Chapter 11

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New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.

"So, what do you think?" Abby turned towards Chloe. She was trying on a dress for the Spring Formal. A short sleeved purple dress that cinched at her waist, with tulle skirt. It was a simple dress. "Too simple?"

"You look amazing, Abby." Chloe smiled.

"Really?" Abby smiled back, turning back towards her mirror. "I thought it would be too simple but…"

"It's perfect." Chloe came up behind her. "At least, one of us is going."

Abby looked at Chloe. "He'll be crazy not to invite you." She took Chloe's hand in hers. "And when he does, it won't be because Lana is not available. It would be because he wants to go with you. And only you."

Chloe smiled widely at Abby. "Alright. So, what shoes are you going to wear?"

Abigail had loved spending the day with Chloe. They talked about everything and anything. They tried on multiple dresses. They had plenty of coffees, just enjoying some quality times together. Which they had not done in a while. It was refreshing.

Abigail wished she could have done this with her mother or her sister. Unfortunately, they were still in Gotham, calling still but Abby missed them. Cruelly missed them. Sometimes, she feared that they may have forgotten about her. That she was put there to be hidden and forgotten. She had thought she was alright with that decision but as time was passing by, she found that she was resenting their decision more and more. Of course, she loved living in Smallville, she had made great friend here. They could live with her, there was enough room in this house for them to live with her. Why didn't they? Why did they choose to send her here? Alone.

Abigail was hiding this from her family when they called. From Jodie and Clark. From Chloe and Pete. From Myrtle. She didn't want them to know, she was ashamed of feeling this way. Guilty of feeling as though she had been abandoned when there were so many people surrounding her. Ashamed of feeling alone, still. Especially now that she had found someone like her.

It was election week at the school. Many banners had been placed on the walls; leaflet handed to the students. Five candidates were running for the student office. Well, four since one of them had ended up in the hospital.

"Student stung by swarm." Abby read out as she walked with her friends in the hallway, the day after. "Talk about a freak accident."

"That's gotta be my all-time worst nightmare." Pete said. "I get stung by one bee, I swell up like a grapefruit, but over a hundred…"

"How'd they get into Paul's bathroom?" Clark asked Chloe.

"Well, the Center for Environmental Protection is sending a team from Metropolis to investigate." Chloe explained.

"Guess that's really gonna shake up our class election." Pete commented.

"Not really. I mean, Paul's name is still on the ballot." Chloe retorted. "He wouldn't have to take office until fall. He could recover by then."

"Out of sight, out of mind." Pete said. "My call, he gets a few sympathy votes. That's it."

"Nice to see the softer side of Pete." Clark smiled.

"Seriously." Chloe and Abby chuckled.

"Anyway, there's a new candidate on the horizon who is gonna make things interesting." Pete announced.

"And who would that be, my dear Pete?" Abby asked him.

A banner hanged to the ceiling read "Clark Kent for President."

"What have you done?" Clark asked his best friend.

"I see a big future ahead of you in politics, Clark." Pete answered. "You're straightforward. People like you."

Chloe was laughing next to Abby. As for Abby, she unlike her friends could see how that could be a problem. Clark who had been hiding for years, was about to be placed in the spotlight. The very place he wanted to avoid.

"No way. Definitely not." Clark shook his head.

"Clark, you've got the whole package: looks, brains, and that whole farm-boy charm." Pete continued. "Did I mention the perks of power?"

"If it was so great, why didn't you run?" Clark asked him.

"I know my strengths." Pete answered. "I'm more the power behind the throne. The guy behind the guy. The one who makes it all happen."

"Pete Ross, the kingmaker." Chloe joked.

"Exactly." Pete said. "All you gotta do is show up, shake a couple hands, give a speech. It's easy."

"And we wonder why our politicians aren't great leaders." Chloe commented.

"Clark, Clark, Clark, Clark…" Pete started to chant. And the chant was reprised by the students around them.

Abby sympathetically rubbed his back. Feeling sorry for him. This would be a long week for Clark Kent. Abby was just happy that Pete didn't put up her name. She didn't need this on top of everything else.

"I can't believe Pete did this." Clark was annoyed with the situation.

"Some men are born to greatness, others are dragged into it, kicking and screaming." Chloe retorted.

"Clark? What's going on? Why are you running?" Sasha, one of the candidates, stopped them in the hallway. "You've never shown interest in student government."

Abby's eyebrows went up into her hairline. She was surprised by Sasha's outburst. Because this was an outburst. She didn't think that Clark's sudden participation was of any threat to her.

"Don't worry, it's just a gag. Pete nominated me." Clark assured her.

"So, you're going to take your name off the ballot?" Sasha asked him.

"Yeah."

"Well, good, because this election is way too important to turn into a joke." Sasha said. "It's bad enough with Felice."

