Chapter 111: Second Day.
[Hyde POV]
All of my friends were walking together at the festival.
My forehead vein throbbed as multiple people waved their hands at me.
"Manly Man." An androgynous guy tried to high fived me.
A second forehead vein throbbed in my forehead. A crowd of people,
roller skaters, discogoers, and some girls in skimpy clothes surrounded
me. I didn't mind the last one, but I really hated getting crowded like this.
Eric laughed awkwardly and pushed me away, "Now now. Hyde has a
really low… I mean, he hadn't had breakfast yet. So–"
Donna laughed and said, "We can hang out at the Command Center."
So we went to the temporary base. The Red Cross also had their base
next to us, to nurse people who have bad acid trips, treat wounds, and
also people who had heatstroke there.
Mrs Forman was working as a nurse there today. She saw me being
pushed by Eric and Donna and got concerned. Kelso laughed and leered
at the nurse.
"Oh man. Look at that blonde one. She's totally checking me out." Kelso
said, shooting a 'what's up' chinjut to the nurse near the Red Cross
camp.
"Steven! Are you fine? Do you need to lay down? Ooh! I know I
should've pushed you to go to the hospital last night."
"It's fine Mrs Forman. He's just really annoyed." Donna laughed
teasingly. "Yeah mom. He's on the brink of.." He gestured slightly, "Ka-boom."
"Oh yeah. Steven doesn't like people." Mrs Forman nodded in
understanding. "It's really weird for you to not like people but work on
TV."
I groaned and said, "It's a sacrifice I made for the sake of money."
"You sell out." Donna scoffed disdainfully.
"Just go and enjoy the festival. I'm just going to stay here in the AC." I
said and shooed everyone away.
"Are you sure?" Eric asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah man. Just go. I'd very much rather stay here than continuously
walk for hours till my legs give up."
A lot of people agreed with me. Fez nodded and said, "Yeah. My legs
were cramping last night as I went to sleep."
"My toes hurt." Donna complained.
"I want to die." Eric added.
Kelso sighed and said, "I can't take girls shooting flirty looks at me
anymore. There's too many choices… too little time."
"Also you have a girlfriend." Donna said mercilessly.
Jackie shrugged and said, "I don't know what you're all talking about. My
feet are fine, and I'm even wearing high heels."
"What? You're crazy." Eric gave her a disgusted look.
She smirked and said, "The trick is to push forwards even when you
think your legs are giving up. Now, I can't even feel my legs anymore." "Jackie!" Donna scolded her. "You should wear normal shoes."
"No! Donna, sacrifices are necessary for the sake of fashion. It's not like
you'll understand it. You dress like a lumberjack."
I nodded in agreement with Jackie and said, "That's true. She's like a hot
lumberjack."
"Yeah." Kelso leered at Donna's body. "Like I can see it. In the middle of
the Playboy magazine–"
He got hit before he could finish.
"Damn Donna! I'm trying to give you a compliment!" Kelso complained,
rubbing his sore hand.
"You're being a sleaze!" Donna exploded. "Come on Eric." She grabbed
Forman's hand and left.
"Well Steven. I'm going too." Jackie touched my collar and fixed it
slightly. "I'll miss you." She twirled and said affectionately.
I groaned and said, "God. This is worse than getting jumped last night."
Jackie's face turned blank and she shook her head slightly. As they all
left, I went inside the command center and sat inside the couch there.
"Ah." I relaxed by the air conditioning when my walkie talkie crackled
again.
Tyrell was calling for me.
"Boss. The Rockwells are here."
"Let them come to the Command Center. I'm not going to them." Bruce came to the command center alone twenty minutes later. I raised
an eyebrow and asked, "I thought you came with your wife."
"Oh, she's around alright." Bruce grimaced and dropped onto the couch
across from me.
I handed him a bottle of cold water and asked, "What happened? Did
you piss her off?"
"Apparently working hard for my company is 'too much,' and I'm only
doing this to sleep with desperate actresses." He made quotation marks
with his fingers while mocking her voice.
"I mean, she's not completely wrong." I interjected casually. "You're
aiming for the superstars. Why would you bother with the desperate
ones?"
"Exactly— No! No no no!" Bruce pointed at me frantically. "Don't ever
say that in front of my wife. She'll kill me."
"So it's true?" I smirked.
Bruce sighed tiredly. "As long as I don't get caught, there's no crime."
