𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑬 - Steven Hyde

thirty six

36|SCHOOL PICTURES

"I can't believe I was almost late." Goldie breathed as she burst into the room where everyone waited to get their pictures taken. "Make up is stressful."

"You're fine." Donna chuckled as the girl leaned her head against her shoulder.

"Oh. Hey guys, Tommy Hedges just got his picture taken with a big, old booger." Hyde walked in the room and sat in the edge of a table, a grin on his lips.

"So, why were you in Tommy Hedges picture?" Eric joked and laughed at his own joke.

"So, wait. He had a booger, and you didn't tell him?" Donna questioned the frizzy haired boy.

"He'll find out. It'll be in the yearbook." Hyde shrugged before laughing.

"It's true. That's how I found out I was adorable." Fez smiled while Goldie pinched his cheeks in agreement.

"No, seriously." Jackie continued to stroke her boyfriends hair. "The only thing more important than your yearbook picture is your yearbook quote."

"Ah, I already got that covered." Kelso reassured her while everyone waited to hear what crazy thing he was about to say. "My quote's gonna be, "what a long, strange trip it's been". Yeah, that's freaking profound."

"Kelso, every lame-o hippie in the history of time has used that quote." Eric informed Kelso mockingly.

"Well, yeah. That's cause it's good." He argued terribly.

"No, Michael. Your quote has to be meaningful so you can remember the good times when you're, like, thrity, with no reason left to live." Jackie lectured her boyfriend.

"Okay, hidden in Jackie's extremely disturbing though is a grain of truth." Donna agreed causing Goldie to chuckle that the ginger was agreeing with Jackie. "We need a really good quote this year."

"Well, all the best quotes are about things that mean a lot to you." The brunette explained, trying to help them find a quote. "Like, for example, me. Or my hair, or my personality, or the sparkle I bring to your full, gray lives."

"Or the feeling of relief we get when you leave the room." Hyde added, Goldie giving him a high five.

"No. You know what?" Eric said seriously as he glanced around. "We need a quote about all of us. Like, maybe like how we all met."

"Oh, "weed, sex, beer"." Goldie quickly suggested, earning a high five off both Hyde and Donna.

"Remember how we first met?" Donna asked Eric with a grin.

"Oh, is this a sexy story?" Fez said excitedly.

"It's really more sad than sexy." The ginger thought about it while Eric agreed.

"That's pretty much how it goes for you, isn't it?" Hyde nodded at him with a grin.

"Yeah." Eric nodded along with him as he remembered how they first met. He began to tell them the story, being very detailed on how Donna punched him. "That's, yeah, go ahead and laugh. None of you were punched by Madam Man-fist here."

"You were creepy. What can I say?" Donna laughed while Goldie joined in, understanding punching Eric because he was creepy or annoying.

"Foreman beat up by a girl." Hyde laughed, pulling Goldie to stand between his legs as his arms wrapped around her wait, head leaning on her shoulder. "Seems like only yesterday. Oh, wait. I think it happened yesterday too."

"You like that story, Hyde?" Eric said sarcastically with a mischievous look in his eyes. "Maybe I should talk about the first time you and I met."

"No."

"Yes."

"You promised!"

"I'm telling!" The two boys pointed at each other warningly but Eric proceeded to tell the group about how the pair first met.

"You shared the bath?" Goldie laughed loudly, Hyde's arms keeping her up as he shot Eric a glare.

"Now I have to kill you." Hyde warned Eric.

"I don't know." Fez shrugged as he thought about it. "I like to bathe with friends. They can reach places you can't."

"Yeah." Kelso filled the awkward silence. "That's probably best kept to yourself, buddy."

"You guys, look at Eric's last year's picture." Jackie gestured to the old year book in Kelso's hand. The group quickly gathered around, chuckling at the famous picture.

"The famous makeup covered zit." Hyde explained to Goldie who leaned in to see the picture properly.

"Look, I just wanted one year of clear skin to remember." Eric sighed with annoyance. "And if that means breaking out the old powder puff, so be it."

"You've never really had a zit-free picture." Donna took the book from Kelso and looked at the picture clearly.

"Remember the one on his nose?" Jackie reminded them. Goldie remained quiet, chuckling at her cousins misfortune.

"Oh, and the one on his lip?" Fez added as he thought about the many years of year book pictures.

"And the one on the one on his lip?" Donna laughed, adding on to the memories.

"And the one we thought was a second little alien Eric growing out of his cheek?" Hyde continued, noticing the distant look in his girlfriend's eyes.

"I mean no harm to your planet." Kelso joked with a strange voice. "I will attack if you attempt to pop me.

"Ah, zits."

"Hey, those days are over, okay?" Eric said with determination. "I'm zit free this year, and you want to know why? I have become a man. No, I'm serious. I am man. I am zitless. Hear me roar. That should be our yearbook quote."

"What about a quote from the happiest day of our lives?" Fez suggested, changing the topic away from Eric's zits.

"When was that?"

"The day you met me."

"Fez, you hit on me." Goldie reminded him teasingly. "Made me very happy."