[Hyde POV]
The episode was being recorded constantly so I didn't even have time to check what's happening.
Laurie carried her last box of stuff down the stairs. Kelso and I walked behind her, and we saw Jackie watching TV in the living room. She was wearing a black sweater over her blouse and a long skirt.
I grinned and called playfully, "Hey Kelso, look who's here! It's Jackie! Hiiiii Jackie!"
Jackie gave me a weird look while Kelso got nervous.
As Laurie stood in front of Jackie, both of them had the same fake smile on their face.
"God Laurie, I can't believe you're moving! I know we didn't spend much time together, but I think some of my good taste was rubbing off on you. And I'm so happy for that!" Jackie said sincerely.
"Thanks Jackie!" Laurie hugged her. "I'm gonna miss you too!" Laurie moved away from Jackie, and went to Kelso who was sitting by the door, behind Red's chair.
"Oh Kelso, I almost forgot, I found a t-shirt of you when I was cleaning out my room." She handed him the green shirt and left.
Jackie and I approached Kelso, me with a teasing grin, Jackie with a serious look on her face.
"Say… how did that get there?" I asked playfully.
"That's funny, this isn't even mine! Yeah I know, this must be Eric's shirt." Kelso stammered nervously, tried to play it cool.
Jackie grabbed the shirt and checked the tag. "Your mom sewed your name in it Michael!" She exposed him.
Kelso still tried to trick her, laughing nervously " MAN, Eric's gonna be pissed huh! Jackie see, I borrowed Eric's shirt cause mine wasn't working right. And uh then my mom must have sewed my name in it."
"Hm, I don't know Michael." Jackie narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but she ate up the lie.
I looked at her with a slight confusion.
"What, do you think I'm lying? Jackie, if I were lying, I'd come up with a lot better lie than that." Kelso said while fidgeting.
"Yeah, you'd think so!" I said sarcastically and went back upstairs.
-TV scene-
Eric and Donna sat on the couch in the basement.
"So Laurie is definitely moving out? And it's definitely over with her and Kelso?" Donna asked.
"Well, she is moving all the way across town, I mean, she is slutty but.. I mean she hates to commute." Eric replied with a mix of sarcasm and the truth.
"Good. Good, because Kelso is a rat-bastard and I'm not covering for him." Donna said angrily.
"Donna relax, it's over. So now you can get back to pleasing your man." Eric joked playfully and made Donna laugh.
Jackie suddenly walked in through the outside door.
"Eric please leave. I have to talk to Donna alone." Jackie said, her face was serious.
Eric laughed awkwardly, " Well okay, 'cause I mean, it's not like this is my home or any…"
Jackie snapped, "ERIC!" He left quickly.
"Jackie, you have something you wanna ask me?" Donna asked as Jackie sat at Eric's earlier spot.
Jackie was mumbling to herself, trying to gather her thoughts.
"See, I'm kinda worried about Michael and Laurie. I mean, she found his t-shirt in her room, and he said it wasn't his even though it had his name in it. And at that time I believed him."
She gestured nervously, "But now I can't remember why. But if there is something going on, I think I wanna know. But I don't wanna know. That even if I wanna know, you know?"
Donna blinked in confusion "I'm supposed to say...?"
"Donna, you're supposed to say that there is nothing going on, that Michael loves me and we're together and that's all that matters."
"That sounds good."
"GOD you're so NAIVE!"
"Isn't there like someone else you could talk to about this?" Donna grimaced slightly.
Jackie said with a slightly shaky voice, "Yeah well, I used to have this penpal in Nicaragua, but she just stopped writing after that hurricane-thingy."
Inside Laurie's room, I was playing with some cards I found and sat at Laurie's dressing table. Fez was walking around, checking out the room.
"Your new room is very pretty. Like a flower, or a girl." Fez commented, standing beside me. "You know, people might see this room and think you are a gay."
I snorted slightly, " I don't think so Fez."
"Oh Hyde, you would be surprised how easily people can make that mistake." Fez said from experience.
