"So, first I wake up to find that my roommate has torn down all my pictures off the wall. She had this tirade about how she didn't wait all these years to go to college only to live in a room with freaks all over the walls!" Chloe roared, slamming her latte cup on top of her desk; the contents splashed onto a stack of papers scattered about. "Oh, and did I tell you that she has to sleep with the radio on. Ear plugs only work so well, so of course last night I hardly got any sleep. I didn't hear my alarm and ended up missing my morning class completely! Then I go off to take a shower, only to find that she had used my towel because she obviously couldn't find hers in all this junk." She motioned around to the heaps of clothing, books and assorted fast food containers. "And I found it on the bathroom floor, still wet, along with a huge puddle of water that made me slip and fall."
She began to pace around the room like a nervous cat. Clark stood up against her dorm wall watching with pleasure. He desperately wanted to laugh, but decided against it. Chloe knew his only weakness, and he didn't feel like dying today. No, he knew it wasn't appropriate to feel glad as she ranted on about her horrible day, but he couldn't help himself. He studied the way her nose scrunched when she was flustered, and the way her cheeks were slightly pink. Her arms flailed around; it looked as if she was trying to swat an invisible fly. Even the way she spoke a million miles a minute, words spewing like a volcano, was music to his ears.
He couldn't help it; Chloe Sullivan was hopelessly adorable when she was mad.
"Not to mention that she uses all my stuff and never asks or puts it back. She eats all my food, and I swear yesterday she was wearing my shirt." She sulked, eyeing the puddle of coffee that was now oozing into the pile of papers on her desk. "Shit. And now I have to re- type my essay for ethics class." She walked over and gingerly picked up a wet slip of paper.
"I'm sorry Chloe." He said, coming over to help her. "I guess I shouldn't have asked how your day was."
"No Clark, it's not your fault." She muttered, handing him a bundle of napkins to help sop up her ruined essay. "You didn't have any idea you would be opening up a veritable Pandora's Box."
"I take it that you aren't too happy with your living arrangement then." He said with a subtle smirk
"What made you come to that conclusion?" She laughed, rolling her eyes.
"There is not enough caffeine in the world that could give me the energy to deal with this girl for much longer". She lifted her latte to her lips and drained the contents. This seemed to pacify her for the moment.
"Chloe, if it's not too late, why don't you try to get a room transfer?"
"Oh don't get me started on that!" She snapped.
"I did go down to the housing office, and the lady there—I say lady, but I am convinced she was some sort of gargoyle or something—said that I missed the deadline. The last day for transfers was yesterday. But I told her that the post on the hall bulletin board said that today was the last day. And then she has the nerve to tell me that there was a misprint, an error, and there was nothing she could do for me until next term! Can you believe that?" Chloe looked up at him, out of breath, her eyes flashing with fire. Suddenly a look of realization flickered across her face. "Wait, what time is it?"
Clark looked down at his father's watch on his wrist. "Almost three, why?"
Chloe didn't respond and began to dash around the dorm room. She grabbed a large blue bag, her purse, and began to scan the area anxiously. He had no idea what she was freaking out over. She moved so fast, she was almost stealth like. She flew back and forth from her desk to her dresser, flinging open the drawers and muttering under her breath. After a minute or two, she got down on her knees and began to sift through the mounds of debris on the floor. He laughed softly as she begun to hurl assorted articles of clothing up into the air. "So darn cute" he thought .
"Chloe, seriously. What's wrong?"
"Shit. I'm going to be late for my first day at The Planet because I can't find my id badge anywhere in this mess. I knew exactly where it was last night, before she came back from class and torpedoed the room with all her crap."
"That's today?"
"Yes. I told you last week."
"Can't you have them make you another?"
"Clark" She winced "It's my first day of my internship, and I show up without any kind of identification? Number one, they might not let me in, number two I haven't even started yet and I've already lost it? What does that say about me? Yeah, why don't I just pin an I am irresponsible badge on my lapel."
He began to search the room with his x-ray vision, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Not that he had ever tried to before, but Chloe certainly wasn't kidding when she pointed out how messy her roommate was. There was just so much junk. It was everywhere.She continued to pitch clothing over her shoulder; suddenly he felt something smack him in the face. As pulled the object off his head, he saw the hooks and lace and realized it was a bra. A black bra. "Ummm." He looked at it with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment. "Chloe, is this yours?"
"Oh, did you find it?" She whirled around, a look of anticipation on her face. "Oh." Her mouth twisted into an uncomfortable grimace "Yeah, sorry. Thanks". She reached out a ripped it from his hands, chucking it onto her bed.
Clark began to scan the room with his x-ray vision again. "There Chloe by the trash can".
Chloe stood up and flew across the room; sure enough the clip from the id badge was lodged through the gaps in the wire trash can. She gave it a good hard tug, breaking it free. "Thanks. This has been such a horrible day. Although I guess, when compared to everything I have gone through in the past, it's really just a cake walk." She added, sounding slightly defeated.
Clark nodded silently and walked over to her. "Here" He said, grabbing the badge from her hand. Gently he pinned it to the lapel of her suit jacket. "Daily Planet intern, Miss Chloe Sullivan." He read out loud. He knew no matter what a horrible day she was having, just hearing those words would brighten her mood. He was right.
Instantly she smiled and looked down at the badge with approval. "Some great first impression I am going to make." She said sarcastically. "First day, and I show up late."
"What time you have to be there?"
"Three thirty. There's no way I can make it on time now, not across town in midday traffic."
Clark looked down at his watch. "It's three twenty-five"
"Come on Chloe" He said, and swept her and her belongings up in his arms.
"Clark, what are you doing?"
"Well Chloe, I can't help you with your roommate situation, but I can help you with your commute" He gave her a sly grin.
Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "Clark. I just want to thank you. I know I've been a real pain today, but you just stood there and let me vent. I don't know how you can stand it though. I would have told myself to shut up long ago." She let out a self-conscious laugh.
"It's no problem at all. Besides, you are cute when you're mad."
Chloe opened her mouth to reply, but before she had the chance Clark took off like a bolt of lightening.