"Very inspiring marriage advice." I nodded solemnly.
He ignored me and rubbed his forehead. "Anyway, I checked the
theatrical print situation." His expression immediately became sour.
"We're screwed."
"How screwed?" I raised an eyebrow.
Since we were partners in the distribution company, if he's screwed then
I'm screwed.
Bruce leaned back against the couch. "Six months." "What?" I was shocked.
"The labs are backed up. Every major studio's clogging the system." He
threw his hands up. "If I go with the cheaper labs, maybe three or four
months."
I frowned immediately. "That long?"
"Steven, these people are making physical copies of movies by the
hundreds. Every print is multiple reels. It's expensive as hell, takes
forever, and everybody's fighting for priority." He grimaced.
I pulled up ChatGPT quietly and did some research while he kept
ranting.
After I saw the numbers, I raised an eyebrow curiously and asked, "So
how much are they charging?"
"For three hundred prints?" Bruce scoffed. "About one-point-two million."
"Jesus."
"Yeah. And I wanted eight hundred prints, so around three million
minimum." He grimaced. "Closer to four or five if we want a premium
turnaround."
I stared at him for a second. Now I finally understood why distributors
panicked over release schedules.
Bruce pointed accusingly at me. "You tricked me into this money pit."
I snickered. "But if the movie's successful?"
"Then the money fills the pit and turns into a ladder." Bruce smirked
slightly.
"Nice." I leaned forward and high-fived him. Bruce sighed and took a long drink from the water bottle.
"I'll see what I can do about the prints." I said casually.
Bruce froze in shock. "…What?"
"I think I can get you eight hundred prints in around four weeks."
The bottle nearly slipped out of his hand.
"That's impossible."
"Maybe." I shrugged. "But do you even need eight hundred
immediately?"
"Yes. Obviously." He nodded vigorously.
"No, you idiot." I grimaced. "You start with three hundred. See where
demand is strongest, then expand from there."
Bruce frowned stubbornly. "But if we go wide immediately—"
"You burn money immediately." I cut him off. "A mid-sized movie doesn't
need blockbuster numbers on day one."
He still looked unconvinced.
I continued, "If the movie catches on, then you increase supply. That's
the entire point. Why waste millions printing copies for theaters that
might not even sell out?"
Bruce slowly leaned back into the couch. The grown man in his forties
looked genuinely sulky after realizing I was right.
"Not to mention the marketing cost. The previews print. The ad slots–" "Okay. Alright." He stopped me with annoyance.
After some research, I realized that if I digitized the film and sent it to the
future lab, I could generate a tremendous amount of profit here.
Future print labs would be faster, more professional in their quality
control, and more importantly… I have the money multiplier.
In the 2025 United States, for 800 prints, it would cost me around 2.5
million dollars. But I only have to pay 250 thousand.
So where would the 2.25 million go? In my pocket.
'This will work really well in my favor,' I thought secretly. 'I can use the
money to fund more projects without taking massive bank loans.'
Still, filmmakers wouldn't trust some random Wisconsin operation
without a proven track record.
So for now, all I could really print were Shannon Tate's Encounter movie,
and my own films.
I looked toward Bruce. "Hey. What movies does the distribution company
even have right now?"
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre— Wait, I'm still waiting for the
duplication slot for your cut." He paused. "Actually, I guess I can cancel
that now."
I nodded and said, "Alright. Maybe one hundred prints first. Anything
else?"
Bruce waved his hand dismissively. "I'll give you the full list later. In fact,
talk to Jeremy, the dude I hired for this company."
He pulled out a cigar and offered me one. I immediately pointed at the sign on the wall.
"No smoking in here."
Bruce looked genuinely offended.
"Jesus Christ, Steven. What do you have against smoking?"
"Nothing. But not inside."
He grumbled under his breath and stood up, already preparing to smoke
outside. Then he suddenly stopped near the doorway.
"Oh yeah. You know Deborah Shelton?"
"The former Miss USA?" I asked, confused by the suddenness.
Bruce grinned immediately. "You're gonna LOVE her next movie. Italian
production."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "She naked in it?"
Bruce looked delighted. "Naked? Not just that." He laughed loudly. "Sex
scenes too. Real artsy European stuff."
"Damn."
Bruce pointed his cigar at me.
"We should distribute it."
"No." I rejected him immediately.
"Why not?"
