Chapter 23- Surprise, Surprise (Wait! Not so much a surprise is it?)
"Pete, wait up," Chloe called to her friend.
"Hey, Chlo. What's up?" Pete asked.
"Not much," Chloe responded.
"You still fighting with Lex?"
"If you can call not talking to him whatsoever fighting," Chloe said shaking her head.
"When was the last time you talked to him?" Pete asked.
"Uh…at Clark's house. That makes it five days ago," Chloe answered.
"Wow!" Pete exclaimed.
"I told you what happened," Chloe said.
"Yeah. He's just jealous of Clark," Pete replied.
"Why would he be jealous of Clark?"
"How do you feel about Clark?"
"He's my best friend," Chloe said.
"Yeah, but do you still love him like you used to?" Pete asked.
"I don't think that I will ever stop loving him like I used to," Chloe answered.
"Exactly. That's why Lex is jealous," Pete said walking into the Torch office.
"But he knows that I do truly care about him," Chloe protested.
"He does, but thinking about you and Clark will put doubts into anyone's head, including Lex Luthor," Pete said flipping on his computer.
Chloe threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't know what to do!"
"Maybe it's not for you to fix," Pete replied. "Maybe Lex needs to fix it himself."
"How can he see how if he won't even talk to me?" Chloe asked exasperated.
"What do you mean he won't talk to you?"
"Who won't talk to you?" Clark asked walking into the office.
"Lex," Chloe told him before turning back to Pete. "I've been trying to call, but no one answers."
"Lex left for Metropolis three days ago. Didn't he tell you?" Clark asked uncertainly.
Chloe fumed. "He forgot to mention it."
"He won't be back for almost three weeks. Something to do with LuthorCorp," Clark explained.
"Wonderful," Chloe answered. "Just wonderful."
"Chlo, if you really like him, you two can work it out," Pete said, always the voice of reason.
"That's the problem, I don't know if I do," Chloe almost whined.
"But-" Clark started.
"Don't even go there. I do not have the patience or even the knowledge to answer questions about Lex and me. I am so eternally screwed up," Chloe said putting her head in her hands.
"Do you want me to talk to people?" Pete asked emphasizing 'people' so Chloe would know whom he meant.
"That would be so helpful…yet so destructive at the same time. Why not?" Chloe asked. "What have I got to lose?"
"Besides your sanity?" Pete asked.
"That's already gone, so it's not an issue. I guess if I know where everyone stands, I'll get a better perspective on this whole mess," Chloe admitted.
"Want everyone's perspective? Everyone?" Pete asked.
Again, Chloe knew what he meant. "Yeah, sure."
"Don't act so enthusiastic," Pete said with a laugh.
"Really, thank you Pete. You're such a good friend," Chloe said looking up at him.
"I know," Pete replied wagging his eyebrows. "I guess I'll get to work," he said leaving the room.
"What were you two talking about?" Clark asked.
"You mean how eternally screwed up I am?" Chloe questioned.
"Yeah…I think," Clark replied confused.
Chloe laughed. "We were just talking about my disheveled life."
"I caught that much. Want to share?" Clark asked.
"Not particularly. How are you and Lana?" Chloe asked changing the subject.
"Fine…I guess," Clark answered.
"You guess?" Chloe asked.
"She seems distant lately. Like she has something on her mind," Clark replied.
"I'm sure she does. The same thing that you, Lex, and I have on our minds," Chloe said irritated.
"And what exactly is that?" Clark asked, sitting on the edge of her desk.
"You and me, my friend," Chloe said looking at him.
"What about us?" Clark asked.
"You always have been so observant," Chloe said shaking her head. "We are amazing," Chloe said sarcastically.
"I'm not sure I follow," Clark said.
Chloe laughed again. "I know I don't!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hi, Pete," Lana said smiling as he approached her locker.
"Hey, Lan," Pete responded. "How are you?"
"Good, and yourself?" Lana asked shoving books into her locker.
"Pretty good. How are you and Clark?" Pete asked getting straight to the point.
"Why? Did you hear something?" Lana asked nervously.
"I'll take that as a 'not so good,'" Pete answered.
"Not so good," Lana repeated as the two walked down the hall.
"What's up?" Pete asked.
"I'm not sure," Lana said truthfully.
"Let me take a wild guess: Chloe," Pete answered trying not to smile.
"Wow, you're good," Lana said with a laugh.
"I try. Want to talk about it?" Pete asked.
"I think Clark still has feelings for Chloe," Lana explained.
"Keep going," Pete pressed.
"Clark's got this mother-bear thing going with Chloe," Lana said.
"What do you mean?"
"He's very protective of her. It's like he thinks she'll break. I think that she holds the first priority in his life. You know what I mean?" Lana asked.
"You mean that you think Chloe is more important to him than you," Pete said, more of a statement than a question.
"Sort of. It's just that he'll put everything in his life on hold for her. He really loves her doesn't he?"
"She's his best friend."
"You know what I mean, Pete," Lana said.
"Yeah, I do. To tell you the truth, I don't know how he feels. He never really talks to me anymore since he and Lex became friends. Lex is the only one who would really know, but since you're talking about Lex's girlfriend it wouldn't be a good idea to ask him about it," Pete said.
"That is exactly my point. So, who do I talk to?"
"Well, you can always talk to me. I'll do the best I can," Pete replied.
"Thank you, Pete. Now, I have to get to study hall," Lana said squeezing Pete's arm.
"And I have to get to the Torch. Bye, Lan," Pete said turning down the hall.
"Bye, and thank you," Lana called.
