Lessons on Being Free
by Hayla

~*~

..::Lesson III::..
..::Know Your Friends::..

The music lulled quietly as an ethereal voice began to preside over the mass of waving hands and writhing bodies. Clark stood where he was, far enough away to observe everyone without unwanted attraction. He was trying his best just to blend in... to not make any kind of scene. Unfortunately for him, Lex wasn't as happy being a wallflower.

From the moment they entered, Lex owned the room, no matter what the size, or how ever large the crowd. He was in his element and had already gone off to mingle with a few young men in the corner, dragging the abashed dark haired boy with him. Clark had to fade into the background slowly as not to offend his host. He graciously smiled to Lex's new company, but quickly retreated as soon as there was a chance, finding a corner of his own to recollect and to let the atmosphere of his surroundings truly sink in..

Clark silently continued his unobtrusive observations, looking from one crowded end to the other and throughout the long hall. The flashing lights and electric neon pulses were making him feel slightly lightheaded. It hadn't helped that he had also let Lex convince him that 'Jungle Juice', as he called it, would help him relax. It wasn't working and Clark was still trying to understand the control Lex had over his actions.

"Looking for someone special?" Lex asked as he came up next Clark. The boy didn't respond. Lex frowned... when they entered, he had lost the boy's attention almost immediately. Lex had thought is was nothing but stimulation overload, but now he was completely ignoring him. This wouldn't do.

He leaned in closer over the dark haired youth's shoulder. Lex's lips lightly brushed the lobe of Clark's ear as he spoke nun to quietly. "Earth to Kent!"

Clark started, jumping a full foot in the air. "Jesus, Lex!"

It took him a few seconds to regain his composure before he shot Lex an angry glance, letting his hand rub the offended eardrum. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"You spaced out on me," he answered simply, a light chuckle escaping his throat. "Didn't know that was possible after only a couple drinks."

"Yeah... well," Clark turned once again to his interrupted observations of the bouncing crowd a few feet away. "I've never really drank before."

Lex raised an eyebrow, a slight prickle of satisfaction crawling up his spine. "So innocent," he muttered.

"What was that?" Clark asked nonchalantly, without turning around.

"I said," Lex began a little more loudly, but his mind tugged him into another direction. His eyes raked past the boy to the throbbing mass. "Want to dance?"

"No." Clark said almost too quickly, betraying to his friend at once all of his anxiety he had felt from the very second Lex had invited him to the rave. He faltered for a moment before he recovered. "I was just looking for someone familiar. I don't recognize anyone."

He was covering... and Lex knew it. But he would play along, for now...

"You wouldn't," Lex snickered. "Most of these kids are from the surrounding towns. Rave travelers for the most part. It seems the majority of youth in local Smallville aren't too thrilled about the prospect of something so out of the ordinary." He paused, letting his gaze come to appreciate the young man in front of him. "Almost all..."

"Oh?" Clark glanced sideways to his companion. He still didn't understand the attraction. Perhaps he should have listen to Chloe in the first place. He wasn't sure he belonged here after all. "Why do they do it?"

"To be free and belong."

Clark stared blankly at the older boy.

Lex gently clasped his shoulder. He gave Clark a dazzling smile, liking the idea of teaching him the finer side of life. "These people follow these god-like djs and mixers like lambs led by a shepard. They travel with a rave in their local circuit and become part of, in a sense, a family." He gestured to the crowd and Clark watched the dancing bodies slowly becoming like one giant moving mass in his mind. Everyone in perfect sync and harmony with the whole.

Lex continued his narrative. "They are family. Lost in a society that misunderstands their intents and won't listen to their dreams or fears. They are found in each other, where it doesn't matter who you are... or where you come from." He could see he was striking a nerve as Clark hung on his every word. He leaned in closer, letting his arm slip through Clark's as they began to walk towards the throng.

"College kids, artists, jocks, gays, popularists, bible thumpers... everyone is welcome here." He looked to his friend.

"You see, this is a modern day religion with deep seeded roots in the human spirit. They even have their own dogma."

"And what's that," Clark asked jokingly, avoiding his friend's eyes. "Drink up, dance hard, and die young?"

"You're missing the point," Lex sighed, looking away. Clark was putting up a defensive wall and was closing himself off to new possibilities. But why? What nerve have I struck that scares you so? Was it that he didn't know how to let go? Didn't he ever, for once, lose himself to the absolute freedom of self indulgence? Lex would need to explain further.

"P.L.U.R."

"What was that?"

"P.L.U.R., Clark. Peace... love... unity... respect. That's what they live by. I think it's something we all could use a little of. Don't close yourself off before you understand. The music is created by a shaman who leads us all in an all inclusive journey. It's a 'come as you are' mentality where we don't have to worry about who we are or what other's think we are. The dancing is like a journey that anyone can undertake, and we all partake of it as equals.

"Even a spoiled rich kid and a working farm boy can find what they seek here. The question is, what are you looking for?"

~*~

"What did you say?"

"I said you're scared, Kent." Whitney tossed his football from one hand to the other, a smug grin spreading across his features. He cocked his arm back slightly and threw the brown ball a few feet away where it was easily caught by a teammate. He returned his attention to Clark.

"Face it, you're not really the type to crash a party like that. No offense or anything... but it's definitely not you."

"Oh," Pete chimed in, "and I suppose it's you?" It was supposed to be a defense, but came out badly.

The blond turned to the pair as they walked down the sidewalk outside the school. He smirked and tossed his hair away from his eyes, gesturing to himself as if to say, 'like you need to ask?'.

The boy smiled again, as if he hadn't just insulted either of them. "Don't even try going, Kent. You'll probably just embarrass yourself."

He turned and trotted away to meet up with his friends. Pete kicked a small stone in the jock's retreating direction. "Bastard..."

Clark just sighed deeply, silently walking with his best friend to the waiting buses. They quickly climbed the stairs and took a seat silently near the back. He had asked Lana if she wanted to go with him and Lex, but she declined his offer, saying there were still things to take care of at The Talon. She wanted to prove to Lex that he hadn't made a bad decision.

Someway or another, Whitney had gotten wind of Clark contemplating going to a rave and had considered it one of his primary duties to taunt the boy all day long. It hadn't helped Clark's situation either that he had asked Lana first, and of course she would have mentioned it to her boyfriend. The thought of any friendship between Whitney and himself was a fleeting one. Sure they were civil for civility's sake... but when it came to Lana, it was all out war. But still, Whitney's taunts echoed in his head...

"You? At a rave? Aren't you a little too much of a mama's boy to do something so... so normal?"

Fucking normal... before he knew it, the bus halted at his stop. He waved goodbye to Pete, who had given him a warning finger in return. He, like Chloe, didn't think it was a good idea to go.

Clark shuffled his way through the short walk home, hands in pockets, head down in thought, feet kicking up dust... Wasn't that what he wanted? To be just like everyone else? To have fun... make mistakes... to just have a life beyond the one offered to him for Christ's sake...

He climbed the wooden steps, head bowed, brow furrowed. I just want to have a little bit of fun for once... just once...

Taking a taste... Lesson IV...

~*~

It'll get more exciting... I promise ;o)