[Hyde POV]
"So, where's Donna, man?" I asked Eric casually without turning to him as I read the classified section of the newspaper.
"Donna?" Eric pretended as he sat next to me. "Donna? Oh, you mean that girl who spent last night in my bed?"
He smirked, enjoying the situation.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's the one." I chuckled slightly.
"She went home this morning." Eric said smugly.
I turned to him, "So?" He didn't reply, "Heh? Heh? Soooo?" I urged him.
"So let's just say she went home a very happy woman." He replied with a laugh.
I laughed proudly, "All right, man, you finally did it." I even gave him a low high five.
I didn't pry and get back into the newspaper.
"Yeah." His tone lowers slightly. "You know, "it" can mean a lot of things."
I looked at him with a slight annoyance, "No. "It" means one thing, and you either did it or you didn't."
He confessed quickly, "Okay, then we didn't, but we did plenty of good stuff. New stuff. Plenty of good, new stuff."
I groaned, "God, man, you're bumming me out. Couldn't you have at least just lied to me?"
"Uh, okay. We did it." Eric said flatly.
I read the newspaper, muttering firmly, "Liar."
The episode recording ended, and Eric stammered, "God, I had her in my bed!"
I nodded and said, "By the looks of it, she too wants to get on your bed. How did you screw up a sure thing?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Eric stood up, exclaimed with disappointment, but it was directed to his own self, and stomped away.
I shook my head slightly and said, "Great. Now I'm going to have to hear him whine for the next few days."
…
After washing the dishes, I realized that I could fit a dishwasher next to the sink if I cut off a part of the cabinet.
"Red's going to kill me, and the system won't let me do that." I sighed.
The rules were no modern stuff in front of the camera.
I went to find Leo, the guy the system told me to bring up into the episode. It was my scene next, and I needed to find him fast.
I remembered seeing a Fotohut in the show, so I went to the huts to find Leo there. There were 9 huts scattered all over town. I went to the ones closest to me first.
However as I was driving my car, I saw Amy, the cute brunette who's best friend with Barbara– my ex, stomping out of a restaurant angrily. She threw her papers all over in anger, and had to bend over and pick it up with humiliation a few minutes after that.
The red light stopped me right beside her.
Amy looked up, froze, then immediately tried to cover her face.
"It's a little late for that," I said. "I saw the whole thing. What was that about?"
She hesitated, then sighed. "Flyers. I picked up some dumb delivery gig."
"And?"
"And they stiffed me." She gestured at the papers.
I snorted in amusement.
"Don't laugh!" She snapped at me. "You're a rich guy! You won't know what it's like scraping for some change."
"Really?" I looked at her seriously.
"Alright. Forgot you're an orphan. I'm sorry." She apologized quickly. "Can you give me a ride to the hub?" She asked.
"Sure man. Hop in."
The girl smiled brightly and entered my Chevelle. The car has been growing on me. I thought of selling the Nova again, but I needed those for the tv series.
"Where are you up to?" Amy asked me casually.
I sighed and said, "I'm trying to find a man named Leo."
"Leo? The old hippie dude?" She asked, confused.
"You know him?" I asked, intrigued.
She nodded and said, "Yeah. He always hangs out at The Hub. I think his store is just down that street."
"Great. Thanks a lot." I smiled brightly. Amy was taken aback and she quickly looked outside.
"What– Why are you looking for him? You're– you're not going to buy pot from him, do you?"
"He sold it too?"
She gasped, "Did I just tell you about where to buy it? Does that make me an accomplice?"
"Unless you get money from it, I won't worry about it." I said casually.
She went silent for a while and said, "How much do you think I can make if I started selling?"
"A lot. But you're pretty dumb, so you're going to get caught pretty easily."
She gasped and said, "I'm not that dumb! Clumsy, sure. Too trusting, sure. But not dumb!"
"Come on." I teased, giving her a hinting look.
She blushed and said, "My boyfriend cheating on me doesn't make me a dummy, it's just making him a jerk."
"I was actually referencing that you got stiffed sending out flyers. Not that cheating thing." I said flatly.
She blushed hard and covered her face with embarrassment.
She changed her mood in just one beat, turned to me and said excitedly, "Do you want to know something interesting?"
"Yeah sure."
"My sister's pregnant!" She squealed excitedly.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her with shock and disbelief. She added, "And it's Chad's!"
"You're happy your ex boyfriend and sister got a baby together?" I said flatly. "You freak."
"Hey! I'm not happy for them! I'm happy that it…uh, befell them!" She said quickly. "Like, everyone's so miserable! My mom fainted. My dad made them get married."
