Chapter 6: Where It All Went Wrong
~~~
She stared at him incredulously with her mouth agape. Clark looked back with a similar expression though mixed with confusion.
"We've been over this, Clark, I can't believe you just tried to kiss me."
"We have?"
"Don't play dumb. We agreed a long time ago that nothing was going to happen between us! Chloe's been in love with you since forever and still carries a torch for you. I could never do that to her, especially not now. She's one of my best friends Clark, not to mention the one who took me in when I had no where else to go."
"But Lana - "
"No buts, Clark. I can't do this. WE can't do this," she stated emphatically before turning around and heading to the door.
"Lana! Wait!" he yelled out. "You don't understand, everything I've been through, all that I did - it was supposed to be perfect."
"What are talking about? I'm going back inside. I suggest you go home."
Clark grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping her in place. The wind picked up just then and the rain started again, water pelting them from above. He looked into her eyes, not saying a word. She looked back at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"I can't Clark, I just can't," she sobbed, her lip trembling as she spoke.
"Lana. It's always been you, Lana."
"Why did you have to say that? You think I don't want to just kiss you right now and - "
Clark's lips descending onto hers, desperately fighting, trying to sway her to his side and effectively silencing her. She kissed back, ignoring the frigid wind and rain assailing them both. They kissed and they cried and when it was over, they knew they couldn't walk away. It was like looking destiny in the face.
A shriek from inside broke the mood as they both turned to see the curtains of Chloe's bedroom window ruffle and the thundering footsteps that accompanied them, growing louder as they approached the door. A devastated but angry Chloe soon stood at the doorway looking at the two of them a scathing stare.
"Chloe - it's not what you think - " Lana began to explain.
"Oh? Let me guess - an anatomy experiment? It looked like the two of you were trying to figure out just how far your tongue could go down Clark's throat. How could you, Lana? I trusted you. I thought you were my friend," she said as her eyes welled up.
"No, Chloe, it's now Lana's fault - "
"Shut up Clark! This is how it's going to be isn't it? I'll never be good enough for you, never be pretty enough. You know what - I deserve better. A better man, and better friends. The both of you can go to hell!" she screamed, slamming the door behind her.
They couple looked at each other in silence. Lana wrapped her top around her tightly and starting walking down the stairs.
"Lana - where are you going? Let's talk to Chloe - I'm sure we can make things better."
"Yeah right," she exclaimed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve.
"Lana, it's cold out here, let's just go back inside and talk about this," he replied following her down the stairs.
"You've done enough for one day, Clark. Leave me alone."
He stood there at the foot of the stairs, motionless as she walked out into the night.
~~~
Clark let her go and went back up the stairs to talk some sense into Chloe. As he stepped into the kitchen he paused when Mr. Sullivan made his way past him from the washroom half-asleep. He made a groaning noise as he pushed Clark aside and continued walking. Clark shrugged and continued over to Chloe's door. He rapped on it lighly.
"Chloe. C'mon Chloe, let's just talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about. I don't want to talk to you ever again," she responded from directly behind the door.
"Chloe, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too."
With that Chloe wrapped herself in a quilt and jumped into to bed, grabbing a box of tissues on the way. Clark meanwhile slid down to the floor, his back pressed firmly against the door frame. He slumped down and started banging his head repeatedly against the wooden frame. The storm picked up again as thunder gently shook the floor and lightning flashed in the window across the hall. A loud crash followed by a piercing scream brought concern when Clark realized Lana was out there.
Using his super-speed he ran outside and yelled out her name. His voice was muffled out by the raging wind, so she wouldn't be able to hear him. Clark spotted some muddied footsteps on the road, so he followed them only to find a downed telephone pole. and a lone figure underneath.
He rushed over to her, screaming her name, his eyes on the verge of tears. The base of the pole where the lightning had struck was charred black. Clark picked it up with ease and with a grunt threw the offending object fifty away into a field, not caring if anyone saw him. He crouched down and shakily tried to rouse her.
"Lana? Lana, can you hear me?"
She opened her weary eyes to meet his. She whispered something in his ear for a few seconds before a deep hacking cough overcame her. Dark red blood dripped out of her mouth as she grabbed onto his hand with what strength she had left.
"Shh, Lana, save your strength. I've got to get you to hospital," he said before she lost consciousness.
Clark, with Lana in his arms appeared at the local hospital moments later. An EMT saw her condition and immediately yelled for a gurney. Two more EMT's helped rush her through the door into the ER, while another asked him what happened. He didn't answer, as he stared blindly through the glass at the medics working on her. A flurry of activity surrounded her as one of the nurses wheeled over a defibrillator and a doctor started CPR. They had lost her pulse.
At the thought of losing her, he recalled what she had whispered to him earlier.
"I'm so sorry, Clark. All that time I could have been with you, all that time I wasted. You've saved me some many times, you've always been there for me, you're my hero. I wish I had kissed you that day - that day on my porch. I love you Clark, I've always loved you."
Clark turned away from the glass, out of breath. He couldn't look, couldn't watch her die, he had to do something. Clark walked out the door and ran. He had one last chance.
