Secret Admirer:
Sequel to "The Forgiven"
Whsssh. Lana sprayed some whipped cream on top of Chloe's frappachino. "There ya go!" "Thanks Lana, I need all the caffeine I can get." Chloe smiled. "Me and Clark have to go to the Torch and finish up the layout to get the paper out by tomorrow." "Great!" Lana waved. "See you later!" "'Bye!" Chloe turned and started to walk away. "Oh! By the way, great article! That cafeteria exposé was hilarious!" "Thanks!" She called. The bells on the door jingled as Chloe exited the Talon. Lana sighed and wiped of the counter with a towel from her green apron. The bells jingled once more and Lana looked up to see Pete coming toward her, a big grin on his face despite the gray, cold weather. Now that the heat wave had ended, the only weather Smallville had seen was gray skies and cold winds. At least they had been warm before. "Hey Lana!" Pete waved and slid into a seat at the bar. "Hi Pete! The usual?" Lana went for a huge yellow mug. "That'd be great." Lana began making a latte, and before long, she had plopped it down in front of Pete. "I'm really getting good at this coffee thing!" Pete took a sip of the hot beverage. "Mm. You're still the best Lana!" "Thanks!" Lana smiled. "How has school been for you Pete?" "It's been alright." Pete shrugged. "I'm passing." "That's good." "How 'bout you?" "It's been okay. Good grades, I'm starting on the Torch again." "Yeah me too." Pete laughed. "Chloe stuck me on sports again." "Nice," Lana giggled. "Yup." Pete slurped down the last of his latte and jumped up. "I gotta go! Good talking to you again, Lana!" And the bells on the door jingled cheerfully once more. @@@ "So, how's Lana?" Clark asked over the coffee and layouts they were working on. "She's great! I saw Pete stop in after I left." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yeah?" Clark smiled. "What a guy." @@@ The next day at school, Lana was walking down the hallway when she saw Pete and Clark by her locker. She had wanted to talk to Clark about the Torch anyhow; he was helping her with her exposés. "Hey Lana!" She jerked around to see who had called her. "Oh hi Amy!" She turned back to her locker to see that Clark was gone and Pete was walking right past her. "Hi Lana!" "Hey there Pete!" She started to open her locker when she saw a small, mint-green envelope taped to her locker. She detached it and sniffed it. It even smelled like mint. She opened it and read the mint-scented note inside.
You're beautiful.
Lana gasped and beamed. She looked up to see Clark peering at her from the boy's bathroom at the end of the hall. Her smile widened and she started walking toward him. "Clark!" Clark felt like a deer caught in headlights as Lana approached him. "H-Hi Lana!" he stuttered. This made Lana smile more. She handed him the minty note and watched as he scanned it for any expressions. Clark looked flustered. "Do you know who wrote these, Clark?" "Um-uh" Don't say anything! Just say 'no'! His brain screamed at him. "Oh.um.no!" Great job, genius! She'll never know now! Lana looked a little skeptical, than heaved a little sigh and drooped. "Thanks anyway, Clark." And she walked away. Clark bit his lip and sped over to the Torch offices right away. He blustered in and slammed the door behind him. "Whoa, Clark!" Pete patted his friend on the shoulder. "You look like a bunch of screaming Ricky Martin groupies just chased you down the hall!" "Are you okay, Clark?" Chloe stopped typing and turned in her swivel chair. "Yeah, I just." Clark paused. "I almost told her about the letter!" he burst out. Chloe rolled her eyes and resumed typing. Pete started yelling. "Clark! You can't say a word! You want this to work out don't you?!" "I want it to as much as you, Pete! Even more!" Clark admitted. "But I'm such a bad liar! I'm not good at being mysterious!" Chloe grinned. "Well, I don't know about that, farmboy!" Pete ignored her and kept ranting. "You have to avoid her then!" "But she'll suspect I know something!" Clark reasoned. "By the way you're acting, she probably already knows!" Chloe rolled her eyes again. "And what is it