[Hyde POV]
"Hey-ya Brooke. Fancy meeting you here." I greeted awkwardly.
Brooke also felt the same way. She approached me and said, "I'm just here waiting for my friend."
I gestured for her to sit down. She did and put her purse on the chair. She wore a long skirt and blouse like usual. Today, she had her hair tied up in a bun and wore a pendant earring.
"What?" She asked with a smile, slightly nervous.
"Nothing. I just forgot how beautiful you are."
"Don't even start." She scoffed, laughing slightly. "How have you been?" She asked.
"Good. I bought some property." I nodded casually. Brooke has a similar reaction instead of being surprised.
"I've been wondering when you're going to do that." She teased.
"So, you still think about me?" I shot her a playful look.
She opened her mouth, slightly shocked, mostly amazed by my audacity. "Stop that. We're over now. I'm not trying to get started again."
"Really. If your friend who came here is a good looking guy, I'm going to punch him in the nose." I said playfully.
"It's a she." Brooke broke into laughter.
"Good." I pretended to be tough, which made her laugh again.
"So, have you been… seeing people after– you know?" She asked carefully.
"I did last night." I replied. Brooke looked slightly disappointed. "Want to hear a funny story?"
"Um, sure?" She was confused.
"I went back to her house. In her hot tub, all hot and heavy–"
"Is this something you really want to share with me?" Brooke was astonished.
"I promise you, you'll feel better when you hear it." I added. "So, before we do it, she told me, "I have a boyfriend in college". So I left and got blue balled. I'm miserable."
Brooke blinked slowly and burst into laughter. "That really does make me feel better."
I nodded slightly at her and drank my soda.
She peeked at me and asked, "Um, what kind of property did you buy?"
Suddenly, Donna rushed into The Hub with a huff. She saw me and Brooke and stomped towards us. "Hyde! Do you know what just happened?"
"Considering I'm here, and you're bringing the news. No. Not really." I replied.
"Get this!" She was fuming. I wonder what was making her so mad.
"So, Chuck's cousin worked with Stacy Wanamaker's husband, and she told her that the basketball court on Wilson's street is getting sold!"
Brooke and I were confused. "So?" I asked.
Donna slammed the table, "This is the privatization of a public place! The basketball court is the town's institution! We're going to go there right now, and protest for the selling of the court!"
Brooke replied, "Well, Donna. I get that you're angry. But if the town's broke, they aren't going to listen to you."
"Oh! We're sooooo going to make them listen! There's 50 of us right now, going down there to the basketball court to protest! We need to protect our town."
"You just want to save the place you play basketball in." I said with a smirk. "Donna, I'm the one–"
"I DON'T CARE! BE THERE AT THE PROTEST! OR I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP!" She huffed and went away.
"Wait, don't you think it's better to protest the town government– She's gone now." Brooke gave up halfway.
She turned to me and asked, "What did you want to say before?"
"That I bought a basketball court." I replied easily.
Brooke's face froze. "Oh." She exclaimed flatly. "That's not going to be good for you." She said pitifully.
I shrugged and said, "I told you. I'm miserable… Want to come to the protest with me?"
"You know what? I can't miss this. Sure." She replied with a laugh.
…
Brooke ditched her plans with her friends and went to the basketball court with me.
There, around 70 people, kids from various ages from 10 years old to 19 years old were carrying a picket fence and circling the basketball court. Well, courts.
It was two basketball courts next to each other, a 40 person bleacher on each side of the court.
I bought one acre of land, so I would also own the place around it, which was not much, just some trees and overgrown grass. It has a parking lot for 10 cars next to the basketball court.
The place was far away from the neighborhood, and not many people drove by here.
"This place really means a lot to people," Brooke said quietly. Her eyes moved around the court, flickering with worry. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "You might have to hang out with me a little longer to find out."
I reached down and picked up a sign someone had leaned against the fence.
'THE COURT IS FOR THE PEOPLE', it read.
"By the way," I added, holding it up, "It's pretty solid wordplay. Very revolutionary."
Courts like the basketball court, and also the judicial court. I was pretty sure Donna wrote this one. She has a way with words, and she wrote a lot of short stories.
Brooke laughed, half baffled, half nervous. "You're… going to get lynched."
"How?" I asked playfully. "I'm protesting the privatization of a public space."
I gestured with the sign toward the court.
The chain‑link fence was bent inward near one corner. The padlock on the gate was new, but the gate itself wasn't. Rust ran down it in orange streaks, dripping onto the concrete like old blood.
Inside, the court looked worse.
One hoop was gone entirely. Just a metal stump where the backboard used to be.
The other one leaned slightly to the left. The net was half there, half missing, the remaining strings stiff and gray.
The asphalt was cracked so badly it looked like a map of fault lines.
Grass pushed through the seams. Someone had spray-painted a peace sign at center court, but it was fading– stepped on so many times.
"I mean," I continued, lowering my voice, "no matter how disrepaired, hobo‑living, hippie‑pissing this place is…"
A basketball suddenly bounced inside the court. There were some people inside who snuck in through a dog hole since the town locked the place up.
