[[[ Analyze ]]] ch. 2
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*Don't freak out. Don't panic.* "Who does, Pete? Who knows what? Come on don't leave me hanging here, man," Suddenly Clark's throat felt dry. *So much for not panicking.*
Pete gulped before continuing, "Chloe, man. She found out."
*Okay, now's a good time to panic.* "How did she find out? The only people that know are me and you."
"I don't know, but she's not happy at all. I gotta get outta here before she comes after me too," Pete's facial expressions screamed fear.
Clark almost didn't respond, but caught on to the end of Pete's sentence. "Wait, what do you mean TOO?"
Pete would have giggled if it was a laughing matter. "Dude, she is after you like cat chasing a mouse. Except you're the cat and she's the mouse. Strength limitation isn't gonna stop her. I advise you to hide. At least, avoid her until she cools down. I gotta go."
Before Clark knew it, Pete was already gone. He turned around and slammed his head against his locker. The three o'clock bell rang. Clark got all the stuff he needed and sped out of the hall before Chloe could leave the Torch office and find him. He went in the same direction that Pete and Lana had taken. It bothered him to keep something from Chloe. She usually found out on her own anyway. But Clark figured it would be better to try to get a hold of Pete first and get the details. And advise his parents of it as well.
"Umm.. Mom, Dad. I have something important to tell you. I don't want to worry you, but I think it would be better if I warn you before I meet Lana at the Talon in a little bit," Clark announced while pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
Martha Kent always being the self-contained yet average mother that worried, "What is it, Clark?"
"Today, after last period I was at my locker and Pete was speeding down the hall, apparently trying to get away from Chloe." Clark observed his parents before continuing. His father raised an eyebrow, awaiting what would come next. "Pete told me that Chloe found out about everything."
Jonathon Kent was the first to speak. "Everything? What's that suppose to mean, son?"
"I think Chloe knows about my secret. I tried calling Pete again, but he's not answering."
"Are you sure that's what Pete was talking about?" Martha queried.
Clark rubbed his forehead, a sign of too much thought. "Well, now that I think back on it, Pete could have been talking about anything. But it's not that hard to believe that Chloe has found out. I mean with everything that's happened in the past years... I'm even surprised that it took THIS long to find out." Clark looked up to find that neither of his parents were planning on responding. "I'm not surprised that she would be angry either."
"What do you mean, Clark?" Martha asked with compassion.
"Pete also said that she was after me. Basically, she's not happy. I mean I've kept this from her for so long. And I don't blame her if she hates me. As much as I don't want to admit it, I have been lying to her. From the first time we met in Junior High, I've been feeding her lies about who I really am."
"Son, I know that it's hard for you to try to ignore your identity around your friends, especially Chloe. But you've hung in for this long. I trust that you know what you're doing. I'm glad you came to us first before confronting Chloe. Just give yourself some time to think about what you wanna do... And I'm sure when you do face Chloe you'll make the right decesion, son."
"Finally you made it. My cappachino turned into a frappachino." Lana giggled as she cleared a table for her and Clark to sit at.
"So how about you start by explaining to me what the actual assignment is?" Clark began.
"In order to understand the assignment, you have to have a pretty clear idea of the strange and abnormal things that go on here in Smallville. So Clark Kent, do you know of what truly goes on in this not-so-normal-town, or do you need to be updated?" Lana joked.
At first she thought that Clark didn't hear the humor in her voice when he didn't respond. So she repeated, "Clear?"
"Crystal."
Lana stared at him dumbfoundedly for about five minutes. He said nothing else. "Aren't you the talkative one tonight?"
He still stared. From Lana's face to his hands to the cup of coffee in front of him. Lana observed how he opened his mouth and just when she thought he was going to say something, all he did was breathe. So she continuing. "Well, that was comforting... my next question was going to be if you were still alive, but clearly you're still breathing."
Blink. Blink.
"...And the ONLY thing you seem to be doing." Lana became impatient with the awkward silence. "Now I have an idea of why Chloe has such a hard time working with you on the Torch."
"Chloe? What? Where?" Clark jumped from his seat and frantically looked around the Talon for any sign of Chloe.
"Clark, calm down. She's not here." Lana placed her tiny hands on Clark's rather larger ones to settle him down back in his seat. "Obviously something is bothering, and it clearly has something to do with Chloe." When it came to Clark's personal life, Lana knew that asking questions would be hopeless. She frequently felt foolish trying to get Clark to open up to her; it made her feel like a nuisance with the way he would constantly turn her down. *If at first you don't succeed, try and try again*. "Doesn't exactly tell you if you will ever succeed at all," Lana accidently mumbled outloud while analyzing the popular saying.
Clark looked up again, "What?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. A girl's gotta have secrets too you know," Lana answered as she angerly gathered their empty mugs and walked away toward the counter.
*Secrets?* "Wait, Lana, what are you talking about? Secrets? Did you talk to Chloe today; did she say something about me?"
*There he goes again talking about Chloe and whatnot. Is that the best he can come up with right now?* "It's okay, Clark. I know that you have a hard time saying the right things at the right time. Then again, I also understand that your skills ly elsewhere..."
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*Don't freak out. Don't panic.* "Who does, Pete? Who knows what? Come on don't leave me hanging here, man," Suddenly Clark's throat felt dry. *So much for not panicking.*
Pete gulped before continuing, "Chloe, man. She found out."
*Okay, now's a good time to panic.* "How did she find out? The only people that know are me and you."
"I don't know, but she's not happy at all. I gotta get outta here before she comes after me too," Pete's facial expressions screamed fear.
Clark almost didn't respond, but caught on to the end of Pete's sentence. "Wait, what do you mean TOO?"
Pete would have giggled if it was a laughing matter. "Dude, she is after you like cat chasing a mouse. Except you're the cat and she's the mouse. Strength limitation isn't gonna stop her. I advise you to hide. At least, avoid her until she cools down. I gotta go."
Before Clark knew it, Pete was already gone. He turned around and slammed his head against his locker. The three o'clock bell rang. Clark got all the stuff he needed and sped out of the hall before Chloe could leave the Torch office and find him. He went in the same direction that Pete and Lana had taken. It bothered him to keep something from Chloe. She usually found out on her own anyway. But Clark figured it would be better to try to get a hold of Pete first and get the details. And advise his parents of it as well.
"Umm.. Mom, Dad. I have something important to tell you. I don't want to worry you, but I think it would be better if I warn you before I meet Lana at the Talon in a little bit," Clark announced while pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
Martha Kent always being the self-contained yet average mother that worried, "What is it, Clark?"
"Today, after last period I was at my locker and Pete was speeding down the hall, apparently trying to get away from Chloe." Clark observed his parents before continuing. His father raised an eyebrow, awaiting what would come next. "Pete told me that Chloe found out about everything."
Jonathon Kent was the first to speak. "Everything? What's that suppose to mean, son?"
"I think Chloe knows about my secret. I tried calling Pete again, but he's not answering."
"Are you sure that's what Pete was talking about?" Martha queried.
Clark rubbed his forehead, a sign of too much thought. "Well, now that I think back on it, Pete could have been talking about anything. But it's not that hard to believe that Chloe has found out. I mean with everything that's happened in the past years... I'm even surprised that it took THIS long to find out." Clark looked up to find that neither of his parents were planning on responding. "I'm not surprised that she would be angry either."
"What do you mean, Clark?" Martha asked with compassion.
"Pete also said that she was after me. Basically, she's not happy. I mean I've kept this from her for so long. And I don't blame her if she hates me. As much as I don't want to admit it, I have been lying to her. From the first time we met in Junior High, I've been feeding her lies about who I really am."
"Son, I know that it's hard for you to try to ignore your identity around your friends, especially Chloe. But you've hung in for this long. I trust that you know what you're doing. I'm glad you came to us first before confronting Chloe. Just give yourself some time to think about what you wanna do... And I'm sure when you do face Chloe you'll make the right decesion, son."
"Finally you made it. My cappachino turned into a frappachino." Lana giggled as she cleared a table for her and Clark to sit at.
"So how about you start by explaining to me what the actual assignment is?" Clark began.
"In order to understand the assignment, you have to have a pretty clear idea of the strange and abnormal things that go on here in Smallville. So Clark Kent, do you know of what truly goes on in this not-so-normal-town, or do you need to be updated?" Lana joked.
At first she thought that Clark didn't hear the humor in her voice when he didn't respond. So she repeated, "Clear?"
"Crystal."
Lana stared at him dumbfoundedly for about five minutes. He said nothing else. "Aren't you the talkative one tonight?"
He still stared. From Lana's face to his hands to the cup of coffee in front of him. Lana observed how he opened his mouth and just when she thought he was going to say something, all he did was breathe. So she continuing. "Well, that was comforting... my next question was going to be if you were still alive, but clearly you're still breathing."
Blink. Blink.
"...And the ONLY thing you seem to be doing." Lana became impatient with the awkward silence. "Now I have an idea of why Chloe has such a hard time working with you on the Torch."
"Chloe? What? Where?" Clark jumped from his seat and frantically looked around the Talon for any sign of Chloe.
"Clark, calm down. She's not here." