[Hyde POV]
After we got back from the mall, Jackie immediately went to Donna's house.
I went to the basement, where I bumped into Eric and Fez.
"Where's Kelso?" I asked as I sat on my spot.
"We don't know." Fez shook his head slightly. Eric sighed and said, "I think he's crying again."
"He might be." I replied and grabbed the phone. I dialled Kelso's home number, and he picked it up within seconds.
"Hello?"
"Hello. We're from the electric company. Can I ask if your refrigerator is running?"
"What– Hold on. Let me check." Kelso went silent for a while. Eric looked at me with disbelief.
"It's running." Kelso replied.
"Then go and catch it you fool." I sneered.
"Oh god damn it!" He cursed and cut the call.
"Did you really have to antagonize him more?" Eric asked, slightly tired.
"What good of a friend I'd be if I didn't kick him when he's down?" I said with a smirk.
Eric shook his head slightly and said, "You have to be careful. He might not want to be your friend anymore."
"Want to bet?" I leaned forward slightly.
"Bet on what?" Eric was intrigued.
"If I can get him here within 20 minutes– fully ready to be my friend again."
Eric sneered and said sarcastically. "Sure you can. What's the prize?"
"What about a new chair?"
"You want me to buy you a new chair?" Eric was taken aback.
"Yup. I want something like Red's chair. Or better yet. Get me Red's green chair."
Eric was startled. "You mean, you want me to grab my dad's special seat, and bring it down here?"
"Yeah. Do we have a bet or not?"
Eric thought about it and said, "Alright. I'll do it. Since I'm completely confident that you won't succeed. You cannot tell him there's a robot in the basement. Not again."
I went silent for a bit. "... I won't do that."
Then, I dialled Kelso's number again.
"Hello?" He answered angrily.
"Hello my good friend Kelso."
"Hyde– I don't want to talk to you–"
"Congratulations. You got cast as the lead in my commercial. Be in the basement in twenty minutes or kiss the opportunity goodbye." I cut the call before he could answer.
Eric leaned forward and complained, "OH COME ON! That's really unfair!"
"What's unfair about it? I'm not even kidding. I need a good looking guy. Fez is also going to be in the commercial."
"Really?" Fez stood up excitedly.
"Yeah. Just a glimpse. I'm going to set him up with Jackie as his scene partner. He'll dance with her. Kelso will be the Radioshack guy."
I already planned out the script for the commercial. Then, I called Tiffany and Ophelia to get them to be in the commercial too.
"I need an empty roller rink though." I grumbled. "Eric, do you have any idea?"
"We can do it after hours. I'll go to the rink to talk with the guy there." Eric tried to stand up, but I grabbed his shirt.
"Don't try to run away. There's 18 minutes left."
"Oh come on!" He whined.
"I'M HERE!" Kelso came into the basement within three minutes, carrying his skates with him.
"God damn it." Eric cursed.
"Mrs Forman! Eric said a bad word!" I reported him.
Eric went to the roller disco venue with Kelso and Fez. I stayed behind and arranged the storyboards.
Donna suddenly opened the basement door. "Hey. Where's Eric?"
"Roller Disco." I replied casually.
"What?" Donna was confused. She sat next to me and said, "I heard from Jackie, what you did."
"It's fine. You don't have to offer to pay me the cost of her dresses."
"I wasn't– I'm never going to do that!" She was startled. "I'm here to warn you. She's trying to use this whole fake boyfriend thing to seduce you."
I grimaced. "Why?"
"Because you're treating her like a queen!" Donna snapped at me. "She never had that before. Did you know on Kelso and Jackie's first anniversary, he gave her a rubber chicken?"
I snorted and said, "Yes. I remember. That was really funny."
"Don't laugh. I'm being serious. If you're not planning to actually date her, just treat her the way you treated her before. Don't you kinda hate her before?"
I went silent for a bit. "I found her annoying. But I don't hate her though."
Donna's eyes widened. "Wait. Really?"
"No." I smirked.