with Lana Lang? How is she so desirable? Is it her shampoo, 'cause just tell me what it is and I'm getting it!" They ignored her more. "What you need is some lessons, that's all!" Pete furrowed his brow. "Lessons in being mysterious? Yeah, that'll work-" "Chloe! Shut up!" Pete barked. Chloe snorted and turned away. "Now the first thing is you have to act natural." @@@ Lana came to her locker that whole week getting notes and flowers from her secret admirer. Phrases and compliments like 'You light up my day', 'You're smile could launch a thousand websites', even the cheesiest, 'I can be your hero, baby', with the single playing on a tape recorder in her locker. She slowly came to suspect Clark even more than before! He was avoiding her, sneaking glances in class, and being more mysterious than usual. She decided to approach him when he least expected it: Sneaking up on him in his loft. She chose 8 o'clock, he was done with the Torch and dinner and he was settling down to look at the stars. She made sure not to make too much noise creeping up the creaky wooden stairs to the sweet-smelling loft. She saw Clark's large silhouette against the orange and purple sunset. She snuck up behind him and. "You can't get away now!" Clark jumped and spun around. "Lana!" Lana pulled the seven notes, all in different colors and smells for each day of the week. "I want you to tell me who's been writing me these notes to me!" she said almost angrily. "I don't know!" "Who is it?!" Lana cried in frustration. "Don't lie to me, Clark!" "I can't say!" Clark completely betrays himself. Stupid! You just let her know! There's not a doubt in her mind now! "Oh, I know you know now!" "You're right, I do know!" Lana cried. Clark collapsed onto the windowsill and put his head in his hands. Lana softened her tone and sat down next to Clark. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I couldn't!" He looked up, almost afraid. "Pete's gonna be so mad at me!" "Pete?" Lana was surprised. "What does he have to do with it?" "I thought you said you figured it out?" Clark looked over at her. "I-uh." Lana stammered. "It wasn't.?" "Uh oh." "I'm sorry!" Lana cried. "I'll explain everything!" "No! Don't say anything to him! He'll kill me!" Clark knew very well Pete couldn't possibly hurt him, but his 'acting' lessons had proved useful. "I won't, I promise!" Lana bit her lip and puzzled over the new information. She paused a moment, letting it soak in. "Pete likes.me?" Suddenly she saw Pete in a whole new light. "Well." Clark looked around. "This is so embarrassing!" Lana half-laughed. "I thought.I thought it was you." "You did?" Clark squeaked. "I mean.you did?" Clark recovered in a deeper, manlier voice. Lana nervous-laughed again. "Uh.yeah.stupid idea?" She asked. "Not really.I used to like you.but.I just want to be friends," Clark smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "And Chloe?" "Just.friends." Clark said quickly. Lana laughed and sighed. "Now what do I do?" Clark grinned. "What do you want to do?" "I-um.want to thank him.I want to be friends." Lana resolved. "Friends?" Clark asked suspiciously. "Well," Lana laughed. "Let's see what happens." @@@ "I need something creative.but almost.expected." Lana gesticulated as she tried to explain her request. "Do you get it?" "Well," Chloe shrugged. "I'll see what I can do." She looked over the letters Lana had scattered over her desk. Suddenly Chloe had an idea. "I know!" She told the idea to Lana and the pretty girl's face lit up. "I love it!" Lana screeched. "Let's get started!" @@@ "See you later, guys!" Pete called as he passed a football back to the fellow "jockos'", as Chloe called them. He threw open his locker and caught sight of a small pink envelope hanging there. He smiled. "Gina, Gina, Gina." he chastised. "When will you get over me?" He opened it up and read one of the goofy messages Gina normally wrote him. Look to the left. Pete smiled. "Gina, Gina." he repeated. He thought he'd humor her and he gave an exaggerated look to the left, and then did a double take when he saw what was indicated left in the note. "Lana?"
