ball bounced off Jackie's clothed breasts.

"Hey!" she said.

Hyde snickered. "Sorry. Cat wanted some playtime." He was sitting on the bed now, and Shade returned the ball to him yet again. Instead of tossing it, though, Hyde petted Shade until the cat began to purr and plunked down by Hyde's side.

"Michael's gone." Jackie scooped Shade up into her arms. She scratched the back of his cream-colored head, but her breathing was unsteady.

"What's goin' on?" Hyde said. "Didja want Kelso to stay here tonight or something? 'Cause I can get out if you—"

"No." She partially hid her face behind Shade's back. "Last year was really tough for me, Steven. Learning Michael had cheated on me was just—was just the tipping point."

Hyde's brow furrowed. "Okay..." He had no clue where she was going with this. She never talked to him about anything serious when he came over, and he liked it that way.

She groaned and put Shade back down on the bed. Shade sat on the foam ball then kicked it with his hind legs. He attacked it with various strategies as Jackie poked her head outside the door. She seemed afraid Kelso was still lurking around, or maybe she didn't want Maria to listen in because she closed the door afterward.

"I also learned last year," she said, "that my dad has a mistress."

"Hell..." Hyde's jaw clenched.

"Yeah. My mom told me, and I'm not supposed to let Daddy know that I know. But the 'retreats' my mom goes on... they're not alone. She has a few boy toys down in Mexico."

The rest of Hyde's body tensed—to keep his anger from escaping. Maybe Shade could sense it because he hopped off the bed and went to the door. He stretched his paws up toward the doorknob.

"Let the cat out," Hyde said. Jackie did as he directed and shut the door again. "Why're you tellin' me this, man?"

"I just wanted to even things out.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"So you have something to blackmail me with."

"Still not gettin' it."

"Now that you know this horrible thing about my family," she said, "you can trust me."

He stared at her. She was making no sense. "Did you get into my stash or someth..." His stomach dropped. She'd been skulking in his room last night, hadn't she? By his duffel bag. "You found Bud's letter."

Her voice shrank to a whisper. "Yeah."

He glanced up at the ceiling and laughed once. "Unbelievable."

She stepped toward him. "I'm sorry." Then she cupped his shoulder. "But I promise I won't tell anyone."

Hyde's lips buzzed at the contact, even though she hadn't touched his mouth. They were remembering the pressure her own mouth had put on them half a year ago, during their first date. He squeezed his lips together tightly and bit them from the inside, but he couldn't cause enough pain. The memory refused to fade.

"And you better not tell anyone what I told you," she said and backed away. "Not unless I slip up."

"Unbelievable," he repeated.

She answered with a massive eye-roll, the most dramatic he'd ever seen. It could have won a world record.

"Jackie—"

"What do you want from me, Steven? I can't un-read the note. I can't un-snoop in your bag. I've given you protection against me, so..."

"No." He stood up and cupped her shoulder, copying her previous gesture. She looked at him with what had to be shock. Her eyes were wide, and her lips were parted slightly. "Unbelievable," he said. "that'd you'd 'even things out'. Unbelievable that your mom expects you to carry freakin' secrets like spare change. Unbelievable that..." His hand fell from her shoulder. His palm felt electrified, alive with a need to touch her face, to draw her in for a kiss. "Anyway, we're cool. Okay?"

She hesitated before smiling. "Okay."

The next day at breakfast, Jackie gave Hyde a copy of the house keys, "So you can come and go as you like," she said. That was his second surprise in less than twelve hours, the first being her family confession and the reason behind it. The chick had more layers to her than he thought and an honorable conscience, something he never suspected hid beneath her massive ego. She just needed to be challenged, man, so her behavior and thoughts could break free from her spoiled upbringing.

He didn't mind being her challenger. In fact, he kind of dug it. But his opportunities to do so would be few and far between from here on in. The realities of his life were crashing down on him like concrete bricks. He needed to find a place to live and fast, or he'd end up like his cousin Keith, stabbed to death beneath a bridge.

Hyde walked to work in the boots Jackie had bought him a year ago. They were comfortable and didn't blister his feet like his uncle's boots, but he arrived at the Fotohut only to find it closed. Leo met him in front, though, and said he needed help cleaning out his garage.

