All Along
Chapter 5 - - - Sparkle
Pairing: Clark & Chloe
Clark went to the florist's early Friday morning to pick the corsage he had bought for Lana. His mom had been quite surprised to hear he was taking her. Actually, shocked. But equally happy as well.
As much as Clark tried to snap out of his slump on the night of his big 'non-date,' he couldn't. And he figured it was because he had a lot on his mind. And no one to unload it on. Well, there was Pete...but as long as girls existed, there was no hope he'd get Pete's undivided attention. He could always talk to Lex. After all, he had survived his teen years. But all the advice he gave just caused Clark more headache, trying to extract the meaning from quotes from greek philisophers required a lot of work, he didn't have time for. He wanted to talk to Chloe, she had just the right amount of friendly advice and sharp wit to help ease his nerves.
In the brown gift bag, the delicate flower was held in it's plastic case. Lilies. As he trotted down the sidewalk in front of the Talon, he stopped by it's window to catch a quick glimpse of her. School that day had been canceled due to the dance. After all it was the last social of the year.
In Smallville High, there was the fall and the spring formal. No homecoming. No prom at the end of the year. The spring formal was everyone's last chance to go out with a bang. It meant a lot to go with the same person to both. And he was glad he had the opportune chance of taking Lana. At the expense of Chloe, of course.
He was still trying to reach her. But she wouldn't return his calls. And Clark really did begin to think that she was purposely avoiding him. He had actually gotten through to her line twice, but both times she "was on her way out" or "too swamped to talk now." "Maybe later," she'd reply but later never really came. As a last attempt, a desperate act if you will, that if confronted he probably wouldn't fess up to it..... he called just to hear her voice on the answering machine and hung up.
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Chloe on the other hand, tried to live by Lex Luthor's words. She just had to move on. She knew the solution. It just wasn't as simple as it sounded. Moving on required some time. And unfortunately, she didn't have that. Not if she still wanted to be friends with Clark, and she did. She didn't want avoiding him to be her means of dealing with getting over her feelings. It wouldn't be fair to Clark or herself.
All through the week, she had made up every excuse to avoid seeing him or talking to him. And now they would be packed into the high school gym together for three hours. Smallville High school's entire population of 455 students, forced to co-habitate. She decided she'd talk to him tonight, she'd bump into him and Lana eventually. He would break the ice, she'd follow suit. Small talk would ensue and then they'd laugh. And everything would seem to be normal again. "If only...." Chloe thought as she plopped in front of her vanity mirror.
Chloe picked up her brush and smoothed some color onto her cheeks. As she applied the rest of her make-up, she thought of coffee with Adam yesterday afternoon. And the talks over the phone they had shared. She had known him for roughly around 8 days, and as far as she could tell there was nothing seriously wrong with him. He didn't seem like the type that would hurt other people. But with her track record, she was taking things slow and being extra cautious.
However, she couldn't help but feel guilty about seeing him. Like she was cheating on Clark or something. It wasn't like she was ever dating Clark. And as soon as the feeling came, she dismissed it as quickly. He was never *hers* and she was accepting that. She needed some closure and she hoped tonight would provide it, she thought was she finished getting ready.
*************************************************************
Clark looked timelessly handsome in his designer tuxedo. Lex wouldn't think of letting Clark wear somed cheap rented knock off, so he insisted Clark wear one of his. In the fortress of solitude, Clark smoothed out his hair and splashed on some cologne. The finishing touches of his amazing transformation from teenage farmer to James Bond. Clark resisted the immature urge to make a gun with is thumb and index finger in front of the mirror.
"Clark..." he heard Lex's voice from down below in the barn. "Come on up Lex,"
"You're mother told me you were in here getting ready..." Clark fixed his bow tie and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks better on you than it did on me..." Lex chuckled. "You should keep it," he suggested and Clark knew better than to argue. "Thanks....why are you here?"
"I came to offer the services of my limo tonight. After all, it's ungentlemanly to escort Lana in your truck. What kind of first impression would that make?"
"Thanks Lex, that's really decent of you..." Clark offered not so gratefully. It was lacking the excitement Lex was usually greeted with. He knew something was up.
"Something tells me there's something else on your mind...it's obvious." "It's just that I keep thinking about what Chloe's doing, I feel really guilty for offering to go with Lana when I had already kinda asked her..." Clark offered weakly. "I haven't seen her all week..."
"But didn't everything work out for the best? She made other plans, and you get to go with Lana..." "Yeah, I guess so," "Besides, I have a feeling that wherever she is, she's not having the worst time..." Lex said with a smirk that somewhat worried Clark, before excusing himself.
