Chapter 4- Thursday Afternoon, Torch Office
"Clark, you have your article?" Chloe demanded as Clark walked into the Torch office.
Clark smiled, set down his red backpack and retrieved the disk from it. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Chloe replied, only looking at him long enough to take the disk. After she did her attention went back to the lay-out on her computer screen.
"Chloe, we're friends right?" Clark asked, straddling a chair next to the blond.
"The best," Chloe replied absently.
"Do we have a lot in common?" Clark asked, leaning on to the back of the chair.
"Sure, Clark," Chloe answered, typing furiously.
"And nothing can come between us and mess it up, right?" Clark asked hesitantly.
"Right," Chloe replied, clicking into another part of the screen.
"And we're comfortable together, aren't we?" Clark pressed, tapping his fingers on Chloe's desk in an off-beat rhythm.
"Yeah," Chloe answered, biting her lip as she tried to center an image on the screen.
"Do you want to have my children?" Clark asked, no humor on his voice.
Chloe whipped around to face him. "Excuse me??"
Clark broke into a grin. "Just making sure you were paying attention."
"I was," Chloe insisted. "I'm one of those people who can walk and chew gum at the same time."
"Ah, I see," Clark replied, looking into Chloe's eyes.
"Why all the questions?" Chloe asked, looking uncomfortable under Clark's piercing gaze.
"Just want to know where we stand," Clark replied, shifting his eyes downward.
"Clark, have you been around too many meteors? Are you getting sick?" Chloe asked, pressing a cool palm to Clark's forehead.
Clark shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "I'm fine."
"Whatever you say. You've been acting weird lately. Everything okay?" she asked, turning back to the computer.
"Tell me two good things about Lana," Clark tried. If he couldn't make up his mind, he'd have Chloe help him. She always was the most rational.
"Two good things about Lana? Okay, she's pretty, and she's non- judgmental," Chloe said, shrugging her shoulders.
"And two bad things?" Clark asked, glad Chloe wasn't asking questions.
"There's always the dwelling in the past bit. For someone who doesn't want to be super glued to her fairy princess reputation she sure brings it up a lot. And she's too girly," Chloe continued.
At that Clark laughed. "Yes, you really aren't the girly type are you?"
Chloe shot Clark a look from the corner of her eye. "I can be girly when I want to."
"Yes you can," Clark agreed, wondering if he should try his luck with another set of questions. "What are two good things about you?"
Chloe narrowed her eyes, then rolled them. "Let's see. I'm loyal to a fault. I am also the life of the party," she teased.
Clark smiled. Both were true. "And two bad?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "I tend to get in over my head, and I try too hard."
Clark smiled bigger and stood. "I have to go to class. See you in English." With that Clark stood and left.
Moments later Pete came in and found himself in the line of Chloe's fire.
"What is the deal with Clark? I know you know!" Chloe said loudly.
Pete backed against the wall, unprepared for the attack. "What do you mean?"
"He was asking me weird questions, like are we friends. And then he asked me to say two good things about Lana and myself, then two bad. He's choosing isn't he?" Chloe demanded to know.
Pete shrugged helplessly and bolted from the office.
* * *
"Chloe knows," Pete said, out of breath from running to find Clark.
"What??" Clark asked, his eyes going wide.
"She knows you're trying to choose. Whatever you said to her set her off. She just attacked me," Pete replied, trying to catch his breath. "This is bad."
"Very bad," Clark agreed, looking around to see if he could see Chloe. "What do I do?"
"I don't know, but whatever you do, do it fast," Pete said, pointing behind Clark.
Clark spun around to find Chloe walking toward him. Without thinking he dragged Pete into the bathroom.
"Smooth, man. Real smooth. You know, we can't stay in here all period," Pete said, shaking his head
"Do you think she saw us?" Clark asked, raising his eyebrows in a hopeful manner.
Pete opened the door and looked out. "Nope, she was going for Lana, not us."
"Oh, no," Clark whined, sitting on the sink.
