Interviewing Basketball Stars
Author: Liz Luthor
Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to it, but I'm using the characters anyway. And if you were even THINKING of suing, 1) You'd be horribly disappointed to find that I have no money, and 2) Get over yourself. :P
Couples: Chloe/Whitney, Clark/Lana, and Pete/OC (Amber)
Author's Notes: Well... After watching "Crush" this week, I suppose some of this wouldn't make too much sense... So here's what's up: the relationship changes that have occurred in the episodes aren't going to affect this fan fic, but the events that occur and personality most likely will. It's not entirely AU...
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His eyes were blue.
After having known him for as long as she had, this was the first time she ever got near enough to find that his eyes were a shining, effervescent, blue.
Amber observed Lex discretely from the opposite side of the Talon, curious about the famous Luthor heir. For as long as she could remember, her mother had been an employee at LuthorCorp, and when there was no other choice, Amber had been brought along to work with her, sometimes even meetings. She could remember the first time she saw Lex- the only time she ever saw him in person- she was 6 or 7, and he was about 13. It was only two years after he had lost his hair, and he was clearly still very ashamed of his smooth head. At the time, he was applying a very generous amount of some hair growth product to his pale scalp in the boys' restroom at LuthorCorp in Metropolis, which she had innocently mistaken for the little girls' room. Nonetheless, Amber had never spoken to him, or even seen him aside from newspapers and television- with the exception of that day. When she looked in his eyes, there was a certain depth- sorrow, kindness, reminiscence- that didn't reflect his reputation. She felt he was a generally good person.
Pete, who happened to be standing next to her, tried to hide his feelings about Lex. He was told after the Nicodemus flower incident that his actions under infliction had something to do with Lex, which made him wonder if it was something he would have regretted, had he remembered. Truthfully, his hostility toward the man ran deep, and he couldn't imagine what he would have done, were he without any doubts or limits... When Clark had first become friends with Lex, Pete had tried to believe that Clark was a good judge of character, and that Lex might not be as bad as his father. But it had begun to seem like Lex was only trying to steal his best friend. Surely, the Luthors had something personal against the Ross family.
Chloe was, to some extent, excited about Lex's presence. She was aware that the conversation currently taking place between him and Lana was about advertising the Talon, which she thought would be easily accomplished by a flattering article in the Torch. Coming up with new topics was always a delightful experience for her, and of course, she would also be happy to help out the Talon. Despite what some people thought, she was not resentful of Lana for gaining Clark's adoration in the least. In fact, she was determined to convince herself that Clark was only her friend, and that he would be happier with Lana, which was essentially what Chloe wanted. Now that he no longer had Whitney to worry about, it would be unfair of Chloe to step in his way.
Lindsay was in a good mood. Usually, at school, she had a weird feeling- like she couldn't be herself or she would lose all her friends (for whom she cared more than anything). Here, after hours at the Talon with Amber, her new boyfriend Pete, and his friends- Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan, and, apparently, Lana Lang- not to mention the infamous Lex Luthor, she felt like she belonged. When Lex entered, she was very surprised that to everyone else, his presence didn't seem out of the ordinary. Clark simply said, "Hey Lex, how's it goin'?" and the millionaire nodded his head and went to talk to Lana. She and Amber exchanged astonished glances. After he started asking Lana how she planned to advertise, Lindsay assumed he was the investor of the Talon. 'Not bad' she thought. All of the pictures she had ever seen of him had only been of his bald head. 'They sure had me fooled!' She recalled countless articles about the supposed power-hungry aristocrat and shook her head in disapproval. He had a unique aura about him, but he wasn't anything like the media made him out to be. He looked like an ordinary guy- except for that distinctive atmosphere of his. And he was bald, of course, but she thought it only added to his individuality.
