Love Rocks
**Chloe**
I pull up to the school in my trusty red car. I am late, as usual. God, how many times has this damn car broken down on the way to school? Of course, it just has to happen on one of the days when I don't have a free period after homeroom. I hope Pete made something up for me. God forbid if Clark lied! I smile to myself at the thought. That boy doesn't have a dishonest bone in his body.
I jog to my locker and grab my books. Calculus first. Dear Lord, I am crap at math. It's not that I don't apply myself, it's just that I don't understand. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Sometimes it's all letters! Give me something meteor-related, then I'll understand.
"Chloe, you have got to get a new car." I hear a voice behind me. I spin around and see Pete leaning against the locker beside me.
I sigh and give him a dirty look. "That car and I have been through a lot, Pete. It's just. broken in."
"It's a lemon, Chlo." I swear I heard him snort.
I slam my locker shut and rush past him. "I would talk, but I have Calculus to get to." I get to the classroom door and see Mr. Samuels teaching derivatives on the chalkboard. Maybe I can just sneak through the-
"Ms. Sullivan, how nice of you to join us." Aw, Dammit. "I'll see you afterwards."
I take my seat behind Clark, expecting him to turn around and ask me why I was late. No such luck. What's up with that? He's usually so worried if I'm late. I see his head turn and look over at Lana. Hmph. He must be in the Lang haze. That explains it.
What makes her so special anyways? It's not like she's great at Calculus either. Why must every guy at this school be infatuated with Ms. I'm-so- perfect-ex-cheerleader-raven-haired-so-frigging-nice-that-you-can't-even- hate-her Lana Lang? I wish I could knock some sense into Clark. Hmm, I do have a nice thick math book in front of me.
"Ms. Sullivan, what's the answer?"
My head shoots up. What? What have we been doing? Crap, maybe this is why I'm failing math. "Umm."
"Have you been listening?"
I put on my most innocent face and say snarkily, "Of course, Mr. Samuels. I just don't understand the question."
I hate the look he gives me. Uh oh. I have a feeling he is going to say something that will make me feel extremely stupid.
"What in the question 5 + 10 do you not understand?" He asks with a smug look on his face. If I could only go up there and smack him to death with his goddam bible textbook. "That's it, Ms. Sullivan. Go to the principal's office, please."
Eep. Never have I been sent to the principal's office. Well. there was that one time when I "accidentally" walked into the boy's locker room to see if they had better changing conditions than the girls (ie locks on their lockers). That was an isolated incident. I've never been sent to the principal's office on non-Torch related events.
I pack up my books and look around the room. Clark hasn't even looked in my direction today. Lana's looking over her shoulder at him, smiling. Doesn't that girl have a boyfriend on a leash somewhere? The rest of the class is looking at me with indifference. They couldn't care less if I was tied to a stake in the middle of the football field wearing nothing but a football helmet. Where did that come from?
I kick a can as I walk to the principal's office. Stupid brain. Can't even add two frigging numbers together. Who am I kidding? I can't pay attention to many things when Clark is around. I'd probably forget my name if he didn't say it every five seconds.
"Chloe Sullivan. I haven't seen you in here since there was a fire in the biology classroom." Whoops, forgot about that one. Totally not my fault though. Well, just a bit. I needed an article for the Torch. I figured, why not test the school's reaction rate to a non-scheduled fire drill?
"Good morning, Principal Kwan." I sink down in the comfy leather chair in front of his desk.
He peers at me over the triangular wooden block that said, "Principal Kwan" on his desk. "Chloe, is everything alright?"
I look up from my hands that were pulling apart the hem of my shirt. Is everything alright? Oh, what a question. Hm, my best friend, who I've been in love with since eighth grade, is ignoring me, my mother and father are in the middle of a messy divorce and I have the devil himself for a Calculus teacher. "Um in a matter of speaking, yes."
He gives me a queer look. What the hell is wrong with him today? "Are you sure? You can talk to me if you want."
I consider telling him about my parent's divorce, then realize that he probably already knew. Why else would he be so nice to me? Usually, he just shook his head in disappointment and handed me the sentence.
"You know about. my parents?"
He nods slowly and I sigh. "Look, Chloe. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here. Okay?"
I'm grateful for his sympathy, but really, I have friends that I can talk to. if I want. Jeez, Clark and Pete don't even know about this, and Kwan wants me to open up to him? Uh, nuh uh. I don't think so.
I get up from the chair and thank him. "Usual sentence?"
Surprisingly, Kwan shakes his head and stands up. "No, that's alright, Ms. Sullivan. Just remember to pay attention in class, okay?" He smiles politely and ushers me out of his office.
Okay, I am officially pissed off. I don't need his freaking sympathy. I already feel bad enough already. My stupid mother springs this thing on my dad after 20 years of marriage and expects it to be nice and clean? Please, we don't live in a goddam TV show. And I'm not stupid. I know my mother was having an affair. I feel so horrible for my father. He had to move away from his wife so he could support us, and she craps all over him. Life really sucks sometimes.
****
"Clark? Earth to Clark?" I wave my hand in front of his face to try and drag him out of his self-induced stare contest with a spot just above my shoulder.
He blinks twice and looks at me. "What?"
God, he can be so goddam oblivious sometimes. If I didn't love him so much, I'd have punched him a long time ago. "I know the wall is interesting, but it can't hit you if you don't pay attention to it."