"…it's still technically a public space." I smiled slightly.
Brooke stared at the court for a long moment. Then, her eyes flickered at me.
Eric, Kelso, Fez and Jackie approached us.
"Hey Hyde. You and Brooke are back together?" Kelso asked obliviously.
Jackie elbowed him instantly. "Micheal! Don't be rude. Obviously they are trying out being friends."
Brooke was taken aback slightly. I turned to her with a teasing smile, "Are we friends now?"
"I… I guess we can still be friends."
"So as friends, we should hang out at your place after this."
Brooke was baffled again. She applauded my audacity inwardly, but didn't want to give me the satisfaction of seeing her smile, so she tried hard to contain it. It failed though.
"PUBLIC AMENITIES IS NOT AN ASSET SALE!" Donna chanted. "THE TOWN GOVERNMENT IS TREASONOUS!"
We walked around in a circle in front of the court, chanting and protesting the sale of the basketball court.
"How long do we need to do this?" Jackie whined. "We're been doing this for two hours."
"We'll do it for as long as it takes!" Donna said begrudgingly. "Hyde! Raise the picket sign!" She scolded me.
"My arm hurts." I replied flatly.
Brooke snickered, feeling so confused and thought the entire thing was humorous.
"We need to make our voices heard, people!" Donna raised her picket sign up in the air. "Who's with me?"
I asked casually, "Why don't you protest at the town meeting on Monday? That way, you can actually show your protest to people who matter."
Everyone turned silent. Then, all of them looked at Donna.
A little flabbergasted by my suggestion, Donna stammered and said, "We- We need to build exposure first. If we can get the newspaper to write an article about our protest. That will help our cause a lot."
"Then, how about this? Instead of working hard protesting all day, I'll take some pictures of us protesting. Donna, you write the article. I know a guy at the newspaper that owes me a favor."
"Really?" Donna widened her eyes in excitement.
I nodded tiredly and said, "Yeah. Sure. But you're going to have to share authorship with them."
Eric interjected, "Hyde, that's great. So, we can all go home now, right?"
"Not quite. I need the photos first."
"ME! PUT ME IN THE CENTER!" Jackie immediately became energetic.
"No! Just look at this face! I'm made for print media!" Kelso interjected.
I took out my camera from the system storage– which I pretended to get from my car and took pictures of them.
It was a digital camera, so the photos were pretty sharp. Donna was in the center of it since it was all her planning.
Then, everyone left the basketball court. Brooke turned to me and asked carefully, "Are– Are you doing this just to make them leave? To appease them?"
"No. I am going to expose the town government's incompetence. Make them feel ashamed since they allowed it to happen."
"But– But then… Won't it interfere with you buying the land?" Brooke asked.
I shrugged and said, "I'm buying it for the basketball court anyway. For public use. Except, I'll make a permanent reservation at 8 O'clock every night for me and my friends to play."
Brooke was truly dumbfounded by my planning.
"You're an eccentric guy, Steven Hyde."
"I know."
"I still think you're going to get lynched." She teased. "By Donna."
I burst out laughing and held her hand instinctively. Brooke also didn't realize it and we went to my car together.
…
Donna gave me the article that night.
{YOUTH PROTEST SALE OF WILSON STREET BASKETBALL COURT}
-By Donna Pinciotti
Special to the Point Place Herald
Yesterday afternoon, more than seventy local youths gathered at the Wilson Street basketball courts to protest the town's planned sale of the public facility.
Notably, the demonstration was organized and attended entirely by minors and young adults, with no formal representation from town officials or civic organizations present.
Participants said this absence reflects a larger concern: decisions affecting young people are being made without their involvement—or alternatives being offered.
The Wilson Street courts, long closed and recently locked by the town, have served for decades as one of the few free recreational spaces accessible to Point Place residents without membership fees, transportation, or supervision requirements.
While town officials have cited maintenance costs and budget concerns as reasons for the sale, protesters argue that neglect should not absolve responsibility….}
The article went on for about 300 words more.
I submitted it to the newspaper, and the guy who owes me was someone who sent a car into the shop before. I discounted his fee for days like this.
The photo of the article also gave the newspaper a lot of confidence for the article.
Non smiling kids, raising banners, and behind them was a dilapidated basketball court they wanted to save.
There's still around 6 hours before my internet comes back up.
I sent Brooke home, but she didn't want me to get inside, since she didn't trust herself.
"So Brooke. Should we bet on whether or not I will get lynched after people know I'm the one who buy the basketball court?"
Brooke tilted her head in thought and said, "Alright. I'll take that bet."
"If you win, that means I get hit. What do you want for the prize?"
"Um… A book. Buy me a book." She replied with a laugh. "What do you want as a prize?" She asked.
"Pictures of you in a bunny outfit."
She widened her eyes in surprise. "What? Steven. Don't mess around."
"I'm not messing around. That is what I want. I'm even going to provide you with the costume." I leaned on her doorframe, teasing slightly.
Brooke blushed and said shyly, "Alright then. If! And only, IF no one actually hit you for a week!"
"Deal!" We shook hands on it. She laughed the entire time.