I sighed and said, "We're trying to build an actual brand now. We can't
just grab every sleazy European movie with boobs in it." Bruce looked personally betrayed. "But we're distributing The Kentucky
Fried Movie."
"That's different. That movie's mostly comedy skits."
Bruce sulked visibly.
"Fine. Fine." He pointed at me accusingly. "But you need to cast
Deborah Shelton in one of your movies. I wanna meet her."
I sighed tiredly.
"Fine. But she's fully dressed the entire time."
Bruce scoffed.
"What do you think I'm gonna do? Hide in the bushes with a camera?"
"You seem exactly like the type."
Bruce ignored that completely and walked outside while muttering
curses under his breath. I couldn't hear most of it, but I was fairly sure at
least half the sentences were directed at me personally.
I caught words like, 'boobs,' 'smart,' 'dumbass,' 'titties,' and 'actress.'
An unpleasant smell suddenly caught my attention.
"Ugh. My bandage is starting to smell."
I sniffed myself slightly and quickly found the source. Maybe it was
because I showered every morning, but skipping one today because of
the bandages made me feel disgusting. Suddenly, a blonde nurse entered the command center. She wore a
knee-high skirt, and the top few buttons of her blouse were undone,
revealing a black bra and noticeable cleavage.
"Mr. Steven Hyde. Nurse Forman told me to change your bandages."
She spoke in a flirtatious whisper.
"Okay." I replied casually and took off my shirt.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it for you. My name's Eliza."
"Nice to meet you, Eliza."
I responded to her flirting casually, which somehow seemed to
encourage her instead of discouraging her.
She lightly ran a finger across my chest while removing the bandages
and frowned slightly.
"It's really bruised up. Maybe you should… go see a doctor?"
"I'll go after the festival ends." I replied casually.
She nodded.
"I'll give you some stronger pain meds." She fixed her hair before adding
carefully, "Don't tell Mrs. Forman about it."
"I won't." I smirked slightly.
"Do you want me to give you a sponge bath?" she asked while holding
up a yellow sponge.
"Yes. Definitely yes." I nodded immediately, a grin tugging at the corner
of my lips. "Thank you, Mrs. Forman." She giggled and subtly adjusted her blouse again to make sure her
cleavage was still visible.
While she was washing me, an old rock star manager came to the
command center with Leslie.
"Oh. Steven, you're busy. I'll bring him back later–"
Leslie tried to leave quickly, but I stopped her. "Just come in."
"Do you want me to stop?" Eliza asked, batting her eyes slightly.
"No, continue." I replied and let her wash my back with the sponge while
Van Halen's manager sat in front of me.
"So is this your version of a power play? Got to admit, it's really strong.
Not the strongest I've seen, but really strong." The manager laughed
sleazily, looking quite uncomfortable.
"Yeah? What is the strongest power play you've experienced?" I asked
casually.
"There's this one guy in Vegas. He plays with his knife… you know the
knife game where you stab in between you finger–"
"Yeah. I know it." I nodded slightly. "The Hand Roulette."
"We call it Stabscotch." The manager replied, shuddering as he
reminisced about it. "He stabbed his finger clean, and still smiled as the
blood gushed from his wound. We talked about the show while his finger
was still stabbed."
I shuddered too and said, "You're right. That's the strongest one."
Leslie chuckled slightly as she saw my reaction. "Sir Hyde. There's not
much time left before the concert." "Oh. Right." I got her hint and said, "We should hasten it up. Do you
have someone to make a music video for your band yet?"
"Music video?" The manager was intrigued. "No, we aren't in talks with
anyone yet."
"I can do it for you." I said quickly. He opened his mouth to reply, but I
interjected– stopping him with a palm gesture, "I know it's so sudden.
And you can't trust me yet. I can show you the movie I'm working on if
that'll help. Or my tv show and the documentary–"
"No. I actually had watched your documentary. The song 'My Way' with
the dead veteran car? That's really… amazing." He grinned slightly.
"How long do you think it will take for us to make the video?" He asked.
"Just one day will be enough. But not right now. We can do it at the next
festival."
We shook hands on it and the manager left to go talk with the stars. I put
on my shirt after Nurse Eliza bandaged it again.
"You can't do anything strenuous until you get checked out." Eliza said
with concern. "No drinking either. And no intercourse."
"Aww." I whined playfully.
"This is my home number. If you need anything at all, you can call me."
She batted her eyes at me, finally buttoned up her blouse and left.
