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The summer of 1978 was turning out to be boring, just like all the rest. Kelso and Fez had been gone for most of it, driving around Wisconsin looking for girls. Fez had been dumped by Rhonda and needed a rebound. Kelso and Jackie had broken up long ago, after he cheated on her with Laurie. Still, he went for any excuse to find someone new to sleep with.
Hyde had been away most of the summer as well, presumably working at the Fotohut. Jackie had been away as well, but no one knew what she was doing. Which left Donna and Erica to hang out most of the time.
However, everyone was in the basement today. Hyde sat in his chair, reading Rolling Stone. Jackie was sitting on the deep freeze, reading Tiger Beat. Fez sat in the lawn chair. Donna, Erica, and Kelso sat on the couch together. The Price Is Right played on the television.
"Dude, this chick was so hot!" Kelso said. "She had a huge rack. And she was blonde!"
"No one cares, Kelso," Hyde said, flipping the page of his magazine.
"At least I'm getting some, Hyde. It seems like you haven't been with a girl in forever."
Hyde smiled slightly. "I don't tell you everything."
Fez grinned. "Did you and Erica finally do it?"
Hyde and Erica both made disgusted sounds. "Gross, dude, she's like my sister."
"Yeah, Hyde's the son my father never had," Erica said. "That's why we adopted him."
"Then who are you doing it with?" Kelso asked.
"None of your business," Hyde said, returning to Rolling Stone.
"Fine," Kelso groaned. "What about the ladies? Any hot guys?"
"Yes, actually," Jackie said from the deep freeze. "And he's way better than you ever were."
"Damn, Jackie, it's been forever! Let it go!"
"After Casey, I'm kind of… taking a break," Donna said. The last thing she wanted was another man to make her feel bad about herself. She didn't want to put in all the effort it took to act like she was interested in them.
"And I'm still unlovable," Erica said with a self-deprecating smile.
"That does it. Project: Get Erica A Boyfriend starts now," Kelso said. "Fez, let's go to the Hub and scout for options." Kelso and Fez got up and left the basement.
"I don't think I want to date a guy picked out by Fez and Kelso," Erica said. "That doesn't seem like a good choice to lose my virginity to."
"Speaking from experience, it's not," Jackie said.
"Yeah, Jackie, who are you with now? You said you were seeing someone," Donna said.
"We've been fucking," Hyde said, tossing his magazine on the table.
"Steven! Don't be so crass. We're having a summer fling," Jackie said, smiling.
"Gross!" Erica said, fake gagging. "Why? How?"
Hyde got up and went over to the deep freeze. "Why? I don't know. How? We were bored. Scoot over, I want a popsicle."
Jackie hopped off the deep freeze, her skirt fluttering around her. "That's pretty much it. Don't tell Michael or Fez, though. They'd be annoying about it."
"Like they're being annoying about me being single," Erica said. "Point made."
"Yeah, how far are you gonna let that go?" Hyde asked, returning to his seat with a popsicle. Jackie plopped herself down on his lap. He looked surprised, but didn't object.
Erica shrugged. "Until I get laid?"
Jackie frowned. “Oh, Erica, desperation will get you nowhere. We’ve all seen how it’s working out for Fez.”
“True.” She sighed. “I just wish I had someone. All of you have at least dated other people. I’ve only ever dated Buddy, and he was gay.”
Donna scoffed. “You don’t need a man to define your worth. You’re my best friend, Erica. You’ll always have me.”
Erica smiled, making Donna’s stomach flutter. “Yeah, that’s true. Thanks.” She tilted her head back, looking at Donna cutely. "If you were a guy, I would've asked you out ages ago. Alas, you were born a beautiful woman."
"Keep talking like that and people are gonna think you're a lesbian, Forman," Hyde said. Donna gave him a look. "Which we would be fine with. Jesus, Donna."
“But if you do want a boyfriend, I’m always here for makeovers. You could have such a cute bob if you styled it right. And don’t even get me started on your wardrobe,” Jackie said.
