[Hyde POV]
The lack of streetlight in the basketball court made the surrounding feel eerie and threatening. A coyote howling was heard in the distance, and the grass near the court was rustling abruptly at times.
"Donna, let's go back home." Eric persuaded Donna who's sitting cross legged at the center of the forsaken basketball court.
It was past dinner time. She has been here since school ended. She really tried to get to the town council meeting, but it was too late since the deal was done in the morning.
No one managed to say anything. A deep sense of betrayal was gnawing in the heart of the protesters– who are mostly children.
"No. I'm staying here, until I can change their mind." Donna declared, changing her position a bit as the cold floor made her ass uncomfortable.
"Then you might have to stay here forever." Eric said, looking at her with worry.
"You can go, I know you're hungry. If you eat something, bring me some too." She told Eric casually.
"And leave you here all alone? I don't think so." Eric said and sat next to Donna. Fez was there too, lying on his side as his leg went numb from sitting there too long.
"Don't leave me Eric. Carry me back home with you." Fez said whiningly.
"What– No!" Eric was taken aback and rejected Fez's request.
"No need to worry. I brought some food." I said and returned to my car. Then, I took out the burgers I ordered from Uber.
My system location was in Thailand, so I managed to score the food for really cheap. It cost me 2 bucks for the 5 burgers.
"Yay!" Donna let out a weak celebration, pushing both her fist up with a lack of energy.
"I've starved for a long time. Kelso never comes back with the food!" Fez shouted.
Jackie and Kelso were here till now, but they left since it was too uncomfortable and useless for them to be there.
Eric, Fez, Donna and I ate in a circle inside the basketball court. I unwrapped the burger and before I could take a bite, I noticed Donna was staring at my food.
"Um… Did you finish yours?" I asked.
"Uh-huh." Donna said, still salivating and her eyes were glued on my food. Eric also finished his, he ate it quickly as he already expected this.
"Want half?" I asked Donna.
She grinned and said, "Sure. But only if you can't finish it."
"No-no, I already ate with Brooke. So–"
She snatched everything from me. I looked at her with disbelief. With a face full of food, she turned to me and said, "What? You said you already ate."
I sighed and said, "Nevermind."
Fez laughed and before he could say anything, Donna turned her head and stared into his food.
He quickly inhaled his food, even choking for a bit since he didn't want Donna to snatch his food too.
"I can't believe this place is disappearing." Eric stood up after eating his burger. "I mean, this place is our childhood."
Fez asked, "In America, is this normal?"
"No Fez. It's not." Donna sighed. "A town going bankrupt and selling their assets isn't normal."
"It's actually much more common than you think." I said to Donna, who met my words with a glare. "But that's not what you're talking about."
"Does anyone know why the town's going bankrupt?" Eric asked furiously. "How hard is it to manage a town?"
"Corrupt officials. They took bribes, had lavish parties, and even demanded bribes from investors who's coming into town." I replied.
All three of them looked at me in shock.
"Hyde, what do you know that you're not telling us?" Donna asked angrily.
"A lot of stuff." I replied vaguely. "You know. Maybe the one who bought the place isn't that bad. Maybe they'll keep the basketball court, open it to public–"
"Nice dream you got there Hyde." Donna sneered sarcastically.
"They are going to open a strip club here." Fez said to me firmly. He was 100% sure it was going to happen.
"No! Fez!" Donna hit him with her leg.
"Ayy." He whined in pain. "I can't even run away. My legs are too numb."
"Does it feel like there's an army of ants climbing on your leg?" I asked him with amusement.
"Yes. It also felt like how a TV lost its signal.."
"That's accurate." Eric agreed with Fez. Then, he turned to his girlfriend.
"Man! I just wish I can find the guy who buys this place, and give him a piece of my mind!" Eric complained, hands on his waist.
"What are you going to say to him? Here– here, I'll be him." I stood up and faced Eric.
Eric wiped the dust on his pants and immediately got into roleplaying mode. "You know what? I will do it. So, I'm going to give you a piece of my mind."
"Hey you!" He scolded me. "You inconsiderate–"
"Bup bup bup. Where are your manners? Knock on the door first."
"What–" Eric widened his eyes.
"We're not savages." I added.
Donna and Fez nodded, agreeing with me.
