"People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist..."

"Kiss of Death"/"Kelso's Serenade"

You never wanted this so now I'm taking it from you. Back in the hands of the natives of this land, you're a fallen star; you know not what you are. We're escaping through the tunnels deep beneath you. People like you are why people like me exist; persist to spit upon your writ. People like you are why people like me defy your lies; so here's your kiss goodbye. Don't you look at her, don't even say a word. You had your chance and you sold it secondhand, repressed and overdressed. Brand a scarlet letter on your chest; here's where second best overtakes the rest. People like you are why people like me exist; persist to spit upon your writ. People like you are why people like me defy your lies; so here's your kiss goodbye. A person's not more than a thing the day his insides cease to sting. Get on your gloves and take the ring; vacate your throne, unholy king of kings. People like you are why people like me exist; persist to spit upon your writ. People like you are why people like me defy your lies; so here's your kiss goodbye. People like you are why people defy your lies, so here's a kiss goodbye...

Today had been anti-climatic. The inevitable happened; Jackie caught Kelso cheating on Laurie and somehow Hyde and Fez ended up dealing with the aftermath. It all seemed sudden, really and didn't quite make sense. But he figured the entire scenario didn't make much sense to begin with, so he didn't question.

Sure, Hyde felt bad, and a little glad, but he didn't want to hear her cry and moan about all of the wrongdoings he was more than aware of. That was until Jackie decided to use him as a shoulder to cry on, as well as a living, breathing snot rag.

"Oh, Hyde!" she wailed then burrowed her face in his chest. Eric and Donna stared at him in slight shock as he flailed his arms and squirmed.

"Why does she always come to me?" he asked, wincing as her shrill and muffled cry pierced his eardrums.

"Maybe because of your empathetic and loving heart?" Eric teased, Hyde rolled his eyes and finally decided to pat her on the shoulder. Quite frankly, he was terrible comfort. Donna gave him a fierce look and he gave her a look as if asking, "what?"

"Hug her," Donna mouthed, Hyde internally groaned in annoyance. "Eric, let's go find Kelso so I can kick his ass." Donna piped up and quickly dragged Eric to the basement stairs leading outside.

"Why can't I kick his ass?" Eric asked as their footsteps pounded up the stairs. The last thing Hyde heard before the door shut was Donna's response of, "because you can't even kick Fez's ass."

Hyde sighed heavily. So he was stuck with crying, slobbering Jackie. Alone. Karma was definitely kicking his ass.

"Hey..." He fumbled for words as the raven-haired girl sobbed heavily into his shirt. "It's gonna be okay." Jackie wailed loudly and pulled away from him. She fell, pouting and crying, on the couch and glared at him with angry bloodshot eyes.

"Michael cheated on me and you say, 'it's okay?'" She barked as she wiped at the mascara trail that ran down her cheeks. Hyde sighed heavily and sat down on the couch beside her.

"Look, it's not okay. But you will be. Besides, Laurie is the Earth Mother Whore... I'm sorry," he didn't know what else to say. He was characteristically awkward in these kind of situations.

"I should have known better; I thought he changed. But I was wrong and I'm so stupid to think he was better than..." Jackie trailed off and lowered her eyes. Hyde was going to regret this; this had to be a trick similar to roping him into taking her to prom. But he had to, for the sake of trying to be comforting.

"Better than what?" Hyde pressed; he hated it when people pushed for answers. But he also never wanted to claim the center of attention, either. Yet, much to Hyde's slight surprise, Jackie remained silent and simply shook her head.

"Nothing, no one," she murmured, then looked at him. She was fidgeting with her hands. Jackie took a deep breath and turned to face him on the couch. Her sobs had reduced to the occasional sniffle but she still looked so young to him; as if she were still naive of the reality of the world. "I just didn't think he'd hurt me like everyone else. He promised. But so did mom and daddy and..." she trailed off again, "You were right... all those years ago. About all your beneath the surface talk. You're right about everything." Hyde stayed quiet; he didn't have anything to say. This was about her talking, anyway. "I'm rich, I'm gorgeous, I have an amazing house and car and I have parents. But... they can't buy love. And they're always gone. And Michael said he was never going to hurt me like my mom or my dad... but he didn't understand. And how could I have trusted him? I mean, after everything... I shouldn't have gone back out with him. He is the worst mistake of my life. Hyde, how do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked. Jackie crossed her legs and faced him now.

"Nothing bothers you but your entire family is gone. And dealing with your friends and those kids. Why can't I be strong like you? Why can't I live without emotion?" Hyde chuckled and shrugged his shoulders and smiled sadly.

"Listen... Kelso's a tool, don't tell me you never knew that. You just... you gotta stop thinking about it. Thinking doesn't solve anything." Jackie sniffled and wiped her eyes as she rested her head on Hyde's shoulder. He sighed softly and wrapped an arm around her; he was used to this with Donna, he just hoped Jackie would decide to not talk like the red-head.

To his shock, and his relief, she did just that. Perhaps she finally realized how much he loathed talking about feelings; or she just didn't want to talk. Either way, he was not complaining. Except when his arm started to go numb and her perfume grew to be too strong. He checked his watch and grimaced; she had been laying on him for twenty minutes; enough was enough.

"Jackie?" He spoke, sounding much softer than he intended. Footsteps pounded down the stairs as he said her name once more. A deep breath and a barely audible snore filled his ears; she had fallen asleep. Hyde closed his eyes and shook his head; this was definitely his lucky day.

"So is everything- what the hell?" Donna asked as she stepped into the basement. Hyde looked at her and scowled as she began to laugh. Eric snickered as well as Hyde's arm became completely numb.

"This is your fault," Hyde grumbled in annoyance. Donna rolled her eyes and Eric continued to laugh to himself as his girlfriend approached Hyde. She shook Jackie gently and backed away as petite girl's eyes fluttered open. Her puffy, bare eyes looked at Hyde for a moment; in that brief second Hyde felt a twinge of… compassion? No, that couldn't be right. His thoughts of her child-like naivety crossed his mind once again as he saw the innocent expression on her face. But before he could comprehend what he may have felt, she was on her feet and fixing her hair as she walked to the door.

"I'm sorry, I need to go… thanks Hyde. For everything," Jackie mumbled before she ran out the door. As it shut behind her, the couple in front of him turned their attention to him.

"What the hell just happened?" Eric asked, Hyde shrugged his shoulders and shook his arm to regain feeling. He resisted the urge to punch his arm to relieve the sharp pins and needles reaction as his nerves twitched.

"She talked and fell asleep. And I have had enough," Hyde grumbled as he pulled out a joint from his pocket. Perhaps he should have offered one to Jackie; he soon thought against it, her first time smoking on top of being depressed was something he didn't want to witness.

"So everything is okay?" Donna asked; Hyde nodded. As okay as things could be for a teenaged girl who just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her the entire time they dated, he thought. But he knew Jackie; she'd be fine. "Good," she mumbled, then lit the incense.

Hyde breathed in the smoke and almost smiled at the burn in his throat. He closed his eyes and held his breath for as long as he could. And in that moment, the entire night and the terrible twist of his emotions burned right along with lungs and throat, and everything was forgotten.

"Hyde, I feel like I really screwed things up." The seventeen-year old boy's eyes opened as he was addressed and he sighed heavily. He glanced up and found Kelso standing in his doorway.

