Disclaimer: Same as usual. Don't own a damn thing. But I'm not bitter. Really. OKAY?
Chapter 1
Clark Kent grabbed a muffin from the basket on the kitchen table and slid into a chair, greeted by a large glass of milk.
"Anything to keep you from drinking out of the bottle," Martha Kent explained, smiling and kissing her son on the top of his head.
"Morning Ma," Clark greeted her with a guilty grin. He took a swig from the glass.
Martha shook her head. "You feeling okay, Clark? You're ready a full ten minutes before the bus comes. Might even make it today."
"Ha, ha," Clark said dryly, giving a smile revealing two rows of perfect, Colgate-white teeth. "It's picture day. Don't want to be late." Clark paused. "How do I look?"
Martha looked at him from head to toe. The usual red V-neck sweater over a white shirt, jeans, and New Balance running shoes. No different than any of his other outfits. She smiled at him anyway.
"You look gorgeous, sweetheart," she told him, wrapping her arms around him in an awkward, over-the-back hug, and kissing his cheek.
"Mooom," Clark groaned, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, feeling his face redden.
"Mornin' Martha. Mornin's Clark," Jonathan greeted his family.
"Good morning, Jonathan," Martha replied, kissing her husband's cheek and smiling at him.
Clark just grunted a 'hey,' and quickly left the room, stopping only to grab another muffin for the road. He scooped up his backpack and headed outside to wait for the bus.
Martha glanced at her husband suspiciously. "Did you and Clark get into a fight whole I was gone? Was it about Lex Luthor again?"
Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat, and struggled to keep his voice calm. "No. No. No fight." He grabbed the bottle of milk from the fridge and chugged it straight from the bottle, hoping to divert Martha's attention away from Clark.
"Jonathan, how many times do I have to tell you to get a glass?" Martha asked, hands on her hips. "Look what you're teaching Clark."
Success. Now Martha was going on about how big of a slob he was. Jonathan really hated to lie to her. The fact was, something had happened in her week's absence. Something that had altered his relationship with his only son. Ever since Jonathan had caught him trying to kill himself, Clark hadn't said much to him. Whenever Jonathan entered a room, Clark left it. If Jonathan tried to talk to him, Clark zipped away. It was frustrating, and really, a major pain in the butt. He just wanted to talk to his son.
Jonathan quickly went out the back door, calling to Martha over his shoulder that he had some work to do in the barn. Martha stopped short. It hit her what Jonathan had done.
"Sneaky bastard," she mumbled. She couldn't help it. Neither Jonathan nor Clark had been exactly talkative since she got back. Clark was bright and friendly around her, and cold and distant when Jonathan came around. She was certain, positive that something had happened between them, but whenever she tried to ask either of them, they quickly steered her away from the topic.
She sighed and began to vigorously dust the living room, a habit she had picked up from her own mother. Whenever things got tough, cleaning could always take your mind off things. Martha stopped as she picked up the picture of Jonathan and Clark that was perched on top of the fireplace.
Martha had taken the photo their second Christmas, or maybe it was their first. She couldn't quit remember. There were Clark and Jonathan asleep on the living room floor, wrapping paper all around them, and under them even. Jonathan had his arms wrapped around Clark protectively, and his lips just barely touching Clark's cheek. Martha gave a sad smile. Her two "little boys" looked so cute. They had been so close. What had happened?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bus came to a screeching halt in front of Clark. The doors opened slowly, and he, equally slow, boarded. His eyes scanned the cramped bus for a seat. Every spot was filled. Chloe, sitting next to Pete, gave him a sympathetic, almost guilty smile. She had obviously thought he'd miss the bus again, and hadn't bothered to save him a seat. Clark shifted awkwardly.
"C'mon, Kent," the bus driver urged. "We ain't got all day."
"Clark!" A beautiful soft voice called from the back of the bus. Lana Lang. She was, amazingly, sitting alone. For once Whitney was not latched onto her arm. Clark felt a wave of hormones hit him like a freight train and he shifted his backpack in front of him, feeling his face go red. "Clark! Over here!"
Clark walked quickly up the aisle, praying they were no other Clarks on the bus, and ignoring the snickers from the people noticing where he held his backpack.