"They are married?" I was shocked once more.
She bobbed her head vigorously and said, "Isn't that amazing? He walked Chad down the altar with a shotgun! That was after he caught Chad trying to leave town in the middle of the night! I'm so… so happy!"
She exclaimed in mirth. I snickered as I saw her satisfied expression.
The two people tortured her mentally for quite some time. Now, they were miserable too. It was like getting justice for all of her sufferings.
"I guess god exists. And he's on my side." Amy said excitedly.
…
At the Fotohut. I sat in front of Leo, crossing my arms while he stared at me with a slightly guarded expression.
The recording began, but honestly, I didn't know what to do with the scene.
"So, you like photos, man?" Leo asked with a raspy, tired voice and a slow, stoner way of speaking.
"I like money." I told him casually. "I want to partner up with you in the Fotohut, if you're open for it."
"Partner?" He was confused. "I'm not into guys, man."
"Not that kind of partner." I said flatly. "Business partner."
"Business? What do you know about business, man?" Leo asked, slightly agitated.
"What do you know about business?" I asked him back.
He froze in shock, and he smiled. "You got me there man. But even so, I don't know if I can trust you man. No offense dude, but you look like a narc. You'll have to earn my trust first, and it won't be easy man."
"Would a narc do this?"
I lit up a blunt, and both of us got high together. Leo was quite blissful when he smoked the 10% THC weed and said, "Alright. You have trust. We can talk business."
I smiled, breathing out smoke slightly and said, "Let's hope for a great partnership man!"
"No, we can start talking, man." Leo interjected flatly. "I told you, I'm not into a man partner."
"Business partner. It means, I'll buy half of the store. We'll split the risk, and the profits 50-50."
"Why should I split the profit man? I'm already doing well for myself." Leo asked. "I have five of these huts… If you see the other one, can you tell me, man?"
"Better. I can take a picture." I joked.
"Whoa!" Leo was impressed. "Picture of a Fotohut. That be like art or something huh?"
I shrugged.
He said, "I am a pro at doing business. I don't need a partner. Especially a man partner."
I narrowed my eyes in confusion and said, "You didn't even flip the opening sign, man."
Shocked, he looked at the window in confusion and said, "Wait. Is that why no one came to the hut for the last few weeks man?"
"I thought you were going bankrupt, man." I said with puzzlement.
Leo was really shocked now. "I am?"
"Weren't you?"
"No."
"Then, why did you put the For Sale sign on the door?" I asked, shifting slightly and leaning forward.
"So people know the films are 'For Sale', man." Leo said, his brain already fried.
I laughed and said, "You clearly need a good partner."
"Again. I like woman, man. Wait. I like woman man? Woman… Man… Woman and Man?"
"I can manage the hut for you man. You can just count the money at home."
"You in, man!" He shook my hand quickly.
I shook it back and said, "Good."
The scene ended, and I was finally relieved. It wasn't that much, but it was good enough to introduce Leo into the TV show.
"First of all, we need to decide on a number man. Do you have an account I can check?" I asked.
He shrugged and said, "I don't really care about that man."
I sighed and said, "This might be harder than I thought."
…
Leo and I rode around town, trying to find the huts he'd left behind. There were hippies taking residence in three of the places. Sleeping bags, candles, incense. One of them was a nudist colony.
I chased them all away using hoses and pepper spray.
"Hey, I think that's my friend's man." Leo was shocked when he saw the nudist running away.
"He needs to stay somewhere else now." I replied easily.
The huts themselves were in good enough spots. In front of the mall, near grocery stores, places with real foot traffic.
If they were run right, each one could've been worth a decent amount.
But they weren't.
Doors were left unlocked after working hours. Lights off in the middle of the day. No one really managed the register. Two of them were pried open.
One hut still had a For Sale sign taped crookedly on the glass, even though it was technically open. There were a lot of refund claims.
"Leo, are you sure your business is profitable?" I asked him.
He nodded and said, "Yeah man. They kept sending me these red letters to compliment me."
I rubbed my forehead in frustration and said, "I'm going to need more help for this."
The business was simple. People dropped off films. The hut sent it to a lab in Kenosha.
The lab charged anywhere from four to seven dollars per roll, depending on if its color or black and white. The hut charged the customer seven to twelve bucks. That was the whole operation.
Getting the photos back within a week was considered fast. Sometimes it took two. Sometimes a month. People forgot what they even took pictures of by then.
I called the two cleaning girls I hooked up with before. Bonnie and Nicole.
