"So Steven," Jackie began. Hyde visibly flinched at the use of his first name. "I've decided to forgive your earlier offence, because I'm just such a generous person, and permit you to hang out with me."

"Ah, that's alright Jackie, man, you don't have to do that…" Hyde began, but trailed off under her death stare.

"So what do you want to do, Steven? We could go to the mall, or the cinema?" Jackie continued as though she hadn't even heard him.

He had to respect her perseverance, if nothing else.

"Well, you could go to the mall, and I could wait for you to do your shopping, like, you know, somewhere else, like the other end of the mall… or further away… like in this basement?"

Jackie pouted. Man, he hated it when she did that. And it had nothing to do with the fact that it made her lips look so plump and…

Hyde moved away quickly, not liking where his stupid, messed up brain was taking him.

"Jackie, man, you've gotta find some new friends."

"But I've got you, Steven." Jackie fluttered those stupidly long lashes at him, following him as he moved across the room towards the stairs.

"No, you don't have me, Jackie." Hyde protested.

"Come on, let's go to the mall." Jackie persisted, attempting to grab his arm.

"No." Hyde shrugged away from her.

"Well then what do you want to do?" Jackie jumped up in front of him onto the bottom step, effectively blocking his exit although she barely reached his height, despite her new advantage.

"For the last time, Jackie, NOTHING!" He shouted.

She pouted again, and Hyde's mind wandered into forbidden territories. Great, now he was even more desperate to get out of here.

"Move out the way, Jackie." He demanded.

"No." She stomped her foot, reminding him what a spoilt little brat she was.

"Move out the way!"

"NO!"

"For God's sake, Jackie!" Hyde tried to push past her but she resisted. A short tussle ensued, with them pushing and pulling at each other, eventually ending up back on the bottom step where they had begun.

Hyde took a moment to glare at her, before grabbing her firmly around her ridiculously, irritatingly, definitely-absolutely-completely-not-hot-ly small waist and picked her up, with the intent of spinning her around and dumping her on the other side of him, leaving his escape route clear.

However, what he had not anticipated into this moment was how incredibly light Jackie was.

Everyone knew she was short. It was one of the things he found somewhat attractive about her.

Notice he said 'somewhat' – he didn't find anything about her actually attractive. But if he was held at gunpoint and told to name her better qualities – which, frankly, wasn't something he'd necessarily put past her – he would've probably mentioned that. Along with her face. And her body. And her…

All of a sudden, he realised that he had stopped moving due to his stupidly wandering thoughts, with Jackie still held in his arms, her body pressed flush against his, their faces almost exactly lined up, her breasts pressing against his chest.

Slowly, as though in a trance, he lowered her to the floor, their eyes locked on one another, a tension that terrified Steven as much as it fascinated him, hanging in the air.

Come on, brain, he begged, think of something to say. Now, preferably. Anything. Just. Say. Something.

"Jesus, Jackie, how much do you weigh?" his voice said.

Anything but that.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Jackie almost exploded, attempting to step back, but, for some reason Steven could not think of right now, his arms were still around her so she couldn't. "I know you're poor, Steven, but were you raised without any decency at all! Don't you know never to ask a woman's weight! You just can't ask me that!"

"Whatever, Jackie, was just wondering…" Hyde muttered, trying his hardest to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible. Today had been entirely too confusing already.

"You know how insecure we are about… well about this stuff!" Jackie actually, once again, looked like she was on the brink of tears. "I can't believe you just called me fat!"

"No I didn't!" Hyde protested.

"Yes, you did!" Jackie glared at him, squaring up to him.

"No. I. Didn't." Hyde hated his inability to step down from a fight. Especially if he knew he was right.

"Yes. You. Did."

"Oh shut up Jackie."

"I don't have to shut up; I'm not the one that just called me fat!" Jackie practically wailed.

"For the last time, Jackie, I didn't!" Hyde grabbed her by the waist again – completely automatically and against all better judgement. "I was actually commenting on the fact that you're so ridiculously light! If I ever went to the gym I reckon I could bench press, what, four times your weight." He was rambling now, but for some reason, he couldn't stop. Man, he sounded like Forman. "Eat a doughnut or something, for God's sake, Jackie, you literally weigh, like, nothing!"

Jackie stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

Hyde stepped back, almost as confused as she was by the words that had just come out of his mouth.

Man, what was wrong with him today; he never lost his cool like this – he didn't ramble… ever! – and especially not over some chick.

He had to get out here.

Without another word, he turned and left, leaving Jackie still staring after him.

Maybe it was some left over weed fumes still hanging in the air of the basement.

Yeah, he told himself, that must be it.