Chapter Text
Point Place, Wisconsin
May 17th, 1976
8:47 p.m.
Eric Forman’s Basement
“Eric, it is time.”
Eric felt the eyes of everyone in the basement land on him at Hyde’s announcement. The realization of what his friends were expecting him to do was finally beginning to set in, and he didn’t know if he would be able to complete the seemingly impossible task.
Eric set his eyes on Hyde and tried to block out the nervousness bubbling up inside him.
“Why don’t you do it?”
“It’s your house,” Hyde replied breezily.
“Your house,” Kelso nodded in agreement.
Hyde inched closer to the edge of the couch and gestured to the stairs leading up to the living room.
“Listen to them up there. The party has reached critical mass. In 10 minutes, there will be no-more-beer opportunities,” Hyde said, accentuating every word.
Eric blinked nervously, his eyes darting between each of his friends. “If my dad catches me copping beers, he'll kill me,” he rushed out, his voice cracking slightly.
A moment of silence fell over the basement as Hyde, Donna, and Kelso’s eyes stayed unmoving on Eric.
“I’m willing to take that risk,” Hyde conceded after a beat, determinedly raising his fist in the air.
“Don't worry about it. Just remain calm, keep moving,” Kelso added in an attempt to be supportive.
“And above all,” Donna started, “don't get sucked into my dad's hair.”
“What's wrong with your dad's hair?” Eric asked, his brows creasing.
Donna blinked slowly and shook her head in defeat. “Just… don’t look at it.”
“And Eric, cold. Definitely cold,” Hyde called out to Eric as he rushed up the stairs.
Hyde leaned back against the couch with a smirk on his face as he rested his legs on the table. “He's gonna get caught.”
Donna rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder lightly. “Have some faith in him. You never know, he just might get away with it.”
“We are talking about Eric, right?” Kelso asked, confusion written all over his face. “Because if we are… he’s definitely gonna screw it up.”
“Like you could do any better?” Donna scoffed with a scowl in his direction.
“Uh I did better, at Jackie’s. I stole some of her dad's whiskey last week and he didn’t even notice!” Kelso replied as he sat taller, feeling nothing but pride at his victory. “I mean they’ve got like seventeen bottles in there, but still.”
Hyde groaned and kicked his feet off the table. “C’mon man, why’d you have to bring her up? You say her name once and she just… appears,” Hyde shuddered.
Kelso frowned at Hyde, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m gonna break up with her! I just have to find the right time… cause, you know, she’ll be torn up over losing me, and I gotta secure other options first.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Donna groaned, rolling her eyes at Kelso’s stupidity.
“I’m serious this time! As soon as tomorrow is over she’s outta here!” Kelso exclaimed.
Hyde raised a brow, “What’s tomorrow, Kelso?” He asked, hoping Kelso wouldn’t say what he thought he would say.
“Oh, Jackie’s coming to the basement,” Kelso responded nonchalantly.
“I hope there’s another basement you’re referring to,” Hyde grumbled.
“There are other basements to go to?” Kelso questioned.
“Obviously,” Donna drawled, “This is Wisconsin.”
“Maybe you and Jackie should find somewhere else to hang out tomorrow, Kelso. I’ve reached my quota of shrill voices for the week,” Hyde suggested.
“But I wanna hang here! Plus Jackie likes being in the basement!” Kelso whined.
“Somehow I seriously doubt that.”
“I believe it, Donna. You know, with it being underground it must remind her of where she comes from,” Hyde retorted.
Donna let out a snort at his comment while Kelso looked on, struggling to figure out what Hyde meant by those words.
Choosing to let Kelso work that out on his own, Hyde sighed and stood up. He made his way to the back of the basement and started to rummage through some papers stuffed on a shelf before he finally found what he was looking for.
“I can’t think about Jackie right now, man. It’s killing my buzz,” he said as he made his way back to his seat on the worn-out couch. “You know what’ll make it better?”
“What?”
“Nudie mags,” Hyde replied as he pulled the magazine out from behind his back.
Kelso rushed over to the other side of the couch and plopped down next to Hyde, air drumming to the song playing on the record player. “Sweet!”
Hyde smirked and opened the magazine to the first page. “Check it out.”
Donna stood behind the two boys before leaning down, so she was leveled with their faces. Then, letting out an exaggerated sigh, she laid her hands on their shoulders. “I see that every day.”
At that moment, loud footsteps began to descend the stairs as Eric ran back into the basement, four beers in hand.