"Sorry." He mumbles, looking down at his food. I see the blush on his face and turn to see what he was actually looking at. Well, what a surprise! It's Ms. Perky! Damn, she's seen me. Arg! She's coming over! I spin around and see a big smile on Clark's face. "You make me want to hurl my mystery meat, farm boy." I hiss, a little harshly I admit. My day has not been going well.
****
I slam the door as I get home. I couldn't sit at that table with them fawning over each other. Luckily, the Torch office was empty, so I sat at my computer and, sadly, debated whether I would look good as a brunette.
"Honey, there's a package for you from your mother." Dad's voice says forcedly from the kitchen.
Package? From mom? From my mom? I bet it's a live tarantula. That would piss Dad off royally. I walk into the kitchen and dump my bag on one of the chairs. Small brown package. Yup, definitely a live insect. I pick it up and hold it away from me, afraid it's going to explode or something. Okay, so maybe I'm overreacting. I haven't seen my mother for six months. Not since she came down here to tell us that she wanted a divorce.
I finally cut the seal on the box and open it, fully expecting a group of mosquitoes to swarm around me. Nope, just an envelope and a small bottle filled with a vibrant blue liquid.
Dear Chloe,
I'm sorry for what's happening between your father and I. I didn't think the distance would be this hard.
Enclosed is a sample of a new perfume my company has developed. It's a prototype and I wanted you to be the first to try it out and tell me what you think. Hopefully, it will be a hit and I can contribute to your college fund.
Miss you, Mom
I put the letter down and pick up the bottle. It's got an enticing colour, I have to say. I shrug and take it up to my room. Maybe I'll put some one tomorrow.
****
Okay, I have officially entered the Twilight Zone.
I woke up this morning in a perfectly normal town, well, except for the meteor freaks. This town has gone completely mental.
I put a bit of that perfume on today and went to school, fully expecting to be ignored as usual. This stuff must really work well because every guy at school was giving me these looks. Once I checked to make sure it hadn't turned my neck bright blue, I figured they were just surprised that I was wearing perfume. Oh no, that wasn't it at all.
Pete sat uncomfortably close to me on the bus and kept sniffing the air around me. That was just the beginning. Two guys who I have never talked to before in my life, but know they play football, cornered me in an empty classroom and asked me to the spring formal. Even Whitney said something as he sat behind me in English. He put his chin on my shoulder and whispered, "Hey, Sullivan. Want to go out on Friday?"
I tensed, wondering what the hell was going on. "Don't you have a girlfriend? You know, Lana Lang, the girl who everyone wants?"
He gave me a mischievous look, which did not work well on him, and sat back. "Not anymore, Chloe. Everyone's talking about you."
What drugs did everyone take this morning? I notice that every guy in the room is turned to look at me, even Mr. Samuels. I notice with a sad heart that I'm still staring at Clark's back. He's still stuck on Lana. Fine, he hasn't noticed me or my feelings, the rest of the guys at school have. That's it, I'm finished with Clark. Stupid farm boy.
****
"Hey Chloe." I hear Pete's voice call from the far end of the hallway. I sigh and turn, stopping mid-spin. Following me down the hallway is the entire male population of Smallville High School. All of them have this really weird look on their faces as well. It's like they're in some sort of trance or something. I think I'll take a little trip to the bathroom and wash this perfume off.
"Chloe!" Pete catches up to me as I'm about to go into the girls bathroom. Okay, I need to get this stuff off of me because Pete is leaning way to close for comfort. I'd better tell Mom not to put this stuff on the market or else every man in Metropolis will have the mental capacity of a caveman. I swear, it's all drooling and grunting. it makes me wonder how primitive women ever put up with it.
"What? And can you stop leering at me? It's unnerving." I swear I see him glance down at my chest. Okay, so Pete has always been over-average in the hormone department, but I never realized that he could be so blatantly obvious. I'm glad he's never tried to get in my pants, so to speak.
Ahhh! Ahh! He's leaning over more and whispering into my ear! Stupid perfume! Why did I have to feel all girly today? WHY?
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Chlo?" Well, in truth, no. And that was kinda sweet. Or, at least it would be if he wasn't groping my ass.
I smack his hand away and retreat into the bathroom. Ah, sanctuary. I turn around and station myself in front of a mirror. This stupid perfume is ruining my day. Well, I guess it is fun to see how the gorgeous and popular live for one day, except the one guy who I want to notice me isn't affected by this obviously way powerful scent. I guess Lana's got a stronger recipe, only it's a Clark-only brand. Wish I had some.
I run a little cool water over a piece of paper towel and rub it on my neck. Rub rub rub and hopefully Pete and everyone else will get back to normal. I should really check the ingredients of this stuff and make sure it's not harmful.
"Chloe Sullivan, please report to the principal's office immediately." I hear a voice say over the loudspeaker. Aw, crap. What did I do this time? At least I got most of the perfume off.
****
Hmm, or not. Kwan seemed normal when I walked in. But as soon as I sat down in that large, comfy chair, he got this glazed look on his face.
"Umm, sir?"
"I hear there's been some discussion in the hallways about you, Ms. Sullivan. Do you know what this is all about?"
I swear my face went fifty shades of red and my eyes widen into the size of oranges. "No. Not at all."
Suddenly, he got up from his chair and went around the side of the desk. Then he leaned on it and cocked his head. The perfume obviously had not come completely off.
I finally managed to duck out of there with an excuse about working on The Torch.
"Hey Chlo." Clark walks into The Torch office and sits down at a computer. "Where is everyone?"