"Lana Lang strikes again," he heard someone whisper to the person sitting next to them.
"Can't say I blame him," the other guy hissed back, stifling a laugh.
Finally Clark was at his final destination. To his one true love. He plopped down next to her, careful not to move his backpack.
"Hey, Lana," he said softly, feeling his heart settled down to a normal pace.
"Hi, Clark," she greeted him with a big smile, her eyes twinkling softly.
"Where's Whitney?" Clark asked. 'Nice job, Kent,' he told himself. 'Just when you might have a shot, you have to go bring up her boyfriend.'
"Picking up his car from the shop. It's pretty banged up," Lana explained. "He'll probably end up being late, but, hey, I tried to warn him." Her smile made Clark's insides do the Macarena. He tried to steady himself, though he grew more excited as he realized that his leg was just touching Lana's.
Lana blushed, noticing this, but the seats were too small for her to move any farther away, so she decided to just grin and bare it. She pulled her skirt down a little farther. 'Damn mini-skirt,' she thought. 'You and Clark would make a cute couple.' Lana was surprised as soon as that thought popped into her mind. What was she thinking? Clark was her friend, just her friend. Sure he was gorgeous and all, but she had Whitney, who she truly loved.
The thought of Whitney tamed her reckless heart. She loved him, she really did. Clark was just a friend.
"How do you think you did on that history quiz?" She finally asked, trying to fill the awkward silence between the two of them.
Clark wrinkled his nose, trying his hardest not to laugh at Pete who was waggling his eyebrows at him, and pretending to make out with his backpack.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. The quiz. Probably failed." Clark shrugged. "You win some, you lose some."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," Lana replied with a smile. "Mr. Neil can be brutal."
Clark nodded slowly in agreement. "So, there's a uh, a dance comin' up this month I hear."
"Uh-huh," Lana mumbled. For a brief second she could almost picture it. Clark looking dashing in a black tux, holding her tight as they danced to the Goo Goo Dolls. Her in a tight fitting blue dress, looking into his big eyes, and speaking without saying a word......"I'm going with Whitney," she blurted out, trying to delete all images of her with Clark from her mind.
It's Luthor's fault she decided. Just yesterday he had left a message on her answering machine, speaking softly about how sometimes your soul mate was right under your nose and you never knew it. How sometimes you could become too wrapped up in your trophy boyfriend and overlook the sweet as pie boy living a mile away. He hadn't come right out and said he was talking about Clark, but it was obvious enough to her.
"Oh," Clark replied downcast.
"But I'll make sure to save you a dance," Lana quickly said, wondering where the words were coming from.
Clark instantly smiled big. Little rays of hope were everywhere. He wanted to cry as the bus reached the school. How he would love to just sit there forever his knee brushing against hers, ever so gently. He stood up as the doors opened. Well there went that fantasy.
He jogged a bit to catch up with Chloe and Pete, leaving Lana with a hurried good bye.
"Hey guys," he called to them.
"You know, I really hate it when you do that. Not all of us here are guys," Chloe pointed out, looking incredibly perturbed.
"Right. Sorry Pete," Clark joked. That got a smile out of Chloe, and an indignant cry from Pete.
"So, Clark, how was the ride?" Pete asked, grinning like an idiot.
Clark with a grin just as dopey, and twice as forced, just sighed. "Magical," he whispered, looking up at the sky.
Chloe rolled her eyes as the trio headed for the school building.
Lana smiled when she saw Whitney pull up in his totally fixed truck. She gave him a long, hard, kiss, satisfying her for the moment. It came with the realization that she truly was with who she loved. Clark Kent, he was just a lust, not a love.
"Whoa," Whitney said. "Since when did you get all frisky on me? I like it."
Lana just smiled, and kissed him again. Whitney plunked his arm around her shoulder and they walked towards the school.
In the corner of her eye, Lana could see Clark walking with his friends. Her previous emotions peeked through. She shook her head. She was with who she loved. Whitney. Not Clark.
No. Not Clark. She didn't love Clark.
Right?
*more coming soon. With more action and more Lex. *wolf whistle* okay, the two most gorgeous characters EVER on the same tv show has got to be Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Thanks for the reviews everyone, and please, keep 'em coming. Oh, and by the way, this story really won't be revolving around Clark and Lana together. Maybe in the future. *shrug*
Chapter 1
Clark Kent grabbed a muffin from the basket on the kitchen table and slid into a chair, greeted by a large glass of milk.