At night, my friends and I hang out at a bowling alley. I loved bowling, and especially since the place allowed us to buy beers.
…
The next day arrived quickly.
As Mrs Forman and the others came back from the church, Eric told me that the pastor mentioned about the basketball situation in the sermon today.
"Uh-huh." I nodded with a blank expression.
"I guess the buyer will back out now, right?" Eric asked. "We need the place Hyde. The other basketball court is over by the Sherman Oaks, and that place is guarded with guards. Damn rich people."
I laughed slightly. "What if– I bought the basketball court?"
"What? You?" Eric was slightly caught off guard. "I guess that is better than a faceless corporation trying to tear down the town."
"What if it was for a movie theater?"
"Thats–" Eric was truly surprised now. "I guess, that will be much much better. We don't even need that basketball court anymore."
"Or, what if they are building a loud, iron factory there?"
"What are you doing?" Eric finally realized it. "Are you trying to mess with me?"
"No. I'm just giving you some options." I said as I drank my coffee. "What if, it was for a roller rink?"
"Um. I don't hate that, but I don't love it either."
We went to the basement. Kelso and Fez joined us.
Eric did what I did to him to them, and Kelso got excited.
"I wish they'll do like, a hidden spy base over there." Kelso nodded with a dumb expression.
Fez gasped, "What if it's a candy factory?"
"What if it's a strip club?" I asked.
Everyone froze in shock.
"That's… Wow, I guess that won." Eric muttered. "I can't even think of anything else now."
"I can. A candy strip club!" Fez said jokingly.
Kelso laughed and said, "Yeah, instead of taking off their clothes, they take off their candy clothes and give it to us."
"And we eat it!" Fez gasped.
"The money we threw at them, we got candy for it? Like, isn't that a better deal than just dirty clothes?" Eric laughed.
I laughed and said, "You want to eat something a stripper wore? I don't know about you, Forman, but I didn't want to get any VD from the candy."
"Hey– I didn't mean it like that. And why does the stripper have to have a disease!" Eric panicked.
I laughed and went to the autoshop to check on the cars.
...
"Steven!"
I turned to the familiar voice, and saw Bruce walking towards me happily.
"Why are you here again?" I was confused.
"I'm… bored." He said with a wry chuckle.
"So, you're just here to hang out?" I laughed slightly.
"That, and also, I want to invite you to my place tonight. I'm throwing a party. I hope you can be there."
"Tonight huh?" I mused slightly. "Is it okay for me to go stag?"
He laughed and said, "Just as long as you come. Don't worry, there'll be a lot of single women there too."
"Great." I said before I remembered something. "Oh wait. Bruce. Can you take a look at something for me?"
"Hmm?"
I went to my office and took out two small boxes from my inventory. I bought the stuff a week ago, and it finally arrived today.
The entire thing cost me 10,000 dollars. It was a huge money expense to get two small things.
I brought it to Bruce and gave it to him.
He opened one of them and saw an immaculate, premium cut emerald shape diamond with 13 carat.
The other box, another green pear shaped diamond with 1.26 carat I bought from a lab grown diamond company online.
"This…" He was quite surprised. "Where did you get this?"
"At a poker game in Chicago. I'm afraid it's a stolen jewel, so I didn't sell it."
"Who did you get it from?" He asked.
"I don't know. He's a guy from Norway. Skaargaard… something."
Bruce checked on the diamond and said, "I think this is a very good one. I'm not sure, but I can check with my appraiser. Do you want to sell this?"
"Can I though? It will be good if I can sell it." I acted in a difficult situation.
Bruce was bored, so he loved the intrigue behind it.
"Don't worry about it. I have my ways to make it clean. I'll tell you what it's worth at the party tonight."
"Alright. Awesome." I laughed in amazement.
Bruce gave me his home address and left.
I worked on the cars, went to the print shop to drop off the print design for the customers who wanted custom design, went to the Fotohut to take all the money, and also the photo lab.
Lastly, I collected the money from the cafe and tallied everything.
The print shop got around $30,000 last week as we had some orders from Kenosha and Green Bay too.
Price Mart also wanted to hire us to make the custom flyers for their shop opening in Point Place. They wanted 20,000 flyers, and I obliged.
They loved it, and decided to make us the flyer designer for Price Mart all over Wisconsin.
That would mean we could get 150,000 a month, just from the supermarket chain flyers printing.
The cafe earned me around $11,000. But with the part timer cost, the employee cost, the inventory cost etc, I got only $5,000 from it. It was good enough for a week of profit.
I gained over $8000 of profit from the photo lab, and $7000 from the Fotohut, after paying all of the employees fees and splitting the profit with Leo.
Leo was really shocked when he saw the numbers. He thought he was high again.
The auto shop earned me around 45,000 dollars, after tax.
"$95,000… in a week. That's… I really didn't think much about this before, but these numbers are amazing huh?"
Too bad the US dollar was really volatile right now as we were in the middle of stagflation.
Asset or businesses. I just focused on the two right now. I shouldn't keep cash in the bank since it would depreciate greatly in the next two years.
That evening, I made my drive to Kenosha.
"I just hope it'll be a fun party."