AN - Sorry I haven't updated for a while!! But here's the next chapter.
Please R&R, I don't know whether I like this chapter much. *begs for some
constructive criticism* Thank you for all your reviews!!
***
Today was the day. Tomorrow Chloe would be at the Marcus Knight journalism residency week - going to this camp was beyond her wildest dreams, and tomorrow, she would be there. She was excited... Beyond excited. No words could describe the level of excitement she was feeling.
"I thought you would've packed yesterday," the tall, Clark Kent said, walking into her bedroom.
"I thought I would've too," Chloe smiled, folding a pair of jeans and putting them neatly into her suitcase.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Clark asked, fidgeting with a piece of string in his hands. He struggled to avoid eye contact with her.
"Sure?!?" she said unbelievingly. "Am I sure I want to go? Sure as the birds and the bees buzzing in the trees I want to go."
The room fell momentarily silent.
"How do you know you can trust him Chloe?" Clark asked. Chloe didn't know why he was being so suspicious of Lex; they'd always seemed like good friends.
"I don't," she said, plainly, packing a pile of pink, blue, red and black- and-white-striped shirts into her almost-packed suitcase.
"Then why? Why are you trusting him?" Clark's voice was angry. What did Lex ever do to him? Why was he being so uptight?
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Chloe asked, shoving a pair of sneakers into her suitcase and walking to the other side of her bedroom so Clark couldn't look into her eyes with that, almost frightening look in his eyes. "You didn't have any problems with me going yesterday,"
"That was yesterday," he said. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt."
"I can look after myself, Clark. I'm not a little girl. What Lex did for me was really kind - I'm not going to turn down his offer... This is a once in a lifetime experience."
"I just..." he said, staring at his shoes. Clark Kent being shy. Chloe enjoyed, for a moment, his discomfort. "I just... Look, I know you can look after yourself and all of that, but I really don't want to... You just, Chloe, I really do care for you. I never want to see you in pain."
"I never want to see me in pain either! I mean, maybe you care too much, Clark. I mean - You've got other things, other people to worry about." Chloe thought about the time she had spent with Clark over the past week. It'd definitely been more than usual, probably due to Clark and Lana's ongoing rift after he didn't turn up to their date. Clark refused to talk about it; Lana refused to hear about it. She had hardly spoken to Lana since she ran into Clark at the Torch office, until she accused her of taking Clark's side. Chloe objected, telling her she wasn't taking anyone's side, and that she just wanted them to forgive and forget. Tears then started falling from Lana's eyes. For a moment she began to hate Clark, but those feelings soon washed away after spending more time with him, that afternoon.
"All this time we've been spending together, Chloe," he said, softly, moving closer to her. "I just - I don't know how I feel about Lana anymore."
"Sure you do," She said, stepping backwards. "You love her, you've always loved her,"
"But I don't," he said, and held her arms, pulling her softly towards him. Their lips met, softly at first, but the kiss grew more passionate as they went on. Finally Chloe pulled away. "I really -"
"I don't want to hear it Clark." She said, coldly. She never thought being kissed by Clark Kent would leave her with that reaction. "I don't want to be your back-up girl whenever things go wrong with Lana. You don't want to see me hurt? Then just leave me alone."
Chloe heard a dull beating noise, and then realized it must be Lex knocking on her front door. She put her head out her open window and called for him to let himself in, and that she was in her room packing.
"I'm going Clark. I'm not going to let your feelings stop me from having the best week of my life."
Lex entered the room smiling. Well, almost smiling. Smiling as much as a Luthor can anyway. "Packed?"
"Almost!" Chloe grinned. She decided not to think of what had just happened, but to focus on what the next week was going to bring her. She'd just figured out her feelings. Just realized she didn't like Clark in that way, that she really just wanted to be friends. Just started to think her emotions were focused. Focused on Lex, no doubt, but still focused. How was she going to tell Lana? Was she going to tell Lana? She had too... But it could only make matters worse...
She thought she was over Clark, but she wasn't. That kiss turned her heart upside down, shook it around, stuck it in a blender at high speed and served it with fries.
She finished stuffing her miscellaneous clothing items into her suitcase. "I'll just go put this in your car, ok?"
Lex nodded. "I'll be down there in a second; I just want a word with Clark."
Chloe left the room, pulling her heavy suitcase behind her.
"Watch yourself, Clark..." Lex's voice was deep and impersonal. "I'm not the kind of man you'd want to be on the wrong side of, Clark. You of all people should know that."
