"Jackie, can we talk?" Hyde asked as he approached the gang minus Donna.
"Sure." Jackie replied.
"Listen, I made some mistakes and I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry, I still love you and I know you still love me. We should be together."
Jackie looked at Steven and couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was the moment she had been waiting for, but now she didn't want it.
"Steven," Jackie started, "do you remember the last time I broke up with Michael, and the reason I told you why'd I'd never get back with him?"
Hyde nodded his head, vaguely remembering that conversation.
"Well, let me remind you anyway. Michael had been cheating with so many girls that I had to get tested to make sure I didn't catch anything. I knew then that I couldn't be with that type of man. Now, Michael is with Brooke and he's changed and I've never been happier for anyone. He's grown up and gets to have his family and happily ever after" she sighed, not wanting to continue but knowing she had to. "You're the type of man I don't need. You didn't trust me, so you cheated. Not once. Multiple times. Now, who knows what you have because your wife decided to sleep with the biggest man whores in this town. Plus, several other men. Your twenty years old and now you're just as disgusting as a teenage Michael Kelso. I'm sorry Puddin' Pop, we're done for good." Jackie kissed his cheek and walked back toward her friends. Hyde stayed standing there, heartbroken.
Brooke overheard Jackie's conversation with Hyde, she was proud of her friend. The last couple of months were hard for Brooke. She had lost a lot of friends because she had Betsey. Single girls don't want to be friends with a mom. Brooke understood and she didn't blame them for leaving her. Jackie had surprised her though. One day she got a phone call from Michael's ex-girlfriend, who was the Godmother to her daughter, asking if she wanted to hang out because she wanted to get to know her better. She explained to Brooke that although she'd always love Michael, she was never going to be in love with him and now he was just one of her best friends. She went on to say that she really loved Betsey and knew that if she wanted to spend time with her Goddaughter, she'd have to be friends with Brooke because she couldn't rely on Michael to make or remember any plans. So, Brooke agreed to go to lunch and found she actually enjoyed being around her. She liked that Jackie wasn't concerned with doing single girl things like going to clubs and drinking. She was actually surprised to find out that Jackie didn't drink. It was a few months before she learned that she didn't drink because she was afraid that she'd turn into her mother. Brooke could understand that, her own father being absent due to alcohol. Having heard what Jackie told Hyde, Brooke approached and hugged her. Jackie was grateful for Brooke.
"You did the right thing Sweet Pea; he doesn't get to come back to you whenever he realizes he made a mistake. You're too good for him." Jackie just nodded, held onto Brooke and let the tears silently fall down her face.
Jackie wiped the tears from her face and addressed her friends. "Hey, lets all celebrate The Kelso family by going to The Hub!" She could be sad later, right now, her friends had just announced some great news and it needed celebrating.
Donna watched from her bedroom window as her friends went to celebrate without her. With her window open she was able to hear Jackie's proclamation. She wished she could go with them. When she had approached them after leaving Sam and Hyde, it felt wrong. Like she wasn't one of them. She wasn't. Not anymore, not really. She didn't trust them enough when they told her the truth. She went as far as accusing Jackie of being a jealous liar. Why did she put so much faith into Hyde? She had heard everything Jackie told him and she was right. Hyde did act like a shiftless teenager still. Maybe they didn't want to grow up and were left behind by their friends because they had grown up. She always thought her and Hyde were the more mature of the group, but Eric was out of the country working on getting a scholarship for college. Jackie and Fez both had jobs and their own apartment. Kelso was engaged, had a family and lived in a completely different city. Meanwhile she still lived with her father and Hyde still lived with his foster parents, even though he was "married". She didn't want to be alone but she didn't want to be around Hyde either. It seemed like he was her only friend right now. Although how good of friends were they really if he couldn't even confide the most basic knowledge with her. Tomorrow she'd find Jackie and the gang, apologize and try to be their friend again. She left her room to shower the day away and get ready for bed. She had some serious groveling to do in the morning.
Hyde couldn't believe what Jackie had told him. He'd finally lost her for good. He wanted to be alone in his room but he knew Sam would still be in there packing her shit. Hanging out with Fez and Kelso wasn't an option. Donna was out because he was still angry at her and Foreman was out of the country. It was times like these where he really missed his best friend. His brother. He decided to leave for a while. He got in the camino and drove. He wasn't surprised when he ended up at his and Jackie's spot. He hadn't been here in months. He went to the tree where J+S was carved into it, only to find that someone, probably Jackie, had scratched it out. He had nothing left of them. He went to sit on the hood of his car, thinking about everything that's happened and everything he's lost and cried.