“You’ve told me once or twice,” Erica said, voice laden with sarcasm. The phone rang, and Erica picked it up. "Hello? Hi, Kelso… Really? Are you sure? Okay… Yeah, I'll be there soon. See you." She hung up. "They've been at the Hub for less than two minutes, but they swear they've found the guy. Wish me luck."
"Don't do anything stupid," Donna said.
"Or desperate," Jackie added.
"But if you do, tell me all about it," Hyde said.
"Thanks, guys," Erica said. She stood and left the basement.
Donna slumped on the couch. "I'm gonna kill myself."
"Come on, man, don't do that," Hyde said. "It would be super lame to kill yourself over Erica. You know you can do better."
"But I haven't done better. All I've done is Casey. And we didn't even have sex 'cause of your stupid fire alarms."
Hyde nodded. "You're welcome."
"If it wasn't for Steven, you would've given up your virginity to someone you didn't even like. Now, you can be with a woman like you actually want," Jackie said. "Right? You haven't officially come out, so I'm assuming."
Donna rolled her eyes. "You assume correctly, I'm a dyke."
"Forman is too, she just doesn't know it yet," Hyde said. "She stole one of my Playboys."
"You still have Playboys? Why would you keep those when you have me?" Jackie gestured to herself.
"You haven't asked me to be your boyfriend, so you can't be mad about it."
"Oh my God, you guys actually have feelings for each other," Donna said. "This isn't just a fling."
Jackie scoffed. "Yes, it is. If I asked, he'd say no. Steven, do you want to be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Hyde said.
"Seriously?" Jackie asked.
Hyde nodded. "Yeah. I've been waiting fucking months after Veteran's Day."
Jackie stared at him, then kissed him deeply. Donna groaned. "I can't watch this. Enjoy the start of your new relationship, freaks." She stood and left the basement, sad to see the Vista Cruiser already gone.
~
The basement door closed, and Jackie pulled away from Steven. "Do you really mean that? You've been waiting since Veteran's Day?"
"Yeah, you must have messed something up in my brain, 'cause I actually like you."
Jackie smiled. "I like you too. I did feel something on Veteran's Day. I just thought you wouldn't feel the same, so I lied. Sorry."
Steven shrugged. "We figured it out."
"Unlike Erica and Donna." Jackie grinned. "We should get them together!"
"How?" Steven asked.
"We just need to make Erica realize she likes girls. If Donna came out, I think it would solve all their problems."
"You work on that, I'll try to get Erica to realize on her own," Steven said. "Now, can we forget about our lesbian friends? We just got together."
"Right!" Jackie placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him tenderly.
~
Hyde left his room, hoping no one other than Erica was in the basement. Luckily, she was sitting on the couch, her hair in rollers and watching Grease . Hyde hopped the back of the couch and sat next to her. "Why Grease?"
"Only good thing on. And I was preoccupied with putting my curlers in until two minutes ago." She looked at him. "Mark my words, you'll be dressing as Danny Zuko for Halloween one day. You can't be with Jackie and not have her beg for you to match her Sandy."
"You're probably right, but I'm not ready for that, so I'm ignoring it."
She smiled and returned her attention to the movie. She brought her legs up, making herself look extra small. She was only about Jackie's height, and she was petite. Hyde hated agreeing with Jackie on matters of beauty, but she was right about Erica needing to style her bob correctly. The rollers were a good step forward.
"I've been meaning to ask you something," Hyde said. "Be honest, 'cause I don't care what the answer is. Did you take one of my Playboys?"
Erica blushed. "I, um, yeah, I did. I was just, like, curious. Sorry, I sound like a lesbian again."
"It would be fine if you liked chicks, you know that, right?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you like Jackie, anything's possible." She smiled, but it faded quickly. "I don't know. I do like guys. And Donna's not gay, so I don't really see the point, you know?"
