[Hyde POV]
I didn't tell anyone about me opening a café. This was going to be my little secret.
A place to launder the money I'd made from selling bulbs and safely funnel it into my account
without raising eyebrows.
"I need to do this properly."
I spread my notebook across the workbench in the autoshop, sketches and scribbles all over the
page. I started with the layout. The space wasn't huge, but it had potential.
First was furniture. I could get some Ikea furniture. They have a service for that. To buy
everything for the shop in one click.
So I bought cabinets, tables, stools, chairs, light, rack, and cups from IKEA.
It cost 5000 dollars in 2025, even when I bought it in Asia. I even bought their fake plants to
decor the store.
Then, custom cups with the logo. I bought 2500 first for 200 dollars. Then, the flooring. I used LVP
for that since it was easier to clean.
I'd leave the booths along the walls for people who wanted to sit, maybe four booths per side, plus
a couple of two-top tables in the middle. Near the counter, I'd put high stools so students could grab a coffee and do homework.
The drive-through would wrap around the corner of the building, with a separate window and a narrow lane just wide enough for one car at a time. I could see it now.
Cars pull in, order quickly, and leave without ever leaving their seat. That was going to be the
real money-maker.
I sketched in the counter and the coffee prep area. All the appliances would go there. My 2025
coffee machine, a small oven for pastries, and a refrigerated display case for cakes and donuts.
There'd be a little shelf for takeaway cups, which I planned to customize with a green-and-white
stripe design to match the awning outside.
My logo was a simple steaming coffee cup with "The Daily Grind" written beneath in bold, clean
letters. It would be stamped in gold on each cup.
The employee setup was simple. Three would be enough. One barista handles the counter and makes drinks.
One pastry runner kept the display stocked, washing dishes, and restocking ingredients.
One dedicated to the drive-through, taking orders and handing out drinks.
I jotted down costs:
{Rent: $500/month. Deposit 2 months was forfeited. Renovation and furniture tweaks: $2000 ($10,000 in 2025) Coffee machine and appliances: $1,500 ($7500 in 2025)
Initial stock. Coffee beans, pastries, cups, and ingredients: $ 600 ($3000)
Employee wages: three at $3/hour, 8-hour shifts, roughly
$2,880/month total. I need at least 3 months of salary to make sure I can pay my workers.
Total upfront investment: ~$13,240.}
Based on foot traffic and what I'd seen other stores pull in, I calculated it would take about seven
months before turning a profit. Long, but not impossible. Once the drive-through caught on, it would be smooth sailing.
"It could be good, or it could be the worst investment ever." I mumbled.
From all of the cars I've sold, the bulbs I've supplied, and the car fixes, I now have $4000 in my
personal account, $15,000 in business account and $12,000 cash.
Once I sold all of the cars I have– the Bel Air, the Nova, the Corolla, The Granada, I could make
almost $10,000 more.
"Stupid 30% taxes."
It was 30% since it was structured under my company. If I put it as personal income, I could be taxed up to 70%.
Thankfully I could deduct a lot with the receipts. So instead of paying 3000 in taxes, I just need
to pay 500 dollars.
I paid for everything needed for the store. So 4,600 dollars disappeared from the business account.
I'd put them back using cash later on.
At the store. All of the bays were filled with Ferraris and Porsches. There were six of them in my
shop today for detailing, buffing, sound deadening, and fixing the engine.
I got 9,000 dollars in just two days of work. That was like a minimum wage earner's salary for the
year.
Two of the Ferraris were from Bruce's older brother, Ross. He sent them on Saturday and would pick
them up Sunday.
Since there were three of us, the job became much faster now. I have the appraisal skill so I could
fix up the issues in the cars quite easily, which saves a lot of time.
"I'm so tired. Boss, don't you take a break?" Megan asked, sitting on the epoxy floor to breathe.
"Wait. I didn't give you a break this week, and last week too." I was startled. "Why didn't anyone
tell me?"
"Why would we tell you when we can get more money by working more hours?" Megan asked with a smirk.
"Cause it's the law. I can get fined." I told them. From now on, they will take a break on Wednesday
and Thursdays.
I went to Red's shop that Saturday evening. He handled the car sales for me while I was working on
the other cars.
"Steven." Red called with a flushed face. "All of the cars were sold."
