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The sharp chill of the Wisconsin air hits her face as she steps out of her father's kitchen and onto the patio. She closes the door behind her and begins her trek over to her neighbor's, to sit in that dingy basement once again. Rubbing her arms up her biceps to try to stay warm, she scurries across the driveway and down the steps, where she finally reaches her destination. She swings the door open casually, and is greeted by her long-term friend, sitting on his stool down by the deep freeze. And he still has that damn porn-stache on his face.
"Yo", he nods towards her, not taking his eyes off the television. "What do you think Gilligan's up to now?"
"I'm not sure I want to know," she sighs as she moves to sit down on the sofa beside him. She tries to focus on the TV but finds her mind wandering.
"Forman's coming back tonight," he says, ending her dissociation. She looks over at him, not surprised, but upset she didn't already know. She hopes Mrs Forman will fill her in on these sorts of things, but then again, she never thought that she was good enough for her "precious baby boy".
"Really? When?" God, she sounds desperate. This was the boy that broke up with her in a letter! The boy who fled to another continent for "them"!
This was also the boy that made her knees weak at just the thought of him, made her heart flutter. The boy she fell in love with in his parent's driveway. God, he had such a control over her, even when they hadn't been together for months!
"Dunno, didn't say. Calling collect from Africa can be pretty pricey, he kept it short."
"Oh," Dammit! That dumbass couldn't even be bothered with giving a time. He just expects them to wait in suspense for his return! Who is she kidding, she was going to be waiting in suspense, whether or not she knew what time it was going to be. "So, are you excited for tonight?" she asks him, wanting to seem like she didn't care.
"Excited for what? Getting drunk and high, passing out and waking up in the morning not remembering the night before? Y'know what? Maybe I am excited!" he jokes around with her.
"Mrs Forman throws quite the party."
"That she does. Tons of good liquor," he grins, knowing what he was going to reach for first. "Maybe all that drinking will make you pretend you don't care about Forman coming back." He was bored, and he knows exactly how to mess with her.
"What? I don't care. We're broken up." she tries to play it off.
"'Really! When!'" he mocks her earlier response in a high pitched tone. "Face it, you're still totally hung up on him."
"Just like you are for Jackie?" she knew how to mess with him too,
"Alright, let's get back to Gilligan," he shook his head, effectively ending the conversation.
ʚ ɞ
Shortly after her encounter with Hyde in the basement, she found herself upstairs. Kitty had called down for some help frosting the cookies, and she knew if she had let Hyde go up, there would have been plenty of middle fingers and marijuana leaves on those cookies. Besides, Donna didn't mind helping out Mrs Forman. While there were times she really resented her, she found herself wanting to spend time with her.
"Oh, Donna sweetie, I didn't know you were here!" Kitty laughs out as Donna rounds the corner into the room. "I assumed Jackie was down there, considering she was here earlier to speak with Steven." Kitty winks at Donna. God, why was she so out of the know! She is going to have to talk to Jackie about it later, considering Hyde did not want to volunteer any of it himself.
"I snuck in probably fifteen minutes ago. This beats sitting downstairs in silence with Hyde."
Kitty bursts out in an awkward laughter, not knowing how to make Donna feel comfortable. The last couple of months have been a little difficult between them with him not there as a buffer. "Okay honey, the cookies are right over there," she gestures to the kitchen table. "I have black and white frosting, some gold frosting, and tons of sprinkles!" She smiles, and then takes a sip out of her glass filled with some flavor of Schnapps.
"Getting the party started early, Mrs Forman?" Donna lightly jokes with her, pulling a chair up to the table.
"Oh well, it's just one glass to help me calm down. My baby's coming home tonight!"
"I heard," Donna nods. The last thing she wants is to have a conversation with Kitty about her son. She always manages to find a way to blame Donna for his departure, whether it be a "rocky relationship", or when she is drunk, for being a "red-headed harlot".
"Oh, I've just missed him so much!" Kitty exclaims again, holding her hands over her heart. "I wish so bad he hadn't left."
"So do I." Donna whispers to herself, picking up a cookie and smearing some white frosting atop a sugar cookie. She mindlessly begins decorating the cookies, trying to distract herself from the boy's return.
"Oh well, I'm excited for the new year! The new decade even!" Kitty tries to change the subject after noticing Donna's change of attitude. She turns on her power mixer to start another batch of cookies, this time chocolate chip. Kitty prided herself on her extravagant baked goods. Afterall, her baby boy's return was the perfect time for tons and tons of cookies! "You know, chocolate chip is his favorite." There she goes again, reverting back to the former topic. Sometimes, Kitty just doesn't understand when to stop. Honestly, it's most of the time when it comes to Donna. She wishes they didn't have such a complicated relationship.
