Chapter 151: Rager. (1)
[Hyde POV]
"Do I still need to go to school tomorrow?" I muttered.
"The episode is a Christmas special, but I still need to go to school?
Shouldn't it be a holiday?"
"Do I need to prepare gifts for everyone?"
"Will it fall on Christmas day, or just close to that?"
The system wasn't answering any of my messages.
I grumbled in dissatisfaction and kicked a trashcan while walking
down an alley.
It didn't fall, but it dented.
After finishing up Eric's Panties episode, I went straight to the alley
to meet with someone.
A black market guy who operated in Point Place underground. He
could find anything for a quarter of the prize.
A guy in a black hoodie suddenly approached me.
"You're the buyer?" He asked.
"Leo, I know you're the seller." I said with exasperation. Leo opened his hoodie and stared at me. His memory wasn't good, but
he remembered me.
"Hey! It's Hyde! Long time no see."
"We met yesterday when I stopped by the Fotohut." I replied with
disbelief.
"Oh. Right. Man. I was so high yesterday. I don't even remember how
I got home." Leo chuckled.
He leaned in and whispered, "So you want to buy the thing man?"
"Yes. I do."
"Alright man."
He pulled out a shiny ring from his pocket.
"Nice." I muttered and picked it up.
"It's fake gold, so it's only three bucks." He said, sniffling slightly
and wiped his nose with his sleeves.
"Leo, are you sick?" I asked.
"No. Man." He replied. "I just want the three dollars man. There's no
need for us to know each other's identities."
I chuckled and said, "Alright. I'll buy it. You have more of these?" "Yeah man. I have tons. More than three… I think."
I need the fake rings for a movie scene. I would buy those fake rings
online, but these weathered rings were more accurate to the scene.
While I was buying the ring, I didn't realize the entire scene was
witnessed by a troublesome figure.
…
[General POV]
A petite red-haired girl watched Hyde from afar as he entered the
alley.
"What are they talking about?" Suzy Simpson, the girl who wanted to
be a cop, peeked at Hyde and Leo from behind a wall.
Since it was dark in the alley, she couldn't see anything.
She held a notebook in her hand. In the notebook, there were a lot
of notes about Steven Hyde.
{Source of money?}
{Buying Fertilizer in bulk?}
{Potential marijuana farm?}
{Illegal modification of cars?} {Manipulating innocent girls into starring in adult productions?}
{Need to know more details.}
Simpson had been watching Hyde for weeks now. But she couldn't
find anything to prove her suspicions.
"He's good." She muttered, feeling challenged.
"I guess I have to use my last resort." She said, puffing up her hair
slightly and pulling her blouse down to showcase her cleavage.
Hyde came out of the alley and Simpson immediately approached
him.
"Hey. Steven, right? Remember me?"
Hyde looked at the girl with disbelief. Then, he remembered her.
"Oh. Simpson, right? You're friends with Linda."
"Yeah. Too bad she had moved away." Simpson said, pretending to be
dejected. "She's the only person I could talk to in this town."
Hyde wanted to ignore her, but her words made him think she had
lost her best friend.
"You know what?" Hyde suddenly remembered his mission to throw a
rager tomorrow. "Why don't you come to my place? Tomorrow at
5-ish? Maybe 6? You can meet new friends there." Simpson sneered inwardly. 'So you can't help yourself huh? Even
though you have a girlfriend, you still are cheating on her. I know
guys like you can't be trusted.'
Simpson said, "Okay. I'll see you then."
Hyde nodded and walked to his car.
He stopped by various places and called a lot of people.
"Since you want me to throw a rager… I'll throw a freaking rager."
Inside Hyde's living room.
Ophelia wore a full suit with a short skirt and tied her hair up in a
professional manner.
She wore glasses and acted out the scenes from the mystery movie
Hyde was producing.
"Your honor, my client is innocent!" She said confidently, her gaze
seemed to carry conviction.
But then, she switched into her girly mode again and shook her hands
to ease up her nerves.
"Why am I so nervous? I really want the role. I need to convince him
to give the role to me." The lawyer in the movie was self-assured, confident, charismatic,
has her own personality, and held herself up with dignity.
Ophelia fell in love with the character and she really wanted to do
the project, even if this was just a TV movie.
…
[Hyde POV]
*Clack*
As I unlocked the front door with my key, I was quite surprised to
see Ophelia standing in my living room, wearing an office lady outfit.
"Are you role-playing?" I asked her with a smirk.
Ophelia wore a full suit with a short skirt and tied her hair up in a
professional manner.
She adjusted the glasses on her face and looked down at the script
again.
Then, she straightened her back.
"Detective, when Mrs. Caldwell found her husband, was she wearing
gloves?"
I froze. She spun her hair, gesturing for me to play along.
"No?" I replied, acting as the detective. I knew all the lines anyway.
"Did you find a pair of gloves on her person?" She added.
"No."
"In her pockets?"
"No."
"Anywhere between the hallway and the study?"
"No."
Ophelia paused.
"And yet there were no identifiable fingerprints belonging to Mrs.
Caldwell on the shotgun."
"That's correct."
"Were there fingerprints belonging to anyone else?"
"No. The weapon had been wiped clean." I said, acting coldly.
"So your theory is that Mrs. Caldwell picked up a shotgun with her
bare hands, fired it, wiped away every fingerprint on the
weapon—including her own—and then somehow neglected to wipe the fingerprints she left everywhere else in the room?"
It was the first counterattack in the story, but her shaky voice
didn't sell the scene.
"Cut."
"Why?" Ophelia whined. "I think I did a great job."
"You… are like a newbie prosecutor instead of a veteran lawyer. I
told you, the role is challenging. It's supposed to go to an older, more
skillful actor."
She pouted and said, "I can nail the role! Just give me another
chance!"
"What about my uncle? Did you give him a chance?"
"Huh?" Ophelia was stunned by my reply.
"Sorry. I just watched Spiderman last week. Alright, I'll give you
another chance. You should go to the courtroom and see how the
presiding goes. You're too amateurish for the role as you are right
now."
She was already sulking, but my words cut through her
professionality and made her quite mad.
"I WILL GO TO THE COURT TOMORROW!" She shouted. "YOU
STUPID IDIOT! ROCK HEADED JACKASS!" She stomped to the front door. As she held the doorknob, I called
her.
"Ophelia, wait!"
"Steven, I'm sorry. I don't mean all of that." She immediately
apologized, looking quite teary.
I laughed with disbelief and said, "I don't mind you blowing up at me.
I always know people who choose being an actress as their
profession are a little crazy. Or maybe it's your time of the month."
"What?" she squinted her eyes and tilted her head with disbelief
and irritation.
"I'm going to have a party tomorrow. You should invite your friends."
"A big party?" her eyes twinkled.
"Yup. A Pre-Christmas Rager."
"Christmas?" She was confused. "It's not Christmas." She giggled
mockingly.