I checked her out from behind. "I'd definitely call you." I said, admiring
the jiggle physics of her butt.
…
Forman, Donna, Fez, Jackie, and Kelso returned to the command center
before the concert started. "Hyde. You missed out on everything." Eric laughed mischievously.
"Like what?"
"Big Rhonda entered the hot dog competition, and won her third
championship." Donna said flatly.
Jackie grimaced in annoyance and pushed the couple to the side.
"Enough Donna. Why would you even bring up Big Rhonda."
"Let me guess. She should've brought you up?" Forman said with
irritation.
Jackie smiled and said, "Yes! Steven! You should organize a Miss Point
Place competition here! I would definitely win it and you'll officially be
going out with the hottest girl in this town!"
Kelso grimaced and said, "No! I want to go out with the hottest girl in this
town!"
"Why don't you just go out with a mirror?" Fez teased Kelso.
"What?" Everyone turned to Fez with bewilderment.
Fez whimpered and said, "So. The concert's starting huh."
"Yup." I nodded slightly.
Forman laughed suddenly and asked, "Hey Hyde. What does it take for
you to sing up there?"
Jackie gasped, fully absorbed in the question. "Ooh! Steven! You should
definitely sing. Then, I can go out with a rock star!"
I grimaced and said, "No– what? Jackie, we're not going out." "We're going out, remember? I'm locking you in until summer's gone."
"No, it'd be done after this concert's over." I frowned slightly.
Fez interjected and said, "Answer the question fool! What will it take for
you to sing up there?!"
"I mean, maybe touching Donna's boobs for a minute?" Kelso suggested
sleazily.
"What—" Eric looked horrified. "No, Kelso. Shut up."
Donna snorted and crossed her arms. "Yeah Kelso, you can't barter with
my boobs! They're not your boobs!"
"I mean…" Kelso stammered. "I can't offer him my boobs. So these are
the only boobs I can offer."
"Ew." Jackie shuddered.
"I'd do it for Donna's boobs." I admitted casually.
Eric immediately turned toward me. "Hyde! Shut up!"
Donna grimaced. "Fine. But you can only look."
"For an hour." I negotiated instantly.
"For ten seconds."
"Half an hour and two honks. Both boobs."
"Thirty seconds. Half a honk. One boob."
"Fifteen minutes, one honk, both boobs." "One minute, one honk, one boob. But you have to sing your own song.
And the crowd has to cheer after you're done."
"Deal." I shook her hand immediately.
"What? Donna!" Eric exclaimed in disbelief.
"Relax. He's not gonna win." Donna said confidently.
Jackie immediately interjected, "See? I don't know, Donna. Guys can do
literally anything if they're motivated enough. Especially if boobs are
involved."
…
The concert started at 4 in the evening, two hours earlier compared to
yesterday. From Van Halen, to Journey, and finally Blue Oyster Cult, the
concert went on really smoothly.
Eric snorted and said, "He lost. Thank goodness."
Fez complained and said, "Aww come on. Have some faith."
"If he really sings on the stage to get to touch your boobs Donna, I'm
going to rip your slutty red hair off your stupid red head." Jackie
threatened Donna immediately.
"Jackie, you should rip Kelso's hair instead of mine. He's the one who
suggested it." Donna snapped back.
Jackie turned to Kelso angrily.
"Whoa–" Kelso laughed nervously. "Remember when you said that you
love my hair?"
"That was before Micheal! Now that we've broken up, I don't care about
your hair!" Jackie snapped at him. I went backstage and waited until the concert almost ended. Today, Miss
Gaynor wasn't here since she has a prior gig in Green Bay.
Leslie concluded the concert and said, "Give a big hand to the band,
Blue Oyster Cult! Now, we have a special performance from the founder
of the festival. He's going to close the show for us today!"
"Give a giant hand of applause to Mr Steven Hyde."
Chapter 112: Festival Ends
[Hyde POV]
'What kind of song should I sing?'
I stood backstage scrolling through my Spotify playlist on my iPhone,
trying to find something good enough to win the bet with Donna.
"Should I just sing some AI-generated song?" I muttered to myself.
Scratching my head in frustration, I reminded myself about the giant
prize waiting for me at the end.
Then a sudden thought came to mind.
There weren't any official recordings of tonight's concert. Without
albums, tapes, or hard copies floating around, I didn't really have to
worry about whatever impact this song might have on the era.