Clark grinned his brilliant grin as he sat happily in the Talon with his friends. Everything seemed so perfect. Lana and Whitney were no longer together, Pete was happy with his new girlfriend, Chloe was happy about the Torch, and Lana was most certainly excited about advertising the Talon. Somehow, he knew in the back of his mind that this would end very soon. It seemed that happiness was impossible without pain of some sort. It scared him. He knew that things wouldn't stay this perfect forever, but he thought he should enjoy it while it lasted, or else what was it worth? He noticed that Pete's new girlfriend had brought her friend, Lindsay, who had been very fond of Whitney lately. On the outside, she seemed quite shallow, but Clark was sure it didn't follow through to her heart. She and Amber were as close as he, Chloe, and Pete were. The two of them-
Clark's thoughts were cut off as Whitney made a conspicuous entrance. He was out of breath and soaking from the rain. Clark knew this couldn't be good. It looked like this period of happiness would be quite short-lived.
The room automatically grew silent as everyone stared up at Whitney expectantly. Chloe could tell he was trying to speak through tears, despite the fact that he had his head lowered.
He took a shaky breath and gasped out, "My father-...," but couldn't continue. Even so, they all knew what he meant.
.: At the funeral :.
Chloe couldn't help but feel out of place. She knew Whitney fairly, but had never so much as set eyes on either of his parents. Nevertheless, she attended the funeral willingly, and tried to show her support for Whitney and his mother. It was a beautiful funeral, but, as can be expected at such an event, there was a horrible downpour. Whitney held his mother in one hand and an umbrella in the other, struggling not to cry. Clark, Lana, and Lex also attended the ceremony.
As usual, Clark seemed to stand out. Not only was he the only one without an umbrella, but he stayed for a few moments after all the other attendees had gone (not to mention the fact that he towered about a foot and a half above almost everybody there). Whitney still walked with his arm around his mother a few feet ahead of Lana, who was walking with Chloe until she turned around to look at Clark. Lana turned back as well, to find the most sorrowful expression upon his face, dripping wet.
Chloe and Lana simultaneously gave an apologetic look, and Chloe thought, 'Clark really doesn't take death well... It's amazing how innocent he is for such a sturdy guy'. He turned his stare toward the two of them, the pain in his eyes extreme, and seemed to beg for condolence. Lana slowly walked back to him and lifted her umbrella to shield both of them from the rain. Clark embraced her and squeezed his eyes shut, otherwise unable to keep the tears from streaming.
Chloe felt a shot of pain at the sight him finding comfort in Lana rather than her, but only for a moment. 'That's selfish,' she thought. 'This isn't why I'm here.' She turned back around and walked swiftly to catch up with Whitney. She looked up at him mournfully.
"He lived a wonderful life," she offered. "He had a successful marriage and left behind a strong, capable son. He took care of both of you the whole time, and when he was in need, you returned the favor. I think... It doesn't get much better than that." Chloe reached out and gave him a compassionate hug, but Whitney did not respond other than to put his hand on her head (not that she had expected anything more).
When she retreated, Mrs. Fordman said weakly, "Thank you. You're absolutely right..." Chloe nodded politely and Whitney turned them back around and kept walking.
By that time, Clark and Lana had started heading in the other direction to visit her parents' grave and then proceed home. Chloe departed the cemetery alone, and Whitney walked over to Lex for a moment. Lex nodded a solemn hello as Whitney extended his hand and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.
"I just wanted to say thanks..." He gulped back a sob. His voice was slightly shaky. "If you hadn't organized that session with the Metropolis Sharks... It meant a lot to him. To both of us. I'm glad I'll have that to remember, now that..." Lex shook his hand sympathetically and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
"I'm sure he'll be watching when you play with them professionally." He gazed up at the heavens to signify his meaning and gave a comforting smile. Whitney nodded his gratitude and gave his mom another hug before finally approaching his truck to leave.
.: End :.
Author's Notes: *sniffle* Poor little Whitney... *sob* (*poutey face* Feedback?)