"Man, what are you doing? It's six in the morning and for once I'm sleeping. Go away." He barked with a voice thick with sleep. Kelso shook his head and sat on the corner of Hyde's cot.

"I was upstairs with Laurie, and I wanted to talk to Eric but he isn't even in his room. So here I am. Do you think I screwed up?"

"I know you did." Hyde mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. There was an acrid taste in his mouth and his stomach churned uneasily; lack of sleep was catching up to him.

"How do I fix it?"

There was a strong urge within Hyde to say, "don't" but he willed himself from that and shrugged his shoulders. He coughed quietly; he better not be getting sick because that was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

"Just let it blow over. You didn't just screw up; you fucked up, big time. But I know someone like Jackie, she'll come around. But you gotta do the right thing man. Laurie? I mean, really? Have you even thought about all the crap she could have? She's been with more people than everyone in this house can count on their fingers and toes."

"But I love her, man!" Kelso paused, as he let what Hyde said sink in, "do you think she could actually have something?" Hyde rolled his eyes and pulled out a cigarette from the pack under his cot. He handed it over to Kelso, as well as his Zippo lighter.

"How can you love someone who is incapable of love? And all I'm saying is that is one tree I would not even consider barking up."

"Well yeah but that's 'cause she's like your sister." Kelso countered.

"Whatever, man." Hyde barked. "Do whoever you want. I don't care," he mumbled and laid back down on his cot. Kelso whined and stamped his feet in a tantrum.

"I need help… " the older of the two whimpered, "I need to get Jackie back." Hyde threw his blankets of off him and stood up from his bed. He was getting a splitting headache and knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep now. If only Forman hadn't snuck over to Donna's.

"Write her a song," Hyde offered sarcastically as took his lighter from Kelso.

"That's genius! Can I borrow your guitar?" he asked, pointing to the left corner of Hyde's room. Hyde turned and found his weathered guitar sitting next to a locked box. "Casey used mine for a bonfire."

"I was…" Hyde trailed off and shook his head, "whatever. Just leave me out of it and bring it back tonight," he finally decided, defeated.

"You're the best!" Kelso clapped him on the shoulder and grabbed his guitar then ran out of Hyde's room.

Hyde glanced to his rumpled bed and considered laying back down, but he needed medicine for his headache. Sighing, he walked out of his room and up the stairs to the main level of the Forman's house. He entered the dark kitchen and reached into the left cupboard for the white bottle he had grown familiar with over the past few months. He popped four pills in his mouth and swallowed them dry.

"Daddy would kick you out if he knew you were stealing drugs." Hyde turned to find a smug-smiling Laurie standing with her arms folded in a proud stance.

"Not if I told him you were bed buddies with Kelso," he retorted, causing her face to fall.

"You wouldn't." Hyde raised an eyebrow and folded his arms as well; mostly to mock her.

"Watch me," he threatened, "why are you, anyway?" He asked, in all seriousness.

"He's cute… and I'm bored." Hyde scoffed and opened the fridge. He grabbed out the orange juice and poured two glasses of juice. Laurie looked at him in surprise as he handed her one of the glasses. "Thanks," she murmured cautiously. "Besides, what's it to you?"

"Nothing, I just thought you were smarter than that." Hyde responded as he sat at the kitchen table. Laurie sat across from him and took a sip of orange juice. "I mean, how low do you have to be to actually want to be with a Kelso?"

"He's nicer than Casey, though." Laurie defended, "hasn't anyone thought that maybe I like Kelso? Michael, I mean. Maybe he's different than all the others and-"

"He's not; look what he did to Jackie. He's just like them." Hyde retorted; Laurie looked away guiltily and tapped her fingers on the table.

"Not with me though, he's… he actually likes me."

"He actually loved Jackie, too. Get what I'm saying?" Laurie remained silent as she stared at the drink in front of her.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked suddenly, "Why are you trying to be nice and help me?" Hyde shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm not, I just don't get it. You could obviously have any guy you want and yet you choose Kelso. I'm baffled."

"What do you mean 'obviously?'"

"Obviously as in "you've screwed every guy in the greater Kenosha area."" Hyde responded coolly, with a smirk. His face fell when he saw her eyes glitter momentarily before she turned and took another drink. "Are you actually crying?" He asked in disbelief.

"No," Laurie snapped angrily; Hyde knew that voice, though. "Hyde, can I tell you something?" He just gave her a look, and she took his silence as a yes. "No one has ever told me I'm pretty before. And I thought when you said…"

Hyde grimaced. Perhaps her promiscuity was out of insecurity. He wasn't going to press the issue, for good reasons, but that made a lot of sense. That's how majority of the girls in Point Place High School were. And if no one had ever told Laurie Forman, Earth Mother Whore, she was pretty then maybe she sought after endearments in other endeavors.

"Well Red has." Hyde offered, Laurie scoffed.

"He's my dad, he has to. Same with mom. I don't even want to try anymore; I don't care enough. I just don't want to end up alone. So if Kelso is alone and I'm alone… then we can be alone together." Hyde nodded; so she was the exact opposite of him. It made total sense. A promiscuous girl from a traditional, loving family, searching in all the wrong places for true love vs. a burnout boy from a dysfunctional family, suddenly put in the right place and all he wants is to be alone.

"Maybe if you didn't open your legs to every guy, you'd find one decent man who says all you need to hear." Laurie recoiled with an offended expression. "I don't want to see you turn out like my mom." Hyde mumbled truthfully. "Because I think you're better than that. But you two are oddly similar, except… you don't shoot up or have feet immune to broken glass."

"You really see me turning out like her?" Hyde shrugged his shoulders.

"I just don't want it to happen, didn't say I see it that way. You've got potential, deep down under the nine layers of hell. Just find something you're good at and make something of yourself. And… for what it's worth, more than half of Point Place's girls are uglier than you."

Laurie stood up from the chair and placed the empty glass in the kitchen sink. She turned back to Hyde and smiled ever so slightly.

"Thanks… but this doesn't change anything," she said, referring to their sibling-like banter and the snarky digs at each other.

"Whatever," He retorted as she walked out of the kitchen. As she left, Mrs. Forman entered and gave him a questioning glance. He just shrugged and took another sip of orange juice.

Hyde went back downstairs to sleep after breakfast. Although he was restless and mostly dozing due to his friends being louder than the television and his music, he had managed to get an extra couple hours of sleep. His headache was gone and he didn't feel so woozy; accomplishing his chores wouldn't feel so exhausting now.

The trash was out and the driveway was swept. His room wasn't as cluttered and his laundry was almost finished drying. Then he would just lock himself in his room to read and listen to music; he was sick of dealing with people and their problems. He was just confused as to why everyone went to him for advice; he was probably the worst person to vent to.

Of course the conversation at the circle revolved around Jackie and Kelso and it sickened him. Kelso's lack of hygiene hadn't helped, either. The idea of Kelso writing a song for her had been passed around again and although he had been sarcastic earlier this morning, Kelso actually thought him to be serious. At least he'd probably get to see it blow up in his face.

Finally, and thankfully, he was alone now. In fact, he had the entire Forman residence to himself. Moments like these were rare, mostly because Red didn't entirely trust him, but Mrs. Forman assured him that visiting Aunt Pearl was not necessary. By the way she sounded, he had a feeling their aunt would have a fit if she met him.

