Chapter 3
Lois sat in class on Monday, wondering if or when she was going to see Clark again. It was such a small town, she had expected to already. The combined junior high/high school building wasn't very large, and class sizes were smaller than they had been in Metropolis. Maybe they wouldn't run into each other at all. Her last hope was the lunch period, of which there was only one.
When the bell rung, she stood up and headed towards the cafeteria, following the stream of students. Every time she saw a boy with black hair, her heart leapt. She really needed to get a grip on herself.
"Hi, Lois!" a girl from her first period yelled as they passed.
She smiled and waved. She didn't quite remember the girl's name. Was it Clarissa? Or Clarise? Everyone was super friendly to her, which she was surprised at. The cafeteria doors came into view several feet away, but she glimpsed someone on the right side of the hallway, drinking from a water fountain.
"Clark!" she yelled without even thinking.
He jerked up, spilling water on his chin. She scurried up to him as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his denim jacket.
"Hi, Clark," she chirped, unable to contain a grin.
He grinned back, looking embarrassed.
"Hi, Lois. How's your first day?"
"Going through the motions."
He nodded.
"Are you going to lunch?"
"M-hm. Are you?"
"Yeah. Uh, since you don't know anyone, maybe we can, uh…sit together. If you want."
She grinned again.
"Thanks!"
She followed him into the cafeteria. People stared at them as they passed, but Clark kept his eyes straight ahead. He led her through the lunch line, then toward the back of the room. Suddenly, he hesitated, and a look of dread crossed his face.
"What is it?" she asked.
He glanced at her and shook his head.
"Nothing."
He kept walking and stopped at a table where a black-haired girl and a brown-haired boy, who was on a Game Boy, sat. They looked up curiously.
"Hey, Lana, Mike. This is Lois. She just moved here."
Mike waved, and Lana smiled at her.
"Hi, Lois. Welcome to Smallville."
"Thanks."
Clark sat down across from Lana, and Lois sat beside him.
"So, how do you like it so far?" Lana asked.
"It's nice…It's not what I'm used to."
Lana pursed her lips sympathetically.
"It must be hard to move to a new place."
"I'm used to it, actually. My dad's in the army."
"Oh, cool. What grade are you in?"
"10th."
Clark, who was picking through his apple slices, looked up at her in surprise.
"You're 15?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lois said, slowly, giving him a weird look, "How old are you?"
"I'm 13."
"That's what I thought. You don't look 13, though."
"How'd you know I was, then?"
"Your voice. No offense."
He laughed, and the sound made her insides bubble with happiness.
"None taken. I thought you were 14. All of us are 13."
When Lois looked back at the others, she noticed that Lana was staring between her and Clark. She got a sick feeling in her gut. If Clark already had something with this girl, then she didn't plan on butting in.
The lunch period passed alright, if a little awkwardly at times. When Clark and Lois talked to each other for a little too long, there was a period of tense silence for a couple seconds after. Lana was still nice to her, however. When the bell rung, they stood up.
"See you around, Lois," Lana said, smiling.
"Yeah, you too."
Clark showed Lois where to drop off her tray.
"Most of the time, Lana sits with her other friends," he said, trying to make it sound like an aside.
"Are you guys, like, a thing?" she asked casually.
"No," he said, but she could tell it was more complicated than that.
She wasn't about to pry. It wasn't her business, and she didn't even know him. They walked out the cafeteria together.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
"Yeah. Bye."
They parted ways.