"Anytime," Pete replied.
"Pete, wait up," Chloe called to her friend.
"Hey, Chlo. What's up?" Pete asked.
"Not much," Chloe responded.
"You still fighting with Lex?"
"If you can call not talking to him whatsoever fighting," Chloe said shaking her head.
"When was the last time you talked to him?" Pete asked.
"Uh…at Clark's house. That makes it five days ago," Chloe answered.
"Wow!" Pete exclaimed.
"I told you what happened," Chloe said.
"Yeah. He's just jealous of Clark," Pete replied.
"Why would he be jealous of Clark?"
"How do you feel about Clark?"
"He's my best friend," Chloe said.
"Yeah, but do you still love him like you used to?" Pete asked.
"I don't think that I will ever stop loving him like I used to," Chloe answered.
"Exactly. That's why Lex is jealous," Pete said walking into the Torch office.
"But he knows that I do truly care about him," Chloe protested.
"He does, but thinking about you and Clark will put doubts into anyone's head, including Lex Luthor," Pete said flipping on his computer.
Chloe threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't know what to do!"
"Maybe it's not for you to fix," Pete replied. "Maybe Lex needs to fix it himself."
"How can he see how if he won't even talk to me?" Chloe asked exasperated.
"What do you mean he won't talk to you?"
"Who won't talk to you?" Clark asked walking into the office.
"Lex," Chloe told him before turning back to Pete. "I've been trying to call, but no one answers."
"Lex left for Metropolis three days ago. Didn't he tell you?" Clark asked uncertainly.
Chloe fumed. "He forgot to mention it."
"He won't be back for almost three weeks. Something to do with LuthorCorp," Clark explained.
"Wonderful," Chloe answered. "Just wonderful."
"Chlo, if you really like him, you two can work it out," Pete said, always the voice of reason.
"That's the problem, I don't know if I do," Chloe almost whined.
"But-" Clark started.
"Don't even go there. I do not have the patience or even the knowledge to answer questions about Lex and me. I am so eternally screwed up," Chloe said putting her head in her hands.
"Do you want me to talk to people?" Pete asked emphasizing 'people' so Chloe would know whom he meant.
"That would be so helpful…yet so destructive at the same time. Why not?" Chloe asked. "What have I got to lose?"
"Besides your sanity?" Pete asked.
"That's already gone, so it's not an issue. I guess if I know where everyone stands, I'll get a better perspective on this whole mess," Chloe admitted.
"Want everyone's perspective? Everyone?" Pete asked.
Again, Chloe knew what he meant. "Yeah, sure."
"Don't act so enthusiastic," Pete said with a laugh.
"Really, thank you Pete. You're such a good friend," Chloe said looking up at him.
"I know," Pete replied wagging his eyebrows. "I guess I'll get to work," he said leaving the room.
"What were you two talking about?" Clark asked.
"You mean how eternally screwed up I am?" Chloe questioned.
"Yeah…I think," Clark replied confused.
Chloe laughed. "We were just talking about my disheveled life."
"I caught that much. Want to share?" Clark asked.
"Not particularly. How are you and Lana?" Chloe asked changing the subject.
"Fine…I guess," Clark answered.
"You guess?" Chloe asked.
"She seems distant lately. Like she has something on her mind," Clark replied.
"I'm sure she does. The same thing that you, Lex, and I have on our minds," Chloe said irritated.
"And what exactly is that?" Clark asked, sitting on the edge of her desk.
"You and me, my friend," Chloe said looking at him.
"What about us?" Clark asked.
"You always have been so observant," Chloe said shaking her head. "We are amazing," Chloe said sarcastically.
"I'm not sure I follow," Clark said.
Chloe laughed again. "I know I don't!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hi, Pete," Lana said smiling as he approached her locker.
"Hey, Lan," Pete responded. "How are you?"
"Good, and yourself?" Lana asked shoving books into her locker.
"Pretty good. How are you and Clark?" Pete asked getting straight to the point.
"Why? Did you hear something?" Lana asked nervously.
"I'll take that as a 'not so good,'" Pete answered.
"Not so good," Lana repeated as the two walked down the hall.
"What's up?" Pete asked.
"I'm not sure," Lana said truthfully.
"Let me take a wild guess: Chloe," Pete answered trying not to smile.
"Wow, you're good," Lana said with a laugh.
"I try. Want to talk about it?" Pete asked.
"I think Clark still has feelings for Chloe," Lana explained.
"Keep going," Pete pressed.
"Clark's got this mother-bear thing going with Chloe," Lana said.
"What do you mean?"
"He's very protective of her. It's like he thinks she'll break. I think that she holds the first priority in his life. You know what I mean?" Lana asked.
"You mean that you think Chloe is more important to him than you," Pete said, more of a statement than a question.
"Sort of. It's just that he'll put everything in his life on hold for her. He really loves her doesn't he?"
"She's his best friend."
"You know what I mean, Pete," Lana said.
"Yeah, I do. To tell you the truth, I don't know how he feels. He never really talks to me anymore since he and Lex became friends. Lex is the only one who would really know, but since you're talking about Lex's girlfriend it wouldn't be a good idea to ask him about it," Pete said.
"That is exactly my point. So, who do I talk to?"
"Well, you can always talk to me. I'll do the best I can," Pete replied.
"Thank you, Pete. Now, I have to get to study hall," Lana said squeezing Pete's arm.
"And I have to get to the Torch. Bye, Lan," Pete said turning down the hall.
"Bye, and thank you," Lana called.
"Anytime," Pete replied.