Hyde opened the dryer and began pulling out his clothes; although they weren't completely dry he couldn't afford to have his clothes shrink anymore. He did have money in case he had to buy a new shirt or jeans, but nearly every penny earned from his paycheck had been saved; he'd need it for when he moved out. And if Mrs. Forman found out he needed new clothes she'd take him on an unnecessary shopping spree; case and point as to why he did his own laundry.

The door to the basement opened and Hyde turned around to see who ruined his moment of peace. Jackie closed the door behind her and sat on the couch. He returned to folding his shirts and hoped she would take the hint and leave. Instead, she hopped on top of the washer beside him.

"You know, it's weird. I thought that after me and Michael broke up I wouldn't want to hang out here anymore." She piped up as she kicked her feet in the air. Hyde nodded and tossed his pajama shirt on the top of his shirt stack.

"Yup, that's what we're hoping," Hyde replied with a hint of apathy. Although he did feel bad for Jackie, he just wanted to be alone; it wasn't too much to ask for considering solitude was a rare occurrence these days.

"But I think if I left you'd really miss me. Right?" Jackie asked sincerely; he glanced over at her momentarily and caught her doe-eyed stare.

"Umm I umm suppose that… you know it's important when you have uh… a bad breakup that you uh have friends to uh sympathetic… uh stuff… umm support and uhh… I don't know..." Hyde trailed off dismally. He wasn't sure what to say to her question. He honestly wouldn't miss her hanging around the basement, but a part of him knew he'd feel like their circle of friends wasn't complete without her bossy mouth and short stature.

"Right!" Jackie chirruped, sounding much happier, "so let's go to the mall." Hyde halted all movements. How had the terrible attempt of advice he just gave given her the idea to go to the mall? Especially with him, of all people.

"No uh I meant friends like Donna… or not me," He answered then grabbed his laundry and walked to his room, hoping she would get the hint. Jackie followed him and leaned against the wall as he put his clothes away in the dresser he had made years ago in shop.

"But I noticed you're alone a lot and I'm alone a lot, so let's be alone together," she countered. Hyde scoffed; he wished he was alone as much as she thought he was. "Look, we're alone right now!" He glanced up at her and gave her a look she wouldn't have been able to read. The only time he was alone with a girl in his room was when he… he shook his head and quickly exited the too small space.

"That's not really a very good reason for us to-"

"Wait, let's go to Sizzler. They've got a salad bar; it's all you can eat plus five different colors of Jello." She paused, waiting for him to say something. He wasn't budging; she could enjoy the Jello and the mall by herself; he'd enjoy the Forman's basement and maybe- "I'll buy," she finally offered.

Sold.

"You've been through a rough time. Let's go." He mumbled, she grinned and looped her arm around his. Hyde gave her a look but rolled his eyes and walked up the basement stairs with her.

"This should be fun." Hyde shrugged his shoulders. Jackie's definition of "fun" was probably the exact opposite of his. But he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Hyde unlaced his arm from her grip and opened the driver's seat door. Jackie started to head to the passenger's side but he shook his head.

"Nah, you can drive this time." She looked shocked, but happy as she realized he had opened the door for her. Quickly she sat in the driver's seat and he settled in the passenger side after shutting her door.

"Michael never let me drive, or opened doors for me," Jackie said as she started the ignition of what he presumed was to be her father's car.

"Well, you just got your license the other day…"

"You remembered!"

How could he forget? She had spent an hour showing them her license and made fun of their photos. In his defense, he had been incredibly high when he renewed his license. Instead of barking back with a usual retort, he bit back his tongue and nodded.

"So…" Jackie began as an awkward silence overwhelmed the car. Hyde looked out his window and tapped his finger against his leg absent-mindedly. "Oh! You know what we should do? We should play the Question Game! See, I ask you a question and then you answer and then ask me one."

"Why?" Hyde asked in deadpan.

"Because it's fun. My turn! What's your favorite color?"

"No." Jackie glared at him as she stopped at the corner of 8th Avenue and Spruce Street.

"My favorite color is pink. I think yours is black."

"Think whatever you want." It was actually blue.

"Ooh, that's an interesting twist! I'll say what I think you like. And you tell me if I'm right or not." Hyde remained silent as he watched her swerve toward the curb. He grimaced when realizing he was white-knuckling the door handle. "Your silence automatically counts as a yes. So… my favorite food is Mediterranean, or Italian. I think yours is… Mexican food!" Hyde just gave her a sidelong glance, "or something weird like Oriental food."

Hyde sighed heavily as his hands itched to hold a cigarette. This was a terrible idea; he had no clue why he decided to put himself in this hell. "Steven, you're supposed to tell me if I'm right."

"I don't care. Think whatever," he answered. Jackie pouted as she continued down the road.

"You're no fun," she whined, Hyde scowled and continued to drum his fingers. "My daddy does the same thing when he wants a cigar. I'd say yes but he doesn't like the smell in the car." Hyde shrugged and pocketed his hands.

"I don't have a favorite food other than…" he trailed off, "nevermind."

"No, other than what?" Jackie asked with a genuine look of curiosity on her face. Hyde raked a hand through his hair.

"I dunno. I just like what I eat. I don't care about the "exotic value" of a food. Obviously, if necessary I'd eat insects as they have an incredible amount of protein; it's the main food source of millions in tribes and third world countries. There are so many things surrounding us that we could sustain ourselves with but our capitalist economy won't subjugate itself to such a simplistic lifestyle. Based on all the consumption in the world we're all going to be obese in twenty years and the government wants us that way." Hyde looked up from his nonchalant gaze at his hands and met Jackie's incredulous stare. "What?"

"That is disgusting!" Jackie cried; Hyde winced at her shrill voice.

"Well you wouldn't think it's disgusting if you hadn't eaten for a month. You can live off your own urine to keep hydrated. It's incredible what the body can handle. But… if I had to choose a favorite food to appease you… I guess I'd say Mrs. Forman's."

Jackie looked a cross between horrified and like he had saved her life.

"What?" He asked again.

"I haven't ever heard you say so much. But you have to have a favorite food." She countered. Hyde grimaced and pulled his lighter from his pocket.

"Well between school food Edna made, The Hub, and Mrs. Forman's cooking, I'd choose option C. Unlike you, I haven't had world cuisine opportunities. I went to the Vineyard once, well… twice. I only had stolen chicken and the other time I didn't have a chance to eat anything but their bread and salad." Jackie looked at him pitifully. "Don't do that."

"Well, you'll like the Sizzler. It has a lot of food; I mean it's not high quality dining but it's decent." Hyde scoffed and shrugged his shoulders.

"The color blue is okay, by the way." He mumbled and regretted it instantly when Jackie beamed.

"My favorite animals are unicorns. What're yours?"

"They don't exist,."

"So?! But unicorns with wings are my favorite. And I think your favorite animal is a lion." Hyde just continued to look forward as they pulled into the parking lot of Sizzler.

As soon as she turned off the car he exited without a word; his hands were pocketed as he ventured toward the restaurant. Suddenly he wasn't feeling so sure about this and was questioning why he had even agreed in the first place. Right, because he felt bad for Jackie.

