#t70s

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The Camaro pulled into the forest clearing carefully, followed by Mr. Burkhart's Lincoln. The group climbed out and surveyed the party ahead, a large bonfire in the center of the woods with some guys working on getting it lit. Teens dotted the clearing in schools like fish, and there was a small stand where someone was taking money in exchange for cups of beer from a keg that caught the moonlight.

A few yards away, Hyde spotted Todd Allen in a group of other meatheaded jocks, or so he assumed. And just like he'd thought, where there was Todd, there was a ditzy, brace-faced blonde right beside him. Following his gaze, Donna lit up, calling out to her cousin. "No, don't-" Hyde started, sighing when he saw the aforementioned girl turn around, smile equally bright. Must be genetic.

"Hey, you made it!" Della chirped, making him roll his eyes.

"Yeah, no shit, I drove your car, remember?" He scoffed, dangling her keys in front of her, just out of her reach. Donna raised a brow at his sudden mood shift but didn't address it immediately. "Don't worry, I was babysat the whole ride."

Despite his attempts to sour her mood, Della smiled still. "I'm just glad you all made it. I had Donna go because the gears can stick sometimes, and she knows how to fix it." Hyde softened a bit, realizing that the arrangement wasn't born out of a lack of trust, at least not on her end.

"Didn't stick for me," He shrugged, kicking a rock as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"That's a relief," She chuckled as the rest of the gang wandered over before slinking off into different conversations. Hyde suddenly felt out of place, resigning to walk back to the car to get the bag he'd left in the glovebox.

Weaving through the makeshift parking lot, he passed a familiar-looking GTO, but brushed it off as he slid back into the car to roll a joint. A loud slam nearby shook his concentration, and the paper unrolled, green spilling into his lap. "God fucking damnit," He hissed quietly, trying to retrieve what he could from between his legs. After deeming that he'd saved enough, he leaned forward, deciding to use the dash as a rolling tray. It was then that he noticed the GTO in front of him... was rocking.

At first, he smirked, shaking his head at the telltale sign of teenage desire, but he paused when he recognized the license plate number. He'd seen it before, earlier in the week when Della got home from her date with Todd. "Son of a bitch," He whispered, eyes storming over, knowing that Dorky Della was laid out in the back seat of that car, letting Todd do God knows what.

Before he realized it, he'd twisted off the end of the joint and tossed it into the cupholder and exited the car, stomping toward the GTO. He suddenly paused. What the hell was he doing? He didn't have any right or reason to be upset- and yet he was. What was he even going to do when he got to the car? Pull her out of it? Throw a fit?

Finally, he decided to walk past it, hoping maybe a drink would soothe his jealousy- jealousy? No, he wasn't jealous, Steven Hyde didn't get jealous. He was just... protective. Della was inexperienced in dating; she didn't know how guys could be. As her friend, it was his job to look out for her. That was definitely it.

As he approached the keg, he paused, blood running cold when he heard that unmistakable, annoying laughter that only Della could produce. He followed the sound, eyes tracking the crowd until they settled on her, still standing beside Donna, never having strayed from the spot he left her in.

Glancing back at the car, it was still rocking, so obviously he could see it from yards away. A smirk rolled onto his face as he shoved the cash he'd fished out for his beer back into his pocket. Now he had probable cause to be nosy. He owed it to Della to find out who was in that car.

He strode over confidently, peeking into the fogged window to see a bare, muscular back blocking his view. He smuggly knocked on the window and the rocking suddenly halted. "Fuck off!" A shaky male voice called from inside.

"We're just gonna talk," Hyde replied, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. "I wanna know for future referance who you got in there that's easy enough to let you hit it less than a hundred feet away from your girlfriend."

Todd’s face darkened and he shifted to sit upright in a way that still protected the identity of the girl with him. "Christ, not this jackass," He cracked the door open begrudgingly, muttering lowly. “Look, how much you want to keep this quiet?”

