Interviewing Basketball Stars

Author: Liz Luthor

Disclaimer: Do we REALLY have to go over this again...? Fine. No, I do not own Smallville or any of its characters, plotlines, etc. I never said I did. ALTHOUGH, if they feel like taking some of MY ideas, I'd be perfectly fine with it... :D

Couples: Chloe/Whitney and Clark/Lana

Author's Note: All I can say is FEEDBACK. :) Oh, and thanks so much for the lovely feedback so far!



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"...So... What do you think the team's chances are at winning championship this year?" Chloe was pressed for time, and she couldn't think of any good questions. Of course, the fact that she had to eat, ask questions, and write down answers at the same time didn't help much, either.

"I don't know." Whitney's well-thought-out answer could have been less energetic. Chloe looked at him pleadingly as she stuffed another bite of... whatever it was that they passed off as mashed potatoes- into her mouth and attempted to chew.

With her mouth still quite full, she begged, "Whitney, please put some thought into this." She swallowed her food and continued, "I don't have anyone else to do this article and I need to have it finished by the end of lunch. I'm desperate, okay? Otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"Good to know," he replied dryly. He sighed and gave in. "Fine. If it's that big of a deal, I think our team could improve its defense a little, but since we're only in a high school league, it won't prevent us from winning." Chloe quickly jotted that down and thought for another minute on another question.

Meanwhile, another, much less rushed conversation was taking place at the same table between Clark and Lana.

"Did you hear one word Coach Tanner said?" Lana laughed as she jokingly asked Clark.

"It just goes in one ear and out the other," he grinned. She loved his grin. And today it was just that much brighter, just that much bigger, all because she was single. She couldn't help but notice that Whitney did not, however, appear to feel the same way. But for today, and only for today, she would pretend that it was just fine, because she was tired of hearing Whitney's problems. She knew it was horrible of her, but there was just so much wrong with that boy! Clark, on the other hand, was perfectly cheerful.

'Perfect,' Lana thought. 'At least on the outside...'

Her attention returned to their conversation as Clark remarked, "Why they ever decided to let a Coach teach history is beyond me." They laughed again.

Pete was quickly getting annoyed at this. Somehow, there were two conversations at this table, and he was not a part of either one. He addressed Clark to solve this problem: "Clark, man, I'm gonna go sit with Amber Christensen, she invited me to. Kay?" Clark nodded and said goodbye to his friend, then turned back to Lana.



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"Wait a minute. So you were automatically put on the basketball team since you were the quarterback during football season?" Chloe looked interested.

"Well, yeah. You don't think that's fair? I mean, why have me try out- they already know what I'm capable of physically," Whitney unenthusiastically poked at his alleged lunch.

"Only in a general sense. You could easily be great at football and completely incompetent in basketball. How would they know? And besides, that's not really fair to other potential students for your position," she stated. After almost a minute of silence from the both of them, she decided to quit ranting. "...I guess asking about your auditions was a bad idea. Sorry about the rambling, I'm easily sidetracked. Anyway... Oh crap, lunch is almost over! Okay, one more question, and then you can add something if you want. Umm... Oh! What about advantages? What do you like about being on the team?"

Whitney hesitated. He knew it would sound awfully cheesy, but he couldn't think of a better answer. "...Honestly, I just enjoy playing basketball. I guess it's kind of intense, you know, trying to judge what your opponent is thinking and all." Chloe was oddly overcome by the image of Whitney in one of the school's dorky uniforms, energetically participating in a rigorous basketball game, sweating hard and concentrating fiercely on the ball...

She shook her head suddenly and snapped back to reality. After blinking a couple of times confusedly, she wrote down his answer and asked if he had any comments to add. When he shook his head 'no', she threw a quick, "Bye then," over her shoulder and hurriedly walked away. She had certainly noticed the hint of pain in his face during the interview, as well as his lack of interest, but she truly didn't have time to care.



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Upon his arrival to Amber's table, Pete mentally noted the other kids present to make sure he didn't have any enemies here. Amber smiled at his sight and encouraged him to sit next to her.

"Hey Pete!" she welcomed him. "How's life?" He gave her a grin in response and she laughed happily.

'She's mine,' Pete was confident. "How 'bout you? You seem happy," he wondered.

"Oh, I just found out I got a ninety-three on my Trig. Exam. I had to take it early- I'll be out the day we take it in class." Small talk continued, and Pete was happy to take part, gradually guaranteeing his date with Amber in his mind. Lindsay, who was, in fact, Amber's best friend, was still glaring at Chloe and Whitney. She was undoubtedly aware of the fact that neither of them were laughing or even smiling. 'At least they aren't having a good time,' she consoled herself.



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On the other side of the cafeteria, Lana and Clark invited Whitney to join their conversation. He agreed but stayed silent for the most part. He couldn't get over this weird feeling... a vibe he had gotten from Chloe. 'You probably just think she was sending you weird signals. You still have a little alcohol left in you, after all,' his mind reassured him.



.: At the dentist, an hour later :.



Unfortunately, the reason behind Chloe's appointment was a small cavity in the back of her mouth that needed filling. She tried to relax in the ever- threatening chair as the dentist prepared a shot to temporarily numb her for the 'operation'.

'At least I'm getting out of school...' Chloe attempted to comfort herself as the shot was injected. It hurt for only a few seconds, and she could feel herself losing most of her consciousness.

'...Wow. This is a really good way to clear your mind. I'm sure they have some similar kind of... psychiatric treatment...' She lost herself in her thoughts and kept her eyes closed for the entire procedure.

'...What a wonderful concept...'

'...I'm glad I had this dentist appointment...'

'...It's a good thing I got that interview done... with...'

'...Whitney Fordman is really hot...'



.: End :.



Author's Notes: Tell me if you think this isn't going smoothly enough. I really can't stand those fan fics where you have two people and suddenly they're in love. So, just let me know if I'm getting unrealistic. In fact, I would like constructive criticism. I guarantee you no negative feelings whatsoever. ;) Also (last thing, I promise!), for chapter four—expect Lex!



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