"I'm going to go run interference," Pete said, as if psyching himself up. "You hide in here until the coast's clear. And I suggest you *choose*!"
Pete took a deep breath and emerged from the bathroom. He could hear Lana and Chloe's conversation from across the hallway.
"He's trying to choose?" Lana asked incredulously.
"Yes. At least I think so. He kept asking me these strange questions," Chloe relayed.
"That would explain the questions last night," Lana told Chloe. "What should we do?"
"I know what I'm going to do," Chloe said harshly.
"You're going to calm down," Pete interrupted. "Hey, Lana."
"I'm not going to be part of some contest," Chloe told him.
"Me either," Lana replied, looking to Pete pointedly.
"Girls, please," Pete pleaded. "It's not his fault. It's mine."
Chloe looked at Pete skeptically. "Yours?"
"Yeah, I told Clark to choose. I got tired of him whining about both of you," Pete explained, dreading the girls' reactions.
"He whines about me?" both girls asked in unison. Both their eyes grew wide and they looked to the ground, not noticing Pete's growing grin at their remark.
Lana and Chloe both made quick exits claiming various excuses.
* * *
Thursday Night, Ross Home
"This is it, Clark," Pete said. "Judgment day."
"But they know, Pete. They know that I am choosing," Clark replied, plopping onto Pete's bed.
"And they both want you, Clark. Both of them are secretly wishing that the one you pick is them," Pete pointed out. "Sure, they'll give you grief, but so what?"
"How do you know that?" Clark asked.
"One's my best friend, and one is like an open book," Pete replied. "So, who do you pick?"
A look of confidence came over Clark's face. "I choose Chloe. She's my best friend, and I love her."
Pete hollered, startling Clark. Clark broke into a grin at his friend's joy.
"Here," Pete said, handing Clark a wad of bills. "Treat her good, or I'll have to hurt you!"
Clark smiled. "I will," he said, his eyes shining.
"Now, we have to think of a romantic way to tell Chloe, because 'I picked you' may not be the best way," Pete said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the great plan they would come up with.
"Clark, you have your article?" Chloe demanded as Clark walked into the Torch office.
Clark smiled, set down his red backpack and retrieved the disk from it. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Chloe replied, only looking at him long enough to take the disk. After she did her attention went back to the lay-out on her computer screen.
"Chloe, we're friends right?" Clark asked, straddling a chair next to the blond.
"The best," Chloe replied absently.
"Do we have a lot in common?" Clark asked, leaning on to the back of the chair.
"Sure, Clark," Chloe answered, typing furiously.
"And nothing can come between us and mess it up, right?" Clark asked hesitantly.
"Right," Chloe replied, clicking into another part of the screen.
"And we're comfortable together, aren't we?" Clark pressed, tapping his fingers on Chloe's desk in an off-beat rhythm.
"Yeah," Chloe answered, biting her lip as she tried to center an image on the screen.
"Do you want to have my children?" Clark asked, no humor on his voice.
Chloe whipped around to face him. "Excuse me??"
Clark broke into a grin. "Just making sure you were paying attention."
"I was," Chloe insisted. "I'm one of those people who can walk and chew gum at the same time."
"Ah, I see," Clark replied, looking into Chloe's eyes.
"Why all the questions?" Chloe asked, looking uncomfortable under Clark's piercing gaze.
"Just want to know where we stand," Clark replied, shifting his eyes downward.
"Clark, have you been around too many meteors? Are you getting sick?" Chloe asked, pressing a cool palm to Clark's forehead.
Clark shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "I'm fine."
"Whatever you say. You've been acting weird lately. Everything okay?" she asked, turning back to the computer.
"Tell me two good things about Lana," Clark tried. If he couldn't make up his mind, he'd have Chloe help him. She always was the most rational.
"Two good things about Lana? Okay, she's pretty, and she's non- judgmental," Chloe said, shrugging her shoulders.
"And two bad things?" Clark asked, glad Chloe wasn't asking questions.