"FINE!" Eric said begrudgingly and went back outside the 'door'.
"Knock Knock." He said as he gestured.
"Come in."
"Hey you! I'm here to give you a piece of my mind!" Eric shouted immediately after he entered.
"Whoa. Man. This is just our first time meeting. Where are your manners? Introduce yourself first."
"Yeah Eric. Start over." Fez said as he ate his fries.
"What– Fez!" Eric whined with a soft voice. "Fine!" His tone was a bit tired now.
He started over with the knocking. "Come in." I said, crossing my arms together.
"Hello Sir., I'm Eric Forman. And I'm here to… talk to you about an important subject."
"Good Eric." Donna exclaimed at the side, supporting him.
"Alright. What is the matter concerning? Please, have a seat. My sexy, red headed assistant will make you some hot chocolate. Or, do you want beer?"
"Uh, an assistant?" Eric was taken aback.
"Yeah, she used to be Miss October in 1975 Playpen magazine. Now, she's my wife-slash-secretary."
Donna furrowed her eyebrows in anger, rebuking me, "Hyde. What are you doing?"
"I'm also role-playing. Let me live my fantasy for a bit." I joked.
Eric was stunned. He turned to Donna slightly, and reacted again, "Um… There's no need for that… Even though I really want to meet her… I'm here to talk to you about the basketball court."
"The basketball court? I didn't buy a basketball court. I bought land from the town council." I said, slightly guarded.
"Yeah. But the basketball court is on the land!" Eric complained, his tone turned aggressive instantly. "That place was our childhood! Sure, it's all worn out and very dangerous now, but it was the only place for me to play basketball."
"Why? Did your school teacher reject you from the basketball team because you're too skinny?" I asked casually.
"Yes– NO–No," Eric squirmed. "Anyway. You should not go through with this purchase! You're destroying the town. Everyone will hate you!"
"Oh. I'm sorry." I pretended to be apologetic.
"You're right. You should be sorry." Eric got his motivation back, pretending to be tough now.
"All I want to do is to provide the orphans under my care a stable place to call home. Many of them are blind, and have missing limbs." I added with a sigh.
"What–" Eric was startled again.
Fez exclaimed with disappointment, "Ayy Eric. You want to take the orphanage away?"
"I– I DIDN'T KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE AN ORPHANAGE! Ahh Forget it." He gave up and sat back down. Donna laughed and teased him.
"Come on Big Red. Your turn." I called her up with my index finger.
She smiled and stood in front of me.
"Yeah– *Huff* – Okay. I'm ready." She flailed her arms around nervously.
"Okay. Go." Fez started the scene.
"Knock Knock."
"Oh. A polite one. Come on in." I said, which made Eric roll his eyes.
"Hi. Sir. I'm Donna Pinciotti." She shook my hand.
"Oh, I thought you were my wife." I introduced myself too. "I'm Rich. That's both my name and my career. People call me the Handsome, Hung Rich Man."
Eric got a bit insecure. "Hey! That's my girlfriend!"
"And you let her go to meet a handsome, rich man with a manhood like a stallion alone?" Fez teased Eric. "You're not getting her back."
"What– I'm–"
Donna laughed slightly and interjected, "Alright. Rich…man. I'm here to talk to you about the land you're purchasing."
I gave her a look. She understood it and said, "I'm not adding anything else."
"A pity. However, you have a clear topic sentence…. Alright. I'm invested. Talk."
Donna jeered at Eric.
"You went second. Of course you'll do it better." Eric complained.
Donna said to me, "Sir! I need you to stop buying the land. There's a public basketball court on it. It's a cultural landmark of the town, a place where every kid has gone at least once in their life."
"So you need to stop the purchase." Donna added. "For the children."
Eric and Fez applauded her convincing words.
I smirked slightly and said, "Oh yeah. I know there's a basketball court there. I still bought it on purpose, since it's basically a steal."
"What?" Donna was taken aback. She was expecting the orphan route, and had prepared for those, but I pulled the rug from under her.
"Let's look at it logically. The basketball court was locked a year ago. No one was maintaining it. It's overridden with grass, the pillars are bent, the concrete cracked."
Her eyes fluttered nervously. "But. We're still using it–"
"Illegally you mean." I added sharply. She gasped, caught off guard by my attack.
