Chapter 13- Pick Your Poison: Honesty or Deception
Pete got up at nine o'clock to check on the girls. When he got to Chloe's room no one was there. He walked into Clark's room. "Clark, Chlo and Lan aren't in the room," Pete said.
"Huh?" Clark asked standing and walking into Chloe's room. He crossed to Lana's room, but then weren't there either. "I'll wake up Lex." He walked down the hall to Lex's room and knocked. When Lex opened the door Clark told him, "The girls aren't in their rooms."
"Don't worry, guys. Chloe was feeling a lot better at seven when I checked on her," Lex said walking down the halls. "Knowing her she probably enlisted Lana's help in combing every inch of this place."
"I hear voices," Pete said.
"That's Lana's laugh," Clark said.
"It's coming from the kitchen," Lex explained making a beeline for the kitchen door. He opened the door to find Lana and Chloe laughing and sitting at the table with his cook.
"Hi, guys," Chloe said with a smile.
As soon as Lex walked in the cook stood and lowered her eyes.
"We got hungry. Can you believe it took us almost half an hour to find the kitchen?" Lana asked.
"Actually, yes," Pete said with a grin.
"Anyway, we finally found it and Margie was kind enough to make us something to eat. A very good something, I might add," Chloe explained smiling at the cook.
"Thank you for taking such good care of our ladies," Lex told the cook resorting to his business tone.
"It was my pleasure, Mr. Luthor," Margie said excusing herself.
"Feeling better?" Lex asked moving to Chloe's side.
"Much," she said tilting her head up for a kiss. When she realized his cast and sling she delicately placed a small hand on his arm. "What about you?"
"I'm fine," Lex said.
"You don't have to be, you know," she told him, knowing that he would tell her that even if he thought he was dying.
"I know, but I am," Lex replied. "Lana? What about you?"
"It only hurts a little," Lana said sincerely.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what do we tell Nell and Mr. Sullivan?" Pete asked raising his eyebrows.
"The truth," Lex answered with no hesitation.
"No!" Chloe shouted. Her hand flew to her forehead. "Note to self: no screaming."
Everyone laughed.
"We have to be honest," Lex said looking to Clark for support.
"Lex, you know that I swear by honesty, but in this case we may need to make an exception. If you still want our parental figures' trust, we have no choice," Clark said.
"Clark, I can't lie to everyone. The way to gain trust is not through deception," Lex responded.
"Think about it Lex. I go home and Nell says, 'Lana what happened?' What do you think she'd do if I told her that you and Clark were playing chicken in your sports cars and you lost control of the car?" Lana asked looking into his eyes.
"But-" Lex started.
"My dad was already skeptical about my seeing you. For one because you are so much older than we are," she said gesturing to her friends. "And secondly because you're his boss. I had to do a lot of persuading. If I tell him what happened he'll forbid me to see you," Chloe said taking his free hand.
"If my mom and dad find out that I willingly drove your car, raced you, and that it ended the way it did, it won't be pretty. Lex, we did some stupid things last night. If my parents find out, you will lose all the trust that you have worked so hard to get," Clark said.
"If we lie and they find out the truth, then where will that get me? It will secure everyone's opinions that I'm a cheating, heartless, untrustworthy man just like my father," Lex reasoned.
"Pick your poison, Lex," Pete said. "Honesty, and have everyone's trust out the window. Or deception, and risk people finding out. If they don't find out, then no one will get hurt."
"So, we can hide Chloe's injury with her hair," Lex said still trying to make the teenagers see it his way. "What about Lana? The brace is pretty obvious that something happened."
"I'll tell Nell that we were playing tennis and I threw my wrist out. I hurt this wrist in a riding competition a few years ago, so it's always been weak," Lana explained.
"If that had happened I would have called her immediately. She knows that," Lex said.
"I'll tell her that I insisted that you didn't because it wasn't a big deal. Lex, trust us on this," Lana said.
"I don't like this. I don't like it at all," Lex said looking at each one of them in turn.
"It's too late now, Lex. Like you said, you would have called them right away. If they find out now, we'll still be in trouble," Chloe said.