Four-fifths of the people here were high anyway. Even my friends were
all high on weed right now. 'Maybe I can get away with this?'
Finally, Leslie called me up to the stage.
I had already connected my phone to the speaker system, and I could
start the instrumental with my smartwatch.
The crowd cheered loudly as I walked onto the stage. The festival lights
were blinding from up here.
"Hello everyone." I adjusted the microphone slightly. "I know some of you
are probably disappointed that I'm here instead of Miss Gaynor. She had
another gig she needed to honor first."
"NO WE'RE NOT!" Jackie's voice rang clearly across the crowd since
she was standing right against the front railing.
I exhaled softly and admitted, "Anyway… I'm definitely not a professional
singer, so forgive me if this becomes the worst performance of your
entire lives."
A lot of people laughed again.
Most rock stars acted larger than life on stage, so it was strangely
fascinating for the audience to see someone who genuinely looked like
he'd been dragged up there against his will.
The instrumental started playing through the speakers.
And suddenly, the entire festival grounds became quiet.
The rock stars watched from backstage curiously.
I adjusted the microphone slightly, tapping my boot against the stage to
count the beat. The cold patch was still attached to my bruised cheek, and the white
bandages wrapping around my forearm were visible beneath the rolled
sleeves of my leather jacket.
Under the stage lights, it made me look less like a singer and more like
someone who got dragged out of a street fight and shoved onto a stage.
Then I started singing. My voice wasn't high, but it was soulful. Similar to
the singer– Teddy Swims.
"♫♪ I was so high, I did not recognize… the fire burning in her eyes ♫♪"
Donna's face froze. Jackie squealed. A few girls near the front
immediately screamed.
"Oh my god! He's so hot!" Jackie shouted.
"♫♪ The chaos that controlled my mind ♫♪"
The crowd grew quieter instead of louder. People were actually listening.
"♫♪ Whispered goodbye as she got on a plane ♫♪"
"♫♪ Never to return again. But always in my heart, oh♫♪"
Some of the older rock fans folded their arms at first, skeptical about the
softer sound, but even they stopped talking once the chorus started
building up.
"♫♪ This love has taken its toll on me! She said goodbye too many times
before ♫♪"
"No way…" Donna muttered under her breath, holding her head in
astonishment.
Eric looked genuinely disturbed. "No! My boobies!" he cried. "♫♪And her heart is breaking in front of me! And I have no choice, 'cause
I won't say goodbye anymore♫♪"
"♫♪Whoa♫♪"
Fez muttered, "Whispered goodbye as she got on a plane?"
Donna heard it and her eyes widened in realization. "That bitch tricked
me! He wrote this a long time ago!"
"♫♪WhoOa♫♪" I was enjoying myself as I danced– just bouncing my
body slightly to the beat. "♫♪WhoOa♫♪"
Backstage, Eddie Van Halen lowered his drink slightly.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
David Lee Roth looked delighted instead.
"I knew it." He pointed dramatically toward the stage. "I knew it the first
time I saw him!"
A group of teenage girls near the barricade grabbed each other's arms
and screamed every time I looked vaguely in their direction.
"♫♪ I tried my best to feed her appetite~ Keep her coming every night.
So hard to keep her satisfied, oh♫♪"
Some of the girls there blushed instantly as they understood the lyrics.
"♫♪ Kept playing love like it was just a game. Pretending to feel the
same. Then turn around and leave again, but uh-oh ♫♪"
Some of the crowd were already mouthing off the chorus as I continued.
"♫♪This love has taken its toll on me~ She said goodbye too many times
before~♫♪" "♫♪ And her heart is breaking in front of me. And I have no choice,
'cause I won't say goodbye anymore ♫♪"
Not quite disco. Not quite rock. Something in-between. And the crowd
loved it.
"♫♪ I'll fix these broken things, repair your broken wings! And make sure
everything's alright (it's alright, it's alright), oh, oh♫♪"
The instrumental already included the background vocals for me.
"♫♪ My pressure on your hips, sinking my fingertips! Into every inch of
you because I know that's what you want me to do ♫♪"
Talia watched the performance and was a bit confused by the lyrics. "Is it
a massage?"
I walked to the left side of the stage and then to the right. The crowd
sang the chorus together with me now.
