Once Lex brought Crystal back to the studio, he parted from her. Not with
a kiss, not even a hug; he just smiled, a legitimate smile, and slipped
into his car, shifted it into gear and sped away, still smiling to himself.
There was an unquestionable effect that Crystal had on Lex.
After Crystal's last class was done, she swept the wooden floors one more time and locked up, walking back to the farm in the afternoon sun. She wouldn't have thought that such a small town could be spread out so far apart.
It was about three of the clock when she entered the kitchen to the house, adorned with colorful balloons and smelled of a cooking vanilla cake. Crystal peered around to find Clark pulling the cake out of the oven.with his bare hands!
"Oh my God! Clark!" Crystal squeaked viciously.
Clark immediately dropped the pan that held the cake, plummeting it to the floor.
"Clark, what the hell? Why.why the hell weren't you using a potholder or something?" She demanded quickly, grabbing for Clark's hands, seeing if they were okay.
"I'm fine-I'm fine. It wasn't even hot," Clark lied, snatching his hand away from Crystal and bending over to pitch the pan into the sink that was filled with cold water. He stayed bent over to clean up the ruined cake on the floor.
Crystal's face contorted into confusion once she saw that Clark was cleaning up "cooked" cake, but she let it slide.
After a moment, Crystal spoke up, "Well, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to be at the party tonight. Well, I'll be at the beginning anyway."
"Why can't you stay?!" Clark somewhat squeaked as he stood up.
She smiled brilliantly, "I made plans.but I."
"But that's why you came out here all the way from California," Clark interrupted. He really needed her tonight with all the plans and making sure everyone made it and what not. "I." he bowed his head, "I really need you tonight, my mom really deserves a great fortieth birthday."
Crystal placed a hand on Clark's high shoulder, "Well." she bit her lip in thought, then brightened, "Have Lana help you with the décor, call her up, she's coming anyway."
"Yeah, I guess I could. But.where are you going anyhow?"
"Well," she pondered whether or not she should tell Clark, "Lex invited me to a ball. Is that okay?"
"Yeah.I guess so, we don't have any control over you anyways," he couldn't help from grinning.
Crystal just punched him in the shoulder. "So-you need any help around here?"
"Yeah, first I need to make a cake, decorate the back patio, go to the general store for chips, cups, and plates; somewhere in there I need to call Lana, fix the front porch light so no one trips."
"Okay, okay. Great start with listing stuff you'll never be able to finish on time," she didn't know the half of it, "I'll go to the store and NOT get chips. Who has chips at a woman's fortieth birthday party?"
Clark just shrugged.
"I'll get classy finger food and diet soda, which I know she can't live without. Then I'll help you decorate the patio before Lana can chip in. Sound good?"
"Great! Thank you so much Crystal, take my mom's car, since she's out with my dad. So what time do you leave with Lex?"
"About sevenish."
Once Crystal got back from the store, she could hear Lana giggling from the backyard. She came out onto the back patio to find Clark tickling her, practically to death, then decided to interrupt with a clearing of the throat move. It worked.
"Clark, have you gotten something for your mom yet?"
Clark just smiled from ear to ear, helping Lana up from the ground, "Yup."
"Did you get the cake done?"
The smile never left, "Yup."
"Are you finished with the patio?"
"Yup."
"Do you love Lana?"
"Yup." Clark's smile faltered into.terror, shock? No one could tell. Crystal just laughed at her cousin and headed upstairs to get ready for an eventful night.
After Crystal's last class was done, she swept the wooden floors one more time and locked up, walking back to the farm in the afternoon sun. She wouldn't have thought that such a small town could be spread out so far apart.
It was about three of the clock when she entered the kitchen to the house, adorned with colorful balloons and smelled of a cooking vanilla cake. Crystal peered around to find Clark pulling the cake out of the oven.with his bare hands!
"Oh my God! Clark!" Crystal squeaked viciously.
Clark immediately dropped the pan that held the cake, plummeting it to the floor.
"Clark, what the hell? Why.why the hell weren't you using a potholder or something?" She demanded quickly, grabbing for Clark's hands, seeing if they were okay.
"I'm fine-I'm fine. It wasn't even hot," Clark lied, snatching his hand away from Crystal and bending over to pitch the pan into the sink that was filled with cold water. He stayed bent over to clean up the ruined cake on the floor.
Crystal's face contorted into confusion once she saw that Clark was cleaning up "cooked" cake, but she let it slide.
After a moment, Crystal spoke up, "Well, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to be at the party tonight. Well, I'll be at the beginning anyway."
"Why can't you stay?!" Clark somewhat squeaked as he stood up.
She smiled brilliantly, "I made plans.but I."
"But that's why you came out here all the way from California," Clark interrupted. He really needed her tonight with all the plans and making sure everyone made it and what not. "I." he bowed his head, "I really need you tonight, my mom really deserves a great fortieth birthday."
Crystal placed a hand on Clark's high shoulder, "Well." she bit her lip in thought, then brightened, "Have Lana help you with the décor, call her up, she's coming anyway."
"Yeah, I guess I could. But.where are you going anyhow?"
"Well," she pondered whether or not she should tell Clark, "Lex invited me to a ball. Is that okay?"
"Yeah.I guess so, we don't have any control over you anyways," he couldn't help from grinning.
Crystal just punched him in the shoulder. "So-you need any help around here?"
"Yeah, first I need to make a cake, decorate the back patio, go to the general store for chips, cups, and plates; somewhere in there I need to call Lana, fix the front porch light so no one trips."
"Okay, okay. Great start with listing stuff you'll never be able to finish on time," she didn't know the half of it, "I'll go to the store and NOT get chips. Who has chips at a woman's fortieth birthday party?"
Clark just shrugged.
"I'll get classy finger food and diet soda, which I know she can't live without. Then I'll help you decorate the patio before Lana can chip in. Sound good?"
"Great! Thank you so much Crystal, take my mom's car, since she's out with my dad. So what time do you leave with Lex?"
"About sevenish."
Once Crystal got back from the store, she could hear Lana giggling from the backyard. She came out onto the back patio to find Clark tickling her, practically to death, then decided to interrupt with a clearing of the throat move. It worked.
"Clark, have you gotten something for your mom yet?"
Clark just smiled from ear to ear, helping Lana up from the ground, "Yup."
"Did you get the cake done?"
The smile never left, "Yup."
"Are you finished with the patio?"
"Yup."
"Do you love Lana?"
"Yup." Clark's smile faltered into.terror, shock? No one could tell. Crystal just laughed at her cousin and headed upstairs to get ready for an eventful night.
