Edge of Seventeen: Steven Hyde/OC

fourteen.

The pair soon made it back to the party, where the guests had started to arrive. Ree's heart began thumping quicker at the sight; they could get caught at any moment. Rowdy teens, those stupid red solo cups, and cars lined up and down the block made it so obvious that they were having a party.

"It's broken!" Ree overheard Donna exclaim as Kelso handed her the busted tap.

"I've got duck tape!"

"Duct tape? Do you know how much pressure runs through that tap?" Hyde asked from his spot in Ree's vacated lawn chair.

Ree descended the ladder, jumping off at the bottom, and approached her friends, shaking her head. "I tried to tell him," she defended herself.

"I've got two whole rolls of duck tape!"

"I can't work like this," said Hyde, getting to his feet with a soft grunt. He walked over to Eric. "Forman, you need to get your dad's tap - now," he demanded.

"My dad . . doesn't have a tap," Eric lied, unconvincingly.

"Besides," Ree cut in. "Dad will literally kill you if he catches you."

"I'm willing to take that risk," Hyde said gruffly.

"Come on, Eric, we never ask you for anything," added Kelso.

"You guys ask me for everything!"

"So, what's one more thing?"

Ree snorted in disbelief.

"No, forget it," Eric said, shaking his head. "I've done enough today already; count me out."

"Good choice, Eric." Ree clapped him on the back. "I would've missed you after Dad wears your ass for a hat."

"See, Forman? Are you really gonna go with what your sister is saying? She's never had a day of fun in her life," Hyde said with an annoyed look at Ree.

Ree shot Hyde a sharp look in return, "It was fun pushing you off the treehouse ladder when we were kids."

Hyde whirled around to face her, "So, you admit you pushed me!"

Ree couldn't help the grin that formed on her face. "In my defense, you didn't get hurt."

"You broke my arm!"

"Details, details." She shrugged. "Your arm's fine now."

Suddenly, the gang's favorite bullies strolled over in their matching letterman jackets, eyeing up Kelso again.

"Hey, Kelshmo," Destroy shoved into him as he approached. "Your tap's broken? Why'd you do something stupid like buy a stupid, broken tap? What are you, stupid?"

"It wasn't broken until you broke it," Kelso replied, sending the jocks an overexaggerated look.

Ree couldn't believe that there were actual people in the world who could make Michael Kelso look smart.

"Oh, man," the bully sighed, looking at his friend.

"Don't beat yourself up," Give-Back comforted, laying an arm around his shoulders. "You had no way of knowin'. Anyways, we gave it back."

"Yeah, broken," added Eric.

"Hey, lay off him, alright? He feels bad enough already!"

Ree shook her head in disbelief, "I think I'm losing brain cells just listening to those two," she muttered to Donna, who nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh, he should because he's a moron," spat Eric.

Ree's eyes widened; she didn't expect Eric, of all people, to actually call out the idiots.