“He’s alive!” Kelso shouted in excitement.
“Good news,” Eric began as he set the beers on the coffee table in front of them. “My dad is thinking of giving me the Vista Cruiser.”
Kelso shot Eric an impressed look. “You're getting a car?”
“Have I told you how incredibly attractive you are, Eric?” Donna flirted, settling back in her chair.
“No,” Eric choked out, his face growing red.
“You told me he was cute,” Kelso revealed offhandedly.
Donna's head whipped towards Kelso, her eyes wide before narrowing. “No, I didn't.”
Seemingly unaware of the purpose behind Donna's stare, Kelso blinked a dazed glance back at her. “I remember, 'cause you said not to say anything in front of Eric.”
If looks could kill, Kelso would already be in his grave.
Sensing that tensions were beginning to rise, Hyde scrambled to change the subject before things got uncomfortable. “Let's focus on what's important here, people. Forman stole something. To Forman!”
Everyone raised their beers, some cold, some warm, in celebration of this momentous event. Something that is more than likely never going to happen again.
“You know what's sad? This is the proudest day of my life,” Eric cried before they all took sips of their drinks.
The Next Day
Forman’s Basement
Jackie watched as Eric and Donna mimed their way through the show playing on the TV. With each quick remark said between them, Jackie realized just how out of place she was in this friend group.
Sure, she was there almost every day spending time with them instead of the cheerleaders back at school, but it wasn’t the same. They all had their own jokes that rooted back to when they were younger. More often than not, she would find herself struggling to keep up with their conversations.
She knew deep down that none of them really wanted her there. They were forced to develop a tolerance for her because she was Michael's girlfriend. Jackie was sure if she and Michael ever broke up, no one would bat an eye at her absence. Though she would never openly admit it to anyone – let alone herself – the thought of that bothered her deeply.
No longer wanting to listen to the two of them joking around, she plastered on her haughty attitude. “Why are we watching this without the sound? I am totally confused.”
Eric shot her a look before handing her the headphones attached to the TV. “Here, use the earphone.”
Jackie took it and placed it in her ear, trying hard to focus on the show, but her mind wouldn’t let her. She knew why she didn’t fit in with the basement gang; anyone with eyes could see that. But there was a part of her that couldn’t help but wish things weren’t so black and white. Maybe they would accept her into their circle as more than Michael’s girlfriend with time.
However, the look Eric sent her just a few moments ago was proof enough that it would never happen. That’s why she always behaved as if she disliked the group more than she actually did. Sure, they irritated her most of the time, but there were moments where she felt a fondness for them that she couldn’t quite explain.
Her thoughts were interrupted at the mention of a concert and the joined voices of Eric and Donna yelling at her boyfriend to shut up.
“What concert?” Jackie asked, her voice sweet though she was filled with both sadness – and a bit of anger – at the fact that this was the first she heard of this group outing.
“Todd Rundgren,” Kelso eventually replied.
“When?”
“This weekend.”
Jackie nodded slowly, annoyance at her boyfriend replacing the sadness she previously felt. “Who’s going?”
“Eric, and Donna, and me, and Hyde, and the foreign kid Fez…pretty much everybody,” Kelso said as he shifted under the weight of her gaze. “And you,” he eventually tagged on.
“Good. Thank you for telling me, Michael!” Jackie snapped.
Eric met Donna’s eyes, silently communicating their need for a quick escape.
“I’m getting a soda,” Eric announced as he stood, his head beckoning Donna to join him.
“Yeah,” Donna mumbled as she shot up next to Eric.
Kelso bolted up, shouting, “Yep, me too!” Before Donna pushed him back on the couch.
“Sit down!”
No matter how annoying Donna found Jackie to be, she knew Kelso was a lousy boyfriend. So he deserved whatever scolding Jackie was gonna give him and then some.
As soon as Donna and Eric disappeared up the basement stairs, Jackie turned to her boyfriend, her eyes flashing. Oh, he was so going to regret keeping this from her.
“You know, it’s crazy how far her voice can travel,” Donna commented as they made their way into the kitchen.
“I was just thinking the same thing! I was at The Hub the other day, and I swore I heard her screaming: ‘Michael come shopping with me!’ ‘Micheal no! You can't look at Pam Macy’s new boobs, Michael!” Eric mocked, putting on his best Jackie impression. “It was terrifying, really.”
Donna giggled, which was seriously out of the ordinary for her. She never giggled.
Eric breathed out a confused chuckle of his own before reaching into the fridge and handing her a soda. Donna smiled as she took it from him, immediately popping the top and taking a long sip.
