*******************
Kelso�s POV
Im waiting after school, with Hyde, for Jackie and Fez. We�ve been doing this ALL week. It�s so boring. But Hyde wants to make sure that once Jackie is done practicing, Chip has no time to talk to her.
�Hyde. Man, this is boring!�
�Then walk home.�
�Me? Walk? I might break into a sweat or something.�
�Kelso.� He stares at me in disbelief, �You run with dogs for fun.�
�Hey. Dogs are very fun to play with.� I cross my arms, �Fine, I�ll stay. And wait.� about about a minute, I speak up again, �You know, Chip won�t do anything. He�s scared of you.�
�I just want to make sure.�
Eric walks down the hallway and sees us, �Hey guys. What are you doing?�
�Hyde is being paranoid about Chip.�
Hyde hits me in my arm, �Ow Hyde!�
�I�m waiting for Jackie and Fez to give them a ride home. It doesn't have anything to do with Chip.� He glares at me. I roll my eyes, because I know this has everything to do with Chip.
But seriously, Hyde has nothing to worry about! Chip avoids him at school on purpose. I heard from this guy named Timmy, who heard from this girl named Joan, who heard from Chip that Chip was so scared, he was about to change schools.
Now I don�t know if that�s true or not, but I know that Hyde has nothing to worry about. Jackie loves him. So Chip has no chance.
I look over at Hyde, Does he trust Jackie? Is this another reason why we are waiting..because he doesn't trust Jackie alone with him?
Fez is there, he can look out for her. And I�m sure they hang out together anyway...so why doesn�t Hyde just go to the hub and wait for her.
I notice that Eric is walking away and I snap back to reality.
�Hyde. Don�t hit me or anything. But I have a question.�
�What? If it�s stupid, i might have to hit you, so be careful.�
�Do you trust Jackie?�
Hyde seems to be taken back, �Why are you asking me that?�
�Because. You�re waiting for her because you think she�ll do something with Chip.�
�Look Kelso. I don�t think she�s going to do anything. I just think he will.�
�But if you know she wont do anything...then what do you have to worry about?�
�Look man, I just don�t want him making any moves on Jackie. And if he does, I want to be here to kick his ass. This doesn't have anything to do with trust-�
�Yes it does!� I blurt out. Hyde looks at me.
�Kelso. When did you become so concerned with my trust issues with Jackie. Shouldn�t you be off planning some way to get her back.�
�Look, I�m over that,ok? I know she loves you, and I know I don�t have a chance. And so does every other guy in this school! You don�t need to be watching her like this. Damn Hyde, just trust her. You�re being paranoid about this when you don�t have too be. She won�t do anything.�
Hyde doesn�t say anything back. I feel satisfied with myself and what I had said to him, because it was true.
I hope Hyde would get it through his head and trust Jackie.
*******************
Hyde�s POV
I do trust Jackie. I do. Kelso has no idea what he�s talking about...
I think. I don�t know. Maybe I do have some trust issues with Jackie. But it�s just that I�ve never felt this way before. And I want Jackie all to myself. Yea, I�m being greedy, but I don�t care. I don�t want Chip to be getting any ideas. Because Jackie�s my girl. Not his.
�Damn Hyde, just trust her...She won�t do anything�
Kelso�s words ring through my ears.
Since when does that happen? I guess he actually made sense to me...
I know she loves me, and I know she means it. I know she won�t do anything,but what about Chip? That�s what Im worried about.
But I guess I�m also worried that she�ll do something too...which it now making me upset because I want to trust Jackie. But sometimes, it�s so hard. Like when Kelso and Jackie are alone, I get really paranoid. Even though Jackie tells me over and over again that she doesn�t love Kelso, and that she would never go back to him because of me, I still remember the �Get off my boyfriend� and all the times she went back to him before.
I shouldn�t let the past get in my way. I really have to let that whole Get off my boyfriend go.
But for some reason, I can�t leave. I can�t get in my car and go home. I want to wait for Jackie. And it�s not all because of Chip, I want to see her. And I told her I�d take her home, so I have to stay for that.
It�s not that I don�t trust her.