"Fine, but if they ask me I'm telling the truth," Lex said.
Pete got up at nine o'clock to check on the girls. When he got to Chloe's room no one was there. He walked into Clark's room. "Clark, Chlo and Lan aren't in the room," Pete said.
"Huh?" Clark asked standing and walking into Chloe's room. He crossed to Lana's room, but then weren't there either. "I'll wake up Lex." He walked down the hall to Lex's room and knocked. When Lex opened the door Clark told him, "The girls aren't in their rooms."
"Don't worry, guys. Chloe was feeling a lot better at seven when I checked on her," Lex said walking down the halls. "Knowing her she probably enlisted Lana's help in combing every inch of this place."
"I hear voices," Pete said.
"That's Lana's laugh," Clark said.
"It's coming from the kitchen," Lex explained making a beeline for the kitchen door. He opened the door to find Lana and Chloe laughing and sitting at the table with his cook.
"Hi, guys," Chloe said with a smile.
As soon as Lex walked in the cook stood and lowered her eyes.
"We got hungry. Can you believe it took us almost half an hour to find the kitchen?" Lana asked.
"Actually, yes," Pete said with a grin.
"Anyway, we finally found it and Margie was kind enough to make us something to eat. A very good something, I might add," Chloe explained smiling at the cook.
"Thank you for taking such good care of our ladies," Lex told the cook resorting to his business tone.
"It was my pleasure, Mr. Luthor," Margie said excusing herself.
"Feeling better?" Lex asked moving to Chloe's side.
"Much," she said tilting her head up for a kiss. When she realized his cast and sling she delicately placed a small hand on his arm. "What about you?"
"I'm fine," Lex said.
"You don't have to be, you know," she told him, knowing that he would tell her that even if he thought he was dying.
"I know, but I am," Lex replied. "Lana? What about you?"
"It only hurts a little," Lana said sincerely.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what do we tell Nell and Mr. Sullivan?" Pete asked raising his eyebrows.
"The truth," Lex answered with no hesitation.
"No!" Chloe shouted. Her hand flew to her forehead. "Note to self: no screaming."
Everyone laughed.
"We have to be honest," Lex said looking to Clark for support.
"Lex, you know that I swear by honesty, but in this case we may need to make an exception. If you still want our parental figures' trust, we have no choice," Clark said.
"Clark, I can't lie to everyone. The way to gain trust is not through deception," Lex responded.
"Think about it Lex. I go home and Nell says, 'Lana what happened?' What do you think she'd do if I told her that you and Clark were playing chicken in your sports cars and you lost control of the car?" Lana asked looking into his eyes.
"But-" Lex started.
"My dad was already skeptical about my seeing you. For one because you are so much older than we are," she said gesturing to her friends. "And secondly because you're his boss. I had to do a lot of persuading. If I tell him what happened he'll forbid me to see you," Chloe said taking his free hand.
"If my mom and dad find out that I willingly drove your car, raced you, and that it ended the way it did, it won't be pretty. Lex, we did some stupid things last night. If my parents find out, you will lose all the trust that you have worked so hard to get," Clark said.
"If we lie and they find out the truth, then where will that get me? It will secure everyone's opinions that I'm a cheating, heartless, untrustworthy man just like my father," Lex reasoned.
"Pick your poison, Lex," Pete said. "Honesty, and have everyone's trust out the window. Or deception, and risk people finding out. If they don't find out, then no one will get hurt."
"So, we can hide Chloe's injury with her hair," Lex said still trying to make the teenagers see it his way. "What about Lana? The brace is pretty obvious that something happened."
"I'll tell Nell that we were playing tennis and I threw my wrist out. I hurt this wrist in a riding competition a few years ago, so it's always been weak," Lana explained.
"If that had happened I would have called her immediately. She knows that," Lex said.
"I'll tell her that I insisted that you didn't because it wasn't a big deal. Lex, trust us on this," Lana said.
"I don't like this. I don't like it at all," Lex said looking at each one of them in turn.
"It's too late now, Lex. Like you said, you would have called them right away. If they find out now, we'll still be in trouble," Chloe said.
"Fine, but if they ask me I'm telling the truth," Lex said.