Scriere
Chapter 130: Teen VS World.
[General POV] Before the test screening began, Amy received a phone call directly from Hyde to come watch the movie. Elated, she brought her friends with her into the theater. As they waited to buy the popcorn, Amy overheard a few men talking about Hyde's movie. "I mean, he should've stuck with the cars." One college-age man with a thick mustache and long hair said with frustration. "I don't want to watch him turn into an exploitation director." The community college students knew Hyde from his works. They had followed him from the beginning and were true fans of him. "Ugh, I hope he won't make something sleazy." A teen girl said to Amy. "I hate that sort of raunchy teen flick." Amy giggled and said, "I don't think Steven would do something like that." They all entered the hall after buying popcorn and drinks. The lights dimmed, and the movie started. The distribution company trademark came first. [Salt Belt Pictures] Then, Hyde's production company logo flashed on the screen. [Rusty Bucket Production.] The logo was a rusted-out bucket on top of a car hood, shot from above. The first one minute established the town, the streets, and the house while the names of the actors were displayed. Hyde chose 'Daybreak' by Michael Haggins to accompany the opening sequence, crafting an easygoing, light, and warm vibe as the movie started. A sleepy Midwestern town appeared on screen. Morning sunlight. Kids riding bicycles. Neighbors mowing their lawns. The opening credits rolled over the quiet streets. {Screenplay by: Steven Hyde and Donna Pinciotti} {Directed by: Steven Hyde.} Buddy Morgan entered the shot, walking inside an ordinary house. As he passed through the door, the title, 'Boys versus World,' floated in the middle of the open door. The first scene was the skirt skit. Hyde planned it to show the main character's personality in the film. He wanted the audience to get to know the characters first. And it worked. {"Wear a skirt? Don't you think that's a little fruity?"} {"Apologize to the entire Irish community right now."} The self-deprecating humor in a teen movie was unlike anything in the era. Even though the premise was raunchy, the execution didn't leave the audience feeling bad. It was a huge hit, especially in the Midwest area, as the people here were raised to be polite. The next scene showed their lives in school. Buddy Morgan's character—Nick—was talking with a fat boy a foot taller than him. His friends misunderstood their interaction and thought Nick was getting bullied. So they helped. They bullied the fat kid by ganging up on him, attacking him from all sides verbally until he broke down crying and ran away. The protagonists were all called into the Principal's office. Bill Murray, as the principal, said, {"He's in elementary school! You guys bullied a 10-year-old boy till he cried!"} The audience burst out laughing at the joke. {"As punishment, you're going to work with the Saint Catholic's school to work on a PSA about drug awareness."} The main characters argued with the principal for a while until they finally lost. That's when they were introduced to Ophelia's character. As the story went on, Amy realized she had become absorbed with the movie. She liked the characters. The Disney face Ophelia made. The awkward misunderstanding when Nick saw Ophelia hugging his best friend in her apartment. Nick's best friend, who becomes the drug dealer in the PSA, bribing Ophelia's character with rent money to get more roles for drugs in the performance. Ophelia's dilemma to sell out her message or be evicted from her apartment. Nick's decision to fight for love. And finally, the subplot love story between Bart, who played the character who falls in love with a MILF. Kelso appeared for a few minutes as he wasn't integral to the story. But it was good enough for his first role. He appeared in a scene where he sat on a swing in the playground. The music was melancholic. His friends looked at him with worry. {Nick: 'Cheer up, Ashton.'} {Bart: 'I don't think that's a big deal anyway.'} {Kelso spat out, 'You guys won't understand.'} {Nick: 'We can understand. You just need to talk to us.'} {Bart: 'We will be here for you.'} {Kelso wiped his eyes and said, "Thanks. But I just want to be left alone."