[Hyde POV]
"Huh." I was taken aback when I saw Kat standing on her front porch, with her group of friends next to her.
One of them was blonde, and had a zit on her chin that didn't diminish her attractiveness. One of them looked like a young Rachel Brosnahan with her brunette hair.
And the last one has a bob cut and a 70s style beautiful look.
They were part of Kat's cliques. They walked everywhere together in school. People call them the popular girl squad.
"Are they coming too?" I was confused when I saw them.
They were all dressed up, like Kat was.
I went to the door and greeted them. "Hey everyone." I focused on her alone, " Kat, you're ready?"
"Yes." She giggled.
"Where are you bringing her?" the blonde one asked.
"Madelyn. Right?" I turned to her and addressed her directly. "I'm bringing Kat to Riviera."
"At the shore?" Madelyn was astonished.
The brunette interjected, "That's like a really classy restaurant."
"It is… Jody." I replied. She was in the same Spanish class as me, so I knew her.
Jody giggled slightly and was slightly bashful.
The last girl just said, "Well. Enjoy yourself. It's not like we have any boyfriends to bring out someone expensive like that."
Kat sympathized with the bob cut one– Tara, and pursed her lips together, looking at me with a puppy eyes look.
"I'm not bringing you all with us on our first date, but if this works out, then sure." I said casually, yet firmly to draw a boundary between us.
The girls just giggled and didn't ask any further.
Kat smiled in satisfaction before asking teasingly, "So. You didn't bring any gifts for our first date? No flowers, or chocolates?"
"Oh." I exclaimed flatly. "That completely slipped my mind."
"No. That's fine. The Riviera is already great." She giggled playfully.
I smirked and led her to the car. "Ladies." I nodded slightly to her friends.
Kat stopped by the door, and I opened it for her.
She gasped as she saw something on the passenger seat. A bouquet of roses, and a huge box of chocolates.
"Steven!" She exclaimed happily and took the rose from the chair. Then, she turned around and showed it to her friends, bragging about it.
"He brought me gifts!" She squealed excitedly.
"That's so nice!" Jody squealed happily, clasping her hands together. Then, her face turned sour for a split second.
Madelyn snorted and said, "So dramatic."
Tara giggled and asked Kat, "Only for you?"
"Yes Only for me!" Kat shouted back.
"I brought some champagne to your parents. If you'd like me to meet them." I whispered to Kat.
"No, they are out tonight. They went swinging with some friends." Kat said seriously.
"They… what?" I was taken aback.
"Oh yeah, they are swingers." Kat giggled at my reactions, adding playfully while biting her lower lips. "They organized orgies too, like every Tuesday if you want to stop by."
"Too bad. I work late on Tuesday." I replied casually.
Kat laughed out loud and said, "I'm lying. I'm trying to mess with you."
"So, your mom isn't a swinger? Damn, and here I thought I had a chance."
She gasped and entered the car, "You have a chance with me. Don't screw it up."
"I mean. I have to take a look at your mom first before deciding."
She opened her mouth again, flabbergasted slightly but had a smile on her face.
On the drive there, the road was pretty dark. Kat leaned in to me and rested her head sideway on my shoulder.
She smells like strawberries. It could be that I was just hungry, but the smell made my heart flutter a bit.
There were barely any cars on the road at this time. There's not even any streetlamps. Countless stars in the sky illuminated the road instead.
"All of my friends are really jealous that you're taking me out." Kat giggled and touched the radio.
I raised an eyebrow since I was listening to the band, Cheap Trick.
It was hard for me to find their cassette tapes, so I made it myself with my laptop and a tape recorder.
"Do you know what station played the songs yesterday? The "I'm a sexy mama" song." She asked.
"What song?" I asked back.
"I'm a sexy mama?" She turned to me.
"Yeah you are." I looked at her, checked her out and said jokingly.
She laughed and pushed out her chest slightly.
She wore a slightly cleavage shirt, not too sexy, but one could peek at her assets if she leaned in next to them… Like she's leaning in to me right now.
And if I know something about girls, there was no way that the dress they picked wasn't on purpose. It was a strategy, based on countless outfit changes they tried before the date.
She also kept glancing at my reaction and pulling down her shirt slightly to expose more skin after realising I wasn't looking at her.
A true master of her craft.