“So, Jackie’s definitely coming with us, you know that right?”
Donna nodded, taking another sip of her soda. “Yeah, I mean it can’t be that bad. It’s kinda nice having another girl hanging around.”
Eric raised a brow at her, and Donna pushed her finger into his chest. “You ever tell her that, I'll kick your ass!”
“Donna, you don’t have to worry. I don’t ever willingly tell Jackie anything,” Eric smirked.
Donna shook her head in amusement, and Eric couldn’t help but stare at her. She really was beautiful. He’d always known she was, but he never thought she saw him that way. His cheeks grew warm as he remembered what Kelso said in the basement last night.
“You told me he was cute.”
Eric thought that maybe he had a chance after all.
“So, how often do you tell Kelso how dreamy you think I am?” Eric teased as he leaned forward with his elbows on the counter.
Donna shoved Eric, and he slammed against the fridge.
Her eyes widened, and she immediately reached for his shoulder. “Oh God, are you okay?”
Eric rolled his shoulders back and stood taller. “I’m good, I’m good. I think the yelling stopped. Wanna go back down?” Eric quickly asked, deflecting from how easily she sent him flying.
Donna nodded, and they both made their way back to the basement.
“Jackie, I guess you're going to the concert with us,” Eric said when they finally made it back down.
Jackie stood up and brushed her hands across her skirt. “I can't wait,” She cleared her throat and turned to her boyfriend. “So, Michael, you wanna go back to my house... and listen to Todd Grunion records?”
“Yeah, sure,” Kelso replied, trying to sound casual about the suggestion.
“Okay, bye!”
Eric and Donna said their rushed goodbyes as Jackie and Kelso ran out of the basement hand in hand.
“They’re crazy I tell you. Crazy.”
As soon as the door to the basement closed behind them, Jackie slammed into a solid body, letting out a startled yelp at the contact. She grabbed onto the arms in front of her to steady herself.
“Oh, hey Hyde,” Kelso greeted with a slight wave.
Jackie looked up, surprised to see Hyde without his trademark sunglasses covering his eyes. Instead, they were hooked on the neckline of his shirt.
Had his eyes always been that blue?
“You gonna let go of me?” Hyde asked gruffly, prompting Jackie to realize she was still holding onto his arms.
With a sneer, she let go of him, making a production of wiping her hands off on the skirt of her dress. “If you could just move out of the way, Michael and I have somewhere to be.”
“Oh no, you’re leaving so soon?” Hyde asked, the words dripping with sarcasm.
Jackie rolled her eyes, “Don’t you have someone’s trash to pick through?”
“Don’t you have more of daddy’s money to waste?” Hyde responded without missing a beat.
Jackie’s mouth dropped almost comically before she turned to Kelso. “Michael! Are you gonna let him talk to me that way?”
“Huh? Oh! Hyde, you better take that back, man!” Kelso said, standing up from where he was leaning on the wall.
“Nah, I’m good,” Hyde replied, pushing past the two of them to get into the basement.
Kelso patted his friend on the back as he passed, not noticing the dangerous glare his girlfriend was sending his way.
“Seriously?!”
“What? He said he was good! That’s like ‘Hyde speak’ for sorry!” Kelso exclaimed.
“You-are-so-stupid!” Jackie yelled, each word followed by a smack on his arm. “I’m going home, do not follow me Michael!”
“But Jackie, I thought we were gonna do it!”
“Shut up, Michael!”
The Hub
“I may not say this right because I am new to English. But she has tremendous breasts, yes?”
Jackie’s eyes widen slightly, her eyes landing on the kid standing next to Hyde. “Michael, who is this guy?”
“That's Fez. He's a foreign exchange student.” He replied, grabbing another handful of fries.
With a raised eyebrow, she glanced at the boy again. “Who did we exchange for him?” She asked without thinking. She tended to do that a lot; speak before considering how people would react to what she says.
After a few short moments passed with no response, Jackie stood up suddenly, “Donna, I have to go to the ladies' room.”
Donna sat unmoving, her eyes darting between the boys and Jackie.
“Donna!” Jackie jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom.
Donna blanched for a moment before standing to follow Jackie.
“Why did I need to follow you here?” Donna asked when the door closed.
“Because no girl wants to go to the ladies’ room alone, Donna. It’s basic girl logic, I know you struggle to understand, that’s why you’ve got me,” Jackie stated.
