[Hyde POV]
When Victoria's ex, Mitch, and his partner John came, the entire house was filled with the sound of loud conversations.
At first, John feared me. He thought I came all the way from Wisconsin to lynch him.F
That was half an hour ago. He's fine with me now, although he still flinches at times.
Shannon shared her stories again to John and Mitch this time and wasted another hour. I have two hours left before I need to get to the airport.
"So, what do you think? He's playing with me right?" Shannon asked Mitch.
Mitch, the tall lanky man with a mustache said pitifully, "Oh Honey. You never had a man turn you down before huh?"
"He didn't turn me down. He's just repressing his feeling of intense love for me." Shannon said confidently.
Victoria and I snuck away while the three were talking.
Victoria whispered, "That must be tough." Her eyes were filled with amusement as she knew I didn't like clingy girls.
"Tell me about it." I sighed. "She doesn't seem to understand English."
"Do you want to sneak out of here and go take a walk at the beach?" She asked.
"I'd like that."
We went out together through the back door.
The beach was a fifteen minute walk away. The place wasn't for swimming, so there weren't many people around.
My bare feet submerged into the sand slightly as we walked by the coastline. We left our shoes by the side, only to have hope that it wouldn't get stolen.
Victoria's hair fluttered from the gentle breeze.
We met each other's eyes and chuckled slightly.
Victoria asked, "So, did you date anyone?"
"I thought we had an unspoken understanding not to ask that," I said, smirking.
She blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well… I didn't date anyone serious. But I went out with a couple guys. Nothing past the first date, though."
"That explains the back massager in your living room."
Her eyes went wide, and she swung a hand at me. "I don't have a back massager!"
"I know, I know," I said, grinning. "You didn't use it for your back."
She gave chase, and I ran, laughing, letting her catch up after a few minutes.
"I did date two people," I admitted once she'd worn herself out. "One barely counts. The other… She kissed Kelso while I was laid up from food poisoning. So yeah, we broke up."
"Kelso? And you're still friends with him?" Victoria teased, narrowing her eyes.
I shrugged. "Made him burn down his van before taking him back as my best friend. Gotta keep people in line."
Victoria laughed, shaking her head. "Good. Make him suffer. What about the other one?"
I tilted my head, measuring how to answer. "She's… a good person. But it didn't work out. She thought I was too easily manipulated by her mother."
"What did her mother want with you?" Victoria asked curiously.
"For us to settle down. Diamonds and commitment. I'm fine with it, she didn't want it."
Victoria looked at me, a little disappointed. "Oh. So… you love her?"
"We dated for a month, so I never really got to that point yet."
I instinctively hid the fact that Brooke told me she loved me. I didn't even realize I did that.
"I see." Victoria trailed off, not asking anymore. "We should go back now. Or you'll be late."
I have around 30 minutes left. The sun was already down. "Alright. Let's go back."
When we returned, the three people were having a really intense movie discussion.
"Do you want to use my shower to freshen up?" Victoria offered.
"That would be great. I need to change clothes too since I'm going on a plane."
Again, I really hated the flying culture at this time. Why do I need to wear a suit and tie to sleep on the plane? I wanted to wear sweatpants and pajamas.
After I finished showering, I heard something that caught my attention.
"So, we can invest in movies too?" John said with astonishment, looking at Shannon excitedly.
"Yeah, as long as you know the right people." Shannon was convincing him like a salesman.
I grimaced and interjected, "Don't fall for her tricks. Movie investment is really risky. My friend invested over 5 million and never saw a dime in return."
"Wait, really?" Mitch was shocked. "I almost invested in her movie."
"Hey. As long as the movie's good, the money could quadruple. Or even quintuple!"
"Unless you're investing in Spielberg, Lucas or Coppola, just keep your money." I rebuked her.
She pursed her lips again and grumbled in annoyance.
I changed into a nice suit and stood in front of Victoria.
"So, I'm going back now." I said calmly.
Her eyes were glossy. Like she didn't want me to go. But she couldn't say it.
"Have a nice flight home." She said as she hugged me. "Thank you for coming to check on me."
"Hey, the next time I'm finding cars for my shop, I might come visit you again. Of course, if you want me to–"
"I want you to!" She interjected quickly. "You're always welcomed here at my place."
I smiled and patted her head, before pulling her closely and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
The taxi driver was already in front of the house. I waved goodbye to Victoria and left to go to the LAX airport.
In my hand was a polaroid photo of me and Victoria. She wanted to take a picture of us, and I had the camera with me. I gave her a copy and kept a copy to myself.
…
After a ten hour flight, with a layover, I finally arrived at Chicago O'Hare airport.
I took a cab to the city, and took out the Chevelle from the system storage in an alley somewhere.
Then, I drove for two and a half hours to get to Point Place, arriving home at around 8 in the morning.