"I don't know. But you can like girls and guys. You've seen the Bowie interview."
"Yeah, I know. But I feel like there's a difference between being bisexual and liking the idea of men and specifically Donna."
Hyde shrugged. "If that's the way you feel, then it's fine. Doesn't matter if you label it or not. Wouldn't change anything, you're still my sister, all that."
She smiled at him. "Thanks, Hyde." The smile turned teasing. "So, I heard you've been secretly pining for Jackie since Veteran's Day. You never told me you were such a romantic."
Hyde rolled his eyes and stood from the couch. "Get bent."
"You don't have to pretend, Hyde, you can tell me you love her!" Erica said as he walked into his room.
"I don't!" Hyde said before closing the door. He could hear her laughing outside, and he hoped Jackie was making progress with Donna next door.
~
Jackie sat on Donna's bed, the two of them reading Cosmo together. "God, Diana Ross is gorgeous," Donna said.
Jackie giggled. She flipped the page. "Why haven't you told Erica you like girls?"
Donna shrugged. "I don't want her to think of me differently. With you, it was easy, because you're super straight and I knew it wouldn't change our friendship. With Erica, though… I don't know. It's different."
Jackie nodded. "Yeah. I think you should tell her, though. Wouldn't it be nice to be open with her? Then you'd be free to date girls."
"But I want to date Erica. And if she's not gay, then I'm a creep."
"You'll never know until you say something. Like, yesterday, when Steven said he wanted to be my boyfriend. If he hadn't said anything, we would've gone on being casual for months."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll think about it."
Jackie smiled. "Good." She flipped the page to a quiz: Find Your Perfect Match In 20 Questions. "Give me a pen. The answer better be Steven."
Donna laughed and grabbed a pen from her desk.
~
Donna sat on her bed with Hyde, the two of them watching as Jackie styled Erica’s hair. “The rollers were good, but you need to follow a more natural curl pattern,” Jackie said, placing hot rollers in Erica’s hair.
“I don’t know why I agreed to be here for this,” Hyde said.
“Would you rather be at the mall with Kelso and Fez?” Donna asked.
Hyde sighed. “No.”
“You’re here because you’re my boyfriend and you’re taking me out on a date once I’m done with Erica,” Jackie said, starting the makeup now that the hot rollers were placed.
“I am?” Hyde asked. Jackie gave him a look. “Oh, right, I am.”
Donna laughed, then muttered to Hyde, “Whipped.” He elbowed her, and she elbowed him back.
“Why are we doing this?” Erica asked as Jackie dusted blush on her cheeks. “You said you would do this if I wanted a boyfriend, but I haven’t made any plans to get one.”
“Can’t I do something nice for my friend?” Jackie asked. “Besides, if I teach you now, you can do it whenever.”
“Fine. I better look cute.”
“Of course you will. You have me giving you a makeover. I’m the cutest girl in Point Place.” Jackie flipped her hair.
“And so humble too,” Hyde said.
“So you don’t think I’m cute?” Jackie asked, tilting her head at him and pouting.
“I didn’t say that.”
Jackie smiled, satisfied, and returned to Erica’s makeup. A couple minutes later, it was time to take the hot rollers out. Jackie went about styling Erica’s hair just so, putting a little hairspray in to keep it that way. She put the finishing touches on her makeup. “Okay. I think we’re done.”
Erica stood and turned around to face Donna and Hyde. Donna’s breath hitched. Erica was beautiful no matter what, but Jackie knew exactly how to highlight her best features.
Her hair softly curled around her jaw. A light blush and pink lipstick softened her face. The dress she wore was white with little pink flowers.
“I feel kinda stupid,” Erica said, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. She had little pearl earrings in.
“Well you look phenomenal,” Hyde said, giving her a thumbs up. He looked at Donna, who was still staring at Erica like an idiot. “What do you think?”
“You’re gorgeous,” Donna said. Erica smiled.
