JULY 1978

Lucy swept down the counter irritably, listening to conversations that weren't meant to be heard. The girl with the round rose-tinted glasses was dumped by her girlfriend, the little boy with the shaggy blonde hair wanted a new toy car for his birthday, and the aged woman who often came to the cafe revealed her sincere feelings about their scones.

Lucy could have been having one of those conversations with June or Archie if they hadn't been out together all the time. She was excited that they were together, of course, but she felt like a third wheel, and her two closest friends were never around, which evidently made her life boring and depressing. Lucy Powell was everything but boring and depressing.

"What are you sulking about?" Donna snickered as she approached the counter.

Lucy shrugged. "Nothin'. Where'd your boyfriend go?"

"Oh, Kelso?" the redhead snorted. "He's not my boyfriend. More of an annoying little cousin."

A smirk quirked up at Lucy's lips. "Sounds simple enough. Donna, right?"

"Yeah. He told me he was going looking for chicks."

Lucy tilted her head slightly to the left. "I thought he liked June."

"Me too," Donna sighed, gratefully accepting a cookie that the frizzy-haired girl slid to her. "Maybe he changed his mind."

Lucy hummed thoughtfully. "All I know is, if he breaks her heart, I'm going to break his kneecaps."

Donna laughed brightly, the sound ringing out in the otherwise silent and tense room. "I'll be sure to help."

The little bell on the door sounded as the boy himself sauntered in, with his hand around a woman who was the perfect picture of a California girl.

"Hey, ladies," he chuckled. "This is Annette."

"Yeah, it looks like all she's wearing is a net," Lucy grumbled, tapping with her fingernails on the cash register.

"Be nice, okay? She's expressing herself," Michael scolded.

"I'm only being nice if she's ordering something," Lucy snarled, knowing fully well that Juniper wouldn't be ecstatic to see him with a girl wrapped around his arm, especially one who wouldn't likely care about him.

"Do you want something, then?" he asked Annette sweetly.

The girl smiled for far too long before answering. "Iced coffee?"

"Cool, I'll pay. Find a table, yeah?"

"Okay!"

Donna watched with distaste as she skipped away, all the eyes in the room following her. "So when'd you nail her?" she wrinkled her nose.

"I haven't yet," Michael shrugged. "I'm hoping by tomorrow night we can get cookin'."

Lucy scoffed and stuck a straw in the glass. "Men are gross."

"You can say that again," Donna snickered.

"Wha- Why?" Kelso protested.

"Aren't you, uh..." Lucy smirked to herself. "Aren't you into Juniper?"

His cheeks took on a warm hue. "Psh! No! Why would I be?"

"Two dollars - thanks. Because I catch you ogling at her whenever you two are in the same room."

"I do not ogle. What does that even mean?"

Donna leaned on the counter. "Kelso, you so do. You're always staring at her. And not just her ass, either. Always at her eyes."

"So romantic!" Lucy cooed.

"Oh, get bent," he mumbled under his breath, snatching the glass off of the counter. "I'll see you guys later."

The bell rang again as he moved to a table with his new girlfriend, and Archie strode in with his arm around Juniper's shoulders. Donna and Lucy made eye contact with each other for a fleeting moment before they turned their attention to the arriving couple.

"Hey, guys," June beamed as she happily accepted the kisses Archie left on her cheek and jaw.

"Hi. I didn't know you were going to skip a shift," Lucy sighed, running a hand through her bouncy hair.

"You didn't know I was-"

"Yeah, you know how we usually have a schedule and we stick to it so we can work the same shifts?" she interrupted snappily.

Juniper thought for a moment. "Oh. Yeah, I guess. Look, Luce, I'm really sorry I didn't take that one. I was hanging out with Archie."

Archie was glancing at the two of them, having stopped his kisses upon noticing the tension between the two.

"I know," Lucy replied coldly, turning her attention to straightening out the row glasses before her.

"Lucy, is everything al-"

"Are you working now, then?"

"Archie and I just wanted to grab something to drink."

"Oh." She swallowed. "What can I get you?"

Archie frowned. "Is something bothering you?"

"Two smoothies it is, then."

Donna watched with wide eyes as she strutted away.

"Man, what's up with her?" Juniper scoffed.

"I, uh..." Donna started. "I don't really know if it's my place to say this, but I think she's sort of pissed that she's becoming a third wheel."

June's face softened. "That makes sense, I guess. We have kind of pulled back on the time we spend with her. Thanks, Donna."

"No problem," the redhead smiled.

"Arch, let's go find a table, yeah?"

The pair walked to a booth by the window of the cafe, and June stopped in her tracks when she noticed who was sitting across the room from her. Or rather, who he was sitting with.

Michael Kelso's hand rested on some girl's thigh, and he was kissing her neck as she giggled obnoxiously and sipped from her drink.

"Junie? You okay?"

Juniper blinked and tore her gaze away from the two. She had no reason to mind it. "Yeah. I'm fine."

≛

(not) brought to you by this chapter being rly short (sorry lol)

(not) brought to you by jealous lucy

(not) brought to you by piece of my heart - janis joplin

brought to you by lissy <3