“Right…”
With a quick smile, Jackie spun around to the mirror, before noticing she had forgotten her purse at the table. “Ugh, I left my purse. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she opened the door, she was affronted with Hyde’s harsh words.
“Kelso, how much longer are we gonna have to deal with the whole Jackie experience?”
Her heart sank; a ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing the rest of the conversation. She quickly but quietly retreated back into the restroom, softly closing the door, so it didn’t make a sound.
She knew they all had less than favorable opinions about her, but she didn’t realize they disliked her this much. It was a brutal wake-up call, but one she should have expected.
“Uh, Jackie? I thought you said you were getting your bag?” Donna questioned.
Jackie shook herself out of her daze, and her eyes landed on Donna. “Do you all hate me?”
Donna's eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. Do you all hate me?”
“We…” Donna trailed off. “You’re Kelso’s girlfriend,” Donna eventually spoke, as if that were a suitable answer.
Jackie nodded her head. “Right. You’ll just have to get used to me. All of you. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”
Donna stared blankly at the girl before her, unaware of where this was coming from.
Jackie cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “Let’s just go, it smells like mildew in here,” she remarked, her nose scrunched up in disgust.
Jackie pointedly glared at Hyde as they sat back down before resting her head on Michael’s shoulder. She’d be damned if she let some dirty hippie boy's opinion bring her down.
Car Stop
Night of the concert
“I'm telling you, we're out of gas!” Kelso insisted.
“We’re not out of gas,” Eric said for what felt like the millionth time.
The mechanic poked his head out from under the hood of the Vista Cruiser, “It's the battery. It's six years old and shot to hell.”
“Huh. Guess that explains why Red didn’t want you to take the Vista Cruiser out of town,” Donna considered.
Jackie got out of the car and slammed the door shut. “If we weren’t supposed to take it out of town, then why are we out of town?”
“To go to the concert?” Hyde tensely replied.
Jackie ignored him and adjusted her dress. “I know what. I'll just call my dad.”
The group stared at her blankly.
“What?”
“Kelso, tell her,” Eric pushed Kelso to the front of the group.
“He can’t take the car out of town.”
Jackie rolled her eyes, “Yeah I know that, but what does it matter? It’s not like I’m calling his dad.”
After taking a sip from his soda, Hyde made his way to the front so he was eye to eye with Jackie. “Jackie, parents talk to each other,” he raised his voice up multiple octaves and mocked Jackie, “About how we screw up.”
Jackie leveled him with a glare, “Why would they talk about that?”
Eric shrugged half-heartedly. “They can't help it. Look, say there's a party, see. And all of our parents are there. Together.”
Jackie watched in disgust as the group began to act out a ridiculously far-fetched scenario, even going so far as to start dancing.
“Okay okay, stop making fools out of yourselves!” Jackie barked. “We are in the middle of nowhere... and I have to go to the ladies' room. Donna?”
Donna groaned and exchanged looks of annoyance with the guys before trailing after Jackie.
“So where are you going?” The mechanic asked.
“Rundgren concert.”
The mechanic nodded, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. “Cool. So what, you want a battery? 'Cause I can get you a battery.”
“Are they cheap?” Eric asked, “Or possibly free?”
“$32, minimum.”
Eric hung his head dejectedly. Kelso walked up to the mechanic. “All right, I'll tell you what. We'll trade you our battery, plus $5 for one of your batteries.”
“That's a really sweet deal, my friend, but how about this? How about one battery for two concert tickets?” The mechanic countered.
Kelso shook his head. “We can't give up two tickets.”
The mechanic shrugged, “Okay,” before walking back into his shop.
Eric turned to the guys, “It’s either that, or none of us go.”
“So who’s out?” Kelso asked.
“There’s always Jackie,” Hyde deadpanned.
“Of course, Jackie. I mean, Jackie's gone! But who else?” Kelso asked dumbly.
“Oh, I don’t know. Jackie’s date?” Eric said sarcastically.
“Come on! You know I'm breaking up with her. You guys are chumping me out!” Kelso whined.
“I’ve had to listen to her for a good hour,” Eric shuddered.
“A really long hour,” Fez pointed out.
“God hates me,” Kelso pouted.
“How can you say God hates you? At least you have a woman's love. Be happy, whore,” Fez smiled and walked over to where the girls were now standing.
“So, what’s going on?” Donna asked.
“We had to give two tickets to the mechanic so he’d give us a free battery,” Eric explained. “So, Jackie and Kelso; you guys are staying here while we enjoy the concert.”