"I hear she's throwing a pre-election bash with a band and catering." Chloe informed her.

"She is trying to buy this election like one of her Prada bags!" Sasha cried before stomping away from them.

"Talk about tightly wound." Chloe commented.

"Am I the only one who doesn't really care about this election?" Abby shrugged.

"Not that I'm planning to, but if I ran, you think I'd have a shot?" Clark asked his friends.

"Yeah, right after I'm elected head cheerleader." Chloe answered, smiling before walking away from them.

Abby laughed. Clark blankly stared at her. "You're not running, so…nothing to worry about."

Abigail had volunteered to help Chloe cover the elections. She didn't really care about but it was a fun experience. With Chloe, she had spoke to the candidates, read into their programs and she had to admit that Paul Sanchez was the most qualified of all the candidates. But also, the one that was in the hospital bed. Sasha seemed to be a better choice than Felice but as Pete said it often came down to popularity contest. Anyway, it was fun to spend some more time with Chloe. Since Luke didn't seem to be inclined to spend some time with her.

Abby was excited about the formal, she was happy that Luke had officially invited her but…They hadn't really seen each other ever since. She thought that the whole Nicodemus Flower incident was behind them. And yet, he seemed he was still holding a grudge. Everytime she tried to talk to him, he was running late or he was helping Whitney. Or something else. He always had an excuse to not be with her. What was really going on?

Chloe and Abby were surprised to see that instead of taking his name off the ballot, Clark Kent had embraced his political career overnight.

"Someone had a change of heart." Abby commented as they read out his new slogan.

Clark was speaking with some students, noting things done on a clipboard as Chloe and Abby joined him.

"Clark Kent, man of tomorrow." Chloe said. "Kind of presumptuous, don't you think?"

"I like it." Clark answered.

"We thought you were bagging this whole election." Chloe reminded him.

"I had a change of heart." Clark retorted.

"And how did that happen?" Abby asked him.

"Man of tomorrow." Lana read out. "Very catchy."

"Thank you." Clark smiled at her. "And thank you for the encouragement."

"You've got my vote." Lana nodded.

Abby and Chloe glanced at each other. Both of them annoyed. "I was thinking maybe I could have my election rally at the Talon, help bring people by."

"That sounds great." Lana said. "You know where to find me."

"A change of heart, uh?"

"You're running because of Lana. Why am I not surprised?" Chloe said.

"No, I'm running because I think I can do a good job." Clark snwered.

"Sure." Abby nodded.

"All right, Clark, whatever." Chloe started to walk away from him, pulling Abby with her.

"Hey, you know, Pete has faith in me and so does Lana." Clark said, Chloe and Abby stopped to listen. "It's interesting that you don't."

"I just wanna know what you stand for?" Chloe asked him.

"I stand for truth, justice and other stuff." Clark answered.

"Very noble of you." Abby said. "How about being a little more specific. Where do you stand on the issues?"

"I thought you didn't care about the elections."

"Still don't but I'm helping Chloe at the Torch this week." Abby explained. "I must know at least a minimum. So, where do you stand on the issues?"

"Alright, what issues do you want to talk about?"

"There's the plan to cut the arts budget…" Chloe started. "There's the appalling nutritional value of cafeteria meals, the whole dress code debate. Oh, yeah, not to mention the student privacy issues with the locker searches."

"Whoa, slow down." Clark said. "I just decided to run last night."

"Okay, well, I think the man of tomorrow needs to get a platform for today." And with Abby, Chloe left.

Abby did not care about the elections but she was fascinated to find that there were real issues that student government could actually try to tackle. Issues that she wasn't really aware of. Paul was actually the only one who offered a solution to those issues. This was the reason why Chloe decided to endorse him in her editorial. It was the right thing to do. Abigail wasn't sure Clark would appreciate it.

Currently sitting in the Torch, Abby was reading the C.E.P reports while Chloe was working on her article dedicated to this weird phenomenon. Something weird was definitely happening. Strangely enough, this was a normal occurrence in Smallville. She would be surprised if a meteor infected person wasn't behind this.

"Guys, any chance you could help us hang some posters?" Clark walked in the Torch office. "Pete's convinced if he puts my name on enough wall space, I'll win."

"Besides needing to be an impartial member of the fourth estate, I'm still working on my bee story." Chloe answered.

"C.E.P. find anything new?" Clark asked her.

"The swarms didn't migrate from any of their usual places." Abby answered. "Beekeepers all over the state have found their hives empty."

"It's like the colonies just up and left."

"That's weird. Bees are notorious followers. They wouldn't desert their hive without good reason." Clark said. Abby glanced up at him. "My mom's addicted to Discovery Channel." Clark sheepishly explained.

"So, how goes the platform?" Chloe asked him.