They were elated when I called with the job offer, especially since I was offering a hundred bucks per hut just to scrub the places down and make them usable again.
"Eww. What's that on the floor?" Bonnie asked as she saw something hairy inside one of the huts.
"It could be a racoon. I'm not sure if it's dead or alive. Pretty sure one of the hippies is romantically involved in it since I caught him… mid-business with it." I said casually.
"EWWW!" Bonnie and Nicole exclaimed in disgust at the same time.
"Two hundred bucks!" Bonnie negotiated.
"Deal!" I shook her hand quickly. I would've paid more, just to make sure I wouldn't be the one who has to clean it all up.
The hut also has a bathroom. I let the girls handle it while I kept my eyes clean from the whole thing.
"EW–" Nicole gagged as she opened up the toilet door. They did do it though, since they'll make around 1000 bucks in a weekend.
I made sure to call a locksmith to put new locks on all the doors.
Leo and I went to a lawyer to finalize stuff.
I offered ten thousand dollars for half of his business. He rejected me immediately, saying he wanted five.
Not because he was being generous. Because he thought five thousand was worth more.
'Am I really going into business with a guy like this?' I thought secretly.
So I explained it to him. Slowly.
Five huts. Fifteen thousand each if they were run right. Seventy-five thousand total. Half of that was thirty-seven and a half. That's what I was supposed to pay for 50% stake in the business.
However, the business wasn't running smoothly.
Three huts weren't even operating. One hadn't flipped the open sign in weeks.
He didn't know how much he owed the lab. He didn't know if he was paying taxes. He didn't know how much money the huts were making, or losing, or where it was going.
Right now, the business wasn't worth seventy-five. It was barely worth twenty-five. Half of that was twelve and a half.
He picked up the photos, and people paid for them upfront. That's how he made money.
I told him I'd give him ten grand. And I'd fix the rest.
He stared at me for a long time, nodding slowly, and asked, "Wait. I want five, man."
I rubbed my forehead in frustration.
Eventually, after some more arguing and re-explaining the same thing in different ways, I signed the check for ten thousand dollars to buy half of his business.
I figured he'd lose the check, so I walked him to the bank and helped him put it in his account.
"I need an account manager. Someone who understands numbers. I'd hire myself, but I have too much work to do already." I mumbled as I smoked weed with my friends in the basement.
Suddenly, the recording turned on again.
"Hyde, you got another job?" Eric asked, his brain a little fried from the weed. "What about my dad?"
"I'm working there too." I nodded slightly.
Fez asked, "So you have two jobs? Why are you being so greedy?"
"I'm ashamed to admit it, Fez. But I need money if I want to start destroying governments."
Eric and Fez looked at me with disbelief.
"Yeah. I'm thinking about getting a job at a chip factory. I gotta know how they do this." Kelso said as he held a stack of even sized potato chips he took out of the canister.
"Yeah. Red won't let me get a job. He says if I don't study hard and get into college, once I turn 18, he's gonna kill me." Eric said fearfully. "I think he's serious, man."
"Hyde, did you ever stop to think how you working would make me go to the mall alone today? You didn't think, did you?" Fez admonished me.
"No. Sorry." I laughed. I did have plans with him today that I had to cancel since the system told me to find Leo.
"Hey, guys, check this out, man. Forman had Donna in his bed last night, and he didn't even do it. What's up?" I teased Eric.
His face immediately turned flat.
"You're a bonehead, man." Kelso admonished Eric while laughing.
Eric said defensively, "I'm not a bonehead. We did other stuff, and we cuddled. It was great!"
"Sometimes when I'm alone, I just love to cuddle." Fez confessed abruptly.
I looked at Eric, " Forman, look, she climbed up the trellis of your house, through your window, to get into bed with you and cuddle? Sorry, man. I never read that letter to Penthouse."
"Those stories are true, you know." Kelso said to me seriously. He turned to Eric and said angrily, " Why would you just cuddle with her when you could do it? I mean, Forman, doing it is "it." That's why they call it "it". "IT!""
"Guys, it was just one night. There are gonna be lots of other nights." Eric said, a little worried.
"Eric, opportunity does not knock and then ring the doorbell and then knock again, and then leave a note that says, "Sorry I missed you". And then call you on the phone…"
I interjected, "Yeah, yeah. We get it, Fez. I mean, we get it."
I turned to Eric and teased, "What my foreign friend here is trying to say, Forman, is that you blew it, man. And you blew it, man."
Kelso said, fully serious,"I'm losing my patience with you, man." Eric was taken aback.