I took my defeat and looked at her. She caught me and laughed, "You're checking out my tits aren't you?"
"I mean… yeah." I replied with a smirk. She wasn't offended by it at all.
At the Riviera. The place was an old school style restaurant. We sat in a booth, and were served with lobsters and broiled steak.
We also got the champagne. The people over there knew who I was as they watched my show.
While we were eating, there were people there who came to me to ask for an autograph.
Kat really enjoyed the attention from the strangers. She revelled in it, as if they were coming to talk to her.
A sexy woman in a provocative red dress came to me. It has slit up to her hips, and she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
She leaned in on the booth and said, "Hey handsome. Aren't you the guy from TV? I love watching you work on those wheels."
"Thank you." I replied politely.
Kat's eyes shook, and she addressed the woman, "We're trying to have a nice time here."
"And you still will, strawberry shortcake." The girl teased Kat. "I'm not trying to get with your man. I mean, I could. But I won't."
"You couldn't." I added.
The woman was caught off guard, and she smirked provocatively.
"Oh, I never found a man who could turn me down yet. You're an interesting guy. Want to ditch this shorty and go back to my place?"
"Sorry. I'm staying with Shorty." I replied casually.
She giggled and said, "I'm Jolene. Nice to meet you Mr Hyde."
Kat glared at the woman with the burning of a thousand sun.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
She turned to me, and her expression softened. "You turned down a sure thing like that for me?"
"I choose you." I added.
She gasped, and melted slightly. "Come on, I don't want to spend another minute in the restaurant. It's ruined now for me."
She grabbed my hand and wanted to leave, but I stopped her and said, "Let me… pay for it first."
"Right." She was taken aback and laughed embarrassedly.
On the drive home, she turned to me and asked, "Who do you think is prettier? Me or that woman?"
"Of course it's you." I replied, not even looking at her. The road was dark, so I was focusing all my attention on it.
"Hmm… Who's prettier, me or Jeannie from "I Dreamt of Jeannie"?"
"Jeannie." I said firmly.
"Ah!" She gasped, offended by my answer.
"Well she's been my crush since I was 14 years old. So you're pitting yourself against an impossible opponent here."
"Hmm.. So you like girls like that huh?"
We drove for a bit, and she finally calmed down.
She turned to me and asked, "Do you want to go rest for a bit?"
"At a hotel?" I asked with a smirk.
"No, like, park somewhere and talk." She said, blushing slightly. "Although, a hotel does sound nice. We can do that for the second date."
"Sure." I smiled slightly.
I made sure to drive to our town first before parking at the makeout spot in Mount Hump.
She sat on top of me, wrapping her arms around my neck and jamming her tongue down my throat.
Not to mention, she kept rubbing my pants with her crotch. I grabbed her ass, kneaded it while kissing her.
Then, I slid my hand down her shirt and unbuckled her bra. She pulled back slightly and said, "That's fast." She took off the bra on her own.
"I have a natural gift with my hands." I replied and kissed her again.
We made out until it was almost 11. Then, I sent her back to her house and walked her to the door.
"Goodnight Steven." She said and kissed me on the cheek.
"Goodnight Kat." I kissed her too.
She grabbed my collar and pulled me in close. Then, she jammed her tongue down my throat again.
"Just like Jeannie, I also can grant your wishes, if you treat me well." She grinned and added, "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
She left, closing the door behind her.
…
The next day, as I woke up to the sound of my phone alarm, I saw a message from the editor.
Editor: I'm done with the framework.
"Great." I got up from the bed and went to take a shower. I had to climb up to the second floor, which meant two flights of stairs to get to the bathroom.
However, I bumped into Laurie in front of the door.
"What are you doing so early?" I asked her skeptically.
"I'm moving today. So I need to pack." She replied. Then, she banged on the door. "ERIC! GET OUT NOW!"
"NO! GO AWAY! I'M BUSY HERE!" Eric shouted angrily.
"What is taking you so long?" Laurie asked annoyedly.
"I just got in! GO AWAY!" Eric argued back.
I shrugged and just walked away. I went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I went back thirty minutes later, but the toilet was still occupied, and Laurie was still banging on the door.
"ERIC!" Laurie yelled with exasperation.
Twenty minutes later, Laurie finally got out and I took a quick shower before going to school.
While I was showering, I realized the IMDb page had been updated.
