Through Lana's Eyes
Chapter 1
Lana Lang groaned as her alarm went off; 'Why do I have to get up so early?' she asked herself miserably. 'High school is great and all, but why does it have to start so early in the morning.' She got up and walked over to her closet. 'What to wear? This whole freshman thing is annoying; I mean you have to make a good first impression or people will hate you.' She decided on a pair of khaki pants and a blue v-neck.
"Lana," her aunt, Nell, called up the stairs, "Are you up yet."
"Yes," Lana replied. She had lived with Nell ever since her parents had died in the meteor shower. 'I miss them so much." she thought as she put on her necklace which was made from a piece of the meteor that had killed them. 'Stop thinking about that. You know it won't bring them back.' Lana sighed and went downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning, sweetie." her aunt said.
"Hi." said Lana. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and grabbed a banana. Just as she sat down to eat she heard a horn from outside.
"That's Whitney." said Lana.
"I'll let him in," said Nell, "since you're not ready."
"Thanks." Lana smiled as Nell walked over to the door and went out to talk to her boyfriend. A few minutes later Nell walked back through the door with Whitney.
"Hey Lana," he said as he leaned over to give her a hug.
"I'll be ready in a minute; just let me finish my breakfast."
"Do you want anything?" Nell asked Whitney.
"No thanks." he replied. He sat down next to her and waited for her to finish eating. Five minutes later she ran back upstairs to get her bag, and went out onto the porch where Whitney was waiting. Once they were out of Nell's sight, Whitney turned to her and leaned in for a kiss. 'I love him.' she thought blissfully as they walked hand-in-hand to his truck. On the drive into school she leaned back against the window and gazed at Whitney while he talked about football and whatever else he wanted. She loved to listen to him talk and in the car was the perfect place to listen to him. 'He's so gorgeous.' she though. 'Who could ask for a better boyfriend.' She reached over and linked her arm with his; wrapping her arm around his so she could hold his hand. He took his eyes off the road to look at her for a few seconds, then he continued to talk about their math class.
"I mean, with football, and everything I don't have much time to get help from the teachers; so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me study."
"I'll do anything that lets me spend more time with you." she smiled at him sweetly. 'Ok, I know that sounded corny, but between football, school, and Nell's rules I don't get to see him as much as I'd like to.'
"Hey! Lana!" she looked out the window. They had just pulled into the parking lot and the cheerleading squad was waving at her.
"Hi, guys." she yelled back. They rushed over to her as Whitney parked the truck.
"There you are," Cindy said, "we've been looking all over for you." Lana gave her a blank look. "Remember the fund-raising."
"Oh yeah. Sorry, I totally forgot." she said.
"That's ok." Cindy replied as she handed her a clipboard. "Here. Make yourself useful." Lana laughed. She looked around for someone to talk to, then she saw Clark walking towards her. 'He's such a sweet guy.' He was walking over to her when he tripped and spilled all his books allover the ground. 'I should help him.' she thought as she bent over and began to pick up some of his books. The title of one of the caught her eye,
"Nietzsche," she said, "I didn't realize you had a dark side, Clark." She smiled at him kindly.
"Doesn't everybody?" he replied. 'He doesn't look so good.'
"Yeah, I guess so." she said. 'Should I ask if he's ok? No, I'll just be friendly.' She stood up.
"So what are you, man or superman?"
"I haven't figured it out yet."
"Lana. There you are." She turned to see Whitney coming in for a kiss. 'He's such a great boyfriend.'
"Hey, Clark." he said. 'That was nice of him. Sometimes he'll just blow other people off.' He turned back to her. "I was wondering if you could do me a humongous favor. Could you check over my English paper? I didn't finish 'til 2 am." 'How can I not say yes' "So, I'm not too sure about the ending."
"I bet it's great." Whitney turned to Clark , who was clutching his stomach as though he was about to throw up.
"Dude. Are you feeling all right? You look like you're about to hurl."
"I'm fine." 'He really does look sick.'
"You forgot one, Clark" He said and tossed it to him. In his attempt to catch the book Clark dropped all the others he was holding. 'He really should go home. I want to stay and help, but I already promised Whitney.' The five minute bell rang and then of us went off to the library to work on Whitney's paper. The rest of the day passed with nothing interesting, with the exception of a huge load of math homework and a pop quiz in English.