} The audience was absorbed in the drama. "Why is he so sad?" Amy muttered. "He must've suffered a great loss." Fez mumbled. The scene continued. Kelso still sat on the swing, from sunset until the night enveloped the entire town. Suddenly, a foot entered the scene, kicking Kelso on his back. He flew off the swing and stumbled face-first into the ground. "OOhh." Fez exclaimed, feeling the hurt. If the actor had been here, he would've said that Hyde actually did that for real since he couldn't act the scene properly. The leg was Hyde's leg. But it was more a push than a real kick. {Nick yelled at Gene. 'How long are you going to mope about it?!'} {Bart added, 'It's been 4 hours! I'm really hungry. Just cut it out already!'} Kelso was stunned when he saw his friend. Then, he clenched his fist, his chin quivered, and tears fell down his eyes. 'But… My parents found my porn mags.' Amy burst out laughing. "Pft—That's it?!" The hall was filled with the sound of laughter. For the young men, it was incredibly relatable too. The chaos scene in the drug PSA made the entire audience burst out laughing again. Amy held her stomach and said, "Why is this film so funny?" "Amy." One of her female friends nudged her. "You hang out with Steven. Is he a jokester?" Amy was taken aback. "Well, he is pretty funny," she replied warily. "Is he still single—" "No!" Amy knew the look on her friend's face. There was no way she'd let any of them date Steven ever again. It was still weird when she was talking with Barbara, especially on the matter concerning Steven. After the movie ended, Amy hummed the song 'Stacy's Mom' as she got out of the hall. The college students from earlier were smiling and discussing the movie. "It's a really good film." "Yeah, I feel like I want to watch it again." "You know why it's so good? Mr. Hyde really tied up all the plots together. Ugh, I take back what I said before. He can do any movie he wants. He doesn't have to only do racing." The two college students laughed out loud. "Want to bet if the movie's going to be a hit or not?" "It's definitely going to be a hit. The question is, how much?" Amy snickered as she was happy hearing people complimenting her friend. Suddenly, she saw that friend walking towards the car with two girls in each of his hands. Her mood soured, and she muttered, "Son of a bitch." The cinema continued to air the movie for the entire day. The staff had gotten hundreds of reactions from the moviegoers. "The response for the movie is overwhelmingly positive." Max muttered as she checked the data. "For the younger audience. But it's mixed for the older ones." Jonathan sipped his coffee while he read the responses. "I'll make sure to open the movie with our full capabilities. 1,000 screens at the same time." He vowed. Max gasped. "We have 200 more?" "1,300 in two more weeks. I made Bruce go on a trip with some rich elites to get their connections." Jonathan grinned. Then, a look of concern flashed on his face. "I sure hope he's networking rather than just chasing girls." Right now, Bruce was in Italy, partying on the same boat as Deborah Shelton, the Miss America winner he was infatuated with. "You should really come to Wisconsin and meet this new filmmaker." Bruce said to Deborah as he gave her some wine and tried to sit close to her. … [Hyde POV] After the test screening, I stopped by the car shop to meet a VIP who came to drop off his car. Bob Lanier, a professional basketball player with the Detroit Pistons, came to drop off his car for customization. "I saw your TV show this summer. It's fine for me to bring my own car, right?" he joked. I laughed and said, "It's fine. You want full custom? With seats, engine, and transmission?" "Yeah. Give me the full service." It was a $30,000 order. I signed the papers with him and waved him away. It took 20 minutes for him to leave his car here and go back home. I walked to Tyrell, who was talking with the walkie-talkie. He had a difficult expression on his face. "So she came by again?—Over." Tyrell asked the other guy using the walkie-talkie. "Yeah, she wants to meet the boss. It's already been 3 days. What should I tell her?—Over." I recognized the voice and grabbed the walkie-talkie from Tyrell. "Who is she? Why aren't you telling me about this first, Jeremy?