"Huh?"
I checked the episode description on IMDb. The episode title was, "Laurie Moved Out".
{Synopsis: When Laurie moves from home to a flat with a room-mate, Red not only 'forgets' Eric for her room, which goes to Hyde, even asks when he (finally) leaves home.
As if it wasn't bad enough Laurie tells Kelso he won't get to cheat on Jackie with her at that flat, he was only good 'when there's nothing on TV', she manages to have Jackie witness her returning his green T-shirt from her room.
Donna is no help giving the fake reassurance the fake, bossy 'girl-friend' craves, Hyde enjoys toying with helplessly non-manipulative Michael's torment.
Eric's moment comes next morning, when Red drags him along to check if his favorite's place is fireproof: she's in a bathrobe with hunky Mike, who opens the door in his underwear. Kitty still invites Laurie for dinner…}
(A/N: Actual synopsis.)
"What the fuck?"
I got even more confused when I read the description. Then, I noticed something weird.
"Why is the word girlfriend in quotes?"
…
I went to school with Donna and Eric.
"The parking lot's empty." I said.
"Yeah, there are no people. We're not even early." Donna grumbled.
There was no-entry tape on the school's door, and a notice posted on the glass window.
"'School's closed for the day. The rats chewed the wires again'." Eric read the notice and turned to me with a smile.
I smirked too and said, "Good job, rats."
We laughed and went back home.
I guess the convenience was for us to get back to the episode recording.
I bumped into Kat while we were heading back, and told her about the school.
" Since, we have some time. Why don't we hang out at my house today?" Kat offered, touching my arm slightly.
"I…"
Even though I wanted to say yes, the last time I skipped out of an episode, the system shut down my internet. I didn't want that to happen again.
"I have to edit the documentary today." I told her apologetically. "Why don't we meet later tonight?"
"Oh." She exclaimed, disappointed and embarrassed. She fixed her hair and said, "I'll… wait for your call."
"I'll definitely call you tonight." I replied with a soft smile. "I just have a lot to do today."
"I understand." She giggled and brushed the imaginary dust on my leather jacket. "You're a busy man. I won't stand in your way."
"You're cute." I leaned in and kissed her in front of everyone in school.
She was satisfied with that, but all of her friends looked at her with extreme jealousy.
I went back with Eric and Donna. When we got back, Eric felt a bit hungry as he skipped breakfast.
So he ate cereal, and I drank coffee at the kitchen table. Red suddenly came in with a nervous look and sat at his usual spot, on my left side, and directly the opposite of Eric.
Red bit his finger slightly, and Mrs Forman was making some sandwiches for herself on the kitchen counter.
The system notification rang, and the episode recording began suddenly. I took a deep breath to steady myself for the episode.
"So, Laurie's almost all packed." Mrs Forman said carefully as she looked at Red.
"I can't believe my little girl is moving out. Which reminds me…" Red put his hands down and looked at Eric, "When are you leaving?"
Eric froze by the sudden attack, and he smiled awkwardly. "Never! Because I love it here!" he replied with enthusiastic sarcasm.
"Right…" Red turned to Mrs Forman and said, "Kitty. Do you really think it's a good idea? It might be too soon for her to live on her own."
"Red, she's going to be fine. She's going to split rent with a girlfriend–"
Red interrupted Kitty with irritation in his tone, "She didn't even have a job!"
Kitty replied, "She's going to get a job!"
Eric decided to interject, "Oh. That reminds me. Can I have her room?"
"No, I'm going to give that to Steven." Red replied with a flat tone.
"Me?" I was surprised.
"But I'm your son!" Eric was taken aback. "Daddy?" He called worriedly.
"Red, so… I'm going to stay somewhere near you and Mrs Forman?" I asked carefully.
Red turned to me suspiciously, "Yes. Why?"
"Nothing." I replied, slightly guarded. Eric laughed and said, "Oh. Hyde. You're going to be the Upstairs people now. No more sneaking girls around–"
I stepped on his feet. He winced and quickly changed his words, "To study. He's tutoring them."
Red and Mrs Forman looked at me with suspicion.
I shrugged, stood up and said, "I don't think I'm ready to be the Upstairs people yet."
The recording ended, but the kitchen conversation continued.
"Now, what do you mean by that?" Mrs Forman asked warmly. "You belong in a well lit, well ventilated environment with– with, sunlight and surrounded by the people who love you."