Then, as if she was brainwashed, she immediately smiled and said,
"Oh! That's great. Will you have a Christmas tree? I'll help you
decorate. We need holiday cookies too."
I pulled back slightly, looking at her with a slight horror. The change
was too scary for me. "I also need to buy presents." She said excitedly and said, "There's
so much to do! I need to go shopping now!"
I paused for a bit and said, "Why don't we go together? I need to
grab stuff for the party too."
"That's a great idea!"
"Are you going to wear these?" I asked, pointing at her outfit.
"Why not?" She replied giddily.
…
We went to buy the Christmas tree together. Surprisingly, there
were a few vendors who sold this in the middle of the town.
It was like, in just an hour, everyone was brainwashed into thinking it
was going to be Christmas.
From what I gathered, tomorrow would be the day before Christmas.
'So Christmas Eve. Will the plot spill to the actual Christmas day?'
I bought presents for everyone, but if the plot didn't get to
Christmas, I'd just save it for the actual holiday.
While shopping, I invited the people I know that I bumped with to
the party. I even met Jackie and Donna who were shopping together. "You'll come to the party?" I asked Donna.
"We'll try to stop by." She replied.
Jackie gasped and said, "You know what you should have? Chocolate
fountain."
I grimaced slightly and said, "It's hard to do. I have to buy the
machine."
"What's wrong with splurging? You have the money, don't you?"
Jackie sneered.
"I'm not chocolate fountain rich yet."
"You are." Donna interjected with a teasing smirk. "You are chocolate
fountain rich?"
"Am I?" I thought about it and realized she was right. But it's a
hassle, so I wasn't going to do that.
In the mall, I saw a few businesses doing Christmas giveaways and
charity events.
"Maybe I should do something too."
I called all of my stores and gave my employees a day off for
tomorrow. "Megan, I need you to do something for me." I called my
Vice-Foreman and said, "I need you to plan an event."
"What type of event?" She asked, slightly looking forward to it.
"Let's see… Oh, this is good enough. A free car giveaway. But the
people have to buy at least 30 dollars worth of stuff from the
store. Let's say, first place is a car. New one."
"Second place is a used car. Third place is a bike. Fourth is a washing
machine. Fifth is a—"
"HOLD ON!" Megan stopped me urgently. "I need to write this down!
Wait for a bit."
She put the phone down and rushed to find a pen and paper.
Suddenly, I heard another voice behind the phone.
"Steven. Long time no talk." Talia, Megan's sister, greeted me.
"Hi Talia. It has been a while."
After I decided to pursue Ophelia, I basically ignored her.
She never called me anyway since she was busy with doing murals
around town.
"I saw the artwork on 23rd street. That's quite amazing."
She giggled and said, "I know. I am amazing." I laughed slightly and said, "Are you free tomorrow?"
"Why?"
"I want to invite you and your sister to come to my house for a
party. It'll be a giant rager."
"I've never seen your house before." She mumbled. "I'll bring you a
present."
"That's not necessary."
Megan snatched the phone back from Talia and shooed her away.
"Sorry about that." She said flatly. "What do you want me to do
again? The lottery?"
"Lottery?" I was taken aback. I checked with AI since I
remembered something and sighed with disappointment.
"I think we need to change the campaign a little bit. I just realised a
lottery needs government authorization, and it's a real hassle. We'll
just do a car giveaway tomorrow. You know the game where people
touch the car the longest?"
"Know it? I participated in it a couple times." Megan snickered.
"Just get a Honda or a Corolla. The person who holds on the longest
is the winner." "Okay. I'll call you when I decide on a car."
"Alright. Oh, come to my party tomorrow. You can bring all of your
sisters and friends."
"Party? What party?"
"Christmas Eve party."
"Okay! I'll be there!"
I turned around after finishing the call and was slightly startled.
Ophelia leaned on the door, wearing a sexy Santa Claus outfit. I
could even hear the sexy music coming from the background even if
there was no record being played on the LP.
"Hey there big boy. I heard you've been naughty this year." She said
in a sultry manner, biting her lower lips slightly.
I let out a burst of mirth and said, "I really have been naughty."
"Then, naughty boys have to be put in their places." She sashayed
towards me and pushed me on the couch.
"It's time for your Christmas present boy~" She hiked up her skirt
slightly and sat on top of me before jamming her tongue down my
throat. It was the first time for us to actually go all the way— or so I
thought.
After kissing me for half an hour, she stooped and said, "Alright. I'll
see you tomorrow."
"Wait." I muttered, feeling incredulous. "We're not going to do it?"
"I'm on my time of the month. So we can't." She stuck her tongue out
at me and ran away after wearing a coat to cover up her outfit.
"Oh. She's getting back at me huh?" I sighed defeatedly and tried
hard to calm myself that night.
…
The next day, I went to school even though it was supposed to be
the day before Christmas.
"This timeline doesn't make any sense at all."
As I put stuff into my locker, a few girls I knew approached me.
"Steven. What's this about a party, and why am I not invited?" Amy
asked poutily, crossing her arms as she confronted me.
I looked at her and burst into laughter.
"What are you wearing?" She moved her hand to her side and bounced her steps slightly. "It's
my Christmas sweater."
"Why is Rudolph being hit by a car?" I asked.
The imagery on her sweater was quite horrific. A car hit Rudolph,
while Santa was whipping his elves to make them work.
"I applaud your bravery for wearing something like that to school." I
said, clapping slowly.
She grinned and twirled around. I saw another image on the back of
her sweater. Mrs Claus working the pole.
"I need that sweater." I said seriously. "Give it to me as my
Christmas present. I won't ask for anything else."
She giggled and said, "Alright. What about my Christmas present?"
"I have no idea what you want, so I just got you some books."
Her eyes turned annoyed. "What books?"
"Business."
"Oh." She relaxed, her eyes glinted in excitement. "That's a good
gift."
"I'm not going to wrap it though." "Why not?!" She fumed. "It's Christmas. At least put it in a gift
bag."
"Fine!" I agreed angrily.
The teachers were teaching quite lazily today. No one really wanted
to work if tomorrow was a holiday.
Gym class. Coach Ferguson ordered us to run laps in the gym.
"Come on. My grandma could run faster than this!" he shouted, then
he blew his whistle at me.
"HYDE! WEAR THE GYM SHORTS!"
"HELL NO!" I replied angrily. I wore three-quarter length pants
instead. That was my only compromise.
After we finished running, we sat on the bleachers. Coach Ferguson
gave us some free time since he didn't want to actually teach today.
Kelso leaned on the bleacher, sleazily catcalling the girls who walked
by his side.
"Ladies, you know what you have to do when you see a mistletoe?" He
said, sticking the mistletoe on his crotch.
"Hit it?" I said and smacked him in the balls. "Aoohh." He curled up, whimpering in pain. "Nice one." He smiled,
feeling amused. "I'm going to get you back later."
I chuckled and said, "Like hell you would."