—Over." "Oh. Um, she's just a fan of yours. At least that's what she told me. She's just a housewife. I don't think you need to hear about this, especially since you were dealing with the serious stuff. Um—Over." The other guy was nervous. I looked at Tyrell with confusion and said, "If she came by for three days straight and you haven't kicked her out yet, I assume she's not a weirdo?" "Yeah. She's pretty normal." Tyrell sighed. "But I don't want to trouble you with this. She's just a fan. I don't want her to be trouble for you." "Jeremy, I have a couple minutes. Bring her here—Over." I ordered through the walkie-talkie. "Wait, seriously, boss?—Over." "Seriously. Bring her by." I gave the walkie-talkie back to Tyrell. He asked with confusion, "Why are you doing this?" "You're the one who told me you don't want her to meet me. You know I'm a rebel." I replied with a playful grin. Then I leaned in and whispered to him, "Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to bring both of the girls to the house. They are not friendly with each other." Tyrell sighed in defeat. Five minutes later, Jeremy arrived in his Mustang. The fan was following him from behind in a Vista Cruiser—similar to Eric's car. A freckled middle-aged lady walked out of the car. She had hair similar to Mrs. Forman, and she wore a purple blouse and jeans. "Hello, Steven." She rushed towards me and gave me a hug. "Aunt Lucia?" I was taken aback when I saw her. "Your aunt?" Tyrell asked, confused. I turned to him and said, "Not a real aunt. She's someone my mom used to play poker with." "That's true." Lucia, who looked like Patricia Heaton, nodded along with a smile on her face. "So why are you here?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "My mom owes you money?" "No—well…" Lucia scratched her cheek. "She does owe me twenty dollars. But I'm not here to collect it. She can pay me herself." She smiled warmly and grabbed my shoulder. "I actually just wanted to see you. You're doing so well now. I just wanted to tell you… I'm proud of you." "Aww." I smiled. Then I said seriously, "That's nice. Now tell me the real reason you're here." Her expression fell. "Paranoid as always." She sighed. "I see that hasn't changed." She used to come over for my mom's poker nights a couple of times every month, so I knew her pretty well. She was in the same boat as my family. Except she had a working husband, so she could stay as a housewife. But she was still very poor. I think she had four children. I didn't remember much, as most of my interaction was when I was high. "I'm here because of this." She pulled a photograph from her back pocket. "What is it?" I took it from her. "Another half-sibling I don't know about?" The picture showed an elderly woman standing in front of a collapsed house. Half the roof had caved in. The front door was broken. Shirts and personal belongings were strewn all over. I stared at it for a few seconds before giving up. "…I'm missing something." Lucia nodded. "That's Mrs. Miller. She lives near my place. You know, over in Eagleton." It was a small town near this one. Well, smaller. Only 1,000 people lived there. It was basically a village. "A tornado?" I asked casually. "How did you know?" She was startled. "It happened in March, didn't it?" She nodded, feeling incredulous. I remembered it since it was the same day the Formans' roof caved in. That was the latest tornado attack this year. There were a few more this summer, but they didn't hit anything. Lucia began explaining. "She didn't have insurance. She lost everything." "So where's she living now?" "In a tent." Lucia's voice shook a little. "R-Right in front of the house." "She won't leave?" I raised an eyebrow. "She refuses." Lucia sighed. "She was born there seventy-four years ago. She says if she's going to die, it'll be in that house. It's been her family house for generations." I nodded slowly. "So… what does this have to do with me?" Lucia laughed awkwardly. "Nothing." Then she quickly corrected herself. "Well… but it could be." I raised an eyebrow. She gulped and said, "I've been watching what you've been doing around town. You even have that committee. I know about it since I saw your uncle there. He told me the committee is yours." I nodded in understanding while listening attentively to what she was saying. She hesitated. "I know it's presumptuous to ask, but… you have…" She searched for the word. "…an excess." "An excess?" I laughed. "You mean money?" Tyrell's expression instantly darkened. Lucia swallowed. "I mean… you've been successful. You're trying to give back to the town. It's a really good thing. I don't mean it as an insult." She looked down at the