Tiny Dancer

Yours If You Want It

The day after the Christmas party, Ella woke up with her very first hangover. She glared at the sun as it poured through her window. She couldn't really remember much of last night, and wondered how she'd gotten so drunk.

"Eleanor Mae Forman, I want you in the front room in five minutes," she winced at her dad's loud voice. She hurried down the stairs still in her pajamas and clutching a picture frame.

"Hi daddy?" She sat on the couch, the frame resting upside down on her lap.

"I want to know what possessed you to get that drunk?" He asked, his arms folded. Kitty stood next to her looking very disappointed.

"I didn't mean to," Ella sighed. "I only remember drinking the punch you and Laurie brought down."

"So you're putting the blame on Laurie?" Red asked.

"No," she huffed. "I'm just telling you what I know. I'm sorry, if I'd known it was spiked I wouldn't have drunk it." She sniffled, the weight of her parents disappointment getting to her. "I really am sorry."

Red sighed and sat down with Ella. "Look I'm not mad that you drank it, I'm more upset that you put yourself in a situation like that. You're damn lucky that it was in our basement and not some random party."

"What your father is trying to say is, you're very lucky you were in a safe place. I've heard too many stories about girls getting taken advantage of at parties like that." Kitty had sat down on Ella's other side, petting her daughter's hair. "And if Laurie did have something to do with it, I will have a talk with her."

"I really didn't know it had alcohol in it," Ella sighed, noticing the frame again.

"What's that?" Kitty asked as she too noticed it.

"I don't..." she flipped it to see a picture of her and Hyde.

"Oh that's such a nice picture," Kitty cooed smiling around Ella.

"That's another thing," Red huffed. "You're not involved with Steven, are you?" Ella felt her cheeks heat up.

"No," she sighed.

"Just, make good choices?" Red sighed knowing there was no way he could talk his little girl out of a crush. "But because of your bad decisions last night, you're grounded this week."

"Ok." Ella sighed.

xX Xx

It was a few weeks later that Jackie invited everyone up to her ski cabin for the weekend. Ella noticed that Hyde had been avoiding her since the party, that she couldn't remember. She felt bad, because she knows it was somehow her fault.

She watched Eric and Hyde from the freezer, as they poured over a map that led up to Jackie's cabin. She was eating some peanut butter crackers.

"If we leave right after school, we'll make it there by like 6."

"Man I can't wait, a trip to my favorite place," Hyde laughed. "Anywhere but here."

"I'll bet the alpine valley is gonna give the kid many makeout opportunities with Donna," Ella fake gagged at Eric. "The kid...is in."

"What's with the whole kid thing?" Hyde asked.

"It's cool," Eric glanced over to see Ella shaking her head in the negative. "It's not cool?"

"Far from it," Ella rolled her eyes.

Kelso swaggered into the basement with a victorious grin on his face. "Guess who made out with Pam Macy behind the bleachers?"

"Everyone?" Ella snorted. "It's not that hard."

"No Ella," Kelso gave her a reproachful look. "Me!"