"You scored one of those?" Hyde said. Leo's apartment building had several garages that tenants could rent, but they were offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Yeah, man, and it's too full. I'm gonna have a yard sale."

"But you don't have a yard."

"Oh. Then I guess I'll have a garage sale..." Leo's brows knit together in confusion, "even though the garage isn't for sale."

"You can call it an 'Inside the Garage' sale," Hyde said.

Leo's expression brightened, "Yeah!" and he patted Hyde on the back. "You're so full of ideas, man. People should call you an ideas-man, man."

Hyde chuckled, and they went off to Leo's building together. It wasn't far, only a few blocks away. A musty odor permeated the garage, along with piles of junk. But beneath all of Leo's crap was a shining, four-wheeled beacon of badassery—a 1967 El Camino.

"Leo, man, there's a car in here!"

"Wow. Do you think it's mine?" Leo stared at the Camino for a moment. "I remember driving it to Point Place years ago, so I guess it is. Small world." He stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a key. Then he stuck it into the Camino's passenger-side door, and the lock clicked open. "Whoa! So that's what this mystery key belongs to. I've been wonderin' about that for ages."

"It's a sweet set of wheels, man."

"You know..." Leo held up the key and studied it, "I was gonna give this car to my son on his sixteenth birthday, but then my old lady took him and split." He passed the key to Hyde. "I want you to have this car."

Hyde stared at the dull key in his palm, his third surprise of the last twenty-four hours. Too bad he didn't have the car a few days ago. He could've rescued his stereo from Bud's apartment.

"Thanks, Leo," he said with a grin. "You're the best."

Leo's car and Leo's love, man... they tempted Hyde to share with him his living situation. Instead, he helped Leo clear out the garage enough so Hyde could drive the Camino out of there. The engine purred like Shade when it revved up. Leo must have filled the gas tank and changed the oil before putting this baby to bed.

Hyde spent the rest of the afternoon driving around town and scoping out places to rent. One house looked promising... until he learned he'd be sharing it with a couple who enjoyed Bluegrass music. Most other places were either too expensive or had lousy upkeep, even worse than his rented house with Edna. A few roaches he could handle—but not a swarm living beneath his mattress.

The day's search was a bust. What chance did a high-school kid, who only made a few bucks an hour, have at finding a decent living space? Maybe he could get another job to afford rent. Quit the Fotohut and get two different jobs. But then he'd have no Hyde-time. He'd be a barely-sleeping automaton. And in September when school started, what would he do? He'd have to drop out.

He returned to the Burkhart Mansion late that night. Driving for hours and thinking hadn't made his choices seem any better, but at least the pizza he bought for dinner had tasted good.

Shade meowed and ran up to him in the living room. "Hey, Cat," Hyde said. Shade's eyes flashed green. Then he stretched out his back and fell onto his side. That was his way of saying he wanted a pet.

Hyde gave him one. He knelt down and stroked Shade's fur, and Shade's purr vibrated beneath Hyde's fingers.

"You really are damn cute," Hyde said then stood up with a sigh. Having a life like Shade's would be nice, not to have any freakin' worries, but Hyde's road rarely went like that. It had always been full of sharp turns and forks and rubble. Every choice he made, like living with his dad or kissing Jackie, seemed to lead to worse ones. One of these days, he was gonna crash into a decision that he couldn't walk away from. Because he'd be too mangled or dead.

But for now, he went up the Burkharts' carpeted staircase. Muffled voices reached him before he got to the second-floor landing. He couldn't make them out, but once he got to the hallway, they became distinct.

"I said no!" Jackie shouted. Her bedroom door was shut, and Hyde rushed for it. Sounded like she was in trouble.

"Jackie, come on," the other voice said. "When are we gonna get this opportunity again? Let's do it."

Kelso.

"Would you stop pestering me already?" Jackie said. "Go to sleep, Michael, or get out."

"Fine!"

Hyde sucked in a relieved but frustrated breath. Jackie was cool, just dealing with the usual. He hadn't expected Kelso to be here tonight, but in the guestroom Hyde found a note. It was written in Jackie's girly, bubbly handwriting, but the ink was smudged, and the handwriting was messy, as if she'd been in a hurry.

