Title: Revelations
Author: Wookie
Email: wook1013@gwu.edu
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They aren't mine.
Spoilers: Post – Nicodemus
Thanks to Tresca, Miss Windy and Wub for the beta-ing. But still…all those pesky mistakes? Mine.
Feedback! If you do it I'll love you forever. For real.
Chloe grappled with her book bag, laptop, and coat, trying to get a hand free to grab the handle of the door to the Torch offices. Suddenly an arm popped out from behind her and opened the door.
Chloe turned around in surprise and found Lana standing behind her. "Oh, hey Lana. Thanks," she said, nodding to the door to invite her in. She set her stuff down and looked up at the girl who was still standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing in particular. Well maybe." Lana looked down at her hands and then back up at Chloe. "Are you working on the paper today?" Lana asked quickly.
"Not really. Just going to grab some rough drafts and take them home." Chloe continued with a concerned look, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," Lana said with a little frown. "I was just wondering if I could take you out for some coffee. And we could talk."
Something must definitely be wrong, Chloe thought to herself. She cocked her head and looked to see if anything was different about Lana. No knee- high boots or heavy make up. That ruled out another floral disaster. Chloe, curiosity piqued, grabbed the drafts and her bags. "Well you know me, I'll never turn down free coffee."
***
Chloe and Lana sat down at a table in the back of the Talon. Lana fidgeted with her coffee while Chloe took a sip of her own. Chloe watched her and waited for her to talk.
"Do you know what I did last week?" Lana suddenly blurted out.
Chloe bit her lip and wondered what to tell the girl. She didn't want to embarrass her by saying yes, but on the other hand, she doubted Lana would talk to her about it if she didn't want to hear the truth. Chloe decided to take the easy way out and ask, "Do you mean with the flower?"
"Yeah, the flower. I know I did something, but no one will tell me exactly what. So I just keep apologizing to everyone. Chloe," she said with a pleading note in her voice. "I really need to know."
Chloe rested her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. She really didn't want to be the person to tell Lana what she had done. She silently cursed Clark, Lex and Whitney for leaving this up to her. "Okay," she said with a sigh. "Well, with Clark, you…"
Lana cut her off quickly. "With Clark? He told me I didn't do anything to him!"
Chloe closed her eyes in dismay. Clark was going to kill her.
"Chloe?"
Chloe looked back up at Lana. "You should really talk to Clark about this."
"I can't. I mean, I tried, and he said I didn't do anything."
"Lana, Clark is my friend. If he didn't tell you…" she trailed off.
Lana sighed. "Listen, this is about me not Clark. You have to help me. It's not fair that no one will tell me what *I* did." She turned quiet for a second, and then said one more time, imploring, "Chloe. Please."
Chloe couldn't argue with that. Her thoughts of Clark put aside, she started. "Well…" She said and then paused to think about what she should say. "You took Clark to the swimming pool and did a little strip tease and kissed him and I think that was all," Chloe said quickly.
Lana's mouth dropped a bit and she stared at Chloe. Chloe watched Lana as she tried to process what she had just heard. "I…I did what?"
"It's okay. He knows you didn't know what you were doing."
"But still…I kissed him? I *stripped* for him? I don't remember any of it!"
"Hey Lana, don't worry about it. You aren't the only girl to kiss Clark and forget about it," Chloe said with a self-deprecating smile. "And this is just freshman year. Imagine how many girls will get to be kissed by Clark Kent and completely forget it by graduation."
"That's so mean. Clark Kent: world's most forgettable kiss."
Chloe choked on her coffee at that. "And you said I was mean?"
"Wait, can we go back for a moment? I stripped for Clark?"
Chloe winced and nodded.
"I stripped for him," she said again.
"It wasn't you. It was the weird flower thing. Believe me. *No one* acted normal," Chloe said vehemently, remembering Pete. She shook off the memory and focused back on Lana. "And on the good side, you only stripped down to your underwear."
"Right, cause that makes everything better."
"Yeah…sorry. I guess it doesn't really."
Lana looked down at her cup. "You know what I said to Whitney, right?" she asked, seemingly to her coffee.
"Yeah." How could she have not? It was all over school. "You heard?"
"Sarah had fun telling me all about it. She was practically frothing at the mouth."
"Sarah, on the cheerleading squad Sarah?" Chloe asked in shock.
"Yeah. She couldn't wait to tell me the awful things I said to Whitney."
"Sarah's a bitch. Like she has any room to talk." Chloe spit out.
"You know her?" Lana asked, mildly surprised. "I didn't know you were friends with anyone on the squad."
"Lana, I don't have to be friends with anyone on the cheerleading team. *Everyone* knows about Sarah. She's the school slut. Everyone knows it. Well…everyone except for her boyfriend, I am sure."
"I know! Her boyfriend is so nice. And she is so…"
"Skanky? Whorish? Bitchy?"
Lana giggled, "All three I think."
