Sins of a Small Town
Chapter Three: Greed
* * *
"Chloe?" Clark asked in shock, his voice squeaky.
"That's my name," she whispered, inching closer to the two guys.
"Chloe, what happened to you?" Pete asked timidly.
"What do you mean, what happened to me?" she questioned him in an appalled tone. "I've never felt better in my life. This is the real me. Take a look." She spread her arms, the palms of her hands facing upwards as if she was waiting for rain to start pouring down in the halls of SHS. She did a twirl, showing off her practically naked body. "Do you not like what you see?"
"Chloe, it's... it's just not like you..." Clark said.
"I told you, this is who I really am," she insisted. She took a few more steps toward them. She leaned forward, standing on her tippy-toes, bringing her face to Clark's. If she had moved the slightest bit closer to him, her skin would be against his. In his ear, she seductively whispered, "What do you say that we find a nice place to do... stuff?"
"I... uh, I..." Clark stammered, tugging at his collar. He felt uncomfortable, and hot... and Clark never felt hot.
Pete's eyes were wide. He backed up until he was against the row of lockers behind him. Chloe didn't act like this. Chloe would never act like this. What had happened while she was gone?
"Well?" she asked Clark, flicking her tongue against his earlobe.
"Um, Pete, I'll be right back," Clark said, dodging around Chloe and into the Torch office. Pete watched him in utter disbelief. He was leaving him with Miss Erotica here? He knew Clark wouldn't be right back.
"Ah, Pete. Now that we're alone..." she smirked. Pete gulped. "I'd like you to meet someone."
"Chloe, I... wait, what?" he asked, surprised, to say the least.
"I'd like you to meet someone. A friend of mine. Peter Ross, I'd like you to meet Leland Trotter."
* * *
"Lana... there's something wrong with Chloe," Clark said as he entered the Torch office. "She's..." Why wasn't she answering him? He looked around the room. She wasn't there. He hurried to her seat. There was nothing there - no sign of her leaving in a rush or anything. Her papers were still spread out on the desk, her backpack still resting on the floor.
"Lana?" he said, hoping to get an answer. As he predicted, he didn't get one. He hesitated, then x-rayed the room. She wasn't in the utility closet, she wasn't under the desks... she wasn't in the room. The windows were all shut and locked. They locked from the inside of course, so she couldn't have left that way. The only other way was by the main door, but Clark hadn't seen her leave, and he was sure that Pete hadn't, either. Then again, they were rather focused on Chloe at the time.
He quickly shuffled back to the door to tell Pete about Lana, and to make sure Chloe wasn't kissing him to death. Once again, the sight that was - or wasn't, rather - there when he arrived wasn't what he expected. Both Pete and Chloe were gone.
* * *
By now, Clark was scared. He had searched the whole school, and there was no sign of any of them. And he had superpowers; he searched the whole school, there was no doubt about it. That meant that Pete, Chloe, and Lana were no longer in the school. Something was very, very wrong.
* * *
"Lex Luthor!" Lana yelled, running after his car. She was on Main Street, in front of the Talon, where she saw her co-manager across the street. He turned at the sound of his name, but it seemed like he barely even heard her.
"Ah, Lana. How nice to see you," he called back, giving her a tiny wave. He didn't even smile at her, but turned away and continued his walk to who-knows-where.
"I resent being ignored like this, Lex! Get over here, you sorry excuse for a man!" she yelled after him.
She saw him stop dead. Once again, he turned to face her. A slight grin of incredulity was playing on his face. People from both sides of the street were looking back and forth between them, curious to why a high school girl was yelling at the town's richest citizen as if she was a bitter ex-lover.
"Excuse me?" he asked her, not moving any closer to her. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and shifted his weight to one leg, interested in where this would lead, and why it was occurring at all.
"Don't play dumb with me. You heard what I said," she snapped. "Get over here." She didn't look happy, but Lex couldn't help but to let a bit of chuckle escape. He shook his head in amazement and crossed the street to meet her.
"Now what's this all about, Lana?"
"I demand more of the Talon's profits," she said.
"What?" he laughed, amused.
"I don't find this to be a laughing matter," she said coldly.
"Lana, I don't have time for this," he told her, and tried to leave. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at her.
"I didn't ask for your time, I asked for your cooperation. I do all of the hard work here, and you're just a silent partner, sitting in the background. Yet you get more of the profit, and all I get is paltry wages. How is that fair?"
"How is that fair?" he asked her, a sense of firmness in his voice. "For one thing, Lana, I have full ownership of the Talon. I can do as I please with the building, and as for the profits, I highly suggest you don't irritate me with such petty attempts at a raise. I don't need this coffee shop, and I can do without it if need be." He stared at her, waiting for her to say something. To his satisfaction, she didn't. He turned, for the last time, and walked away.
Lana felt the greed swell up inside of her. She worked hard for that money, and she deserved more. She was going to do whatever it took to make Lex Luthor realize that she should get more than her "paltry wages", and she was going to do it soon.