I yawned and went to the autoshop to send the car. All of my workers were already there, starting up the day.
"Boss, we missed you!" Megan said, bouncing on her heels. "It was boring without you!"
I laughed. "Well, you can start dismantling this Chevelle to kill some of that boredom. I need to swing by the bank first."
I grabbed the half a million in cash and headed over, sliding it across the counter to deposit it.
The bank manager's eyes nearly popped out of his head, but when he saw my tax documents and Vegas papers, he quickly started processing the deposit.
Once it was done, I leaned on the counter, smiling faintly. "Say, what if I wanted to set up a trust… or even a foundation?"
The manager blinked, straightening his tie. "A… trust or a foundation, sir? For what purpose?"
"For protection, investments, a little legacy maybe," I said casually. "Mostly charity."
The man nodded and said, "I'll bring you to our asset manager."
The asset manager smiled sleazily.
"We can help with that, sir. Trusts, foundations, even charitable setups. I'd need to see your financial statements, tax returns, and a few legal forms, of course."
I signed a few things and opened up the foundation.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, sir… we can start drafting documents today if you like. You want it structured as revocable, irrevocable…?"
"Revocable for now," I said, tapping the counter. "I like to keep my options open until I know what to do with it."
"Of course, sir. We'll get everything ready for you."
I found a lawyer too, recommended by the bank manager. For the entire cost of operation, I would need to pay 7 thousand per year.
"Now, the final thing to do, was to decide what charity I want to use this on."
…
"Steven!" Mrs. Forman wrapped me in a hug the moment I stepped through the door.
"I'm still in one piece, Mrs. Forman," I said, half-laughing.
"You must be exhausted. Go rest." She chased me away, but held me back abruptly, "What do you want to eat? I'll cook anything."
"Thanks," I said, "but I'm going to sleep first."
Having someone who cared whether I lived or had eaten or not, was truly a refreshing feeling for me.
I collapsed onto my bed and didn't wake up for five hours. Mrs Forman cooked for me and left it on the lunch table before she went to work.
"Although, it is a bit lonely eating all by myself." I said as I ate the sandwiches at the dining table.
Finally, I returned to the autoshop.
Everything I'd ordered had already arrived.
The chassis, engine, and components sat neatly stacked, still smelling of fresh-cut metal. It also looked quite menacing with the black powercoating.
I pulled them out of storage, loaded them onto a truck, and brought them inside the shop from the warehouse the items were delivered to.
I also kept all 20 cars in my storage system in the same warehouse, emptying the system storage.
Then, after a quick stop at the DMV to make everything legal, I bought the chassis to the autoshop.
The new chassis didn't even look like it belonged to a stock Chevelle anymore as it looked quite advanced.
The guys gathered around as they began dry-fitting it beneath the Chevelle SS body, just to see how it sat.
They begged me to test it out, which I told them to just do it.
However, it might take a whole day to fit the engine and everything else back on the Chevelle SS before we could test out the chassis.
"This metal fabrication…" Tyrell murmured, running a hand along the edge. "It's insanely accurate. Look at these cuts."
"They're specialists," I said. "That's what we paid for."
The cuts were laser precision, and the entire thing was designed and engineered by modern computers.
Tyrell didn't look satisfied with my reply. If anything, he was more curious about the chassis origin.
"What's the science behind it?" he asked.
"If we reference it… couldn't we make our own version? Even at ninety percent similarity, it'd still be a massive improvement to the existing chassis." He added.
That caught me off guard. He wasn't talking about design theft. He was talking about understanding how the new chassis work and building one of our own."
Most of the guys here had worked factory jobs before ending up in Point Place. Metal plants, stamping lines, welding floors.
They weren't hobbyists. They knew steel. Some of them had been welding since they were kids.
They studied the chassis while I quietly activated appraisal.
The design answered everything the stock Chevelle got wrong.
The reinforced structure fixed the unibody flex. The front sway bar geometry controlled body roll without compromising ride.
The rear-mounted twenty-two-gallon tank came with a proper fuel pump—steady delivery, even intake under six hundred horsepower.
"So, what do you think?" Tyrell asked.
"You can study it, but not now," I said. "If we do this, we do it right. That means either putting it on the back burner… or expanding."
"Expanding?" Megan nearly shouted. "Again?"
"Sandblasting bay. Heat oven. Metalworks. Interior shop," I said, counting on my fingers.
"Split the operation into three sections, then add a proper alignment-and-mechanics shop on the side."
Tyrell leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Boss… that's a lot of money."
"Fifty thousand upfront," I said calmly. "Fifteen thousand a month to keep it running. We can afford it. By month three, it turns profitable. Maybe six months."
Tyrell didn't argue. But I could see the concern behind his eyes.
This wasn't just a bigger shop. It was a different kind of operation altogether.
And in a small town like Point Place, that made it dangerous.
