Lana walked into The Talon and set her books behind the counter. She
retrieved her green apron from where it hung on the wall and tied it around
her waist. 'That's strange,' she thought. 'I lost weight. I guess I
haven't been very hungry lately.' She pulled the apron tighter and smiled.
The new girl, Alicia walked in holding a serving platter with four full drinks on it. It leaned precariously to one side. Lana winced, but Alicia quickly balanced it and distributed the drinks to the customers at the corner table. She returned, holding the empty platter, and greeted Lana.
"Hi!" she said brightly.
"How are you doing?" Lana asked.
"Actually, I think I may finally be getting the hang of this. I only broke two dishes today."
"That's great!" Lana said enthusiastically. "You'll be a pro in no time."
"Thanks, I hope so. Oh, guess what?" she said mysteriously.
Lana waited. Finally she said, "What?"
"A delivery guy came in here fifteen minutes ago. He left something for you."
"Really?" Lana said, surprised.
"Yup, over there." Alicia pointed to the main table in the center of the room. There sat a dozen vibrant, red roses in a large, clear, crystal vase.
"Wow," Lana said breathlessly. "They're beautiful!" She stood and admired the flowers; flawless, perfect. She wanted to reach out and touch one soft, single petal, but resisted the urge. She was captivated, mesmerized by their beauty. They looked like something that should belong in a book or a museum. The sound of Alicia's voice reverberated in her head, disrupting her quiet thoughts.
"Who are they from?" she asked.
Lana shrugged, although she was pretty sure she knew.
"Well, there's a card. Open it," she commanded.
Lana smiled and sifted through the roses until she found a small, white card. Her name was written neatly on the outside of the envelope. She gingerly opened it and read it silently.
Lana,
I've been a jerk. I'm sorry about everything that happened. We need to talk. I'll meet you at The Talon to walk you home.
Clark
Lana let out a sigh of relief and tucked the card into the pocket of her jeans.
"Well?" Alicia probed. "Who sent them?"
Lana smiled mysteriously.
"It was Clark, wasn't it?" she said excitedly. Alicia was a couple years older than Lana and at first had thought it was weird that someone younger than her was running The Talon. She got used to it, and she and Lana had become fast friends in the past week. Alicia had heard all about her problems with Clark.
Lana nodded happily.
"That is so cute!" Alicia squealed.
"Yeah," she said shyly.
"What did he say?"
"He's picking me up tonight when my shift ends."
"Aww! I'll make sure to get out of here a few minutes early so you two will have plenty of time to talk." She paused and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
"What?"
"Nell's out of town, right?"
Lana nodded. "She's in Metropolis on business until tomorrow."
"So?" she prompted. "Invite him over!"
"Nell would kill me!"
Alicia rolled her eyes. "She's not here is she?"
"It's not a good idea," Lana insisted.
"Why not? He'd never do anything you wouldn't want to do, right? Do you trust him?"
"Yes, of course. Implicitly. But that's beside the point. I don't want to ruin things between us."
"How is sleeping with him going to ruin things? Ten minutes ago you weren't even speaking to him."
Lana looked at her uneasily. "Who said I was going to sleep with him?"
"You're planning on inviting him over to an empty house right after you've made up. What else would you do?"
"I don't know!" Lana threw up her hands. "Talk?"
"Yeah right." She laughed meanly. "Are you honestly telling me that Clark's never tried anything before?"
"No!" Lana replied, shocked. "He's a perfect gentleman."
"Trust me Lana, there's no such thing," she replied knowledgably. "All guys want is sex. If Clark says otherwise, he's either lying or gay."
"Or neither. You've obviously never met Clark Kent. You don't know him. He'd never pressure me like that. He's never even mentioned it actually. Of course, we only went out for two weeks before the whole incident, but still."
"And you're sure he's not gay?"
Lana sighed, annoyed. "Yes, I'm sure he's not gay. I'm positive."
"How do you know?"
"Because, trust me. Gay men don't kiss like that."
"Really? And how many gay men have you kissed?"
"Good point."
"Look, all I'm saying is that if he's such a great guy then why haven't you just gotten it over with yet?"