“What? How is that fair?” Jackie huffed.
“You can't even pronounce his name! What makes you think you deserve to go?” Hyde scowled.
“I can say his name right!”
“Really? What’s his name then?” Hyde taunted.
“It’s…” Jackie’s face scrunched up before she groaned loudly. “Ugh, whatever! Michael, get in the car!”
Hyde smirked, and Kelso’s shoulders slumped. “Great, now I gotta listen to her complain about Hyde.”
“That’s your problem, man.”
Todd Rundgren Concert Parking lot
Vista Cruiser
Jackie sat still while Kelso attacked her neck with sloppy kisses. She couldn’t believe how easy it was for them to just kick her to the curb. Actually, she could believe it; she just didn’t want to.
So what if she didn’t know who stupid Todd Rundgren was? She deserved to have fun just as much as any of them did. And who made Hyde the keeper of all things music? What gave him the right to decide who went to the concert or not?
Jackie froze.
What she overheard Hyde say at The Hub began to repeat itself over and over again in her mind.
“Kelso, how much longer are we gonna have to deal with the whole Jackie experience?”
Jackie scowled. He probably orchestrated this whole thing so Michael could break up with her while they all jammed out at the concert. Hyde probably expected to return to the car to see her crying so he could burn her relentlessly.
Jackie scoffed. As if she would give him the satisfaction.
“This isn’t working,” she said suddenly.
Kelso pulled himself away from her neck, his mouth swollen. “No, it's a Boy Scout belt. The buckle's got a thing you–”
Jackie held her hand up in front of his face. “No. Michael, before you speak, please hear my words. I think we should break up.”
Kelso's eyes flicked from his pants back to her face. “Now?”
“You’re not having a good time,” Jackie said, allowing him to challenge her words.
“I’m having a good time.”
“Really?” Jackie asked hopefully. Maybe her inner freak out was just that – a freakout. If Michael wanted to break up with her, he would have done it by now. She knew it was Hyde’s idea to give away her ticket, and she assumed it was also Hyde who suggested Kelso stay with her. But maybe, just maybe, Michael wanted to stay with her.
“Yeah,” Kelso nodded to his pants, but Jackie was too excited to notice.
“Michael, I am so glad you don't wanna break up! You were so nice to give your ticket away, so you could be with me!” Jackie batted her eyes at him adoringly.
Kelso's face warped with confusion before he finally got it. “Yeah!”
Jackie scooted closer to him, “That says you don't need music... concerts... friends. You know what you need, Michael?”
“I don’t know.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Me. M-E, Michael!”
Kelso flinched. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah.”
“You're just too shy to say that, lover.”
She laid him on the seat seductively, “So when were you a Boy Scout?”
Forman Driveway
After dropping everyone, minus Hyde, back off at their houses, Eric parked the Vista Cruiser in the driveway.
“Hyde, you can just go to the basement. I'll be there soon,” Eric flicked his eyes to Donna sharply. Hyde looked at him, his face blank. Eric moved his eyes three more times before Hyde sent Eric a look. “You keep doing that with your eyes, they'll get stuck like that.”
Donna’s face grew red, and Eric shot a weak glare at Hyde, who just chuckled as he walked inside the house.
Eric glanced at Donna and breathed out a nervous laugh before sliding out of the car and laying on the hood. Donna followed suit and laid down next to him.
“What a great night. You know, it's amazing what one act of civil disobedience can do for you. I mean, there's a whole world that's waiting to be driven to. We could go to Canada. We got a new battery, what's stopping us?” Eric rambled.
“You know, I think Canada closes at 9:30, so you’d probably miss curfew too,” Donna teased.
Eric shifted, so he was face to face with Donna. “Yeah. You know, I never would have done this if you hadn't talked me into it.”
Donna waved her hand dismissively. “I didn't talk you into anything. I'm gonna call it a day. Good night.”
“Night,” Eric replied as he looked up at the stars.
Before he knew it, Donna was back in front of him. “By the way, thanks for the ride,” she said before her lips pressed briefly against his.
“What was that for?” Eric blanched.
“I just wanted to see what it was like,” she answered.
“What was it like?”
“You were there!”
“Yeah, I wasn't ready for it,” Eric retorted.
“What would you have done differently?”
“I don't know. Something with my lips?”
Donna smiled, “Sounds good. Let's try that next time.”
“When exactly is next time?”
“Good night,” Donna called back as she walked into her yard.
“Yeah, I'm really gonna sleep after that.”