Author's Notes: I do not own the characters. From glancing through several other fics, it appears that certain names are used for certain characters so I'm sticking with the tried and tested. I've also added a bonus chapter to try and convey a couple of other (important) viewpoints. I hope readers understand what I was trying to do here, and I am 100% certain that the events described will be familiar to many of you in your own lives. I won't say any more, you'll just have to read! Finally, please please please leave comments. I'm very grateful that people are taking time to read my work, but what you guys think is important to me!
THE GIRL ON THE STAIRS.
"Put on your tux."
Clark wasn't given a moment to think. It had all happened so quickly that before he knew it, he was being ushered off to his room to get changed into the tux his mom had hired for him.
Was it worth even showing up to his senior prom when it was never going to live up to his expectations? For years, Clark had held onto the fairytale dream of escorting Lana Lang to the prom but the dream had faded away once realisation set in that it would become increasingly unlikely over their senior year, so he could only foresee an evening of disappointment. Lana had a new beau, Jason Teague, whom she'd met over the summer in Paris, so it didn't seem right to Clark to ask her to be his date. Too much history, too much baggage, and too much awkward tension. He concluded that it was better all round to give the event a miss.
So how was it that he was still going to the prom? And with a date no less. The answer lay with the girl on the stairs. Loud, opinionated, smug, prone to getting into trouble - Lois Lane was the dictionary definition of 'pain in the ass'. Indeed, if dictionaries still included pictures next to words and phrases, the phrase 'pain in the ass' would have a photo of Lois beside it, looking smug. Right now, she was standing at the top of the stairs, smiling.
"Well?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear as he cast his eyes over her. "How do I look?"
How did she look? The shimmering pink strapless gown fit her hourglass form perfectly, finished off with silver sequins at the top, matching earrings and a clutch bag. She was also holding a plastic box containing a corsage, to be pinned onto her dress no doubt. Her hair had been straightened and set in a very elegant manner, showing off her slender neck to its fullest. The outfit had clearly been chosen to turn heads. Did Lois already have this outfit lying around or had she gone out and bought it? It was clear she'd spent an afternoon getting her hair and make-up done too. So how did she look?
Clark gulped. Amazing actually, no doubt about it. This was a strange turn up for the books. There was no hint of the tomboyish army brat at all, and he'd had to blink to make sure it really was Lois standing there, and not just a very pretty girl with the same voice. The only event on in Smallville this evening which required people to dress up was the senior prom. She couldn't be going to that, could she? And if so, why?
"L-looks like you're going to the prom," he stammered, mouth suddenly dry.
He watched her as she made her way down the stairs. She seemed curiously chipper. Pointing a finger at him for emphasis, she clarified the situation. "I am! And you're taking me."
He couldn't find any words. Lois actually wanted him to take her to his own senior prom. How in the hell was that even possible? She proceeded to explain.
"I'm not gonna let you sit around moping all night while your parents go out and do the electric boogaloo all night." Raising her chin to emphasise her adamance, she added, "It's gonna be fun."
Clark shook his head, trying to convince himself as much as anything that he'd rather stay put and sit at home. And what exactly was the 'electric boogaloo'? He felt his throat getting drier and the words came out far less convincingly than he'd hoped. "No, I-I-I'm not going."
Lois was not going to take no for an answer. Eyes widening and voice becoming high-pitched, she replied in terms that left no room for doubt. It was an order not a request.
"Massive re-strategy! You're going to your senior prom whether you like it or not. End of discussion. Put on your tux."
Clark stared at her, slightly fearful. Something was clearly off about her if she wanted to go out with him, as though her mind and body had been taken over by some hyperactive cheerleading prom queen wannabe. Had she found a stash of that kryptonite-laced energy drink from a few months back? It wasn't that long ago when she'd told his mom how it would require something of enormous magnitude and yet highly unlikely before she would ever consider going anywhere with him. Thanks for making me sound like the shortest of short straws, Lois! Clark made a mental note to check the news to see if NASA had actually managed to send a team of astronauts to Mars. Even with his interest in astronomy, he couldn't recall NASA ever announcing a manned space mission to Mars. Maybe the Russians had beaten the Americans to the punch. He decided to ask Lois why she'd apparently taken a giant u-turn all of a sudden.
"Lois, wasn't this not in the realm of possibilities?"
"Anything's possible, Clark. Anything!"
His eyebrows shot up to the top of his head. His level of fear increased exponentially as he saw her eyes shimmer with hunger, and the Cheshire Cat grin that slowly stretched across her face only confirmed his suspicions. Something was not right. What did she mean by 'anything'? Did it also mean that? Lois was somewhat of a wild child with a penchant for disobeying authority so it wasn't a stretch to think she might wish to indulge in a little hedonism from time to time. Was she thinking of grabbing her opportunity tonight? Was she going to get Clark Kent laid?
Lois then proceeded to grab him by the arm and march him up the stairs to his room, where his tux was hanging behind the door. He was too stunned to utter a word in protest.
"Now, we wanna be fashionably late so all eyes are on us when we arrive, but we don't wanna be so late that they announce the prom queen before we get there. So come on, chop chop!" she ordered as she shoved him into his room.
Clark closed the door and looked at his tux, hanging there in its plastic sleeve. This was actually happening. He was so dumbfounded by the turn of events that he didn't hear Lois on the other side of the door, sighing and uttering "Genius!" as she congratulated herself on the first part of her mission being accomplished.
The girl on the stairs both fascinated and frightened him, but more than anything, she'd thrown him for a loop. Tonight was going to be interesting to say the very least, and he hoped it wouldn't turn into a complete disaster. After all, one's senior prom really is a once-in-a-lifetime event.