"♫♪ This love has taken its toll on me! She said goodbye too many times
before ♫♪"
"♫♪ Her heart is breaking in front of me! And I have no choice 'cause I
won't say goodbye anymore~~ ♫♪"
As I brought the song to a close, the crowd erupted thunderously.
People screamed. Whistled. Stomped their feet against the ground hard
enough that I could feel the vibrations through the stage.
I quickly turned around and paused the instrumental with my watch
before another song accidentally autoplayed.
When I faced the crowd again, thousands of voices were already
chanting. "ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!"
I coughed lightly as the singing put pressure on my bruised ribs.
"Sorry, but that's it from me tonight. I hope that—"
"NOOOOOOO!!"
The collective despair genuinely startled me.
"Please sing one more!"
"HYDE!"
"COME ON!"
"PLEASE!"
"ONE MORE SONG!"
Some girls near the barricade were literally jumping up and down while
waving their hands desperately toward the stage.
I blinked beneath my sunglasses and looked toward Leslie helplessly.
She laughed and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Do a cover song!"
The crowd exploded in approval immediately.
"YEAH!"
"COVER SONG!"
"ANYTHING!" "WE DON'T CARE!"
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and asked, "What if it's both?"
The audience quieted slightly.
"A cover song. But rearranged enough that it sounds new."
"YESSSSS!!"
"PLAY IT!"
I nodded slowly.
"Alright then." I adjusted the microphone stand slightly. "The original
song is called 'Beggin'' by The Four Seasons. I changed it around a little
bit."
A little bit was a massive understatement.
I turned around and searched for Måneskin's version on my smartwatch.
Then I took a deep breath.
And started crooning soulfully.
"♫♪ Putttt your loooooviiiiing haaaaand ooooout, baby~ ;Cause I'mmm
Beeegggin'! ♫♪"
The crowd exploded almost instantly as the beats came.
Compared to "This Love," this song was dirtier. Rougher.
The rhythm had a swagger to it that fit the festival atmosphere perfectly.
… I lifted the microphone one last time while the crowd continued roaring
uncontrollably.
"With this song…" I coughed lightly and pressed a hand against my ribs.
"The festival's officially over."
The audience immediately booed.
I laughed despite myself.
"I might organize another concert next month, so keep checking your
newspapers for updates."
The cheering immediately started up again.
I flashed a peace sign toward the crowd.
"Goodnight, everybody."
And before they could force me into another encore, I immediately
escaped backstage while thousands of people continued screaming my
name behind me.
"Ah. That was tiring." I sighed as I slumped down near the wall, clutching
my ribs.
Leslie looked taken aback. Tyrell rushed toward me and helped me stay
upright.
"Hyde. You okay?"
"Yeah. It really hurts when I sing." I replied, my face burning slightly with
fever. "Leslie, can you call my friends over here? I came with them."
"I can send you home," Leslie replied, her tone slightly irritated. "Or to
the hospital." "Nah, I just need painkillers. For a rib fracture, there's not much doctors
can do besides throwing pain meds at you anyway." I took out a pill
bottle and swallowed a painkiller.
"Are you sure?" Tyrell asked, concern flickering across his face.
"Yeah." I shrugged. "If you want to help me, you can deal with those
guys." I pointed behind him.
The managers from Van Halen, Blue Öyster Cult, and Journey were all
standing there, trying to approach me.
"Mr. Hyde. Are you serious about music? Because we can help you
release your debut album—"
Tyrell immediately stepped in and escorted everyone away.
"Can't you people see he's injured? If you want to talk to him, come back
tomorrow. Not today." He spread his arms wide to block the managers
and forced them back.
Eric came over and helped me up, his face full of concern.
"Hyde. Leslie told me what happened. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Let's just go home."
The painkillers were already kicking in. I walked side by side with him
toward the car. Along the way, a lot of girls squealed and called out my
name.
Some even came up to ask me questions.
"Are you releasing an album soon?"
"Are you looking for a girlfriend?" "Who's the girl you mentioned in the song?"
The five-hundred-meter walk felt like forever.
By the time I reached Eric's station wagon, Jackie and Fez approached
me excitedly.
"Hyde! That was amazing!" Fez nearly hugged me, but Jackie shoved
him aside and grabbed my arm first.
"Steven! You're like a rock star! You were seriously amazing! Oh my god,
I could literally sleep with you tonight."
I grimaced and pushed her forehead away with my free hand, shooing
her back.
"No. Where's Donna and Kelso?"