"That's because you kept wearing tight pants." I retorted, which made him laugh nervously.
Kelso walked into the room in a huff. "Hey Hyde, thanks for your help with Jackie man."
"Sure thing man." I replied casually as I stood up and faced him.
Kelso was caught off guard. "Okay Hyde, do you know what sarcasm is?" He asked seriously.
"No." I replied as seriously as I could.
"Hyde man, you almost got me caught!" He blamed me.
"I almost got you caught?" I grimaced. "My mom sewed my name in Eric's shirt ? You're so lame man."
"You know, half the time you act like you want me to get caught." He pointed at me, accusing me.
I sighed and said, "Kelso, you're my friend. So I'm going to be as direct as I can with you. Yes. I do want you to get caught."
"What?" Kelso flinched with shock.
[+2 Favorability.]
'Nice. Now I'm at the top again.' I thought before I added to Kelso, "You claim that you love Jackie. But you kept hurting her man."
Fez joined in, standing behind me and said, "Yes. That's right."
"How did I hurt her? She didn't know anything!" Kelso shouted nervously.
"Jackie isn't stupid Kelso." I snapped at him. "She knows, and she pretended not to know, because she thought she could keep you if she played dumb."
"What–" Kelso's gaze turned softer.
"You're hurting her man. Badly. So if you love her, and really really love her… I think you… should let her go." I said seriously.
Kelso's eyes turned red. Fez smiled and said, "Then. She's free to date anyone she wants."
The room suddenly froze.
"Hmm?" I was caught off guard. Kelso walked out in reverse, and so did Fez, who went to lay down on the bed again.
"Is this a retake?" I was confused. I even sat back down on the dresser.
-Take 2-
Kelso walked into the room in a huff. "Hey Hyde, thanks for your help with Jackie man."
"Sure thing man." I replied casually as I stood up and faced him.
'So I shouldn't break them up? Isn't that really sad for Jackie?' I thought secretly.
"Hyde man, you almost got me caught!" Kelso blamed me again.
"I almost got you caught? My mom sewed my name in Eric's shirt ? You're so lame man." I grimaced.
"You know, half the time you act like you want me to get caught." He pointed his fingers while accusing me.
I sighed and said, "Kelso. You're my friend. I don't want you to get caught."
[-5 Favorability]
'What the fuck is happening here?' I cursed inwardly.
"But at the same time, you make it sooo easy." I said with a slight sarcasm and exasperation.
[-1 Favorability]
'I am going to kill Kelso after this.' I vowed internally.
"Fuck you Kelso." I cursed. The room froze again.
-Take 3-
"You know, half the time you act like you want me to get caught." He pointed his fingers while accusing me.
I sighed and said, "Kelso. You're my friend. I don't want you to get caught. Because if you get caught, then my fun is over. So I'm just trying to prolong… your misery."
The favorability dipped and got back up again.
"Well okay, that's a little better." Kelso nodded slightly.
"Allright, friends for life baby!" I shook his hands cheerfully.
"Oh yeah! Friends for life!" Kelso shouted excitedly.
The take ended, and my favorability meter was the same as the initial count. (148/150)
'At the very least it didn't move,' I thought again.
Then, I began to wonder why I shouldn't expose Kelso or help Jackie.
The system was pretty flexible before. But why did it want to follow the plot now?
I decided to just go with the flow. I might be able to see its purpose later.
…
I went to the store with Mrs Forman outside of the tv recording. We bought ribs at the Meatery and even bought some pre-marinated meat there.
"Oh Steven, I didn't know you knew the owner of the store." Mrs Forman was excited as Mr Bent gave us a huge discount.
He wanted to give it for free at first, but Mrs Forman thought it was too much.
I bought three Saint Louis style ribs, weighing 3 pounds each. Mrs Forman thought it was too much, but I wanted to do different flavors as I cook.
Saint Louis style ribs didn't exist yet in the town. I teach Mr Bent that.
I already bought some spice rub online. So I didn't need to find anything else.