Since when did he start feeling bad for Jackie?

He jerked when feeling something, more like someone, grab his arm, and the raven-haired girl looked surprised at his tense reaction. Against his better judgment, he relaxed and opened the door for both of them. They were silent as they waited to be seated. The hostess smiled at them and led them immediately to a table for two; Hyde grimaced yet said nothing as he pulled out Jackie's chair.

He hated the way that waitress smiled adoringly at the two of them.

"Thank you," Jackie finally said, breaking the mutual silence between them. Hyde simply shrugged and picked up one of the menus.

As he read through it, he felt a sudden realization that he really had no clue what he was doing here. He never had a good association with restaurants, and ordering something meant he had a preference. He just didn't care; he'd leave it up to Jackie, he supposed. It would be better that way.

Jackie caught his less than ambiguous expression and smiled a little.

"What looks good to you?" She asked, hoping to strike up some conversation. Hyde shrugged his shoulders and skimmed through the items again.

"Um... I dunno," he answered truthfully yet said it in a way that caused the green and blue-eyed girl to roll her eyes and go back to her menu. "What's... what's good here?" He finally asked yet regretted it when seeing her near Cheshire cat beam.

"Well, my daddy really likes the ribs and steak here," Jackie chirped; Hyde nodded slowly and turned the menu around to look at the drinks. He could really go for some beer right now. "But I usually get their salmon, because I don't eat red meat."

Hyde couldn't help but laugh. Jackie furrowed her eyebrows at him and looked slightly hurt at his sudden mirth. He bit back his chuckles and looked at her with eyes full of amusement.

"What's so funny?" She seemed to bark yet kept her eyes locked on his, as if she were surprised to see emotion behind them. He was pretty sure this was one of the few times she had seen him without his shades; suddenly he was regretting that decision. He could feel them burning in his pocket, along with his cigarettes.

"You don't eat red meat but you live in Wisconsin... how does that even happen?" he asked. Then again, what he had eaten before he lived with the Forman's probably couldn't even be considered meat at all...

"Red meat supposedly isn't healthy for you, and I'm not putting anything unhealthy in my body!" she replied emphatically. Hyde was slightly surprised at this yet said nothing as he gave a slow nod.

The conversation was dropped as their waitress came around and asked what they wanted to drink and to place their orders. Jackie ordered tea, Hyde just decided to go with water. She told him he could order whatever, yet he didn't see why a beverage choice was a big deal; besides, he couldn't get what he really wanted, anyway.

They fell into silence once again as they waited for their food to be brought out. Jackie had gotten the salmon, like she had said, and Hyde decided to go with the steak. It sounded good to him, anyway. He could do without Jackie's smug smile, however.

"So..." Jackie said, bringing Hyde out of his reverie. He looked up and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So..." she smiled at his response; he didn't understand why.

"Question game?"

"No." Her laugh wasn't what he had expected yet it was better than her whining or kicking him. Considering that, he realized she was like a young child trapped in a teenager's body. That's what happened when people were spoiled, he figured.

"Can I ask you a question?" He gave her an unamused look and she sighed, "no, not like the game..." he looked down at the table, and she took the break in gaze as her cue. "Why do you call your mom Edna?"

Hyde played with the straw in his glass and watched the ice follow the path in the water. They made a quiet tinkling sound against the glass and gleamed from the dim lights above them. He stilled the straw and watched as the water and ice continued to twirl, slowly, following only the laws of physics and its purpose.

He didn't know what to say so he said nothing as he kept his hard gaze on his glass. He felt as if his bare eyes could possibly break the cup and he figured that wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Being telekinetic would be pretty awesome, honestly. He'd prefer invisibility, but telekinesis would be better than no superpower at all.

Since when did he want superpowers?

"Steven?" Jackie pressed. He remained silent still yet broke his look from the ice and looked up at Jackie. He was met with a truly curious look in her eyes and for a moment he saw something else, something he couldn't understand. Why would he see that in her eyes?

He shook his head of his thoughts and shrugged his shoulders as he coughed quietly in his sleeve.

"Always have," he replied nonchalantly as he swirled the straw once more. Jackie shook her head, however, and he suddenly felt cornered.

"Not when I met her, you called her 'ma'," Hyde rested his cheek on his hand as he turned the straw in the opposite direction, causing dissonance in the cup.

"That was to her face," he answered simply, "in reference I've always called her Edna."

"But why not..." she trailed off, seeming a little timid to pursue the issue.

Hyde looked out the window and sighed heavily before opening his mouth to speak. However, his saving grace was the waitress bringing their food to them, with her too-wide smile and overly peppy voice. It grated on his eardrums as he murmured a quiet, numb "thanks".

The issue was dropped and Jackie tried to bring it back up but she knew the moment was lost. So, she instead resorted to small talk. Yet Hyde hated small talk so silence was her only companion. He didn't understand the concept; why waste breath on meaningless discussion to fill the awkward space between people who never really talked or cared to talk to each other. Why waste breath at all?

After lunch he opened his wallet to pay yet Jackie took the check before he could even read the amount. He gave a sour look as he stared out the window.

"I said I'd pay, remember?" He did, in fact, remember. He just didn't know how right it felt to make her uphold that end of the bargain. Although that was the original reason he came along; what was his reason, now? He honestly didn't have one. Once they left the restaurant and walked toward the mall, where Jackie had decided she wanted to go next, she turned to him and ran a hand through her curly hair as she stopped walking, "I'm sorry if I said anything to make you mad," Hyde scoffed at her genuine tone.

"I'm not mad," he replied coolly, she sighed softly and nodded, unsure of what to say. So he said what he couldn't say by giving her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and walking forward. She smiled at that, and walked with an extra bounce in her step.

The mall was full of people and suddenly Hyde felt rather uncomfortable. He wasn't one for large crowds, unless they were at concerts, and with all of the commercialism shoved down his throat he felt on edge. Yet Jackie kept a gentle hold on his jacket and seemed to take lead as she walked through the mall quietly.

"Where would you like to go?" She asked; Hyde gave her a look, to which she actually laughed at. "Well, I want to get a new outfit, and I need a couple of new winter boots, so..." she led him to a woman's store, one he wasn't quite aware of the name yet recognized it as soon as he entered. He wondered if she had done this on purpose.

Being in this environment seemed to make her feel better, he realized, as he watched her excitedly look through the clothes and hold up various sweaters and blouses. She even thought to ask his opinion a couple of times, he simply shrugged, so she decided to gather them all and try them on. Unluckily for him, he was to be witness to her modeling and tell her what he thought.

Honestly, his only thought would be 'I don't care' but he figured he could just lie and say they all made her look good. Or bad, he wasn't quite sure yet.

Until she stepped out wearing a layered gray and black long sleeved shirt, that clung to her in all the right ways. Jackie examined herself in the mirror, smiled, then spun around to ask his opinion. By that time the initial shock had disappeared and he was left with a smirk on his face.

"What...? Does it look bad?" She asked as she caught his expression. He shrugged his shoulders and she groaned in annoyance. "You are hopeless!" She exclaimed in aggravation as she folded her arms, accentuating the curve in her chest that he hadn't quite noticed had grown significantly even since prom.

Thankfully she didn't catch his staring, because he averted his eyes to behind her, at the mirror as it showed the reflection of the fitting room doors.

