Point Place, Wisconsin

May 17, 1976, 8:47 p.m.

Location: Eric Forman's Basement.

There sat a skinny, gangly kid named Eric on a chair while three other teens stared at him, crowding around him, looking impatient. The redhead was Donna Pinciotti, the tall, beautiful girl he lived next door to. The other was Eric's best friend, Steven Hyde. He was a government hating, beer drinking, burnout. Next to him sat Michael Kelso. A big and dumb pretty boy.

Hyde stared at him, "Eric, it is time!"

Eric looked at Hyde dumbfounded. "Why don't you do it?" He asked.

Hyde continued, "It's your house. Listen to them up there; the party has reached critical mass, in 10 minutes there will be no more beer opportunities!"

Eric worriedly, "If my dad catches me copping beers, he'll kill me!" he said.

"I'm willing to take that risk," Hyde told him, slapping him on the knee.

"Don't worry about it," Kelso added, "just remain calm, keep movin'..."

"And above all," said Donna, "don't get sucked into my dad's hair."

"What's wrong with your dad's hair?" Eric asked.

"Just...don't look at it," Donna warned him.

Hyde offered one more piece of encouragement, "And Eric, cold...definitely cold," he told Eric, looking him in the eye.

Eric took a deep breath and knows what he has to do. He nodded and rose up from the chair.

He ran towards the stairs, hesitated once, looking at his friends who looked super excited, and continued up.

In the kitchen, is a short woman by the name of Kitty Forman, Eric's mom. She is loving, caring and always likes to bake. She is taking hors d'oeuvres out of the oven while singing along with The Captain and Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together." She took the hors d'oeuvres out to the party in the living room, almost bumping into Eric in the process.

"Oh Eric! Watch out pizza rolls! Hot hot!" She warned him with a smile as she continues into the main part of the party, which is in the living room.

Eric followed her in there and saw a bunch of adults, getting drunk and talking and laughing while adult-ish music plays in the background.

He saw two cans of beer sitting on the ledge and picks them up. Sitting on the sofa is Bob Pinciotti. A short, chubby man. He is kind of emotional, but makes up for it by being the nicest guy in the world.

"Hi Eric!" He greeted. Him and his wife Midge standing up to greet him. Midge was almost beyond Kelso's dumbness. She was also the object of the basement boys' desire.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Pinciotti", Eric replied.

"Hey Eric, how do you like Bob's hair, isn't it groovy?"

Eric's eyes went from Midge's face to her breasts. "It's incredibly groovy Mrs. Pinciotti."

Eric wandered over to the bar area and reaches for two more cans of beer in an ice bucket. "Eric," his father greeted.

"Hi, dad," Eric replied nervously.

"What the hell happened to Bob's hair?" Red asked. "His head looks like a poodle's ass!"

Eric laughed, and as Red bends down to get something from behind the bar, he grabbed two cans of beer. "Just when you think you've seen everything," Red began, and Eric finished with, "A poodle's ass walks into your party."

"Eric, don't use the 'ass' word," Red warned him, "you're still in highschool."

Kitty brought out more hors d'oeuvres (pigs in a blanket) and as she puts them on the coffee table, Midge asked her, "Kitty, is that your Toyota in the drive?"

"Red, a Toyota?" Bob asked, unbelievingly.

"Yeah, it's mine," Red admitted. "I tell you, the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me."

"Well, honey, it is the gas crisis, what can you do?" Kitty asked.

"And you know, Bob," Red added, "those SOBs at the dealership offered me a lousy $400 trade-in on the Vista Cruiser. It'll rust in the driveway before I trade it in."

"Whacha gonna do?" Bob commented, walking away.

"Honey, it is rusting in the driveway," Kitty put in.

"Hey, Pop, I'll take the cruiser off your hands. I don't care if it's a pump-sucker," Eric said. While was talking, he gestured with his hands - holding up the two beers that he'd taken while Red wasn't looking.

"What you got there, Eric?" Red asked.

"Beer," Eric replied, nervously, his voice cracking. "I found it. Just sitting...you know...around," he explained.

"Well put 'em away, son," Red told him.

"Why, I intend to, sir," Eric said. He headed for the kitchen door, and Kitty stopped him, handing him two more beer cans and asking him to pop them into the fridge as the cans are getting warm. With four beer cans in his hands, Eric made a run for the kitchen door.

In the basement, Hyde and Kelso are on the sofa; Kelso was playing air-guitar, and Hyde was looking at a magazine. As he turned the magazine sideways to look at what must be a centerfold, he showed it to Kelso, telling him, "Check it out!" Donna came up behind them, and looking at the picture, says, "I see that everyday." Eric arrived downstairs with the beer, and hands them out, telling the other three, "Good news...my dad is thinking of giving me the Vista Cruiser!"

The others are impressed. "You're getting a car?" Kelso asked.

"Have I told you how incredibly attractive you are, Eric," Donna asked jokingly.

Eric laughed nervously at this, "No." He joked.

"You told me he was cute," Kelso put in.

"No I didn't," Donna denied.

"I remember," Kelso said, "'cause you said not to say anything in front of Eric." Eric looked a little stunned at this news.

"Let's focus on what's important her, people," Hyde said. "Foreman stole something! To Foreman!" he held up his beer. The others all toasted Eric's theft as well.

"You know what's sad?" Eric asked, "This is the proudest day of my life!"