“How much you got?” Hyde smirked, prompting the other man to fish into his discarded jeans.

“I got a ten, that’s it.” Todd scoff, handing it to him, which he pocketed.

“So, what’s her name?” He pressed, leaning on the edge of the car, peeking into the car. “No way, Pam Macy? How’s it going in here, sweetheart?”

Pam sneered and covered herself as she sat upright, making herself small in the backseat. Todd moved in front of her. “So we’re cool? You’re not gonna tell Della?”

“Oh no, I’m telling Della.” Hyde snorted, backing away from the car as Todd scrambled into his clothes.

“H-Hey, no, I paid you off!” He stuttered as he tumbled out of the car.

“You made a generous donation actually,” He laughed as he started to walk away. “I never agreed to be paid off.

“Y-You can’t tell her!” Todd stammered, barefoot in the mud, belt unbuckled, shirt unbuttoned. “She’ll be devastated, you really wanna be the one to do that to her?”

For whatever reason, the insinuation that it was Hyde’s fault boiled his blood and he stopped in his tracks. “What?”

Todd’s eyes widened and he swallowed nervously. “C’mon, you’ve gone through girls like this,” He reasoned. “You know Della’s type.”

“And what type is that?” Hyde suddenly snapped, turning to face him. “Sayin’ she’s too ugly for you? Too much of a misfit?”

“Woah,” Todd held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I didn’t say none of that,”

“Then what the hell are you saying, Todd?” Hyde jeered, taking a step closer and poking an accusatory finger at his chest. “Actually, better yet, tell me, what do you see in her? If you can fuck Pam Macy in the back of your car, what the hell are you doing with some nerdy metal mouth sophomore?”

Todd grimaced with confusion. He'd always suspected Hyde harbored some kind of feeling for Della- whether it was romantic or not, he wasn't sure- but it this almost sounded mean spirited in nature. "I-I just mean, look at her," He stammered. "You know she's not exactly getting nominated for prom queen."

Hyde tilted his head in a look that crossed malice and curiosity. "Oh yeah, and what's a pretty boy like you doing with an ugly duckling like her?"

"You know her type, I know you do," The jock argued nervously. "The ugly one's are usually easy..."

"Easy...?" Hyde replied, fists balling at his sides. "You were only dating Della because you thought she'd be easy?"

Warmth crept up Todd's neck as he rubbed the back of it. "Look, don't pretend you haven't done it." Without another word, Hyde's fist closed around his half unbottoned shirt. "W-Woah, man, let me go. What are you doing?"

"Telling Della." He answered flatly as he began to drag him back toward the bonfire, leaving Pam to scurry out of the car and to safety.

"No, man, you'll break her heart!" Todd argued weakly, trying to wrestle out of his grasp.

"Oh, I'm not telling her." Hyde scoffed. "You are."

He found Della in the same place she'd always been, standing in the warmth of the fire, beer in hand, taking small sips. Her back was turned to him, listening intently to whatever gossip Donna and Jackie were trading. Donna spotted the pair first, facing the driection they were coming from. "Oh my God, Hyde! What the hell are you doing?" She shouted, promting Della to glance back, equally confused.

"Del," Hyde huffed, already tired from dragging her boyfriend over while he struggled. "Todd's got something to tell you."

Della turned to face them fully, her expression carrying suspicion, confusion, and the protntial for upset. She studied them for a moment, Hyde especially. She had never seen him look so intense. Annoyed, sure. Angry, on occasion. But there seemed to be a mixture of hatred and vindication radiating from behind his shades. "No, I don't, baby. Don't listen to him." Todd panted, still weakly trying to slip away. Her eyes darted to him next, barely standing, weakly pushing against his capture's chest. He looked desperate, disheveled and...guilty.

"Tell her," Hyde spat, wrestling him into a headlock. "Tell her the truth or I'm gonna kick your ass all up and down this clearing."