"There's always the dwelling in the past bit. For someone who doesn't want to be super glued to her fairy princess reputation she sure brings it up a lot. And she's too girly," Chloe continued.
At that Clark laughed. "Yes, you really aren't the girly type are you?"
Chloe shot Clark a look from the corner of her eye. "I can be girly when I want to."
"Yes you can," Clark agreed, wondering if he should try his luck with another set of questions. "What are two good things about you?"
Chloe narrowed her eyes, then rolled them. "Let's see. I'm loyal to a fault. I am also the life of the party," she teased.
Clark smiled. Both were true. "And two bad?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "I tend to get in over my head, and I try too hard."
Clark smiled bigger and stood. "I have to go to class. See you in English." With that Clark stood and left.
Moments later Pete came in and found himself in the line of Chloe's fire.
"What is the deal with Clark? I know you know!" Chloe said loudly.
Pete backed against the wall, unprepared for the attack. "What do you mean?"
"He was asking me weird questions, like are we friends. And then he asked me to say two good things about Lana and myself, then two bad. He's choosing isn't he?" Chloe demanded to know.
Pete shrugged helplessly and bolted from the office.
* * *
"Chloe knows," Pete said, out of breath from running to find Clark.
"What??" Clark asked, his eyes going wide.
"She knows you're trying to choose. Whatever you said to her set her off. She just attacked me," Pete replied, trying to catch his breath. "This is bad."
"Very bad," Clark agreed, looking around to see if he could see Chloe. "What do I do?"
"I don't know, but whatever you do, do it fast," Pete said, pointing behind Clark.
Clark spun around to find Chloe walking toward him. Without thinking he dragged Pete into the bathroom.
"Smooth, man. Real smooth. You know, we can't stay in here all period," Pete said, shaking his head
"Do you think she saw us?" Clark asked, raising his eyebrows in a hopeful manner.
Pete opened the door and looked out. "Nope, she was going for Lana, not us."
"Oh, no," Clark whined, sitting on the sink.
"I'm going to go run interference," Pete said, as if psyching himself up. "You hide in here until the coast's clear. And I suggest you *choose*!"
Pete took a deep breath and emerged from the bathroom. He could hear Lana and Chloe's conversation from across the hallway.
"He's trying to choose?" Lana asked incredulously.
"Yes. At least I think so. He kept asking me these strange questions," Chloe relayed.
"That would explain the questions last night," Lana told Chloe. "What should we do?"
"I know what I'm going to do," Chloe said harshly.
"You're going to calm down," Pete interrupted. "Hey, Lana."
"I'm not going to be part of some contest," Chloe told him.
"Me either," Lana replied, looking to Pete pointedly.
"Girls, please," Pete pleaded. "It's not his fault. It's mine."
Chloe looked at Pete skeptically. "Yours?"
"Yeah, I told Clark to choose. I got tired of him whining about both of you," Pete explained, dreading the girls' reactions.
"He whines about me?" both girls asked in unison. Both their eyes grew wide and they looked to the ground, not noticing Pete's growing grin at their remark.
Lana and Chloe both made quick exits claiming various excuses.
* * *
Thursday Night, Ross Home
"This is it, Clark," Pete said. "Judgment day."
"But they know, Pete. They know that I am choosing," Clark replied, plopping onto Pete's bed.
"And they both want you, Clark. Both of them are secretly wishing that the one you pick is them," Pete pointed out. "Sure, they'll give you grief, but so what?"
"How do you know that?" Clark asked.
"One's my best friend, and one is like an open book," Pete replied. "So, who do you pick?"
A look of confidence came over Clark's face. "I choose Chloe. She's my best friend, and I love her."
Pete hollered, startling Clark. Clark broke into a grin at his friend's joy.
"Here," Pete said, handing Clark a wad of bills. "Treat her good, or I'll have to hurt you!"
Clark smiled. "I will," he said, his eyes shining.
"Now, we have to think of a romantic way to tell Chloe, because 'I picked you' may not be the best way," Pete said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the great plan they would come up with.