Tiny Dancer

Wishful Thinking

Chapter 2: Wishful Thinking

1974

Ella walked into the basement, Eric sat on the couch with Hyde at his side in the chair. Hyde sat with his arms crossed over his chest as they watched TV. She had to force down the blush that threatened to take over her face.

"Hey Hyde," she smiled as she sat down next to her brother, pushing his head down as she did.

"Hey Hyde," Eric mimicked in a high voice.

"Shut up loser," she smacked him. Soon they started wrestling, until Ella had Eric pinned down with his arm behind his back.

"All right, I give, I give!" Eric shouted as Kelso and Donna walked in.

"Man Eric, can all the girls take you?" Kelso asked with a laugh as he sat in the folding chair.

Ella laughed as she let her brother go. She sat back on the couch, motioned for Donna to join her. "So are you guys excited to go into high school in a few days?"

"What's the difference? It's all an institution, meant to keep our minds occupied." Hyde said in a conspiratorial tone.

"Hyde, I think you need to lay off the pot," Donna rolled her eyes a smile on her face. "It's making you too paranoid."

"You're just not as 'enlightened' as me," he shot back with a smirk. Ella had to fight down a blush again.

"Hey Donna, come up to my room for a bit?" Ella asked, smacking Eric when he pushed her.

"Why do you always take Donna upstairs?" Eric whined.

"Because she's my best friend, and we don't like spending all our time with smelly boys," Ella swatted Eric.

"We'll come back," Donna rolled her eyes at Eric.

Once up in Ella's room, they sat on her bed. It had changed from pinks and purples that Kitty had given her from Laurie, to fit her budding style. It was now more blacks and grays.

"What's up?" Donna asked sprawling out on the full sized bed.

"I think I like someone," Ella said her cheeks turning crimson.

"It's Hyde," Donna sat up and smirked as Ella turned a darker red.

"Maybe, but I don't know what to do about it with him going into high school and me being Eric's sister," she sighed covering her face with her hands. "He probably only sees me as a sister too."

Donna pulled Ella's hands away, smiling sympathetically at her friend. "I think you should wait a couple years, make sure how you really feel, and plus he's just an immature kid right now. None of these guys know anything about us girls enough to date right now anyway."

"Is that why you're waiting to tell my idiot brother?" Ella smirked, it was Donna's turn to blush.

"I don't like that string bean," she argued, although her face rivaled her hair.

xX Xx

1976

"Forman, it's time." Eric was sat in the folding lawn chair, Hyde, Kelso and Donna sitting close to him. Ella sat on the deep freeze, watching the older kids. She had a cherry popsicle in her mouth.

"Why don't one of you do it?" Eric asked, the anxiety clear on his face.

"It's your house," Hyde answered.

"Your house," Donna echoed.

Ella snickered as Eric blushed at the closeness of Donna.

"Listen to them up there," they all looked up and could hear the adults laughing and talking. "The party has reached critical mass, in ten minutes there will be no more beer opportunities." Hyde spoke in a low voice.