Jason Muhyo, Trevor Wayde, Sean Cuuher, Eric Beecher, and Andrew Gaesse were talking as they headed to their lockers the next morning thirty minutes before school started. They stopped at Jason's locker, and waited while he dialed the combination on his lock, and then opened his door. He stopped and tilted his head when he saw a large piece of notebook paper taped to the top shelf of his locker with a simple note on it in red ink: 'Meet me in the gym. We need to talk.'
The jocks glanced at each other, curious, before Jason grabbed the note, closed and secured his locker, and the five headed towards the gym. They walked in and saw Linda standing in the center with her back to them. The jocks eyed each other before walking over.
"I see you got my message," Linda said as she turned around.
"And I can see why Darrien's interested," Jason said, smirking a little as he looked her over appreciatively. "Definitely prime real estate. So, look, I know there's five of us, but thirty minutes should be plenty of time."
"Excuse me?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow as she folded her arms.
"Don't worry," Jason reassured her, his voice slick and smooth as he removed his letterman jacket and tossed it aside, still smiling, "we'll be gentle."
Linda glanced around as the others formed a circle around her, then she looked back at Jason in disgust. "So, in light of stringing up an innocent student in Riley Field," she said, "you're all a bunch of disgusting jerks."
Jason stopped and stared at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Linda smirked, knowing she had their attention. "Oh, come on, boys," she said as she glanced around, "you don't have to hide it from me. I know all five of you strung up Collin Thomas in Riley Field Friday after school."
Jason walked up to her, easily towering over her, his expression growing dark. "Look, hot as you are, you might want to tread real carefully, Kent," he growled. "People don't take too kindly to false accusations around here."
"Well, good news is that these accusations aren't false," Linda replied, undaunted. "I talked with a witness who says they saw all five you grab Collin in the student parking lot and drag him to your truck; they're willing to talk to Sheriff Ross about it, but they want to give you guys the chance to confess first."
"Look, I don't know how you found out," Jason said, his voice low and threatening, "but you're going to seriously regret it." He nodded at the two standing behind Linda, and they grabbed her arms roughly, and Linda fought the urge to toss them aside like ragdolls. "And don't expect us to be gentle about it, either."
"Let her go!"
Everyone looked over at the bleachers and saw Cutter and Wally emerged from behind the bleachers, both looking threatening; Wally had his cellphone in hand, and everyone could tell by how he held it that they had been recording the entire encounter.
"Linda, you okay?" Cutter asked, concerned.
Linda glanced at the jocks, seeing their deer-in-the-headlights expressions; she smirked a little as she easily shrugged free from the grips of the two guys holding her. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she walked over to her friends. "You get it all?"
"Every single disgusting word," Wally said as he tapped his screen for a couple of seconds before glancing up at the jocks. "Just sent it to Principal Turner and Sheriff Ross."
"What makes you think we're gonna let walk out of here?" Sean asked, cracking his knuckles threateningly.
"Because you'll be the first people the police'll come after if anything happens to us,"
Cutter replied, his voice low and deadly serious. "You want to risk additional assault charges?" The jocks didn't have to say anything for the trio to know they were safe. As they headed out of the gym, Linda smiled and gave a small wave to the five, all of whom looked like they were about to throw up.
By the time the first bell had rung, the entire school was abuzz by what Cutter, Wally, and Linda had done. Pete had quickly arrived with a few of his deputies, and the five football players had been swiftly arrested, charged with assault of a minor for Collin, and attempted sexual assault on Linda. Because they were all minors, Principal Turner instructed Wally, Cutter, and Linda to get their belongings, and he would inform their parents to meet them at the police station so they could give their statements; the trio left to go to their lockers.
Linda was thankful the hallways were quiet and empty as she made her way to her locker; she didn't want to be around when first period was over and everyone would be in the halls. She quickly worked the combination and opened the door, grabbing a few of her books and putting them in her bag; she jumped a little as the door suddenly slammed shut, and she looked over the see Darrien glaring at her.
"What the hell did you do?" he demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Linda asked, a little annoyed.
