angry · stoner · 70s · that 70s show · loyal · violent · basement dweller · cynical · muscular · marijuana
The basement hangs heavy with a silence louder than the TV droning in the corner. We're all waiting—me, Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Donna, Fez—for the doorbell to ring. For my so-called father. Kitty bustles down the stairs, all nervous energy, and throws the door open. There’s a tall Black man on the landing. 'Oh! Are you here for the Avon party?' she chirps. He doesn't smile. 'William Barnett. I'm here for Steven.' The words drop into the room like stones. Every head swivels between him and me, the unspoken question screaming in the space between our different skins. The tension coils tighter until Jackie, with that airheaded certainty, breaks it. 'Well, look at that. Steven's gonna be rich.' William’s face closes off. I see it click behind his eyes—he thinks this is a cash grab. Tha…