"Anything to keep you from drinking out of the bottle," Martha Kent explained, smiling and kissing her son on the top of his head.
"Morning Ma," Clark greeted her with a guilty grin. He took a swig from the glass.
Martha shook her head. "You feeling okay, Clark? You're ready a full ten minutes before the bus comes. Might even make it today."
"Ha, ha," Clark said dryly, giving a smile revealing two rows of perfect, Colgate-white teeth. "It's picture day. Don't want to be late." Clark paused. "How do I look?"
Martha looked at him from head to toe. The usual red V-neck sweater over a white shirt, jeans, and New Balance running shoes. No different than any of his other outfits. She smiled at him anyway.
"You look gorgeous, sweetheart," she told him, wrapping her arms around him in an awkward, over-the-back hug, and kissing his cheek.
"Mooom," Clark groaned, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, feeling his face redden.
"Mornin' Martha. Mornin's Clark," Jonathan greeted his family.
"Good morning, Jonathan," Martha replied, kissing her husband's cheek and smiling at him.
Clark just grunted a 'hey,' and quickly left the room, stopping only to grab another muffin for the road. He scooped up his backpack and headed outside to wait for the bus.
Martha glanced at her husband suspiciously. "Did you and Clark get into a fight whole I was gone? Was it about Lex Luthor again?"
Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat, and struggled to keep his voice calm. "No. No. No fight." He grabbed the bottle of milk from the fridge and chugged it straight from the bottle, hoping to divert Martha's attention away from Clark.
"Jonathan, how many times do I have to tell you to get a glass?" Martha asked, hands on her hips. "Look what you're teaching Clark."
Success. Now Martha was going on about how big of a slob he was. Jonathan really hated to lie to her. The fact was, something had happened in her week's absence. Something that had altered his relationship with his only son. Ever since Jonathan had caught him trying to kill himself, Clark hadn't said much to him. Whenever Jonathan entered a room, Clark left it. If Jonathan tried to talk to him, Clark zipped away. It was frustrating, and really, a major pain in the butt. He just wanted to talk to his son.
Jonathan quickly went out the back door, calling to Martha over his shoulder that he had some work to do in the barn. Martha stopped short. It hit her what Jonathan had done.
"Sneaky bastard," she mumbled. She couldn't help it. Neither Jonathan nor Clark had been exactly talkative since she got back. Clark was bright and friendly around her, and cold and distant when Jonathan came around. She was certain, positive that something had happened between them, but whenever she tried to ask either of them, they quickly steered her away from the topic.
She sighed and began to vigorously dust the living room, a habit she had picked up from her own mother. Whenever things got tough, cleaning could always take your mind off things. Martha stopped as she picked up the picture of Jonathan and Clark that was perched on top of the fireplace.
Martha had taken the photo their second Christmas, or maybe it was their first. She couldn't quit remember. There were Clark and Jonathan asleep on the living room floor, wrapping paper all around them, and under them even. Jonathan had his arms wrapped around Clark protectively, and his lips just barely touching Clark's cheek. Martha gave a sad smile. Her two "little boys" looked so cute. They had been so close. What had happened?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bus came to a screeching halt in front of Clark. The doors opened slowly, and he, equally slow, boarded. His eyes scanned the cramped bus for a seat. Every spot was filled. Chloe, sitting next to Pete, gave him a sympathetic, almost guilty smile. She had obviously thought he'd miss the bus again, and hadn't bothered to save him a seat. Clark shifted awkwardly.
"C'mon, Kent," the bus driver urged. "We ain't got all day."
"Clark!" A beautiful soft voice called from the back of the bus. Lana Lang. She was, amazingly, sitting alone. For once Whitney was not latched onto her arm. Clark felt a wave of hormones hit him like a freight train and he shifted his backpack in front of him, feeling his face go red. "Clark! Over here!"
Clark walked quickly up the aisle, praying they were no other Clarks on the bus, and ignoring the snickers from the people noticing where he held his backpack.
"Lana Lang strikes again," he heard someone whisper to the person sitting next to them.
