You Never Knew - Part 6
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It was the most excruciating ten-minute walk for Chloe as she, Clark and Pete headed towards the Talon. As usual, they let her walk ahead of them. It never bothered her before; she always regarded it as sweet and gentlemanly. But now she felt surrounded by two overly protective bodyguards and she felt their eyes on the back of her neck. She just revealed a chunk of her life that she thought she was able to tuck away safely and leave behind in Metropolis. They seemed to take it well and quite pleasantly offered to treat her out. Well, it was more of Pete's subtle way of pushing Clark towards her direction. But in the light of Trev's presence in Smallville, the gesture seemed a bit unnerving. Somehow, Chloe couldn't gauge her friends, but she decided to take in the moment anyway - she needed a little routine to get her back to normalcy. Plus she really needed caffeine.
As they neared the Talon, they saw Lex's silver Porch drive up and park at the curb. "Well, if it isn't the three musketeers!" The follicly challenged billionaire's son who always dressed in dark clothing joked as he alighted from his expensive ride.
Lex was someone Chloe did not want to bump into today for reasons unknown to her two best friends. She hoped they still considered her as one.
"Hi Lex!" Clark greeted as they all went inside the hippest coffee bar in Smallville.
The four of them settled onto a nook that showcased a montage of brightly colored living room furniture bought from flea markets and weekend garage sales. Lex studied the group of youngsters. If you asked him two years ago, he'd never thought he'd be hanging out with a bunch of high school kids. But these three, well, at least two and definitely one, he considered friends. "I have a dinner party at my house this Friday night and I'd like for you all to join our festivities."
Lex didn't expect the reaction he got. With Pete he did - he'd never forgive the Luthors for the takeover of the Ross cream corn factory to turn it to what it is now. Clark nodded in silence and Chloe Sullivan breathed heavily and looked away. Then everything clicked in Lex's exposed head. "That's right, Chloe is already invited."
Lex's statement made Chloe look at Clark then at Lex; Clark looked at Lex then at Chloe; and Lex looked at Chloe and Clark's little exchange. "Of course, your dad needs a date, right Chloe?" Lex said to ease the moment that he perceived was getting awkward for the teens.
Chloe let out a hesitant smile. "Yes, of course."
Lex nodded with a slight grin at the corner of his mouth. "And of course, Trevor Collins will be there with his father. I heard you and him were quite the pair."
The trio's expressions were priceless. Pete and Clark were stunned to disbelief - Lex knew something about Chloe they just recently found out. Chloe's eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat and she was grasping for something to say when the doors of the Talon opened and people from a moving company started hauling in huge leather cases with metal trimming.
"Ah, it's here!" Lex said as he left the shocked teenagers to sign the movers' receiving slip.
It was Clark who first broke out of it. He stood and moved to where Lex was instructing the men to place the deliveries. "What's all this?"
"Lana felt the Talon needed spicing up. She suggested we try out live bands to scare the competition. I had these shipped from Metropolis; we'll start with a recently acquired local talent."
Lex was being his usual cryptic self and it made Clark squint at him. "Who?"
Clark only got an equally enigmatic thin smile. Chloe's sudden movements made them look at her direction. She was jittery even without having her coffee yet.
"I…. I have to go," she stammered, "forgot to do something at the Torch. See ya guys!"
She moved too quickly for Pete or Clark to stop her. Clark was confused, why was she edgy? "Chloe!" He called out as he started after her.
The doors of the Talon swung open and almost hit Chloe's face. Luckily she moved fast enough to take a step back and save her nose.
"Going somewhere, sweetheart?"
"Trev!" Chloe couldn't believe this was happening. Trev was there. Clark was there, too. Chloe wanted to be somewhere else but two other guys flanked the handsome dark-haired teen who used to be her best friend and boyfriend. "Mike! Gene!" Chloe shook her head and blinked hard. "You're here!?!"
Mike and Gene were sandy-haired twins, a couple of inches taller than Chloe and shy of Trev's stature. They were dressed in usual city adolescent fashion made with an eclectic mix of used clothing, army gear, and indie accents - a stark contrast from Trev.
Clark was frozen where he was, partly concerned that Chloe almost got her face whacked by the door and by her recognition of two more strangers. If these were more of Chloe's friends from Metropolis, he understood where she got her fashion sense.
"Is that the best you can do?" Mike glowered at Chloe.
"Give us a hug, girl!" Gene beamed as he and his twin brother threw their arms around Chloe.
Chloe was startled by their group hug. Clark and Pete were never this casually tactile with her. She surrendered to their warm embrace and for a moment was transported to a happy time in the city. "You guys! When did you arrive? Are you staying? What are you doing here?" They broke the hug but Mike kept his arm across Chloe's shoulders and Gene kept his around her waist.
Trev chuckled. "I thought nothing escapes the Torch editor?"
"Made quite a name for yourself here, Sully-girl." Mike said as he continued to beam at her.
"Or should I say 'Chloe'?" Gene added as they nudged her back inside the Talon. He continued. "You'll find out what we're doing here soon enough. But knowing how your pretty little brain works, you've already figured it out…"
"…and that's why you bolted." Mike finished. "Trev here called and we decided to drop by your - what did you call it in your email?"