"Nice." I said excitedly, sticking my tongue out slightly.
"All cash, hundreds of people came to see it."
"Wait. Really?" I was shocked. Red took out some more cash and said, "I charged them 2 bucks to
take pictures with the Celica. I got 300 dollars here."
The Celica was parked at the parking lot here. Red put them inside once the car sales were over.
And it was over pretty quick. Only those who paid could go in and take pictures with the car.
"I got to say Red, you're pretty creative there."
He grimaced and said, "No one came to fix their cars today because of your sales. I need to earn
some money too."
I laughed slightly.
It was already March, and the weather was warming up– slightly. There's still snow but it wasn't
covering everything anymore.
Wisconsin's winter would go to April or May, but I said it before, the winter here was mild.
I hung out in the basement with my friends after I got home.
"Hyde, have you worked on the TransAm yet?" Kelso asked
"Not yet. It will come tomorrow." I told him casually.
"I want to ride it." He whined. "Tell me when it comes."
"Alright." I said casually. Eric sighed and said, "It's Saturday night. What to do?"
Donna asked, "Hyde. You're not going to hang out with your…," she teased, "new girlfriend?"
Everyone laughed mockingly. Jackie giggled and said, "Yeah Steven. Aren't you going to bring her to Red Lobster again? That is, the peak of luxury for you, right? Since you grew up poor."
I got a little pissed off.
"Those who lived in a glass house sure speak the loudest." I said vaguely. Eric understood it
immediately and looked at me with horror.
Kelso laughed and said, "Yeah… Because they are trapped in that glass. Like a mime."
Eric turned to Kelso with disbelief.
"Wait, is the mime actually is screaming the whole time. But we can't hear it since he's trapped
inside the glass?" Fez panicked slightly.
Jackie asked me, confused, "Steven. What do you mean by that?"
"N–Nothing. He didn't mean anything!" Eric interjected. "Jackie, your hair looks good today." he
changed the subject.
"Really?" Jackie beamed up. "I changed the conditioner yesterday. Now, I'm already seeing some
results."
Donna laughed and said, "Eric, why don't we go out tonight? Maybe a movie?"
"Um… I think I have some money." Eric thought about it. I took out my wallet and said, "How much do you want?"
Eric widened his eyes and a grin grew on his face. "My older brother!" he called me affectionately.
"Shut up. I want to bring Barbara here, so everyone takes 10 bucks each and gets lost." I handed
Fez, Donna, Eric and Kelso ten bucks.
"Alright! We can go somewhere instead of sitting in this stinking basement." Fez muttered with
excitement.
"Hey…" Eric was slightly offended.
"What about me?" Jackie asked. "Why don't I get anything?"
"Cause you're richer than me. So you can pay for yourself." I said tauntingly. "The other poor
people can take care of each other."
"Ugh." Jackie was annoyed. "Micheal, let's go. We don't need his money." She crumpled my 10 bucks and threw it away.
Fez hurriedly reached for it, but Donna got it first. "Ha-ha, too late." Donna mocked Fez.
"Hey! That's my ten bucks!" Kelso whined, but he was dragged away.
As the two left, Eric turned to me and said, "Hyde. That was really dangerous."
"What? What is it?" Donna became gossipy. "Yeah Eric. What exactly are you referring to?" I said
playfully.
"Um…" Eric was stuck in a difficult situation. He couldn't tell Kelso's secret to Donna. The secret
where Kelso was cheating with Laurie.
Donna was Jackie's friend, so there's a risk of ruining that relationship.
"How about the movie?" Eric changed the topic quickly. He pulled Donna away. Fez quickly followed them from behind, shouting, "Wait for me!"
I actually lied to them. Barbara was going out of town with her parents this weekend, so she wasn't
around.
I wanted some peace of mind and rest. I couldn't do that with them around.
Summoning out a case of beer from the system, I began drinking while watching Saturday Night Live.
Suddenly, the phone was ringing. Being the only one in the house tonight, I had to pick it up.
"Formans." I greeted.
"Hyde, are you at home?"
"Who is this?" I asked.
"It's Amy. You know. Barbara's friend." She said, her voice slightly depressed.
"Oh. Why are you searching for me?" I was confused.
"Um, it's hard to say this on the phone. Can I come over?"
I felt a little weird, but I said casually, "All of my friends are here, drinking beer. Just join
us."
