(fictional story about fictional characters)
(This is not about Red; it is about what happened at the Drive-In that night. I know I said I was done writing these stories but it has been in my head since everyone suggested the Drive-In episode; hope you don't mind.)
Donna Pinciotti and her friend Jackie Burkhart were in Donna's bedroom sharing the usual teenage "girl talk."
"Jackie, I can't go to the Drive-In with Eric alone," Donna nervously confessed, "you know, he might try something." She was an absolutely gorgeous redhead, and she and Eric had crushes on each other since grade-school. He had finally asked her on a romantic (for teenagers) date where they would be all alone at a recognized "make out" location, and Donna was apprehensive. They had both just turned eighteen and she was afraid this would give him sexual ideas. It wasn't that she didn't get horny with Eric, she was just worried about seeming "easy." "You and Kelso have to come with us," she pleaded, "Eric would never try anything with you there."
"Are you trying to tell me you and Eric have never done it," Jackie asked incredulously, "geez, you've liked each other, like forever."
"Look, I know you and Kelso have had sex lots of times, but I just want the first time with Eric to be really special," Donna answered.
"Oh Michael is such a dork sometimes," Jackie admitted, "he likes to tell everybody what a stud he is, but the truth is we've never done it either. I know what you mean though; the first time should be someplace romantic like Paris or Disney World."
Now it was Donna's turn to be dumbfounded, "I can't believe it...Eric always says we should do it because you two have done it so many times...wait 'till I tell him.
"Oh no, you can't do that," Jackie pleaded, "then Michael will know I told you."
"Oh all right," Donna agreed, "but it would be such a burn."
Red Foreman was in the best mood he could remember: none of the flock of kids that seemed to inhabit his house had bothered him all day; and that night he was going to spring a very special surprise on his faithful wife, Kitty. He had been planning it all day, and it involved her being ravished by relative strangers. As he anxiously awaited their "date," he could hardly stop smiling...something very unusual for Red. He didn't even get upset when Stephen Hyde, Eric's friend who actually resided in the Foreman's basement, slipped a condom in Red's shirt pocket as a joke.
He was in such a good mood that when Eric asked him to "borrow" ten dollars for his date; Red slid a twenty into his hand. Now twenty dollars was a considerable sum back then when gas cost sixty cents a gallon, and Eric feigned a heart-attack by clutching his chest. "Thanks Red...I mean Dad. You know we're going to the Drive-In, and popcorn is pretty pricey."
"The Drive-In, huh...you mean the old make-out heaven," Red stated, "yeah, I have fond memories of the Drive-In when I got back from Korea."
Rolling his eyes, Eric added, "yeah it's a scary double-header: "The Omen" and "Carrie;" hopefully there will be lots of cuddling and hugging."
"Riiiight," Red said drolly, "and maybe even Donna will get scared. Ha...got ya...I think Stephen calls that a burn."
"Real funny," Eric replied, surprised at how friendly Red was acting.
Red grabbed Eric's hand and pressed something into it on top of the twenty, and Eric blushed when he saw it was a condom.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Red chuckled, passing along Hyde's condom, "and if you do, don't name it after me, ha ha ha."
"Uh...gee thanks, but you know Donna is on the...," Eric began.
"On the pill, yeah I know...the whole neighborhood knows," Red informed him, "geez, what hippies Midge and Bob are. I was just joking with you son, I know Donna's a good girl and you have about as much chance of getting lucky as I do of becoming the Packers head coach. But, have a good time anyway...I know I will be. No beer in the Vista Cruiser or you'll get my foot up your ass."
Eric could barely contain his excitement; he was finally going to be alone with his totally desirable girlfriend. In the basement hangout, Eric, Kelso, Hyde and Fez (Point Place's foreign exchange student) were gathered around their table made from a discarded telephone-wire spool smoking some of Hyde's stash. "Eric, I tell you that when my host parents played the KISS album backwards, you could hear the Devil speak," Fez was nearly crying.
"Fez," Hyde instigated, "it's the government. They want to ban rock-and-roll music because they know it makes us horny."
"Come on Hyde," Eric reasoned, "quit scaring Fez. There is nothing on the record, Fez; it's just your imagination. But speaking of horny...I'm going to the Drive-in with Donna tonight."
"We know...we know," Hyde groaned, "geez, you've told us twenty times already...change the record."
"Yep, you're going to be in make-out city," Kelso chimed in, "those scary movies are chick magnets."
As dusk was approaching, Eric floated on air through the Pinciotti backyard to pick up Donna. She was an absolute dream in her tight jeans, blouse and sweater jacket. Her silky red hair cascaded down over her shoulders like a waterfall and Eric noticed right away that she had bright red lipstick on her luscious lips. As they were getting into the Vista Cruiser, Kelso and Jackie suddenly appeared in the driveway. "Hey, what are you guys doing here," Eric inquired in a peeved tone, "did you forget we're going to the Drive-In."
"Oh, thank you Eric," Jackie replied quickly, "we would love to go with you...get in the car Michael."
Kelso started to apologize to Eric but was interrupted by Jackie pulling him, "get in the car, Michael." Kelso was carrying a brown paper bag and threw it in the backseat as he stumbled in beside Jackie.
Eric was ticked-off as he got behind the wheel and seeing this, Donna and Jackie began to chat, trying to take his mind off the fact his anticipation of having a night alone with Donna was spoiled. As soon as they had parked on one of the humped aisles at the Drive-In, they were startled by a ruckus in the back of the Cruiser. Suddenly the Army-surplus blanket that Eric used to cover the holes in the back seat was thrown in the air and the heads of Hyde and Fez appeared yelling, "surprise."
"Holy crap," Hyde and Eric yelled in unison as the hidden duo grinned. "What the Hell are you doing here," Eric demanded.
"I had to show Fez what the Devil was really up to," Hyde chuckled, motioning to the screen where "The Omen" was just beginning. "Hey man we snuck in for free," and he "high-fived" Fez.
"You dumb ass," Kelso laughed, "the burn is on you...this is car-load night. No matter how many are in the car, the admission price is the same."
"He's right," Eric agreed laughing, "finally Hyde gets the burn."
"Oh yeah," Hyde snorted, slugging Kelso twice in the arm, "well you flinched. If you don't stop being dumb asses I won't share my special brownies with you."
Holding up his bag, Kelso added, "well if you don't...I won't share my beer with you. I stole it from my brother."
"Oh man," Eric ordered, "after we drink that, make sure you throw the cans away or Red will put his foot up my ass."
For the first fifteen minutes of the movie, five of the six friends munched hash-brownies and washed them down with warm Old Milwaukee. No matter how hard they tried, they could not convince Fez to join in their snacking. "No, I know they will be waiting to give me some sort of test when I get home. I don't want them sending me back to my country."
As soon as the brownies were devoured, and everyone else settled back to watch "The Omen," Jackie and Kelso began to furiously make-out in the back seat, leaving Donna feeling very uncomfortable. When Kelso came up for air and asked Eric, "you guys OK up there," Donna had a quick reply.
"I want some popcorn," she spoke up, "and I want you all to go get it."
"OK...off to the snack bar," Kelso announced, getting out of the car with Eric, Hyde and Fez.
As soon as they were gone, Donna admonished Jackie, "you know I didn't ask you to come with us so you could suck Kelso's face off."
"I know, I'm sorry," Jackie apologized, "when they come back we'll just watch the movie with you...I promise."
Just then Kelso poked his head in the window, "about that popcorn...I need some money."
"Popcorn...who wants popcorn," Donna changed her mind, "I don't want popcorn...just get in the car."
Looking at Eric, Kelso complained, "she doesn't know what she wants."