When Clark and Lois went into the classroom, it was completely quiet. The study hall teacher, Mr. Hilton, looked up with a glare that said, 'Talk and die. Do anything but study and die.'

Clark turned to Lois with a look that said, 'I told you so.'

She simply smiled as they took their seats. After a few minutes, some very heavy stomping came down the hall and Mr. Reynolds swung open the door. "Mr. Hilton, I want to talk to you now!"

"Lois, what did you do?" Clark whispered.

Mr. Hilton left with Mr. Reynolds to have a heated discussion. The class began talking at once.

"I merely scribbled a note and threw it in the office, as we walked by," Lois said.

"What kind of note?" Clark asked warily.

"A note that said Mr. Hilton had a rendezvous with Mrs. Reynolds tonight."

"What? Lois!"

"Calm down, Smallville. They'll fight and then realize one of the students pulled this trick."

"If they don't kill each other first."

"Mr. Hilton knows he didn't do it and Mr. Reynolds is a calm, rational man. They'll talk it out."

"That was still a pretty dirty trick."

"They probably won't even remember when this is all over. Look, Chloe and Bruce are talking now. Wasn't that worth it?"

"I realize you want Chloe to be happy. So do I, but aren't you against playing matchmaker?"

"Usually, but they're already engaged. I'm merely helping along a natural course of events. Who knows how long we may be stuck like this?"

"I guess I can't argue with that," Clark said, giving in.

"Have you noticed that Pete and Lana have been spending a lot of time together?"

"Lois, we're not trying to set people up. We're trying to get out of this situation."

"I know. I wouldn't try to set them up. I'm just saying, they're both single in real time and they've been spending a lot of time together."

"That's not unusual. Chloe, Lana, Pete, and I always spent time together in high school. Chloe and I are occupied with our significant others, so Pete and Lana are the only ones left. If they were going to get together, they would've gotten together in high school."

"Not necessarily. They were hanging out together at the reunion. Besides, back then you all were in a vicious triangle, no probably more like a square or circle. Pete wanted to be with Chloe, Chloe wanted to be with you, you wanted to be with Lana, and Lana wanted to be with-well, sometimes you and sometimes she brought more men into the equation. In all that mess, when did they have time to think about the possibilities between them?"

"That's true."

"Don't worry though. That's for them to decide. I'm not going to try to force them together."

"I'm glad. So have you noticed anything strange about anybody?"

"No. You?"

"No. Nobody extra or unfamiliar in here. I keep checking around the school every so often too."

"They stopped talking."

"Who did?" Clark asked.

"Bruce and Chloe. Do you think that's a bad sign?"

"Not really. Bruce isn't a chatterbox."

"But they've just met for the first time or so they think. Wouldn't they have plenty to talk about?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I hear Mr. Hilton coming back."

"More like Mr. Hitler," Lois muttered.

"I think that was his nickname come to think of it."

One of the kids toward the front, held up a picture they had drawn of Mr. Hilton as Hitler. Everyone snickered. Unfortunately, that's when Mr. Hilton walked in.

He grabbed the picture and said, "How very original." He crumpled it and threw it away. "Any of you care to confess who wrote that little note?"

There was silence.

"Fine, but know that I'll be watching each and every one of you very closely."

At 2:59, Clark and Lois were holding hands. Mr. Hilton decided to walk to the back of the room, going up the aisle that Clark and Lois were reaching across. He didn't ask them to move. He just kept walking, breaking their hold. They quickly tried to grab each other's hands again just as there was a flash of light.