"They left first," Eric replied warily. "You're not really gonna do that, are
you?"
"Do what?" I asked, confused.
"You know… the bet?" he replied, swallowing nervously.
I looked at him blankly.
"I made a bet? With who?"
"You don't remember?" Jackie asked in confusion.
I took out my pain pills again and shook the bottle slightly.
"I barely even remember getting here. I've been popping these pills all
day long… Why were those people acting like I sang on stage or
something?" "You don't—" A smile slowly spread across Eric's face. "You don't
remember. That's great."
"What's great?"
"Nothing."
Fez immediately tried to explain.
"You made a bet with Donna—"
"AH! Fez! No!" Eric interrupted quickly and shoved me gently toward the
car. "He's injured. It's better to tell him later."
…
In the Forman's basement. Suddenly I realized that my ribs weren't
hurting anymore. The cold patch on my face suddenly disappeared. The
bandages on my arm and chest also disappeared.
"Wait–"
I checked the system and it said, "Recording In Progress". Maybe it was
recording Eric or Red's plotline upstairs.
"Fez. Was I wearing a bandage before?" I asked Fez curiously.
He looked at me with confusion and replied, "You're wearing what now?
Are you high? You don't even ask me to join you in your circle?"
"No. Forget it, Fez." I replied.
Fez took out a Playboy magazine and suddenly said, "You should be
thankful to this magazine. I'm only letting this go because I want to test
out a few things on Jackie."
"Fez. We just came back from a concert, right?" I asked him. "You really are high! You betrayer! Of course we've just come back from
a concert!" He yelled and walked away angrily.
I nodded in satisfaction as I realized it only changed our physical
condition, not our memories.
"Ah. I forgot to ask him if he remembers the fight. Did it change the
fighting event or just heal my wounds?"
While I was having some questions, Donna stomped to the basement
angrily and sat on the couch.
"What happened? No hanky-panky?" I asked teasingly.
"Do you know that Eric kept a stack of dirty magazines under his bed?"
Donna asked me angrily.
"Oh yeah." I grinned and said, "His treasure chest is exposed huh."
Mrs Forman suddenly walked down the stairs halfway and called me
sweetly, "Steven. Come upstairs! Leo is here!"
"Oh. Okay Mrs Forman." I agreed and stood up from my seat. Then, I
teased Donna, "Ha-ha! Your boyfriend's a huge pervert."
"Shut up Hyde! You don't even have a girlfriend!" Donna threw a throw
pillow at me.
"At least I don't have a stack of dirty magazines under my bed."
"You have a stack of dirty movies under your bed!" She snapped.
"Hey! That's art! There are no pornos in my collection!" I pointed my
finger at her and argued. I went upstairs and saw Leo in the living room. He wasn't wearing any
shoes, only black socks with a hole in it and he was eating a nut mix.
Grabbing some nuts, I asked them, "Hey. What's going on?"
Mrs Forman glanced at Red before taking a deep breath and said
excitedly, "Oh, good news, Steven. Your dad's coming over tonight."
My smile vanished instantly. "Screw that!"
I stormed off.
"No, Steven, it's a good thing, I think." Mrs Forman followed me from
behind.
"I have nothing to say to him!" I yelled.
"Well, we have fancy nut mix." She tried to convince me to stay, even
following me to the kitchen.
The doorbell rang, and Red opened the door. My dad– Bud, entered and
asked, "Hey, Red! Remember me?"
Red replied sarcastically, "Of course. I wasn't the one passed out in the
gutter."
Bud guffawed fakely and said, "Yeah, I had this weird condition where I'd
drink a case of beer and fall down."
He held Red's shoulder and asked, "Hey, Red. Man, you're looking good.
Have you lost…hair?"
He laughed again. Red looked at him flatly and said, "Steven will be right
out."
In the kitchen, Mrs Forman held my hand to stop me from leaving and
begged, "Steven. Just do me a favor, just this once." "Mrs Forman. You know that's unfair to me. I can't say no if you ask me
like that." I sighed, slightly irked.
"I know that you don't want to see him. But you never know. Maybe he
had changed. You can't know unless you met with him."
"Fine." I rolled my eyes slightly and entered the living room again.
"Hello, Bud." I greeted my dad.
He replied, standing by the piano, "Hi."
"I told you we don't need to pretend to be a family anymore. So why are
you here?" I asked rudely.
