Evangeline and Steven sit, arms wrapped around each other as the stars signal an end to another summer day. The drone of crickets and cicadas harmonize in a symphony of white noise that provides the soundtrack to their sporadic conversation.

A week had passed since the last time Hyde had seen Evangeline, who had not been feeling well for a while. Her grandma had made her stay home, just to be safe, and he had been stuck doing what he normally does—nothing. After seven long days of this, surrounded by his blathering friends in Eric's basement—the only part of which he enjoyed being chiding the scrawny boy for still not calling Donna—Hyde needed a break. He had missed her more than he thought he would and every day without her had felt longer than the last.

So, that's why, the minute she walked through the basement door that evening, groggy and looking like she'd just woken up, he had snatched her up before she had a chance to even say hello. All he said was: "I'm taking you out."

Evangeline laughed, immediately agreeing, and they ditched the other dorks and headed out for a drive. They cruised the winding roads of their local neighborhoods, through the old part of town, and out into the farmlands only a few miles from their homes. Windows down, music down low, but loud enough to feel the vibrations through the leather seats, his hand on her thigh, it was perfect.

Their quiet conversation followed the course of catching up on the past week, which on Hyde's part consisted of: Eric's an idiot, Jackie's annoying and I think she has a thing for me again, and Fez's tried three more schemes in his how to get a girlfriend series.

Evangeline informed him she was feeling better and that she probably didn't need to spend the whole week at home, but Maggie worried about her and wouldn't let her go until she knew she was fine. They drove until they were sick of cruising and talked until they ran out of things to say. Still, the silence was comforting and Evangeline would take a silent drive with Steven over anything any day.

As Hyde circled back around, heading in the direction of the town again, Evangeline spotted the water tower, commenting on the fading pot leaf painted on the side. When Hyde told her it was him and his friends who did it, she insisted he take her up there.

The climb winded her, as the tower is a lot taller than she remembered. She laughed it off as Hyde poked fun at her for being out of shape, especially since he's the lazy stoner and not her. He added on that, if it was possible, he would carry her up. She rolled her eyes and covers the last few rungs before boosting herself onto the metal platform.

At the top, Evangeline can see the whole of Point Place in all its glory. Despite the extensive height difference, it reminds her faintly of looking out over Chicago on a trip to the tallest building in the world—the Sear's tower—with her cousin three months before. From the top, you can see out over the beautiful city and the calm, blue lake, where the people look like ants and you feel as though you'll fall at any second. Point Place, in comparison with Chicago, is small and ugly, and not somewhere she wants to be; with Hyde, however, is a place she wants to be as often as possible.

"It's so weird that the summer's already half over," Evangeline says with a sigh, her crossing her ankles that hang over the edge of the metal platform. Steven's hands rest over her stomach where a family of butterflies seems to have permanently take up residence there. A cold shiver wracks her body, only mostly because of the cold. "Like, it feels as if it just started."

Hyde lowers his lips to her cheek and nuzzles his chin into her neck. "I know."

"What would you have done this summer if I hadn't been here?" Evangeline peeks back at him, curiosity brimming in her eyes as Hyde smiles into her collarbone.

"Honestly?" Hyde asks, raising his brow and tilting his head back to look at her. Evangeline nods, and he shrugs noncommittally. "Probably the same thing."

Evie bites her bottom lip and watches her finger draw random lines on the brown leather of his jacket. "So, summer romance with a girl from out of town?"

"Is that what this is?" Hyde jokes, tightening his arms and nuzzling her with his beard to make her laugh. "I thought you were here to learn our ways and report back to your leader."

Evangeline bursts out laughing, despite the joke not being very funny, holding onto the bars above her to keep herself from pitching forward. "You watch way too much TV."

"There is no such thing as too much TV." He nudges her shoulder gently then bends her slightly backward and kisses her. It's slow and chaste; Hyde's hand cradles the back of her neck as hers reach around his neck. Neither is in any hurry, instead wanting to savor every moment together, every touch, and every taste. When he pulls away, Evie lets out a tiny groan of protest, begging for one more. "Satisfied?" he asks teasingly after pecking her on the lips again.

"Never," she says, pressing her back flush against his firm chest and grabbing his hands to wrap tighter around her body. "If I was back home instead of here, I'd be attending too many of my parents stupid events, showing their 'friends' and business associates what a perfect family we are. It's such a load of crap, and—you know, I keep forgetting we agreed not to talk about our parents."

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Hyde says, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "They seem to permeate every aspect of our lives."

"Wow, permeate, fancy words from Mr. Hyde." Evie, pinches his cheek and rolls her eyes playfully. "Since when are you so eloquent?"

"Hey, I'll have you know, I could have been a genius," Hyde says with a laugh, thinking back to his elementary days when his teachers believed in his potential, though not so much anymore, "but I was framed."

Evangeline raises an eyebrow and snorts. "Framed as a lazy miscreant who takes every chance he gets to take the easy way out of things or slack off?"

"Exactly." Hyde bounces his chin against the top of her head with a smile. "Speaking of framed, I kinda have a present for you. A little late, but I didn't really know what to get you."