Steven, the note said.

Michael came over, and I couldn't get rid of him. Sorry. He still doesn't know you're staying here, so just be your sneaky self, and it'll stay that way.

Speaking of being sneaky, I have an idea for you. You like being devious and underhanded, right?

Hyde stopped reading and laughed. Did he ever. And so did Jackie, even if she'd never admit it. The chick had a devious streak herself. He'd experienced it more than once, including two nights ago when she'd swiped his letter from Bud.

If you still have the key to the Formans' basement, the note continued, and to your old room, you don't have to tell the Formans you're living there. Just live there. You spend most of your time in the basement anyway. You can sneak into your room after everyone leaves or goes to bed. Then you can sneak out in the morning before anyone wakes up.

It's not an ideal solution, but at least you'll have a roof over your head. If anything, it'll give you a few more days (or weeks) to figure out a more permanent living situation.

My parents are coming home tomorrow, so you'd be smart to take my advice. I don't want to think of you living on the streets. You're dirty enough already.

—Jackie

Hyde crushed the note in his hand. Jackie was a damn genius. Maybe he could sleep at the Formans a while without them ever knowing, slip in and slip out.

He dug through his duffel bag for one of his school notebooks, a pen, and a little thank-you present to Jackie. He spent a moment writing her a note; then he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder.

Out in the hallway, too familiar sounds escaped Jackie's room—the squeak of mattress springs, a headboard knocking against the wall. She must have given into Kelso's whining. Hyde was leaving just in time.

Jackie disentangled herself from Kelso's octopus-like grip. He was deep in sleep, but Jackie's heart was racing. Had Steven come home yet? She dashed into the hallway and shut her bedroom door. Steven's door was open, probably for Shade.

She'd promised not to sneak into his room anymore, but she peeked an eye through the door's wide crack. Steven wasn't there, so she entered and turned on the lights. His duffel bag was gone, too. He must have left for good. Did that mean he'd found a place to live?

A cream-colored ball of fur was curled up on the bed—Shade. He was sleeping, and she sat down by him. His ears fluttered at her presence, but he didn't stir. He'd been busy, though. A partially-shredded note was on the nightstand.

She picked up the note, and flakes of paper fell off it. "Shade, you just have to chew paper, don't you?" But the majority of the note was intact. Steven had written it. His handwriting had a rough elegance, like he actually took some care in forming his letters. It intrigued her, just as he did, and she read the note.

Jackie,

Thanks for the room and board. Won't be on the streets, but I'm gonna be extra dirty from now on. Decided to take showers with mud instead of water. I like the earthy smell.

Tell your parents to give Maria a raise. She'll have more cleaning to do whenever I come over. Gonna track dirt and grime and probably dog crap all over your rugs.

Jackie shut her eyes and shook her head. This was Steven's version of a thank-you?

I'll bring your keys back tomorrow," the note continued. Didn't want to leave your front door unlocked.

—Hyde

P.S. Left you a little present. It'll probably freak you out, but if you have the guts to get through it—I'll listen to one of your shitty records sometime.

"A present?" Jackie's mood lifted. She loved presents, and she feverishly searched for a box wrapped in shiny paper. Instead, she found a beat-up, well-read copy of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Shade had pushed it under the bed. "Books aren't presents for pretty girls, Steven," she said as if he could hear her. "They're for prisoners to pass the time away."

Then again, maybe she was a prisoner. As large as her house was, she did feel somewhat trapped by it. Or, perhaps, her life did the trapping. The house, she could escape from as she pleased. Her choices, not so much—or her slow-kindling self-awareness. If only she'd known on Veteran's day what that heat in her chest had been, but no heat filled her love with Michael should've ejected the loneliness from her heart, but it had injected more. Shade seemed to sense this because he woke up. He crawled onto her lap and purred. His buzzy, rumbly presence soothed her, just as Steven's had done the last few days.

She picked up Nineteen Eighty-Four from the bed. The book had to mean something to Steven. It looked like he'd read it a hundred times. The cover was battered, and the pages were dog-eared. She was loathe even to touch it, but she began to read; and by the time she finished the second paragraph, she understood the gift she'd received.

Steven had unlocked one of his doors, and he'd invited her inside.