Prologue

"Uh, Chloe? I've been wanting to apologize for leaving you at the Formal-"

Chloe turned to him plastering on a fake smile, "Oh, didn't I tell you that leaving in the middle of a tornado to save a friend totally gets you off the hook? Besides, I mean, I know you'd do the same thing for me." she said, carefully watching his reaction.

"Oh, in a heartbeat. So, how can I make it up to you?"

"Actually, you know, I've been thinking. It's funny how a natural disaster puts your life in perspective, but I think that it might be better if we just stayed really good friends. Anything other than that just gets too complicated." Come on Clark, she thought, tell me I'm wrong, tell me you want to be with me, tell me it's worth the risk, she prayed, looking up at him expectantly.

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Her heart sank.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, our friendship is so important to me. The last thing I want to do is screw it up."

"Good. Great. Perfect. I'm really glad we got that straightened out."

"I'm going to go check over here."

"Okay. I'll catch up in a sec. My feet are throbbing." The second he was out of view, she let her face fall, and allowed herself to collapse in tears.

She kept replaying their last conversation in her head over and over. Stop it Chloe, he made his choice. You gave him an out, and he jumped on it. At least now, you know what he feels…or doesn't feel. What was she doing? Why was she thinking of Clark. She had just arrived in Metropolis, and first thing tomorrow morning, she would be starting at her dream job, working at the Daily Planet. Okay, so it was just interning, but still, just to be there, to be around the people and the life. What could be better? Clark could have Smallville, Chloe intended to take Metropolis.