"Believe me. I will!" He said, full of confidence.
Suddenly I saw the bitch and her gang walking towards Delilah– my
lab partner.
'What's that bitch's name again?'
After grilling Delilah, those bitches approached me instead.
Fez whimpered and immediately fade away from the confrontation.
Kelso stood beside me, laughing dumbly and said to the girls, "Don't
fight for it girls, I have enough for everyone."
"Fuck off Smelso." The lead girl– I still didn't remember her name,
but the mean blonde, snapped at him.
Kelso smiled nervously and ran away, leaving me to face the girls
alone.
"Steven Hyde. I hear you're–"
"Who are you again?" I interjected.
The girl was stunned and she meekly replied, "Jaime. Jaime
Hawthorne." "Nope. I still have no idea who you are." I said to myself.
The girl gnashed her teeth slightly. "I hear you're throwing a party."
"So?" I asked condescendingly. "You're sad no one invited you?"
"How come you invited almost everyone except for us?"
"Why the fuck would I want you at my place?" I blinked my eyes
innocently.
Jaime was taken aback.
"You'll regret it Steven." She said threateningly and walked away.
Kelso returned and shouted at her, "Yeah. That's right. Walk away."
I threw my hands in disbelief as I saw him acting tough now.
…
Back at my place. Ophelia had decorated it while I was at school.
Garland hanging from the fireplace, next to the 6 foot Christmas
tree.
Mistletoes on every door. Stockings on the fireplace. Candy canes on
the table.
"What about food?" Eric asked. "I already ordered the food."
Using the internet, I was tracking the food delivery bikes since I
bought them all from an app.
20 large pizzas, 10 buckets of chicken, spaghetti for 50 people, plus
50 meatballs. Sodas, fruit platters to dip into the chocolate
fountain, and no alcoholic drinks.
"Hyde? No beers? Seriously?" Kelso said with annoyance. "We have a
slip and slide at the back, but no beers?"
"I'm not preparing beers." I replied seriously. "I have a hunch that
will cause trouble today."
"But it's a party! We need to have beers at the party!" Kelso said
childishly.
Chapter 152: Rager (2)
[Hyde POV]
The DJ turntable was playing popular music from 1976 and 1977.
Only my friends were at the house for now. We were all in my living
room, each doing our own preparations for the party. Fez wore Santa Claus pants with suspenders and a Santa hat.
Eric walked toward me and suddenly said, "Hyde, I never thought
there would come a day when you'd throw a Christmas party."
As he said that, I knew the episode had begun.
I just looked at him with amusement while finishing up hanging a
disco ball from the ceiling.
Donna joined in and said, "Not only a Christmas party. A Mrs.
Forman-approved Christmas party."
Fez whined in disappointment, "Yeah, Hyde. Where are the beers?"
"I'm not going to get myself in trouble." I smirked, then said in a
baby voice, "I don't want Santa to put coal in my Christmas stocking
this year."
"Eghh." Everyone groaned in disgust except Jackie.
Eric teased, "You want Santa to stuff your stocking with... well, some
stash."
"I do," I replied in my normal voice. "Hopefully he got my letter this
year."
Donna snickered and asked, "You wrote letters to Santa as a kid?"
I nodded and said, "I did. But I never got what I wanted. Santa must
hate poor kids." The spin-off counter, something that hadn't moved in about ten
episodes, suddenly chimed.
[+10 Favorability.]
[Spinoff Counter: 10/250]
I was quite shocked, but I quickly collected myself. Donna and Eric
were taken aback by my answer. They wanted to say something, but
Jackie walked into the living room from the kitchen.
"Steven! You have the chocolate fountain—"
As if reality itself had glitched, Jackie immediately changed her
words.
"Chocolate-covered fruit, just like I wanted! You remembered!"
"You called me at three in the morning and wouldn't let up until I
promised to have it!" I replied angrily. "I even contemplated cutting
my phone cord last night."
Jackie ignored me and said, "I brought some stuff to decorate your
Christmas tree!"
I grabbed her by the arm before she could walk past me toward the
tree.
"Don't touch my tree," I said seriously. Jackie narrowed her eyes, annoyed and slightly offended.
Then, we heard a knock at the front door. Fez opened it, and Kelso
came inside carrying a keg.
"I have come bearing beer!" he shouted excitedly.
"Alright!" Eric and the others exclaimed in celebration.
I turned to him and said, "Kelso! You moron."
Kelso looked at me smugly and said, "Hyde, you don't want a party
with no beer. What have you become?"
Kelso didn't realize it, but Red and Kitty were standing behind him.
"You've turned into a goody-two-shoes, like Eric. In fact, Eric is
cooler than you now," Kelso continued.
"I gotta tell you, Hyde. Living with the Formans has sucked all the
coolness out of you. I think Red especially sucked the life out of
you."
Red walked up behind Kelso with an indescribable,
you-know-he's-going-to-beat-someone-up expression.
Kelso suddenly realized someone was standing behind him and slowly
turned around.
He laughed nervously. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape Red
even if he ran now. "A keg, Kelso?" Red asked coldly.
"On Christmas?" Mrs. Forman asked disapprovingly. "How could you?"
"Yeah, Christmas is a time for wine, isn't that right, Mrs. Forman?" I
interjected.
"Yeah— No! What?" Mrs. Forman turned toward me angrily.
I smiled cheekily and said, "It's a joke. I'm trying to lighten the
mood. It's almost Christmas, so Red, can you kick his ass after the
holiday?"
Red grumbled and said seriously to Kelso, "My foot is taking a rain
check on kicking your ass. But just you wait. It'll come soon."
"Wait. Dad, you're letting it go?" Eric was stupefied. "You never took
a rain check with me."
"Maybe it's because I've realized how grown-up Steven is now. I can
treat him like an adult." Red said proudly, patting me on the
shoulder.
Mrs. Forman looked proud too. "Such a good boy. I'll make sure to
double your Christmas present this year."
"MOM!" Eric whined. "What about my present? Are you doubling
that?"
"Depends. Were you going to drink that beer?" Mrs. Forman asked. "Um..." Eric was taken aback.
"See?" Mrs. Forman smiled teasingly.
"Kelso, go put the keg in my car."
"But— But I bought this with my own money!" Kelso whined. "And I'm
already eighteen!"
"I'll give it back to you once Christmas is over." Red gave him a
mischievous smirk. "Whatever's left of it, anyway."
Kelso whined defeatedly, "Fine!"
He went outside, but gave the Formans a sneaky look before
suddenly running away with the keg.
Red and Mrs. Forman made their rounds, checking to make sure
there was nothing illegal at the party. After they were satisfied,
they left since they were going to dinner with Bob and Midge.
Eric slapped me on the back immediately after they were gone.
"Seriously, Hyde? You sold us out?" Donna asked angrily.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Steven." Jackie sat on the couch,
crossing her arms and sulking.