I shrug my shoulders in response. I'm just glad that every guy in school isn't peering into the office windows like an insane stalker. "Don't you mean 'where's Lana'?"
Ha! He's got that 'deer caught in the headlights' look on his face. I don't think he expected me to say that. Score one for me!
"Of course not. I mean, what's up with you today?" He asks suddenly after stumbling over his words. "You've been acting all weird."
"Glad you noticed." I mumble before turning back to the latest edition. Hm, Kwan didn't like the last piece that I wrote about the state of the cafeteria food. Though Kwan isn't exactly himself today.
I jump when Clark appears right next to me. "Chloe, what's wrong?"
"You scared the hell out of me, Kent. What do you think you're doing sneaking up on people like that?" I yell at him. Where did he come from? He was across the room a few minutes ago. I guess I was just too absorbed in my thoughts to notice him moving. Huh, weird. I didn't notice him for once.
"Chloe, don't ignore the question."
"Well, sorry. I was too busy getting my heart back where it belongs to notice what the question was." I reply snarkily. He can be such a pain in the ass sometimes.
"What's wrong? I haven't spoken to you all day."
"That's not my fault."
"Where have you been?"
Surrounded by the male population of the school, if you failed to notice. "I've been around, Clark. I've kinda been having a weird day, okay? I don't need you harassing me on how we haven't talked in a week for more than ten minutes." I think I went a little too far. Hmph, he looks confused now.
"We've talked longer than ten minutes." But he's got that unsure look on his face. He knows we haven't talked in a while and he knows why. "Look, Chloe, I've been preoccupied lately and -"
"Clark, please. I'm not stupid. Since you are obviously blind, I will enlighten you. As a result of your Lana-induced hypnotic state, you failed to notice that every guy in this school has been ogling me the entire day. Even Pete. I'm sick and tired of waiting around for y-. someone to notice me. Maybe I'll take advantage of this obviously meteor-related phenomena and find someone who'll appreciate me." Hmm, nice save, Chloe. For a minute there, you were about to reveal your true feelings, which would not be pleasant.
"No, Chloe. Wait, what?" Funny to see the different emotions play through him. He looks pissed now though. "Pete's been ogling you? And everyone else?"
"Well, everybody minus one." I mumble. I glance over at him and sigh. It wouldn't have mattered if I had screamed it at the top of my lungs while pointing directly at his face. He's too concentrated on how anyone could find me attractive.
"Clark, Pete groped my ass and it felt good. We had wild sex in the chair you're presently sitting on."
"WHAT?" I give him a look and he sighs. "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"
"Just wanted to see if you're paying attention." I turn back towards the computer and inwardly scream. He's so frustrating sometimes!
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Who's frustrating sometimes?" Damn, I said that out loud. Oh well, might as well tell him the truth.
"You. You're frustrating. I can never tell what you're thinking, well, except when you get that look on your face. then I know you're thinking about her."
I can hear his gulp from where I'm sitting. Jeez, I guess he didn't think he was that obvious.
"Chlo, it's not what you-"
I put up my hands in defeat and look at my watch. "Look, it's lunch time and I really don't feel like eating mystery meat again. I'm going home." I pick up my coat, ignoring his protests and walk out the door.
As I walk down the hallway, I wonder what provoked my mother into sending me this perfume. It's apparently some sort of mind control drug because when I say "Excuse me", the guys move out of my way before I can even finish saying it. I know my mother thinks that I need a boyfriend, so maybe this was just her way of helping me out. Cha, yeah. Thanks mom, but I don't need 200 grunting jocks at my beck and call.
"Chloe, baby, where have you been all my life?" I push Kiefer Johnson, a known cheater and a jock, I might add, out of the way and feel him grab my arm. "No need to be so rough, babe."
That's it. I've had it. I reel my hand back and punch him in the face. He looks stunned and has to shake his head. Ha! That'll teach him to be so grabby.
"Keep your paws to yourself, Kiefer." I snap at him before leaving the school.
Another guy, Greg Little, approaches me just as I get in my car. "Chloe?"
"Back off, Greg. I'm pissed and you saw what I did to Kiefer back there." I hold my keys between my fingers, something I learned from those self- defense classes I took in Metropolis.
"Playing hard to get, eh? Well, we'll see about that." He grabs my wrist in one swift movement and my keys fall to the ground. He pushes me against the car and pins me between it and him. Not a fun situation to be in. Why must every guy who's attracted to me be affected by meteors in some way? Okay, Greg just licked my face. Ugh, gross. I'm actually getting a little freaked out. Why isn't there anyone else around?
"Greg, stop it!" I try to push him away, but he's too strong. I'm asking myself what I'm going to do when I see Clark come out of the school's entrance. He sees me and disappears. What the? Where the hell did he go? Doesn't he see that I need help?
My thoughts are cut off though as Clark appears a foot behind Greg and tears him away from me. He pushes him backwards and, God does he look pissed.
"Leave her alone, Greg." Clark warns, but Greg just looks at me and gives me a predatory smile.
"I'll see you later, Sullivan." He smirks before he walks away.
I lean against my car briefly before falling into Clark's open arms.
"Thank you, Clark. You're always there when I need you." I feel his arms clutch me to him. Mm, shivers running up and down my back. Being in his arms feels so right, doesn't he feel it too?
He pushes me gently away enough to look into my eyes. "Are you all right, Chlo?" I nod and smile slightly. Then I remember that I'm mad at him. I push him away, guilty at the hurt that appears in his eyes. "Chloe?"