Later that after noon, Lana went to practice. The football team practiced at the same time, so she could see Whitney and have fun at the same time. As she walked out onto the field she noticed Clark was sitting in the bleachers watching. 'I wonder what he's doing here' Around her the other girls started to do a cheer, so she joined in.
"Red and gold no doubt! We're here to win one out! Go!" She did a high kick and giggled along with the rest of the squad. She looked back up to the bleachers to see that Clark had been replaced with someone she couldn't recognize in a yellow practice jersey. After practice was over she got a ride home with Whitney. He stayed until five, studying with her and when Nell left she shooed him out too. 'It was fun.' she thought as she sat down and turned on the T.V. The only thing on at this time was news, so she watched that.
"In local news," the announcer was saying, "billionaire, Lex Luthor, was in a car accident today, but don't you stockholders worry; he was saved by a young teenage boy named Clark Kent." 'Wow.' I guess that answers my question. He is superman.' She turned off the T.V. and poured herself a cup of coffee and went to sit out on the porch. Right after she sat down she felt someone seek up behind her and put their arm around her. For a split second she was scared, but then she felt the person kiss her on the cheek and she laughed. 'How sweet Whitney snuck back over here, or he never left.'
"Whitney," she said, "My aunt will be back any minute."
"Oh, come on!" he said, rocking her back and forth. "We're living life on the edge."
"If Nell finds us out here, your life won't be worth living." 'But this is still nice.' They both laughed.
"Where is she anyway, bridge club?" It was his turn to laugh.
"Lex Luthor's." He got up, went around the bench and sat down next to her.
"I didn't know your aunt was in with the Luthors."
"She sold them a ton of land."
"They own the Metropolis Sharks. Maybe she could put in a good word for me."
"If you want someone to put in a good word, ask Clark. He saved Lex's life today."
"You're kidding." 'I didn't believe it at first either.'
"Sometimes people can surprise you. I think it's kind of cool." 'He's more than what we see on the outside. I like that about him.'
"Coach said a scout from Kansas State is coming to the game on Saturday." 'Way to change the subject. It's like he's afraid to talk about Clark or something.'
"That's great."
"I don't want to be a 'Remember him?' Smallville's got enough of those guys." She smiled and took off her necklace.
"I want you to wear this to the game on Saturday."
"I can't take this."
"You can give it back after you win."
"Is it really made from a piece of the meteor that, you know. . .?" 'It's ok to say "killed your parents" that was a long time ago.' She nodded
"So much bad luck came out of it. . . there can only be good luck left." She smiled and leaned in close for a gentle comforting kiss. "You really should go, you know."
"Alright," Whitney said reluctantly. He gave her one last quick kiss good-bye, got in his truck, and drove away. 'I hope they do, do well Saturday. I would hate to part with my necklace for more than a few days; even if Whitney is the one who has it. It's like a part of me.' She sighed and went inside to take a shower. After she got out of the shower, Lana went over to the barn, tacked up her horse, and rode over to the graveyard, with some flowers. After she tied the reins to the fence she swore she heard someone lurking in the shadows.
"Who's there?" she asked nervously.
"It's me." she heard someone reply. She saw someone step out from behind a grave stone. "Clark."
"Clark Kent?" Lana asked in disbelief. "What are you doing creeping around the woods?"
"You'd never believe me if I told you." 'He sounds upset. I like how he's standing in front of the angel stone cause it looks as if the wings are his.' "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.' 'Oh, he's so sweet.' He turned to leave.
"Clark, wait. Just wasn't expecting to see anyone out here. Are you okay" 'I've been dying to ask you that all day. You seem kind of down.'
"I'm hanging out in a graveyard. Does that strike you as okay behavior?" 'He looks as if he's about to cry. Oh.'
"Hey, I'm here too." she said it as gently as she could. 'He really looks sad.'
"Good point. What's your story?" he wiped his nose. 'Was that a tear? Should I tell him why I'm here?'
"Can you keep a secret?"
"I'm the Fort Knox of secrets."
