A/N2: February 2, 2013: Hey all! I'm in the process of editing and revamping all my stories, starting with the oldest published ones and working my way up. What does that mean? Plot is staying the same, wording, grammar, etc. will be cleaned up so that, in the end, all my fics have a similar style. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
A/N: Hi everyone! Here's my second Smallville story. I hope you enjoy and please read and review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.
Chapter 1: The Assignment:
Mr. Jenkins, the biology teacher who had replaced Lex's short-term wife, Desiree, stood at the front of his classroom, looking on at his twenty-two students. It was his favorite time of year, science fair time. He enjoyed seeing and was intrigued by the creativity that usually resulted from his student's.
"All right, everyone," he began. "For this assignment, you'll be working in pairs." He paused enjoying how instantly the eyes of his student's began to dart around the room, searching for the one they worked with most comfortably. He had a twist for them, though. Grinning, he added, "Of my choosing, of course." Groans sounded around the room.
Chloe watched her teacher pick up a slip of paper. He began to call out the names of her classmates. She eagerly waited to hear her own name, hoping she got one of her friends, and not one of the people she didn't really get along with.
"John and Dan; Ewan and Anna; Chloe and Pete…"
Chloe glanced over at Pete, sitting in a stool next to her. They shared a smile and a high five. The two of them worked well together, being best friends, but sometimes they had a little too much fun working on projects together, as their last biology project mark indicated. Mr. Jenkins either didn't know about their fun procrastination or was giving them the benefit of the doubt. Chloe would go with the former.
The teacher continued to call out names, enjoying each cheer and groan that resulted. Clark listened attentively for his name. Chloe and Pete were already paired so he knew he wouldn't be with either of them. Lana would be his next ideal choice, but what were the chances of that happening?
"Clark and Lana, you two are the last pair."
"What?" Clark all but exclaimed. He instantly blushed when he realized he'd voiced his surprise. Mr. Jenkins raised an eyebrow at him that had him crouching lower in his seat.
Clark caught Lana looking at him, amusedly, from the table next to his. He shot her a nervous smile; they'd be working together, alone at times. Their relationship had been a bit shaky of late. The whole Ian fiasco hadn't helped. And then, ever since Kyla and the fact that Whitney was now missing in action, he didn't really know where they stood. Or, if they could work together.
Lana gave him a bright smile that melted away most of his doubts. They'd still have to talk, considering he hadn't talked to her alone since that night she'd revealed the news about Whitney. All he really wanted to do was ask her how she was doing.
Mr. Jenkins voice snapped Clark back to reality. He quickly turned to face the front.
"Now, that you've got your partners, I'll hand out your assignments," he said as he walked up and down the aisle, passing out the assignment packages. "You'll have two weeks to complete the assignment. All the instructions are included in the info I've given you… Of course, you'll be reporting your progress to me every two days in the form of a journal. At the end of the two weeks, you will present your project at the science fair.
"For the rest of today's period, I would like you to move to sit with your partner so you can begin discussing your project."
Mr. Jenkins took his seat at his desk in front of the class. The student's took this as their cue to get moving. For a minute the class was all noise, with moving bodies, scraping chairs, and student chatter.
Before Lana could get up, Clark moved to her table. He sat down and received a cheerful, "Hey, Clark."
He eyed her carefully. He knew Lana well by now, he knew she could cover up her saddest moments with her brightest smiles from most everyone. He also knew if he looked hard enough, he'd be able to see what she was trying to hide. There it was pain in her hazel eyes.
Her smile faltered visibly and he thought it best not to confront her about it in public.
"Hey, Lana, how's it going?" Clark replied casually.
Lana knew he could tell she wasn't feeling as great as she was letting on. She could see he'd decided against talking to her about it. She was glad for that. Talking about Whitney usually led to her bursting into tears. This was another case of Clark knowing exactly what she needed most.
"Good, good," she fibbed. "Can't wait to start this project… biology is my favorite subject."
He continued to scrutinize her every move; he wasn't talking about it, but he was watching her to make sure she was actually ok. She smiled at Clark to reassure him that she was all right. The news about Whitney had hit her hard, but she was doing her best to cope with it and keep going.
"Really? I prefer math," Clark added conversationally as he opened their assignment package to read. She wrinkled her nose, letting him know what she thought of math and he chuckled lightly at her gesture.
Feeling content in the moment, Lana flipped through her own hand out. But soon her expression turned from happy to disgust.
"No way am I going to dissect a pig," she protested.
Clark glanced back at the handout, trying to see what she'd seen. He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face and the fact that she was mistaken.
"What?" she protested, nose wrinkled once again in dislike. "What's so funny, it's disgusting?"
He shot her a comforting smile. "You read it wrong. We don't have to dissect a pig; it's just one of the projects we could pick. See," he explained, leaning towards her so he could point things out on her handout. "Mr. Jenkins has a list of topics we can choose from and the pig's just one of them."
"Oh," she said weakly, chuckling at herself.
Meanwhile, at a table close by…
"Chloe, if you're going to stare at them all day, I'm going to ask Mr. Jenkins for a new partner," Pete let her know, annoyed.
Chloe was over Clark. Completely. Still, a small part of her would always be taken in by what she called "The Lana-Clark Conundrum." She knew, like everyone else, that they were meant for each other; nonetheless, it still irked her at times, seeing them together so obviously happy. It was the petty side of her that felt that way, she guessed.
I wonder what they're laughing about… she thought as she scrutinized their every move and gesture.
A hand, waving in front of her face, finally drew her attention away from the brunette-haired pair. "Pete?" she questioned unsurely. "Did you say something?"
Her best friend sighed in exasperation. "Chloe, are you going to sit here all day, staring at them or are you actually going to work with me?"
Her cheeks reddened instantly at having been found out. "Sorry, Pete!" she apologized quickly. "You now have my undivided attention."
She gave him her brightest smile, trying to reassure him. For a moment, he just stared back at her stonily, but in the end, he caved, his expression melting into that indulgent-of-her smile. Pete deserved her attention, they were partners, after all. She decided, then and there, that she wasn't going to stare at Clark like a lovesick puppy any longer. Clark had Lana, and Chloe had her friend, Pete.
"Good," he said, believing her. "Now, let's get to—" The sound of the bell signaling class change, cut him off.
"Meet at my house, after school?" she inquired as she gathered up her books in a rush.
"Yeah, sure," he replied on his way out.
"So, did you want to meet at the Talon after school to work on our project?" Clark asked Lana as they headed to their next class.
"I was thinking we could meet in your loft," Lana replied. "The Talon will be packed after school. I think we might need a more private and quiet place to work."
"You're probably right," he agreed readily.
"Ok." Lana gave him a smile. "I'll see you later, then."
"See ya," Clark called back.
Chapter 1 Edit complete. Let me know what you think!