"It's not just something to get over with. It's a big deal."
"You're deluded."
"It's not like I plan on waiting until I get married or anything. I mean, I'm realistic. I've thought about it. I'm just not ready. I don't want to do anything I'll regret later. But eventually, when the time comes, I guess I'd want Clark to be the guy I lose my virginity with."
"You guess?"
"Yes, alright? Yes."
"How do you even know if he's a virgin?"
"Like I said, you've obviously never met Clark Kent," Lana said smiling.
"You think he'll wait for you?"
"I know he will."
Alicia looked dubious. She looked at her friend through worried eyes and gave her a tight smile. "I hope you're right."
Whitney was exhausted. It was just after nine and he had closed up Fordman's for the night and gotten into his truck to drive home. On the passenger seat next to him was the letter from Joel. Whitney reread it, although he already knew the entirety of its contents by heart. After all, how often did he get a love letter from another guy? At first he thought it was from Megan, or maybe the pretty blonde in his English class, who had been staring at him for the past week.
By the time he got to the signature at the bottom, he felt uneasy again. It wasn't just that the letter was written by a guy that freaked him out, it was the way he had ended it. What he had written about Lana. 'She deserves everything she has coming to her.' It sounded foreboding, and final. It was all slightly unnerving, besides being completely uncomfortable. He barely knew Joel, just that he had been on the football team at the beginning of the season. As he read the note again he glanced through the truck window across the street to The Talon. The lights were still on and cars were parked outside, but Whitney knew that they would be closing soon. He wanted to go in and talk to Lana, but knew that he would probably just end up scaring her.
Whitney started the engine and drove past Lana's house to the Kent farm. He got out of his truck quickly; he wanted to get this over with. He knocked loudly on the door. Clark opened it and was obviously surprise to see Whitney standing there.
"Hey Whitney…what are you doing here?" He stood and watched him fidget uncomfortably.
"I uh…got this note today." He took it out of his pocket and handed it to Clark. "It's from Joel."
"Joel? Chloe's boyfriend?"
"Uh…yeah. You might want to read it. It's kind of weird."
Clark looked at him, slightly confused, and unfolded the note. He read it and his eyes widened.
"Wow…I didn't see that coming."
Whitney nodded in agreement.
"Why is he going out with Chloe?"
"I have no idea. Look Kent, I thought you might want to know. So you can talk to Lana about it. I was going to do it myself but…it wouldn't be a good idea, under the circumstances."
"Okay, yeah, I'll tell her. Actually, I was just about to go and see her at The Talon. You don't think Joel would ever try to hurt her do you?"
"I don't know. He did get her drunk. And there was this one time at practice…"
"What?"
"It's not like it was a big deal at the time. I didn't even think about it until today. Guys on the team get in fights all the time. It was weird though. He freaked out and beat the crap out of Steve Dumont. I mean, totally pulverized him. Joel claimed that he was looking at him in the locker room or something. He was suspended for the rest of the season, but eventually he just quit the team. Nobody really missed him. He was a loose cannon, you know? We were just waiting for something to set him off."
Clark looked worried. "He may have been the one who hit her in the bathroom at the dance."
Whitney stared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"
"The night of the dance Lana got a concussion. I always assumed she was so drunk that she just passed out and hit her head, but now I'm wondering if maybe Joel had something to do with it. I'm going to go now."
Whitney nodded and headed to his truck. "Do you want a ride Kent?"
"No." Clark figured that he could get to The Talon faster using his super speed. "Hey, thanks Whitney. For coming over."
"No problem. But if you say anything about this…I don't want this whole note thing getting around school. It's bad enough about what happened with Lana and I. This could really ruin my reputation, you know? I have a girlfriend Kent."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," he promised.
Whitney got into his truck and sped away. Clark waited until he was out of sight before using his powers to get to The Talon quickly.