Donna decides not to respond, focusing on the cookies in front of her. All two dozen were garnished in various ways. She set aside four cookies to write out "1980". She carefully traces out the numbers, trying to hold her hand as steady as she could.
"Done." she calls out to Mrs Forman, who is now back in her own world of baking. She stood up and quietly pushed her chair in. Back to the basement she goes.
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Hyde had started his own private circle in Donna's absence. When she came hurrying down the steps, he reached his arm out to offer her the joint. She gratefully accepts. She sat down on the lawn chair across from him. She takes a deep inhale and holds it in her lungs for a couple extra seconds. She breathes out and passes the joint back to him. She usually only smoked when he was around. She enjoys the occasional session, but did not do it nearly as much as the other guys did. Smoking was mostly a Hyde and Forman thing, something they indulged in a lot together. Surely, the joint makes its way back to her fingers, where she takes another deep hit. She wants this to be a quiet circle. No talking involved. He understood that, and appreciates that she didn't come down to whine about her problems or anything. Man, sometimes, chics just don't know when to stop!
When the joint is offered to her a third time, she turns it down. The high she had going for her was more than enough to carry her throughout the rest of the day. She stands and wipes her hands on her jeans. She heads out of the basement and across the driveway back to her house.
Randy stands at the door, getting ready to knock. He turns around when he hears her footsteps approaching.
"Hey, I was hoping I'd run into you!" he says to her, trying to seem casual.
"You're standing on my porch, Randy."
He clears his throat realizing that wasn't the way to start this conversation. "So. how have you been?"
"Fine. You?" she asks, even though she doesn't really care.
"Same old, same old. Just came by to check on you."
"Thanks, Randy, but we're broken up. There's no need."
"Well, I care about you, and that's what you do for people you care about," he responds, hurt.
"God, Randy, can we not do this? I am not in the mood right now." she wanted to go to her room and enjoy her high, not share an awkward conversation with an ex-boyfriend.
"Okay. I see. Sorry I came by," he looks down, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Bye."
"Bye, Randy" she answers, turning the door knob and not turning back to see him. She trudges up to her bedroom, wanting the rest of the day to go by already. She goes into her closet to pick out something comfortable to wear, all she wants to do is lay in her bed for the next couple of hours. She knows she should be packing up and getting ready to move to Madison, but she knows that when she does it will all become too real. Right now, she can pretend none of that is going to be happening soon. The spring semester will be starting in just under two weeks, and she is not ready for that. She wishes she never had to grow up.
She digs through her drawers, finding one of his old t-shirts. She picks it up and holds it to her face, feeling the soft fabric on her cheek. Any scent on the shirt has since faded, and it is now replaced with the smell of cedar from her drawers. She strips off her jeans and own t-shirt, and pulls his over her head. She pulls up the covers on her bed and slips underneath. Why can't this day end already?
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She wakes hours laters, after the sun has gone down and her high has worn off. She turns and looks at the clock beside her, it is just past 8pm. "He could be home now," she thinks to herself. They've been broken up half a year, why is he still the first thing on her mind? She gets out of bed and debates whether or not she wants to go to the party next door. She knows deep down that she has to. She goes to her wardrobe and selects a new pair of jeans and a sweater. She opts to take a shower before heading over.
As she gets out of the shower, she stops to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She struggles to recognize the girl staring back at her. She takes a mental note that she really should dye her hair back to red. Try to become the girl she knows again. She changes her clothes and heads back downstairs to the kitchen.
"Whoa! Somebody's finally awake!" her father calls out as she enters the room. In true Bob Pinciotti fashion, he's wearing a flashy leisure suit, rocking glasses that say "1980".
"Hi, Dad."
"Hi, sweetie! I was afraid you were going to miss New Year's! New Decade!" he boasts out, wrapping his arms around her. She embraces him, while finding it slightly awkward. "C'mon, let's head over to the Forman's. Kitty made tons of free food!"
She follows her father out the door, with her heart rate increasing with each step she takes to the house next door. God, earlier she was able to casually strut over. She couldn't understand how he was still able to do this to her. Even after being away for half a year, just the thought of his presence still gave her butterflies. Once they approach the house, her father pulls open the sliding door to the Forman kitchen. He enters the house loudly, "Have no fear, the Pinciotti's are here!" God, her father could be so embarrassing. They make their way to the beginning of the party. It is only 9pm, and they still have three hours until the new decade. He swings open the door to the living room and they are greeted with Red standing beside his chair.