"I have to go, Clark. It's. this whole thing is. I have to talk to my mother." I get in my car and pull out of the school parking lot.
I head down the road towards my house, noticing smoke coming out from under my hood. I pull over to the side of the road and get out, only seconds before the engine coughs and dies.
"Arg! You're kidding me, right?" I stomp next to my car, shouting and cursing up a storm.
"Chloe Sullivan. What a nice surprise." A cool voice states from behind me. I turn to see Lex and his porsche on the road. "A little engine trouble I take it?" He gets out of his car and walks over to me. Sometimes he can be so arrogant.
He opens the hood of my car and whistles. "Well, it's overheated. You might want to call a tow truck."
I go to stand next to him and look at the engine from over his shoulder. Well, I can't make heads or tails of anything in there. It's all wires and grease and smoke. Calling a tow truck or a mechanic would be a good idea.
"I can give you a ride home." He shuts the hood on my car, digs into his jacket pocket and hands me his cellphone. His fingers brush mine as he hands it to me and I think I hear him take a sharp breath. Weird.
Well, the tow truck will be here in five minutes. Lex has this strange look on his face. What is up with him? He's usually so closed off and hard to read.
Thank God! Tow truck! Stupid expensive mechanic. 500 dollars for new spark plugs? What a rip-off. Okay, Lex just offered to pay for it.
"No, Mr. Luthor. It's all right. I'll find some way to get the money." He nods, but suggests that he give my father a raise in order for me to get my car back. Uh huh. "Have you had your head examined lately?"
"I'll give you a ride home." He ushers me into his car as the tow truck drives away. Fine, a ride home. That's okay. But his other suggestion was just. no. I can't do that. Though, my dad does kinda deserve it. No! Stop thinking that, Chloe.
Lex keeps looking over at me while he's driving. I get the impression that it's not my face he's looking at either.
"Um, Mr. Luthor?"
"Lex."
"Okay, Lex? Would you mind watching the road?" Alright, so it's kind of flattering that an older, attractive man keeps staring at me. But it makes me feel like a piece of meat.
"I'd rather watch you." He says before he pulls into my driveway. I reach for the door, but freeze when he locks it from the driver controls. I look over at him and gulp. Oh. that's right. The perfume! Arh! This stupid stuff is ruining my life. I won't be able to see my friends in the same light ever again.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Chloe Sullivan."
Wow.
That was.
That felt nice.
And now he's kissing me.
Ewww, totally not what I expected Lex to kiss like. Not that I've been thinking about that or anything, but I figured he'd be all suave and cool about it. Nope, he just dove right in. Blech! All tongue.
"Lex! Jesus!" I push him away and wipe my mouth. He lunges again, but the door opens behind me and I feel myself falling backwards out of the car.
Two strong hands help me out and I get to my feet. I hear Lex vaguely say, "Don't run, baby, it just makes it more exciting."
Ew. That was yucky. I never want to have to go through that again.
Clark. Of course. Who else would be here? Who else would know where I went?
"Clark."
"I need to tell you something."
"Oh no you don't. I don't want to hear it, okay? I don't need this right now! I've already had the most incredibly bad six months in my life. I don't need you to tell me this right now!" Or ever. I don't want to hear that he and Lana are a couple or that Lana smiled at him today or that manic Nicaraguan monkeys have abducted Whitney. I. Don't. Need. It.
He clutches my upper arms and forces me to stay where I am. "Chloe-"
"STOP! Lalalalalalalalala I'm not listening. If I don't hear it, it didn't happen." I put my fingers in my ears and hum. He's trying to say something, but, of course, I can't hear it. Exactly as I planned.
He looks crestfallen and lets me go. "Fine." He turns around and starts to leave. Then he seems to change his mind and returns. "I know about your mom and dad."
"Who told you?"
He looks down, obviously embarrassed. "My parents. I told them that you were acting weird and they said that your parents were going through a messy divorce. I'm so sorry, Chlo. You know you could have told me."
I bit my lip to try and stop from crying. I should have told him, I know. "I'm a failure at everything." I manage to cry through my tears.
He wraps his arms around me and strokes my hair. "No, you're not, Chloe. You're amazing. I don't know how you do it all."
"Then why are my parents getting divorced? Oh, that's right! My goddam mother is having an affair with her supervisor. I caused it though. I just wasn't worth loving, I guess." I sob into his shirt. My parents always fought when I was around. My mother was especially hard on my dad whenever we spent money on things I had to do for school. Or extra-curricular stuff.
"What are you talking about, Chloe? Your mother loves you so much."
"Then why did she leave me and my dad?" I pull away and look up at him. I figure I look like absolute crap right now. My hair is probably really messy, my face feels damp and my eyes are probably red and watery. "And this whole thing is just. the one person who I want to notice me." I trail off and look at his chest.
He tilts my chin so I have to look at his face. Why? Why does he have to hurt me so much?
"He noticed, Chlo. He noticed a long time ago."
I cringe. "Oh no!" I wail, fresh tears springing up. "Not you too! This stupid perfume."
He laughs, then shakes his head. "No, Chloe. I think your perfume stinks actually."
I wipe my eyes and smile. "Really?"
"Yeah, actually I felt like hurling every time I came near you. It's a little better now that it's worn off a bit." He cups my face in his large, farm-hewn hands. "It's you I'm attracted to, not your stupid perfume."
Then he kisses me.
Hmm, single weirdest day of my life.