"You got me a present?" Evie's smile stretches the width of her face as Hyde unwinds his arms from her torso and digs around the inside pocket of his coat. "You didn't have to."

Hyde's face reddens slightly as he pulls out the package, trying to hide his shoddy wrapping job unsuccessfully. The paper is puffy and loose around its contents, but Evangeline accepts it from his hands eagerly. "What is it?" she asks as she tears off the paper, losing a few pieces to the woods as the wind carries it away. Hyde simply lifts a shoulder, pulling his lips into his mouth and peering over her shoulder as she pulls the object out of its final containment. "Steven—is that—where did you find this?"

In Evangeline's hands is a frame, not an ostentatious or by any means a fancy frame, just a simple, wooden square with her name carefully etched into the bottom. It's not the frame, however, that catches her attention, but the photograph enclosed behind the glass. At the bottom of the photo is written Steven and Evangeline, August 21, 1970.

The picture, taken the same exact day her family moved away, shows her and Steven, lips pressed together in an awkward and clumsy embrace. Both sets of blue eyes are screwed shut and their hands are clasped together below their hips. In the background is the Vista Cruiser, long before it was Eric's, and the unmistakable green of the chairs on the front porch that had been there at least as long as she'd been alive.

That day is one that lives in her memory as bittersweet; tinged with sadness because she was leaving the only place she'd ever known, and all the people she'd come to know, but also with the excitement of discovering a new place. In the year before, things had started to change between her and Hyde. He'd begun to bait and tease her less every day and had even started having real conversations with her. They'd even connected once through their shitty home lives, much to Evangeline's surprise.

Then when tragedy struck her family, Steven had been the one to comfort her in the same exact place they sit now—secretly, of course. He'd told her if she ever let anyone know that he had been nice to her, he would hide her scooter again. Evangeline had smiled and kissed him on the cheek, telling him that he doesn't need to disguise his compassion for others. Hyde simply avoided her gaze, feeling the tips of his ears heat up slightly, and mumbled a whatever, before sliding down the ladder and walking off towards his house.

When Hyde found out she was moving, his heart dropped in a way he'd never experienced before. He wasn't sure what it meant, but the thought of not seeing the cute blonde girl next door made him sad. So as she walked her dog past the Forman house for the last time as he was tossing around a basketball in their driveway, Hyde stopped her to say goodbye.

Then before he knew it, he was kissing her, one that was both short and sweet. In a daze, they pulled apart to see Mrs. Forman standing over them with a smile that made her look on the verge of tears. She pinched their cheeks and cooed about how cute they were, and that was the exact moment Hyde promised himself to never kiss another girl somewhere Mrs. Forman could see.

Evangeline hadn't realized she had taken a picture of their little moment, though thinking back on it now, she remembers the Polaroid camera gripped between her hands as she gushed over their moment. It had been a present for her birthday and that summer Mrs. Forman had spent every second she could taking pictures of any and everything.

Evie clenches her eyes shut takes a deep breath, trying not to get emotional over the small gift. "Steven—"

"I know it's not much, but Mrs. Forman found the photo tucked in one of her scrapbooks and she gave it to me. I thought you might like a reminder that we weren't always at each other's throats, as much as Eric claims we were." Hyde brushes her hair back and presses a kiss to her forehead. Evangeline glances back at the photo and the two kids who had no idea that their lives would lead them to where they are at that moment. "Keep it, so one day when you're out conquering the world, you don't forget about me, 'cause I sure as hell will never forget you."

Evangeline looks at him for a moment. "How do you know you won't still be in my life?"

"Because you have so much more potential than I do to do something great and I know you won't be limited by this small town, or the one you call home right now, or by anything really." He caresses her cheekbone gently, smoothing his knuckles over her delicate skin. His words ignite something inside her, but more than that is the conviction with which he says the words that push her over the edge, a single tear escaping down her cheek. Hyde sweeps it away with a single touch. "I'm just lucky I have you right now, and whether you still want me in ten days, or ten years, a part of me will always be yours. A part of me always has."

Evangeline draws his head towards hers, settling her forehead against his. "I could never forget you. Not even if aliens came down and stole my memories away."

Two matching smiles grow on their faces as Hyde tilts his chin and slants his lips over her swollen, moist ones, salty from the tears flowing down her face. He knows she'll leave him again. She's just too good for this town, for its residents, for him, but selfishly he hopes she'll stay for him. Like a drug, she's invaded his blood stream and he's slowly becoming dependent on her touch, on her taste, and on her. There's no way he can quit her now, but just like his penchant for smoking pot and lazing around the house and getting others to do his work for him, there's no way he'll ever want to.

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y'all—sometimes i feel like i make this too sappy

is it too sappy?

also i might have slightly borrowed some things from previous episodes oops

buuuut

i thought the present hyde gave donna in season one was cute soooo i tweaked it a lil

I think also this story might be shorter than i thought it would... maybe three or more chapters and then that's it? maybe an epilogue?

anywho, thanks for continuing to read this!! xx