Chapter 1
Chloe stood in the girls' bathroom, staring into the mirror. The door suddenly burst open, a group of giggling, chattering girls spilling into the room. Chloe started, then grit her teeth at the intrusion. As she quickly gathered up her bookbag, someone stepped up behind her.
"Hey Chloe. You okay? You looked a little out of it just now."
Chloe turned and found Lana staring at her, a mixture of curiosity and concern on her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Chloe responded as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and averted her eyes. "Just, you know...thinking."
Just then, one of the other girls called out Lana's name. While Lana was distracted, Chloe slipped out of the bathroom, glancing one last time at her reflection in the mirror.
______________________________________________________
God, she had been trying so hard. The whole "normal" routine. To be an All- American girl, or as close as she was willing to get to that ideal without losing all sense of individuality.
She'd dyed her hair blonde, a subtle, honey color, not white-trash platinum. Eyes, well, brown was the norm, so colored contacts came next. The make-up, subtle. Highlight the features but don't make them stand out. Clothes - now there had been the compromise. She couldn't go so far as to actually even buy a sweater-set, so she settled on a funky/trendy look that covered her from neck to knee.
The attitude had been harder. It had finally come down to her finding some way to channel her energy that would be constructive, rather than destructive.
All-in-all it worked well. The look made her fit in. Maybe not as a part of the in-crowd, but she wasn't a social pariah either. Just another teenager.
But she was tired of it. After two years of make-believe, she wanted a change. The hair, the clothes. It all needed to go. The Wall of Weird couldn't keep the demons at bay anymore.
It was time for Chloe Sullivan to reinvent herself. Again.
_____________________________________________________
"Hey Chloe, have you seen Pete," asked Clark as he walked into the Torch's office.
"Hmmm?" Chloe looked up from the computer briefly, a blank expression on her face.
"Pete. Have you seen him?" Clark crossed to the window and glanced out as he spoke. "He said he'd meet me here after school."
"Oh, Pete. No, haven't seen him," Chloe said as she looked back at the screen.
Clark studied Chloe for a moment. She was staring hard at the computer, but the look on her face said it was doubtful she even saw what she was looking at. She was also nervously drumming her fingers on the mouse. Come to think of it, Chloe had been a little off for awhile now. She'd been quieter than normal and had been keeping to herself.
"So Chloe, have you found next week's headliner for the paper?"
"Mmmhmm," was the only answer he got.
Clark merely raised an eyebrow at her ambiguous response, then grinned a mischevious grin.
"Have you gotten any leads on new mutant activity in Smallville?"
"Mmmm, yeah," was Chloe's mumbled response.
Clark's grin grew. "Well, have you heard about old Mrs. Kimley? Apparently she really does have eyes in the back of her head."
"That's great," Chloe replied, still staring at the computer.
"And the football team is doing so well with their ballet training that they're performing La Bayadere as a fund-raiser for the Booster Club."
"Good, good," was the only reply.
"And Pete came out to the 3rd period English Lit class."
That finally got a response. Chloe jerked her head up and said, "Huh?" at the same time that Pete walked in and stammered, "I am NOT gay!"
"Caught that did you," Clark smirked at Chloe.
"I don't know or care what's going on here, but I resent the implication that I'm gay. I love the ladies and the ladies love me," Pete stated beligerently.
"Relax Pete," Clark hastened to reassure him. "I wasn't calling your, um, who you are into question. I was just trying to get Chloe's attention.
Chloe turned her chair to face Clark head on. "Well, now you have it. What's up?"
Clark glanced over at Pete, then back at Chloe. "Maybe that's what I should be asking you. You've been pretty scarce lately. And distracted too."
"Yeah, come to mention it, you have been in absentia lately," Pete said.
"Word of the day calendar huh," Chloe asked.
"Yeah, now answer," was Pete's reply.
"It's no biggie. I've just had a lot on my mind. Family stuff and all," Chloe looked away from the guys. "Really, it's nothing."
Pete and Clark exchanged a worried glance. It was obvious this was something more than nothing.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," muttered Pete to Clark.
Clark spoke up. "Are you and your dad fighting?"
"No, nothing like that."
Pete jumped in then. "So, is it your mom then? She getting on your case?"
Chloe stood up and grabbed some papers, stuffing them hurriedly in her backpak. "Look guys, it's nothing. No need to turn into the Spanish Inquisition here."
She slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed for the door.
"I'll see you guys later. I've got some stuff to do," she tossed back to them as she backed out the door, then turned and headed down the hall.
"So, what was that all about," Pete asked as he turned to Clark.
"I'm not quite sure," Clark said as he looked at the door where Chloe had just exited. "But something tells me it's not good. Not good at all."
