CHAPTER FOUR
The summer after their senior year of high school. A couple of years after Chloe left..
Clark was on his way to the Talon to meet Lana and Pete. It was the end of high school and they wanted to meet one last time before each went their separate way.
Clark drove past the Sullivan home. He usually stopped to talk to Gabe every once in awhile since his daughter had left. Clark felt that it was the least he could do since he was once best friends with Chloe. They would discuss almost everything with one of the only topics they avoided being the location of Chloe.
But as he drove past on this early Friday morning, he noticed an unusual car in the driveway that he had never seen before. Clark parked his truck by the curb across the street and got out. He jogged up the front door and knocked.
He heard a loud crash, some profanities, and finally a yell for him to enter. There was a girl in the kitchen reaching for a pot on one of the top shelves of the cupboards. Clark rushed over to aid her.
It was then that he got a good look at the stranger. She wasn't very tall, probably didn't even reach his shoulders completely. Her golden hair was up in a messy ponytail with a few short strands held away from her eyes with a pair of barrettes. She wore a pair of blue overall shorts over a forest green tank top and an old gray sweatshirt tied loosely around her waist. Her skin was lightly bronzed, as if she spent a few hours in the summer sun just recently. When she turned toward him, she gave him a wide smile that showed off her pearly whites.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Where should I put this?" Clark said, holding out the pot.
"Oh, in the sink would be great."
Clark did as she said. "Do I know you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Chloe. Do you think that my father just lets anyone into his house?"
"Of course not, it's just that, well, you look different," he stammered, blushing a light red.
"Thanks, I guess. Can't you give your old friend a hug?"
Clark did just that. He pulled her into a tight embrace. He could smell vanilla mixed with a light scent of sweat that he guessed was from working and the heat combined. Finally, after a few moments, he had to let go.
"Wow, well what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to visit my dad and some old friends before heading back to my aunt's house in Boston for college."
"Well, in that case, do you want to join me? I'm headed over to the Talon to meet with Lana and Pete."
"Um, yeah, sure. Just let me get out of these clothes and into something just a little less smelly. I've been working all morning and I kind of stink."
"I didn't notice," Clark mumbled. Chloe just smiled and bounded up the stairs and into her room.
Clark grinned. It felt so good to have Chloe back in town, even if it was for a short time. He couldn't believe how much she had changed. Gone was the bubbly reporter that he had once known. In her place was a more sophisticated, more subdued Chloe. He was sure that she could probably banter with the best, but he wasn't so sure that she could investigate meteor theories like she used to.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Clark looked up to see Chloe coming down the stairs in a crimson v-neck tee that said, "I'll shut up if you stop looking at me" and showed an inch of her stomach and a pair of tight midnight blue denim jeans with studs going down the sides. Her hair was put back in a French braid and held with a blue band. A pair of white tennis shoes completed the ensemble.
Clark just kept staring until Chloe said, "What?"
"It's an interesting shirt."
"Yeah, I know. My aunt went shopping with me when I first got Boston. She has a thing with clothing that have sayings on them. I have one or two more upstairs just like this one. You like?" Chloe explained, twirling a bit.
"I guess. Let's go."
They talked as the drove in Clark's truck the entire way to the Talon. Clark learned that she had been living in Boston for the last two years with her mom's sister, that she had met someone there and they'd been dating off and on for the last year and a half, and that she was no longer a journalist but was still aiming to be one in the future. When they pulled up, they were just talking about where they were going to go to school and what they were majoring in.
"I'm still going to major in journalism. Just because I'm not a journalist now, doesn't mean I don't want to be one in the future," she said as she got out of the car.
"I still have close to three months to decide what I want to do. Hey, maybe you should stay out here until I give you a signal. I really want to surprise them."
"Fine by me."
Clark went inside and Chloe peered through the window. Clark gave Lana a hug and greeted Pete. She watched them smile and talk and then Clark gave her a secret wave. Chloe went inside and casually strolled up to their table.
"Now isn't this a small world after all. Ohm, I wonder if that where they get the name Smallville," she commented.
Pete looked up at the same time as Lana. "Oh my god, Chloe!" Lana exclaimed, giving Chloe a large hug.
"Where have you been hiding yourself?" Pete asked, repeating Lana's gesture.
"Boston."
The four talked for hours until Chloe broke the news that she had to return home. Lana and Pete hugged her again and told her to not be a stranger. Chloe promised as she told them good night. Clark took her by the arm back to the truck.
Clark drove her home in silence and didn't even look her way until he stopped in front of the Sullivan home once more.
"Well, I guess this is good night," Clark said, stating the obvious.
"It's good-bye," Chloe whispered so softly that even with his impeccable hearing, Clark couldn't hear.
"What?"
"Nothing," Chloe smiled. "I didn't say a thing. Good night. It was good to see you again."
She was almost out the door but as if it were an afterthought, Chloe went back and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she got out of the car and headed back to her house, leaving Clark there touching the place her lips had touched with his fingertips. However, had he looked closer to her face in the setting sun, he would've noticed the tears in her eyes that threatened to fall.
The next morning, Clark went over to surprise Chloe with breakfast. The only problem was, her car and her belongings were gone.
She had left without a trace once again, only this time, Clark expected it somehow.
*****
A/N: Sorry about the abrupt ending. I'm just setting you guys all up for the next couple parts to my story. You know, the parts where Chloe and Clark meet up in the future after like five years after this part...wait, I can't tell you anymore because that'll ruin the surprises. Oh, and I'll also have a Chloe part.
If you haven't noticed this already, this is a C/C fic. However, nothing bad will come to any of the other characters. I happen to enjoy all the contributions each character adds, so I do not tend to kill off anyone or hurt them in any way physically. Thanks for reading and reviewing and the next part will be out soon.