**Chloe**
I pull up to the school in my trusty red car. I am late, as usual. God, how many times has this damn car broken down on the way to school? Of course, it just has to happen on one of the days when I don't have a free period after homeroom. I hope Pete made something up for me. God forbid if Clark lied! I smile to myself at the thought. That boy doesn't have a dishonest bone in his body.
I jog to my locker and grab my books. Calculus first. Dear Lord, I am crap at math. It's not that I don't apply myself, it's just that I don't understand. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Sometimes it's all letters! Give me something meteor-related, then I'll understand.
"Chloe, you have got to get a new car." I hear a voice behind me. I spin around and see Pete leaning against the locker beside me.
I sigh and give him a dirty look. "That car and I have been through a lot, Pete. It's just. broken in."
"It's a lemon, Chlo." I swear I heard him snort.
I slam my locker shut and rush past him. "I would talk, but I have Calculus to get to." I get to the classroom door and see Mr. Samuels teaching derivatives on the chalkboard. Maybe I can just sneak through the-
"Ms. Sullivan, how nice of you to join us." Aw, Dammit. "I'll see you afterwards."
I take my seat behind Clark, expecting him to turn around and ask me why I was late. No such luck. What's up with that? He's usually so worried if I'm late. I see his head turn and look over at Lana. Hmph. He must be in the Lang haze. That explains it.
What makes her so special anyways? It's not like she's great at Calculus either. Why must every guy at this school be infatuated with Ms. I'm-so- perfect-ex-cheerleader-raven-haired-so-frigging-nice-that-you-can't-even- hate-her Lana Lang? I wish I could knock some sense into Clark. Hmm, I do have a nice thick math book in front of me.
"Ms. Sullivan, what's the answer?"
My head shoots up. What? What have we been doing? Crap, maybe this is why I'm failing math. "Umm."
"Have you been listening?"
I put on my most innocent face and say snarkily, "Of course, Mr. Samuels. I just don't understand the question."
I hate the look he gives me. Uh oh. I have a feeling he is going to say something that will make me feel extremely stupid.
"What in the question 5 + 10 do you not understand?" He asks with a smug look on his face. If I could only go up there and smack him to death with his goddam bible textbook. "That's it, Ms. Sullivan. Go to the principal's office, please."
Eep. Never have I been sent to the principal's office. Well. there was that one time when I "accidentally" walked into the boy's locker room to see if they had better changing conditions than the girls (ie locks on their lockers). That was an isolated incident. I've never been sent to the principal's office on non-Torch related events.
I pack up my books and look around the room. Clark hasn't even looked in my direction today. Lana's looking over her shoulder at him, smiling. Doesn't that girl have a boyfriend on a leash somewhere? The rest of the class is looking at me with indifference. They couldn't care less if I was tied to a stake in the middle of the football field wearing nothing but a football helmet. Where did that come from?
I kick a can as I walk to the principal's office. Stupid brain. Can't even add two frigging numbers together. Who am I kidding? I can't pay attention to many things when Clark is around. I'd probably forget my name if he didn't say it every five seconds.
"Chloe Sullivan. I haven't seen you in here since there was a fire in the biology classroom." Whoops, forgot about that one. Totally not my fault though. Well, just a bit. I needed an article for the Torch. I figured, why not test the school's reaction rate to a non-scheduled fire drill?
"Good morning, Principal Kwan." I sink down in the comfy leather chair in front of his desk.
He peers at me over the triangular wooden block that said, "Principal Kwan" on his desk. "Chloe, is everything alright?"
I look up from my hands that were pulling apart the hem of my shirt. Is everything alright? Oh, what a question. Hm, my best friend, who I've been in love with since eighth grade, is ignoring me, my mother and father are in the middle of a messy divorce and I have the devil himself for a Calculus teacher. "Um in a matter of speaking, yes."
He gives me a queer look. What the hell is wrong with him today? "Are you sure? You can talk to me if you want."
I consider telling him about my parent's divorce, then realize that he probably already knew. Why else would he be so nice to me? Usually, he just shook his head in disappointment and handed me the sentence.
"You know about. my parents?"
He nods slowly and I sigh. "Look, Chloe. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here. Okay?"
I'm grateful for his sympathy, but really, I have friends that I can talk to. if I want. Jeez, Clark and Pete don't even know about this, and Kwan wants me to open up to him? Uh, nuh uh. I don't think so.
I get up from the chair and thank him. "Usual sentence?"
Surprisingly, Kwan shakes his head and stands up. "No, that's alright, Ms. Sullivan. Just remember to pay attention in class, okay?" He smiles politely and ushers me out of his office.
Okay, I am officially pissed off. I don't need his freaking sympathy. I already feel bad enough already. My stupid mother springs this thing on my dad after 20 years of marriage and expects it to be nice and clean? Please, we don't live in a goddam TV show. And I'm not stupid. I know my mother was having an affair. I feel so horrible for my father. He had to move away from his wife so he could support us, and she craps all over him. Life really sucks sometimes.
****
"Clark? Earth to Clark?" I wave my hand in front of his face to try and drag him out of his self-induced stare contest with a spot just above my shoulder.
He blinks twice and looks at me. "What?"
God, he can be so goddam oblivious sometimes. If I didn't love him so much, I'd have punched him a long time ago. "I know the wall is interesting, but it can't hit you if you don't pay attention to it."
