Author's Note: thank you all for the lovely reviews, I am glad y'all like it.

I Got the Boy

Chapter Four

The Confrontation

Flash Back

You're giving me a million reasons to let you go.

It was a cold day.

The rain a soft hum on the windows, a constant rhythm that life was going on still out beyond the walls that contained her.

The four walls that surrounded her was all she had to comfort her, the blankets a disarray around her. Cold, stiff fingers worked in a slow movement to warm her body.

The thermostat on her wall showed that the heater was on, ensuring the home was warm but she couldn't seem to find the heat in her to stop her from shaking.

I look off and I stare…

Removing herself from the bed, she stood and tried to walk around the room. It had all remained how it was before it happened.

The alcohol well absorbed in her forced a chuckle to escape, rolling her eyes. Nothing had changed, that's what made it more pathetic to her. Jackie had learned to grow without him and she was going to continue to grow without him.

Circling her home again, she settled in the couch that was littered; take out boxes, empty alcohol bottles and used napkins crumped. A sad smile brought more tears, the dirty couch perfectly reflecting her life. She had no one of importance in her life.

I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away

All she had going for her was a job, which she did love, but at the end of the day it was just her. And now he was gone.. She soon learned that money didn't always mean anything – when it was gone, so was her mother. At least then she had her friends, but life forces you to grow up and face the world. But life didn't prepare her for the death of her father, or the loneliness without people she once considered family.

She thought she had something with Eric, but they finally reached the elephant in their relationship: Donna. She couldn't accept he was over her, he couldn't accept that she couldn't accept how much he had fallen for Jackie.

Pouring another shot in a glass, she bitterly took the shot. Donna.

Jackie knew Donna was distancing herself from Eric and his family, but now she was distancing herself from everyone – even Jackie. She tried calling her and writing her, but she was meant with silence. In what she thought was a busy absence or pure forgetfulness, it was now more clear than ever that Donna was axing everyone from her life. And now she needed someone more than ever.

Her chest was cold, heavy. She could feel herself shake from it, the heavy drop in her heart setting in. She allowed herself to cry it out in a pillow, wondering how she had gotten so messed up. She was a happy cheerleader in high school, never did she think she would become a depressed adult trying to find a reason to stay. Feeling the exhaustion from crying and the weight of alcohol consume her, she fell into slumber.

But baby, I just need one good one to stay

Her head was pounding, but that wasn't what woke her. The pounding of the door with her name being called finally drove her awake, her eyesight blurry. Fumbling to the door, she cracked it open and was met with Eric's face. Squinting at him, and trying to hide her delight in seeing him, "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Jeez, Jackie, doing what, drinking your weight in tequila?"

"It's none of your concern," she snapped, "Shouldn't you be over at Donna's?"

His face showed his frustration perfectly and while it gave her a small amount of joy to know she had gotten to him, it still broke off more of her inside to think there was a great guy for Donna and she wouldn't give him the time of day.

And if you say something that you might even mean
It's hard to even fathom which parts I should believe

Eric pushed passed her into her apartment, be sure to catch her before falling. He closed the door and quickly scanned the apartment, turning back around to face Jackie. He placed his hands on his hips, staring at his feet to ponder what to say next.

"Jackie, I don't want to hear it anymore. I am over her, I'm with you." He looked up to look her in the eyes. "You were there with me through this "not a relationship"" he air quoted, hating that they even had to term their relationship like that. To protect whom? Someone who didn't care about them?

"I know you must've felt what I felt," he smiled, thinking back to their first kiss. Placing his right hand on his chest, "It's been amazing these past few months with you. But why are you distancing yourself from me? I feel like you're trying to pick fights with me and now this," he emphasized by pointing to the alcohol bottles strewn about, "What's going on? I know you aren't ready to give up, otherwise why would you be staring at me with those big beautiful eyes, listening to me babble on?"

It all came crashing back on her, her waves of emotions pushing more tears out. She rushed into his arms crying, "My father died."

End of Flash Back

It had been a stressful week and a half planning the wedding. With every day that drew nearer, it caused more frustration and panic in the Foreman residence. Donna was really taking a toll on Jackie, and Jackie was taking a toll on everyone else.

Jackie sat at the kitchen table, staring at her cup of coffee. She had only a few minor details left to plan in the wedding and then she could spend the remainder of her time worrying about what could go wrong. One of the main concerns being her maid of honor running off with her husband, or moreso that her maid of honor would try and make a move on her fiancée. She knew Eric loved her, you can't spend four years and a crazy engagement with someone and not love them. Not after all the ugly moments that had.

She looked up at the sound of the sliding door opening, the woman of the hour walking in with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Jackie! Wow, you're up early."

"As are you, Donna."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"No, I've been really stressed with planning the wedding. But, I think the last check off is the brides maids dresses."

"Yeah," Donna breathed, taking a seat across from the bride, "I remember how stressed I was when I was planning my wedding. I just hope he shows up to this one."

"Donna, stop." Jackie smacked her hand flat on the table. "I am sick and tired of your subtle comments."

"Wow, Sherlock, did my subtle comment really seem that subtle?"

"I didn't steal him from you."

Donna furrowed her brows at Jackie, before relaxing them and looking away.

"I don't know what you're saying, I never said that."

Jackie rolled her eyes, standing up.

"You didn't have to. You keep acting like you both were madly in love and I stole him, but you left us. We were just two broken people who found each other. You let him go—"

Donna cut her off, standing up as well. Their faces were inches apart, "I didn't let him go. I was just…"

"What? Hoping he would sit around waiting for you?"

Donna shifted from one foot to the next, pointing her index finger at Jackie.

"No, that's not what…. Look, forget what I said." She threw her arms up in defeat, she couldn't admit this.

"I'm sorry," the taller girl pleaded.

"No, you're not. I didn't invite you here for this."

"Then why did you even invite me? God, Jackie, it seems like you just invited me here to rub it in my face how happy you both are."

The younger girl's eyes filled with remorse and pity; her best friend should know her better. But they hadn't been best friends for a while.

"Because, I still need you in my life. You iced me out when I needed you the most. And… And I couldn't imagine such a big day in my life without my best friend. And you're either against me and Eric, or you're here to sabotage us. You can't have both, which is it?"

Eric sat in his basement, sorting through old boxes his mother found. They seemed mostly like old Christmas decorations or fake spiders for Halloween, but it kept him busy. He moved three boxes into two containers – one to keep and one to throw away, making sure to break down the old boxes.

"Hey."

He looked up to see his old neighbor standing before him. Looking around to see if she was in fact addressing him, he realized they were alone. "Um," he gulped, "Hi."

She placed her hands in her back pocket, smiling at him.

"How's it going?" he asked nonchalant, getting ready to sort through another box. He moved nervously, aware she was intently focused on him.

"You've changed. Physically."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's what Kelso said. I guess I'm not twig boy anymore."

"Look, Eric, I just wanted to apologize."

"no, its fine. Not everyone believes me lifting weights actually build muscle."

"No, for removing you from my life. I thought that I was over you but I guess… A part of me always thought that we would fall back into place. And, I totally respect your and Jackie's relationship… But, I have to know. Why did you just let me go?"

She waited patiently for an answer, sure he would go into a long rant about how he loved her and tried so hard to get her back. But he didn't.

"Look, Donna, that was a long time ago. Let's just let the past stay the past."

"That's it?"

He scoffed, tossing Candy Land into the trash pile, facing his ex. "That's it. What do you want?"

His harsh response revealed to her that he hadn't just changed physically, he had changed emotionally as well.

"That's all I needed to hear."

Author's Note: sorry it seems so short. Let me know how you like it!