Fez shouted in my face, "What kind of loser rejects beer!?" I chuckled and said, "Check my kitchen cabinet. Next to the sink."
Eric looked confused, but he did it. Then, he pulled out a case of
beer from the cabinet and put it on the kitchen top.
"HYDE!" Eric shouted excitedly.
"A party without beer? I don't want that either. But I'm also not an
idiot. I already expected them to visit."
Donna laughed and said, "You're getting sneakier."
"Strict parents create sneakier kids. It's practically a law of
nature." I chuckled.
…
[General POV]
After the beginning was recorded, Hyde had some free time to
enjoy the party.
More and more people kept coming to his house.
"Hey, I brought you some housewarming gift."
Talia– Megan's sister, carried with her a frame wrapped in Christmas
wrappers.
"I made it myself." Hyde took it with excitement and said, "Did you paint it for me? Am
I getting the original Talia?"
He ripped off the wrappers, revealing an artwork depicting the fall
of Icarus.
Hyde subconsciously has a gape in his mouth. "This is amazing."
"Thank you. I worked on it for about a month." Talia replied with a
cheeky smile, smoothly approaching Hyde and leaned on his side to
talk about the art.
Ophelia bit off a chocolate covered strawberry angrily as she saw
Talia kept laughing and joking with Hyde from the kitchen.
She wanted to go next to him, but Hyde had warned her to not act
like his girlfriend whenever his group of friends were around.
Tiffany scoffed and said, "Translation; 'I still want to flirt with the
other girls. I'm using a made-up curse in order to get you not to be
mad at me, since I'm a sad boy.' That's what he's doing."
Tiffany and Ophelia glared at Hyde from afar.
Feeling something burning a hole on the back of his head, Hyde
turned and saw the girls. He smiled, took the artwork and went to
Ophelia to share it with her.
"Isn't this amazing? I'm going to put it in my bedroom."
"Icarus huh. Is she telling you to keep it grounded, or you'll crash and lose everything?" Tiffany said sarcastically.
"Won't be the first time. But I'm sure I'll claw my way back to the
top, even with my wings broken. " Hyde replied casually.
But the sheer confidence in his statement made the girls swoon.
The girls; Ophelia, Talia, and even Tiffany.
"Wait. What am I doing? I'm not a part of this." Tiffany whispered
to herself and slowly recused herself from the conversation.
Eric suddenly grabbed Hyde by the shoulder and said to the girls,
"I'm sorry ladies. But I have to steal your man away."
He sat me down inside a circle with Fez, an empty cup in the middle,
and some coins.
"Ah, so we're playing the coin flip game?" I asked.
"If the coin gets in, we can ask someone to drink a cup of beer." Eric
replied, laughing giddily. "We're all going to get so wasted."
"We need a fourth." Fez said as he stacked the coins into a tower.
"What about Donna? She drank like a sea captain." I asked.
"Sure. Donna–"
Kelso ran into the party at this time and sat at the empty seat
before Eric could call his girlfriend. Panting hard, Kelso wiped his sweat and said, "I hid the keg!"
"Where?" I was curious.
"In your basement."
I furrowed my eyebrow and asked, "Then why are you so sweaty?"
"Oh, this isn't from hiding the keg." He said with a mischievous
smirk. "I saw a new dog, so I chased it."
"Understandable." Hyde nodded slightly.
Laurie suddenly walked into the house. She wore a satin halter top
with no bra, and a black jeans to match.
"Hey Kelso." She walked in and hugged Kelso from the back, giving
him a kiss on the cheek.
"He–Hey Laurie." Kelso kissed her awkwardly. "I didn't think you'd
come to Hyde's party."
"I didn't want to, but since you're here… I kinda had to, didn't I?
Otherwise you'll sneak out with some random skank again." She said
venomously.
"Yeah Kelso. The only skank you should sneak out with is Laurie." Fez
said casually.
Laurie got mad and smacked the back of his head. "Why? I was backing you up." Fez asked, holding the back of his head
flabbergastedly.
Hyde laughed and mocked, "She knows she's a skank. But she doesn't
like anyone else saying it."
Laurie nodded and said, "That's… accurate."
"Beers in the fridge." Eric said to Laurie casually. "Go away."
Laurie grimaced, but then she shrugged and went to the kitchen to
grab a can of beer and some food.
Everyone was enjoying the food Hyde bought and the imported
beers.
Suddenly, a police car stopped in front of the house.
Chuck, the football player who's quite close with the gang, suddenly
shouted, "The cops are here!"
Everyone immediately threw their beers into the icebox. Hyde
picked it up smoothly and carried it to the closet, where he stored it
inside his inventory instead.
Luckily no one was smoking marijuana yet.
The atmosphere changed instantly. Someone turned down the music.
The girls were standing behind the boys, cowering slightly. Hyde frowned as the cops were running his mood. Two police
officers were already coming up the porch. Hyde went to the door
and blocked them from entering.
"Party's over," one of them announced. He was a young man in his
twenties. Blonde, an unpleasant facial feature, and a sleazy
expression.
"Why?" Hyde asked, putting a clip on his shirt. It was actually a
recording device he bought from the 2075 internet. It could
transfer the video straight to his computer while still recording
"We've had noise complaints." One of them lowered his hat slightly.
"Noise?" Hyde tilted his head, his tone biting.
His closest neighbor was 300 meters away, and the old man was
deaf.
"Among other things. Move aside."
Hyde didn't move and asked, "Do you have a warrant?"
The other kids in the house were terrified. Eric muttered, "Why is
he not backing down? Those are cops!"
Donna replied, "Because it's harassment, that's why."
The officer scoffed. "Kid, don't make this difficult."
"I asked if you have a warrant." Hyde asked firmly. The second officer stepped forward. "We need to make sure nothing
illegal is happening inside."
"You can do that from there." Hyde pointed toward the porch. "I'm
not consenting to either of you entering or searching my house."
The officers exchanged glances. Then one simply pushed past him.
A few people gasped. Hyde didn't fight him.
"For the record, I have explicitly told both officers that I do not
consent to you entering or searching my property." Hyde muttered.
The officer snickered slightly.
Delilah suddenly grabbed Hyde's arm and pulled him aside.
"Steven." She lowered her voice. "I know them."
"Who are they?"
"Jaime's cousins. She does these things a lot."
Hyde's expression changed. Only slightly.
"So she goes on massive power trips since she taught her cousins will
do whatever she wants?" Hyde snickered.
One of the officers grabbed a boy near the kitchen. "You been drinking?"
"No."
"Empty your pockets."
"What?"
"You heard me."
The boy nervously complied.
"Officer," Hyde interrupted calmly, "what are you searching him
for?"
"Stay out of this."
"You're inside my house. I want to know your probable cause. Right?
Officer Mullaney?"
Jaime's cousin glared at him.
"Keep running your mouth and I'll take you downtown too."
Hyde actually smiled.
"Could you repeat that? For the camera?"
He pointed at the CCTV on the ceiling. The two cops froze in shock.