I finally talk to Kelso after a couple minutes, �I trust her,ok?�
Kelso just looks at me and mumbles, �Whatever.�
The auditorium door opens and people start filing out. We both walk in and look for Jackie and Fez.
Fez is getting his stuff together.
Jackie is still on stage...with Chip.
*********************
Fez POV
Rehearsal went great today. I never knew Jackie could sing so well!
Oh no. I look up and see Hyde and Kelso standing there, I look back and look at Jackie who is on stage with Chip. Oh dear lord, Hyde is going to see them kiss. Oh no. This won�t be good.
�Hello guys!� I say, rushing over to them. Trying to get their attention off of Jackie and Chip.
�Guys?� I wave my hands in front of them.
�Oh Hey Fez.� kelso said, �How was practice?�
�Oh good.� I notice Hyde is still looking at them. And let me tell you, he is not smiling, �Hyde. Would you like to know how practice was?�
�No. I�d like to watch Jackie act.� He goes and sits down in one of the chairs.
�Oh no.� I mutter, Kelso hears me.
�Oh no what?�
�This is a kissing scene!� I hiss.
�Oh..� Kelso looks at the stage, then at Hyde, �And Hyde�s here!� He hisses back at me.
Kelso can be such an idiot sometimes, �I know fool!�
Kelso goes and sit next to Hyde. He keeps glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes. I sigh, and look at Jackie and Chip. Who are a line away from when they are suppose to kiss.
The line is said. And they lean in. And kiss.
I look at Hyde. His lips are firmly shut. And he just looks at them. I see his fists grasp the armrests of the chairs. The kiss is short though, Jackie ends it after about a second. Then the director says they can go home.
Jackie notices Hyde and squeals. She runs off the stage and runs up the aisle, rushing past me. I watch as Hyde slowly stands up. Jackie wraps her arms around him and hugs him. I look at his face, and notice that he now has a little smile on.
I guess he realized that it was just acting.
Now we can go. I am so hungry. My need for candy is kicking into gear.
�Guys. Can we go now?� I ask impatiently, �There is candy to be eaten.�
*********************
Jackie�s POV
Ew, I don�t like kissing Chip. So I quickly end it. The director is fine with it, but I can see the disappointment in Chip�s eyes. What did he expect? I�m with Steven. I don�t want his nasty lips on mine for longer than 2 seconds. We�re done for the day. I scan the auditorium to see if Hyde is in here or outside. I see him, sitting there. First, I let out a little squeal. But then, I think if he saw the kiss or not. I know he�s still uncomfortable about me having to kiss Chip and all, but it�s just acting.
I run off stage and to him. Wrapping my arms around him.
�Hey!�
�Hey.� He wraps his arms around my waist.
�Guys. Can we go now?� Fez asked impatiently, �There is candy to be eaten.�
�Let me just go get my stuff.� I walk down the aisle to where I left my stuff. I see Chip.
�Hey Jackie. You were awesome today.�
�Oh, thanks. You too.�
�You know, you don�t have to end those kisses after like a second. We should make it realistic.�
�Chip. If you were me, and had a boyfriend like Steven Hyde. You would understand why.�
�Oh, cause he�d get jealous of me? Yeah. That happens a lot.�
�No!� I put my hands on my hips, �If anyone should be jealous,it should be you. Steven is a way better kisser than you.� I point at him, �And need I remind you that my boyfriend left that mark on your cheek. And he�d do it again!�
Chip touches his cheek, �Fine. I don�t see what he finds in you anyway. Your still a bitch.�
�I don�t care! I may be a bitch, but he loves that.� I flip my hair and grab my backpack. I march up the aisle back to Steven, Fez and Kelso.
�What the hell was that about?� Steven asked. I guess he heard it.
�Oh, nothing.� I look back, �Just Chip being a dillhole.�
�Want me to go beat him up?�
�No Steven! I took care of it. Let�s go.� I grab his hand and walk out of the auditorium.
********************
Kelso�s POV
So Jackie told us about her conversation with Chip. I told Hyde he didn�t have anything to worry about! Jackie can take care of herself. Damn, he just needs to trust Jackie.
