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jennickelsIt Was Only a Matter of Time
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
That 70s Show
Jackie/Hyde
rating: PG-13
Jack and Hyde work through their problems after Hyde finds Kelso in Jackie's Chicago hotel room (AU after season 7 finale). [start from the beginning: Chapter 1]
Chapter 13: My Buddy Jack
I need to find her, Hyde kept telling himself as he got in the car. Except he didn't go look for her. He just drove home feeling too exhausted to do much of anything. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and slumped into one the kitchen chairs. Red and Mrs. Forman banged through the swinging door, arms around each other, flushed and all smiles. Hyde downed the rest of his beer in one gulp, almost gagging himself.
"Oh, Steven, you're home early," Mrs. Forman said with one of her laughs.
"Is that one of my beers?" Red barked. It wasn't so much a question as an accusation.
Hyde crushed the can and tossed it in the trash. "Looks like it." Red squinted at him like he was trying to decide if he wanted to hit him or put his foot in Hyde's ass. Hyde didn't care anymore. He pushed past Red, grabbing another beer from the fridge. The look of indignation on Red's face was almost worth it. Hyde had been old enough to drink for almost two years now, but there was still a house rule in effect-nobody touched Red's beer. Hyde defiantly pulled the tab on the can and started chugging. He wasn't even sure why he was being such a dick. He could have just told Red he needed a beer and Red would have understood. Instead he had to be a smart ass.
Hyde stared at Red, waiting for him to rip the can from his hand. He was in perfect Zen form at that moment, and for the first time felt Zen. He didn't care about anything Red could say to him or how he looked at him that moment, trying to scare him out of the kitchen. Hyde stood his ground with what little pride he had left and used all his will to maintain his unflappable demeanor. His face was blank, not a single sign of emotion.
Mrs. Forman stood next to the door, wringing her hands and looking uncomfortable about the confrontation. "We could all use a drink," she laughed.
Hyde reached in the fridge and pulled out another beer, tossing it to Red. He waited for Red to throw it at his head or something, but he opened it and went to sit at the table. Hyde moved to join him when the sliding door flew open, catching him off guard.
Donna marched right up to Hyde. He backed away slightly, losing his composure and bumping against the edge of the counter. He was trapped again. Mrs. Forman looked surprised. Red just looked amused, like he was watching a good TV movie, but forgot the popcorn. He sipped his beer instead.
Donna slapped him hard enough to knock him off balance. He grabbed the edge of the counter for support and felt the sting all the way down the left side of his body. He tried to keep his blank expression, but it wasn't easy.
"What the hell were you thinking!" she screamed at him. "How could you say those things to her?" She just got home and…"
"Wait, she's been at your house this whole time?" Hyde interrupted. "You said you didn't know where she was."
"Don't change the subject, Hyde. She's leaving anyway. She already packed her bags."
Jackie was leaving again, he thought to himself with a twinge of panic. He finally looked away from Donna. Red was still sitting, amused, one eyebrow cocked. Hyde was almost sure he would break out laughing any second at Hyde's misery. He didn't dare turn around and see what Mrs. Forman thought of this scene.
"You better find her, Hyde," Donna said, poking her finger into his chest. "You better find her and make this thing right or I swear to God I will never speak to you again." She turned on her heals, but at the door stopped as if she had something else to say. She spun around and was back in front of Hyde in two strides of her long legs. She smacked him again, just for good measure. "Bastard," she screamed as she slammed the sliding door.
Hyde felt ashamed and embarrassed by the whole outburst. Red just shook his head. Slowly Hyde raised his hand to his injured cheek. He had been slapped by girls before, but never so hard and never three times in just one hour. He gingerly rubbed his burning face, but then stopped. He deserved that pain. He suddenly had an overwhelming urge to hit himself again. He needed a good sock to the head. He rubbed his eyes. Behind him Mrs. Forman laughed, a loud, grating laugh.
"How about those drinks," she said, then retreated into the living room.
Hyde threw his head back and looked at the ceiling. He was acutely aware of Red staring at him.
"So, what did you do this time, dumbass?" Red chuckled at Hyde. "Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you aren't as smart as you think you are." Red shook his head. He's pitying me, Hyde thought. This infuriated him even more. He was so tired of everyone feeling sorry for him all the time. He just wanted to be alone.
The sound of the El Camino's engine coming to life soothed his nerves. He spun out of the driveway and tire down the street, tires squealing. He needed another drink, one with less judgment. He screeched to a halt in the parking lot of his favorite bar. It was the sleazy kind, the kind his mom would have frequented. Full of obnoxious jerks like himself, trying to drink away their problems.
He ordered a shot of whiskey. He put the little glass to his lips and downed it with a flip of his head. Slamming the glass onto the table he motioned for another. He normally didn't drink hard liquor, but today he wanted to forget his troubles and quickly. What better way then with a little help form his friend, Jack Daniels. After two more rounds he was already starting to feel woozy. He remembered why he stuck to beer when his stomach gurgled it's disapproval. He belched. The guy down at the other end of the bar snorted. He thinks I can't hold my liquor, Hyde thought. He was about to prove the guy wrong, but changed his mind. What the hell did he care anyway. He motioned the bar tender over.
"Another?" the guy asked, grabbing for the bottle.
Hyde shook his head. "Beer, whatever's on tap." The short, stubby old man slapped a coaster down in front of him and a couple seconds later a tall, frothy glass of Budweiser covered it. Hyde wiped away some of the foam, then gulped the beer down, not stopping to take a breath.
He wasn't sure how long he stayed at the bar, or how many drinks he had. Hell, he couldn't even remember how he got home that night. He only hoped he hadn't done anything stupid. He rubbed his eyes and slowly looked around. He was passed out in his own bed and, with a sigh of relief, saw that he was alone. At least he didn't bring any slutty whores home with him. He could hear Fez and Charlie watching cartoons in the other room. His head was pounding and he felt sick. Rolling over, he pulled his pillow tighter around his ears. Why couldn't the world just explode and put him out of his misery? he thought.
Chapter 14