Local customers alone would never justify this scale. But I wasn't building for locals anymore.
I was building for custom clients. Collectors. Rich people who cared about results more than originality stamps.
That was where Point Place helped me. Low rent. Low overhead. Skilled labor that didn't know its own worth yet.
Still, risk needed insulation. I already had the outline of a buffer forming in my head.
"Chicago. It has a population 100x that of Point Place."
We would be moving the cars there for sales, but fix it up in Point Place.
Another way to use Chicago to my benefit was print shops.
Amongst all of my business, that one was the easiest to manage and turn a profit.
Two of the shops, maybe more later. Flyer printing, layout, design, everything bundled together.
High volume, low cost.
They'd send materials to Point Place twice a week, pick up new designs I made on my computer. I couldn't give the designers computers as it was too easily moved and it was too advanced for the era.
In a city of three million people, even conservative numbers meant over a hundred thousand a month per shop if I managed to get them running like the one in Point Place.
All I needed were competent people to run them. I couldn't hire randomly, since if there's no loyalty, that would cause a lot of trouble.
'Competent people huh,' My mind suddenly clicked.
That was it. That was what the foundation was really for.
A student loan fund.
I'd train them, fund them, place them. They'd run the businesses, build experience, and pay back into the system.
How many good students like Brooke, or… Eric in the future, lagged behind since they didn't have money to go to college?
Even the valedictorian before Brooke was still pouring coffee, saving for tuition.
It wasn't because the college loans were expensive, but because their family was in unfortunate situations.
There were some student loans available, but it has a lot of conditions and basically blueball the students from working class backgrounds.
In a town like this, there had to be dozens more of the students. I need their loyalty in the future. The student loan fund would be good for that.
…
"Hey! Hyde's back!" Kelso shouted, running up as soon as he got home from school.
He lunged for a hug, but I shoved him away. "Get off me! I'm too tired for this!"
"Kelso! Get off him!" Eric shoved Kelso aside. "Welcome home, buddy."
"This is the only acceptable way to greet me from now on," I said, shaking Eric's hand firmly.
Fez stepped up next, smiling nervously. "I missed you, buddy."
"I missed you too, Fez," I said.
Before I could react, Fez leaned in and hugged me. Kelso did the same from behind.
"Get off me, you dillholes!" I snapped, but they wouldn't let go.
Donna and Jackie came down the basement stairs and saw the scene.
"Aww, Hyde. Your puppies missed you," Donna teased.
Fez and Kelso finally let go, glaring at her.
"Hey, we're not his dogs!" Fez snapped.
"Yeah, Donna. We only missed him because he's been gone forever. That's all," Kelso said, putting his hands on his hips.
I dug into my pocket. "I brought you some souvenirs."
"AWESOME!" Kelso and Fez grabbed them immediately and started playing with them. It was some toy I found in Phoenix.
Jackie hung back, which made me suspicious.
"And why are you hiding from me, Jackie?" I asked.
She peeked nervously, then lifted her hair that was covering her earlobes. "Okay… don't get mad. I bought these properly this time."
She was wearing diamond studs.
I nodded. "I don't mind, since you paid for it, right?"
"Yes! I offered Brooke a check," Jackie said, finally stepping forward.
"I thought you were giving that to your aunt?" Donna asked.
"She died yesterday. There's no birthday party, so the earrings are mine!" Jackie said, grinning.
Everyone blinked in shock.
Jackie dug in her purse. "Oh, yeah, Steven. Brooke asked me to give you this."
She handed me a check for $2,500. I frowned. "Brooke didn't take it?"
"She felt it was too much, even though it's for her college," Donna said gently. "You understand, right?"
I exhaled. "Donna, tell Brooke there's a new foundation in town. It's college loans for students with good scores. It's just starting, but if she prepares well, she could even get funding for a private college."
"Really? There's a foundation like that here?" Donna's eyes widened. "Is it church or state?"
"Nope," I said casually. "It's from a rich benefactor. I'll give you the details later. But… Brooke should apply first."
Eric's jaw dropped. "Wait… they just give money to go to college?"
"Loans," I corrected him. "1.5% interest over ten years."
"That's basically nothing!" Donna snapped excitedly. "Even state loans have 7-8% interest rates."
I shrugged and said, "I don't really know about the details."
Since I made my lawyer draft it today. So I wasn't lying. I really didn't know much of the details.
Donna was amazed, and she said, "That's pretty awesome! I'm telling Brooke now!"
She rushed to go to the library. Jackie went with her.
Eric asked carefully, not letting others hear about it, "The foundation, is it you? Did you make that… for Brooke?"
I grimaced and said, "It has like half a million dollars worth of funds in it."
"Oh!" Eric breathed in relief. "I really thought it was you. That will be, pretty psychotic if you did that." he laughed nervously and retreated as I shot him a glare.
