"Nothing says 'School Spirit' like a ring that looks like it was jacked from P. Diddy," Chloe said, examining the expensive ring on her finger.
It was that time of year when students could get a ring to remember their high school years forever. Unfortunately, that memory came at a high price of $350. A price Emmeline's family was not willing to pay.
"I think it looks great, Chloe," Clark told her.
"Yeah, I think we'll be lucky if the glue holds through graduation. I wonder if the ruby's even real." She got an inquisitive look on her face and rushed off. Emmeline smiled, knowing she was about to chase off on a lead and there was no stopping her.
"You sure you're gonna do this?" Pete asked Clark as they moved up in line.
"I'm here, aren't I?" Pete just shook his head at him. "What?"
"I believe your dad's exact words were, '$350 is a lot of money to spend on something you really don't need'."
"I earned that money. Besides, my dad said that it was my decision to make."
"Which means that you're really not supposed to buy it."
"I agree with Pete on that one," Emmeline laughed. "It's simple parent logic."
The two boys received their rings and slipped them on. Clark looked different as soon as he put it on, but she couldn't exactly describe it.
Pete must've noticed too because he asked him, "You feeling alright?"
"Yeah, I feel great."
"Excuse me," their principal, Mr. Gibbons, said as he walked up to Lana and another girl.
Emmeline was a bit taken aback at the sight of the new girl at Smallville High. Her face was caked in make-up and she was wearing a sheer black shirt that exposed her midriff…and clearly showed the red bra she had underneath.
"It's Jessie, isn't it?" Mr. Gibbons said to the girl. "Perhaps Miss Lang didn't tell you, but there's a dress code here at Smallville High."
"Lame and lamer?" Jessie said defiantly.
Clark laughed and looked over at Pete and Emmeline.
"You think that's funny, Mr. Kent?" Mr. Gibbons asked angrily.
The girl looked at the principal pointedly. "By the way, I'm not changing."
"Well, perhaps you'd like to discuss your attitude in my office."
They started to walk away when Clark called, "Excuse me, Mr. Gibbons." Mr. Gibbons and Jessie turned around to face him. "I think she looks really hot. And I think that your dress code…sucks."
"Excuse me?"
Lana, Pete, and Emmeline looked at each other in shock. What on earth was going on with him?
"I mean, come on, it's her first day. Cut her some slack. Besides, I don't think you should be the one giving fashion tips."
All of their eyes widened again. Not once had anyone ever seen Clark with such an attitude!
The bell rang, and Mr. Gibbons turned to face Jessie. "Tomorrow, young lady, proper attire, or you're going straight home."
Jessie stared at Clark hungrily, which wouldn't have bothered Emmeline so much if Clark wasn't looking back at her the same way. She was just glad Chloe wasn't here. Having Lana in the picture was bad enough.
"I guess we can finish our tour," Lana laughed uneasily. Jessie stared at Clark some more before leaving with Lana.
"Whoa. Where did that come from?" Pete asked as he and Emmeline came next to him.
"I don't know. But I think I liked it."
Maybe he did, but Emmeline didn't at all.
After school, Emmeline came up to Clark and Pete and found Jessie writing her number on Clark's hand. She chose to press down the fire that began boiling deep inside her.
"In case you require translation, that was her hitting on you," Pete said as Jessie walked away.
"She is kinda hot."
"But aren't you married to Lana in your imagination?"
"You know, she has the same last name as you, Em?"
"Well, that's interesting," Emmeline said with a thin smile. She was pretty sure they both saw right through it. Only Pete seemed to care.
"Clark!" Lana called. "You and Jessie seem to be making fast friends."
"I'm just trying to make the new girl feel welcome," he said. Noticing her look, he added, "Don't worry, Lana. I haven't taken my eye off you all day."
Pete and Emmeline whipped their heads to stare at him, surprised at this new boldness.
"So, are we still on for that cram session tonight at the Talon?" Lana asked.