"The court stopped functioning as the town no longer had any means to maintain it. That's why it's being sold. It's an insurance liability. A thorn in the management's side." I said ruthlessly.
"But– We can find the money to maintain it!" Donna argued.
"You mean, the town government should cut other stuff? Which will it be? Transportation? Education?"
Her face paled slightly.
"The school lunch program? The sewer maintenance? Road maintenance?"
I used slow, deliberate words to really push the point in. "Which of these do you think we should cut to save the basketball court?"
"We…" She became slightly teary. Her voice choked up."We can raise money ourselves–"
"Twenty-two thousand dollars." I interjected again. "That's just the price of the material to completely refresh the place. To make it usable again."
"And…at least 4800 dollars every year to maintain it. That didn't include the labor cost to refresh it. That will be at least twenty thousand more in labor cost to pay the concrete worker, the electrician, and the fencer…"
Donna's eyes were red. Tears slowly fell down her cheek.
"Can you… afford that?" I asked her, slowly, deliberately.
"Hyde. Stop it." Eric stood up and intervened, his tone soft. He grabbed Donna and she immediately turned to him and hugged him as she began to sob.
"Hey! Knock first!" Fez shouted at him.
"FEZ!" Eric scolded him and held Donna by the shoulder. "I'm sorry Donna. But I don't think the basketball court can be saved."
"God. Eric. Why is this happening to us?" She hugged Eric and began to cry. Eric comforted her slightly and sighed too.
I felt a little bad about it, but I didn't tell any lies. The basketball court was bleeding money for the town government.
"It's because the town official is corrupt!" Fez slammed his fist on the ground, and then winced in pain as he had hit concrete.
"Fez. You try." I called.
Fez was taken aback. Donna stopped crying and laughed slightly. "I don't think Fez needs to do it." She wiped her cheek and sniffled.
"Why? Because he's foreign and no government in America will listen to him?" I asked sarcastically. "I didn't peg you for a xenophobic Donna."
"What?! I didn't mean that!" Donna was startled.
"Hey! I can make him listen!" Fez stood up and faced me. He huffed nervously and said, "Knock Knock."
"The door's open, foreigner." I said with a scary expression.
Fez gulped his saliva and entered the scene. Donna laughed slightly, and Eric also felt better.
"Sir. Mr Handsome, Hung, Tall, and smelling nice, Rich man sir. Please, let my friend keep the basketball court. They really love that court."
"So your attempt is begging?" Donna laughed.
Fez added, "You don't want to make a woman cry because of that, do you?"
Eric laughed and said, "Fez. That's not going to work–"
"Wait. Hold on, Rude one." I held a finger at Eric before turning to Fez again. "I'm making a girl cry? A gentleman like me, I can't do that as it'll break all of my chivalry code."
Fez nodded and said, "Yes sir. You're making a woman cry. A large, beautiful scary woman with a painful kick. She's been playing on the court for over 10 years. It's where all of her friends have played together since they were very very young."
I smiled softly. Fez added, "So please. Mr Rich man sir. Give the basketball court back to them."
"So… the girl… is she hot?" I asked whisperingly.
"She can definitely be the Playboy magazine Miss October this year." Fez whispered back sleazily.
"Hey! Don't pimp me out!" Donna was annoyed.
"Donna. Please. This is for the sake of the town." Eric stopped her.
"Eric!" She was annoyed, and burst into laughter. Eric giggled too as he knew he had managed to lift up her mood.
I laughed slightly and said after a long pause, "You know what? I will give it back."
"YAY!" Fez jumped in celebration. He turned to the others and said, "Donna! The court's saved!"
Donna scoffed and said tiredly. "Fez. Hyde has no actual decision making ability for this court."
Eric also sighed. "Yeah. Also, how does that work? Hyde! Why does Fez one work?"
"Becuase he's polite. He begged, not demanded." I replied casually. "He also called me hung. So that's why I'm going to let everyone use… my court."
"Hmm?" Eric caught something at the end of my words.
Donna sighed and said, "Hyde. I really wish that you're the owner of the land. Then, we can just make you open the place back up."
"It might take a while. The renovations will take at least a month." I replied. "It has two courts after all. It will take some time."
Donna laughed sarcastically, but Eric and Fez realized it already. They froze in place, eyes glued on me.