****************************************************************
Clark forced clammy hands into a fist as he swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked on the hardwood. Within a short while, Nell had came and invited him in. He willed his hands to be steady, while he was waiting for Lana to descend the steps. She was a vision of beauty and Clark's breath caught in his chest. Her dress was made of a deep purple satin fabric, floor length, with just one strap going diagonal over her left shoulder. Clark's hands were shaking when he handed her the corsage and put it around her wrist.
"You look great," Lana said with a charming smile, after Nell was satisfied with the exhausting amount of pictures she took. "You....look beautiful Lana, that's a great dress," Clark finally found his voice as he led her out to her porch. Lana blushed, "You're carriage awaits my lady," Clark playfully bowed. And they were on their way to the dance.
**************************************************************
"You must be Adam," Chloe's father, Gabe, smiled and shook the teenage boy's hand. "Chloe's told me a lot about you..."
"It's nice to meet you sir, she's told me about you, too." Adam offered politely. Dressed in Metropolis' finest...Adam looked like a celebrity in a crisp tuxedo and long neck tie. "She'll be down any minute..." Gabe said just as Chloe reached the head of the steps.
The first thing Adam noticed was her finely manicured toe nails and the strappy high heels she was wearing covered in tiny crystals. Then as she got further down, the sweep of the thin material of her dress against smooth shapely legs. The curve of her hips and of her breasts, and the bright smile on her face.
Chloe wrapped a matching shawl across her shoulders as she walked down the last set of steps. She and Adam politely posed for a few rolls of film and then drove off in the black covertible Adam's father was nice enough to let him borrow for the evening. The wind felt nice on her face and Chloe wrapped herself tighter in the shawl.
Adam sent her a sidelong glance, "You look breathtaking tonight," Chloe smiled brightly and teased, "I was beginning to think you didn't notice," Adam reached for her hand in the Kansas night, and looked into her eyes intently. "Someone would be a fool not to notice, Chloe." And the rest of the ride was driven in a solemn silence.
**************************************************************
The clock on the dashboard read 8:21 pm, when the black convertible parked in the Smallville High parking lot. Adam opened Chloe's door and reached for her hand. This was what it was like to have someone actually pay attention to her and she was loving it. She felt attractive and feminine. "Here goes," Chloe whispered under her breath as they entered the front doors of the school and made their way to the gym.
Chloe walked on ahead and Adam checked their coats in. " The school really went all out for this," Chloe thought as she saw the large disco ball, streamers, balloons, and excessive lights. At the front of the gym, the sound system was set up and the DJ played. Off to one side, the punch bowl and buffet table was set. And all around the edges of the wall, large circle tables were set. Callous fingers, swept across the exposed skin of her back and she smiled into Adam's awaiting eyes. "I have something for you, close your eyes and hold out your hand." Chloe reluctantly closed her eyes and did as she was told. "Why Adam, don't you think it's too soon for marriage?" she teased and he slipped the fabric onto her wrist. "Open'em,"
"Oh my....this is....thank you, I love orchids." Chloe pulled him into a light hug. And then looked at her corsage. "Let's get this party started," he joked and held out his arm for her to loop hers through. "Let's," Chloe agreed and he lead her out further into the dance floor.
************************************************************
Clark and Pete stood by the punch bowl, waiting for their dates to come back from powdering their noses or whatever they do when girls go to the bathroom in groups. Clark was waiting for the right time to bring Chloe up. But he was afraid there was no right time, so he cleared his thoat and asked curiously, "So...uh...you talked to Chloe lately?"
Pete faced him with a slight smile. "Yeah...like two days ago, why?" " I was just wondering... I think she's being really mysterious about what she's been doing all week. And Lex more than assured me Chloe was having a great time wherever she was goingto be tonight. Isn't that strange?"
"No, not really, because look who decided to grace us with her presence." Pete lifted his glass towards the entrance. Clark followed Pete's gaze, and felt his heart rise in his chest. And a whole shift in his mood. Why was she making him react to her like this? Chloe sparkled from afar, the bright lights catching the faint touches of glitter sewn into the fabric of her dress. The powder blue was soft against the cream of her skin. Clark had never seen Chloe look so delicate. Simply refreshing. A smile tugged at his lips and he watched her intently. As if his eyes were glued to her.
Then, a boy he had never seen, stepped into the picture. Clark watched the scene unfold before him. Even from that distance, he could see the glow in her smile. He knew that smile like the back of his hand. She used to smile that way at him all the time. As Chloe reached up to give him a hug, Clark felt his chest cave in and an aching in his heart.
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Please review!!! I need them, they motivate me to keep writing.