photograph. "And honestly… I wouldn't have come here if you weren't the last person I could think of." "I've been to the churches. They collected what they could. I went to the town council. They couldn't help. I even looked into state assistance and every charity program I could find." She shook her head. "Nothing. Last week, a snake crawled into her tent. I know I have to talk to you, even if it's a longshot." I looked at the picture again. "So… you want me to rebuild her house?" The idea wasn't bad, to be honest. I have uploaded several house renovation videos on YouTube. Megan's house, my own house, the vacation house with the pool. Since I have Leslie, who could record everything on my behalf, my channel, 'That 70s Reno,' the second channel after 'That 70s Dude,' was blowing up too. I now have around 53,000 subscribers for the house renovation videos. Megan's house has around 1 million views for each video. She has the exterior, interior, and full transformation videos separated. My own house has around 1.2 million views. And the vacation house with the pool blew up, having around 4 million views. The reason why it was so attractive was because of the stuff I bought from all over the world. Every house had its own unique feature. It made the renovation feel thought-out instead of just a quick flip. The YouTube revenue plus the Craftsman sponsorship earned me around $100,000 for the car side alone. But if I bought it in 1977, it would be worth only $10,000, so I just kept all of the money in the channel. The renovation channel also earned me a lot of money. I had made around $12,000. It had just been monetized. "I know it's asking a lot." Lucia nodded weakly. "But… you're maybe… her last hope." "Hmm." I folded my arms. "No." Her shoulders dropped immediately. "I understand." She forced a smile. "Thank you for at least listening. I guess… the only thing left is to convince her to move into a nursing home." I chuckled. "Don't give up so quickly." She looked up. "Huh?" "You're still standing in front of me. Use the opportunity." She frowned. "I don't understand." "I'm not interested in charity." I tapped the photograph. "But it doesn't have to be charity." She looked even more confused. Then, she realized something. "You already have an idea." "I do." "Then why ask me?" She was taken aback. "Because I want to hear yours." I grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled down a phone number, and slid it across the table. "Her name's Leslie. She'll help you. Talk to her. Come back Tuesday with a proper pitch." She looked between me and the paper. "And if it's terrible?" I grinned. "Then the old lady's house doesn't get built." I was just joking about that. She inhaled sharply, feeling the pressure. I waved her off and muttered to myself, "Rebuilding a house, huh. If I compile the renovations I have so far, do I have enough for a TV program?" The idea I had was to make a TV special for the tornado house. Maybe I could sell it to a couple of TV stations to offset the rebuilding cost. 'Let's see if she can figure it out. Or, she could even find something better.' Tyrell stopped me before I could walk to the girls who were sitting in the lounge area, eating snacks. "Hey. Are you really going to help rebuild the house? She clearly has an ulterior motive." I paused and smiled softly. "She's not using me. I'm very clear about that." "How do you know that?" He asked skeptically. "Because she's in the same boat as my mom. If she really wanted to use me, she would've asked me to fix up her house, not her neighbor's." I had stopped by her house a few times. Her sink had fallen to the ground. The floorboard was rotting. The bathroom was a nightmare scene. It was very similar to the house I was living in before. "She's fine. She's one of the people I like. She always gives me candy when she comes by my house." I laughed. "Anything else you're worried about?" "I'm also worried you're spending too much money on the town. Shouldn't you save up to pay the loans—" "I don't need to pay the loans." I snickered. "Not right now." Right now, the interest rate is really low. When the '80s come, that's when I need to pay everything in full. "Besides, I have enough money to pay off all the loans four times over." I bragged a bit. "The loans are necessary for me to pay less taxes on my money. So if the loans are the things you're worried about, then you can be at ease." Tyrell sighed