"Yeah, so really, don't listen to her." Chloe decided to give Lana the only advice she could. "Work out…whatever with Whitney. But don't worry about what the skankiest girl in school has to say about it.
"Thanks, Chloe." Lana said with a smile.
"No problem."
Lana rubbed her palms against her eyes and dragged her hands down her face. "What else did I do?"
Chloe winced and continued, "Well, you closed the Talon at 4 pm and…stole Lex Luthor's car."
"I did?" Lana squeaked out.
"Kinda. But I wouldn't worry about it, Lex has like six million different cars. He probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't seen you take it."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Lana said with a note of sarcasm.
"No, really!" Chloe straightened in her seat and got ready to do her best Lex impression. "I'm sure he would have been all, 'Butler! Butler! Did you see car number 345? The silver one. No, no, no, the other silver one. No! Not that one either. Oh well, I'm sure I just gave it to Clark and forgot about it. Carry on.'"
Lana's head sank forward and her shoulders started to shake.
"Lana! Really it's okay. Don't get upset."
Lana looked up quickly. "Car number 345," she gasped and then started to laugh. Loudly.
Chloe was shocked. Lana wasn't loud ever. Not even when she was angry. Chloe had once wondered if Lana had a problem with her throat. She was always so damn whispery.
This kinda dispelled that theory.
While Chloe waited for Lana's amusment to die down, she couldn't help but smile at the girl.
Lana stifled her giggles. "I'm okay. Alright. So…where were we?"
"Honestly? I have no idea."
Lana snorted at that. "So…anything else I don't know about?"
"Don't you think that was enough for one day?"
"Oh, believe me. I really do. Just making sure."
Chloe tapped the rim of her now empty coffee cup, took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "I just wanted to say….I'm really sorry. It's all my fault that this happened."
To Chloe's surprise, Lana reached out and put her hand on top of the nervously tapping hand. "Don't do that. It's not your fault. You didn't know."
Chloe gave her weak smile that brightened when Lana continued saying "Plus, its fun to go investigating. As long as I don't stick my face in anymore demented sunflowers.'
"You think investigating is fun?"
"Yeah. Better than cheerleading, by far. Have you ever seen Bring It On? 'Cheerleaders are dancers gone retarded.'"
Laughing at the quote, Chloe stood up. "Listen, I'm going to get us more coffee. When I get back, you think it would be ok to bounce some theories off you about the weird stuff going on at the Old Harrison farm?"
"Definitely." Lana said with a smile.
"Cool." Chloe said, and she went to get two more cups of coffee.
Author: Wookie
Email: wook1013@gwu.edu
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They aren't mine.
Spoilers: Post – Nicodemus
Thanks to Tresca, Miss Windy and Wub for the beta-ing. But still…all those pesky mistakes? Mine.
Feedback! If you do it I'll love you forever. For real.
Chloe grappled with her book bag, laptop, and coat, trying to get a hand free to grab the handle of the door to the Torch offices. Suddenly an arm popped out from behind her and opened the door.
Chloe turned around in surprise and found Lana standing behind her. "Oh, hey Lana. Thanks," she said, nodding to the door to invite her in. She set her stuff down and looked up at the girl who was still standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing in particular. Well maybe." Lana looked down at her hands and then back up at Chloe. "Are you working on the paper today?" Lana asked quickly.
"Not really. Just going to grab some rough drafts and take them home." Chloe continued with a concerned look, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," Lana said with a little frown. "I was just wondering if I could take you out for some coffee. And we could talk."
Something must definitely be wrong, Chloe thought to herself. She cocked her head and looked to see if anything was different about Lana. No knee- high boots or heavy make up. That ruled out another floral disaster. Chloe, curiosity piqued, grabbed the drafts and her bags. "Well you know me, I'll never turn down free coffee."
***
Chloe and Lana sat down at a table in the back of the Talon. Lana fidgeted with her coffee while Chloe took a sip of her own. Chloe watched her and waited for her to talk.
"Do you know what I did last week?" Lana suddenly blurted out.
Chloe bit her lip and wondered what to tell the girl. She didn't want to embarrass her by saying yes, but on the other hand, she doubted Lana would talk to her about it if she didn't want to hear the truth. Chloe decided to take the easy way out and ask, "Do you mean with the flower?"
"Yeah, the flower. I know I did something, but no one will tell me exactly what. So I just keep apologizing to everyone. Chloe," she said with a pleading note in her voice. "I really need to know."
Chloe rested her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. She really didn't want to be the person to tell Lana what she had done. She silently cursed Clark, Lex and Whitney for leaving this up to her. "Okay," she said with a sigh. "Well, with Clark, you…"
Lana cut her off quickly. "With Clark? He told me I didn't do anything to him!"
Chloe closed her eyes in dismay. Clark was going to kill her.
"Chloe?"
Chloe looked back up at Lana. "You should really talk to Clark about this."
"I can't. I mean, I tried, and he said I didn't do anything."
"Lana, Clark is my friend. If he didn't tell you…" she trailed off.