"Hello Pete."
The End
Whsssh. Lana sprayed some whipped cream on top of Chloe's frappachino. "There ya go!" "Thanks Lana, I need all the caffeine I can get." Chloe smiled. "Me and Clark have to go to the Torch and finish up the layout to get the paper out by tomorrow." "Great!" Lana waved. "See you later!" "'Bye!" Chloe turned and started to walk away. "Oh! By the way, great article! That cafeteria exposé was hilarious!" "Thanks!" She called. The bells on the door jingled as Chloe exited the Talon. Lana sighed and wiped of the counter with a towel from her green apron. The bells jingled once more and Lana looked up to see Pete coming toward her, a big grin on his face despite the gray, cold weather. Now that the heat wave had ended, the only weather Smallville had seen was gray skies and cold winds. At least they had been warm before. "Hey Lana!" Pete waved and slid into a seat at the bar. "Hi Pete! The usual?" Lana went for a huge yellow mug. "That'd be great." Lana began making a latte, and before long, she had plopped it down in front of Pete. "I'm really getting good at this coffee thing!" Pete took a sip of the hot beverage. "Mm. You're still the best Lana!" "Thanks!" Lana smiled. "How has school been for you Pete?" "It's been alright." Pete shrugged. "I'm passing." "That's good." "How 'bout you?" "It's been okay. Good grades, I'm starting on the Torch again." "Yeah me too." Pete laughed. "Chloe stuck me on sports again." "Nice," Lana giggled. "Yup." Pete slurped down the last of his latte and jumped up. "I gotta go! Good talking to you again, Lana!" And the bells on the door jingled cheerfully once more. @@@ "So, how's Lana?" Clark asked over the coffee and layouts they were working on. "She's great! I saw Pete stop in after I left." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yeah?" Clark smiled. "What a guy." @@@ The next day at school, Lana was walking down the hallway when she saw Pete and Clark by her locker. She had wanted to talk to Clark about the Torch anyhow; he was helping her with her exposés. "Hey Lana!" She jerked around to see who had called her. "Oh hi Amy!" She turned back to her locker to see that Clark was gone and Pete was walking right past her. "Hi Lana!" "Hey there Pete!" She started to open her locker when she saw a small, mint-green envelope taped to her locker. She detached it and sniffed it. It even smelled like mint. She opened it and read the mint-scented note inside.
You're beautiful.
Lana gasped and beamed. She looked up to see Clark peering at her from the boy's bathroom at the end of the hall. Her smile widened and she started walking toward him. "Clark!" Clark felt like a deer caught in headlights as Lana approached him. "H-Hi Lana!" he stuttered. This made Lana smile more. She handed him the minty note and watched as he scanned it for any expressions. Clark looked flustered. "Do you know who wrote these, Clark?" "Um-uh" Don't say anything! Just say 'no'! His brain screamed at him. "Oh.um.no!" Great job, genius! She'll never know now! Lana looked a little skeptical, than heaved a little sigh and drooped. "Thanks anyway, Clark." And she walked away. Clark bit his lip and sped over to the Torch offices right away. He blustered in and slammed the door behind him. "Whoa, Clark!" Pete patted his friend on the shoulder. "You look like a bunch of screaming Ricky Martin groupies just chased you down the hall!" "Are you okay, Clark?" Chloe stopped typing and turned in her swivel chair. "Yeah, I just." Clark paused. "I almost told her about the letter!" he burst out. Chloe rolled her eyes and resumed typing. Pete started yelling. "Clark! You can't say a word! You want this to work out don't you?!" "I want it to as much as you, Pete! Even more!" Clark admitted. "But I'm such a bad liar! I'm not good at being mysterious!" Chloe grinned. "Well, I don't know about that, farmboy!" Pete ignored her and kept ranting. "You have to avoid her then!" "But she'll suspect I know something!" Clark reasoned. "By the way you're acting, she probably already knows!" Chloe rolled her eyes again. "And what is it with Lana Lang? How is