Clark's mom stood in the doorway looking disturbed. She sighed. " Clark, Clark, Clark. What a mess." She shook her head. " How will we ever survive with terrible messes like this? I would trade Clark in for Mr. Clean any day." She thought bitterly. She was in one of her moods again and the family had sought refuge in the barn. Unfortunately, they could not escape.

" Clark! Come inside now! This is the last time I'm going to ask you to clean your room!" She slammed the door and walked over to him. 

" Oh no, son. You're in for it now." Clark's dad muttered, shoveling manure. Clark walked forlornly over to where his mother stood pouting.

" I'll do it right away, mom." He said barely lifting his head. He was obviously shame-faced for not having done it earlier.

He walked into his room almost tripping over his ant farm.

" Hi guys. How are you? I bet you're feeling better than me right now." He gave it a nice pat and set it on his desk. The room was indeed a mess. " I guess I have to start somewhere." He said to himself. He started to pick up his collection of stamps and worked his way over to the overflowing boxes of old clothes and photo albums. He sat on his bed glancing at the photos of days long past. Suddenly the phone rang and snapped him out of his trance.

" Hello?" He answered somewhat distractedly.

" Clark, it's Chloe. I need you to come over to the school now. The principle is out of control! He already broke my laptop!"

" I'm sorry Chloe. I can't." He sighed.

" What? Clark! I think he's possessed! Who knows what he'll do!"

" Chloe, I'm sorry. I have to clean my room." Clark hung up the phone and turned to his ant farm.

" She never gives me a break. Sometimes I feel like I'm everyone's hero." He paused " Wait. I am everyone's hero." He shook his head, smiling.

" Hey!" He bent over and picked up a CD. " Marc Anthony! Where have you been?" He tucked it away safely with the rest of his CD collection. But yet again the phone interrupted him.

" WHAT?" He screamed angrily into the phone, thinking it was Chloe again.

" Hi Clark. I just wanted to check that you were cleaning your room." His mom answered unperturbed by his outburst.

" Yes mom, I am." Clark whined.

" That's good, son. I'm just downstairs and wondered if you wanted some muffins."

" Thanks mom, but I'm really busy." He hung up the phone before she could answer.

" This is going to be a long day." He said to his ants.  Before he could throw the phone down dramatically, it rang again in his hands. Clark jumped.

" I don't want any muffins mom!" He told the caller.

" Clark? It's Lana."

" Oh." Clark blushed

" Hi, I was just wondering if you were busy?"

" Yeah, I sort of am" He rolled his eyes. Sometimes Lana got on his nerves.

" Oh, well I just asked because Whitney broke up with me and I really needed someone to talk to."

" Uh huh" He answered, looking around for something the ants could eat.

" Well? Can I come ov…"

" Look I'm really busy right now, ok? Maybe I can phone you later." He interrupted and hung up the phone. His face lit up as he spotted his old retainer crammed under his baseball hat. He had lost it in sixth grade and had always thought that Chloe had stolen it. He popped it in his mouth, oblivious to the various unidentifiable food particles still attached. " Ah, the memories." Clark reminisced, lisping slightly.

The sun shone into his room as it was setting in the sky. He had been working for quite a while, but he was determined. He had no time for sunsets.

" This place is coming along nicely." He said to himself. Unfortunately another interruption occurred. " Not another phone call." Clark narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

" Clark. It's Lex. I need you to do me a favor. I'm at the old warehouse and I'm in some trouble."

" Sorry what?" Clark swiveled in his swivel chair looking around absent-mindedly. The phone slipped from his hand and landed with a crash one the floor. " Oops." Clark picked it up and held it to his ear, but all he heard was the steady beep beep of the dial.

" Probably wasn't important anyway." He dumped it on his bed and started to organize his books, but less than five minutes later the phone rang yet again.

" Hi Clark." It was his dad " I'm at the grocery store and I wondered if you wanted creamed corn or green peas tonight."

Clark could hear the rattle of the cart rolling through the aisles in the background.

" I don't have time for this!" He whispered under his breath seething. He crushed the phone in his fist. His dad knew he didn't like green peas!

The End