"I haven't started working on it yet." Clark replied. "I've been so busy meeting people. I even got invited to parties this weekend."

"I can't believe it only took one day for you to be compromised by the lure of popularity." Abby chuckled at Chloe's words.

"Remind me to pull your funding after I'm elected." Clark countered. "Speaking of which, where's the latest edition?"

"No, no, no!" Chloe sprang up as Clark worked over to the files that contained the latest paper for the next issue. "Abby's not done proofing it yet. Clark, I really don't think you should be looking at it just yet."

"Clark, you should listen to her. It's not done yet." Abby tried to help Chloe.

"Come on, I've been correcting her comma issues since her first laptop." Clark retorted opening the file. He turned on Chloe. "You endorsed Paul?"

"Clark, I had to be objective." Chloe defended herself. "Paul's still in the race, and he'll be back on his feet by fall. It's great that you're all gung-ho and slogany now but the truth is, you only ran because Pete suckered you into it. Paul has a clear stance on issues you have yet to articulate. It's nothing personal."

"I understand Chloe." Clark stormed out of the Torch.

Abby exhaled. "He'll get over it."

"Hey, Abby." Luke stopped by her locker.

Abby closed her locker. "Not avoiding me anymore?"

"Could we go somewhere else? Just you and me?" Luke answered. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure." Abby agreed nervously.

Abby had a bad feeling about this. Usually when someone said the words: "I need to talk to you." It was something serious and most of the time, it was never good news. Her parents used those words before telling she was to be moved to Smallville. So, she knew what they really meant and she was scared to hear it.

They sat in the bleachers away from everyone. Just the two of them. They had been there for a few minutes already and not a word was said.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Abby asked him.

Luke scratched the back of his head. "Well, there's no easy way to say this…" Abby was having a bad feeling about this conversation. "But the reason why I've been avoiding you is…"

"What?" Abby encouraged him to continue.

"I really like you and I'm glad we've gotten to know each other. But it doesn't just feel right anymore." Luke answered. "So, I want to break up."

It felt like a punch to the guts. "What? You—you invited me to the formal and now you're breaking up?"

"I know this is hard to hear. And I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that." Luke apologized. "I was trying to make things better for me. But I was just leading you on. And I can't do that. Not to you."

"How long have you been feeling like this?"

"It's been a while. You've been a great girlfriend; it's just I don't feel comfortable in this relationship."

"Why didn't you say so before? We could have worked things out, we still can."

Luke pecked her cheek. "That's why I like you but we can't." Tears welled up in Abby's eyes. "I'm sorry, Abby."

Abby never thought that it would hurt her that much. They had been dated for only a few months, her first relationship and her first break up and it hurt so much. He said she was great but maybe she wasn't as great as he thought. She didn't see that he was unhappy. If only, she had noticed maybe she could have done something better. Could have she done something better? Or was their relationship doomed since the beginning? What went wrong?

"So, this is your campaign's HQ?" She asked as she walked into Clark's loft. There were posters everywhere, banners, badges.

"What are you doing here, Abby?" Clark said back, not sparing her a glance.

"Look, I know you are mad about the whole election drama…but I really could use a friend right now." Clark finally looked at her. "Luke just broke up with me." She burst into tears.

Clark hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Abby."

Her head rested on his shoulder as they sat in his couch. "Maybe there's something wrong with me." Abby said quietly.

"Abby, there's nothing wrong with you." Clark assured her. "You are one of the strongest and bravest people, I know."

"I am?"

"Yes, and one day, someone else will see it. And they'll be happy to be with you." Clark told her.

"You really think that?"

"I'm sure of it." Clark kissed the crown of her head. "I'm here for you."

"I know."

"Morning, Miss Sullivan." Myrtle greeted Chloe as she stepped in the kitchen.

"Morning, Myrtle." Chloe greeted her back, she sat down next to Abby. "There was another bee attack, yesterday."

"What?" Abby exclaimed. "Who?"

"Felice." Chloe replied. "I was thinking you and I could go at the Medical Center before going to school."

"Let's go."

What could make bees attack in such a way? This was definitely not a natural thing for them to be doing. And twice in a week. This worried Abby and Chloe; the two victims were candidates for president. Both were attacked and in the hospital. Clark was also running and he could be the next victim.

During lunch, Chloe and Abby braced themselves to face Clark and Pete.

"Hey." Chloe smiled at them.

Clark's smile dropped. "Hey."

"How's it going?" Chloe asked them.

"Just answer 'no comment.' That way she can't misquote you." Pete said. Abby rolled her eyes at Pete.

"You hear about Felice?" Clark asked.

"We were at the medical center this morning." Abby answered him. "Her case is worse than Paul's. She's in a coma."

"Two candidates attacked in a week." Pete said. "It's a pretty freaky coincidence."

"I think we've moved past coincidence." Clark said.