"Tell me what?" Della asked, voice softly skeptical, almost fearful. "Baby, what's he talking about?"

"Nothing- ah, fuck! Be cool, be cool!" He hissed as Hyde took a fist full of his hair.

"Fucking tell her or I will!" He snapped. "And I'll still beat your ass!"

"Hyde, what's going on? Let him go!" Della interviened, unnerved and shifting uncomfortably. "Please, someone just tell me what's going on."

"He's fucking two-timing you, Del." Hyde mutters, flexing his bicep against her boyfriend's throat. "I saw it myelf, he had Pam Macy in the back of his car. He tried to bribe me not to tell you-"

"That can't be true," Della muttered dismissively, souring his expression further. "Baby, you wouldn't do that to me, right?" Todd stared down at the ground, unable to meet her gaze. "Right?"

"It's true," He sighed, seeming almost releived. The pressure on his neck was lessened slightly.

"W-What?" She stammered, tears immediately brimming his eyes. "W-Why would you do that?"

Hyde suddenly felt sick. When he came up with this plan, he thought he'd feel victorious, but in hindsight, maybe forcing them to have this conversation with an audiance of a hundred plastered teenagers was a bad move. "Tell her what you told me, jackass." He muttered coldly, tightening his grip again.

"Okay, okay!" Todd croaked. "It's because you wore tights to our date the other night!"

"Yeah, Della, the tights-" Hyde shook his head incredulously. "Wait- tights?"

"Yeah! Nerdy girls are supposed to be easy! What kinda prude chick wears tights to the drive in!" Todd finally snaps, shuffling out of Hyde's grasp, taking advantage of his confusion. "It's like you were trying to block me on purpose!"

"Y-You said you liked my tights," Della stammered, remembering the mustard color tights she'd worn under the green corduroy number she picked out for the date. "I-It was cold... I didn't-"

"Yeah 'cuz I wanted to get them off you!" Without warning, Hyde's hand fell on his shoulder, turning him toward him before his fist connected with his face. Todd fell back, cradling his nose as blood trickled from the left nostil. "Dude, what the fuck! You said you wouldn't hit me if I told her!"

"No," Hyde panted, stepping over him. "I said I was gonna kick your ass if you didn't. I never agreed not to either way." He crouched down in front of him, gripping the front of his shirt again. "Now apologize."

"S-Sorry,"

"Mean it." Hyde snapped, raising his fist back again. "Dude, I swear to God-"

"I-I'm sorry, Della!" Todd flinched, squeezing his eyes tight as he raised his arms in self defense. "I'm sorry, you deserve better! N-Now let me go, please..." Seeing the tears roll down her cheeks, Hyde finally relented, packing up his anger issues in favor of making sure she was alright. Not before giving Todd one more wallop, though. When he went flat on the ground, near tears, the aggressor stood and stepped over him, kicking his ribs on the way.

"Hey," Hyde said softly, closing in on her and pulling her against him without a second thought. "C'mere. You okay?" She didn't answer, simply burying her face into his neck, tears making her hair stick to his skin. "Shh, shh, I know, I know..." He cooed, uncharacteristically softly as Donna and Jackie crowded around them

"C-Can you take me home?" Della finall whispered softly near his ear and he nodded against her temple. After excusing them, he pulled her toward the car, gently guiding her through the crowd.

On the way, he picked up a gnarly looking stone and placed it in her hands, clasing them around it to emphasize the importance of her keeping it. "What's this for?" She sniffled.

"You'll see." He smirked, escorting her to the car with his palm in the small of her back.

When the pair passed Todd's GTO, Hyde stopped her and closed his hand around hers. "Wanna know the best part of breaking up? Revenge." He pressed the rock within her hand to the door of the sleek, black car and drug it down the entire length multiple times.

"W-Won't we get in trouble?" She muttered quietly, though she didn't attempt to stop him.