"Nah," he replied simply, she raised her eyebrows and smiled a little at his first actual response to her choices. "That one's okay."

"So okay to you is like... gorgeous to me?" she asked, Hyde remained silent as he continued to stare at that spot in the mirror.

Jackie ended up getting that shirt, along with a pair of jeans, which slightly shocked Hyde even more considering he wasn't sure if she owned a pair of pants, and made him carry the bag. He scowled as he walked through the mall and caught the lovey dovey eyes sent their way as various women passed by them. It made him highly uncomfortable, but Jackie seemed to be glowing.

"This is like when we went to prom together. Remember?" Hyde gave a single nod; how could he forget? "We went to the mall, I saw your house for the first time... that night was like the best night of my life. Most of it at least, up until the end." This peaked his interest; the end was where he left, where she danced with...

Right, Kelso.

"Ahh," he said shortly, "yeah I remember."

"Where did you go after... the jerk... talked to me?" Hyde shrugged his shoulders and coughed into his sleeve once more.

"I uh, went home, I think. I don't remember." He did remember, he just really preferred not to recount any memories with Pam Macy. The thought made him shudder inwardly. Jackie didn't notice his discomfort however.

"Yeah, and then you kicked me out of your house."

"I didn't kick you out, I-"

"Right, carried me out," she rephrased, and Hyde sighed heavily; that's not what he meant, "and I was just trying to thank you."

Hyde couldn't help but laugh. Apparently, Red was right. Women could pull the simplest memories from the back of the mind as perfect arsenal. He grimaced.

"Right... but my dearest mother," he used the term to spite Jackie, "woke up and I didn't want you around for that."

"Why not?" Jackie asked. Hyde groaned in annoyance and slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Does 'your mom is Gross Edna?!' ring any bells?" He asked, as if that explained everything. Jackie's pointed look told him that was not an acceptable answer.

This was too much work.

"'Cause Edna's a bitch when she's high, well... actually she was more tolerable, but... anyway," he said when he received a sympathetic look from Jackie, "think of Edna as one of the skeletons in my closet."

"You're embarrassed of her..." Hyde scoffed; that was cute. The fact that Jackie actually thought he was embarrassed of his bloodline... well, that was true. But that's not why he didn't want her or anyone else near their house when Edna still bummed around; it was out of protection. But he'd never say that. "What other skeletons are in your closet?" She pushed as they walked into the shoe store. Hyde shook his head and walked alongside her as she browsed winter boots and various heels.

They were not getting into that discussion; Hyde wouldn't allow it. Ever. With anyone. Besides, he didn't know so much about her; then again it wasn't difficult to understand her family situation: Rich dad, gold digger mom. Dad doesn't love mom, mom ends up pregnant with unwanted baby. Baby is spoiled rotten and love is bought from money rather than true affection. Dad's gone a lot, mom's an alcoholic.

"Huh," Hyde said to himself as he thought this over. Take the rich and gold digger parents and switch them with a bum and an alcoholic whore mixed with violent tendencies to vent the anger of having said neglected child and... Hyde shook his head; Jackie was nothing like him. She was shallow, two-faced, annoying as hell, arrogant, stuck-up, selfish...

"Steven," her piercing voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked down at her from his comfortable leaning position against the shoe rack and tilted his head slightly. "You have a hole in your boot."

"So?" He asked; he had these boots for years now. They were the only shoes he really had, from his uncle. Except he had long outgrown them and they cut through his socks, to create blisters on his heel and sides of his feet; not that it mattered, half the time at the Forman's he was barefoot anyway.

"You can't have a hole in your boot, here..." she trailed off, dragging him to the chair and forced him into it. She knelt down and pulled at one of his boots, yet struggled to get it off. "These are way too small!" Jackie exclaimed, wringing her hand from the apparent pain of her struggle. Hyde scoffed; it didn't matter.

"So?" He asked again. Jackie groaned and disappeared for a moment. He looked down at his boots and shrugged; they were worn and did have a hole in them, which was kind of a surprise considering they were boots, after all, but it didn't phase him. His belongings always ended up that way, anyway.

"Try these on!" Hyde would have jumped in alarm had he not seen her suddenly appear out of nowhere. He gave her a look as he kicked off his boots and stuffed his feet in the light brown boots she handed him. He shrugged; not bad. It didn't matter though. "How do they feel?" She asked, kneeling once more.

"Okay...?" He replied; there wasn't a lot to say. He didn't even understand why she was doing this. His boots were his boots and it wasn't a big deal.

"They're a little too loose on the toe, maybe an eleven and a half..." she ran quickly and Hyde looked after her incredulously.

"What..." he trailed off, unsure of what to even say, so he shook his head and picked up the boots hid uncle had given him. He'd had these for nearly four years now, and at that point they had been much too big; he'd never given a thought to check out the size; apparently they were a nine. Huh; apparently that mattered.

Jackie returned once more and he switched the boots just to appease her. Except when he put them on he couldn't believe how comfortable they were; it didn't hurt to walk. Jackie saw his astonished expression and grinned.

"You like them?" She asked giddily, Hyde shrugged his shoulders.

"They're alright," he replied, but he knew that was a severe understatement; the raven-haired girl knew this as well.

"Well, at least they're not causing your feet to bleed, right?" She said, compromising as she reached his reasoning.

"I guess."

"You don't have much to say, do you?" She asked finally, looking up at him with mild interest. Hyde sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"There's a difference between talking just to talk and actually saying something, I don't see the point in talking unless I'm saying something."

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked him; he smirked as he just proved his point.

"Exactly."

"What?!" She cried, clawing at her head. He couldn't help but smile as he took off the boots and switched them for his ratty old pair. Suddenly he realized how right she was, although he wouldn't admit it. Shoes were a first world necessity, he didn't need the comfort of a perfect fit; except the potential to not feel like his feet were being cut off was there, and suddenly he preferred that option. Selfishness... he shook his head as Jackie disappeared once more.

She brought up several boxes of shoes and set them on the counter. After the total was up to nearly $80 she handed over a $100 dollar bill and took the change excitedly. Hyde started to leave the store yet Jackie grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" She chirruped, handing him a box. He looked at her curiously, then... "surprise!" She opened the box and Hyde closed his eyes as his heart crashed painfully into his stomach. Suddenly he saw kindness and selflessness and... no, that was not Jackie.

"You bought those?" He asked in a softer voice. Jackie nodded and smiled excitedly at him as she pushed the box toward him. Hyde sighed heavily, sadly, and found himself at a loss of words; that was ironic.

"Yeah, and we're not leaving 'til you put them on!" She said happily. He figured the least he could do was do as she said, for the time being, and quickly switched his shoes. If his feet could talk they would be thanking him, and her, profusely.

As they walked out of the store, Hyde fought off his better judgment and took hold of her wrist. Jackie turned around with a surprised look on her face yet smiled when seeing the sincerity in his eyes.

"Jackie..." he trailed off quietly, "thank you."

Hyde didn't know how they ended up here. Actually, he did, but it had been so completely random that he truly wondered how Jackie's train of thought functioned for awhile. He decided it was best he never tried to comprehend what went through her mind and the rate at which it did because it would simply be enough to make him implode; granted, she would say the same about him.