"Oh you bonehead." Donna rolled her eyes and left.
…
Inside the roller rink. The disco ball scattered the lights everywhere. The roller disco-ers were rolling around in provocative and lame outfits, dancing to the music.
I stepped in the rink with my normal shoes, carrying a camera with me. Eric negotiated with the owner, and we could film the commercial afterhours.
It cost me 100 bucks to rent the venue for the night.
"Kelso, you need to change your hairstyle. The previous one is already good enough."
I was irked when I saw Kelso styling his hair slick back. Instead of a hero, he looked like a villain.
I turned to Donna. She has a headband on, wears long jeans and a cute flowery top with a vest on. Hippie style.
"Can you handle this idiot's wardrobe? Something simple. Underdog style– You know what? Just take Forman's shirt and give it to Kelso."
Bartholomew– or Bart, the main guy in my concept videos , before approached me, asking, "Am I demoted to being an extra?"
"You're still getting paid the same. Do you want the job or not?" I asked him with a sly smile.
He sighed and said, "Fine."
Bart has a clean shaven face, long feathery hair– longer than Kelso's, and he reminded me of the actor Keanu Reeves.
He has quite some range when I watch his theater performance. Suddenly, Ophelia walked into the rink with a booty short, and a tight tank top. She rolled right into Bart and used him to stop.
"Hey sweetheart." Bart called her sweetly and kissed her on the lip.
She didn't kiss him back, immediately turned to me and asked, "Do I have any lines?"
"Just one."
"Good." Ophelia smiled and left to meet with Tiffany.
I turned to Bart and asked sleazily, "You're doing that huh? Nice."
"I would've thought the same thing as you before… but she's not really interested in doing anything." Bart sighed.
"How long have you two been–"
"Two years." He replied.
I was quite surprised. "Two years, and nothing? Not even making out?"
"No." Bart shook his head slightly. "So, any tips?"
"I don't know." I shrugged.
Bart left with disappointment.
"Ready! Action!" I held the camera, recording some party scenes in a one-shot pattern.
First, Tiffany and some other girls will roll around excitedly. Then, Fez and Jackie would come in from the side as I retreated.
Fez would twirl Jackie around, ending with holding her back as she leaned. Then, Bart would roll by, and I'll follow him until we saw the deejay booth where a kid would roll right into the booth and make the music stop.
As I was recording Tiffany, I slipped and fell on my back.
"CUT!" Eric shouted. He was my assistant today. I'd pay him too for his services.
"Hyde. Are you okay?" Donna asked worriedly.
"Ow… I'm fine. I'm backing up too slow. I need at least 8 feet between me and Tiffany so I tried to be faster."
I stood up and immediately checked the expensive camera. As I fell, I made sure to lift it up to ensure it wouldn't get damaged.
I realized someone was patting my body and turned around to see who it was.
"Why don't you wear skates too?" Jackie said with concern etched on her face.
"I'll die before I wear a roller skate and roll around in the rink like any discoers."
Eric, Jackie, and Donna all rolled their eyes at me.
"Just say that you cannot skate." Donna snapped at me.
"I can. I won't."
I was being adamant, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Jackie and Fez returned to their position again. I made sure Fez wore a fedora in a titled way by smacking it. He laughed and fixed up his hat.
Tiffany started again. But her eyes went to check on me, which made me cut the scene.
"Tiff. Don't look at the camera." I scolded her.
"Sorry– Sorry everyone!" Tiffany apologized to all the crew.
"Hyde! Just wear the skates!" Donna yelled.
"Never." I replied flatly. "Wait. Eric. Come here. You try."
Eric gulped his saliva. "You want me to hold the expensive camera?"
"Why not?" I sighed. "You can roll around easier."
"If I drop it–"
"I'm going to sue your ass for damages." I teased with a serious face. Then, I laughed and hit his arm, "Just kidding."
Eric laughed awkwardly.
Before he could do it, Ophelia approached me.
"Steven." She called. "If the main character is right over there… Wouldn't it better to add some more motivation for him."