"Well, Laurie has all that too." Eric added. "So why did she turn out the way she did?" He laughed, and I laughed too.
"Hey!" Red snapped at Eric. "That's my little girl you're mocking."
"Sorry Sir." Eric quickly grabbed his cereal bowl and dropped it in the sink.
I approached Mrs Forman and said, "You know what will make Red feel better?"
"What?" Mrs Forman was excited.
"Some ribs." I replied with a smile.
"Oh, you want to eat some ribs? I can make some–"
"I mean, I'm making it." I interjected. "Can I use your oven for lunch today? Or do you need it for something else?"
Red heard it and said, "Why cook it in the oven? Use the grill outside!"
"Red, you never let people touch your grills." Mrs Forman was touched.
Eric was caught off guard and said, "Yeah dad. The last time I tried to flip a burger, you yelled at me till I cried."
"That's because the patty isn't done yet." Red said gruffly.
"I was six!" Eric yelled and left in a huff.
Mrs Forman turned to me and said, "Do you need some help? We can go shopping for ribs together. Just give me one hour to help Laurie pack."
"That sounds nice. I'll wait." I replied with a smile.
As I left, Mrs Forman was launching himself at Red, saying, "He wants to go shopping with me!"
"Sure he does. He respects you and loves you like his own mother." Red replied and teased, "You also drink like his mother, so he might feel homesick."
"That woman is an alcoholic." Kitty was mad at Red and slapped his arm. He winced playfully and rubbed his sore spot.
I went to Laurie's room first as I wanted to check out what could potentially be my new room.
Her walls were painted pink. There was a Ferrari poster calendar by the closet. Next to her door, there was an artwork that said, "Adults Only."
Her metal white frame bed, her orange carpet and the dresser made me scowled a bit.
Layrie was standing by her dresser, packing up her stuff as I walked behind her.
"Man , would you look at this place? It's kinda girlie." I commented.
"It's a girls room, Hyde." Laurie said with exasperation. Her hair was like a lion's mane. A blonde, curly lion's mane.
"Oh, so all those guys, they were just passing through?" I mocked, which made her look at me with a slight irritation.
"Well that's over now. Since this might be my room." I said as I made a rectangle with my hand, trying to picture how I would decorate the place.
"You know, if I cared about this dump at all, that would totally creep me out." She said with disdain.
"Come on Laurie, you're gonna miss your room. It's not like you have no feelings. Ever. About anything." I told her.
She went thinking, but the realization… didn't hit her.
Kelso walked into the room, pumping his fist, "YES! I'm so psyched!" He stood next to me.
"Owww, did you finally figure out how a thermos works?" Laurie mocked him.
"Or you finally squeeze out the marble you swallowed yesterday?" I added.
He looked at me with disbelief and said, "Why are you here?"
"I know… I should call a priest and arrange an exorcism for this place." I grimaced.
"Why are you psyched?" Laurie asked Kelso as I stood in the hallway.
"I'm psyched about your new place, you know. Cause whenever we fool around here I'm always afraid that Jackie's gonna catch us. And I don't wanna hurt her, 'cause I love her. So this is great. It solves everything!" Kelso said excitedly.
" Kelso, you are not allowed anywhere near my new place. EVER!" Laurie said firmly.
"Laurie…" Kelso called out pitifully.
"Hey, do you think smoke travels to the other room here?" I came back in and asked.
Laurie laughed and said, "I tried that once. My mom has a nose like a dog."
"Damn it." I cursed and left.
Kelso fidgeted nervously and angrily, "Wow, I see what's going on here, you're breaking up with me."
"No. For me to break up with you, there would have to be something between us to break." Laurie grinned evilly.
Kelso yelped, pointing his finger at her face, "OHHH! I cannot believe that you're being SUCH a…"
"Bitch?" Laurie finished his words with a casual smile. "Duhhh!" She agreed with it and mocked him at the same time.
" Look Kelso, it was fun, and sweaty and all, but you're just a guy I fooled around with when there was nothing good on TV. Sorry." Laurie said sweetly and left.
"Well, maybe there won't be anything good on TV at your new place!" He shouted after her. He fidgeted again and stomped his feet, "Oh DAMN there is always something good on TV!"
Then, he chased after her.