Chapter 5 - - - Sparkle
Pairing: Clark & Chloe
Clark went to the florist's early Friday morning to pick the corsage he had bought for Lana. His mom had been quite surprised to hear he was taking her. Actually, shocked. But equally happy as well.
As much as Clark tried to snap out of his slump on the night of his big 'non-date,' he couldn't. And he figured it was because he had a lot on his mind. And no one to unload it on. Well, there was Pete...but as long as girls existed, there was no hope he'd get Pete's undivided attention. He could always talk to Lex. After all, he had survived his teen years. But all the advice he gave just caused Clark more headache, trying to extract the meaning from quotes from greek philisophers required a lot of work, he didn't have time for. He wanted to talk to Chloe, she had just the right amount of friendly advice and sharp wit to help ease his nerves.
In the brown gift bag, the delicate flower was held in it's plastic case. Lilies. As he trotted down the sidewalk in front of the Talon, he stopped by it's window to catch a quick glimpse of her. School that day had been canceled due to the dance. After all it was the last social of the year.
In Smallville High, there was the fall and the spring formal. No homecoming. No prom at the end of the year. The spring formal was everyone's last chance to go out with a bang. It meant a lot to go with the same person to both. And he was glad he had the opportune chance of taking Lana. At the expense of Chloe, of course.
He was still trying to reach her. But she wouldn't return his calls. And Clark really did begin to think that she was purposely avoiding him. He had actually gotten through to her line twice, but both times she "was on her way out" or "too swamped to talk now." "Maybe later," she'd reply but later never really came. As a last attempt, a desperate act if you will, that if confronted he probably wouldn't fess up to it..... he called just to hear her voice on the answering machine and hung up.
**************************************************************************
Chloe on the other hand, tried to live by Lex Luthor's words. She just had to move on. She knew the solution. It just wasn't as simple as it sounded. Moving on required some time. And unfortunately, she didn't have that. Not if she still wanted to be friends with Clark, and she did. She didn't want avoiding him to be her means of dealing with getting over her feelings. It wouldn't be fair to Clark or herself.
All through the week, she had made up every excuse to avoid seeing him or talking to him. And now they would be packed into the high school gym together for three hours. Smallville High school's entire population of 455 students, forced to co-habitate. She decided she'd talk to him tonight, she'd bump into him and Lana eventually. He would break the ice, she'd follow suit. Small talk would ensue and then they'd laugh. And everything would seem to be normal again. "If only...." Chloe thought as she plopped in front of her vanity mirror.
Chloe picked up her brush and smoothed some color onto her cheeks. As she applied the rest of her make-up, she thought of coffee with Adam yesterday afternoon. And the talks over the phone they had shared. She had known him for roughly around 8 days, and as far as she could tell there was nothing seriously wrong with him. He didn't seem like the type that would hurt other people. But with her track record, she was taking things slow and being extra cautious.
However, she couldn't help but feel guilty about seeing him. Like she was cheating on Clark or something. It wasn't like she was ever dating Clark. And as soon as the feeling came, she dismissed it as quickly. He was never *hers* and she was accepting that. She needed some closure and she hoped tonight would provide it, she thought was she finished getting ready.
*************************************************************
Clark looked timelessly handsome in his designer tuxedo. Lex wouldn't think of letting Clark wear somed cheap rented knock off, so he insisted Clark wear one of his. In the fortress of solitude, Clark smoothed out his hair and splashed on some cologne. The finishing touches of his amazing transformation from teenage farmer to James Bond. Clark resisted the immature urge to make a gun with is thumb and index finger in front of the mirror.
"Clark..." he heard Lex's voice from down below in the barn. "Come on up Lex,"
"You're mother told me you were in here getting ready..." Clark fixed his bow tie and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks better on you than it did on me..." Lex chuckled. "You should keep it," he suggested and Clark knew better than to argue. "Thanks....why are you here?"
"I came to offer the services of my limo tonight. After all, it's ungentlemanly to escort Lana in your truck. What kind of first impression would that make?"
"Thanks Lex, that's really decent of you..." Clark offered not so gratefully. It was lacking the excitement Lex was usually greeted with. He knew something was up.
"Something tells me there's something else on your mind...it's obvious." "It's just that I keep thinking about what Chloe's doing, I feel really guilty for offering to go with Lana when I had already kinda asked her..." Clark offered weakly. "I haven't seen her all week..."
"But didn't everything work out for the best? She made other plans, and you get to go with Lana..." "Yeah, I guess so," "Besides, I have a feeling that wherever she is, she's not having the worst time..." Lex said with a smirk that somewhat worried Clark, before excusing himself.