"You and those dorks from the Torch got my friends arrested," Darrien replied.
"Your friends illegally strung up a student in a cornfield," Linda retorted, frowning. "He could have died."
"Big freakin' deal," Darrien replied. "Do you realize we're gonna have to pull players from junior varsity—who suck—just so we don't forfeit the rest of the season? We might as well kiss State goodbye now."
Linda started at him in angry disbelief. "Do you know what they threatened to do to me?" she asked.
"Well, can you blame them?" Darrien asked.
Linda raised her eyebrows in shock. "What did you just say?"
"You really think I was interested in you because of your personality?" Darrien asked. "Don't be so naïve, Linda. You've got a hot body, I've got needs." Linda slowly clenched her fists, and she could feel the heat building in the back of her eyes.
"Is there a problem here?"
Linda quickly calmed down when she heard the familiar voice and glanced over Darrien's shoulder, seeing Pete approaching; his eyes stared right at Darrien, almost like they were burning holes through him.
"I said, is there a problem here?" Pete asked, stopping near the football player.
"No, sir," Darrien replied, "no problem here."
"Good, then I believe you have a class you're supposed to be at," Pete said.
"Fine," Darrien replied cooly before glancing at Linda smugly. "See you around, Kent." He turned and headed down the hallway; Pete waited until he'd turned a corner before glancing at Linda.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"I'm fine," Linda replied curtly as she gathered her bag.
Pete noticed her eyes glistening with tears but he didn't say anything; he simply sighed and put an arm around her shoulders, escorting her down the hallway.
Clark had spent thirty minutes pacing back and forth in the kitchen, trying to remain calm and collected, but it wasn't easy. He had been working at his desk when his father had called and explained the situation Linda was currently involved in—including the threats made against his cousin. The reporter almost bolted out of the newsroom at that moment, but Jonathan had adamantly told him to wait at the house until they came back; Clark agreed and left as discreetly as possible, making it to the farm in less than five seconds.
Clark sighed impatiently and continued pacing until he heard the sound of the door opening. He stopped and looked over as Jonathan came in, glancing at his son with a serious expression, followed by Martha and Linda; Clark saw a dejected look on his cousin's face as she hung her head. Clark crossed the room and Linda barely had time to register her cousin's presence before he gently hugged her as tight as he dared.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Linda felt a little self-conscious, knowing that Clark would only be there if he knew what had happened. She was tempted to pull away, but she couldn't think of any place she'd rather be at the moment; she hugged him back. "I'm fine," she said softly. She pulled back, blinking back tears.
"You sure?" Clark asked. Linda nodded, and Clark glanced at their parents. "So, what happened?"
"Well, Pete took everyone's statements," Martha said as she closed the door, "and the guys responsible are all being charged with assault against Collin Thomas for the Scarecrow incident and for the threats made against Linda."
"So, they're in jail, right?" Clark asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Jonathan replied, trying to keep his voice calm, but everyone could see he was visibly upset. "They've all lawyered up already and posted bail, but the good news is that they've all been expelled."
"Should I stay around in case they try to cause any more trouble?" Clark asked, recalling his encounter with Eric Marsh and his group when he was in high school.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Jonathan replied, knowing exactly what his son was thinking. He sighed and glanced at Linda, who stayed next to Clark, and his expression softened. "But I think we need to talk about what happened." He walked over to his daughter, who looked absolutely miserable; he took a deep breath, making sure his voice stayed calm and soothing. "You want to tell us why you went behind our backs after we told you to stay out?"
"I wanted to help," Linda said simply. "I just couldn't stand the thought of an innocent person getting hurt while the people who did it walked free like nothing happened."
"Linda, we understand that," Martha replied, "but this is why we didn't want you get involved; we didn't want something to happen to you."
"I wasn't expecting to be…threatened like that," Linda said. She shook her head, looking almost disgusted. "The way they were looking at me—I mean, I know they couldn't hurt me, but…," she shook her head, shivering involuntarily. "And then when Darrien said what he said to me…."