"You gotta get with her. There's nothing more beautiful than when two people fit together perfectly like… Well, like two of these potato…" He looked into his hands again and smiled excitedly, shouting, "HOW DO THEY DO THIS?"
He put the entire stack inside his mouth and laughed dumbly.
The recording stopped, and we kept talking. But since we were high, no one really remembered what we were talking about.
"Wait. Hyde. Shouldn't you be at work?" Eric asked.
Caught off guard, I remembered I have some plans. "Oh no. Fez, let's go."
"Me too? YAY!" Fez smiled and followed me from behind.
…
At Red's autoshop. I went there to check the books and help Red since his back was hurting.
He got mad at me, and I blamed it all on Fez, which made Fez angry at me.
"Now, look at this car. It won't start no matter how much I try to fix it." Red said, pointing at a Cadillac nearby.
"Sure." I bent over to check the engine, and found one loose wiring without even using my appraisal.
I tied it together while Red was admonishing Fez and I for being lazy and didn't know how easy we had it compared to when he was our age.
I ignored him since he broke into rants at times. And then, I wiped my hands with a rag and said, "All done."
"What? You come here for two minutes, and you really think you have fixed the car?" Red looked at me angrily, his tone slightly mocking.
"Let me tell you something. There's no shortcut in life. We need to work honestly and that's how we build a business–"
I turned on the car engine from the driver's seat and peeked through the window as Red froze.
"You were saying something Red?" I asked, curious, not mocking.
He went silent for a while and became deflated.
"Good job Steven." He said and went away to his office. Fez asked, "What's with Red?"
"I don't know. I think he's going through something. They called it a mid-life crisis, right?"
Fez laughed and said, "Red already got those years ago. He's at the end of life crisis now."
"Red's coming!"
Fez whispered and cursed me when he saw I was lying.
I went to work as usual. I stopped by the auto shop to check on the expansion, and then went to the print shop to drop off some designs.
I went to the cafe to get the inventory list, and lastly, I put up some 'Help Wanted' signs on the five Fotohuts for one full timer, and one part-timer.
When I came back home, surprisingly, I was pulled into another scene.
Red called me and said, "Steven. From now on, the autoshop is yours."
"What?" I was shocked.
Mrs Forman smiled and said, "It always has been yours. Since you're the one who built it up."
"Red. Mrs Forman. You didn't have to do this."
"No Steven." Red stopped me. "I realize it now, my role is just to supervise you. It's time for me to accept the fact that my body wasn't like it used to."
"Red, you finally realize you're the boss huh?" I narrowed my eyes at him skeptically.
He grinned, "I did!"
I laughed and said, "That's cool. My own store. Can I change the name?"
"No." Red said flatly.
"Change the location?"
"No."
"Hire more people?"
Red paused, and he finally agreed on something.
"You can do that." Red said, patting me on the back. "But I am still going to approve them myself."
"Alright. Cool. Thanks Red. You won't regret this." I gave him a short hug, and also hugged Mrs Forman too.
I wondered why the favorability meter wasn't moving since I thought this was moving too fast for my character.
The system notification sounded during the scene.
[Audience acceptance level for Red's decision, 95%.
Reason: Multiple montages showing late nights at the shop and hard work without cutting corners. Enjoyment when working on cars. The audience felt Steven Hyde deserved to run the shop.
The arc resonated with working class viewers who started from nothing.
Earned title: Talented Mechanic. 200% increase in all car related skills proficiency. +10 Dexterity.]
I paused for a few seconds.
Mrs Forman thought I was being emotional and she rubbed my back as she comforted me. "Steven. Don't cry, you earned this. You've been living such a hard life with your parent's abandoning you–"
Her voice became choked up, and she cried instead. Red rolled his eyes and said, "Steven. If you cried, I'm going to take back the store."
"I'm not crying." I said, my voice broke slightly. I was shocked and rushed to the basement.
Red smiled proudly and hugged Mrs Forman as he watched me go away.
Then, Eric came in, and his mood immediately soured.
The system told me I received 3 love letters because of the plot.
In the letters, the fans were emotional since I had to grow up and mature alone because of my circumstances. They hoped that I would still hang out with my idiotic group of friends and didn't lose myself.
The episode ended with Eric and Donna cuddling again, still not crossing the line. It was about the external pressure of a relationship and how they truly felt.
I didn't tease Eric when I learnt about it the second time. Instead, I told him, "It's fine to move according to your own pace. You didn't have to feel pressured by us. Most of the time, we're just messing with you."
"That's… honest." Eric looked at me skeptically. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me? Cause that won't work!"
(Read up to chapter 95 on my patreon.
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