Edge of Seventeen: Steven Hyde/OC

seven.

Butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Ree smoothed out the green, floral dress that her mother was forcing her to wear, trying to take deep breaths. Why did her mother insist on throwing the twins a "surprise" birthday party every single year despite their protests? Letting out a huff, Ree applied her lipgloss and grabbed her current book before heading down to the basement, where her mother had banished the twins to so she could set up the secret party. Ree stomped downstairs, arms crossed with a frown etched upon her face. The rest of the gang, including Eric, were sat in the basement already, the former of whom all sat rigidly, mouths shut tightly and eyes flicking across the room. Ree sighed as she saw them, sending Eric a tired look, before she hopped onto the dryer to sit. Flipping her book open to her bookmarked page, Ree began to read.

"Look, we know what you're all doing here," said Eric, tiredly. The twins had tried as hard as they could to stop this party from happening, but it had been no use.

"What are you talking about, man?" asked Kelso, robotically. "We're just hangin' out, like always, except we're dressed nice but that doesn't mean anything." Jackie nodded her head eagerly in agreement with Kelso.

"Cut the crap, Kelso," sighed Ree as she glanced up from her book to send him a glare.

"What?" He demanded. "We're just hangin' out and definitely not here for any other reason at all!"

Ree rolled her eyes, giving up and turning back to her book as everyone else stayed abnormally silent. Suddenly, she heard the soft clicking of her mother's clogs on the stairs. Looking up, Ree watched her mother crouch down so she could see everyone.

"Hey, kids," she greeted, giggling excitedly. "I need your help with something. Jackie, Donna, Michael, Steven," she called out, pausing as she got to Fez, "young man with an accent, could you give me a hand?" The gang began to clamber upstairs quickly. "Not you two!" Kitty pointed at the twins, sending them a stern look. As everyone else left, Eric and Ree could hear the loud, banging footsteps of everyone upstairs quickly getting ready. Eric turned around in his seat and sent his twin a miserable look, which she returned just the same.

"What do we do?" Eric asked, dramatically, looking scared.

"Run." Ree bookmarked her page before jumping off the dryer. The twins ran for the basement door, whipping it open before freezing in their tracks.

"Nope," said their father as he blocked their only viable exit with a smirk and a shake of his head.

"No, but -" protested Eric.

"No," sang Red as he cut Eric off.

"But, Daddy-" Ree tried.

"No, sorry, Pumpkin, you're going to your party," said Red in a softer tone, but still with finality.

Ree and Eric's shoulders slumped. They were trapped. They were doomed. They were gonna die.

At least they were gonna get to eat cake.

"Eric, Ree," Kitty called, skipping back down the stairs. "Would you come up here for a minute?" She turned back to run upstairs, "Shut up, they're coming!"

Ree and Eric shared a tentative look before climbing up to their doom.

Thankfully, the party was pony-less, unlike the twins' previous birthday. Ree still had nightmares of the stupid ponies their parents had made them sit on and take pictures with for their fifteenth birthday. The twins wondered if their mom had thought they were turning five instead. A normal party with her friends, however? Without anything embarrassing? That was something that Ree could handle.

Ripping open her first gift, Ree was delighted to find that Donna had given her a new Led Zeppelin poster, one that focused more on Robert Plant. She squealed and enveloped Donna in a tight hug. Ree and Donna had been Led Zeppelin fans since they were in Junior High; they listened to them all the time - at sleepovers or while just hanging out - and their dream was to go to a concert and actually get to meet them.