Chapter Three: Greed
* * *
"Chloe?" Clark asked in shock, his voice squeaky.
"That's my name," she whispered, inching closer to the two guys.
"Chloe, what happened to you?" Pete asked timidly.
"What do you mean, what happened to me?" she questioned him in an appalled tone. "I've never felt better in my life. This is the real me. Take a look." She spread her arms, the palms of her hands facing upwards as if she was waiting for rain to start pouring down in the halls of SHS. She did a twirl, showing off her practically naked body. "Do you not like what you see?"
"Chloe, it's... it's just not like you..." Clark said.
"I told you, this is who I really am," she insisted. She took a few more steps toward them. She leaned forward, standing on her tippy-toes, bringing her face to Clark's. If she had moved the slightest bit closer to him, her skin would be against his. In his ear, she seductively whispered, "What do you say that we find a nice place to do... stuff?"
"I... uh, I..." Clark stammered, tugging at his collar. He felt uncomfortable, and hot... and Clark never felt hot.
Pete's eyes were wide. He backed up until he was against the row of lockers behind him. Chloe didn't act like this. Chloe would never act like this. What had happened while she was gone?
"Well?" she asked Clark, flicking her tongue against his earlobe.
"Um, Pete, I'll be right back," Clark said, dodging around Chloe and into the Torch office. Pete watched him in utter disbelief. He was leaving him with Miss Erotica here? He knew Clark wouldn't be right back.
"Ah, Pete. Now that we're alone..." she smirked. Pete gulped. "I'd like you to meet someone."
"Chloe, I... wait, what?" he asked, surprised, to say the least.
"I'd like you to meet someone. A friend of mine. Peter Ross, I'd like you to meet Leland Trotter."
* * *
"Lana... there's something wrong with Chloe," Clark said as he entered the Torch office. "She's..." Why wasn't she answering him? He looked around the room. She wasn't there. He hurried to her seat. There was nothing there - no sign of her leaving in a rush or anything. Her papers were still spread out on the desk, her backpack still resting on the floor.
"Lana?" he said, hoping to get an answer. As he predicted, he didn't get one. He hesitated, then x-rayed the room. She wasn't in the utility closet, she wasn't under the desks... she wasn't in the room. The windows were all shut and locked. They locked from the inside of course, so she couldn't have left that way. The only other way was by the main door, but Clark hadn't seen her leave, and he was sure that Pete hadn't, either. Then again, they were rather focused on Chloe at the time.
He quickly shuffled back to the door to tell Pete about Lana, and to make sure Chloe wasn't kissing him to death. Once again, the sight that was - or wasn't, rather - there when he arrived wasn't what he expected. Both Pete and Chloe were gone.
* * *
By now, Clark was scared. He had searched the whole school, and there was no sign of any of them. And he had superpowers; he searched the whole school, there was no doubt about it. That meant that Pete, Chloe, and Lana were no longer in the school. Something was very, very wrong.
* * *
"Lex Luthor!" Lana yelled, running after his car. She was on Main Street, in front of the Talon, where she saw her co-manager across the street. He turned at the sound of his name, but it seemed like he barely even heard her.
"Ah, Lana. How nice to see you," he called back, giving her a tiny wave. He didn't even smile at her, but turned away and continued his walk to who-knows-where.
"I resent being ignored like this, Lex! Get over here, you sorry excuse for a man!" she yelled after him.
She saw him stop dead. Once again, he turned to face her. A slight grin of incredulity was playing on his face. People from both sides of the street were looking back and forth between them, curious to why a high school girl was yelling at the town's richest citizen as if she was a bitter ex-lover.
"Excuse me?" he asked her, not moving any closer to her. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and shifted his weight to one leg, interested in where this would lead, and why it was occurring at all.
"Don't play dumb with me. You heard what I said," she snapped. "Get over here." She didn't look happy, but Lex couldn't help but to let a bit of chuckle escape. He shook his head in amazement and crossed the street to meet her.
"Now what's this all about, Lana?"
"I demand more of the Talon's profits," she said.
"What?" he laughed, amused.
"I don't find this to be a laughing matter," she said coldly.
"Lana, I don't have time for this," he told her, and tried to leave. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at her.
"I didn't ask for your time, I asked for your cooperation. I do all of the hard work here, and you're just a silent partner, sitting in the background. Yet you get more of the profit, and all I get is paltry wages. How is that fair?"
"How is that fair?" he asked her, a sense of firmness in his voice. "For one thing, Lana, I have full ownership of the Talon. I can do as I please with the building, and as for the profits, I highly suggest you don't irritate me with such petty attempts at a raise. I don't need this coffee shop, and I can do without it if need be." He stared at her, waiting for her to say something. To his satisfaction, she didn't. He turned, for the last time, and walked away.
Lana felt the greed swell up inside of her. She worked hard for that money, and she deserved more. She was going to do whatever it took to make Lex Luthor realize that she should get more than her "paltry wages", and she was going to do it soon.