"You're recording?" Mullaney asked. "Of course."
"Give me the recording, right now!" He demanded.
"Sure. Give me a warrant."
"You bitch–"
Mullaney reached for his gun, but his partner stopped him.
"It's fine. CCTV doesn't have any audio. It's his words against ours."
Mullaney huffed angrily. He grabbed the food tray and pulled it off
the counter. The spaghetti fell on Hyde freshly oiled oak flooring,
which irked him greatly.
"Oops. Butterfingers."
By now, several students were leaving through the front and
backyard.
Hyde didn't stop any of them since he knew they were extremely
uncomfortable, and this was what the cops wanted.
The officers eventually returned outside, but instead of leaving,
they parked their cruiser directly across from Hyde's driveway.
They had to do this since they didn't find any alcohol in Hyde's party. Anyone approaching the party had to pass them. Within ten minutes,
another dozen students had decided to leave.
"Man, they're killing the party," Kelso complained.
"Not for long." Hyde grinned, taking a VCR copy with him and put it
on the TV.
Then, he called someone.
"Point Place Police Department? Officer Kennedy, please."
…
Ten minutes later, three squad cars rushed to the neighborhood.
They blocked the two officer's car, which surprised them.
Officer Kennedy walked to Hyde's house with the Point Place Police
Captain.
"Captain. Nice to meet you. Sorry you have to drive down here on
Christmas Eve." Hyde shook the captain's hand and showed a
business-like smile.
The police captain sweated heavily. The other officers brought the
two young officers to Hyde's living room.
"You— You said you have evidence of harassment?" The police
captain's voice was quaking.
"Sure." Hyde said, invited everyone into his house and turned on the recording from his pin.
The two officers' faces turned pale. The recording played on the
television.
While this was going on, a beautiful girl rode her bike to Hyde's
house and parked near the driveway.
Suzy Simpson, the wannabe cop, noticed a lot of police cars around
the area and widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Are they raiding him already? They shouldn't do it yet! I still
haven't gotten any evidence!"
She rushed to the house, and stumbled into the scene where the
police captain was watching the recording– with crystal clear image
and audio, of the harassment Hyde received.
Everyone watched Mullaney and his partner enter the house despite
Hyde explicitly refusing them permission.
First law broken.
Then came the threats.
Second law broken.
The search.
Third law broken. Finally, Mullaney appeared on screen, grabbing the tray of spaghetti
and pulling it off the counter.
"Oops. Butterfingers."
The fourth crime.
Silence filled the living room as the recording ended.
Hyde sat on the couch and crossed his leg slightly. He was channeling
his inner Raymond Reddington in the confrontation.
Captain Harris slowly turned toward the two officers.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
"Captain, these kids were throwing a party. We had reason to
believe—"
"Then why didn't you get a warrant?"
Mullaney went quiet.
His partner hurriedly interjected, "We thought there was alcohol
involved."
"Did you find any?"
"No, sir."
"Drugs?" "No."
"Weapons?"
"No."
Captain Harris gnashed his teeth.
"Then what exactly justified all of that?" He almost slapped the
officer.
Everyone there was mortified. Hyde scoffed slightly.
For Suzy Simpson, the police captain's action was breaking the
perception she had on cops.
For her, cops were supposed to stick with each other no matter
what.
Officer Kennedy stood beside the captain with his arms crossed.
Unlike the others, he knew Hyde well enough to understand what was
happening.
"Steven. I thank you for calling me first." He said gratefully.
Hyde nodded and said, "Sure. You helped me out a lot. But I don't
think I have any goodwill in me if this happens again."
The officers went silent. Most of the officers who came to the house knew Hyde from his
concert security details and family members who worked with Hyde
in his various businesses.
"Alright. I'll punish them. Just get the tape–"
Hyde sat casually on the arm of his couch, smiling at the cops.
"Captain, I should probably tell you something before we continue."
Captain Harris looked at him apprehensively.
"Two copies of that recording have already been sent out." He said
with a menacing grin.
The captain's expression stiffened.
"One went to the mayor."
Mullaney swallowed.
"The other went to a friend of mine at ABC. You know, the major TV
station."
The entire room seemed to become quieter. Even the teenagers
understood what that meant.
Hyde's smile remained. "So you don't have to worry about me losing
the tape."
Officer Kennedy almost smiled. 'Smart kid.' 'He's blackmailing the cops? Oh, I knew it! He's a bad dude!' Suzy
Simpson gritted her teeth as she stood at the side.
"Steven..." Captain Harris wiped the sweat forming on his forehead.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Nothing unreasonable."
Hyde stood up and walked to the duo.
"I employ hundreds of people in this town. I've put money into
businesses here. I've brought events here. I've done everything I
can to make Point Place a better place to live."
He gestured toward the television.
"And two of your officers decided they could walk into my home,
harass my guests, search people without explaining why, threaten
me, deliberately damage my property, and then sit outside my house
intimidating everyone who tried to come in."
The captain glanced toward Mullaney.
Hyde's smile disappeared. "If they'll do that to me, Captain, what do
they do to someone who doesn't know the mayor?"
Officer Kennedy immediately spoke. "He's right."
Mullaney glared at him. "You nig–" The captain slapped him again. "Say it, I dare you."
Kennedy didn't care about the racial slurs. He was already fed up
with this.
"You crossed the line. Both of you know it." Captain Harris exhaled
heavily. His heart was thumping. He knew for sure he was fucked.
He was fucked beyond measure.
"What happens to the copies if I… punish them?" Captain Harris
finally asked.
Hyde smiled again. "I mean, they are only there for safekeeping. So
I guess nothing."
He added, "As long as nothing happens that gives those people a
reason to watch them."
Captain Harris stared at Hyde for several seconds. Then he nodded.
"Fair enough." He turned toward the officers and demanded,
"Badges."
Mullaney froze.
"Captain—"
"Your badges. Now." "You can't be serious!"
"I said now!"
The entire party watched in stunned silence as the two officers
reluctantly removed their badges.
"And your guns!"
The two gave their guns to the captain too.
Officer Kennedy took them away.
"You're both suspended effective immediately. You'll report to my
office tomorrow morning. Internal review starts first thing."
Hyde interjected. "Captain. I don't want them suspended."
The two officers stared at him. The captain gulped slightly.
"I want them fired." He said with burning rage in his eyes.
Hyde was desperately holding back from exploding. Eric and Kelso
were the only ones who recognized it, but they were too scared to
confront the cops or get close to Hyde.
Mullaney's face twisted with rage.
"You little—" Officer Kennedy immediately stepped between them. Captain Harris
looked exhausted.
"I can't promise you that tonight, Steven. There are procedures I
have to follow."
"That's fair. But I expect those procedures to actually happen. Not
transfer to another station and their crimes sweep under the rug.
True… accountability. That's what I want."
"They will." Captain Harris extended his hand. "And for what it's
worth, I'm sorry. This should never have happened."