"Sorry." He mumbles, looking down at his food. I see the blush on his face and turn to see what he was actually looking at. Well, what a surprise! It's Ms. Perky! Damn, she's seen me. Arg! She's coming over! I spin around and see a big smile on Clark's face. "You make me want to hurl my mystery meat, farm boy." I hiss, a little harshly I admit. My day has not been going well.
****
I slam the door as I get home. I couldn't sit at that table with them fawning over each other. Luckily, the Torch office was empty, so I sat at my computer and, sadly, debated whether I would look good as a brunette.
"Honey, there's a package for you from your mother." Dad's voice says forcedly from the kitchen.
Package? From mom? From my mom? I bet it's a live tarantula. That would piss Dad off royally. I walk into the kitchen and dump my bag on one of the chairs. Small brown package. Yup, definitely a live insect. I pick it up and hold it away from me, afraid it's going to explode or something. Okay, so maybe I'm overreacting. I haven't seen my mother for six months. Not since she came down here to tell us that she wanted a divorce.
I finally cut the seal on the box and open it, fully expecting a group of mosquitoes to swarm around me. Nope, just an envelope and a small bottle filled with a vibrant blue liquid.
Dear Chloe,
I'm sorry for what's happening between your father and I. I didn't think the distance would be this hard.
Enclosed is a sample of a new perfume my company has developed. It's a prototype and I wanted you to be the first to try it out and tell me what you think. Hopefully, it will be a hit and I can contribute to your college fund.
Miss you, Mom
I put the letter down and pick up the bottle. It's got an enticing colour, I have to say. I shrug and take it up to my room. Maybe I'll put some one tomorrow.
****
Okay, I have officially entered the Twilight Zone.
I woke up this morning in a perfectly normal town, well, except for the meteor freaks. This town has gone completely mental.
I put a bit of that perfume on today and went to school, fully expecting to be ignored as usual. This stuff must really work well because every guy at school was giving me these looks. Once I checked to make sure it hadn't turned my neck bright blue, I figured they were just surprised that I was wearing perfume. Oh no, that wasn't it at all.
Pete sat uncomfortably close to me on the bus and kept sniffing the air around me. That was just the beginning. Two guys who I have never talked to before in my life, but know they play football, cornered me in an empty classroom and asked me to the spring formal. Even Whitney said something as he sat behind me in English. He put his chin on my shoulder and whispered, "Hey, Sullivan. Want to go out on Friday?"
I tensed, wondering what the hell was going on. "Don't you have a girlfriend? You know, Lana Lang, the girl who everyone wants?"
He gave me a mischievous look, which did not work well on him, and sat back. "Not anymore, Chloe. Everyone's talking about you."
What drugs did everyone take this morning? I notice that every guy in the room is turned to look at me, even Mr. Samuels. I notice with a sad heart that I'm still staring at Clark's back. He's still stuck on Lana. Fine, he hasn't noticed me or my feelings, the rest of the guys at school have. That's it, I'm finished with Clark. Stupid farm boy.
****
"Hey Chloe." I hear Pete's voice call from the far end of the hallway. I sigh and turn, stopping mid-spin. Following me down the hallway is the entire male population of Smallville High School. All of them have this really weird look on their faces as well. It's like they're in some sort of trance or something. I think I'll take a little trip to the bathroom and wash this perfume off.
"Chloe!" Pete catches up to me as I'm about to go into the girls bathroom. Okay, I need to get this stuff off of me because Pete is leaning way to close for comfort. I'd better tell Mom not to put this stuff on the market or else every man in Metropolis will have the mental capacity of a caveman. I swear, it's all drooling and grunting. it makes me wonder how primitive women ever put up with it.
"What? And can you stop leering at me? It's unnerving." I swear I see him glance down at my chest. Okay, so Pete has always been over-average in the hormone department, but I never realized that he could be so blatantly obvious. I'm glad he's never tried to get in my pants, so to speak.
Ahhh! Ahh! He's leaning over more and whispering into my ear! Stupid perfume! Why did I have to feel all girly today? WHY?
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Chlo?" Well, in truth, no. And that was kinda sweet. Or, at least it would be if he wasn't groping my ass.
I smack his hand away and retreat into the bathroom. Ah, sanctuary. I turn around and station myself in front of a mirror. This stupid perfume is ruining my day. Well, I guess it is fun to see how the gorgeous and popular live for one day, except the one guy who I want to notice me isn't affected by this obviously way powerful scent. I guess Lana's got a stronger recipe, only it's a Clark-only brand. Wish I had some.
I run a little cool water over a piece of paper towel and rub it on my neck. Rub rub rub and hopefully Pete and everyone else will get back to normal. I should really check the ingredients of this stuff and make sure it's not harmful.
"Chloe Sullivan, please report to the principal's office immediately." I hear a voice say over the loudspeaker. Aw, crap. What did I do this time? At least I got most of the perfume off.
****
Hmm, or not. Kwan seemed normal when I walked in. But as soon as I sat down in that large, comfy chair, he got this glazed look on his face.
"Umm, sir?"
"I hear there's been some discussion in the hallways about you, Ms. Sullivan. Do you know what this is all about?"
I swear my face went fifty shades of red and my eyes widen into the size of oranges. "No. Not at all."
Suddenly, he got up from his chair and went around the side of the desk. Then he leaned on it and cocked his head. The perfume obviously had not come completely off.
I finally managed to duck out of there with an excuse about working on The Torch.
"Hey Chlo." Clark walks into The Torch office and sits down at a computer. "Where is everyone?"