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Author: Liz Luthor
Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to it, but I'm using the characters anyway. And if you were even THINKING of suing, 1) You'd be horribly disappointed to find that I have no money, and 2) Get over yourself. :P
Couples: Chloe/Whitney, Clark/Lana, and Pete/OC (Amber)
Author's Notes: Well... After watching "Crush" this week, I suppose some of this wouldn't make too much sense... So here's what's up: the relationship changes that have occurred in the episodes aren't going to affect this fan fic, but the events that occur and personality most likely will. It's not entirely AU...
*~---------- + ----------~*
His eyes were blue.
After having known him for as long as she had, this was the first time she ever got near enough to find that his eyes were a shining, effervescent, blue.
Amber observed Lex discretely from the opposite side of the Talon, curious about the famous Luthor heir. For as long as she could remember, her mother had been an employee at LuthorCorp, and when there was no other choice, Amber had been brought along to work with her, sometimes even meetings. She could remember the first time she saw Lex- the only time she ever saw him in person- she was 6 or 7, and he was about 13. It was only two years after he had lost his hair, and he was clearly still very ashamed of his smooth head. At the time, he was applying a very generous amount of some hair growth product to his pale scalp in the boys' restroom at LuthorCorp in Metropolis, which she had innocently mistaken for the little girls' room. Nonetheless, Amber had never spoken to him, or even seen him aside from newspapers and television- with the exception of that day. When she looked in his eyes, there was a certain depth- sorrow, kindness, reminiscence- that didn't reflect his reputation. She felt he was a generally good person.
Pete, who happened to be standing next to her, tried to hide his feelings about Lex. He was told after the Nicodemus flower incident that his actions under infliction had something to do with Lex, which made him wonder if it was something he would have regretted, had he remembered. Truthfully, his hostility toward the man ran deep, and he couldn't imagine what he would have done, were he without any doubts or limits... When Clark had first become friends with Lex, Pete had tried to believe that Clark was a good judge of character, and that Lex might not be as bad as his father. But it had begun to seem like Lex was only trying to steal his best friend. Surely, the Luthors had something personal against the Ross family.
Chloe was, to some extent, excited about Lex's presence. She was aware that the conversation currently taking place between him and Lana was about advertising the Talon, which she thought would be easily accomplished by a flattering article in the Torch. Coming up with new topics was always a delightful experience for her, and of course, she would also be happy to help out the Talon. Despite what some people thought, she was not resentful of Lana for gaining Clark's adoration in the least. In fact, she was determined to convince herself that Clark was only her friend, and that he would be happier with Lana, which was essentially what Chloe wanted. Now that he no longer had Whitney to worry about, it would be unfair of Chloe to step in his way.
Lindsay was in a good mood. Usually, at school, she had a weird feeling- like she couldn't be herself or she would lose all her friends (for whom she cared more than anything). Here, after hours at the Talon with Amber, her new boyfriend Pete, and his friends- Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan, and, apparently, Lana Lang- not to mention the infamous Lex Luthor, she felt like she belonged. When Lex entered, she was very surprised that to everyone else, his presence didn't seem out of the ordinary. Clark simply said, "Hey Lex, how's it goin'?" and the millionaire nodded his head and went to talk to Lana. She and Amber exchanged astonished glances. After he started asking Lana how she planned to advertise, Lindsay assumed he was the investor of the Talon. 'Not bad' she thought. All of the pictures she had ever seen of him had only been of his bald head. 'They sure had me fooled!' She recalled countless articles about the supposed power-hungry aristocrat and shook her head in disapproval. He had a unique aura about him, but he wasn't anything like the media made him out to be. He looked like an ordinary guy- except for that distinctive atmosphere of his. And he was bald, of course, but she thought it only added to his individuality.