Hyde shook it. "Apology accepted."
The captain left with the officers.
For several seconds after the door closed, nobody spoke.
The teenagers simply stared at Hyde.
Then Kelso broke the silence.
"Dude."
"What?" Hyde asked.
"DUDEE!" Eric joined in.
"Sure. Dude now. But I had to do this all alone." Hyde complained
sarcastically. The two of them looked embarrassed.
Fez came out of the closet and asked, "Are they gone?"
"Wait. Fez, were you in the closet the whole time?" Eric asked.
"Yes!" Fez nodded. "Since the very beginning. I'm in the closet, now I
can finally get out of the closet after watching those two cops walk
away."
Hyde held back a laugh and asked, "How long has it been since you
live in the closet?"
"Long enough. I had to suffer a lot. I need to pee, but I can't." He
fidgeted a bit.
"Go to the bathroom, Fez!" Eric said quickly. Fez ran away and I took
the beers out from the system storage.
"Oh. Simpson. You're here." Hyde greeted the girl casually.
The future cop was frozen in disbelief.
"So you were drinking illegally?" She asked.
"Huh?"
Chapter 153: Rager (3) [Hyde POV]
"There are no more interruptions. You can all enjoy the party now."
The crowd cheered after I addressed the issue.
The sky darkened as night fell. The ones who had left during the
whole cop fiasco eventually came back.
I introduced Simpson to Donna, hoping she could make some friends
now that Linda was gone.
But for some reason, she kept staring at me throughout the party.
"Hey, Laurie. Want to play a game?" I asked.
Laurie was taken aback, but she agreed to it.
"We'll take turns, the person who hit the bell loses. And they'll get
hit with this."
I gave her the aluminum food tray cover.
"Is that it?" She asked.
"If you curse, you lose two bucks." I added.
Eric held the video camera and recorded the match. It was a game I
always saw on Youtube. The person who lost their tempers first
usually lost the game. The bell was covered by a plastic bowl. We could hit the bowl and
move it, but not the bell.
No one could skip their turn.
The crowd formed a circle, watching the match between Laurie and
I. Ophelia whispered something to Tiffany and both of them giggled.
"Ready? Go!" Kelso said excitedly.
I slapped the bowl, then Laurie did, then I picked the bowl up, and
she slammed her hand right on the bell.
*BAM!*
I hit her head as hard as I could with the tray, causing it to bend.
Everyone gasped and laughed as they saw Laurie stunned and her
anger slowly rising up.
"So that's how the game works. I didn't know it before. Let's do it
again." She said, gritting her teeth hard.
"Sure."
*Bam."
*Bam!*
*BAM! BAM!* Laurie rubbed her hurting temple. She glared at me murderously. I
slipped once and hit the bell.
She stood up and hit me the hardest she could.
*BAMMM!*
Her expression was full of euphoria.
"Take that you bastard!" She cursed.
"Two dollars." I said casually. The hit didn't hurt at all.
I taught people to play beer pong, tortilla rock paper scissors, and
many more party games.
The liveliness of the party returned since the cops stole it moments
ago.
Eric, Kelso, Fez, and I played a drinking game we couldn't play
before. We all targeted Eric, which eventually turned him into a
belligerent drunk.
Kelso grabbed him and said, "I'm going to bring him home."
"Why?" Fez asked, confused.
"It's funnier. Red will get so pissed." Kelso pulled Eric up and laughed
silently. I chuckled and said, "Say, that is funny."
They left, with Laurie following them out.
"There are no hot guys at the party," she complained as she took two
beers with her.
The beers I bought had run out. I didn't want to take out the keg, so
people were leaving the party in droves.
But a few of those who had left earlier returned to the party.
"Hey, everyone." Jackie came in with her date's arm wrapped around
her waist.
"This is Chip," she said, introducing the man next to her. "He's been
after me for a while, so I just said, what the hell?"
Donna widened her eyes in shock.
…
The party went on. Ophelia and I were talking near the fireplace.
I leaned against the wall, clutching a beer while staring into her
eyes.
"You look so beautiful tonight."
She was wearing a silky red one-piece dress with her hair blown out. Ophelia snorted and said, "After the party is almost over? Really?"
"You mad I didn't give you any attention?"
She sulked and said, "I'm not," but I knew it was bothering her.
"It is quite unfair." I nodded slightly.
She perked up and said, "At least you're clear about it."
"The alternative is us not being together. So which one do you
want?"
She went silent and narrowed her eyes at me. "You know, Tiffany has
this crazy idea that the only reason you're doing this is because you
still want to flirt with other women."
"Even if we're dating, if I wanted to flirt with another woman, I
could just do it. I don't really need this elaborate scheme for that."
"That is true. All men are sick cheaters." Ophelia nodded in
agreement.
I scoffed and said, "Blanket statements like that really hurt, you
know?"
"You're friends with Kelso. He kissed over four girls at this party. He
even tried to kiss Tiffany under the mistletoe. Weren't you the one
who said men are easily influenced by the people around them?" That was something I said while making the comedy movie. Now, it
was being turned back against me.
"But Eric is a goody-two-shoes. His influence cancels out Kelso's," I
argued.
"Then what about Fez? Is he okay with cheating?" she asked.
"I don't think so. He can't even get a girl," I replied.
Fez was within earshot, and he immediately walked toward me.
"I heard you, Hyde!"
"I'm just telling the truth. Where even is Caroline? Did you not invite
her?"
Caroline was a new transfer student Fez had a crush on after they
had gym together. I told him to invite her to the party so he'd have
a chance to talk to her, but she didn't come.
Fez confessed, "I didn't ask her."
"Why?" Ophelia asked, confused.
"Because there are a lot of men at this party," Fez said with
displeasure.
Ophelia and I stared at him in disbelief, silently demanding an
explanation. Fez continued, "What if someone hits on her first? I don't want
that, so I didn't invite her."
He walked away to grab a soda after that.
I snickered and said, "So, you saw it. What kind of influence is Fez
having on me now?"
"Maybe a... creep. Or a very obsessive person." Ophelia gently held
my hand. "Either way, I'm fine with that."
She pressed her palm against mine and gasped. "Your hand is so big.
And it's full of calluses."
I stared at her in disbelief and snorted. "You're using a flirting
technique on me? Really?"
"Technique?" She tilted her head, confused. "What is that?"
"Something like this. Look over there."
She followed my finger as I pointed behind her, but there was
nothing there. Suddenly, she felt a gentle touch beneath her chin,
turning her face back toward me.
I pulled her close and gave her a kiss.
"Like this."
She blushed hard and tried to contain her smile. "I thought you
didn't want people to know about our relationship?" "There are barely any people left around here."
Ophelia turned and saw only a few people inside the house. Everyone
else was in the backyard, enjoying the music and dancing.
"Do you want to go to my room?" I asked her.
Her eyes widened. She thought about it for a moment before
nodding.
