Clark didn't see Lana all the way up until lunch. It was like the hallway was bereft of cheerleaders.
"They must all be in a tissue session," Chloe remarked caustically.
"C'mon, Chloe, don't be so hard on Lana. They've been dating for a long time," he protested. He felt ironically justified in defending her relationship with Whitney now that it was over.
He did see the quarterback once, on his way to Science. He had looked pretty normal other than the fact that he had deep shadows under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in two days.
"Poor guy," said Pete when Clark mentioned it in the lunchline. "Bet he's heartbroken."
"And?" Chloe said. "Why do I have to be the one defending the breakup? Didn't anyone else see it coming?"
"I did," said a soft voice behind them.
They all turned and saw Lana. Embarrassment and awkwardness were passed around until Chloe said, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to come off harsh."
"You didn't," said the dark-haired girl. "You were being honest." She gave a small, sad smile. "I just wish everybody would stop staring at me like I've got two heads." She looked down. "Or one less than I should."
"Hey, don't be like that," Clark said gently. "It's totally your decision. Nobody has a right to force their opinions on you."
Rather than comfort, his words seemed to strike her strangely, or familiarly. "Yeah, maybe," she said, her voice quiet and small.
"Why don't you sit with us today?" He suggested. "You won't have to deal with the inquisitions."
He turned on a thought to Chloe, who held up her hands and said, "I won't say a word. Not one question."
Lana smiled, a healthier, sweeter smile. "Thanks. That would be really great."
The line ebbed past the food and out the kitchen doors, dispersing to various tables. After reluctantly receiving meatball surprise and a cup of broccoli, the four crossed the tiled floor and settled at a table near the wall. "Less staring eyes," Chloe explained with an empathetic smile. Lana smiled back, though her eyes were left out of the gesture. They all sat down. An awkward silence fell like a blanket as they half-heartedly picked at their food. With a sigh, Lana put down her plastic fork.
"This is silly," she said. "Please, don't feel uncomfortable on my behalf. I don't mind talking about it." At their hesitant looks, she insisted, "Really, I'm fine with it."
Chloe shrugged and dived right into reporter mode. "Why'd you do it?" She asked.
Clark glared at her from his place next to Lana, but she ignored him and watched the ex-cheerleader for her answer and reaction.
Lana, oddly enough, seemed more at ease with Chloe's blunt honesty than with the antsy tiptoeing that everyone else was doing around her. She tilted her head. Clark caught a whiff of her soft, light scent and struggled not to close his eyes in pleasure. "Well," she said. "Whitney and I sort of went stale. You know what I mean?" Chloe nodded quickly, and Lana continued. "It wasn't so much that one or the other stopped caring, I guess…" She searched for the words. "I wasn't sure how I felt about him anymore, and he wasn't giving me space to figure it out. So I let him go. And now I'm sure," she said. "So I'm not sorry."
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Good reason," she said.
Lana smiled. "I know, right?" She shook her head. "Everyone's acting like we had a fight. People I don't even know are looking at me like I'm a criminal or something…" She trailed off, realizing that it wasn't really funny. She looked down.
Clark put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said. "We understand." Chloe and Pete nodded.
She smiled with a twist of bitterness. "I know you do," she said, and it seemed to Clark that she was talking just to him. Suddenly he realized that his hand was still on her shoulder and he quickly removed it. Pete and Chloe exchanged a knowing look. He gave them another of a completely different kind.
This little exchange took about a second and Lana didn't notice a thing. "I'm glad I decided to sit with you guys. I should do it more often." They all smiled, but Clark's grin couldn't have been more sincere. Lana glanced at him and quickly looked away when she saw his expression. He tried to tone down his joy after that.