I shrug my shoulders in response. I'm just glad that every guy in school isn't peering into the office windows like an insane stalker. "Don't you mean 'where's Lana'?"
Ha! He's got that 'deer caught in the headlights' look on his face. I don't think he expected me to say that. Score one for me!
"Of course not. I mean, what's up with you today?" He asks suddenly after stumbling over his words. "You've been acting all weird."
"Glad you noticed." I mumble before turning back to the latest edition. Hm, Kwan didn't like the last piece that I wrote about the state of the cafeteria food. Though Kwan isn't exactly himself today.
I jump when Clark appears right next to me. "Chloe, what's wrong?"
"You scared the hell out of me, Kent. What do you think you're doing sneaking up on people like that?" I yell at him. Where did he come from? He was across the room a few minutes ago. I guess I was just too absorbed in my thoughts to notice him moving. Huh, weird. I didn't notice him for once.
"Chloe, don't ignore the question."
"Well, sorry. I was too busy getting my heart back where it belongs to notice what the question was." I reply snarkily. He can be such a pain in the ass sometimes.
"What's wrong? I haven't spoken to you all day."
"That's not my fault."
"Where have you been?"
Surrounded by the male population of the school, if you failed to notice. "I've been around, Clark. I've kinda been having a weird day, okay? I don't need you harassing me on how we haven't talked in a week for more than ten minutes." I think I went a little too far. Hmph, he looks confused now.
"We've talked longer than ten minutes." But he's got that unsure look on his face. He knows we haven't talked in a while and he knows why. "Look, Chloe, I've been preoccupied lately and -"
"Clark, please. I'm not stupid. Since you are obviously blind, I will enlighten you. As a result of your Lana-induced hypnotic state, you failed to notice that every guy in this school has been ogling me the entire day. Even Pete. I'm sick and tired of waiting around for y-. someone to notice me. Maybe I'll take advantage of this obviously meteor-related phenomena and find someone who'll appreciate me." Hmm, nice save, Chloe. For a minute there, you were about to reveal your true feelings, which would not be pleasant.
"No, Chloe. Wait, what?" Funny to see the different emotions play through him. He looks pissed now though. "Pete's been ogling you? And everyone else?"
"Well, everybody minus one." I mumble. I glance over at him and sigh. It wouldn't have mattered if I had screamed it at the top of my lungs while pointing directly at his face. He's too concentrated on how anyone could find me attractive.
"Clark, Pete groped my ass and it felt good. We had wild sex in the chair you're presently sitting on."
"WHAT?" I give him a look and he sighs. "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"
"Just wanted to see if you're paying attention." I turn back towards the computer and inwardly scream. He's so frustrating sometimes!
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Who's frustrating sometimes?" Damn, I said that out loud. Oh well, might as well tell him the truth.
"You. You're frustrating. I can never tell what you're thinking, well, except when you get that look on your face. then I know you're thinking about her."
I can hear his gulp from where I'm sitting. Jeez, I guess he didn't think he was that obvious.
"Chlo, it's not what you-"
I put up my hands in defeat and look at my watch. "Look, it's lunch time and I really don't feel like eating mystery meat again. I'm going home." I pick up my coat, ignoring his protests and walk out the door.
As I walk down the hallway, I wonder what provoked my mother into sending me this perfume. It's apparently some sort of mind control drug because when I say "Excuse me", the guys move out of my way before I can even finish saying it. I know my mother thinks that I need a boyfriend, so maybe this was just her way of helping me out. Cha, yeah. Thanks mom, but I don't need 200 grunting jocks at my beck and call.
"Chloe, baby, where have you been all my life?" I push Kiefer Johnson, a known cheater and a jock, I might add, out of the way and feel him grab my arm. "No need to be so rough, babe."
That's it. I've had it. I reel my hand back and punch him in the face. He looks stunned and has to shake his head. Ha! That'll teach him to be so grabby.
"Keep your paws to yourself, Kiefer." I snap at him before leaving the school.
Another guy, Greg Little, approaches me just as I get in my car. "Chloe?"
"Back off, Greg. I'm pissed and you saw what I did to Kiefer back there." I hold my keys between my fingers, something I learned from those self- defense classes I took in Metropolis.
"Playing hard to get, eh? Well, we'll see about that." He grabs my wrist in one swift movement and my keys fall to the ground. He pushes me against the car and pins me between it and him. Not a fun situation to be in. Why must every guy who's attracted to me be affected by meteors in some way? Okay, Greg just licked my face. Ugh, gross. I'm actually getting a little freaked out. Why isn't there anyone else around?
"Greg, stop it!" I try to push him away, but he's too strong. I'm asking myself what I'm going to do when I see Clark come out of the school's entrance. He sees me and disappears. What the? Where the hell did he go? Doesn't he see that I need help?
My thoughts are cut off though as Clark appears a foot behind Greg and tears him away from me. He pushes him backwards and, God does he look pissed.
"Leave her alone, Greg." Clark warns, but Greg just looks at me and gives me a predatory smile.
"I'll see you later, Sullivan." He smirks before he walks away.
I lean against my car briefly before falling into Clark's open arms.
"Thank you, Clark. You're always there when I need you." I feel his arms clutch me to him. Mm, shivers running up and down my back. Being in his arms feels so right, doesn't he feel it too?
He pushes me gently away enough to look into my eyes. "Are you all right, Chlo?" I nod and smile slightly. Then I remember that I'm mad at him. I push him away, guilty at the hurt that appears in his eyes. "Chloe?"