Or maybe he is afraid to trust her. Let�s look at Hyde�s past. His parents, who he had to trust at some point, left him. Maybe that scarred him for life, because the people he trusted and loved, left him. Maybe he�s scared that if he tells Jackie he trusts her that it�s like saying he loves her.
Which he does! So why can�t he just say both? Jackie really wants to hear them from him. I can�t believe she�s holding out as long as she is without hearing �I love you.�
He�s just scared, and he shouldn�t be. Why would Jackie leave? I mean, they could break up in the future, but where is she going to go after that? No where. She�ll stay in Point Place. UNLESS she goes to an out of state college or if he does. OR if she moves ok.
OK, so there is a possibility she may leave. But I doubt it. She�d still be around.
Or maybe he�s scared she�ll leave him �emotionally�. Like if they break up...then they wont be what they use to be and maybe he�s scared to lose it.
Which he shouldn�t be! He�s not going to lose her anytime soon. She loves him. He loves her. It�s simple. So why can�t he just tell her? Damn Hyde.
If Jackie realizes that Hyde doesn�t trust her...then she may get really mad. You never know with Jackie, she�s very...ok,lets put it like this; you� think she�ll react happy to some kind of news but then she�ll react another way. For example, I told her I wanted to do it with her as a compliment. But she was all , �Michael, you pig! I do not want to do it with you. Go away!�.
See what I mean? So if she finds out that Hyde has a problem trusting her, she�ll either be...
1. Understanding
2. Angry
1 will lead to her vying for his trust. 2 will lead to a possible break-up.
Man, I hope he trusts her. Cause if they break up, it�s gonna be weird.
********************
Jackie�s POV
We dropped off Fez and Kelso and now heading back to the Forman�s. We�re quiet on the drive over there. I look over at Steven. He�s only driving with one hand. He does it all the time,it used to scare me but now it doesn�t. See,I drive with BOTH hands on the wheel. The safe way.
I take his hand, that he isn�t using of course, and start to play with it. I do it when we�re not talking. He glances over and smiles. He doesn�t start talking. I don�t either. We just sit, and enjoy the silence. It�s ok this way sometimes. Sometimes it�s ok not too talk. I just like being with him.
With Michael, I was always trying to make conversation. Maybe it was because if he lost interest, he�d dump me and move on. Well he did lose interest, and he cheated on me, but I still continued to try and make him love me. I was so stupid. But oh well, you learn from your mistakes,right? I look over at Steven and I know I�ve learned my lesson. I really can�t imagine us being apart. It�s weird. I cant think of life after him. Maybe that�s a sign. That we will be together forever...
See,now I sound like I did when I was with Michael. I always thought me and him would be together and look what happened. You know what. I don�t care about the future. All I care about is now.
We arrive at the Forman�s.
�Hey Mrs. Forman.� I said, walking through the slide in doors.
�Jackie, Steven. Hello!� She pulls out a meatloaf from the oven, �We�re having meatloaf tonight. Jackie, would you like to stay?�
�Sure.�
�Would you like to call your mother?�
�Well, uh.� My mom isn�t home yet. She hasn�t been for a long time., �She�s not home...yet.�
�Not home yet?� Mrs Forman laughs her laugh, �Well were on earth has she been?�
�Um.� I search for a place, �Uh, Jamaica.�
I notice Steven�s stare.
�Yeah, Jamaica.�
�Jamaica? Really? Well I�ll call you kids when dinner is done.�
Steven and I head for the basement.
�Jackie, your mom still isn�t home yet?�
�Steven, didn�t you hear what I said? She�s in Jamaica.�
�I thought she was in Bermuda.�
�Oh, well. Uh...um..She was! Last week.�
�Jackie. She�s be in �Bermuda� or �Jamaica� for the past month.�
�Look Steven. I don�t want to talk about it.� I really don�t want to have this conversation. I hate it that my parents both abandoned me. And I just don�t want to talk about it.