in defeat and said, "Alright. Since you know what you're doing, I'm going to back off." I smiled and teased, "Thank you for being worried about me, Dad." "Ah, get bent." He cursed and walked away. Talia approached me after I finished talking, her sister Megan by her side. "Hey." Megan greeted me. "I'm stealing my sister from you." I looked confused and said, "Why?" "Leslie has a plan to do a mural downtown. I'm bringing Talia there." "Oh, you're joining in?" I turned to Talia. The project would bring a few artists together, not just one. Talia nodded and had a huge smile on her face. "If I could, then yes." "Or you can just tell him you want the job. He's going to give it to you." Megan scoffed. "If you're doing it with my sister, at the very least you can give her—" Talia cupped Megan's mouth before she could finish speaking. "Sorry. I have something to speak to my sister about, in private." She pulled Megan away. I chuckled and said, "I'll see you later."
Chapter 131: Hitchcock Halloween.
[Hyde POV] Sarah and I went to the house with the pool to get some rest and enjoy our time together. There were two hours left until the episode started. "Do you have any drinks?" Sarah asked me. "Shouldn't you say, 'Oh, this place is nice' first before asking for drinks?" I said teasingly. Sarah's face became bashful, but she doubled down. "Well, after seeing your little side piece, I'm going to need a drink first before I can enjoy this place." I poured her some wine in a tall wine glass. "I thought you said you wanted to keep things light and casual. You don't want to have a long-distance relationship, and just want some good summer memories." "Stop quoting me on stuff." She exclaimed with irritation. Suddenly, she unbuttoned her shirt. Just one button to show off her cleavage. "Do you want to get in the pool now?" She flashed a seductive grin and leaned on the bar table with one hand. Her other hand was at her waist. I smirked and said, "I actually have a confession." "Oh, no. You're married." Her eyes turned disappointed. "No, I never got into the pool—Why is that your first guess?" I wrapped my right hand around her after giving her the wine. She giggled as I pulled her closer to me. "Well, you just have this vibe." We locked eyes with each other. Then, she inched closer to my lips. She immediately lunged at me, holding my head as she kissed me deeply. I caressed her back and pulled her onto the couch. She lay on top of me while we made out. Suddenly, she moved away and searched for something. "What are you looking for?" I asked casually. "Just some music—Is that the record player?" She checked the cabinet for some music and played the record. I took the time to drink some more wine. "The Jackson 5. Nice choice." I chuckled and gestured for her to come back. She bounced giddily and returned to the couch. She also grabbed some wine. Before we started kissing, she asked, "I just remembered I still haven't let you finish your confession. Is that it? Not getting into the pool?" "Yup." I nodded and took off my vest. "It's summer. You still haven't gotten in even once?" She asked again. I unbuttoned her shirt fully while being casual about it and said, "I really haven't." I also hadn't dated anyone in the past two months. So I just wanted to hook up. She unbuckled her bra on her own and, before removing it, she asked, "Is there anything fun you did during the summer?" I paused and said jokingly, "Maybe you, if you just stop asking me the questions." She blushed and cupped her breasts with her bare hands after dropping her bra. "Isn't that sad? You're working so hard while everyone else is having some fun." She added, "Even me. I'm going to Fort Lauderdale next week." I cupped her breast while saying, "That sounds fun." "It's really fun. I went there every year. Want to come with me?" I sucked air through my teeth and said, "I really can't. I have the films to shoot." "Right." She rolled her eyes slightly. I kissed her neck and said, "Are you disappointed? Perhaps you were expecting me to drop everything and come with you?" She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and grinned. "Won't you?" "Let's see if you're worth it." We started making out again. My hand kept caressing her breast, my finger playing with her nipple. She moaned, her breathing becoming quicker. She unbuckled my pants. I pushed her down on the sofa and took off my shirt. Her eyes widened as