XxXxXxXxX

The gang was sitting in the basement, watching TV. There sat Kelso and his girlfriend Jackie Burkhart, a snobby, spoiled rich girl, they are on the sofa, Kelso with his arm around Jackie; Eric also on the sofa; and Donna on the floor in front of Eric. They were watching an episode of "The Brady Bunch" without the sound, so Eric and Donna supplied their own dialogue.

"Here, use the earphone," Eric said, handing it to her. Donna got up from the floor and sat in the lawn chair, as Jackie put in the earphone.

"So,...what's the deal with the Vista Cruiser?" Kelso asked.

"The deal is there is no deal yet," Eric answered. Jackie shushed them, and Kelso, Eric and Donna all shared a look of exasperation at Jackie.

"How are we gonna get to the concert?" Kelso asked, quietly. As Donna told him to shut up, Jackie took the earphone out of her ear, and asked, "What concert?"

"Todd Rundgren." Kelso answered apprehensively.

"When?" Jackie asked.

"This weekend." Kelso told her nervously.

"Oh." Jackie said pleasantly. "Who's going?"

"Um, Eric and Donna and me and Hyde and the foreign kid Fez," Kelso told her. "Pretty much everybody." Jackie noddd her head vigorously and Kelso added, "And you!"

"Oh, good, good." Jackie said, smiling. "Thank you for telling me, Michael." Her tone changing.

"I'm gonna go home now", Donna said, getting up.

"Oh no, please don't leave me with these two", Eric mocked.

"Shut up Eric!" Jackie scolded as Donna rolled her eyes and left the basement.

Jackie stood up angrily "You don't want me to go to the concert, is that it?"

"I didn't know if you liked music." Kelso said dumbly.

"Michael!" Jackie barked shrilly.

"Alright." Kelso admitted. "I didn't invite you to the concert because I think you really don't like my friends."

"Michael!" She yelled.

"Oh don't worry Jackie. Nobody here likes you either", Eric teased.

Jackie shook her head and scoffed at his comment. "Also, I didn't think you'd be interested in Todd Rundgren." Kelso added. "Like you said, he's no Frampton."

"I love Todd Rundgerman," Jackie insisted, mispronouncing his last name. "I have the 45 of "Hello, It's Me! Remember when we listened to it?" She sat his lap and says, "We can have fun at the concert."

"Okay, you can come." Kelso said eagerly.

"Well, only if you want me to," Jackie said blithely.

Kelso smiled at her, "Oh I want you too!" Kelso said eagerly, jumping on her on the couch and kissing her neck. Jackie started gigging, and the expensive shoes she was wearing waved around and kicked Eric in the head. He immediately got up.

"Ow! C'mon guys can you not do this on my couch!" He yelled at them, sitting in Hyde's chair.

Kelso and Jackie stopped and they sat there watching silent cartoons until Kelso stands up.

"Ok guys I gotta go!" Kelso announced. "Jackie you want me to walk you home."

"This late? What if a burglar tries to attack us?"

"Then Kelso would probably push you in the way and run in the opposite direction", Eric laughed.

Kelso didn't seem to hear Eric's comment. "Well until I get a car that's all I can do baby."

"Well I'm not risking it, I'm too pretty to be walking down the street at night."

"But you'll have me to protect you!"

"Michael! You turn the TV off whenever we try to watch a scary movie."

Kelso looked around, a little dumbfounded. "Well that's different!"

Jackie groaned and rolls her eyes, "Just forget it, I'll call my dad with Eric's phone."

Kelso waved goodbye to his girlfriend and friend before leaving.

Eric and Jackie sat there watching TV until Jackie turned to him. "You know your gonna have to give me a ride to my house right?"

Eric looked at her, "I thought you were gonna call your dad.

"Yeah well I lie, my dad always works nights. Go ask yours for the car and take me."

Eric blinked a few times. "Uh..says who?"

"Says me! " She yelled glaring at him.

Eric snickered. "That rich girl, bossy act only works on Kelso okay? Not me princess." Eric looked at her, catching her evil glare. He turned back towards the TV, unfazed.

His eyes couldn't help but look once more, and when they did he saw she didn't move a muscle. Her eyes were locked on him.

It started creeping him out. She was like the little girl from The Exorcist. Stature, attitude and all.

Eric finally groaned, "Ughhh! C'mon Jackie. You could walk there….maybe hitchhike with a stranger in a pick-up truck you know?" His dark joke didn't seem to amuse Jackie.

"No!"

Eric groaned again, even louder this, "Jackie how the hell am I even going to convince my dad to let me?"

Jackie shrugged, "I don't know but you better figure something out!"

Eric sighed, "Whatever!" He stood and started upstairs to find his dad. He made a mental note to work on the whole, nice-guy-who-helps-people-out problem he had.

The party had cleared out, and there sat Red and Kitty looking a little saucy. Especially Red, maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

"Hey dad! Can I get the keys to the Cruiser just this one time? I gotta drive this girl to her house."

Red and Kitty looked at Eric.

"Son, she only lives next door." Red told him.

Eric sighed, "No it's not Donna, it's this other girl from school... And I use the term 'girl' loosely. She's making me drive her home."

"Well Red, let him be a gentlemen and drive this girl home." Kitty told Red.

Red sighed, "Fine." He replied, reaching for the keys to the Cruiser in his pocket. He tossed them at Eric who caught it.

"Son, I swear if you come back and that car has even a little scratch in it I will-"

"Dad! Dad, it'll be fine." He said before going back down to the basement.

He spotted Jackie still watching TV as he came down. "Okay Rosemary's baby, I got them."

Jackie smiled and rose up, "See how easy that was? Lets go."

Jackie and Eric then left the basement.