April 7th, 1978
Eric and Donna had gone out to dinner. It was a perfectly normal night until the drive home. When they reached the corner of Main Street they could see the lights. They didn't think about it until they saw Bob's car pulled over on the shoulder. "Pull over." Donna said as she looked out the window. He just did as she said before they ran over to Bob's side. "Dad, what's going on?" Donna asked. Eric didn't have to ask he could see her from where he was standing. Jackie was lying there in the middle of street bruised, broken, and lifeless. He just wrapped his arms around Donna and pulled her into his chest so she wouldn't see.
"Jackie's gone." Bob chocked out as the tears started to run down Eric's face. He sat there and watched as they covered her body before putting it in the ambulance. He tried to hold Donna up, but at some point they both just hit the ground in a mess of tears and sorrow.
Eric just sat up in bed and looked over at his beautiful girlfriend who was sound asleep next to him. He had left Jackie in Point Place weeks ago. But, he couldn't get the thought of her sitting in that basement all alone trying to get Hyde to notice her. He couldn't help, but wonder what went so wrong? Why did they have to lose her so soon? None of it made sense. Yet, what made the least sense to him was why couldn't he just let go? He never really cared about Jackie before but here he sits in his warm cozy Madison apartment thinking about her. Before he knew it he was driving to Point Place in a daze. He passed the high school and smiled at the 'Congratulations Graduates" banner for a moment. Before it set in that she would have graduated high school today. Then he passed the cross that sat on the side of Main Street with dead flowers at the base of it. He didn't go home. He just parked in the cemetery. Walked slowly up to the grave stone that he knew shouldn't even be there.
May 31, 1978
It was the first time since the funeral that Eric and Donna had managed to come see her. He just sat back as Donna placed a bunch of roses and her graduation cap on the stone. "You should have been there today." She said softly as she rubbed her hand across the stone. Eric just watched as Donna broke down. "It would have been nice to see you there in the crowd." She said softly through the tears.
"She would have went nuts when they called Hyde's name." He added in before walking Donna back to the car. They left for Madison the next day. They needed the space…the time to try to return to normal.
Eric just smiled as he looked at the stone to see a new graduation cap with flowers in it sitting there. Bob probably had done that for her. "You know I wish I could help you." He said as he looked at the stone. "I guess I couldn't say this to your face so… here I am. I can't give you your Steven back." He said softly. "I don't know how to make him see you… and I sure as hell am not ready to lose another friend." He paused for a minute. "I know it seems selfish…and I know in my heart you two deserve to be together….but I just.."
"Son you're not supposed to be here now." A police officer walked up to me his flashlight shining on me as the sun started to come up. "You knew her?" He asked as I stood up.
"Yeah, she was a good friend." I replied.
"I worked that case. It was a terrible accident." He said as he looked at me before looking at the stone one last time. "You know what I will just let this go. The sun is about to be up anyways." He said before he walked away.
"I miss you and we all love you." I said to the stone before walking back to my car. I started for my childhood home. Something in me just needed to walk in the kitchen and have my mom hug me before force feeding me. I just longed for home in a way I normally don't. But, my heart stopped as I saw the lights just a few blocks from my house. I saw the El Cameo sitting there in a ball almost around someone's tree. Then I saw Red pulling up. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and just ran over. "No." I said as I looked at Red who for the first time in my life was crying.
"Go home and sit with your mother." He said as they rolled a stretcher in a body bag over to an ambulance. I just walked back to my car and then broke down as I drove.
"I had nothing to do with it." Jackie said as she appeared in the passenger's seat. "He was drinking and the car behind him tried to … did run him off the road." She just sighed. "I never wanted to take him away from you … no matter what you think." She said before she disappeared. He just drove until he reached the house. He couldn't bring himself to go in. From the driveway he could hear his mother and Bob crying. He kept telling himself this wasn't real. But, why would that work now when it didn't before.