�Jackie.� He reaches for my arm and turns me to face him, �I know what you�re going through. I�ve been there.� He touches my cheek, �You can talk to me.�
�Steven. I don�t want to talk. Ok? I don�t need any pity.� I wiggle out of his hold on me.
�I didn�t want pity either! Look, I was in the exact same place as you.�
I sigh. He is right. I can talk to him about this.
I turn around and look at him. In a second, I�m in his arms and almost in tears.
�I�m just in that house all alone. And no one is there. The nurses don�t come anymore. It�s just me. And I miss my dad. and I even miss my mom. And I�m just scared.� I let it all out, �I don�t like feeling abandoned.� I sniff, � It sucks.�
�I know babe.� He kisses my the top of my head.
�How did you get through it?�
�I just did. I didn�t really let it get me down. But you and me, we react to stuff differently. I just didn't talk about it with anyone. And sooner or later, I just didn�t care about them. I mean, they didn�t care about me in the first place.�
�I care about you.� I said softly.
�I know you do.� He kisses my head again, �I care about you too.�
I smile. That�s the closest I get to an I love you. So when he says it, I get all warm and fuzzy inside because...he cares about me. He really does.
He always has. I mean, think about the past and how he would always be there for me. Whenever I cried, He practically caved for me. He took me to Junior Prom because I cried. I fake cried and he took me. It showed he cared about me. Let�s see...He went to JAIL for me! FREAKIN� JAIL! That so shows he cares. Hmm..anything else...well he helped me try and get over Kelso. And it worked. I didn�t want Kelso. But then, I fell into old habits, but who cares about that anymore.
He taught me zen. And I kicked the crap out of Laurie! Because of Hyde and his teaching.
Yes...he has shown throughout our weird little friendship that he cares. And now, he cares a whole lot more. I�m getting to him. I�m getting to his heart. It�s only a matter of time...I know he�s going to love me...
******************
Hyde POV
I know exactly how she�s feeling. I want to be here for her because I didn�t have anyone that I could talk too. I didn�t want to talk to Forman, because...well,he�d take it way to seriously and get all girly on me. I couldn�t talk to Fez or Kelso. That�s pretty self explanatory. I didn�t want to talk to Jackie or Donna at the time. And I didn�t want too talk to Mr or Mrs. Forman.
I didn�t trust anyone then. And I wish I did because I have, to this day, all these feelings bottled inside that I haven�t told anyone. And maybe, one day, I�ll talk to Jackie about it. But now is her time to deal. And I want to be focused on her. Not me. I don�t want her to be like me, to bottle things up. Because I bet if I would have talked to someone, I wouldn�t be as mad as I am.
I want Jackie to let it all out. To get it out of her system. I want to make her feel happy. And she loves it when we talk about stuff. She loves it when I tell her I care about her. It�s the closest to �I love you�.
I want to tell her I love her. I would at this moment...but I can�t. So I�ll just settle for �I care about you.� and kiss her and try to make it better.
I�m really mad at her mom for leaving her. Her dad can�t help it. But her mom can. Man, if I could talk to her mom...I would let her have it. Man, I wouldn�t shut up until she felt the pain Jackie is going through. You don�t just leave your kid.
She is the reason that Jackie is upset. Jackie cries over her all the time. I hate it when she cries. It tears me up inside.
I want to make it all go away, but I�m not the one who can do that. Jackie�s Mom is. If only she would come back. Then Jackie could yell at her and tell her how upset she�s been. Make her feel guilty about abandoning her.
But all I can do now is just hold her and listen to her. It�s the best I can do.
I want to do something for her. Something special. I�m thinking about taking her out this friday. Out to a fancy place. I�ve never really taken her anywhere expensive. And now with my job and all, I have more money. There's this restaurant she�s been talking about. Since they sell escargot, Jackie is spazzing about how it�s a fancy place where rich people go. And she really wants to go. So, I might just take her to make her happy. And then afterwards...well, I would love to take her to a hotel, a NICE hotel of course. But I don�t know if that�s pushing it or not.
I�ll definitely take her out. I�ll surprise her. She�ll love it. It�ll take her minds off of things.
And.. I think that will be the night that I tell her I love her...
****************