"I'm leaving. Although this is my basement, I'm leaving. Come on puppies, it's time for snacks." He snapped his fingers at the two boys playing with their toys.
"Awesome!" Kelso shrieked, not even realizing what Eric called him. Fez whimpered and said, "But I want to stay with Hyde some more."
"I have candies." Eric urged him.
"Candy?" His back straightened and he quickly rushed to go with Eric. "I want candies! Give me candies!"
"They really are puppies, aren't they?" I laughed.
Two days passed by pretty quickly. It was Easter Monday, so I let Tyrell take a day off to bring his kids for some easter eggs hunt.
We tested out the Chevelle with the new chassis. The claims the company made were true. It really drove like a modern car.
Jeff, Tyrell and Megan helped me to expand the store, and I hired new people.
Then, I bought the sandblaster online, and figured out how to create the powdercoating oven.
One week passed by pretty quickly and my money was in the reds now. I've spent over 100 thousand dollars for the expansion, but it was pretty worth it since I hired a few experienced professionals for the store.
We also finished up the shooting for REV IT UP: POINT PLACE EDITION, with the truck being done and painted.
I shot a pretty emotional ending with the World War 2 veteran, and wrapped up filming for now.
…
Saturday night. I was on the porch when I saw Donna sneaking into Eric's room.
"Oh-ho. Forman's going to get some." I muttered.
The episode shooting began suddenly, and I was taken aback by it.
The system notification was a bit weird this time.
[Episode: Sleepover. Bonus +5 Rating Point if the user included Leo Chingkwake into the episode.]
"Huh? Leo?"
I was confused at first, then I remembered the character. The stoner dude who's like a father figure to me.
"I should mess with Forman first." I said as I snuck upstairs and placed my ear on the door, trying to hear what was happening inside.
Suddenly, Eric opened the door, as if expecting me there.
"Uhhh… I heard a noise downstairs and it scared me!" I pretended to be scared.
{-1 Favorability}
Eric looked at me with disappointment. He pointed at Donna with his thumb and said, "Man, you could be ruining what could be the most important night in my life here."
"Well duh–"
Eric pushed me away as I teased him, but I stopped him and said, "Wait."
"What Hyde?!" Eric whispered angrily.
I gave him a pack of condoms and said, "Thought you might need this."
{+1 Favorability}
Eric froze for a good two seconds. "Okay thanks!" He grabbed it instantly, hiding it in his palm. "You're a good friend."
I hit his shoulder and said, "Good luck Buddy." I closed the door for him, leaving him slightly nervous and excited.
Donna didn't go home that night. I was proud of my bud.
At breakfast, Red sat stiffly at the table, one hand pressed against his lower back. His movements were slower than usual, more careful.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Red didn't look up. "Nothing."
Nurse Kitty immediately shot him a look. "Red, you nearly dropped the toolbox yesterday."
"I did not," he snapped.
"You winced lifting it," she said. "I told you, you're not thirty anymore. Just let Steven handle the heavy stuff next time."
Red finally looked at me. His eyes narrowed, not angry, measuring.
"I don't need help," he said gruffly. "I still have a lot of years left in me."
Kitty crossed her arms. "You strained your back opening the car hood Red."
"That's only because the floor was slippery!" he muttered.
I raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet. Mrs Forman came to him, pulling his shirt on his back, and slapping a cold patch there.
"Kitty!" Red squirmed, trying to fight it, but his wife was too fast.
"I have a lot of experience dealing with stubborn patients, Red. Do you really think you could stop me?"
Red sighed, rubbing his back again despite himself. "I've been doing this kind of work my whole life. I don't suddenly need some… kid taking over."
Kitty softened her tone. "It's not taking over. Steven's good at it. Strong. Knows what he's doing."
Red stared into his coffee for a long moment.
"Yeah," he said finally. "Maybe I don't have it in me anymore."
He glanced at me again, his jaw tightening just a bit. "One day you wake up and realize the shop doesn't need you to lift things anymore. Or fix things. Or make decisions."
"Red, I didn't mean it like that." Kitty was taken aback.
"I'm leaving to go to work!" He stood up and winced in pain. Then, he slowly got out of the house, walking like a sloth.
I turned to Mrs Forman and said, "He knows he's the boss, right?"
Mrs Forman laughed slightly.
"He didn't have to work so hard." I added with a smile.
Mrs Forman slightly shook her head, "He's been working for so long Steven, he didn't know how to slow down. He needs to learn how to relax."
I smiled and said, "Isn't this pot calling the kettle black."
Mrs Forman was taken aback. "I worked as a nurse to help people! If I'm not there at the hospital, people die!"
She grumbled and walked out of the house in a huff while I laughed. Eric came to the kitchen, a bright, smug smile on his face.
"Good morning everyone! And I'm not just saying that." Eric said cheerily.