He found himself standing in a pet shop across the mall. Somehow it came up in conversation that Jackie wanted a pet; he didn't remember how she rambled to that conclusion, but this was am apparent necessity, so she dragged him to said pet shop and was currently looking between various cats.

Jackie had looked at the birds for awhile, but figured they would be too loud, Hyde laughed at that, so she decided a cat would be best for her. So she had occupied an hour of their time playing with and holding different cats. She looked really happy, though, and Hyde figured that was better than her moping.

He had stepped out for a cigarette after awhile yet that had been about twenty minutes ago. He wasn't too big on cats so he wandered aimlessly around the store. Pets weren't really his thing, but he knew Eric had always wanted a lizard so he looked at the different reptiles they had. Hyde smirked as he came across a large snake; Forman would really appreciate that, he figured with a chuckle.

His wandering led him to a glass door that he looked at for a moment, shrugged, then opened. He glanced back momentarily, saw Jackie holding a small kitten, and stepped through. Hyde walked in the room that was oddly quiet, considering it was in the midst of a pet store, and he almost felt it would be for employees except he saw the various empty cages. Unless... he wrinkled his face at that and walked ahead a little more.

Hyde gawked as he realized he stepped into Kelso-heaven. Dogs were everywhere, running around, playing, eating, sleeping, and he took a step back. A yip was heard and he glanced down and grimaced. A puppy, that was probably about four months old, scratched at his leg and he sighed heavily. It was a shepherd of some sort, not German, it didn't look like Ringo he thought with a pang of a reminder, yet it reminded him of one of his aunt's dogs. The puppy's tongue poked out from its mouth and Hyde found himself bending down and picking it up.

He instantly regretted it because the dog was incredibly soft and warm. He didn't like things like that... except, damn it, the dog was adorable, he thought with a deepening scowl. Hyde scratched behind its ears and he was encouraged with a lick to the face.

"Thank you..." he grumbled as the puppy wriggled excitedly in his arms. But the fluffball was too cute for him to be annoyed with as he rubbed its stomach. "Okay, down, boy..." he wasn't sure if it was boy, but it suited the dog, he figured. He set down the puppy and began walking back out.

The sound of scratching followed him and he stopped. Immediately the sound stopped as well and he slowly turned around to find the puppy a couple of feet behind him, wagging its tail.

"No..." he said sternly, but the dog barked and ran up to him excitedly. "You just want someone to play with you, huh?" He finally said as he got down on his knees. The puppy rolled over on its back and kicked its feet as Hyde scratched at his stomach once more. It was a writhing ball of energy and Hyde couldn't help but smile as he saw the tail wag excitedly. "You're a good dog, I don't understand why someone hasn't taken you in already," he said, petting it now and smiling sadly down at the little animal, who looked at him with energetic brown eyes. "Too bad Red doesn't like dogs... Mrs. Formam would take you in, and you'd have a nice home. A big backyard... and you could teach Forman to play fetch..." he trailed off as the puppy climbed up on his leg and sniffed excitedly. The little paws scratched his jeans and he picked up the puppy once more, earning more licks to the face.

"Steven, are you-" he turned around to find Jackie with a little carrier and a bag in her hands. She faltered when seeing him with a puppy and smiled softly. "I didn't know you liked dogs!" He felt his face heat as he gave one final pat to the dog and set it down; he had to look away from those puppy eyes.

"They're okay," he replied with another shrug to the shoulders. Jackie knew better though, she knew she had caught him at a moment of weakness and she had even felt as if she had trespassed on some moment that should have remained unseen. She just gave him a look, however, and smiled knowingly.

"I'd buy it for you," she said, looking at the puppy whining and scratching at him once more. Hyde just looked at her, "if you didn't live with the Forman's." He nodded and petted the puppy one more time before quickly leaving the room, a little more than slightly embarrassed. "You seem like the dog type." she said as they exited the store. Hyde raised an eyebrow. "Did you ever have a dog?"

"Once, he was a German Shepherd." he replied; he really didn't want to talk about Ringo.

"Your mom actually let you?" Hyde couldn't help but laugh as he nodded.

"Believe it or not, Gross Edna was once Not-So-Gross Edna and she let my uncle give me one of his puppies for my birthday..." he trailed off.

"Why don't you still have him?"

"He died," Hyde replied simply, "besides, Red hates animals so even if I still had him I wouldn't be able to keep him." Jackie's face fell as they reached the car.

"I'm sorry... that he died, that must've been really sad." Hyde shrugged his shoulders. What was more sad was how and why he died, and what happened afterward, than the actual death. Besides, he seemed to be surrounded by it, anyway, so it didn't really matter much. "Do you want to see my new cat?" Jackie asked as they reached her father's car. Hyde shrugged; why not? She opened the carrier and pulled out a kitten that was probably about three months old; a calico, mostly white, with orange and black splotches on the fluffy fur. "Her name is Jasmine." Hyde nodded slowly. That name didn't seem fitting, then again he'd probably name the thing Shut Up, but he kept that to himself.

Jackie put Jasmine back in her kennel and set her in the backseat. She was surprisingly quiet, which Hyde did not mind at all as he sat in the passenger seat. Jackie closed the door and put the keys in the ignition.

"Hyde, those boots look really nice on you." Jackie said suddenly; Hyde looked at her, he hadn't expected her to call him 'Hyde'.

"You know Jackie, you buying me boots was just wrong, shoulda let me shoplift them." He replied, unsure of what to say. He had said his thanks once before, he didn't want her fishing for another one.

"No Hyde, I want you to have them. Besides, I'm saving a fortune now that I don't have to feed and clothe Michael." She seemed excited by this, and Hyde considered her words before shrugging and nodding.

"Well, if you insist."

"I do!" She chirruped excitedly, then settled her hand on his knee. He looked at it warily. She smiled at him as she leaned a little closer with a smile on her face, "so I was thinking tomorrow night we should you know-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... okay, alright, c'mon now Jackie. This was a one time only thing alright?" Hyde said; that's what this had been, right? He felt bad, like he had during prom, and so he once again catered to her whining and begging. Only it hadn't turned out so bad, until... now, he figured. "And if you're trying to bribe me with these boots you can just take them back." He added a little harshly. He watched her face fell and she retracted slightly.

"I see..." Jackie trailed off, her lower lip trembled as she pulled away and turned to look out the windshield.

"Oh what are you going to do now, cry?" He teased, hoping to get her to smile. He really didn't want her to cry. He hated tears because they worked on him every damn time, especially hers. Yet he saw her eyes glitter as tears welled that she was willing so hard not to fall and his own heart thudded painfully. He had never seen so much disappointment and hurt on someone's face and it was all because of him

No. No, that wasn't true. It was because of Kelso. If Kelso hadn't cheated on Jackie then he wouldn't be in this situation, making her feel bad. Except, a part of him felt this would happen, anyway, so it was at least partially his fault. Her trembling lip and averted eyes only made him feel so much worse. Because she didn't deserve to have this day ruined because of a misunderstanding; it hadn't been that bad, he figured. Plus she was extremely vulnerable right now, in a few days she would be back to her normal bitchy self and willing away this moment.