When we got back, Red had already started a fire on his grill, waiting for me while holding a tong.
"Step away from the grill!" Mrs Forman scolded him.
"What? I'm not trying to take over. I'm just supervising to make sure he doesn't ruin it!" Red replied gruffly.
"Why don't you supervise from afar? If I have a problem, I'll come find you." I told him.
He agreed reluctantly and warned me, "Okay. But if you ruin my lunch–"
"Dinner." Mrs Forman interjected. "It needs at least 4 hours. We can't make it for lunch, which is in about 20 minutes."
We ate lunch first before I began preparing the meat and put it in the circular grill.
The backyard was quiet except for the low crackle of charcoal settling into heat.
Red had already burned down the briquettes to a steady gray. I adjusted the vents without saying anything, lowering the airflow slightly and adding a thermometer to check the temperature.
I laid the three racks of St. Louis ribs on the picnic table and peeled off the thin membrane from the bone side with the tip of a butter knife. It came off in one long strip.
Then, I patted the ribs dry with paper towels.
The recipes online told me to do this before the spice rub.
"{Make sure to knead the spices deep within the crevices with your long, steady fingers–}"
"There's something off with the recipes here… But I guess cooking is inherently sexy."
I used paprika, cayenne, and the spice rub for mine to make it spicier. But I kept the other two simple.
"{Glaze the thick, meaty ribs that held the long hard bones with some delicious, sticky honey–}"
"Okay I'm just going to read the recipes right now." I muttered, closed the video and placed the ribs on the grill.
I'd need to cook it for two hours first before wrapping it in tinfoil.
The lids were closed for a bit. I even added an apple wood chunk on the charcoal to give the meat a rich, sweet smoky flavor.
I opened the lid and checked the color. I had to constantly check the fire since it didn't have temperature control like a modern grill.
The meat surface had darkened into a deep red-brown, the edges beginning to pull back from the bone tips.
I laid out two long sheets of tinfoil on the table and each rack got wrapped tightly. Adding a splash of apple juice on the spicy one, and a bit more honey on the other, I placed the meat back into the grill.
"There aren't any more recordings. Why?" I was confused. It was almost 5 in the evening.
Red approached me and asked, "Is it done?"
"No. At least one more hour." I told him.
"What are you doing wrapping the meat in metal?" Red asked angrily.
"It'll make for an even heat distribution, also packing the flavors inside the meat." I replied happily. "Just wait for it."
"Heat distribution?" He was confused, but he didn't ask a follow up question.
In this era, BBQ meant putting stuff on the grill over open fires. Mine was from decades in the future where every step was thought of scientifically.
Another hour passed by very quickly.
When I unwrapped the tinfoil, steam escaped in a burst. The meat had softened, nearly tender enough to tear with fingers.
I brushed the honey racks with a thin glaze of honey and a bit of the meat juices from the foil.
The spicy rack got a darker sauce, thicker and sharper.
All three racks went back on the grill uncovered, this time closer to the heat. Just enough to tighten the surface and caramelize the glaze.
The sugar began to bubble slightly.
"Noice." I was elated.
When the meat bent easily when lifted with tongs and the glaze had set into a sticky sheen, I pulled them off.
Then, I let them rest on a cutting board for ten minutes. I sliced cleanly between the bones. Juice pooled lightly on the board.
The smoke had settled deep into the meat. The bark held. The interior stayed moist. When I squeezed it, the juices came out.
Red and Mrs Forman came out to check on the ribs.
"Did it work?" Mrs Forman asked me.
"It works really well." I nodded, very excited. Then, I took a bite on the spicy ribs.
"It's melting in my mouth." I said with meat juices all over my lips.
"Great. We can eat it now." Red was excited.
Eric joined us, and Mrs Forman served the meat on the dining table with mash potatoes, peas, and corn on the cob.
"Wow Hyde. This looks great." Eric was excited. "So your mom being a lunch lady gives you some perks afterall."
I grimaced at him and said, "Just for that, you'll only get one slice instead of two."