Lana sighed. "Listen, this is about me not Clark. You have to help me. It's not fair that no one will tell me what *I* did." She turned quiet for a second, and then said one more time, imploring, "Chloe. Please."
Chloe couldn't argue with that. Her thoughts of Clark put aside, she started. "Well…" She said and then paused to think about what she should say. "You took Clark to the swimming pool and did a little strip tease and kissed him and I think that was all," Chloe said quickly.
Lana's mouth dropped a bit and she stared at Chloe. Chloe watched Lana as she tried to process what she had just heard. "I…I did what?"
"It's okay. He knows you didn't know what you were doing."
"But still…I kissed him? I *stripped* for him? I don't remember any of it!"
"Hey Lana, don't worry about it. You aren't the only girl to kiss Clark and forget about it," Chloe said with a self-deprecating smile. "And this is just freshman year. Imagine how many girls will get to be kissed by Clark Kent and completely forget it by graduation."
"That's so mean. Clark Kent: world's most forgettable kiss."
Chloe choked on her coffee at that. "And you said I was mean?"
"Wait, can we go back for a moment? I stripped for Clark?"
Chloe winced and nodded.
"I stripped for him," she said again.
"It wasn't you. It was the weird flower thing. Believe me. *No one* acted normal," Chloe said vehemently, remembering Pete. She shook off the memory and focused back on Lana. "And on the good side, you only stripped down to your underwear."
"Right, cause that makes everything better."
"Yeah…sorry. I guess it doesn't really."
Lana looked down at her cup. "You know what I said to Whitney, right?" she asked, seemingly to her coffee.
"Yeah." How could she have not? It was all over school. "You heard?"
"Sarah had fun telling me all about it. She was practically frothing at the mouth."
"Sarah, on the cheerleading squad Sarah?" Chloe asked in shock.
"Yeah. She couldn't wait to tell me the awful things I said to Whitney."
"Sarah's a bitch. Like she has any room to talk." Chloe spit out.
"You know her?" Lana asked, mildly surprised. "I didn't know you were friends with anyone on the squad."
"Lana, I don't have to be friends with anyone on the cheerleading team. *Everyone* knows about Sarah. She's the school slut. Everyone knows it. Well…everyone except for her boyfriend, I am sure."
"I know! Her boyfriend is so nice. And she is so…"
"Skanky? Whorish? Bitchy?"
Lana giggled, "All three I think."
"Yeah, so really, don't listen to her." Chloe decided to give Lana the only advice she could. "Work out…whatever with Whitney. But don't worry about what the skankiest girl in school has to say about it.
"Thanks, Chloe." Lana said with a smile.
"No problem."
Lana rubbed her palms against her eyes and dragged her hands down her face. "What else did I do?"
Chloe winced and continued, "Well, you closed the Talon at 4 pm and…stole Lex Luthor's car."
"I did?" Lana squeaked out.
"Kinda. But I wouldn't worry about it, Lex has like six million different cars. He probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't seen you take it."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Lana said with a note of sarcasm.
"No, really!" Chloe straightened in her seat and got ready to do her best Lex impression. "I'm sure he would have been all, 'Butler! Butler! Did you see car number 345? The silver one. No, no, no, the other silver one. No! Not that one either. Oh well, I'm sure I just gave it to Clark and forgot about it. Carry on.'"
Lana's head sank forward and her shoulders started to shake.
"Lana! Really it's okay. Don't get upset."
Lana looked up quickly. "Car number 345," she gasped and then started to laugh. Loudly.
Chloe was shocked. Lana wasn't loud ever. Not even when she was angry. Chloe had once wondered if Lana had a problem with her throat. She was always so damn whispery.
This kinda dispelled that theory.
While Chloe waited for Lana's amusment to die down, she couldn't help but smile at the girl.
Lana stifled her giggles. "I'm okay. Alright. So…where were we?"
"Honestly? I have no idea."
Lana snorted at that. "So…anything else I don't know about?"
"Don't you think that was enough for one day?"
"Oh, believe me. I really do. Just making sure."
Chloe tapped the rim of her now empty coffee cup, took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "I just wanted to say….I'm really sorry. It's all my fault that this happened."
To Chloe's surprise, Lana reached out and put her hand on top of the nervously tapping hand. "Don't do that. It's not your fault. You didn't know."
Chloe gave her weak smile that brightened when Lana continued saying "Plus, its fun to go investigating. As long as I don't stick my face in anymore demented sunflowers.'
"You think investigating is fun?"
"Yeah. Better than cheerleading, by far. Have you ever seen Bring It On? 'Cheerleaders are dancers gone retarded.'"
Laughing at the quote, Chloe stood up. "Listen, I'm going to get us more coffee. When I get back, you think it would be ok to bounce some theories off you about the weird stuff going on at the Old Harrison farm?"
"Definitely." Lana said with a smile.
"Cool." Chloe said, and she went to get two more cups of coffee.