"However, the problem is still the town government. They won't let me do it easily. I can keep everything free, but I thought of renting the place for the flea market to cover up some of the monthly electricity cost. But they can slap me with a business zoning letter if I do it."
Donna finally caught on. "Wait. Hyde. What are you saying?"
"Oh. I'm saying I bought this place." I smiled. "I'm the owner of the land you're all trespassing right now. So, I'm going to call the cops on you."
"Cops?!" Fez shivered in fear.
"Hyde?!" Eric was baffled. "When did you do this– Why– Why did you do this?"
"Because." I shrugged.
Donna squeaked and covered her mouth, almost fully breaking into tears. Eric too was tearful. Fez's face was already soaked.
"Hyde– You jerk–" Donna raised her hand to hit me, but I stopped her immediately.
"Put your hands down Big Red. If you make me lose the bet, I'm going to be super pissed, I'm going to turn this place into a strip club!"
Donna froze and laughed awkwardly. "What bet?" Eric asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just that Donna can't hit me, or I will never see Brooke in a Playboy mansion bunny outfit."
"WHAT?!" Fez and Eric were stunned speechless. Donna scowled in disgust and raised her fist back up, "I should just hit you now."
"Believe me Big Red. Do that, and I'll name the strip club Donna's Fist." I warned her, raising my index finger up in front of her balled up hand.
"Uh-uh. Put it down." I scolded her as she kept inching near me.
…
Only the three of them knew about the court being mine. I asked them to keep it a secret for as long as possible.
Back home, after taking a shower, I began searching for the materials online.
I bought future grade stuff for the court since I have the multiplier. It was cheaper than buying stuff in 1977.
Concrete patch and self leveller – $1200 with 1977 money. $6000 in 2025.
Epoxy floor, basketball rubber epoxy – $1500.
Four new hoops and backboard, pro level– $800
Line marking – $200
Rim and nets– $60
Chain fence, 2025 version more weather proof– $1400
Floodlights– $2000
Timing light – $60
Bleachers– $500
Adjustable pole– $1200
The total was $8620, just for the materials alone.
The labor cost, even in 1977, would be over 10,000 dollarinos.
It would be a pro-grade outdoor court with one court having a retractable rim which will allow kids to play easily.
The self levelling, the epoxy made specific for basketball court would make this the best outdoor court in all of Wisconsin.
'I could honestly say, the best outdoor court in the whole world.'
Since the basketball court was made with stuff 50 years in the future.
"I have money for it. I should add two toilets, for boys and girls, drinking fountains, and… maybe go for a tournament."
Since the entire thing was managed by a trust, no one would really know I was the one who built the basketball court except for the people I wanted to know.
The next morning, after I was done with the initial design for the park, I went to meet Leslie, my new event manager.
She quit her job at the Park and Rec's department and would help me with odd stuff I wanted to do.
She was highly intelligent, yet it was because of her family she was labelled as a 'bad seed' by the other employees that her career in the town government was over.
It was the 70s. People were highly judgemental here.
Hell, a lot of people thought I made money from drug dealing since they couldn't fathom me having a successful business of my own at 17 years old.
"Although…"
Something has been bugging me ever since the Vanstock camping trip.
"Why does Donna eat so much?"
It has been bugging me because she wasn't like that before. Sometime after dating Eric, her personality changed from the cool girl next door to a moody girl next door who ate a lot and had mood swings.
So I asked GPT what could be the cause of that.
The AI gave me multiple options.
{ChatGPT: It could be… Pregnancy.}
"Nope. She's a virgin. Unless she's the Virgin Mary, I don't think so."
I couldn't get the answer, so I asked him to consider the era I was living in.
{ChatGPT: Probably cause, Birth Control in 1977.
The pill became widely available in the 60s after FDA approval in 1960.
By 1977:
>It was common.
>It was especially common among middle-class girls.
>It often required parental consent if under 18 (depends on state).
>Doses were MUCH higher hormone levels than modern pills.
Those higher doses meant:
>Stronger mood swings
>Increased appetite
>Nausea
>Breast tenderness
>Weight gain
>Irritability
>Emotional volatility
Modern pills are low-dose.
1970s pills? Hormone hammer.}
I went blank for a few seconds. "Ooooohhhhhh–"