"If you're still going to be there, absolutely."
"I'll be there," Pete said.
"Same here," Emmeline added.
Lana laughed, almost embarrassed and walked away from them. Pete just smiled at Clark, seeming to enjoy whatever had given him this new personality. Emmeline just wanted it to stop.
That night, Pete, Chloe, Lana, and Emmeline were gathered in the Talon waiting for Clark to arrive so they could begin studying for their history test.
There was a knock on the door, and Lana went to answer it. Eventually, she and Clark came back and sat down.
"What did you get for number 5?" Chloe asked those at the table.
"Hey man," Pete greeted Clark. "Where are your books?"
"You guys wanna go to a bar?" Clark asked out of the blue.
Chloe scoffed. "Clark, you can commit academic Harikari, but the rest of us really need to cram for this test."
"Besides, none of us are old enough to get into a bar," Emmeline said.
"You guys, high school is supposed to be fun. This is not fun," Clark whined. "Come on, my treat."
"Clark, when did you and the money truck hook up?" Pete joked.
"Since I decided there's no percentage in playing poverty."
"I'm gonna get a refill and I'm gonna get you some decaf," Chloe said, standing up.
"Yeah, Emmeline and I will give you a hand," Lana added. She and Emmeline got up and went over to the cappuccino machine.
Clark looked at the girls at the counter. "Did you know that Chloe had a birthmark on her cheek?"
"No, she doesn't," Pete said without looking up.
"Not that cheek."
Pete looked up in shock to find Clark smiling. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Clark just kept on smiling. "Clark, that's Chloe you're scoping, man!"
"Not just Chloe…"
Pete looked up to find Lana and Emmeline standing next to Chloe, right in Clark's line of vision. He didn't know what was going on, but the idea of him taking a peek at those girls, especially Emmeline, made him angrier than he believed it would. He put his hand in front of his face to stop him from looking at them any longer.
"Come on, let's go have some fun," Clark smiled.
"Clark, this test is half our grade. Now, if you want to party this weekend, I'm with you, but right now, I need to do this."
"All right, well, when you're through with, uh, Boring 101, give me a call."
Clark got up and left the Talon, as the girls watched in confusion. They looked at Pete, but he just shrugged his shoulders at them.
The next morning, after a total cram session that left Emmeline with a headache and a need for a five-hour long massage, everyone was surprised to find Clark ride in on a motorcycle, Jessie clinging onto him on the back.
"Okay, what planet is that guy from, and what did he do with Clark?" Chloe remarked.
Clark pulled into a parking spot and Jessie got off the motorcycle. She handed him the helmet back as Emmeline, Pete, Lana, and Chloe walked over to him.
"So much for the shy and retiring Clark Kent," Lana stated.
"I was just giving her a ride to school," Clark said, eyeing Lana. "Say the word and I'll save you the return trip."
The bell rang before anyone could say anything.
"Catch up with you later."
The girls turned and began walking into school. All three of them looked at each other. That boy was not the one they had all fallen in love with.
Later that day, Pete walked in to the Torch office to find Chloe and Emmeline fiddling with a large rock.
"Pete!" Chloe said excitedly. "You are not going to believe what we found out! Our El Cheapo class rings are, in fact, fake."
"Guys, there's something wrong with Clark," Pete said seriously.
Chloe's brow furrowed. "More than usual?"
"Last night at the Talon, the motorcycle…other stuff…"
"What kind of other stuff?"
"The kind of that has Mr. and Mrs. Kent calling my house. They're really worried. It's like they think he's on drugs or something."
"Clark would have to be on drugs to be on drugs." She nervously took the rock away from him. "Uh, just be careful with that."
"What is it anyway?"
"My exposé. See this lovely $350 piece of school spirit? It's a rip-off. The jewelry company was substituting worthless meteor rocks for rubies to save money."
"Let me tell you how relieved I am that I didn't buy one now," Emmeline put in.
