, Maggie finally gives in to letting Evangeline leave and hang out with her friends, telling her to be safe and not do anything she wouldn't do, which is a list so long that if Evie followed it she wouldn't be doing much of anything. She quickly pulls on a summer worthy outfit as the late-June sun makes the temperatures climb into the high eighties and low nineties even well into the night.

With one foot out the door, she spots the crimson hoodie in a pile on the floor and grabs it on a whim, stuffing it into the same tote she brought with her to the beach. She grabs a banana and some granola on her way through the kitchen, turning down Maggie's offer to share her food as the smell of the chicken she's preparing for her dinner turns Evie's stomach upside down. Evangeline covers her nose and bids her grandma good night, thinking she'll see her later, or rather tomorrow, and races out of the house.

When she bursts through the basement door of the Forman house, she is greeted by four pairs of eyes snapping to her in surprise. When they realize who it is, they smile and greet her with a round of Hi, Evangeline and one Hey, Evie mingled in the bunch. She shuts the door and glances around the room. Every seat is occupied, because Jackie is taking up the whole couch and doesn't seem inclined to move any time soon, and unless she wants to sit on the arm of the sofa, she'd have to settle for the floor.

She marches over to Steven to take a seat in front of his askew legs, but before she has the chance to plop down onto the dusty floor, she's pulled backwards into the boy's lap. "I bet I'm a lot more comfortable than the floor," he whispers into her hair, pressing a gentle kiss in the hollow behind her ear.

Evangeline hides her head in Steven's neck as he laughs to himself and wraps an arm around her small body. "Maybe," she says quietly.

The rest of the group watch the short exchange with varying degrees of interest: Jackie can't stop thinking how gross their PDA is; Fez is wishing he had grabbed the girl first; and Eric is wondering when the two had gotten close enough to be whispering and giggling in each other's ears, though he hadn't been around his friends enough to know much of anything.

"So, how'd you sneak out this time?" Jackie asks as the pair squeezed into the lawn chair settle down and turn their attention for a brief second to the TV. No one is really watching it, but it plays in the background for the silences that have started to creep into their hang outs.

Evangeline shakes her head and leans into Steven's upper torso to supposed her body. "Maggie let me leave today, so I didn't have to sneak out. She said she has to remember I'm a teenager and I'm gonna do what I want anyway."

"Well, she's not wrong," Hyde says, settling a hand on her bare thigh. "You are one wild teenager."

"Shut up, Steven," Evangeline says, wrapping an arm backwards around his neck so her hand is clasped around his nape and her elbow rests on his sternum. She brings her mouth close to his ear and hisses, "Wildness is only for those who keep their mouths shut."

Hyde instantaneously seals his mouth shut, mining a zipper across his lips and gestures for the group to continue with whatever it is they're doing.

Eric narrows his eyes at the two and clears his throat, intending to pry later. "Anyway, Fez here was just telling us about his latest scheme that will most likely not work at all." Evie laughs as Fez grins proudly and clears his throat like he's about to give them an hour lecture.

"Yes, yes, listen to the Fez—"

"Fez, for the last time we're not calling you that," Jackie sighs, rolling her eyes as she leans her head back to look at the dark-haired boy in the other folding chair.

Fez groans in annoyance, slamming his hands on his thighs and turning up his nose at the uninterested girl. "Stop interrupting me, Jackie. As I was saying, my new plan to get girls is I'm going to sit at The Hub looking all sad and lonely—"

Hyde scrunches up his nose teasingly. "What's different from your normal look—"

"And when girls walk by and ask me why I'm sad, because girls are natural lovers and caretakers—" all eyes snap to Jackie inspecting her nails and not listening to a word the foreign boy is saying— "I will say it is because I was just dumped for another man. And girls will want to comfort me, and hold me, and touch me—and then we will have sex!" He then demonstrates his sad look that will entice and bewitch all the ladies—which to the group resembles that of a psychopath.

Hyde and Eric guffaw, unable to hide their amusement at Fez's complete lack of social awareness—and the fact that girls seemed to avoid him like the plague. Evangeline supposes the boy is cute enough, but as soon as he opens his mouth, anything he has going for him is ruined. She can take him as a friend, but that's about all she can take. "Fez, man, that's never gonna work. Chicks are gonna take one look at you and laugh."

"Don't be rude," Evie says, smacking Hyde's. head with the back of her hand, "just 'cause it's a stupid plan doesn't mean you have to laugh at him."

"Fez, if girls won't talk to you when you look normal, why would they talk to you when you look like you want to murder them?" Eric sets a hand on the boy's shoulder as they droop sadly and he sticks out his bottom lip.

"Some friends you are. I'll show you! I'll have all the ladies, then who will be laughing?" No one answers as the group stares at him unblinking. "Me, that's who! Now, good day!"

The three others laugh as Evangeline smiles, trying to hide her own laughter. "Fez!"

"I said good day!" Fez's storms off into the night, leaving the group to laugh by themselves.