"My thoughts exactly." Abby agreed.

"What do you think is going on?" Chloe asked them.

"I don't know but remember last year, Sasha's accident, when she was stung by a hive of bees?" Clark said.

"And she survived that?" Abby asked.

"You think because of that; she's somehow controlling them?" Chloe frowned.

The bell rang. "It's a theory." Clark shrugged.

"Yeah, by several leaps and bounds, but I'll look into it." Chloe nodded. "In the meantime, watch your back."

With that Chloe and Abby left.

Together the two girls looked into Clark's theory of Sasha controlling the bees. What they had found out had only confirmed what Abby had thought earlier. Sasha shouldn't have survived this hive attack on her. She was allergic to bees, in theory, she couldn't have survived that.

Chloe had decided that Abby needed to her mind off of her recent break up, she would take her friend to do some investigative work. Especially after Clark and Lana were attacked by bees the night before.

Sasha's headquarters was a shack, badly lit, empty, nothing special about it. Except maybe that Abby found it creepy. They heard someone tried to get in, both girls went into hiding. When they recognized the tall figure, Chloe and Abby glanced at each other before walking up from behind him.

"Chloe. Abby."

"Lana told me about the Talon." Chloe said. "Thanks for the call."

"Sorry." Clark apologized.

"It's alright I'm not mad."

"Chloe…I don't hold it against you." Clark retorted. "The endorsement, I mean."

"Thanks. I could've warned you, though." Chloe smiled back.

"I just don't like being in a fight with you." Clark told her.

"Yeah, it wasn't my favorite part either." Abby just stood on the side looking at them making up. She smiled.

"Everything has changed in my life in the last year, with my parents. With Lana. With Abby." Clark said. "The only thing constant has been you. I'm glad for that, Chloe."

"Me too."

"Aww, this is so cute." Abby commented.

Something dripped on Clark's shoulder. He touched the liquid and rubbed it between his fingers. "This feels like honey." He said.

"Yeah, that's what you usually find in a hive." Chloe replied.

Chloe and Abby both turned their torch up to the ceiling, revealing a gigantic hive. "Don't tell me Sasha did all this." Clark groaned.

"Nah, her worker bees did." Abby shook her head.

"How is she controlling them?" Clark asked them.

"I think she's emitting something called…the Queen mandibular pheromone." Chloe explained.

"She picked that up when she fell in the hive?"

"Stung over a thousand times." Abby continued as Chloe walked up to a board. "Africanized bees also known as killer bees. Doctors didn't think she would make it; Sasha is allergic to them."

"How do they account for the miracle recovery?" Clark questioned.

"They don't. And neither could we until I found out the accident happened in Shuster's Gorge." Chloe said.

"That's the deepest crater in town."

"Yeah. You do the meteorite math." Chloe retorted. "The bees did something to make her their queen bee."

"Now, all the bees in the state are taking a cue from her."

"And they're helping her turn Smallville High into her own personal hive." Abby said.

"We better find her. If she doesn't like the way the vote goes, the school won't be a pretty sight." Clark replied.

"Neither will she." Chloe warned. "Bees are only loyal to a point. Once she loses control, her scent will change, and the bees will know. They won't be happy."

For once, Abby wasn't unhappy that Clark took care of the situation alone. He was thick skinned and although, she healed faster than anyone, she wasn't looking forward to be stung over a thousand times. Instead, Chloe spend the night over at Abby's house. Watching movies and eating ice cream. Both moaning over their bad luck.

Election week was over. Felice and Sasha had dropped out and Paul Chan had been elected. The beanary was somehow out of business for the day, and the Talon was packed with people celebrating Paul's victory. Chloe and Abby went around the Café to take pictures of the party for Paul who couldn't attend.

"Please, tell me that's not for the Torch." Pete groaned as Chloe snapped his and Clark's pictures.

"It's for Paul." Chloe answered. "Since, he couldn't attend his own victory party, he asked me to take pictures."

"Chloe, you were right to endorse him." Clark said to her as Abby laced her arm with Chloe's. "He was the more qualified candidate and I got caught up in the whole popularity rush."

"Don't start gloating just because your guy won." Pete said.

Abby laced her arm with his. "Come on, Pete. Paul may have won but Clark is our friend. And we're sorry you lost."

"I'm really proud of you tonight, Clark." Chloe said as both Pete and Abby left to meddle with the crowd.

They spoke to other students, helping themselves with food, drinks. It was a nice evening; she hadn't really thought about her recent breakup or about Luke. That was until, she bumped into him. The air between them and around them had grown thick with awkwardness and discomfort. They stood awkwardly exchanging niceties when really, she didn't feel like doing it. all she really wanted to do was to run for the hills and be away from him. Seeing him was still painful.

Would it ever get better? And when would it get better?