Jackie tugged on Hyde’s arm, pulling him up from the bed. “My work here is done, so we’re off to wherever Steven is taking me on our date. See you two later!”
She dragged Hyde out of the room, closing the door behind them. Donna scooted so she was sitting on the end of the bed. “You really are beautiful. Like, all the time, not just because of the makeover.”
Erica smoothed out the skirt of her dress. “Thanks. You're really pretty too.” She sat on the bed next to Donna.
“I have something to tell you,” Donna said, nerves winding around her stomach.
“Yeah?”
“I’m a lesbian.” She hadn’t planned to just blurt it out like that, but now it was out.
Erica looked shocked. “For real?”
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. The opposite, actually. The other day I wished you were a guy, then I was talking to Hyde about how you weren’t gay, and- I’m gonna shut up, ‘cause this doesn’t make sense.” Erica shook her head, as if resetting her thoughts. It made her curls bounce. “I like you.”
“I like you too.”
They stared at each other for a moment, then Donna started leaning in. Erica did the same, and they met in a soft kiss. Her lips were so soft, and slightly sticky from the lipgloss. Donna felt like they should have done this ages ago.
Eventually, they parted. “Wow,” Erica whispered.
“Yeah.” Donna laced their fingers together. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Erica said quickly.
"So I'm a better choice to lose your virginity to?" Donna teased.
"By a long shot. The guy Kelso thought was the one thinks that Leia should be with Han. She obviously belongs with Luke," Erica said, making Donna laugh. "Plus, you're way hotter. But before I lose my virginity, I need to figure out how lesbian sex works. I'm clueless."
"We'll figure it out together." Donna kissed her again, incredibly glad they had figured things out.
~
Erica sat with Donna's arm around her on the couch in the basement. It was just the two of them so far, watching CHiPs. Erica loved the time they had alone. She loved Donna.
Erica tilted her head to look at Donna. "Donna… I love you."
Donna smiled. "I love you too, Erica." They moved in at the same time and met for a heated kiss. Erica scooted closer and slung her legs over Donna's lap. Donna's hand slipped under her shirt.
Then the basement door slammed open, and they heard Kelso shout, "Hey-o! The girls are making out!"
Erica and Donna parted quickly as Fez came in as well. "Really? Wow!"
Kelso sat on the couch with them while Fez took the lawn chair. "Since when are you guys lesbians?"
"I'm not, technically," Erica said. "But we've been together for a few weeks."
"Why didn't you say something?" Fez said.
"We thought you'd be weird about it," Donna said.
"Have you had sex yet? Do Erica's boobs look bigger without a huge shirt covering them?" Kelso asked.
"And you are weird about it," Donna said.
"I'm just curious! How are you gonna do it with no guy?" Kelso asked. He made a few suggestive hand gestures. "It doesn't work!"
Erica could feel her face burning. Donna just looked pissed off. Luckily, Hyde and Jackie came out of Hyde's room then. Hyde sat in his chair, and Jackie sat in his lap. They had yet to tell Kelso and Fez they were together.
"Hey guys," Hyde said.
"What the hell is this?" Kelso asked, now angry.
"We're together, Michael," Jackie said. "And you have no right to be mad, because it's been ages since we broke up."
Kelso deflated. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But Hyde? Really?"
"Yes. I really like him. And he likes me." Jackie smiled and pressed her head against Hyde's.
Fez grinned. "I am very happy for you both. And for Erica and Donna." His smile fell. "I just wish I had someone for myself."
"I'm working on it!" Kelso said. "I told you I'd find you the perfect girl, and I will. Or maybe you should consider being gay like Erica and Donna."
Fez shook his head. "No, I will leave it to them for now."
Erica mirrored Jackie's move and pressed her head against Donna's. "Good, 'cause we're in love." Donna smiled and kissed the top of her head. Kelso and Fez went back to trying to figure out lesbian sex, but she ignored them. All Erica cared about was the beautiful woman next to her.