"Um.proposal? " Repeated Chloe in disbelief.

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, besides our Prozac addiction, we have nothing in common. What can you propose to me?"

Whitney turned his eyes to her. "We have another thing in common." "And what is that?" "We both want a certain couple to brake up, so we can have one of them all to ourselves." "You mean Clark and Lana" How could he possibly know about her crush on Clark? She thought she was being subtle!

"I understand why you want them to brake up, but why would I want that?"

"Because of your very obvious crush on Kent. Each time I look at them, I see you looking at them, too, with a very hurt expression on your face, as if someone just shot your dog."

"I don't have a dog"

"It was a metaphor, you know. A Dawson's creek metaphor, which is our next subject."

Chloe lost Whitney on that point.

"Ok, I admit that I have a certain.attraction to Clark, but what does it have to do with Dawson?" " And I thought you were smart, Sullivan. Even I, the stupid jockstrap can see the connection between the annoying show and our problem. "

"Hi!" Chloe said. "Why do you insult me?"

"Isn't one of your hobbies insulting me?" Blush came to Chloe's cheeks. "Look, Fordman, maybe I misjudged you."

"Maybe" He agreed grimly.

"Never mind" Whitney continued.

"My point was, that our problem is a Dawson's Creek kind of problems, we need to solve it in Dawson's Creek means."

"You actually watch the show?" Chloe asked in amusement.

Whitney sighed. "Lana made me. She said it's a good insight on teens' problems today."

Chloe shrugged. "Yeah, right. We are all self obsessed idiots, who prefer talking about real life rather than living it." Whitney sighed again, deeper this time. He seemed unaware of it. "Lana thinks so." "Maybe it's because Joey's mom is dead, too. Like Lana's parents" Said Chloe. "She talks about them a lot".

"Forget why I watch Dawson's Creek. What's important, is that Clark and Lana are our Dawson and Joey."

"If I was them I'd be very insulted right now." "Would you stop making those smart-ass comments for just one minute? I'm trying to explain something important!"

Chloe closed her mouth.

"They are never happy. They always want what they can't have. Clark wanted Lana because she was mine, Lana wanted Clark because he started to notice you."

Chloe's heart jumped at her chest to that statement, but she remained silent.

They stood in a red light.

"Which means" Whitney went on "That they are soon to be unsatisfied with each other. They will want something new, and we will be there, to help them to channel that need to the right direction."

Chloe couldn't stop herself any longer.

"And how exactly will we make that particular miracle happen?" Whitney looked at her in disapproval.

"Didn't I tell you to spare the snark?"

"Yes. So what?" "So. If you don't, I'm not going to tell you, and you can watch them at the cafeteria for the rest of your miserable life."

Chloe had an answer for that, but something in his voice hinted her that the jockstrap was serious. And the idea of watching the happy couple through the entire high school made her shudder.

"Sorry. Tell me your idea."

As the light went green, Whitney shot his next sentence.

"We will pretend we fell in love."

That left Chloe out of words, an unusual state for her.

"That" Whitney explained as he parked the truck in the school's parking lot "Will make them jealous. I promise you."

Chloe still couldn't find the words. It was.absurd? Unthinkable? And maybe that was just the thing she needed to make Clark notice her again?

"Um.I have to think, Whitney."

Whitney gave her a serious blue gaze. "Don't think too long."

"I'll tell you in two days." She replied.

None of them tried to step out of the car.

"Why me, Fordman? You can have any girl in school for your little fraud, in case you didn't know."

"But not one of them has such strong interest in making the whole thing work such as you have. "

"Guess you're right" Chloe admitted. "I'll think of that"

"I'd come to the Torch office in two days to see you." Whitney took Chloe's bag as well as his own and opened the door. Chloe opened hers as well and they both went together inside the school. Chloe could practically hear eyeballs pop out of people's head when they caught site of them. "We attract attention" Chloe whispered uncomfortably. "That's the point. Somebody would tell Clark and Lana that I gave you a ride and walked you to class. Think about it as a little experiment in order to see how they react."

Chloe nodded. It made sense, in some, very twisted ways. They reached Chloe's class, and Whitney handed Chloe her bag, making sure the entire hallway crowd was watching them.

"See you in two days" He whispered to her ear, his breath warm. Chloe blushed. She knew the entire school was watching.

"See you" She managed through clenched teeth.

Chloe was busy studying for math.

The test was tomorrow, and, to her dismay, the equations refused to get themselves solved.

It would have been different if Clark would have helped her, she knew. He had a gift for tutoring, and she pushed herself harder, knowing he expected her to do her best.

He was tutoring Lana now. Which brought her back to the subject which she avoided thinking for the last whole five minutes: Whitney Fordman's proposal. Not that she could pull it off. Not in a million years. And if

she'd not be able to pull it off, the whole school would find out, and they'd laugh till the end of time, and beyond. On the other hand, if she wouldn't accept the offer, she'd be sentenced for life of Clana-love.

Chloe felt a strong urge to hid under her bad and never come out. Instead she shrugged, and zipped some more coffee.

"So, have you made up your mind?" Chloe turned in her editor's chair to face the quarterback.

"Hello, Fordman, nice to see you, too."

Whitney shook his head. "Sorry."

"Forget it. I made up my mind."

He came closer. The smell of his aftershave reached Chloe's nostrils.

"And what have you decided, if I may ask?"

"I'd go for it. I don't know why, but I would."

Whitney smiled. He stretched his hand for hers.

"So, do we have a deal?"

Chloe took the hand he offered her. "We have a deal."

To be continued.