"Oh man, you're crying..." He watched as she turned her cheek and he sighed heavily. He could do this, just get her to stop crying, and they'd be much better off. He scooted closer to her and put an arm on her shoulders, squeezing softly as he turned her face to look at him. Her eyes remained lowered as she forced the tears not to fall. When she blinked, they fell down her face heavily, and he felt that sinking pit grow deeper. "Hey, Jackie... c'mon, it's gonna be fine, okay?" He reassured her gently, trying his hardest to express his sincerity in his voice. He wiped a tear from her cheek and heard her sniffle as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. He brushed his thumb through her hair as he tried to smile at her. "This whole thing is gonna be fine, alright?" Hyde pushed, silently begging for a simple nod, or a quiet answer. Anything but this deafening silence because he was the one pushing, reaching for her to open up; that's not how he worked.

Hyde's eyes widened as her lips suddenly pressed against his, warm, plump, tasting like strawberry, and his mind shut off against the feeling for a split second. Yet he came to his senses and pulled away quickly; he was not going to be that guy.

"No! Bad Jackie!" He exclaimed, heart beating frantically as he stared wide eyed at her. Her multi-colored eyes looked into his and saw his shock, his fear.

"But Hyde, I thought we agreed that you were alone and I was alone..." she trailed off. He bit his lip and nodded; there was the misunderstanding. This was a date to her. Was this a date? They had never specified. He just thought he was going with her to try to cheer her up, because this entire time he had been trying his hardest to get Kelso caught because...

"Jackie I'm trying to help you out here, so you've gotta just listen to me." Hyde said seriously, grabbing her arm and situating himself so he faced her. She whimpered and looked up at him, "you have to know that you can do better than Kelso." he assured her, honestly, truthfully. She could do so much better than Kelso, hell, she deserved better than him. He wasn't what she would ever want him to be, he could never give her what she wanted.

And if she thought Hyde could possibly do that, well she was sorely mistaken. He wasn't that guy.

"But what if I never find anybody else?" She asked feebly, wiping her eyes as she sniffled. Hyde felt his lips pull in a smile as he took her hand in his. This seemed to shock her, as she saw a different side of him that was almost instinct to him, something he didn't even think about.

"Oh you will man, you'll find somebody great." He truly believed she would; she would find someone perfect for her. Point Place wasn't where she should look, however. "See I myself don't like you, I find you abrasive," Her jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed darkly on him, "but if I didn't know you and I'd never talked to you, I'd think you were totally hot." Her gaze softened and she smiled weakly up at him.

"Thank you Hyde." She said softly, graciously. Jackie took a deep breath and looked in the mirror as she fixed her makeup.

"Anything for you doll," he answered truthfully. She turned to him and smiled; she knew that to be true.

Jackie drove around aimlessly as she began to chatter away once again, as if nothing had happened. This time Hyde found himself half listening as he flipped through the radio. If he had to put up with her incessant noise he deserved to hear good music. But he was disgusted in himself when he realized he had tuned out the music rather than her voice.

"-so my cousin decided to buy the green rather than pink but I hate green. It's such a gross color, well it can be pretty. Like lime green or a sage green... but not the green she picked. It was like pea soup and the fact she went out of the house with that dress on... ugh, I was so embarrassed." Hyde nodded slowly and envisioned himself slamming his head on the dashboard until his brains spewed across the new seats. He didn't think that was fair to Jackie to see, however, so he refrained from acting out his innermost wishes.

Jackie turned off the car and Hyde looked out the window. He was shocked to see they were at the reservoir. She grabbed the keys and sat on the hood of the car as she stared at the quiet ripples in the distant lake as the sunset reflected off of the murky water. At that moment it looked crystal clear as the orange and purples danced across the water. Hyde sighed and joined her silently. He laid back and looked up at the sky; he always liked doing that.

They were quiet for awhile, just thinking their own thoughts, and Hyde didn't mind at all. He closed his eyes and listened to their surroundings. The wind blew gently in the surrounding trees, an owl hooted in the distance, but all else was silent. It was nice.

"Hyde?" She asked quietly, he opened his eyes and turned to look at her. He was shocked to find she had laid down as well; her arms were bend behind her head to be used as a pillow, and he met her gaze, "why don't you have a girlfriend?" She asked.

He thought for awhile before he shrugged his shoulders. It was a matter of choice, it's not like he didn't get any action.

"No, seriously..." Jackie pressed, turning on her side to look at him. Her eyes locked on his eyes he felt stuck.

"Uh... well..." he trailed off, "I've dated a few chicks but it just... hasn't worked out."

"Why not?" Jackie asked.

"One ended up with my uncle, they're happily in prison now..." Jackie made a face, "one is I think in New York, she wanted me to go with her but..." he trailed off, unable to finish that sentence, "and then I kinda had a thing with Kat Peterson." Jackie just looked at him.

"Why didn't you go to New York?" She asked, Hyde pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. He didn't really want to discuss this with her. Except, it looked like he had to.

"I didn't want to leave Point Place," he mumbled. She smiled as if that simple reason was enough explanation for her. Jackie rested her head on her arm as she looked at Hyde and wore the quietest smile he had seen on another human being.

"Do you want a girlfriend?" Hyde shook his head. "Why not?"

"That's not how I roll," he replied with a teasing tone as he smirked. Jackie rolled her eyes yet smiled nonetheless. It was slightly true, however. He honestly didn't imagine ever becoming that close with someone, he liked the physical rather than the emotional aspect of "relationships" and after awhile that's all girls wanted, case and point: Kelso. He didn't want that baggage and he knew he'd probably be the worst boyfriend. He wasn't one for labels, anyway.

"So you're gonna always be alone?" She asked quietly, he shrugged his shoulders. Probably, and he was completely fine with that. "That's just... sad."

"Why?" He asked, Jackie shrugged and looked at him with those doe eyes that could get her anywhere.

"I mean, I look into my future and all I see is me being with someone I love. I always thought it would be Michael but he and I aren't meant to be. I don't know why I keep convincing myself he is, he's hurt me so many times. But I don't want to wake up ten or twenty years from now in a cold bed all by myself. I want to be with my soul mate, someone who really understands me, and get that good morning kiss. I want children, I want a happy family... something that I can look back on when I'm old and dying and just... say that my life was something wonderful. Don't you want that, Steven?" So she was back to using his first name.

Hyde remained silent. Then, shook his head.

"No," he replied, "'cause I'm not gonna be around that long." Jackie tilted her head curiously and propped her head up.

"What makes you say that?"

"Live fast, die young, baby..." he said with a smile, yet Jackie looked horror-stricken. "What, you honestly saw a future for me?" He laughed, and he saw her hurt expression when seeing the amusement in his eyes. He really did think it was funny. No one had expected he'd amount to anything in years. He was honestly surprised he wasn't dead now. He was pretty sure others felt the same way.

"Yeah... I did..." Jackie trailed off quietly, as if the wind carried her voice from her. Hyde's laughter died and his smile fell as he caught her expression. She was probably the first to expect so much from him. That shocked him more than her response.

By nightfall they found themselves pulling in the Forman's driveway. Jackie looked to Hyde as she turned off the car. He gave her a look, then nodded.

"So...?" She trailed off, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Other than a couple of your turns you did pretty well, young grasshopper." He replied, giving her a mocking pat on the head. Jackie stuck out her tongue and opened her door. Hyde stepped out as well and looked at Jackie as she tripped on something. She looked up in alarm and visibly shrank as she caught his smirk.