Clark grinned his brilliant grin as he sat happily in the Talon with his friends. Everything seemed so perfect. Lana and Whitney were no longer together, Pete was happy with his new girlfriend, Chloe was happy about the Torch, and Lana was most certainly excited about advertising the Talon. Somehow, he knew in the back of his mind that this would end very soon. It seemed that happiness was impossible without pain of some sort. It scared him. He knew that things wouldn't stay this perfect forever, but he thought he should enjoy it while it lasted, or else what was it worth? He noticed that Pete's new girlfriend had brought her friend, Lindsay, who had been very fond of Whitney lately. On the outside, she seemed quite shallow, but Clark was sure it didn't follow through to her heart. She and Amber were as close as he, Chloe, and Pete were. The two of them-
Clark's thoughts were cut off as Whitney made a conspicuous entrance. He was out of breath and soaking from the rain. Clark knew this couldn't be good. It looked like this period of happiness would be quite short-lived.
The room automatically grew silent as everyone stared up at Whitney expectantly. Chloe could tell he was trying to speak through tears, despite the fact that he had his head lowered.
He took a shaky breath and gasped out, "My father-...," but couldn't continue. Even so, they all knew what he meant.
.: At the funeral :.
Chloe couldn't help but feel out of place. She knew Whitney fairly, but had never so much as set eyes on either of his parents. Nevertheless, she attended the funeral willingly, and tried to show her support for Whitney and his mother. It was a beautiful funeral, but, as can be expected at such an event, there was a horrible downpour. Whitney held his mother in one hand and an umbrella in the other, struggling not to cry. Clark, Lana, and Lex also attended the ceremony.
As usual, Clark seemed to stand out. Not only was he the only one without an umbrella, but he stayed for a few moments after all the other attendees had gone (not to mention the fact that he towered about a foot and a half above almost everybody there). Whitney still walked with his arm around his mother a few feet ahead of Lana, who was walking with Chloe until she turned around to look at Clark. Lana turned back as well, to find the most sorrowful expression upon his face, dripping wet.
Chloe and Lana simultaneously gave an apologetic look, and Chloe thought, 'Clark really doesn't take death well... It's amazing how innocent he is for such a sturdy guy'. He turned his stare toward the two of them, the pain in his eyes extreme, and seemed to beg for condolence. Lana slowly walked back to him and lifted her umbrella to shield both of them from the rain. Clark embraced her and squeezed his eyes shut, otherwise unable to keep the tears from streaming.
Chloe felt a shot of pain at the sight him finding comfort in Lana rather than her, but only for a moment. 'That's selfish,' she thought. 'This isn't why I'm here.' She turned back around and walked swiftly to catch up with Whitney. She looked up at him mournfully.
"He lived a wonderful life," she offered. "He had a successful marriage and left behind a strong, capable son. He took care of both of you the whole time, and when he was in need, you returned the favor. I think... It doesn't get much better than that." Chloe reached out and gave him a compassionate hug, but Whitney did not respond other than to put his hand on her head (not that she had expected anything more).
When she retreated, Mrs. Fordman said weakly, "Thank you. You're absolutely right..." Chloe nodded politely and Whitney turned them back around and kept walking.
By that time, Clark and Lana had started heading in the other direction to visit her parents' grave and then proceed home. Chloe departed the cemetery alone, and Whitney walked over to Lex for a moment. Lex nodded a solemn hello as Whitney extended his hand and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.
"I just wanted to say thanks..." He gulped back a sob. His voice was slightly shaky. "If you hadn't organized that session with the Metropolis Sharks... It meant a lot to him. To both of us. I'm glad I'll have that to remember, now that..." Lex shook his hand sympathetically and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
"I'm sure he'll be watching when you play with them professionally." He gazed up at the heavens to signify his meaning and gave a comforting smile. Whitney nodded his gratitude and gave his mom another hug before finally approaching his truck to leave.
.: End :.
Author's Notes: *sniffle* Poor little Whitney... *sob* (*poutey face* Feedback?)
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