Meanwhile, at The Talon…
Lana said goodbye to Alicia and served the remaining customers. As the last group left, Lana picked up their dishes and took off her apron. She knew that Clark would be here any minute and she was anxiously awaiting his arrival. She locked up the front door from the inside and sat down in a big, comfy chair with her English homework. A few minutes later she heard a knock. She got up, excited, and unlocked the door. Before she opened it, she looked through the glass and was unsettled to find Joel standing there, instead of Clark.
"Joel? What are you doing here?" she called through the door.
"I just came to talk to you about something," he said quietly.
"It's kind of late. Maybe you could come by tomorrow?" she suggested.
"It's sort of an emergency. Can I come in? Only for a minute."
"Is it about Chloe?" she asked.
"No…actually, it's about you."
"What about me?" Lana was officially uneasy. She barely knew Joel and wondered what had been so important that he'd come to see her at work, instead of just waiting to talk to her at school.
Suddenly Joel reached for the door handle and forced his way in. Lana stood back and cautiously surveyed him. He looked upset, but the way he stared at her made her skin crawl.
"What do you want Joel?" she asked, her voice low.
"Who are these from?" he asked, pointing to the flowers and ignoring her question.
"Clark…why?"
"They're very pretty. You're very pretty. Did you know that?"
"Um, thanks Joel."
"I guess that's why Whitney liked you," he continued. He plucked the petals off one of the roses. Lana was about to move the vase away from him when Joel grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. His face was a few inches from hers.
"Why did you make up those lies about him?" His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed him. They were cold, unfeeling, and hateful. Lana slipped out of his tight grasp and backed away.
"What are you talking about?" she said, equally calm.
"I think you know. What you said about Whitney. Those rumors got him kicked off the team. Football was his future."
"Joel," she said, trying to reason with him, "Those weren't rumors. It really happened."
"Liar," he said maliciously. "You made it up. I know you did."
"No," she whispered. "You've got it all wrong Joel." Her heart was pounding. Something wasn't right. He was acting strange, erratic.
"Lana, would you do anything for the people you love?"
She looked at him, confused. "I…I suppose that depends."
"I'd do anything for Whitney. Do you understand that Lana?" His voice had lowered to a terrifying whisper, to match her own.
"Yes…I understand."
"I don't think you do. I was the one who poured Vodka in your drink at the dance. The one who gave you that nasty concussion, too."
"That was you?" she said incredulously.
"Yes. And do you know why?"
She knew he was waiting for an answer and she was more than willing to give him one. She shook her head no.
"You took away his future, now I'm going take away yours. You ruined everything Lana. You don't deserve to be happy ever again. And I'm going to make sure that you're not."
Lana was trying desperately to remain calm, but she was already panicked. 'Keep him talking,' she thought. Her hands shook wildly and her mind had gone blank, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and think.
"Does Whitney know that you love him Joel?" She walked slowly backwards, towards the counter. She reached behind it and felt frantically for her cell phone. Her fingers fumbled to find it. Joel realized what she was doing and put his hand to her throat just as she pressed the button that automatically dialed 911.
"You really shouldn't have done that."
His fingers tightened around her throat. Lana choked and gasped for air and felt hot tears slide down her face. She fell to the floor with a thud. When she regained consciousness a few moments later Joel was standing over her. His eyes were wild and frantic.
"The police will be here any second," she whispered. She backed up against the wall and pulled herself up. Her throat was burning and her eyes were stinging but she knew she had to get away from him. She turned and ran behind the counter and searched for something to throw at him. It took her a moment to realize that Joel was no longer right next to her. He had retrieved the heavy vase from the table and was approaching her. She tried to duck, but it was too late. He threw it hard at her head. It smacked into her skull and shattered on impact. A rain of thick glass and tainted roses fell around her. She groaned softly and slumped to the floor. Joel raced outside. It wasn't even ten yet, but the street was quiet. He would be out of Smallville for good before anyone had a chance to put two and two together. He may not be able to have Whitney, but if he couldn't, no one would. He'd gotten rid of the only thing that stood in the way of Whitney's future. Lana Lang. Now Whitney would finally have the chance to be happy. And that was the only thing that had ever mattered to Joel.