He threw his hands up with disbelief. Red smiled in satisfaction and said, "Great. Now I can take five."
"Red. You need to watch your cholesterol. Just take one." Mrs Forman cut the ribs and placed it on Red's plate and Eric's plate.
"Steven. Here's yours." She put a huge plate in front of me, full of the spicy ribs.
"Why did he get so much?" Eric whined.
I smiled and said, "That's because I made it."
"Steven. Let me help you with that–" Red tried to grab one from my plate, but Mrs Forman slapped his hands away. "You can eat if there's any leftovers." She scolded him.
He pulled his hand back and stared at Kitty with shock.
I began eating the ribs with gusto. All of us did.
"Oh this is amazing." Eric exclaimed, sauce stuck all over his lips and cheeks. He had eaten three slices, and he was usually done after one slice.
"It's fall-of-the-bone meat tender." Red said proudly. "You could open a restaurant. You'll hit it big just selling this alone."
"Yeah Hyde. You cook even better than my mom." Eric said playfully. Mrs Forman's face froze, and she glared at him slightly.
I laughed and said, "I still love Mrs Forman's cooking more."
"Oh Steven. That's so sweet." Mrs Forman melted slightly. Then, she glared at her ungrateful son.
"Mom, I was joking." Eric replied, baffled by her reaction.
"It doesn't sound like a joke to me." Mrs Forman replied with a shrill voice.
"That's it. Eric, you're grounded for one day." Red said sternly.
"But I didn't do anything!" Eric was flabbergasted by the turn of events.
I cackled slightly, and suddenly the sliding door opened.
Bob entered the kitchen with a turquoise plate in his hand. "Hey there, Hi there, Ho there. Can I get some ribs? I've been smelling it since lunchtime, and I need some way to stop the drool coming out from my mouth."
"Sure!" Mrs Forman said excitedly. Red looked at her with disbelief, "Kitty! That's my ribs!"
"It's fine. It's just one." Kitty placed a slice on Red's plate, with some mash potatoes and a lot of peas.
After my sixth slice, I feel quite full. Red looked at me and teased, "Are you done there son?"
"If you're done, I'll take some of that–" Bob tried, but I pulled the plate away.
"My ribs!" I growled slightly, and covered my plate.
Bob and Mrs Forman retreated from me quickly.
"My god. The ribs are activating his primitive instinct." Eric exclaimed seriously.
Red was also taken aback by it. I grabbed another bone and bit the meat of it savagely.
Donna and Midge came to the kitchen too, both bringing some plates of their own.
Donna was quite embarrassed by it, but Midge didn't think much of it. "Kitty, can we also–"
"Sure Midge!" Mrs Forman gave the two slices of the honey glazed ribs to them.
"My ribs!" Red and Eric exclaimed tearfully.
"That's it. We're going to double it this Sunday. We'll cook 6 ribs instead of just three." Red said firmly. Eric agreed with him instantly, "Yes dad! And we'll make Hyde cook again."
I threw my right hand in disbelief and said, "I'm not here on Sunday."
"Give me the recipes. I'll cook it." Bob interjected, but Red stopped him quickly with a wave of his hand, "No! This is a family recipe. We need to keep it a secret for as long as we can."
Donna finished one of the ribs while standing and asked me, "Hyde. Give me one."
"No." I replied firmly.
Red just snickered at me and said, "No mercy huh son?"
"I've been craving this for months." I said as I licked the sauce off the bones. "Mrs Forman, can you collect the bones for me?"
"What for?" Mrs Forman was confused. Red squinted his eyes and looked at me weirdly again.
"You're going to suck on that as you go to sleep?" Eric asked teasingly.
"I'm going to give it to Kelso's dogs." I replied with disbelief. "What kind of savage do you think I am?"
Eric laughed teasingly, "Well. you just devour an entire rack of ribs. So, quite a savage."
"Next Sunday, maybe we'll invite Laurie too for the Sunday dinner." Red muttered with a smile. "I'll tell her when I bring her the deadbolt and the smoke detector tomorrow."