Won't You Fly High, Free Bird?

5. The Disco

Thursday, June 2, 1977

Things had been weird between Katie and Hyde since the night of the kiss, to say the least. It wasn't that they weren't talking to each other, but they avoided being alone and kept their conversations to casual small talk. Katie tried her best to keep her mind off the matter as the gang sat in Eric's basement playing a card game.

"Oh my god, Michael! They opened up a disco!" yelled Jackie. She jumped off the washing machine and excitedly folded up the newspaper she was reading.

"Where at?"

"In Kenosha! You could wear your David Bowie butthuggers."

"Michael, that would be super!" mocked Hyde in a high pitch voice.

"Laugh if you want man, but my butt looks pretty good in those," Kelso replied.

"Are you guys crazy? I mean a disco... no way," said Eric.

"I don't know. It might be kind of fun to go dancing," said Donna.

"Or we could go," said Eric, quickly changing his mind.

"Man, I got nothing. I fold," said Kelso.

"If you're out, go make some popcorn," said Hyde. Jackie was dancing around the room imagining she was already at the disco, annoying everyone but mostly Hyde. "And take her with you!"

"What is disco?" asks Fez.

"Disco is from hell, okay? And not the cool part with all the murderers, but the lame-ass part with all the accountants," answered Hyde.

"Oh come on. It's not that bad," said Katie.

"What?!" Hyde turns to Katie.

"You heard me. Disco. Ain't. That. Bad!" said Katie, purposefully messing with Hyde.

"Who are you and what have you done with Free Bird?"

Donna took a peek at Kelso's cards on the table and Eric called her out on cheating. As they argued, Katie said to Hyde, "You're really not going to the disco?"

"And willfully listen to crappy music all night? Hell no."

"You can sulk alone at home, or you can sulk in Kenosha with your friends, man. I think you should go."

"I'll think about it," said Hyde, finding it hard to say no to Katie.

Eric ran upstairs to help Jackie and Kelso with the popcorn, after joking to Donna that he was going to bluff with his useless hand.

"Donna has stuff for Eric, yes?" asked Fez.

"Not 'stuff' - 'thing'," corrected Hyde.

"Donna has a thing for Eric," Katie clarified, winking at her blushing friend.

***

Saturday, June 4, 1977
Donna's Bedroom
4:17 p.m.

Katie walked into Donna's room, where Jackie was helping Donna with her makeup. Jackie had already changed into her flowy purple dress, ready for the disco. She looked over at Katie.

"You're not wearing that to the disco, are you?" said Jackie judgmentally, referring to Katie's outfit. Katie was wearing jeans and an old Aerosmith t-shirt, with her Converse basketball shoes.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I can't be seen with you like this. Wear my top," Jackie gestured to her bag on Donna's bed. "It's sleeveless so it won't be a problem for your man arms." Katie rolled her eyes, but obeyed Jackie's orders knowing it was a battle she couldn't win. She pulled off her raggedy band shirt and put on the off-white crochet crop top. Looking in the mirror, Katie was surprised that it didn't look half bad.