It was a little test for her.
She stammered and said, "Oh. All of your friends– Um, maybe we can meet at a bar? Alone? Do you want to come to my place?"
I sighed and was a little annoyed. "Just tell me on the phone. What do you want?"
Seeing that she was nervous, it meant that she had plotted something. Maybe it was a loyalty test
and Barbara was listening too.
"I just… Chad has a new girlfriend. He's dating my sister." Barbara cried. Her voice was all
cracked and choked up, "She's sleeping with him right now in our house."
I was taken aback by her sudden crying. "That's… sick."
"I KNOW!" She cried and agreed at the same time. "My own sister. I can't believe she can hurt me
like this. Barbara isn't here. I can't talk to her!"
"Hmm… Alright. Come on over." I said casually. "I have beer and wine. You can drink till you drop."
She sniffled and said, "I'll be right there."
As she hung up the call, I dialed another person. "Megan, what are you doing tonight?" I asked.
The mechanic said, "I'm watching Saturday Night Live. What's wrong? Did a new order come in?"
"No. I'm in a bit of trouble. My girlfriend's best friend ex-boyfriend is sleeping with her
sister–"
"Your girlfriend's sister?" Megan was confused. "The best friend's sister." I clarified.
"Ah, okay. So?"
"She's crying. Her best friend is out of town. I can't handle it. No one is around at my house. So come and handle it for me."
"Ehh~" She whined, not wanting to get into the middle of it.
"I'll give you 50 bucks."
"I'll be right there Boss!" Megan agreed instantly. "Brooke's with me, so I'm bringing her too."
"Cool."
I didn't mind Brooke coming. She's hot.
Amy, Megan and Brooke arrived around the same time. Amy drank beers and cried while Megan and Brooke comforted her.
"I don't know what to do. I feel sick when I go back to the house." Amy sobbed.
"Aww…" Megan patted her back and suddenly asked me, "Boss. What do you think she should do?"
I grimaced and looked at Megan with displeasure. "I don't know. Her sister is basically cucking
her. If she can't go back to the house, then go to a cousin, or a friend's house. Don't go back
home. Tell your parents everything. And if they don't get it, run away."
"Run away?" Brooke was astonished. "That's not the solution to the problem. You don't know what
you're talking about."
"Well, my uncle dated my girlfriend before, and they did it on the couch, in front of me. So I
kinda get it." I said casually. "I felt like dying when I found out."
Amy stopped crying and turned to me, asking, "Really? That happened to you?"
"Yeah man. Sometimes, people are assholes, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just cut them
out of your life. Protect your peace. You don't owe them anything to try to solve things peacefully
with them."
I popped open another can of beer and drank it. Amy was seriously considering what I was saying,
and she finally decided to call her mother and tell her everything.
"I'm not coming back to the house. Not while she's there." Amy said decisively.
"Honey, we don't think we can kick her out." Her mom replied with a nervous voice.
"Then, I'm going to leave." Amy said firmly.
She said she has some money and would rent a place to stay for a while. She never wanted to see her sister ever again, and her mother couldn't convince her to get back.
Her dad was on her side though. Amy thanked me and said she's going to live with Megan for now. Brooke also stayed with Megan since she was finding a new place to live.
Luckily Megan's place was pretty big so they could stay there together .
The two of them could rent a place together, but since they were girls, it would be hard to get a
good landlord.
It was still the 70s. Most landlords assumed girls would leave after getting married, so they
needed to find a new tenant, therefore making it harder for girls to rent by themselves.
"Wait." I stopped them as they were at the basement door. "Drop the beer."
"Aww." Megan reluctantly put back the 6 pack she took from me.
Brooke laughed and said, "Hyde. You really don't care about us huh?"
"Why should I care? You're not my girl." I said crassly.
That made Brooke smile even wider. "We should be friends." she said before leaving.
…
Sunday. The Forman's went to church, while I stayed in the basement alone. Inside my room, I looked at the necklace I wanted to give to Victoria.
It was an emerald pendant in the shape of a daisy flower, with chains made of gold.
I bought the gold chain here in 1977, but the pendant in 2025 since the craftsmanship was better.
Putting the pendant on the table, I went to take a shower to get ready to go to work.
I let Tyrell and Megan spend the morning with their family today so the shop would open in the
afternoon. Without me though, since I have to go someplace else.