"Can't say I blame him," the other guy hissed back, stifling a laugh.
Finally Clark was at his final destination. To his one true love. He plopped down next to her, careful not to move his backpack.
"Hey, Lana," he said softly, feeling his heart settled down to a normal pace.
"Hi, Clark," she greeted him with a big smile, her eyes twinkling softly.
"Where's Whitney?" Clark asked. 'Nice job, Kent,' he told himself. 'Just when you might have a shot, you have to go bring up her boyfriend.'
"Picking up his car from the shop. It's pretty banged up," Lana explained. "He'll probably end up being late, but, hey, I tried to warn him." Her smile made Clark's insides do the Macarena. He tried to steady himself, though he grew more excited as he realized that his leg was just touching Lana's.
Lana blushed, noticing this, but the seats were too small for her to move any farther away, so she decided to just grin and bare it. She pulled her skirt down a little farther. 'Damn mini-skirt,' she thought. 'You and Clark would make a cute couple.' Lana was surprised as soon as that thought popped into her mind. What was she thinking? Clark was her friend, just her friend. Sure he was gorgeous and all, but she had Whitney, who she truly loved.
The thought of Whitney tamed her reckless heart. She loved him, she really did. Clark was just a friend.
"How do you think you did on that history quiz?" She finally asked, trying to fill the awkward silence between the two of them.
Clark wrinkled his nose, trying his hardest not to laugh at Pete who was waggling his eyebrows at him, and pretending to make out with his backpack.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. The quiz. Probably failed." Clark shrugged. "You win some, you lose some."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," Lana replied with a smile. "Mr. Neil can be brutal."
Clark nodded slowly in agreement. "So, there's a uh, a dance comin' up this month I hear."
"Uh-huh," Lana mumbled. For a brief second she could almost picture it. Clark looking dashing in a black tux, holding her tight as they danced to the Goo Goo Dolls. Her in a tight fitting blue dress, looking into his big eyes, and speaking without saying a word......"I'm going with Whitney," she blurted out, trying to delete all images of her with Clark from her mind.
It's Luthor's fault she decided. Just yesterday he had left a message on her answering machine, speaking softly about how sometimes your soul mate was right under your nose and you never knew it. How sometimes you could become too wrapped up in your trophy boyfriend and overlook the sweet as pie boy living a mile away. He hadn't come right out and said he was talking about Clark, but it was obvious enough to her.
"Oh," Clark replied downcast.
"But I'll make sure to save you a dance," Lana quickly said, wondering where the words were coming from.
Clark instantly smiled big. Little rays of hope were everywhere. He wanted to cry as the bus reached the school. How he would love to just sit there forever his knee brushing against hers, ever so gently. He stood up as the doors opened. Well there went that fantasy.
He jogged a bit to catch up with Chloe and Pete, leaving Lana with a hurried good bye.
"Hey guys," he called to them.
"You know, I really hate it when you do that. Not all of us here are guys," Chloe pointed out, looking incredibly perturbed.
"Right. Sorry Pete," Clark joked. That got a smile out of Chloe, and an indignant cry from Pete.
"So, Clark, how was the ride?" Pete asked, grinning like an idiot.
Clark with a grin just as dopey, and twice as forced, just sighed. "Magical," he whispered, looking up at the sky.
Chloe rolled her eyes as the trio headed for the school building.
Lana smiled when she saw Whitney pull up in his totally fixed truck. She gave him a long, hard, kiss, satisfying her for the moment. It came with the realization that she truly was with who she loved. Clark Kent, he was just a lust, not a love.
"Whoa," Whitney said. "Since when did you get all frisky on me? I like it."
Lana just smiled, and kissed him again. Whitney plunked his arm around her shoulder and they walked towards the school.
In the corner of her eye, Lana could see Clark walking with his friends. Her previous emotions peeked through. She shook her head. She was with who she loved. Whitney. Not Clark.
No. Not Clark. She didn't love Clark.
Right?
*more coming soon. With more action and more Lex. *wolf whistle* okay, the two most gorgeous characters EVER on the same tv show has got to be Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Thanks for the reviews everyone, and please, keep 'em coming. Oh, and by the way, this story really won't be revolving around Clark and Lana together. Maybe in the future. *shrug*