"Uh, guys, the ring's red. Meteor rocks are green," Pete said.
"Not the load they found near Hobbes Pond," Chloe told him. "Note the red vein." Pete took the rock from her. "You can read all about it on page one of today's Torch."
A look of panic crossed his face and he rushed out of the room.
"Uh, uh…Pete!" Chloe called. She looked back at Emmeline. "He took my rock!"
"Hey," Chloe said to Lana as she and Emmeline walked into the Talon.
"Hey!" Lana answered.
"So I heard from a source that you had a big date with Clark last night."
"Chloe, try not to sound like you want to kill her," Emmeline muttered so Lana couldn't hear.
"I wouldn't call it a date when the guy you came with leaves with someone else," Lana told them.
Chloe paused. "Wow. You just went from the gossip column to page one." Lana gave her a hard look. "Sorry. Sometimes my glib-o-meter goes into overdrive."
"No. I guess, you know, he's so secretive. I guess I was thrown for a loop by the Clark who could say all the things that the old Clark couldn't."
"Well, welcome to the conundrum that is Clark Kent. Part knight-in-shining armor, part 'Where did that come from?'"
"Miss? Can I get a refill here?" a customer called.
"Uh, yeah, yeah, just a second," Lana called back.
"Thanks!"
Chloe and Emmeline headed out to go back to the Torch, neither really happy with how Clark acted with Lana. Even if they were jealous she got to go on a date with him.
"Em."
Emmeline turned around to find Clark approaching her. She must've looked nervous because he started laughing.
"I don't bite. Since when did you get nervous around me?"
"I get nervous around everyone. You know that."
"Not me, you don't. You haven't for a while now. I thought we were good friends."
"We are. But this whole change you're going through is kind of…not what I like to hang around. I'm sorry."
She started to walk away, but Clark slammed his hand onto the locker, blocking her escape, which made her jump. "Don't walk away from me, Em. You don't walk away from friends."
"I don't know what's going on with you, but you're scaring me, Clark."
"Maybe that's because you spend all your time retreating into that little shell of yours. If you haven't noticed, getting out of the shell is a thousand times more fun. Take a look at me."
"I think I prefer the shell."
"Whatever, Em. You stay cooped up too long, you're just going to end up missing out on everything life has to offer. Including love. Your choice to stay alone."
He walked away from her and Emmeline felt her eyes watering up. Clark had just stated out loud what her worst fear had always been. That she would die alone and unloved because she was too shy to do anything about it.
She rushed off to head towards the bathroom and lock herself in a stall for a while when she crashed into Pete.
"Em?" he asked quickly. "What's wrong?"
She didn't say anything to him. She just clutched her books to her chest and ran to the bathroom where Pete couldn't follow.
That was the last straw for him. He left the school and headed for the Kent farm.
There was a knock on Emmeline's door, and when she went to answer it, Clark stood before her.
"Relax," he said, noticing her tense up. "I'm back to normal."
Her shoulders sank again, and Clark's heart panged as he saw her red eyes.
"What happened with you?" she asked him.
"It's…complicated."
"I get that from you a lot."
"I know, and I wish I could explain more, but it's not that easy."
"It's okay. I'm not going to force you to tell me. I told you that the other day in your loft. And speaking as someone who completely changed their personality due to a flower, I'll just have to accept that what happened to you happened, and it's over now."
"Em…I really am sorry…for what I said. I didn't really mean it."
"I want to be mad at you, Clark. Really I do. But all I can keep thinking about is the time you saved me from Greg, and the time that you were there for me when Chloe was injured, and the times where you took me out of my house during the summer so I wasn't alone because Chloe was in Metropolis. And when I think about all of that…I just can't be mad at you for acting up this one time."
"So you forgive me?"
"No, not yet." Clark's eyes saddened a little. "But I'm not mad at you."
Clark smiled a little at her and walked away. Emmeline closed the door and leaned against it.
Why did so many things have to happen in her life that offered no explanations?
