That '70s Style (Book 1)

Hello, Goodbye.

Luckily for us, Kitty knew how stressful tonight was for everyone. I explained to her - and, well, everyone - what happened between William & I. Hyde even chimed in when I forgot certain parts. It was really nice to get it off my chest, which Kelso stared at the entire time. She knew we were all upset, so she & Red are staying in a hotel for a few nights.
Since Donna was there, nobody brought up the kiss. For awhile, everyone forgot about the kiss, & things were good.
Smiling, Fez suggests in his amazing accent,"I did save you. You can touch my body if you'd like."
As I laugh, I turn him down,"I'm sure that would be great, but no thanks, Fez. You did save the day. Thank you."
With his arm around Jackie, Kelso nods at me,"Yeah, Fez. She's with Hyde. Back off."
Drinking his beer, Hyde's eyes stay locked on the TV,"We're not together."
"What?" Donna looks between Hyde and I, shock on her face. "Why not? You guys are a great couple."
"We were until she cheated on me," his expression doesn't change, & the room turns dead silent.
My luck is just terrible, isn't it?
"You cheated on Hyde?" Donna asks, then Eric shifts uncomfortably beside her. I can't ruin Eric's & Donna's relationship like I did with Hyde's & I's.
"It wasn't exactly like that. Let's not talk about it. I think we've all been through a lot today," I take a long hit from the joint & wish the subject would be dropped.
"Oh, come on," Jackie shakes her little shoulders at me. "If you cheated, he must be hot, right?"
"I didn't cheat on him," I firmly tell everyone. "He misunderstood that-"
Taking off his glasses, he gazes at me in disbelief,"You kissed another guy, Dani. You cheated."
"He's like my brother," I reply to him, watching Eric become high & very quiet.
Fez comments,"He is like your brother? That is weird."
Shrugging, Kelso disagrees,"It could be hot."
With a smile on her face, Donna presses, even though she would hate the answer,"Tell us! Come on!"
Overwhelmed, I stand up quickly, knocking the chair over,"I can't! My dad's in prison, but we know he's getting out. I ruined my relationship with Steven! The kiss meant nothing! He was just upset & confused! I'm sorry I ruined this group!"
Eric stands up, too, & protests,"You can't go, Dani. You have nowhere to go. It's not safe. Red & Kitty won't let you leave especially after what happened with William."
With tears burning in my eyes, I shake my head,"I've fucked everything up, okay? You guys didn't need to know about William. Hyde hates me, & I can't bring you guys down with my problems."
"Dani, we all like you," Donna says, which makes this even worse. "You're really cool. We want you to stay."
Fez jumps in,"I want you here. You can teach me about girls."
Sighing, Jackie nods,"Okay. I even want you here. I was kind of a bitch before, but I was jealous. You're really nice."
Kelso adds,"You have a nice rack."
Jackie hits his arm, & it makes me laugh for a second.
Hyde didn't say anything, & I'm not the only one to notice. His eyes don't leave the TV, but he knows we're watching him.
"Thank you, guys, but I'm tearing you guys apart," I finish my beer, feeling my heart sink. "I'm going to pack."

With a stuffed duffle bag, I take a deep breath. I don't want to leave. I have to, though.
Jackie's jealous, so it's messing up her relationship with Kelso.
If Donna knew that Eric & I kissed, she'd probably leave him, & it's impossible to not see how much he loves her. Eric has an undying love for her, & it's really amazing.
I really upset Hyde. I know that Eric kissed me, but I bit his lip, so I participated. Even if I spent days telling Hyde how sorry I am, he'd still hate me. That's because he's stubborn. We're too similar.
With Hyde, he made me forget about my foster father. He made me really happy. Steven was my best friend. I wanted to just be with him, & I haven't felt like that before.
When someone knocks on my door, my heart leaps into my throat, thinking of Hyde.
Opening the door, I see Eric. His blue eyes are filled with sadness, & he stops pretending.
"Dani," he starts stuttering, then he finds the words,"I kissed you. This is my fault. I'm going to tell Donna, & you're going to stay here. I can't let you leave."
Wanting to cry, I argue,"Thank you, but that's the worst idea I've ever heard. You want to marry her, & I can't ruin that. If I stay, she'll eventually find out. Hyde doesn't want me here. I'm fucking with Kelso & Jackie. I need to go. I need-"
His soft voice makes me calm down as he takes my wrists in his hands,"You need to lay down, sleep, & not worry. You need Hyde. I see the way you look at Hyde. It's the same way I look at Donna. You love him."
"I don't think-"
"You do," Eric cuts me off, then he continues. "We'll figure this out but not tonight. I know everything is really hard right now, but you're our friend. We want you here."
That night, I go to bed, & I feel loved. I feel important. I sleep for 12 hours that night.