"Hey Red! So, where's the boy?" Bob greets his neighbor, slapping the man's back. Red turns to Bob and gives him a death glare.
"Geez, Bob! Have you ever heard of personal space!" Red shakes his head, "the boy isn't here. The dumbass missed his flight." Her heart suddenly drops. She was so anxious at the thought of seeing him, and is now so upset knowing that she won't. Red turns to her and sighs, "Your friends are in the basement. Because, God forbid they find some other house to terrorize."
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She makes her way down the basement steps for the third time that day. Hyde is still sitting on his stool, still sporting the damn porn star mustache. Fez is sitting on the lawn chair, Jackie on the couch, and Kelso on the ottoman.
"Look who decided to show up!" Kelso calls out as he sees Donna making her way down the basement steps.
"Hey guys" she says softly. They are in the middle of a circle, and this time she really does not want to join. Jackie turns around and her eyes go wide.
"Donna! Patio! Now!" Jackie calls out and drags Donna upstairs again. Jackie pulls her outside to the Forman's patio. Donna really wishes she hadn't. It is about 30 degrees outside and windy. Way too cold to be sitting outside gossiping.
"Is this about you and Hyde this morning?"
"How did you know?!" Jackie asks, genuinely surprised.
"Mrs Forman has a big mouth. So, what happened?"
"He apologized! He said he knows that he messed up, which believe me, he did! I am the victim here!" Jackie begins to tell her.
"Uh-huh."
"Yuh-huh! So then anyway, he tells me how sweet I am and how he doesn't deserve me. He's right! I am sweet and I deserve a lot!" Jackie nods enthusiastically, and pulls her hands over her heart,"but, I forgive him. I feel it takes a lot of strength for a person to admit when he's wrong."
"It does. I'm proud of Hyde," she responds, actually proud of Hyde for admitting his mistake. He must have let his "zen" down to show Jackie he's serious.
"Oh I am too, Donna. I think I am going to give him another chance. Afterall, he is my puddin' pop." She has the most lovestruck look on her face and it almost makes Donna sick. She wishes she could feel that way again.
"Well, that's great Jackie. I'm glad one of us is going to get their happily ever after."
"What do you mean, Donna?" Jackie frowns and rubs her hand against her friend's arm. "I'm sure your skinny, nerdy neighbor boy will come back for you."
"Jackie, I'm sorry. I'm the one who brought it up but I really do not want to talk about him today. I just can't." God, there she goes, making everything awkward. This is what her horny nerd boy does to her!
"No, I understand Donna. Sometimes it is hard to talk about Steven. But, I love him now so it's okay." Jackie nods, trying to sympathize with her. She holds up her wrist and looks at her watch. "Gosh, can midnight come any slower!" This is one of the rare instances that Donna fully agrees with Jackie. Now that their gossip session is over, Donna hurriedly heads back into the heated house, with Jackie following close behind her. They both go back downstairs, trying to wait out the clock.
After about an hour of pointless, but very entertaining conversation, they go upstairs to join the party. All of the adults are way too wasted to notice that the kids have joined in on the fun. Hyde snags cans of beers for him, Fez, and Kelso. Donna and Jackie opt for glasses of wine. Kitty looks over at the kids and taps on her champagne glass.
"Everybody, everybody! I'd like to make a toast!" Kitty calls out to the crowd of people. There aren't a ton of partygoers, but enough to fill the Forman living room. "To these lovely kids, who I felt I have helped raise as much as my own children. Each of them warms my heart and adds so much to my life." She begins to walk over to the gang. She shares details about each of them and why she loves them. Now, this is Kitty Forman when she is drunk. Lastly, she gets to Donna. "Donna, my sweet girl. You are like a daughter to me. Know that whatever happens, I will always love you like one." Tears begin to form in her eyes as Kitty addresses the crowd once more. "Anywho, it's New Year's Eve! Let's fill our glasses some more!" Donna sighs, as that wasn't the best way to end this very heartfelt speech. She glances at the time, 11:30, and decides she needs to take a breather outside.
She silently slips out of the Forman abode and out into the driveway. She did not notice this when she first came over, but Red must have taken the Vista Cruiser to pick him up from the airport. It is backed into the driveway right in front of the garage. She climbs on top of the hood of the car and nostalgia hits her like a train. Their first kiss, their first break up, everything that happened on the hood of this car. She lays back and closes her eyes as tears begin to properly flow. Her train of thought stops as she hears scuffling up the driveway, figuring it is a friend of the Formans who is way too late to this party. She wipes her eyes and gets off of the car. She turns back to the house as she hears the footsteps approaching stop.
"Hey," the person behind her calls out. She turns around and faces him.
It's him. It's her Eric.