~~~
~~~
She stared at him incredulously with her mouth agape. Clark looked back with a similar expression though mixed with confusion.
"We've been over this, Clark, I can't believe you just tried to kiss me."
"We have?"
"Don't play dumb. We agreed a long time ago that nothing was going to happen between us! Chloe's been in love with you since forever and still carries a torch for you. I could never do that to her, especially not now. She's one of my best friends Clark, not to mention the one who took me in when I had no where else to go."
"But Lana - "
"No buts, Clark. I can't do this. WE can't do this," she stated emphatically before turning around and heading to the door.
"Lana! Wait!" he yelled out. "You don't understand, everything I've been through, all that I did - it was supposed to be perfect."
"What are talking about? I'm going back inside. I suggest you go home."
Clark grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping her in place. The wind picked up just then and the rain started again, water pelting them from above. He looked into her eyes, not saying a word. She looked back at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"I can't Clark, I just can't," she sobbed, her lip trembling as she spoke.
"Lana. It's always been you, Lana."
"Why did you have to say that? You think I don't want to just kiss you right now and - "
Clark's lips descending onto hers, desperately fighting, trying to sway her to his side and effectively silencing her. She kissed back, ignoring the frigid wind and rain assailing them both. They kissed and they cried and when it was over, they knew they couldn't walk away. It was like looking destiny in the face.
A shriek from inside broke the mood as they both turned to see the curtains of Chloe's bedroom window ruffle and the thundering footsteps that accompanied them, growing louder as they approached the door. A devastated but angry Chloe soon stood at the doorway looking at the two of them a scathing stare.
"Chloe - it's not what you think - " Lana began to explain.
"Oh? Let me guess - an anatomy experiment? It looked like the two of you were trying to figure out just how far your tongue could go down Clark's throat. How could you, Lana? I trusted you. I thought you were my friend," she said as her eyes welled up.
"No, Chloe, it's now Lana's fault - "
"Shut up Clark! This is how it's going to be isn't it? I'll never be good enough for you, never be pretty enough. You know what - I deserve better. A better man, and better friends. The both of you can go to hell!" she screamed, slamming the door behind her.
They couple looked at each other in silence. Lana wrapped her top around her tightly and starting walking down the stairs.
"Lana - where are you going? Let's talk to Chloe - I'm sure we can make things better."
"Yeah right," she exclaimed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve.
"Lana, it's cold out here, let's just go back inside and talk about this," he replied following her down the stairs.
"You've done enough for one day, Clark. Leave me alone."
He stood there at the foot of the stairs, motionless as she walked out into the night.
~~~
Clark let her go and went back up the stairs to talk some sense into Chloe. As he stepped into the kitchen he paused when Mr. Sullivan made his way past him from the washroom half-asleep. He made a groaning noise as he pushed Clark aside and continued walking. Clark shrugged and continued over to Chloe's door. He rapped on it lighly.
"Chloe. C'mon Chloe, let's just talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about. I don't want to talk to you ever again," she responded from directly behind the door.
"Chloe, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too."
With that Chloe wrapped herself in a quilt and jumped into to bed, grabbing a box of tissues on the way. Clark meanwhile slid down to the floor, his back pressed firmly against the door frame. He slumped down and started banging his head repeatedly against the wooden frame. The storm picked up again as thunder gently shook the floor and lightning flashed in the window across the hall. A loud crash followed by a piercing scream brought concern when Clark realized Lana was out there.
Using his super-speed he ran outside and yelled out her name. His voice was muffled out by the raging wind, so she wouldn't be able to hear him. Clark spotted some muddied footsteps on the road, so he followed them only to find a downed telephone pole. and a lone figure underneath.
He rushed over to her, screaming her name, his eyes on the verge of tears. The base of the pole where the lightning had struck was charred black. Clark picked it up with ease and with a grunt threw the offending object fifty away into a field, not caring if anyone saw him. He crouched down and shakily tried to rouse her.
"Lana? Lana, can you hear me?"
She opened her weary eyes to meet his. She whispered something in his ear for a few seconds before a deep hacking cough overcame her. Dark red blood dripped out of her mouth as she grabbed onto his hand with what strength she had left.
"Shh, Lana, save your strength. I've got to get you to hospital," he said before she lost consciousness.
Clark, with Lana in his arms appeared at the local hospital moments later. An EMT saw her condition and immediately yelled for a gurney. Two more EMT's helped rush her through the door into the ER, while another asked him what happened. He didn't answer, as he stared blindly through the glass at the medics working on her. A flurry of activity surrounded her as one of the nurses wheeled over a defibrillator and a doctor started CPR. They had lost her pulse.
At the thought of losing her, he recalled what she had whispered to him earlier.
"I'm so sorry, Clark. All that time I could have been with you, all that time I wasted. You've saved me some many times, you've always been there for me, you're my hero. I wish I had kissed you that day - that day on my porch. I love you Clark, I've always loved you."
Clark turned away from the glass, out of breath. He couldn't look, couldn't watch her die, he had to do something. Clark walked out the door and ran. He had one last chance.
~~~