A/N: Ahhh. you found me out! Well, I confess that I am not a member of the
Lana fanclub, nor do I remotely understand or appreciate her character.
Then again, this fic is not centered around her anyway : )
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Chapter 2: Close Ties
The blonde girl's comment drew two gasps from Clark and Lana and a wide smirk from Lex.
"I cannot believe the way you are behaving," Lana snapped.
Chloe sighed. Things had changed dramatically during their last year of high school; they were all still caught up in the old wounds that had never quite healed. Chloe desperately wanted to leave so she turned to Lex, "Look, I really need to go so please *move* your car."
Lex paused for a second then agreed, giving Clark and Lana a nod before turning to leave with Chloe. Thank God. He was starting to feel nauseous with all the concerned glances. As he walked through the gathering various strangers expressed their swift condolences with pats on the back and forced emotions. They all passed by in a blur.
The sun pierced his eyes as he made it to the outside. Lex leaned against the cold wall and ripped off his tie, loosening his collar.
"It's hard to breath in there with all those people isn't it?" Chloe paused, glancing at the man who drew ragged breaths. There was a twinge of guilt that was growing in her but she brushed it aside.
"Not really... it's just that this tie really doesn't go well with this suit. I don't know what I was thinking." Lex muttered, lowering himself onto a step.
"He made a joke... now I know he's sane enough to move his car out of my-" Chloe paused when she saw her car was blocked in from all sides now by those of new funeral goers. She swore out loud.
Lex follwed her line of sight and shrugged, "I could go in and start asking people who owns a silver Honda? Or maybe I could work it into the eulogy?"
"Forget it." Chloe said frustrated, sitting on the stairs beside him. The two remained there in silence, each with their own thoughts. Neither wanted to go back into the church and face the false tears and black moods.
"Is there a reason why you wanted to leave so soon?" Lex asked, breaking the silence.
"What? Oh... well, yeah, there's a reason." Chloe stated evasively.
"Well? Did your home burn down? Your cat get stuck in the dishwasher?" Lex prodded.
"Firstly I don't have a cat, I'm a dog person." commented Chloe.
Lex laughed, "Figures... you like 'em big and dumb."
Chloe gave him a sideways glance, "Did I detect a hint of innuendo...?"
"Innuendo is in the ear of the listener..." he retorted.
Chloe rolled her eyes, "Well, if you must know I was in Lionel's funeral when I... overheard a conversation about some sort of a meeting about the contents of his will..."
"...and you wanted to get into contact with someone who could get you a ticket to the show?" Lex finished of her sentence with a smirk.
Chloe paused in thought, "Well, yeah, that's pretty much what I meant, except I would have used better grammar to express it." She commented lightly.
"Are you insulting my verbal skills Ms Sullivan?" Lex feigned hurt.
"I wouldn't dream of it Mr. Luthor," Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't you just ask me?"
"For what?" Chloe responded, smoothing down her silky skirt thoughtfully.
"For a pass to go to the reading of Lionel's will?" Lex stated.
Chloe never thought Lex would actually agree to that, but since he brought it up...
"Will you let me attend the special event, Lex?" Chloe asked seriously.
Lex paused, as if to seriously consider the question, but in reality there was only one answer. The only news coverage allowed was the Planet's top reporter... he wasn't about to let an amateur into the picture.
"No," Lex said casually, getting up and putting his tie back on again. "I will not let you advance your career by using the death of my father a leverage." he continued with a dramatic air.
Chloe groaned, "Give me a break, you couldn't care less about your father's death. People in there may not see it, but I sure as hell can."
Lex looked across the sun baked fields with a smirk, "How would you feel if your father died?" he asked, knowing it was not the same thing.
"I love my father, Lex. Now if my mother died I doubt I'd feel much pain. There's just no way I could pretend to miss her when she was never there to begin with." Chloe said fluidly.
"Well I believe that I feel the same animosity towards my father..." Lex trailed off.
"Harsh words," commented Chloe.
"Actually I just wanted to see if you knew what animosity meant." Lex said, still trying to straighten his tie.
"I graduated from high school two weeks ago, I think I picked up a few things." Chloe shot back.
Lex's voice took on a serious tone, "I'm glad to know you learned something at farm-school."
"You're such an idiot, you know that?" she spat.
The man shook his head with a smile, still struggling with his tie. "Why must you always insult me? I have receive more insults from you during our fleeting conversations that I have from people I've known all my life."
"Well that's because they're all threatened by you, whereas I am not," Chloe said, thoroughly insulted by the way Lex shot down her hopes of getting that story.
Lex's hands stopped fidgeting with his tie and instead he turned to Chloe with folded arms. "Excuse me?"
For the first time Chloe looked directly into his vivid eyes, but refused to be mentally overpowered. "You heard me... I hate repeating myself."
"You know, I think you use this arguing thing as some sort of a barrier between you and the rest of the world." Lex analyzed.
Chloe's jaw dropped, "Who are you? Dr. Phil? I really don't think you're qualified to judge me you... you... psychologically scarred egomaniac!"
Lex raised his eyebrows, "Flattery will get you nowhere, I'm still not letting you go to the reading of my father's will, Chloe."
"You..." she said, embedding her index finger into his chest, "...can call me Ms Sullivan, and mark my words, I going find out about that will one way or the other..."
Lex took a step back, as the girl stormed back into the church. "That's some challenge..." he muttered.