"Like what?" I asked, intrigued.
"I could slow dance with him. And we almost kiss. Then, the music cut off. That'll–"
"Increase his motivation. Making it very clear too. Nice job Opie."
She glared at me and said seriously, "Don't call me Opie."
"Change of plans, everyone. Minor adjustment," I said, clapping my hands once to get their attention.
They all turned toward me.
"We're reworking the blocking."
I pointed toward the rink. "We're still doing this as a one-take tracking shot. No cuts. I'll start wide, follow Tiffany through the crowd, then pan into Jackie and Fez for the spin."
I gestured toward Bart. "After that, I'll focus on Bart as he passes the frame, then track him toward the DJ booth."
Ophelia crossed her arms, listening closely.
"And before the booth," I added, nodding at her, "you and Kelso slow dance. Tight framing. Build tension. Almost a kiss. I'll move the camera past you two– When Eric is moving on, break the kiss immediately and allow him to move."
She smirked slightly. Kelso laughed and said, "We're not idiots. We can do that."
"Then we hard-break the moment. Bart crashes into the booth, music cuts, energy drops. That's our turning point."
Eric blinked. "You planned all that just now?"
"Yeah," I said flatly. "It's not complicated."
I looked around at all of them.
"Movement replaces cuts. If one of you screws up, we reset from the top."
Groans echoed around the rink.
"Yeah," I nodded. "So don't screw up. It is fairly simple."
Eric started filming. Tiffany opened the scene, and as Eric moved away from her, Jackie and Fez came from the side and took the center. Only, Fez tried to kiss Jackie after leaning her backward, which made her shout, "GET OFF ME FEZ!"
"Cut!" I yelled and Fez was embarrassed.
I walked towards him with a serious expression. Fez panicked.
"What do you think you're doing with my girl?" I asked, keeping the farce.
"I– Um…" Fez stammered. Jackie melted slightly.
"Fez. You're demoted to an extra. I need a pro roller skater here!" I called the extras. A handsome guy who was clearly gay approached us.
"Great. You know what to do?" I asked him.
"Yeah." He said casually.
Fez rolled to Donna– who teased him, "Ha!ha! You're an extra like me now!"
They needed to dance the entire time in the background, which meant they had the most tiring job.
"Steven. Am I your girl?" Jackie asked me flirtingly.
"Go stand in your position." I scolded her instantly.
Eric started again, and this time, everything went smoothly until Kelso and Ophelia almost kiss scene.
Kelso closed his eyes, and forgot to break when Eric was going in between them. Their hand caught Eric, and all three almost fell.
"NOOO!" Eric screamed as he dropped the camera.
I, however, already prepared and reached to grab the camera instantly, saving it an inch from the ground.
"Phew." I wiped my forehead and stood straight again.
"Moron." I cursed at Kelso. "Bart. Kelso, change position."
"Wait. You said I am the lead!" Kelso protested.
"You were. But you're demoted. Now, you're the kid who's going to ram into the booth."
Kelso was stunned, then he grinned and said, "That seems fun. I think I'll be good at that."
Ophelia's eyes flickered as she looked at me. "You're really finicky."
I shrugged and said, "Not for you. You're golden. Just do whatever you're doing."
She blushed a little as she heard it.
The shooting went by slowly.
Eric finally got the shot after the 15th take. Kelso crashed into the booth.
The light flickered, and everyone screamed. The entire rink became a mess. Ophelia slapped Bart away. Jackie jumped into her partner's back and grabbed his hair.
Tiffany held a plastic trash can and threw it to the dancers. They moved slowly like zombies, trying to get some music.
"Cut!" I yelled in excitement.
"Great. Now, we just need to film once Bart comes back with the wire. It'll be a pull out wide shot. Set up the tripod, Forman."
It took only two tries for the ending shot of the commercial.
I still needed a shot of Bart rolling on the street, going to Radioshack and getting the wire. But I will do it during daylight tomorrow.
'Best part is, I can skip school for this. I only have 2 hours left of gym to cover.'
"Everyone. There's an hour left for the rental. If you want to dance or skate, you can do that." I told everyone and walked to the side of the rink.
All of my friends rushed towards me.
"Steven. Let's dance!" Jackie tried to grab me.
I swerved and avoided her, saying, "I will never do disco."
"Hyde. Are you leaving?" Donna asked.
Fez said, "I'm so sorry for trying to kiss your girlfriend. She's been giving me confusing hints all night long."
"He's not his girlfriend–" Kelso shouted, at the same time, Jackie also scolded Fez, "I didn't give you hints! I was acting!"
"Touch my hips and run your fingers on my chest. Is that acting?" Fez whined.
"YES!" Jackie shouted with disbelief and annoyance.
"Well, you didn't make that clear." Fez blamed it all on Jackie.
She gasped, stunned by his attack.
I laughed and said, "Yeah Jackie. Stop giving him confusing signals."
Jackie got mad at me and said, "You're my boyfriend. Punch him in the face."
"I'd do it later." I shrugged, having no intention of doing it later.
"I'm going with you." Jackie grabbed my hand, stuck her tongue out at Kelso and Fez. I sighed inwardly and held her hand back, leading her into the car while she was still in her skates.
She brought that from home. It wasn't a rental.
I snorted derisively as I saw her being so giddy in the car.
'Freaking roller disco-er.'
…
After a short drive to Jackie's place, I noticed something. It was almost 1 in the morning, yet the house was fully dark.
"Is your parent not home?" I asked as I entered through the door. She was still holding my arm for support so I had to get in.
"No. My dad went on a business trip. My mom went to Mexico for a drinking trip." She replied casually and sat on the couch, finally taking off her shoes.
"So you're alone?" I asked.
She went silent for a bit. "The housekeeper will come in the morning to make me breakfast." She replied, as if it was an ordinary occurrence for her.
I turned to her and teased. "Are you sure you'll be fine? What if the Slenderman got you?"
She flinched, her face paled slightly.
"Damn it Steven! Don't say that! Now you have to stay until I fall asleep!"
Taken aback, I grimaced and said, "I'm not going to stay. I'm hungry. I want to go back and eat."
"Well I'm hungry too." She said, looking away from me.
I felt quite bad to leave her alone.
"Should I cook something?" I said, walking to her kitchen.
Her eyes lit up and she followed me from behind. "Make one for me too!" She demanded.
I raided her fridge, took out some mushrooms and made pasta with it, adding some sliced chicken breast in it.
Jackie ate with gusto and said, "This is amazing. What's it called?"
"Chicken alfredo." I replied casually.
While I was cooking, she put on some music, opened up a bottle of wine, and began talking consistently that I wanted to throw the spatula at her.
"Now that I'm done eating… bye." I wanted to slip away, but she grabbed my hand.
"Where are you going!? I'm not asleep just yet!"
"Then go to sleep!" I argued, annoyed.
"Just stay until I fall asleep! Aren't you my boyfriend?!" She argued back, flabbergasted by my reluctance to stay over.
"I'll wear a nightie. You can even peek when I'm changing. So just stay." She begged.
I looked at her with confusion and said, "So. The Slenderman thing gets to you huh?"
"Definitely. You son of a bitch. If you leave, I'm going to tell Micheal that we slept together."
"He's never going to believe that." I snorted.
"Why not? I'm cute. I'm sexy. If I want to sleep with you, I can definitely do that." She said confidently.
"No." I replied curtly.
She gasped and asked with frustration, "What do you mean by 'No'?! Do you honestly think I can't get you Steven?"
"Yes." I replied casually and drank some wine.
Jackie got even more annoyed. She suddenly leaned forward and kissed me, jamming her tongue down my throat.
Startled, I pulled my head away and said, "Alright. We're not doing that. I'm going to leave now."
Jackie went silent for a bit. I was getting ready to get out, and then realized she was sobbing.
"Oh damn it." I cursed my fate and sat with her.
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