Clark approached The Talon in time to see a dark figure running down the street. He used his x-ray vision to peer inside. At first he couldn't see Lana, but as he scanned the room he saw her on the floor behind the counter. He opened the door and raced inside.
The new girl, Alicia walked in holding a serving platter with four full drinks on it. It leaned precariously to one side. Lana winced, but Alicia quickly balanced it and distributed the drinks to the customers at the corner table. She returned, holding the empty platter, and greeted Lana.
"Hi!" she said brightly.
"How are you doing?" Lana asked.
"Actually, I think I may finally be getting the hang of this. I only broke two dishes today."
"That's great!" Lana said enthusiastically. "You'll be a pro in no time."
"Thanks, I hope so. Oh, guess what?" she said mysteriously.
Lana waited. Finally she said, "What?"
"A delivery guy came in here fifteen minutes ago. He left something for you."
"Really?" Lana said, surprised.
"Yup, over there." Alicia pointed to the main table in the center of the room. There sat a dozen vibrant, red roses in a large, clear, crystal vase.
"Wow," Lana said breathlessly. "They're beautiful!" She stood and admired the flowers; flawless, perfect. She wanted to reach out and touch one soft, single petal, but resisted the urge. She was captivated, mesmerized by their beauty. They looked like something that should belong in a book or a museum. The sound of Alicia's voice reverberated in her head, disrupting her quiet thoughts.
"Who are they from?" she asked.
Lana shrugged, although she was pretty sure she knew.
"Well, there's a card. Open it," she commanded.
Lana smiled and sifted through the roses until she found a small, white card. Her name was written neatly on the outside of the envelope. She gingerly opened it and read it silently.
Lana,
I've been a jerk. I'm sorry about everything that happened. We need to talk. I'll meet you at The Talon to walk you home.
Clark
Lana let out a sigh of relief and tucked the card into the pocket of her jeans.
"Well?" Alicia probed. "Who sent them?"
Lana smiled mysteriously.
"It was Clark, wasn't it?" she said excitedly. Alicia was a couple years older than Lana and at first had thought it was weird that someone younger than her was running The Talon. She got used to it, and she and Lana had become fast friends in the past week. Alicia had heard all about her problems with Clark.
Lana nodded happily.
"That is so cute!" Alicia squealed.
"Yeah," she said shyly.
"What did he say?"
"He's picking me up tonight when my shift ends."
"Aww! I'll make sure to get out of here a few minutes early so you two will have plenty of time to talk." She paused and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
"What?"
"Nell's out of town, right?"
Lana nodded. "She's in Metropolis on business until tomorrow."
"So?" she prompted. "Invite him over!"
"Nell would kill me!"
Alicia rolled her eyes. "She's not here is she?"
"It's not a good idea," Lana insisted.
"Why not? He'd never do anything you wouldn't want to do, right? Do you trust him?"
"Yes, of course. Implicitly. But that's beside the point. I don't want to ruin things between us."
"How is sleeping with him going to ruin things? Ten minutes ago you weren't even speaking to him."
Lana looked at her uneasily. "Who said I was going to sleep with him?"
"You're planning on inviting him over to an empty house right after you've made up. What else would you do?"
"I don't know!" Lana threw up her hands. "Talk?"
"Yeah right." She laughed meanly. "Are you honestly telling me that Clark's never tried anything before?"
"No!" Lana replied, shocked. "He's a perfect gentleman."
"Trust me Lana, there's no such thing," she replied knowledgably. "All guys want is sex. If Clark says otherwise, he's either lying or gay."
"Or neither. You've obviously never met Clark Kent. You don't know him. He'd never pressure me like that. He's never even mentioned it actually. Of course, we only went out for two weeks before the whole incident, but still."
"And you're sure he's not gay?"
Lana sighed, annoyed. "Yes, I'm sure he's not gay. I'm positive."
"How do you know?"
"Because, trust me. Gay men don't kiss like that."
"Really? And how many gay men have you kissed?"
"Good point."
"Look, all I'm saying is that if he's such a great guy then why haven't you just gotten it over with yet?"
"It's not just something to get over with. It's a big deal."
"You're deluded."