Eric takes Fez's abandoned seat and chugs the last of the beer in his hand. "Hey, look, I have somewhere to sit in my own basement." He looks pointedly at Jackie who doesn't even look up from picking at her chipped nail polish.

"Does he really think that'll work?" Evie asks, turning to Hyde.

Hyde shrugs, bouncing his knee and Evie's legs. "Who knows. He's got a new idea every week. They never work. Poor guy's gonna be a virgin forever."

"Maybe Jackie should sacrifice herself for the good of the group," Eric says, shoving Jackie's head towards the back of the sofa so she turns to glare at the brunet. "Then he'll finally stop making us listen to his crazy talk."

"Not in a million years. Not if he was the only man left in the world." She gasps, sitting up and pointing an accusing finger at Eric. "Not if it was the only way I could be rich forever."

Eric shrugs and leans back into the chair. "Eh, it was worth a shot. Ooh, Love Boat." All eyes turn to look at him curiously as he shifts giddily in his seat. When he notices their eyes on him he stops, clearing his throat awkwardly, and backtracks in a dull tone. "Uh, I mean, oh, Love Boat."

"Whatever. You're all boring me." Jackie stands up, grabbing her crossbody purse and pursing her lips. "I'm leaving."

Evie mumbles a goodbye as the girl disappears outside. "So much for hanging out with all my friends."

"Well, you still have me!" Eric says happily, jumping over the arm of the couch and laying out across it. "And I finally have my couch again."

"Actually, man, I'm kinda tired," Hyde says, gently prodding Evie off his lap and standing up behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist still. "We're gonna turn in. Right?" He looks down at the girl and shoots her a wink, which Eric notices.

He groans, covering his face and pulling his knees up in the air. "If you guys are gonna have sex, let me know so I can—not be here."

"What—how—us—sex?" Evie stutters out nonsense as Hyde laughs at Eric's disgusted face. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, there's something going on between you two—" he makes wild gestures in a circular motion towards the pair slowly inching towards Hyde's room— "and I don't know if I like it."

"Why not?"

"It's unnatural! You tortured her when we were kids." Eric sits up and watches them over the back of the couch, Hyde leading Evie by the hand to the back room. "You, like, hated each other or something."

"We grew up."

"Yeah, we did," Hyde mumbles, peering down the neckline of her shirt that dips dangerously low over her chest. Evie glances up at him and rolls her eyes at his vulgarity. "Whatever, stay or don't. Your funeral."

Eric vaults himself over the back of the couch and holds his hands up as he backs up the stairs. "Fine, fine. Have the basement to yourself. Hope the mice eat your underpants." Then he runs up the stairs shouting nonsense all the way to the top.

"Alone at last," Hyde whispers, shutting the door to his room and pressing her against the wood. "I really just wanted to have you here. But they showed up and, well, they're gone now so it doesn't matter."

Evangeline pushes him down onto his bed and pulls the red article off clothing from her bag, shaking it front of his face. "Guess what I have!"

The wicked smile she's come to know and love spreads over his mustachioed lips as he grabs onto her waist and pulls her close. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Evangeline scoffs, sniffing as she balls the shirt up and ticks it under her arm. "What are you talking about? This is just my sleepwear." She wriggles out of his grasp and exits the room, but not before throwing a sly wink over her shoulder.

Hyde smirks and lies back against his pillow, hands clasped together behind his head. It had been a while for him—since around the time Evie had showed up—and he couldn't think of a better way to break his abstinence streak than to do it with Evie, both literally and figuratively.

When Evangeline returns, socked feet plodding against the floor in need of a deep clean, dressed in only the sweatshirt and hopefully nothing else, his heart starts to race. She drops the bundle of clothes to the floor and at the sight of a white bra leading the heap, his stomach does a belly flop. Evie sashays over to him, lifting the hemline of her shirt above her hips for a brief second with an exaggerated shake of her hips, the sight of which lifts the corners of Hyde's mouth even higher.

Hyde reaches out to grab a Evie by the waist on as she joins him in his cot barely big enough for one, let alone two. She straddles his waist, leaning forward to kiss him and a strand of hair falls into his face. The warmth of his body soaks through the thin material as she stretches out over him, hooking her ankle around his.

"I feel like you would sleep much more comfortably if you took this off." Hyde raises his eyebrows and pushes back her thick hair behind her ears.

Evie shrugs, and leans into him, wiggling her fingers under the soft material of his tee. "Are you going to help me with that?"

Hyde looks into her blue eyes, eyes that hold entire galaxies that he could find himself lost in forever, looking for confirmation that this is what she wants. Evie nods, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. Hyde's lips curl into a smirk as his hands reach to the hem of the red shirt. "Gladly, baby." Time stands still as they admire each other, hands and lips familiarizing themselves with the plane of the other's body. It had been by chance that he had her in his life again, and Hyde knew he would fight to keep it that way.

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do I italicize too much???

trick question—there's no such thing as too much italicizing... italicization? italicies?

ehhh