But before we could go anywhere, Talia approached me.
"Hey, Steven. I'm going home now," she said casually.
"Oh, it's already..." I checked my watch. "Ten thirty."
"Yes. I still have to wrap my gifts." She giggled.
Ophelia glared at her from the side, but Talia didn't catch it.
It was a fake Christmas, but everyone here was treating it like the
real thing.
"That reminds me, I have to wrap some gifts too," I mumbled.
Just in case the plot continues until tomorrow.
I noticed the recording had started a few times while I was
partying, but I guessed the plot was happening over at the Formans'
house. Talia gasped and said, "You don't have to do that. I'm fine with just
getting a Christmas card."
I chuckled slightly. I hadn't gotten her a gift, but she had given me a
really personal painting that she'd spent about a month making. I felt
bad not giving her anything in return.
I bought an art set for her online and said, "You'll get yours
tomorrow."
"Thank you!" She hugged my arm slightly. Then she asked tipsily,
"Want to go back to your room and make out?"
Ophelia immediately interjected, pulling me behind her as she
confronted Talia.
"He's drunk. So no."
"It's fine. I'm also a little drunk. But not so drunk that I'm not in my
right mind. Just enough to make the make-out session even better."
Talia's words were quite tempting.
"Sorry. I have a girlfriend," I told her honestly.
Taken aback, Talia gasped and widened her eyes.
"Really? Just after a month?" "A month is a very long time!" Ophelia scoffed. "Guys move on pretty
quickly."
"But I thought we had something special," Talia muttered, slightly
choked up.
Flabbergasted, I quickly said, "I don't think I was leading you on. I
really thought you weren't interested since you haven't contacted me
in a really long time. Even Megan told me you weren't interested."
"What?!" Talia fumed. "Megan told you that?!"
"Yeah." I nodded slightly.
"MEGAN!"
Talia shouted her sister's name and stomped away to find her.
I laughed and grabbed Ophelia's hand, trying to lead her away, but
she wouldn't move.
I turned around and saw that she was sulking again.
"Oh no." I shook my head in exasperation.
…
[General POV]
While Hyde was throwing his party, Eric was lying on the couch with
a damp rag on his forehead. "Ugh. My head hurts," he mumbled.
"That's your brain trying hard to comprehend its own stupidity," Red
replied.
When Kelso dropped Eric off, Red caught him doing impressions of
him in the driveway.
Then Eric threw up on Red's shoes.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Kitty Forman quickly went to answer it.
"I got it!"
She opened the door and froze.
"Bud?"
It was Hyde's father.
"Hey, Kitty." Bud entered, carrying a gift bag with him. "Merry
Christmas."
"What's in that? A six-pack?" Red asked sarcastically.
"How did you know?" Bud asked, taken aback as he pulled a six-pack
out of the bag. Red grumbled in exasperation while Kitty laughed awkwardly.
"What are you doing here, Bud?" Red asked.
"Oh. I thought I'd drop Steven's gift off here. Can you give it to
him?" he asked, handing another bag to Kitty.
"It's not more beer, is it?" Kitty asked warily.
Bud laughed and said, "He might enjoy that. But no."
Red asked, "Why didn't you drop it off at his house yourself?"
"You know how it is. He wants nothing to do with me." Bud sighed in
exasperation.
"So you want us to help you talk to him?" Kitty asked.
"It'd be great if you could, but I don't have high hopes. If there's
anything I learned from his mother... it's that they really know how
to hold a grudge."
"Yeah, definitely a grudge. Couldn't possibly be because you were
gone for half his life. Surely that's not the real reason," Red said
sarcastically.
Bud smiled wryly.
"Okay. Also, if you could tell him that it's his niece's first Christmas,
and we want to take a family picture together... if he wants to join
us." "Talk to your son on your own, Bud," Red interjected. "In fact, we're
going there right now."
"We are?" Kitty asked, taken aback.
"He lied to us. He has beer. We should go over there and shut the
party down," Red said, pointing at Eric.
…
The party.
Jackie suddenly walked toward Hyde, who was trying to placate his
girlfriend in the living room.
"Hey. I found this with my name on it. Is this my gift?" Jackie
asked, showing Hyde a pink jewelry box.
Ophelia gasped again and almost walked away, but Hyde grabbed her
wrist to make her stay.
"It is a gift for Jackie."
"I knew it—"
"My niece Jackie. Not Burkhart Jackie."
"Oh!" Jackie exclaimed defeatedly. Ophelia blushed in embarrassment over her own misunderstanding
and asked, "What are you giving her?"
"A bracelet. Hopefully her parents won't pawn it off somewhere," he
replied sarcastically.
"What about my gift? What about me? Where's my gift?!" Jackie
demanded.
"Do you have any gifts for me?" Hyde asked.
She froze for a moment before replying, "I actually do."
She took a paper bag out of her purse and showed it to him. Hyde
widened his eyes slightly and laughed in satisfaction.
"This is a really great Christmas gift. Thanks, Jackie—"
She pulled it back before he could take it.
"Where's my gift?" she demanded.
"In my bedroom," Hyde replied. "On my table. The gift has your name
on it."
Jackie shoved the bag of marijuana into Hyde's arms and rushed
upstairs to grab her gift.
However, she returned to the living room a moment later, completely
disappointed. "Give me the password!"
Hyde's bedroom door was secured with an eight-digit keypad lock, so
only he could get inside. He had installed it after Ophelia moved out
of the house.
Outside on the porch.
Megan was talking to Donna about cars. It was rare for her to be
able to talk with a girl about it so she was really enjoying the
conversation.
Until Talia came to confront her.
"Why did you tell Steven I'm not interested in him?" Talia asked,
holding her waist.
Megan scoffed and said, "You told me you don't want to meet him."
"That day. I don't want to meet him that day."
"How should I know that's what you mean? Anyway, he has a
girlfriend now."
Donna's ear perked up. "He has a girlfriend? Is it Ophelia?"
"Yeah. He didn't tell you?" Megan was puzzled.
"No, he always says they aren't together." Donna muttered.
Talia gasped and said, "So that meant I still have a chance." Donna saw a black Corolla driving down the street and flinched.
"Shit! It's the Formans. Everyone hide your beers!" Donna ordered
and rushed inside the house.
Jackie, Ophelia, and Hyde were in Hyde's bedroom.
Jackie took out her gifts and scowled instantly. "Nancy Drew's
novels?"
"Don't you like those?" Hyde asked.
"When I'm a freshman. Not anymore!" She said begrudgingly. Then
she took out a gift meant for someone else. "What did Donna get?"
"A signed Cheap Trick album." I replied.
Jackie wasn't interested in that either. "What about this– For
Laurie? You're even giving Laurie a gift?!"
She hit the box, and suddenly she heard a buzzing sound coming
from within.
"Hmm? What is that?"
"Um. You don't want to know," Hyde said seriously.