"It's not like I plan on waiting until I get married or anything. I mean, I'm realistic. I've thought about it. I'm just not ready. I don't want to do anything I'll regret later. But eventually, when the time comes, I guess I'd want Clark to be the guy I lose my virginity with."
"You guess?"
"Yes, alright? Yes."
"How do you even know if he's a virgin?"
"Like I said, you've obviously never met Clark Kent," Lana said smiling.
"You think he'll wait for you?"
"I know he will."
Alicia looked dubious. She looked at her friend through worried eyes and gave her a tight smile. "I hope you're right."
Whitney was exhausted. It was just after nine and he had closed up Fordman's for the night and gotten into his truck to drive home. On the passenger seat next to him was the letter from Joel. Whitney reread it, although he already knew the entirety of its contents by heart. After all, how often did he get a love letter from another guy? At first he thought it was from Megan, or maybe the pretty blonde in his English class, who had been staring at him for the past week.
By the time he got to the signature at the bottom, he felt uneasy again. It wasn't just that the letter was written by a guy that freaked him out, it was the way he had ended it. What he had written about Lana. 'She deserves everything she has coming to her.' It sounded foreboding, and final. It was all slightly unnerving, besides being completely uncomfortable. He barely knew Joel, just that he had been on the football team at the beginning of the season. As he read the note again he glanced through the truck window across the street to The Talon. The lights were still on and cars were parked outside, but Whitney knew that they would be closing soon. He wanted to go in and talk to Lana, but knew that he would probably just end up scaring her.
Whitney started the engine and drove past Lana's house to the Kent farm. He got out of his truck quickly; he wanted to get this over with. He knocked loudly on the door. Clark opened it and was obviously surprise to see Whitney standing there.
"Hey Whitney…what are you doing here?" He stood and watched him fidget uncomfortably.
"I uh…got this note today." He took it out of his pocket and handed it to Clark. "It's from Joel."
"Joel? Chloe's boyfriend?"
"Uh…yeah. You might want to read it. It's kind of weird."
Clark looked at him, slightly confused, and unfolded the note. He read it and his eyes widened.
"Wow…I didn't see that coming."
Whitney nodded in agreement.
"Why is he going out with Chloe?"
"I have no idea. Look Kent, I thought you might want to know. So you can talk to Lana about it. I was going to do it myself but…it wouldn't be a good idea, under the circumstances."
"Okay, yeah, I'll tell her. Actually, I was just about to go and see her at The Talon. You don't think Joel would ever try to hurt her do you?"
"I don't know. He did get her drunk. And there was this one time at practice…"
"What?"
"It's not like it was a big deal at the time. I didn't even think about it until today. Guys on the team get in fights all the time. It was weird though. He freaked out and beat the crap out of Steve Dumont. I mean, totally pulverized him. Joel claimed that he was looking at him in the locker room or something. He was suspended for the rest of the season, but eventually he just quit the team. Nobody really missed him. He was a loose cannon, you know? We were just waiting for something to set him off."
Clark looked worried. "He may have been the one who hit her in the bathroom at the dance."
Whitney stared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"
"The night of the dance Lana got a concussion. I always assumed she was so drunk that she just passed out and hit her head, but now I'm wondering if maybe Joel had something to do with it. I'm going to go now."
Whitney nodded and headed to his truck. "Do you want a ride Kent?"
"No." Clark figured that he could get to The Talon faster using his super speed. "Hey, thanks Whitney. For coming over."
"No problem. But if you say anything about this…I don't want this whole note thing getting around school. It's bad enough about what happened with Lana and I. This could really ruin my reputation, you know? I have a girlfriend Kent."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," he promised.
Whitney got into his truck and sped away. Clark waited until he was out of sight before using his powers to get to The Talon quickly.
Meanwhile, at The Talon…
Lana said goodbye to Alicia and served the remaining customers. As the last group left, Lana picked up their dishes and took off her apron. She knew that Clark would be here any minute and she was anxiously awaiting his arrival. She locked up the front door from the inside and sat down in a big, comfy chair with her English homework. A few minutes later she heard a knock. She got up, excited, and unlocked the door. Before she opened it, she looked through the glass and was unsettled to find Joel standing there, instead of Clark.