"I. . . came out here to talk with my parents." 'Please don't think I'm crazy, please.' she begged him silently. She forced a laugh.
"You must think I'm pretty weird, you know, conversing with dead people." She laughed again more for her own benefit that his.
"No, I don't think you're weird, Lana." She smiled at him. 'So he doesn't think I'm crazy.' "Do you remember them?"
"They died when I was three."
"I'm sorry." 'He shouldn't be.'
"It's not your fault, Clark." She smiled. 'There I go smiling again. I like this guy; just as a friend.' she reminded herself. "Come on, I'll introduce you." She took his hand and lead him over to her parent's grave. "Mom, Dad? This is Clark Kent." She turned to him, "Say hi."
"Hi," he said and gave a half wave. 'I hope I didn't make him feel uncomfortable.'
"Yeah, he is kind of shy." she said to the stone. "How should I know? Mom wants to know if you're upset about a girl." He shook his head. "Dad wants to know if your upset about a guy."
"No, no." he answered quickly. 'Oops, he didn't think that was too funny.' She laughed.
"He had a twisted sense of humor. Seriously, Clark. Why are you out here?"
"Lana you ever feel like your life was supposed to be something different?" She nodded. 'More than you'll ever know.'
"Sometimes I dream I'm at school, waiting for Nell to pick me up. But she doesn't come. So, my parents drive up and they're not dead, they're just really late. And I get in their car and we drive back to my real life in Metropolis. That's usually when I wake up. And for a minute, I'm totally happy. Until I realize I'm still alone."
"What's that, Mrs. Lang?" Clark asked. "Yeah, I'll tell her." 'He's got a funny way of saying what he feels.' "Your mom wants you to know you're never alone. That she's always looking out for you. No matter what." 'That's so nice to hear.' "What's that, Mr. Lang? Your dad thinks you've got a shot for homecoming queen." She laughed.
"They really say all that?"
"Oh yeah, they're quite chatty once you get them started." 'Oh, it's getting late. I should go home.'
"It's getting late. I should probably get going."
"Wait," said Clark, "I'll walk with you." They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Lana spoke,
"Thanks for walking me home."
"Beets creeping around the woods." 'He really is funny.'
"You realize this is the longest conversation we've ever had? We should do it again."
"Yeah, we should."
"So, are you going to the dance?" 'I wish I didn't have to turn him down'
"Yeah, with Whitney."
"Right, of course." 'He looks disappointed.'
"How about you?"
"Nah, figured I'd sit this one out."
"Well, if you change your mind, I might save you a dance." She kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Clark." She looked up and saw Whitney standing on the front porch. 'I might have some explaining to do.'
"What was that?" he asked as she walked up the steps of the porch.
"I was just trying to be nice to Clark. He's your friend too."
"Is that all?"
"Yes." she put her arm around him, and tried to catch his gaze. But, he wouldn't look at her. "Hey," she said quietly, "don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do, but it was just the way he was looking at you."
"It's no big deal." Lana said. "He was just walking me home from the graveyard."
That night as Lana was getting ready for the dance her mind was full of so many thoughts. She loved Whitney, but she wasn't sure how she felt about Clark. 'I mean he's my friend and all, but I have a boyfriend already. The dance should be fun at any rate.' She thought as she got dressed. It came as no surprise to everyone that she and Whitney were voted homecoming king and queen. As the last song played she glanced around the gym, looking for Clark. For a split second she thought that she saw him up on the track the ran around the second floor of the gym, but she was wrong. When they got out of the dance, everyone was pointing to and laughing at something in the parking lot; three of the football player's trucks, including Whitney's had been stacked on top of each other. 'It was kind of strange,' she thought while she and a bunch of Whitney's friends rode home in the flatbed of a truck, 'vandals usually wreck things. But the three trucks had been stacked there, if it was possible, carefully.' This thought kept her mind busy as they dropped several people off before her. As the truck was driving away, she heard everyone yelling good-byes to her. 'There was at least one upside to the "truck tower" I get a bunch of honking horns and yelling people to end a great night.' She stopped, and turned around. 'Was it possible, did she really just hear Clark say: "Thanks for the dance Lana." I guess that's just one of the mysteries of Smallville.