Mrs Forman gasped and said, "Steven. You don't talk that way to your
father. Sit down first."
I sighed and sat down reluctantly.
Red asked Bud playfully, "So, Bud, can I get you a drink?"
Mrs Forman laughed awkwardly.
"A drink! A drink of soda." Mrs Forman faked giddiness. " A nice drink of
soda, Bud. Plus, we have cheese."
Bud walked past Leo and sat next to me.
"Soda sounds great, Kitty. Yeah, I'm off the hooch." He said casually.
"Oh, really? So, no more boozing." Mrs Forman whispered the sentence
to my face as she handed him a cup of soda.
"I heard him." I said to her with annoyance. "Yeah. I can finally see clearly." Bud said while Leo held onto his
shoulder.
"Isn't it great, man?" Leo asked, already sounding completely fried.
"It is." Bud turned toward me again. "I got a job now. An apartment too.
Color TV."
"Ooh, a color TV. That's nice." Mrs. Forman tried to encourage him
gently.
"Wow, Bud. Really moving up in the world, huh?" I said, my temper
already nearing its limit. "Color TV? Man… I remember when I was a kid,
I didn't even have a father."
"Steven…" he called softly, his voice defeated.
"I told you to stay away from me." I stood up sharply, and he immediately
stood up too.
"You want another kid? Go make another one."
The words came out colder than I expected.
"I already learned how to live without you." I pointed at him angrily. "And
I'm not gonna stand here pretending you had anything to do with the
person I became."
Nobody said a word.
"So I'll say it again." I glared at him directly. "Stay away from me."
Silence filled the room after my outburst.
Even Leo looked sobered up for a second. Red finally broke the tension with a dry snort. "Well, well. Who could
have foreseen this terrible…"
"Can it!" Mrs Forman snapped at him.
…
In the basement, I taunted Donna and said, "Did I make a bet with
someone at the festival?"
Donna grinned slightly as she said, "You made a bet with Jackie. If you
sing on the stage, you can touch her boobs."
"Oh god." I shuddered, face full of horror. "Then I went up there to sing?"
Eric nodded and said, "Yeah. I tried to stop you, but you slipped away."
"Damn." I cursed slowly. "I don't want that boob."
The two of them snickered.
I smirked and said, "You guys really thought you could get away with it."
Both of their faces froze.
"Now, give me my reward Donna. Let me honk that thonk."
Donna gasped. "You son of a bitch! You remember!"
"You were faking it?" Eric asked in shock. "Why?" He exclaimed
desperately.
I smirked and said, "Because you're driving me home. I don't want you
to go crazy and drive us off a cliff or something."
He immediately covered Donna's body with his back. "Donna run!" "How can I run with you on top of me, you dillhole!" Donna shoved him to
the side and almost ran away when Fez blocked her way.
"Fez. It's fine." I told him.
"Wait, it's fine?" Donna was taken aback.
"Yeah, I'm not going to force her if she's uncomfortable." I stood up and
approached them. "But, they'll have to make it worth my while, going up
there and singing while being injured… You know, taking a huge risk up
there."
Donna gritted her teeth in frustration. Eric immediately stepped in and
said, "I'll give you all of the money I have saved."
"How much?" Fez asked.
"One thousand three hundred dollars." Eric replied with a whimper.
Donna was shocked. "You had that much money?!"
"I was saving up for a car!" Eric turned to her and whined. "Now I'll have
to use to– to prevent my friend from having his way with your breast."
Donna gasped, fully offended. "Maybe I should just let him touch me!"
She said tauntingly. Then she yelled, "Like you touched yourself to all of
the women in those magazines!"
Eric stammered and said, "F-Fine."
"So? Am I honking it or not?" I asked, confused.
Eric turned to Donna and gestured for her to move forward.
"Fine!" Donna yelped, grabbed my hand roughly and pushed it inside her
shirt. She honked herself with my hand and blushed. "That's it!" She slapped my hand away.
I grinned and said, "That's great. But wasn't I supposed to see it too?
Like bare–"
"You've already seen it before!" She blushed and snapped at me.
I nodded and said, "Yeah. I did."
When we went skinny dipping in the lake, when I accidentally walked
into her room when she was changing, and plenty more times as we
grew up together.
Fez approached me and asked, "How did it feel?"
"Very soft." I replied.
"Damn. I want to honk it too!" He whined. "Donna–"
"NO!" Donna shot him down immediately.