As I walked back to the basement, all of my friends were there.
"Hyde, wear a shirt!" Eric complained as he saw me with only a towel on. I grumbled and went to my
bedroom.
After changing my clothes, I went outside to talk with my friends.
"Steven, this necklace is so gorgeous."
"Huh?" I turned to Jackie, who was wearing the emerald daisy necklace around her neck.
My forehead vein throbbed, and I snapped, "Jackie. Take that off right now!"
She was taken aback and took a step back. Kelso intervened and stopped me, "Hyde. What's the big deal?
I grabbed his arm and shoved him aside harder than I meant to. He stumbled and hit the floor with a yelp.
"MICHEAL!" Jackie shouted. I stopped her before she could check on him.
"Take that off! Right now!" I yelled angrily.
Donna interjected, pushing me and Jackie away from each other. "STEVEN HYDE! Have you lost your mind!?"
She turned to Jackie and scolded her, "Jackie! I've warned you not to take things that don't belong
to you!"
"I'm.. I was just admiring it. It's really beautiful." She took the necklace off hurriedly.
"Oww, my arm." Kelso clutched his right hand as he stood up.
Eric scolded me, "God Hyde. What's wrong with you? You almost broke his arm."
I ignored everyone and left with the necklace in my pocket. "Hyde!" Eric called, but I didn't turn
back.
…
"Idiot," I cursed myself as I pointed the Celica toward Chicago instead of the shop.
I floored it on an empty stretch of highway, the turbo whining as the needle surged past a hundred.
The car shook, the road screaming beneath me. The road quality wasn't that great so I couldn't even drive fast for long. One reckless burst, just long enough to burn the anger out of my chest.
I eased off before the engine could complain, settling back into a fast, steady cruise.
The city of Chicago could be seen after an hour and twenty minutes of driving. If I cruised
normally, it might take two to three hours to get there.
I pulled over to a car auction site. Bruce got me into the site with his connections. These things
were pretty closed off, so one needed an invitation to get in.
I bought ten cars at the auction. Five American cars. Five imported cars.
The muscle cars were mostly wrecks and non-starters. That worked in my favor since I didn't have
many competitors.
Most of the people there were dealers and weekend flippers looking for something they could drive onto a trailer. They didn't want problems. They wanted easy money.
By the time the auction wrapped, I'd won bids on cars nobody else even bothered to raise a hand
for. I didn't celebrate. I just nodded, wrote the numbers down, and let everyone else fight over
shiny junk.
I went home with ten cars stored in my system. I paid a tow guy to bring it all to an empty parking
lot before storing them so no one saw it.
First car, a faded avocado green, 1973 Plymouth Duster. It had a front-end collision, a crumpled
bumper, and the radiator was broken.
My appraisal told me the frame was still straight and the shock towers were untouched.
I paid 50 bucks for it. I could fix it up in a weekend. Once it ran and tracked straight, I could
move it for $900–$1,100 easy. Slant-six cars were always sold to kids.
Second, a beige, 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger. It was overheating and some parts melted inside. But the appraisal told me it was salvageable.
I paid 75 bucks for it, only one person bid with me. I could resale it for $1,200.
Third, a burgundy 1969 Pontiac LeMans. It smoked on startup, it had a trashed interior, the side
looked like it was cut with a knife.
It looked like it was trashed because the guy was caught cheating. I was sure of it since I saw the
letters c, h and e, on the back, but it was stopped before the vandalizer could write it fully.
Price Paid, $10. I could get back $1600-2000 dollars for a good condition.
The list went on and on. I went back to the shop, and the
sky was already dark.
I put only three cars in the shop and left since it was supposed to be a day off for everyone.
No one was in the basement when I came home, except for Jackie. She was waiting for me.
"Steven. I need to tell you something." She said quickly. I wanted to ignore her, but I heard a
shout coming from behind the basement door.
"He's in! LOCK THE DOOR!" Donna shouted. Fez hurriedly said, "I'm on it."
"What?" I was taken aback. From the other basement room, Kelso and Eric came out hurriedly.
"Hold him down!" Eric shouted.
"Alright. I guess tonight's the night bitches die." I cracked my knuckle, preparing to fight.
Kelso and Eric immediately stooped and took a few steps back. "You go first." Kelso pushed Eric to the front.