The box continued buzzing loudly. Both girls stared at it in
confusion. Suddenly, Donna barged into the room and shouted, "The Formans
are coming!"
"Damn it!"
Hyde quickly rushed to the living room.
The Formans had already entered the house by the time he got
there.
"Alright! Party's over!" Red shouted angrily.
The kids were all startled. Kitty stopped the music.
"Why?" Fez asked, stuffing his face with chocolate-covered
strawberries.
"You know why." Red approached him and gave him a terrifying glare.
Fez whimpered.
"Let's leave."
Everyone followed him out of the house, leaving only Jackie, Donna,
Ophelia, and Hyde inside.
"How could you do that?" Red demanded, turning toward Hyde. "How
could you give these kids beer?!"
Hyde sighed and turned to Jackie. "Jackie, did I give you any beer?"
"No, you did not." Jackie shook her head.
"What about Donna? Or the foreign kid?" Red asked, scoffing
slightly.
"They're almost eighteen. They aren't kids anymore. Besides, no one
really knows Fez's true age. He could be a thirty-year-old man with a
baby face," Hyde said cheekily.
"No one got blackout drunk or got hurt... except Eric," he added with
a smirk. "And we did that on purpose as a Christmas prank. Party or
no party, he would've gone home exactly the way you found him."
Red was stunned by Hyde's audacity. But he respected it.
Suddenly Hyde saw Buddy and grimaced instantly.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, putting his guards up.
Mrs. Forman interjected and said, "He has a gift he wants to give
you– So– so we brought him here."
"I don't need the gift. So you can just bring it back." Hyde rejected
it firmly.
Mrs. Forman felt a pang of guilt in her heart.
"Steven. It's Christmas. Can you hear him out first?" She said, trying
to placate him. "No." He rejected it after thinking for a while. "I'm not going to be
guilt-tripped by a fake, capitalist holiday and mend my relationship
with him. What is this? A Christmas special?"
Bud sighed after hearing Hyde's sarcastic words. Still, he held out
his gift.
"I wanted to drop this off at their house, but they brought me here
instead." He gave Hyde a weary smile. "Merry Christmas, Steven."
Hyde didn't accept it. Bud stood there awkwardly for a moment
before placing the gift on the table.
"Merry Christmas." He said, then he left.
Mrs. Forman was furious.
"Steven Hyde, I understand that you're angry with your father. And
you have every right to be angry with him."
Hyde was slightly surprised.
"But Christmas isn't about keeping score!" she continued. "It's about
family. It's about forgiveness and kindness and opening your heart to
people, even when they don't deserve it yet."
"Mrs. Forman—"
"No. You listen to me, young man." Hyde immediately closed his mouth.
Kitty pointed toward the door Bud had just walked through.
"That man came here because he wanted to give his son a Christmas
present. He didn't ask you for money. He didn't ask you for anything.
He didn't even ask you to forgive him. He just wanted you to accept
his present."
Hyde's expression hardened.
"Presents? Why should I accept one from him? Just look over
there."
Mrs. Forman turned toward the Christmas tree. There were dozens
of presents underneath it.
"So because you already have plenty of presents, you can't accept
one more?" Mrs. Forman asked angrily.
Hyde scoffed. Then he walked over to the tree and picked up one of
the boxes.
"I wrapped this one myself."
Mrs. Forman frowned.
"I already know what's inside. An Evel Knievel motorcycle toy." Hyde
stared at the box. "I wanted one for Christmas when I was ten." Mrs. Forman froze. Hyde put it down and picked up another.
"A baseball glove. I wanted this when I was twelve."
Another present. "A guitar. Fourteen."
His voice had lost its sarcasm by then. He looked down at all the
presents underneath the tree.
"I finally got all the Christmas presents I wanted growing up."
Hyde let out a hollow chuckle. "And I had to buy every single one of
them myself."
Mrs. Forman's anger disappeared. Hyde pointed toward the gift Bud
had left on the table.
"So why should that one mean anything to me now?"
"Steven. It's not… relationships… especially between parent and
child–"
"Mrs Forman." Hyde stopped her. "Don't ruin Christmas for me, will
ya? I am finally at a place where I enjoy the holiday, not getting
jealous of other kids receiving presents from their parents while I
get nothing."
"I just want to enjoy the day without the memories even popping up
in my brain. Can't I do that? Can I be happy, at least on Christmas
day? With my friends and people I actually like?" Mrs Forman couldn't speak after hearing his earnest request.
She came to the realization, the person ruining Hyde's Christmas
right now, was her– or would be her if she kept forcing this to
happen.
Kitty hugged Steven silently and said, "Alright. I'll let it go for now."
"Can't you let it go forever?" Hyde asked cheekily.
She replied, "No."
"Alright! Give me all the beers!" Red demanded. He kept quiet since
he was uncomfortable with emotions before.
"I don't have anything. But I know where Kelso hides his keg." Hyde
replied.
"Good enough." Red nodded slightly.
They didn't leave, instead the Forman brought Eric and Laurie to
Hyde's house to celebrate Christmas that night.
They sang on Christmas Eve, and snow started to fall around
midnight.
The next day, Hyde finally opened up all of his presents.
Eric noticed Hyde hadn't opened the present his dad gave him and
asked, "If you don't want to open it, can I?" "Sure. Help yourself," Hyde replied callously.
Eric opened it and discovered a pair of soccer boots inside.
They had never been worn. The leather was still pristine, but they
had that old-shoe smell from being stored away for eight years
without anyone ever using them.
"Why children's soccer shoes?" Eric asked, puzzled.
Hyde glanced at them and sighed.
"I wanted those when I was eight. He still remembers."
There was a letter inside the box too. Eric picked it up and unfolded
it.
"There's a letter."
Hyde didn't respond, so Eric started reading it aloud.
"Steven,
I bought these for you eight years ago. I was going to give
them to you after your game.
I know you probably remember what happened instead.
I kept them. I don't really know why. Every time I moved
somewhere, I packed them up and brought them with me. A
couple of times I thought about throwing them away, but I
never could. I know they don't fit you anymore. I know giving them to you
now doesn't make up for anything either.
I guess I just wanted you to know that I never forgot about
that day.
I'm sorry I wasn't there when your game ended.
I'm even more sorry it took me eight years to come back.
Merry Christmas, Steven.
Dad."
Eric slowly lowered the letter. The room had become completely
silent. Laurie couldn't even crack up a joke or insult Hyde like she
usually does.
Hyde stared at the soccer boots for a while. Then he picked one up
and placed it beside his foot.
It was almost comically small.
"They would've fit me perfectly," Hyde muttered.
Hyde put the shoe back inside the box and added, "Eight years ago."
He picked up the box and tossed it into the nearby trash can, letter
and all.
Red stared at the trash can for a moment. "Well… next year, we're just giving him socks."
Kitty, whose eyes were teary from listening to the letter, slowly
turned toward Red in disbelief.
"What? That's all I got." Red completely broke the sad atmosphere