Chloe stood in the girls' bathroom, staring into the mirror. The door suddenly burst open, a group of giggling, chattering girls spilling into the room. Chloe started, then grit her teeth at the intrusion. As she quickly gathered up her bookbag, someone stepped up behind her.
"Hey Chloe. You okay? You looked a little out of it just now."
Chloe turned and found Lana staring at her, a mixture of curiosity and concern on her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Chloe responded as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and averted her eyes. "Just, you know...thinking."
Just then, one of the other girls called out Lana's name. While Lana was distracted, Chloe slipped out of the bathroom, glancing one last time at her reflection in the mirror.
______________________________________________________
God, she had been trying so hard. The whole "normal" routine. To be an All- American girl, or as close as she was willing to get to that ideal without losing all sense of individuality.
She'd dyed her hair blonde, a subtle, honey color, not white-trash platinum. Eyes, well, brown was the norm, so colored contacts came next. The make-up, subtle. Highlight the features but don't make them stand out. Clothes - now there had been the compromise. She couldn't go so far as to actually even buy a sweater-set, so she settled on a funky/trendy look that covered her from neck to knee.
The attitude had been harder. It had finally come down to her finding some way to channel her energy that would be constructive, rather than destructive.
All-in-all it worked well. The look made her fit in. Maybe not as a part of the in-crowd, but she wasn't a social pariah either. Just another teenager.
But she was tired of it. After two years of make-believe, she wanted a change. The hair, the clothes. It all needed to go. The Wall of Weird couldn't keep the demons at bay anymore.
It was time for Chloe Sullivan to reinvent herself. Again.
_____________________________________________________
"Hey Chloe, have you seen Pete," asked Clark as he walked into the Torch's office.
"Hmmm?" Chloe looked up from the computer briefly, a blank expression on her face.
"Pete. Have you seen him?" Clark crossed to the window and glanced out as he spoke. "He said he'd meet me here after school."
"Oh, Pete. No, haven't seen him," Chloe said as she looked back at the screen.
Clark studied Chloe for a moment. She was staring hard at the computer, but the look on her face said it was doubtful she even saw what she was looking at. She was also nervously drumming her fingers on the mouse. Come to think of it, Chloe had been a little off for awhile now. She'd been quieter than normal and had been keeping to herself.
"So Chloe, have you found next week's headliner for the paper?"
"Mmmhmm," was the only answer he got.
Clark merely raised an eyebrow at her ambiguous response, then grinned a mischevious grin.
"Have you gotten any leads on new mutant activity in Smallville?"
"Mmmm, yeah," was Chloe's mumbled response.
Clark's grin grew. "Well, have you heard about old Mrs. Kimley? Apparently she really does have eyes in the back of her head."
"That's great," Chloe replied, still staring at the computer.
"And the football team is doing so well with their ballet training that they're performing La Bayadere as a fund-raiser for the Booster Club."
"Good, good," was the only reply.
"And Pete came out to the 3rd period English Lit class."
That finally got a response. Chloe jerked her head up and said, "Huh?" at the same time that Pete walked in and stammered, "I am NOT gay!"
"Caught that did you," Clark smirked at Chloe.
"I don't know or care what's going on here, but I resent the implication that I'm gay. I love the ladies and the ladies love me," Pete stated beligerently.
"Relax Pete," Clark hastened to reassure him. "I wasn't calling your, um, who you are into question. I was just trying to get Chloe's attention.
Chloe turned her chair to face Clark head on. "Well, now you have it. What's up?"
Clark glanced over at Pete, then back at Chloe. "Maybe that's what I should be asking you. You've been pretty scarce lately. And distracted too."
"Yeah, come to mention it, you have been in absentia lately," Pete said.
"Word of the day calendar huh," Chloe asked.
"Yeah, now answer," was Pete's reply.
"It's no biggie. I've just had a lot on my mind. Family stuff and all," Chloe looked away from the guys. "Really, it's nothing."
Pete and Clark exchanged a worried glance. It was obvious this was something more than nothing.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," muttered Pete to Clark.
Clark spoke up. "Are you and your dad fighting?"
"No, nothing like that."
Pete jumped in then. "So, is it your mom then? She getting on your case?"
Chloe stood up and grabbed some papers, stuffing them hurriedly in her backpak. "Look guys, it's nothing. No need to turn into the Spanish Inquisition here."
She slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed for the door.
"I'll see you guys later. I've got some stuff to do," she tossed back to them as she backed out the door, then turned and headed down the hall.
"So, what was that all about," Pete asked as he turned to Clark.
"I'm not quite sure," Clark said as he looked at the door where Chloe had just exited. "But something tells me it's not good. Not good at all."