Part 9

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"You're avoiding me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"How would you know?"

"Because we used to be inseparable."

Trev was right, Chloe contemplated inside his car. They were a dynamic duo, the perfect pair, the school sweethearts and all other labels that they tried hard to peel off. To the outside world the Trev-Sully tandem was a cute couple. But it was much more than that for them.

What started out as an annoying playmate who always poured sand in her hair, grew wonderfully to a loving confidant who challenged the best out of her - joining her to conquer whichever world they wanted to dominate. He was the secure rock, moving train, and comfy chair all rolled into one. She loved him. And now she missed him.

Their break-up was hard on her mostly because she initiated it. She knew the distance would just be too much. Even when he dished out all these ideas on how to bridge the gap, she felt in her gut to simply let go and try to start new in Smallville.

She buried Sully of Metropolis in hopes it would help her forget. She wanted to snuff out the pain of being uprooted, severed from close friends, plucked out of her place in teen society to start at square one, and the aching loss of dear friend's love. Chloe of Smallville put all of that aside to step out into the sunny, farm fresh, meteor ridden, quaint town life. And start new she did - new school, hobbies, zeal, adventures, friends…a new love.

Everything was going for her - grades, the top post in the school paper, life on the edge and wonderful friends to hang out with. The only hitch came in the form of a tall, handsome, shy farm boy named Clark Kent.

She fell head over heels the day she first saw him. The attraction was too instant that it caught her off guard. Clark was the best looking guy in the class and she almost jumped out of her skin when the teacher assigned him to show her around. His beauty was simply out of this world. When he smiled, there weren't enough silly metaphors involving heavenly bodies to describe how it made her feel.

Clark's wit and humor impressed her even more. It totally blew her pre-conceived notion that small-town lads had similarly sized brains. Here was a member of the high school population who has read the books that she had and could handle her snark attacks with intellectual deflector shields. Yet he lived in a real-life farm!

She insisted that he give her a tour of the local environment starting with his family's agricultural land. It wasn't so much that she was interested in livestock and vegetation, she just had to come up with some excuse to spend more time with this gorgeously amazing young man.

Clark gave her a background of Smallville ins and outs as they walked to his home. The dirt roads and fresh air was a welcoming change for her. However, it distressed her to note that there wasn't much going on in rural Kansas except for championship football games, state fairs, the planting and harvest season. The dull routine of the land reflected unjustly in Clark. She winced at the thought that all of his potential for greatness get bottled up and hidden in obscurity along with the town. She vowed to show him that there was more beyond Smallville's boundaries. Besides, his good looks should be shared for the entire world to see. Or better yet, shrink that world to a population of one blond city girl who has been ogling her classmate all day.

She had to catch herself from staring at his face too much. She wanted to run her fingers through his unruly, dark, wavy hair. His eyes were magnetic and his face structure had an angelic masculinity. When her gaze dropped to his lips, she wondered if they were as soft as they looked.

Her resolve melted when Clark led her into his "Fortress of Solitude" after a round of the Kent farm. She stood by the loft window railing to take in the magnificent orange sunset. Clark leaned on his side against the frame that it made him eye-level with her. She couldn't take it anymore - his nearness was too much, he was too much. With all the daring, adventurousness and bravado she could muster, she did her first impulsive stunt in Smallville - kiss Clark Kent.

She only meant it to be a short sampling, but when her lips brushed against his and found out how soft they really were Chloe hungered for more. She sucked his lower lip gently and traced it with her tongue. The motion invited a welcome response from her unsuspecting victim when Clark's mouth parted slightly. Their tongues touched for but a moment yet the electricity it generated jolted them back to their senses. Mortified that she just blew her chances with this stupid move, she mumbled something that she swore was a projection of what *she* was really thinking.

Chloe was relieved to see that Clark was one of the few remaining specimen of the male species that still came with gentlemanly manners. From then on, they put this incident out of the way to move on to become friends.

They were friends, very good ones, and not a while longer, the best. Clark's lifetime buddy Pete completed their triad. However, her relationship with Clark hit a plateau and has stayed status quo no matter how hard she hoped it would go further. How would she make this guy "like" her when in her previous relationship, she didn't need to do anything. Her lack of point of reference frustrated her. She wanted in Smallville what she had in Metropolis - someone who was more than just a friend.

Trev and Clark - they were her bests from the far off city and small town that help mold Chloe Sullivan. The two good-looking boys were so different and yet remarkably alike some ways.

Chloe sighed at her muddled state and wondered if Clark was okay. Something was clearly wrong when he bolted from the Talon this afternoon. His blue eyes conveyed a confusion that probably matched hers now.

"Sully…" Trev had to break her trance before she bore a hole through the car window.

"Please don't call me that anymore." She said quietly, keeping her eyes at the blurred countryside that whizzed by.

"Okay - Chloe. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot back at the Talon. I really needed you… we needed a drummer." He quickly corrected.

"Scumbag." She huffed in mixed ire and amusement. "Don't ever try to pull something like that again. You know how I hate it when you do that."

"Do what? Pull you out of your comfort zone? Where's your sense of adventure?"

Out in the woods hunting for meteor mutants with Clark. She mused. "But I do miss playing with you guys." Chloe shifted in her seat to face her once long-time-best friend. "It was fun, never thought I'd have the chance to play the drums again."

"And why didn't you? You know you have talent, the school has got to have some musicians or a band in there."

Chloe shrugged and looked out the windshield at the open road, "I just found a new passion."

"Investigative journalism."

That made her look at Trev, surprised that he knew.

Trev caught her bemused look and grinned at it. "I read your articles - all of them - even the one in the Ledger about 'Superboy'. You're amazingly good at it."

"Oh, wow, thanks." It wasn't everyday that Chloe heard appreciation for her work. His complement gave her a momentary boost.

"Anyway, that's going to be a regular gig. While the Talon still needs to fill-up their list of bands, we might need to do more slots - next one's this weekend." Trev glanced at Chloe to see how she was taking the news. Her mouth was hanging open. "I'm sorry to disrupt your regular programming but we need to practice almost every night this week."

"To fill our line-up?" She squinted in comprehension.

"You got it. Anyway, Mike and Gene are crashing at my house at the same time helping us get settled."

"What about their school? You mean they also moved to Smallville high?"

"Nope, you know how unconventional their folks are. They're on this home school thing."

There goes her schedule. Good thing there weren't really any major tests or term papers due else there wouldn't be any of Chloe left to enjoy the weekend. That brought thoughts of the party at Lex's that Friday. Trev had invited her and even gave a gift to signify how seriously he wanted her there. She had been putting off thinking of that welcoming dinner and still didn't welcome its intrusion.

"Thanks for the ride home. Clark and I were supposed to catch the bus but…. "

"… he took off without you."

"He does that all the time." Her shoulders fell.

"He does?" Trev grimaced.

"Yeah." Chloe sighed as she slumped on her seat.

"Hmmm."

"What do you mean 'Hmmm'?"

"You like him. Don't you?"

"Trev! How…?"

"Chloe, even an idiot can see that you're attracted to Kent. The way you stand beside him, the way you look at him, the way you reacted while you were ordering your drinks. Well?"

"…"

"I take that as a 'yes'."

"I -"

"Does he like you?"

"…"

"Does he know you like him?"

Chloe tried her best not to look like a fish as she struggled for words.

"You don't know on both counts, huh? Farm boy gets touchy-feely with you and thirty minutes later, leaves you cold. Ergo, my 'Hmmm'."

"You've been in school for only two days, you barely know the guy and yet you have something against him? For your info, Clark is good and dependable. He has saved my life more than once."

"So?"

"So?!? Trev, he's my friend!"

"Chloe, I always have something against anyone who treats you less than the intelligent, beautiful, wonderful lady that you are!"

Their rapid-fire conversation and Trev's impassioned remark stunned Chloe. He still knew which of her buttons to push and which nerve to pinch.

The uncomfortable tension was interrupted as Trev pulled in front of Chloe's house. He quickly made his way to open her door but she had already alighted from the car and was as ascending the porch steps.

"Chloe," Trev called out in a calm tone as he followed her up, "even though you completely shut me out when you moved to Smallville - you didn't return my calls, my emails, no card on Christmas - I still consider you my friend, my best even."

She froze in the middle of unlocking her front door. The buried regret of cutting him off suddenly resurfaced. Her chest felt heavy and she could feel the rim of her eyes sting. Even with what she did to him, he harbored no ill feelings and was extending the hand of friendship.

"I'm so sorry…" she started and turned to face Trev. His pained expression did not ease her guilt.

"I miss you." Trev moved closer and took her hands. "I miss what we had together."

"Trev, we're no longer….We just can't pick up where we left. Things have changed, I've changed. I don't know if…."

"Chloe, please…." He pressed his forehead against hers and with his eyes closed he confessed, "I hate Smallville - you're the only one that makes my stay here bearable."

Part of her wanted to hold him tight, the other part screamed for him to let go and move ten paces back.

Trev's arms moved to envelope her again. He traced kisses from her temple down to her cheek. "It was unfair what happened to us. Yet, I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't take this chance." Against her lips he whispered, "Chloe, I still love you."

"Don't do this, let's not…." It was her who moved away to stand by the porch railing. Chloe hugged herself not because of the night chill, but for the goosebumps that appeared all over her skin.

Here was Trev offering to rekindle their relationship, a love unforced. The door before her was wide open and it invited her to relive all their wonderful times together and the answer to her prayers - to have all that with a good friend in Smallville.

As she contemplated her predicament, images of Clark flashed in rapid succession - his smile, the worried look on his face, his strong arms when he rescued her, his reliability, their laughter and mystery adventures together. If only it was Clark asking her right now. But there was nothing between her and Clark. He does not even have an iota of romantic interest in her. The thought of that always made her feel insecure, insignificant, unpretty for a fleeting moment. Despite that, Clark always made her feel safe, so secure that she had no fear on taking on anything or anyone. There was a mysterious something that they can only attribute to being Clark-like that drew Chloe to him. If only….

"I'm not asking you to answer me now, Chloe." Trev said softly as he moved towards her. "Just this: go with me to Dad's welcome party?"

Chloe was glad that Trev did not put pressure on her. "Ask me again on Friday?"

"Deal."

Trev was about to kiss her but Chloe faced the other way. Understanding her predicament, he decided to kiss the back of her hand instead. "Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." With that he stepped off the porch.

Chloe watched him walk back to his car. A small smile formed at the corner of her lips, Trev was such a daredevil and he rubbed off on her too well.

"Trev!" She called out and he turned to face her. "I'm glad to see you again. It's also nice to have you around." The smile she gave showed her genuine happiness for Trev's presence in this small town.

"Don't be a stranger." He returned the smile then he boarded his car to go home.

Chloe whispered into the evening's cool breeze, "I won't."