she so desirable? Is it her shampoo, 'cause just tell me what it is and I'm getting it!" They ignored her more. "What you need is some lessons, that's all!" Pete furrowed his brow. "Lessons in being mysterious? Yeah, that'll work-" "Chloe! Shut up!" Pete barked. Chloe snorted and turned away. "Now the first thing is you have to act natural." @@@ Lana came to her locker that whole week getting notes and flowers from her secret admirer. Phrases and compliments like 'You light up my day', 'You're smile could launch a thousand websites', even the cheesiest, 'I can be your hero, baby', with the single playing on a tape recorder in her locker. She slowly came to suspect Clark even more than before! He was avoiding her, sneaking glances in class, and being more mysterious than usual. She decided to approach him when he least expected it: Sneaking up on him in his loft. She chose 8 o'clock, he was done with the Torch and dinner and he was settling down to look at the stars. She made sure not to make too much noise creeping up the creaky wooden stairs to the sweet-smelling loft. She saw Clark's large silhouette against the orange and purple sunset. She snuck up behind him and. "You can't get away now!" Clark jumped and spun around. "Lana!" Lana pulled the seven notes, all in different colors and smells for each day of the week. "I want you to tell me who's been writing me these notes to me!" she said almost angrily. "I don't know!" "Who is it?!" Lana cried in frustration. "Don't lie to me, Clark!" "I can't say!" Clark completely betrays himself. Stupid! You just let her know! There's not a doubt in her mind now! "Oh, I know you know now!" "You're right, I do know!" Lana cried. Clark collapsed onto the windowsill and put his head in his hands. Lana softened her tone and sat down next to Clark. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I couldn't!" He looked up, almost afraid. "Pete's gonna be so mad at me!" "Pete?" Lana was surprised. "What does he have to do with it?" "I thought you said you figured it out?" Clark looked over at her. "I-uh." Lana stammered. "It wasn't.?" "Uh oh." "I'm sorry!" Lana cried. "I'll explain everything!" "No! Don't say anything to him! He'll kill me!" Clark knew very well Pete couldn't possibly hurt him, but his 'acting' lessons had proved useful. "I won't, I promise!" Lana bit her lip and puzzled over the new information. She paused a moment, letting it soak in. "Pete likes.me?" Suddenly she saw Pete in a whole new light. "Well." Clark looked around. "This is so embarrassing!" Lana half-laughed. "I thought.I thought it was you." "You did?" Clark squeaked. "I mean.you did?" Clark recovered in a deeper, manlier voice. Lana nervous-laughed again. "Uh.yeah.stupid idea?" She asked. "Not really.I used to like you.but.I just want to be friends," Clark smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "And Chloe?" "Just.friends." Clark said quickly. Lana laughed and sighed. "Now what do I do?" Clark grinned. "What do you want to do?" "I-um.want to thank him.I want to be friends." Lana resolved. "Friends?" Clark asked suspiciously. "Well," Lana laughed. "Let's see what happens." @@@ "I need something creative.but almost.expected." Lana gesticulated as she tried to explain her request. "Do you get it?" "Well," Chloe shrugged. "I'll see what I can do." She looked over the letters Lana had scattered over her desk. Suddenly Chloe had an idea. "I know!" She told the idea to Lana and the pretty girl's face lit up. "I love it!" Lana screeched. "Let's get started!" @@@ "See you later, guys!" Pete called as he passed a football back to the fellow "jockos'", as Chloe called them. He threw open his locker and caught sight of a small pink envelope hanging there. He smiled. "Gina, Gina, Gina." he chastised. "When will you get over me?" He opened it up and read one of the goofy messages Gina normally wrote him. Look to the left. Pete smiled. "Gina, Gina." he repeated. He thought he'd humor her and he gave an exaggerated look to the left, and then did a double take when he saw what was indicated left in the note. "Lana?"
"Hello Pete."
The End