It was Trev who remembered. "Her leafy little hamlet surrounded by dense farm boys and freakazoid neighbors." He quoted it perfectly much to Chloe's chagrin because they neared her Smallville clique.
Clark's brows creased in bewilderment. Dense farm boys?
"Trev," it was Lex, "perfect timing; it just arrived."
"Lex." Trev acknowledged as they braced each other's forearm like an exclusive handshake among brothers.
They were the new band?! It was Clark's turn to get surprised at Lex. His eyebrows shot upwards as he witnessed the exchange between the two. Okay, Clark knew that Trev's dad works for Lex's dad, but does that automatically follow that they know each other? He couldn't fight the feeling that somehow he didn't know his friends. He glanced at Pete who was simply taking everything in with one raised eyebrow. Good, at least Clark wasn't the only one who felt like an outsider in his own town.
"Clark," Trev turned to his classmate, "look who we rescued today." He said turning to Chloe who was still imprisoned by the twins' arms.
Clark sensed that Chloe's uneasiness grew with every second that passed by. In respect for Chloe and her situation, he chose to at least be civil, borderline befriend the guy. "Yeah, she was about to do a Houdini on us. Thanks for bringing her back."
"Hey, I know we're supposed to go over our History material, but can we do that some other time? I forgot we had something this afternoon and it was just lucky it was going to be at the same place."
"No prob."
Chloe still couldn't believe what was going on. Trev was cool with Clark. Clark was friendly to Trev. Coffee was definitely in order and she wondered if Lana's staff could spike it for her.
"This is Mike and Gene," Trev turned to introduce the twins to Clark.
"Nice to meet you." He said and met their handshakes, thankful that the gesture released Chloe from their clutches. "That's Pete over there." He pointed and Pete raised his hand in response. "And I believe you've met Chloe." Clark smiled at her and she returned with pleading eyes and a furrowed brow. He'd do what he could to ease her predicament. Isn't that what friends do for each other? He also decided to get out of his introverted shell and try to figure something out. "So, you two know each other?" He asked referring to Trev and Lex.
"Yeah," it was Lex who answered. "Trev's dad is one of our senior VP's who opted for early retirement. My father really couldn't let a man of his expertise get released to the world, so he hired Jake Collins as a consultant. Trev used to hang out in the same places I did, meaning our dad's offices even when he hated to be there. We shared a mutual boredom. Jake is here in Smallville for a somewhat long-term project."
"That's why I get dragged out here to Smallville." Trev interjected.
"Don't worry." Lex assured as he remembered how he was also dragged to Smallville a little less than a year ago. "It's surprising how Smallville grows on you and I know you'll find many pleasant things here." He said that with a sly grin directed at Chloe which they all caught and it supercharged the atmosphere. "I hate to break-off this mini reunion but I have to get back to the plant." To Clark he said, "Don't forget Friday night, it's formal." To Trev he said, "Drop by later - race to rack eleven. If you win, you keep the black Ferrari for a week."
Trev smiled a wide boyish smile and rubbed his palms together. "It's mine!"
"We'll see." With that Lex left.
Clark was never invited to play billiards at Lex's mansion, let alone be lent one of his luxurious cars. He had to shake off what he felt. He directed his attention to Chloe instead. "Didn't I owe you a latte?"
Chloe broke out a smile Clark had not seen all day. "Yes, you do." She agreed and moved away from the twins towards Clark.
Trev watched Chloe gravitate towards the tall farm boy who he was sure was the "dense" one in her email. "We'll catch up with you guys later." He, along with Mike and Gene, went over to open the delivered cases and revealed sound equipment and musical instruments - keyboards, guitars, a bass guitar and a drum set to be specific.
Clark, Chloe and Pete made their way to the bar to give their orders. Pete spoke up, "I know we heard Trev play guitar today, don't tell me he can sing, too?"
Chloe bowed her pretty blond head and Clark heard what she said under her breath. "You'd be surprised."
He was. This guy couldn't be all that?! He shook off that feeling again and used the best remedy so far - he concentrated again on Chloe.
Before she could open her mouth to tell the waitress at the counter what she wanted, Clark supplied her order: "She'll have an extra large hot latte, non-fat, hold the whipped cream…" he looked at Chloe's surprised, angelic face and without breaking his gaze added, "…with an extra shot of espresso."
Chloe's wonderful smile brightened her face and it made Clark equally happy to see that he could still make her smile.
"Thank you, Clark." She said softly.
It was the best thing Clark heard all day. He didn't understand why it made his heart jump.
All this time, Pete stood behind them with a stupid grin plastered on his face. Things were looking good for his friends and he was not going to let an opportunity like this slip away. "And you - Clark, my man - will get me a cold double mocha." He said as he tousled Chloe's short, wispy hair and made her giggle.
Clark glanced around as he finished ordering for himself a cappuccino and gladly paid for his friends. Mike and Gene were busy putting the drum set together but he caught Trev looking at Chloe. Clark was suddenly reminded of the way he himself was like that, staring out his loft window or gazing at you-know-who. Clark then took his cue from what he had seen countless of times.
Chloe was glad that she was doing something normal with her Smallville friends. Suddenly, her whole world zeroed-in on her and a thousand spotlights turned on as Clark gently placed his arm across her shoulders, gave her a soft squeeze and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. She didn't need her latte anymore - she already felt warm and giddy.