The summer after their senior year of high school. A couple of years after Chloe left..
Clark was on his way to the Talon to meet Lana and Pete. It was the end of high school and they wanted to meet one last time before each went their separate way.
Clark drove past the Sullivan home. He usually stopped to talk to Gabe every once in awhile since his daughter had left. Clark felt that it was the least he could do since he was once best friends with Chloe. They would discuss almost everything with one of the only topics they avoided being the location of Chloe.
But as he drove past on this early Friday morning, he noticed an unusual car in the driveway that he had never seen before. Clark parked his truck by the curb across the street and got out. He jogged up the front door and knocked.
He heard a loud crash, some profanities, and finally a yell for him to enter. There was a girl in the kitchen reaching for a pot on one of the top shelves of the cupboards. Clark rushed over to aid her.
It was then that he got a good look at the stranger. She wasn't very tall, probably didn't even reach his shoulders completely. Her golden hair was up in a messy ponytail with a few short strands held away from her eyes with a pair of barrettes. She wore a pair of blue overall shorts over a forest green tank top and an old gray sweatshirt tied loosely around her waist. Her skin was lightly bronzed, as if she spent a few hours in the summer sun just recently. When she turned toward him, she gave him a wide smile that showed off her pearly whites.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Where should I put this?" Clark said, holding out the pot.
"Oh, in the sink would be great."
Clark did as she said. "Do I know you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Chloe. Do you think that my father just lets anyone into his house?"
"Of course not, it's just that, well, you look different," he stammered, blushing a light red.
"Thanks, I guess. Can't you give your old friend a hug?"
Clark did just that. He pulled her into a tight embrace. He could smell vanilla mixed with a light scent of sweat that he guessed was from working and the heat combined. Finally, after a few moments, he had to let go.
"Wow, well what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to visit my dad and some old friends before heading back to my aunt's house in Boston for college."
"Well, in that case, do you want to join me? I'm headed over to the Talon to meet with Lana and Pete."
"Um, yeah, sure. Just let me get out of these clothes and into something just a little less smelly. I've been working all morning and I kind of stink."
"I didn't notice," Clark mumbled. Chloe just smiled and bounded up the stairs and into her room.
Clark grinned. It felt so good to have Chloe back in town, even if it was for a short time. He couldn't believe how much she had changed. Gone was the bubbly reporter that he had once known. In her place was a more sophisticated, more subdued Chloe. He was sure that she could probably banter with the best, but he wasn't so sure that she could investigate meteor theories like she used to.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Clark looked up to see Chloe coming down the stairs in a crimson v-neck tee that said, "I'll shut up if you stop looking at me" and showed an inch of her stomach and a pair of tight midnight blue denim jeans with studs going down the sides. Her hair was put back in a French braid and held with a blue band. A pair of white tennis shoes completed the ensemble.
Clark just kept staring until Chloe said, "What?"
"It's an interesting shirt."
"Yeah, I know. My aunt went shopping with me when I first got Boston. She has a thing with clothing that have sayings on them. I have one or two more upstairs just like this one. You like?" Chloe explained, twirling a bit.
"I guess. Let's go."
They talked as the drove in Clark's truck the entire way to the Talon. Clark learned that she had been living in Boston for the last two years with her mom's sister, that she had met someone there and they'd been dating off and on for the last year and a half, and that she was no longer a journalist but was still aiming to be one in the future. When they pulled up, they were just talking about where they were going to go to school and what they were majoring in.
"I'm still going to major in journalism. Just because I'm not a journalist now, doesn't mean I don't want to be one in the future," she said as she got out of the car.
"I still have close to three months to decide what I want to do. Hey, maybe you should stay out here until I give you a signal. I really want to surprise them."
"Fine by me."
Clark went inside and Chloe peered through the window. Clark gave Lana a hug and greeted Pete. She watched them smile and talk and then Clark gave her a secret wave. Chloe went inside and casually strolled up to their table.
"Now isn't this a small world after all. Ohm, I wonder if that where they get the name Smallville," she commented.
Pete looked up at the same time as Lana. "Oh my god, Chloe!" Lana exclaimed, giving Chloe a large hug.
"Where have you been hiding yourself?" Pete asked, repeating Lana's gesture.
"Boston."
The four talked for hours until Chloe broke the news that she had to return home. Lana and Pete hugged her again and told her to not be a stranger. Chloe promised as she told them good night. Clark took her by the arm back to the truck.
Clark drove her home in silence and didn't even look her way until he stopped in front of the Sullivan home once more.
"Well, I guess this is good night," Clark said, stating the obvious.
"It's good-bye," Chloe whispered so softly that even with his impeccable hearing, Clark couldn't hear.
"What?"
"Nothing," Chloe smiled. "I didn't say a thing. Good night. It was good to see you again."
She was almost out the door but as if it were an afterthought, Chloe went back and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she got out of the car and headed back to her house, leaving Clark there touching the place her lips had touched with his fingertips. However, had he looked closer to her face in the setting sun, he would've noticed the tears in her eyes that threatened to fall.
The next morning, Clark went over to surprise Chloe with breakfast. The only problem was, her car and her belongings were gone.
She had left without a trace once again, only this time, Clark expected it somehow.
*****
A/N: Sorry about the abrupt ending. I'm just setting you guys all up for the next couple parts to my story. You know, the parts where Chloe and Clark meet up in the future after like five years after this part...wait, I can't tell you anymore because that'll ruin the surprises. Oh, and I'll also have a Chloe part.
If you haven't noticed this already, this is a C/C fic. However, nothing bad will come to any of the other characters. I happen to enjoy all the contributions each character adds, so I do not tend to kill off anyone or hurt them in any way physically. Thanks for reading and reviewing and the next part will be out soon.