"Joel? What are you doing here?" she called through the door.
"I just came to talk to you about something," he said quietly.
"It's kind of late. Maybe you could come by tomorrow?" she suggested.
"It's sort of an emergency. Can I come in? Only for a minute."
"Is it about Chloe?" she asked.
"No…actually, it's about you."
"What about me?" Lana was officially uneasy. She barely knew Joel and wondered what had been so important that he'd come to see her at work, instead of just waiting to talk to her at school.
Suddenly Joel reached for the door handle and forced his way in. Lana stood back and cautiously surveyed him. He looked upset, but the way he stared at her made her skin crawl.
"What do you want Joel?" she asked, her voice low.
"Who are these from?" he asked, pointing to the flowers and ignoring her question.
"Clark…why?"
"They're very pretty. You're very pretty. Did you know that?"
"Um, thanks Joel."
"I guess that's why Whitney liked you," he continued. He plucked the petals off one of the roses. Lana was about to move the vase away from him when Joel grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. His face was a few inches from hers.
"Why did you make up those lies about him?" His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed him. They were cold, unfeeling, and hateful. Lana slipped out of his tight grasp and backed away.
"What are you talking about?" she said, equally calm.
"I think you know. What you said about Whitney. Those rumors got him kicked off the team. Football was his future."
"Joel," she said, trying to reason with him, "Those weren't rumors. It really happened."
"Liar," he said maliciously. "You made it up. I know you did."
"No," she whispered. "You've got it all wrong Joel." Her heart was pounding. Something wasn't right. He was acting strange, erratic.
"Lana, would you do anything for the people you love?"
She looked at him, confused. "I…I suppose that depends."
"I'd do anything for Whitney. Do you understand that Lana?" His voice had lowered to a terrifying whisper, to match her own.
"Yes…I understand."
"I don't think you do. I was the one who poured Vodka in your drink at the dance. The one who gave you that nasty concussion, too."
"That was you?" she said incredulously.
"Yes. And do you know why?"
She knew he was waiting for an answer and she was more than willing to give him one. She shook her head no.
"You took away his future, now I'm going take away yours. You ruined everything Lana. You don't deserve to be happy ever again. And I'm going to make sure that you're not."
Lana was trying desperately to remain calm, but she was already panicked. 'Keep him talking,' she thought. Her hands shook wildly and her mind had gone blank, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and think.
"Does Whitney know that you love him Joel?" She walked slowly backwards, towards the counter. She reached behind it and felt frantically for her cell phone. Her fingers fumbled to find it. Joel realized what she was doing and put his hand to her throat just as she pressed the button that automatically dialed 911.
"You really shouldn't have done that."
His fingers tightened around her throat. Lana choked and gasped for air and felt hot tears slide down her face. She fell to the floor with a thud. When she regained consciousness a few moments later Joel was standing over her. His eyes were wild and frantic.
"The police will be here any second," she whispered. She backed up against the wall and pulled herself up. Her throat was burning and her eyes were stinging but she knew she had to get away from him. She turned and ran behind the counter and searched for something to throw at him. It took her a moment to realize that Joel was no longer right next to her. He had retrieved the heavy vase from the table and was approaching her. She tried to duck, but it was too late. He threw it hard at her head. It smacked into her skull and shattered on impact. A rain of thick glass and tainted roses fell around her. She groaned softly and slumped to the floor. Joel raced outside. It wasn't even ten yet, but the street was quiet. He would be out of Smallville for good before anyone had a chance to put two and two together. He may not be able to have Whitney, but if he couldn't, no one would. He'd gotten rid of the only thing that stood in the way of Whitney's future. Lana Lang. Now Whitney would finally have the chance to be happy. And that was the only thing that had ever mattered to Joel.
Clark approached The Talon in time to see a dark figure running down the street. He used his x-ray vision to peer inside. At first he couldn't see Lana, but as he scanned the room he saw her on the floor behind the counter. He opened the door and raced inside.