He left Clark standing alone in Chloe's room, and went down to his car, where Chloe was waiting for him.
***
Today was the day. Tomorrow Chloe would be at the Marcus Knight journalism residency week - going to this camp was beyond her wildest dreams, and tomorrow, she would be there. She was excited... Beyond excited. No words could describe the level of excitement she was feeling.
"I thought you would've packed yesterday," the tall, Clark Kent said, walking into her bedroom.
"I thought I would've too," Chloe smiled, folding a pair of jeans and putting them neatly into her suitcase.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Clark asked, fidgeting with a piece of string in his hands. He struggled to avoid eye contact with her.
"Sure?!?" she said unbelievingly. "Am I sure I want to go? Sure as the birds and the bees buzzing in the trees I want to go."
The room fell momentarily silent.
"How do you know you can trust him Chloe?" Clark asked. Chloe didn't know why he was being so suspicious of Lex; they'd always seemed like good friends.
"I don't," she said, plainly, packing a pile of pink, blue, red and black- and-white-striped shirts into her almost-packed suitcase.
"Then why? Why are you trusting him?" Clark's voice was angry. What did Lex ever do to him? Why was he being so uptight?
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Chloe asked, shoving a pair of sneakers into her suitcase and walking to the other side of her bedroom so Clark couldn't look into her eyes with that, almost frightening look in his eyes. "You didn't have any problems with me going yesterday,"
"That was yesterday," he said. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt."
"I can look after myself, Clark. I'm not a little girl. What Lex did for me was really kind - I'm not going to turn down his offer... This is a once in a lifetime experience."
"I just..." he said, staring at his shoes. Clark Kent being shy. Chloe enjoyed, for a moment, his discomfort. "I just... Look, I know you can look after yourself and all of that, but I really don't want to... You just, Chloe, I really do care for you. I never want to see you in pain."
"I never want to see me in pain either! I mean, maybe you care too much, Clark. I mean - You've got other things, other people to worry about." Chloe thought about the time she had spent with Clark over the past week. It'd definitely been more than usual, probably due to Clark and Lana's ongoing rift after he didn't turn up to their date. Clark refused to talk about it; Lana refused to hear about it. She had hardly spoken to Lana since she ran into Clark at the Torch office, until she accused her of taking Clark's side. Chloe objected, telling her she wasn't taking anyone's side, and that she just wanted them to forgive and forget. Tears then started falling from Lana's eyes. For a moment she began to hate Clark, but those feelings soon washed away after spending more time with him, that afternoon.
"All this time we've been spending together, Chloe," he said, softly, moving closer to her. "I just - I don't know how I feel about Lana anymore."
"Sure you do," She said, stepping backwards. "You love her, you've always loved her,"
"But I don't," he said, and held her arms, pulling her softly towards him. Their lips met, softly at first, but the kiss grew more passionate as they went on. Finally Chloe pulled away. "I really -"
"I don't want to hear it Clark." She said, coldly. She never thought being kissed by Clark Kent would leave her with that reaction. "I don't want to be your back-up girl whenever things go wrong with Lana. You don't want to see me hurt? Then just leave me alone."
Chloe heard a dull beating noise, and then realized it must be Lex knocking on her front door. She put her head out her open window and called for him to let himself in, and that she was in her room packing.
"I'm going Clark. I'm not going to let your feelings stop me from having the best week of my life."
Lex entered the room smiling. Well, almost smiling. Smiling as much as a Luthor can anyway. "Packed?"
"Almost!" Chloe grinned. She decided not to think of what had just happened, but to focus on what the next week was going to bring her. She'd just figured out her feelings. Just realized she didn't like Clark in that way, that she really just wanted to be friends. Just started to think her emotions were focused. Focused on Lex, no doubt, but still focused. How was she going to tell Lana? Was she going to tell Lana? She had too... But it could only make matters worse...
She thought she was over Clark, but she wasn't. That kiss turned her heart upside down, shook it around, stuck it in a blender at high speed and served it with fries.
She finished stuffing her miscellaneous clothing items into her suitcase. "I'll just go put this in your car, ok?"
Lex nodded. "I'll be down there in a second; I just want a word with Clark."
Chloe left the room, pulling her heavy suitcase behind her.
"Watch yourself, Clark..." Lex's voice was deep and impersonal. "I'm not the kind of man you'd want to be on the wrong side of, Clark. You of all people should know that."
He left Clark standing alone in Chloe's room, and went down to his car, where Chloe was waiting for him.