she saw my body. "You have a lot of tattoos!" She immediately touched the artwork on my body. Even though it was a temporary tattoo, it looked and felt the same as a normal tattoo. The difference was that it would disappear within two months. A wing tattoo on the back, a tiger on the shoulder, a dragon on the abdomen, and a couple more smaller ones. "Oh, you're so going to make my dad mad if I bring you home." We had some crazy sex in the living room and in the shower. Lying down side by side on the bed, I suddenly got up and put on my clothes again. Sarah looked at me in confusion. "Are you leaving now?" "Just for a couple of hours for some work. I'll be back before ten." "Hmm." She pulled her head away, looking disappointed. I chuckled and slowly moved her head back to me. "I'll make it up to you." "Fine." She sighed. "Bring me some food when you get back." "Okay." I didn't use my car. Instead, I took out the electric bike from the system space. I felt bad leaving her here without her car, so I gave her my keys. She seemed happy with my consideration. 'Hopefully I won't be too late.' … "Damn it. There's 30 seconds left." I stumbled while I tried to get to the basement stairs. Taking my first step down the stairs, I slipped and fell on my back, sliding down the flight of stairs very quickly. "Ow. My back." I groaned and forced myself up. Donna opened the door with a shocked expression. "Did you fall down? I heard a 'Tatata' and then 'BAM'!" The episode had started. My fall was included in the episode, much to my embarrassment. "No. I didn't." I limped, holding my bruised back as I got inside the basement. Then, I sat on my lone green couch and crossed my arms together. "Look at him, trying to act tough." Forman teased me. Jackie and Donna sat on the couch. Forman bounced a superball behind the couch. Kelso drank soda by the door. I was in pain, so I just sat there in silence. But the pain quickly subsided. The TV announcer said, "{And now, back to the Hitchcock Halloween Movie Marathon…}" While Kelso was drinking his soda, Fez entered through the basement door. He wore a black tank top, a black corset, fishnet stockings and garter belt, bloomers, and a pearl necklace, looking like a drag queen without the hair. "BOO!" Fez scared Kelso suddenly. Kelso spat out his drink all over his shirt. "Damn it, Fez." He cursed casually. Then, he turned around. As he saw Fez, he cursed in shock, "OH! DAMN, FEZ!" Kelso tried to cover the sight of Fez's crotch with his hand. He took a step back and looked away from Fez. Donna laughed in bewilderment and asked, "Fez, what the hell are you doing?" Kelso said frantically, "Yeah, I don't know if you know this… but you're dressed like a girl. And not a nice girl." Kelso walked away to the washing machine. Fez chuckled and said, "Kelso, you spilled juice all over your shirt. You look stupid." He laughed and fixed his garter belt. Eric sucked air through his teeth. "Yeah. Hey, Kelso, while you're over there, would you please, please toss Fez a pair of pants?" Kelso changed his shirt into one of Eric's shirts. Donna mocked, "Or at least a skirt." Fez put his hands on his waist. "No, I am Dr. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show." He walked towards Jackie. "You know, my Bible-thumping host parents were really upset about my… rock-hard ass." Jackie widened her eyes as Fez swung his bottom at her. Donna said angrily and walked towards Eric, "Fez, put it away or take it outside." She crossed her arms and asked happily, "So, Eric, do you wanna get out of here?" He kept bouncing the ball with a bored expression. "Do something fun for Halloween?" She added. Kelso sat next to me and interjected himself into the conversation. "I do. I gotta go to this stupid Halloween party with Laurie's stupid friends." He grimaced and added sulkily, "Not only do I have to wear a suit… but all of her guy friends act like they've done it with her before." Eric turned to Kelso and whispered, "Uh, Kelso—" I interjected, "Leave it." "Okay. Whatever. There's nothing to do. It's like we're too old to trick-or-treat and too young to die." Eric complained. "Oh, hey, we could take Fez to Chicago and peddle his ass for beer." I said playfully. Fez brightened up and shifted his spine straight. "I'm game." I gave him a weird look. Donna tried to get Eric's attention again. "No, Eric, I meant maybe there's something, you know, we could do. Together."