"I have to go, Clark. It's. this whole thing is. I have to talk to my mother." I get in my car and pull out of the school parking lot.
I head down the road towards my house, noticing smoke coming out from under my hood. I pull over to the side of the road and get out, only seconds before the engine coughs and dies.
"Arg! You're kidding me, right?" I stomp next to my car, shouting and cursing up a storm.
"Chloe Sullivan. What a nice surprise." A cool voice states from behind me. I turn to see Lex and his porsche on the road. "A little engine trouble I take it?" He gets out of his car and walks over to me. Sometimes he can be so arrogant.
He opens the hood of my car and whistles. "Well, it's overheated. You might want to call a tow truck."
I go to stand next to him and look at the engine from over his shoulder. Well, I can't make heads or tails of anything in there. It's all wires and grease and smoke. Calling a tow truck or a mechanic would be a good idea.
"I can give you a ride home." He shuts the hood on my car, digs into his jacket pocket and hands me his cellphone. His fingers brush mine as he hands it to me and I think I hear him take a sharp breath. Weird.
Well, the tow truck will be here in five minutes. Lex has this strange look on his face. What is up with him? He's usually so closed off and hard to read.
Thank God! Tow truck! Stupid expensive mechanic. 500 dollars for new spark plugs? What a rip-off. Okay, Lex just offered to pay for it.
"No, Mr. Luthor. It's all right. I'll find some way to get the money." He nods, but suggests that he give my father a raise in order for me to get my car back. Uh huh. "Have you had your head examined lately?"
"I'll give you a ride home." He ushers me into his car as the tow truck drives away. Fine, a ride home. That's okay. But his other suggestion was just. no. I can't do that. Though, my dad does kinda deserve it. No! Stop thinking that, Chloe.
Lex keeps looking over at me while he's driving. I get the impression that it's not my face he's looking at either.
"Um, Mr. Luthor?"
"Lex."
"Okay, Lex? Would you mind watching the road?" Alright, so it's kind of flattering that an older, attractive man keeps staring at me. But it makes me feel like a piece of meat.
"I'd rather watch you." He says before he pulls into my driveway. I reach for the door, but freeze when he locks it from the driver controls. I look over at him and gulp. Oh. that's right. The perfume! Arh! This stupid stuff is ruining my life. I won't be able to see my friends in the same light ever again.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Chloe Sullivan."
Wow.
That was.
That felt nice.
And now he's kissing me.
Ewww, totally not what I expected Lex to kiss like. Not that I've been thinking about that or anything, but I figured he'd be all suave and cool about it. Nope, he just dove right in. Blech! All tongue.
"Lex! Jesus!" I push him away and wipe my mouth. He lunges again, but the door opens behind me and I feel myself falling backwards out of the car.
Two strong hands help me out and I get to my feet. I hear Lex vaguely say, "Don't run, baby, it just makes it more exciting."
Ew. That was yucky. I never want to have to go through that again.
Clark. Of course. Who else would be here? Who else would know where I went?
"Clark."
"I need to tell you something."
"Oh no you don't. I don't want to hear it, okay? I don't need this right now! I've already had the most incredibly bad six months in my life. I don't need you to tell me this right now!" Or ever. I don't want to hear that he and Lana are a couple or that Lana smiled at him today or that manic Nicaraguan monkeys have abducted Whitney. I. Don't. Need. It.
He clutches my upper arms and forces me to stay where I am. "Chloe-"
"STOP! Lalalalalalalalala I'm not listening. If I don't hear it, it didn't happen." I put my fingers in my ears and hum. He's trying to say something, but, of course, I can't hear it. Exactly as I planned.
He looks crestfallen and lets me go. "Fine." He turns around and starts to leave. Then he seems to change his mind and returns. "I know about your mom and dad."
"Who told you?"
He looks down, obviously embarrassed. "My parents. I told them that you were acting weird and they said that your parents were going through a messy divorce. I'm so sorry, Chlo. You know you could have told me."
I bit my lip to try and stop from crying. I should have told him, I know. "I'm a failure at everything." I manage to cry through my tears.
He wraps his arms around me and strokes my hair. "No, you're not, Chloe. You're amazing. I don't know how you do it all."
"Then why are my parents getting divorced? Oh, that's right! My goddam mother is having an affair with her supervisor. I caused it though. I just wasn't worth loving, I guess." I sob into his shirt. My parents always fought when I was around. My mother was especially hard on my dad whenever we spent money on things I had to do for school. Or extra-curricular stuff.
"What are you talking about, Chloe? Your mother loves you so much."
"Then why did she leave me and my dad?" I pull away and look up at him. I figure I look like absolute crap right now. My hair is probably really messy, my face feels damp and my eyes are probably red and watery. "And this whole thing is just. the one person who I want to notice me." I trail off and look at his chest.
He tilts my chin so I have to look at his face. Why? Why does he have to hurt me so much?
"He noticed, Chlo. He noticed a long time ago."
I cringe. "Oh no!" I wail, fresh tears springing up. "Not you too! This stupid perfume."
He laughs, then shakes his head. "No, Chloe. I think your perfume stinks actually."
I wipe my eyes and smile. "Really?"
"Yeah, actually I felt like hurling every time I came near you. It's a little better now that it's worn off a bit." He cups my face in his large, farm-hewn hands. "It's you I'm attracted to, not your stupid perfume."
Then he kisses me.
Hmm, single weirdest day of my life.