Chapter 17-Tables Turned…

Clark felt like he couldn't breathe. In fact, he was hyperventilating. Chloe was standing five feet away from him but it felt like her engagement ring was giving itself a close up for him.

'Lex and I are engaged' kept ringing in his head along with Chloe's happy smile.

'God NO!' Clark's mind screamed. He silently begged to wake up from this nightmare. Everything was spinning and Chloe was giving him a strange look.

She walked up to him and touched his arm. "Clark?"

He looked at her as if she had an extra eye.

"Clark, I just told you Lex and I are engaged," she said.

Clark stared at her before he was finally able to say something. "It's been a week," he said incredulous.

Chloe smiled. She didn't seem to catch on to Clark's tone. She sighed, "I know. It's so crazy."

Clark looked away from her.

Chloe watched Clark's reaction. He wasn't happy. She sighed, "Clark, I know how you feel about Lex. I don't understand why. You and him used to be best friends."

"You don't understand, Chloe? How can you not understand?" Clark asked, shocked.

"What?"

"I LOVE YOU, Chloe!" Clark yelled. "Don't you understand that? I…love you."

Chloe was rendered speechless. She knew Clark had feelings that he was jealous, but she had no idea he was actually in love with her. "Clark, I…don't know what to say."

God, how could this be happening? Clark thought to himself. It just all happened to fast for him. "I thought you knew," Clark was able to say.

"I didn't know you were in love with me," she whispered, feeling incredibly bad.

"Yeah well…" Clark really didn't know what to say. "I should go."

"Clark," she said sadly.

He looked away from her. What was he going to do? He turned around to look at her. "Chloe, listen to me." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "This is crazy. You and Lex have been dating…barely dating a week."

Chloe sighed. "I know it sounds insane-"

"It is insane, Chloe. Why can't you see that?" He asked.

Chloe pushed his arms off her, annoyed. "I'm sorry Clark. I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you're having a hard time with this just because you love me."

Clark shook his head. "You're my best friend! It's not like you to just…God Chloe! You didn't even like Lex back then!"

"Don't act like you knew what went through my mind back then," Chloe argued.

"You were always suspicious of him. Always thought he-"

"You don't know what I thought of him back then Clark! How could you?"

"We were best friends," Clark reminded her.

"No! I was your faithful best friend. Sadly, it didn't go both ways. Your world revolved around Lana Lang," Chloe said Lana's name with much disdain.

"That's not fair," Clark said.

Chloe didn't respond right away.

"Chloe…"

"No matter how I felt back then it is possible to change those feelings," Chloe explained.

"Just like you changed your feelings about me," Clark said.

Chloe sighed. "Clark…"

Clark held a hand up to shush her then turned and left. There was only one place he could find some sort of comfort, Smallville.

**

He stood staring out the window of the barn. He could just close his eyes and imagine all the laughs Chloe and him had in this barn. But, now she was with Lex Luthor. Why was this happening? It had only been a week!

They were supposed to date a few months maybe then Chloe would realize Lex wasn't for her or Lex would break her heart. Then Chloe would realize Clark was the one not Lex.

But now they were getting married! "Damnit!" Clark yelled and punched the wall, making a hole in it.

"Woah, someone's pissed."

Clark swung around to see his friend Pete standing there. "Pete."

"Hey, you're mom told me you were here. Everything OK?" Pete asked.

Clark looked away from him.

"OK, I see someone doesn't want to talk about it. So then, how's Metropolis?" Pete asked, trying to make everything better.

"It's OK. Not what I expected," Clark mumbled. "What are you doing here? I thought you left to go back to school a few days ago?"

"I leave tomorrow," Pete asked. "By the way, Happy New Year."

"Well, my New Year is starting out really bad, but I hope you have a good one," Clark said honestly.

"What happened Clark?"

I finally realized Chloe is the one I'm meant to be with but she's engaged to Lex Luthor, Clark thought to himself.

Pete sighed. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Clark looked down at his feet. "Chloe's engaged," he mumbled.

"What?"

Clark sighed, "Chloe's-"

"No, I know. I heard you. I just can't believe it," Pete said.

"Well, believe it."

"I see what this is about," Pete said.

Clark looked away from him gaze.

"Oh yeah, the tables have turned. You're in love with Chloe," Pete said with a smile.

Clark waited a moment to respond. He shrugged, "So what?"

"'So what?'" Pete asked, surprised.

"Yeah so what? She's doesn't love me anymore," Clark told him.

"I remember having to hear it everyday," Pete said, rolling his eyes as he remembered Chloe's constant brooding over Clark. "She loves you Clark."

Clark shook his head. "She doesn't anymore."

"Clark, you can love a bunch of people unconditionally. But, love…true love…being in love is only for one other person. You don't just change it up and love someone else," Pete told him.

"Chloe doesn't seem to think so," Clark muttered.

"So, prove her wrong," Pete told him.

"No…no, you don't understand. You didn't see…" he sighed. "You didn't see the look in her eyes. She's in love with him."

"Well, you and her have history. You've got the advantage," Pete told him. "You've known each other for years."

"Yeah, well he's got an advantage too. He gets what he wants and he wants Chloe. Normally, anyone could probably work around that, but Chloe wants him too," Clark said.

"'He gets what he wants'?" Pete chuckled. "Who are we talking about? Lex Luthor?"

Pete continued to laugh but stopped when Clark just stared at him and sighed.

"OK…" Pete widened his eyes. "Woah."

"Exactly," Clark said.

"Lex Luthor…"

"Yeah," Clark confirmed.

"Woah," they said in unison.

"Lex Luthor…Lex Luthor? Are you sure?" Pete asked.

Clark nodded.

"OK, you're gonna have to repeat it," Pete said, still in shock.

"Repeat what? I never said it. I'm not sure I even want to say it," Clark said.

"Are you sure?" Pete asked again.

Clark huffed, "Yes Pete! I'm sure! Chloe's engaged to Lex Luthor!"

"Chloe Sullivan?"

Clark rolled his eyes.

"Intrepid ex-reporter of the Torch Chloe Sullivan?"

Clark buried his face in his hands.

"Our Chloe?"

"Pete you're killing me!" Clark yelled.

"Chloe's engaged to Lex Luthor," Pete said out loud to himself.

"YES! You say it one more time and I'm gonna have to hurt you," Clark threatened.

They both stood in silence.

**

"Is the girl really that much of a challenge to get in bed that you had to resort to making her thinking you two would get married?" Lionel asked Lex.

Lex sighed. He was starting to get a headache. "It's not pretend. Chloe and I are getting married," he told his father.

"You can't be serious," Lionel responded.

"I've never been more serious," Lex told him.

Lionel sighed. "You're making a mistake. You've known the girl a week!"

"I've known her five years," Lex said.

"Barely I'm sure. She came from a Small town to the big city. She barely makes ends meat, is trying to go to school, has practically nothing in her back acc-"

"Wait a second! You've been looking into Chloe's bank account?" Lex said, as if this should shock him about his father.

"You don't think I'm going to research the girl my son wants to marry?" Lionel asked, surprised Lex wouldn't realize this.

"I can't believe this…"

"Alexander, don't you understand? Marrying into the Luthor family is like winning the lottery to her," Lionel told him.

"Chloe is not like that."

"All women are!"

"Mom wasn't."

Lionel was speechless.

Lex walked up to Lionel and looked him straight in the eye. "Stay away from Chloe…and me."

With that said, Lex left the office.

To be continued…