"What did he say?" Clark asked curiously, feeling his hackles rising. He glanced over and saw his parents expression, and the reporter knew Linda hadn't told any of them.
"Let's just say he was more concerned that the football team wasn't going to State than the fact that his friends threatened me," Linda replied. "In fact, he made it quite clear about the real reason he was interested in me—which explains why Dick punched him." She tried to keep her composure, but she felt her chin quiver slightly, her eyes welling up with tears.
Martha felt her stomach wrench as she gently pulled Linda to her, wrapping her arms around her; she rubbed her daughter's back gently and whispering to her softly. She glanced over at her husband and son and saw their dark expressions. She pulled back and saw her daughter appeared more relaxed, even though she still looked upset and emotionally drained.
"Can I go upstairs now?" Linda asked quietly.
"Sure, but we need to discuss your punishment," Jonathan answered gently. Linda looked at her father in disbelief, but then she sighed and nodded. "Now, all things considered, we're willing to be lenient, but you'll still be grounded for the rest of the week: you come home from school, you do your chores and your homework, and that's it, but you can still talk to your friends if they call or email, okay?" Linda nodded, and Jonathan leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Good. Now, why don't you go upstairs and get some rest?" Linda nodded again and headed up the stairs.
Jonathan waited until he was certain Linda was in her room before he walked over to the island and rested his knuckles against the top of the counter. He took a deep breath before he angrily knocked the fruit bowl aside; apples and oranges scattered as the bowl hit the stove and clattered loudly to the ground. Clark and Martha just stood there, staring.
"This is going to get really ugly," Jonathan said quietly, "and Linda's going to be right in the middle of it."
"You don't really think people are going to blame her for what happened, do you?" Martha asked.
Jonathan turned around, his face a mix of sad pity. "Martha, you and I both know how this town treats football—it's almost like a religion—and five members of the high school team were just expelled; people are going to blame Linda for that—regardless of the reason."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that."
Everyone looked and saw a man with average build, short silver gray hair, and blue eyes. It had been years since Clark had last seen him, but he still recognized him.
"Coach Quigley," the reporter said as he hurried and walked over to open the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks, Clark," Quigley said as he came in. "I can't stay long, but I did want to stop by and see how your daughter was doing."
"She's pretty upset by what happened," Jonathan replied, "understandably, but she'll be fine. Thank you for asking." He cleared his throat, glancing at Quigley suspiciously as he nodded. "Coach, why are you really here?"
"To set the record straight on a few things," Quigley replied. He saw the Kents glance at each other briefly. "Given what we all know about Smallville's loyalty to its high school football team, I can understand that you might be worried about possible retaliation against your daughter because of what happened. I'm here to tell you all that's not something you'll have to worry about."
"Really?" Clark asked, a little surprised.
Quigley nodded. "Clark, you know how I ran my team," he said to the reporter. "I expected all my players to behave a certain way on and off the field—and that hasn't changed since you graduated. Those five guys who assaulted Collin Thomas and threatened Linda don't represent the values I expect my players to have; I fully support the decision to have them expelled from the team and the school—and if that means we don't go to State this year, then so be it."
"Well, Coach, we definitely appreciate the support," Jonathan replied, "but our real concern is the rest of your players—and the other students; you can't control all of them."
"No, I can't," Quigley said, nodding in agreement, "but I had a nice, long talk with my players a couple of hours ago. Several of them have younger sisters—the rest didn't like the idea of five huge guys ganging up against a teenage girl, especially from five guys they didn't like at all. Either way, you don't have to worry about anything except support from them as well."
"Well, that's a relief," Martha replied.
"Principal Turner also called an assembly earlier," Quigley added. "From what I saw, I don't think my former players were as liked by the student body as they might have thought; there might be trouble from a few students, but something tells me Linda won't have anything to worry about." He nodded politely and excused himself, closing the kitchen door behind him.
"You think he's telling the truth?" Jonathan asked Clark.
Clark nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, I really don't think we're going to have anything to worry about."
(Chapter 10)