****************************************************************
Clark forced clammy hands into a fist as he swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked on the hardwood. Within a short while, Nell had came and invited him in. He willed his hands to be steady, while he was waiting for Lana to descend the steps. She was a vision of beauty and Clark's breath caught in his chest. Her dress was made of a deep purple satin fabric, floor length, with just one strap going diagonal over her left shoulder. Clark's hands were shaking when he handed her the corsage and put it around her wrist.
"You look great," Lana said with a charming smile, after Nell was satisfied with the exhausting amount of pictures she took. "You....look beautiful Lana, that's a great dress," Clark finally found his voice as he led her out to her porch. Lana blushed, "You're carriage awaits my lady," Clark playfully bowed. And they were on their way to the dance.
**************************************************************
"You must be Adam," Chloe's father, Gabe, smiled and shook the teenage boy's hand. "Chloe's told me a lot about you..."
"It's nice to meet you sir, she's told me about you, too." Adam offered politely. Dressed in Metropolis' finest...Adam looked like a celebrity in a crisp tuxedo and long neck tie. "She'll be down any minute..." Gabe said just as Chloe reached the head of the steps.
The first thing Adam noticed was her finely manicured toe nails and the strappy high heels she was wearing covered in tiny crystals. Then as she got further down, the sweep of the thin material of her dress against smooth shapely legs. The curve of her hips and of her breasts, and the bright smile on her face.
Chloe wrapped a matching shawl across her shoulders as she walked down the last set of steps. She and Adam politely posed for a few rolls of film and then drove off in the black covertible Adam's father was nice enough to let him borrow for the evening. The wind felt nice on her face and Chloe wrapped herself tighter in the shawl.
Adam sent her a sidelong glance, "You look breathtaking tonight," Chloe smiled brightly and teased, "I was beginning to think you didn't notice," Adam reached for her hand in the Kansas night, and looked into her eyes intently. "Someone would be a fool not to notice, Chloe." And the rest of the ride was driven in a solemn silence.
**************************************************************
The clock on the dashboard read 8:21 pm, when the black convertible parked in the Smallville High parking lot. Adam opened Chloe's door and reached for her hand. This was what it was like to have someone actually pay attention to her and she was loving it. She felt attractive and feminine. "Here goes," Chloe whispered under her breath as they entered the front doors of the school and made their way to the gym.
Chloe walked on ahead and Adam checked their coats in. " The school really went all out for this," Chloe thought as she saw the large disco ball, streamers, balloons, and excessive lights. At the front of the gym, the sound system was set up and the DJ played. Off to one side, the punch bowl and buffet table was set. And all around the edges of the wall, large circle tables were set. Callous fingers, swept across the exposed skin of her back and she smiled into Adam's awaiting eyes. "I have something for you, close your eyes and hold out your hand." Chloe reluctantly closed her eyes and did as she was told. "Why Adam, don't you think it's too soon for marriage?" she teased and he slipped the fabric onto her wrist. "Open'em,"
"Oh my....this is....thank you, I love orchids." Chloe pulled him into a light hug. And then looked at her corsage. "Let's get this party started," he joked and held out his arm for her to loop hers through. "Let's," Chloe agreed and he lead her out further into the dance floor.
************************************************************
Clark and Pete stood by the punch bowl, waiting for their dates to come back from powdering their noses or whatever they do when girls go to the bathroom in groups. Clark was waiting for the right time to bring Chloe up. But he was afraid there was no right time, so he cleared his thoat and asked curiously, "So...uh...you talked to Chloe lately?"
Pete faced him with a slight smile. "Yeah...like two days ago, why?" " I was just wondering... I think she's being really mysterious about what she's been doing all week. And Lex more than assured me Chloe was having a great time wherever she was goingto be tonight. Isn't that strange?"
"No, not really, because look who decided to grace us with her presence." Pete lifted his glass towards the entrance. Clark followed Pete's gaze, and felt his heart rise in his chest. And a whole shift in his mood. Why was she making him react to her like this? Chloe sparkled from afar, the bright lights catching the faint touches of glitter sewn into the fabric of her dress. The powder blue was soft against the cream of her skin. Clark had never seen Chloe look so delicate. Simply refreshing. A smile tugged at his lips and he watched her intently. As if his eyes were glued to her.
Then, a boy he had never seen, stepped into the picture. Clark watched the scene unfold before him. Even from that distance, he could see the glow in her smile. He knew that smile like the back of his hand. She used to smile that way at him all the time. As Chloe reached up to give him a hug, Clark felt his chest cave in and an aching in his heart.
***************************************************************
Please review!!! I need them, they motivate me to keep writing.