"Shut up..." she grumbled as she met up with him at the front of the car. He put his arm on her back as he led her to the sliding glass doors and she slugged his side as she caught his grin. "Stop internally laughing at me!" He chuckled.

"I just never thought I'd see perfect Jackie trip on even ground," he teased, pushing open the door and let her in first. She turned around to face him and narrowed her eyes.

"That still makes me perfect, Steven," she huffed, he raised his eyebrows and gave a mocking nod as he leaned against the counter. "I just wanted to say... thank you." Jackie murmured, cheeks a little pink as she looked up at him. He gave her a look.

"For what...?"

"Today, I mean... you really helped open my eyes. And I had a lot of fun," Hyde smiled and shrugged his shoulders as she hugged him tightly. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her almost protectively; he hoped that's how it felt to her, anyway. Although he didn't like her, she didn't deserve what Kelso had put her through and he had always been on the lookout for her. Jackie stood on tip-toes and kissed him chastely on the lips again. This time, he didn't pull away but cut it short; it was enigmatic for her. There was nothing behind it, and he made sure of that. She pulled away shortly and smiled at him; it was a kiss of gratitude, completely innocent, and that's the only reason he didn't stop her.

"You can head on down to the basement, I'll grab us a couple sodas," Jackie smiled and nodded as she practically skipped to the door. Hyde opened the fridge, grabbed a couple bottles of root beer and sighed heavily. Without a second thought, he headed down the stairs.

He was instantly greeted with Jackie's shrill voice as she yelled at Kelso. He took a few steps down, then stopped as he surveyed the scene. It was Kelso, Jackie, and Fez. Great. Just great.

"Hey... what's going on?" He asked Jackie a little warily. She caught his tone and smiled at him, a little too strongly, and met him at the stairs. He handed her the bottle and she took it.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Jackie said happily then looked to the door, "thank you, Hyde, for tonight, it was very special." She murmured, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and gave a nod as she walked out the door; he fully understood why she left, he would too.

Kelso screamed in shock and disgust as he glared at Hyde, who sighed contentedly, for show, and took a seat on his chair. He raised his bottle to his lips and took a drink before he set it down and smiled smugly at Kelso, who looked devastated, and Fez, who looked dejected.

"Isn't she nice?" he said in a warmer voice than usual; he felt their glares as he put his legs on the table. "Hey, fellas, like my new boots?"

"Ai... she bought him boots!" Fez cried dismally as he threw his hands in the air. Kelso clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at Hyde with angry eyes. "Now she is Hyde's woman!" Hyde put on his sunglasses and turned to the television.

"No, no, she's not Hyde's woman... she's my woman!" Kelso barked angrily. Hyde turned to face Kelso momentarily, then turned back to the television.

"She's no one's woman," he responded coolly as he grew bored of the conversation. Footsteps pounded down the stairs and he was greeted with the quiet bickering of Donna and Eric. He might as well just go to his room now. His night was officially bleak at best.

"Eric, tell Hyde Jackie's my woman!" Kelso exclaimed frantically. He heard him laugh a little and Donna grumble something about women rights.

"Kelso, you cheated on her with my sister, she is so not your woman," Eric replied in between his chortles. Hyde tried blocking them all out by staring at the television yet it wasn't working. It never worked. "Not that... you can claim a woman," he quickly added when catching Donna's heartless glare.

Kelso cried out in frustration and quickly ran out of the basement. Fez looked between the door and Donna and Eric, shrugged, then sat on the couch. Donna turned to Hyde and smiled a slow grin, one he tried his best to ignore.

"I heard you went out with Jackie," she said, Eric nodded with a smile and Hyde groaned in annoyance.

"She wouldn't leave me alone..." he grumbled, ready to leave the room.

"Did you have fun?" Donna teased. Hyde turned and for a moment he swore she could see his glare. She continued to grin at him, however, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"It was like bowling," Hyde answered simply, no one questioned although he was sure they didn't understand what he meant by that; he meant for that to happen. Hyde stood up to go to his room but caught Eric's guilty look. He furrowed his eyebrows, "what's up with Forman?" He asked Donna, more than the teenager in question. She sighed heavily and gave him a look, one that read "we'll talk later" yet Eric looked at him nervously.

He gave that same nervous laugh he inherited from his mom, although not so... piercing, and smiled at Hyde. The blonde continued to look at him, expecting him to crack at any moment.

"Funny story..." he began, rubbing his knuckles together. He could actually visualize his nervousness as he began to speak. "You know how Kelso was writing a song for Jackie?" Hyde nodded; that obviously didn't work out in his favor. A part of him couldn't help but feel rather smug about that. "Well, I ended up breaking his guitar."

"Okay...?" Hyde said, confused, "and you feel bad about it?" Donna furrowed her eyebrows as she looked curiously at her boyfriend. She didn't get it, either. It was a blessing, Hyde figured; he couldn't even play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" without screwing it up somehow.

"Well, here's where it gets funny. It turns out Kelso had been here practicing." Hyde nodded slowly, then stopped as he glanced to the corner. Realization hit him and his face fell as he saw the missing instrument.

"It was mine," Hyde finished for him. Donna's eyes widened as she turned to her boyfriend with utmost horror on her face. Even Fez cringed before he ran out of the room murmuring something incoherently. "Wasn't it?"

"I swear, I swear I didn't know, I just wanted him to stop and then... he laughed and told me it was mine from the basement and... mine's upstairs." Hyde gave a curt nod.

"Where is it?" Hyde asked quietly, not coldly, in fact his voice had no emotion whatsoever. He was completely calm. Donna looked at him worriedly.

"The Vista Cruiser, I'll..." Eric fumbled for his words before he ran out the stairs to grab what was left of his guitar. Donna took a step forward and looked at Hyde as she searched for something, some clue to understand what was going through his mind.

"Hyde..." he shook his head.

Other than his dog and the boxes from his grandparents, that was the only gift he had ever received from his family. From his grandparents, to be precise. His grandfather had taught him how to play on that guitar, and it was made by him as well. Just... just for him. But it didn't matter; he hadn't had time to play it recently and... he sighed heavily, shakily, and looked at the empty space in the basement. His last memory of his family was gone. The last thing that could tie him to his family name in splinters. How fitting, he thought, as he caught sight of the smashed guitar in Eric's hands. The head and fretboard were separated from the body, which was in multiple pieces. The strings flew every which way and Hyde turned away quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Hyde..." Eric trailed off, unsure what to say. Donna looked between them both as she silently begged him to say something. Hyde looked up and shrugged at his de-facto brother, as if he had been told he spent a couple bucks that ended up being his rather than breaking something so important. But did it really matter. "No, this is like-"

"It's cool," Hyde replied, "just throw it away, whatever, man..." Hyde trailed off, "I'm gonna go finish my book."

"Are you-" he didn't hear the end of his sentence as he entered his room and began playing his Black Sabbath album. He sat on his bed, looked at his book, then sighed heavily as he opened the weathered, stained pages.

After trying to read several pages but unable to comprehend what he skimmed, he tossed the book on his cot and reached under the makeshift bed, pulling out the box from beneath and sighed. His broken guitar didn't matter, just like everything else that was marred with the Hyde name...