Chloe stuck her head out the door one final time, "By the way your tie looks stupid."
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Please Review : )
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Chapter 2: Close Ties
The blonde girl's comment drew two gasps from Clark and Lana and a wide smirk from Lex.
"I cannot believe the way you are behaving," Lana snapped.
Chloe sighed. Things had changed dramatically during their last year of high school; they were all still caught up in the old wounds that had never quite healed. Chloe desperately wanted to leave so she turned to Lex, "Look, I really need to go so please *move* your car."
Lex paused for a second then agreed, giving Clark and Lana a nod before turning to leave with Chloe. Thank God. He was starting to feel nauseous with all the concerned glances. As he walked through the gathering various strangers expressed their swift condolences with pats on the back and forced emotions. They all passed by in a blur.
The sun pierced his eyes as he made it to the outside. Lex leaned against the cold wall and ripped off his tie, loosening his collar.
"It's hard to breath in there with all those people isn't it?" Chloe paused, glancing at the man who drew ragged breaths. There was a twinge of guilt that was growing in her but she brushed it aside.
"Not really... it's just that this tie really doesn't go well with this suit. I don't know what I was thinking." Lex muttered, lowering himself onto a step.
"He made a joke... now I know he's sane enough to move his car out of my-" Chloe paused when she saw her car was blocked in from all sides now by those of new funeral goers. She swore out loud.
Lex follwed her line of sight and shrugged, "I could go in and start asking people who owns a silver Honda? Or maybe I could work it into the eulogy?"
"Forget it." Chloe said frustrated, sitting on the stairs beside him. The two remained there in silence, each with their own thoughts. Neither wanted to go back into the church and face the false tears and black moods.
"Is there a reason why you wanted to leave so soon?" Lex asked, breaking the silence.
"What? Oh... well, yeah, there's a reason." Chloe stated evasively.
"Well? Did your home burn down? Your cat get stuck in the dishwasher?" Lex prodded.
"Firstly I don't have a cat, I'm a dog person." commented Chloe.
Lex laughed, "Figures... you like 'em big and dumb."
Chloe gave him a sideways glance, "Did I detect a hint of innuendo...?"
"Innuendo is in the ear of the listener..." he retorted.
Chloe rolled her eyes, "Well, if you must know I was in Lionel's funeral when I... overheard a conversation about some sort of a meeting about the contents of his will..."
"...and you wanted to get into contact with someone who could get you a ticket to the show?" Lex finished of her sentence with a smirk.
Chloe paused in thought, "Well, yeah, that's pretty much what I meant, except I would have used better grammar to express it." She commented lightly.
"Are you insulting my verbal skills Ms Sullivan?" Lex feigned hurt.
"I wouldn't dream of it Mr. Luthor," Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't you just ask me?"
"For what?" Chloe responded, smoothing down her silky skirt thoughtfully.
"For a pass to go to the reading of Lionel's will?" Lex stated.
Chloe never thought Lex would actually agree to that, but since he brought it up...
"Will you let me attend the special event, Lex?" Chloe asked seriously.
Lex paused, as if to seriously consider the question, but in reality there was only one answer. The only news coverage allowed was the Planet's top reporter... he wasn't about to let an amateur into the picture.
"No," Lex said casually, getting up and putting his tie back on again. "I will not let you advance your career by using the death of my father a leverage." he continued with a dramatic air.
Chloe groaned, "Give me a break, you couldn't care less about your father's death. People in there may not see it, but I sure as hell can."
Lex looked across the sun baked fields with a smirk, "How would you feel if your father died?" he asked, knowing it was not the same thing.
"I love my father, Lex. Now if my mother died I doubt I'd feel much pain. There's just no way I could pretend to miss her when she was never there to begin with." Chloe said fluidly.
"Well I believe that I feel the same animosity towards my father..." Lex trailed off.
"Harsh words," commented Chloe.
"Actually I just wanted to see if you knew what animosity meant." Lex said, still trying to straighten his tie.
"I graduated from high school two weeks ago, I think I picked up a few things." Chloe shot back.
Lex's voice took on a serious tone, "I'm glad to know you learned something at farm-school."
"You're such an idiot, you know that?" she spat.
The man shook his head with a smile, still struggling with his tie. "Why must you always insult me? I have receive more insults from you during our fleeting conversations that I have from people I've known all my life."
"Well that's because they're all threatened by you, whereas I am not," Chloe said, thoroughly insulted by the way Lex shot down her hopes of getting that story.
Lex's hands stopped fidgeting with his tie and instead he turned to Chloe with folded arms. "Excuse me?"
For the first time Chloe looked directly into his vivid eyes, but refused to be mentally overpowered. "You heard me... I hate repeating myself."
"You know, I think you use this arguing thing as some sort of a barrier between you and the rest of the world." Lex analyzed.
Chloe's jaw dropped, "Who are you? Dr. Phil? I really don't think you're qualified to judge me you... you... psychologically scarred egomaniac!"
Lex raised his eyebrows, "Flattery will get you nowhere, I'm still not letting you go to the reading of my father's will, Chloe."
"You..." she said, embedding her index finger into his chest, "...can call me Ms Sullivan, and mark my words, I going find out about that will one way or the other..."
Lex took a step back, as the girl stormed back into the church. "That's some challenge..." he muttered.
Chloe stuck her head out the door one final time, "By the way your tie looks stupid."
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Please Review : )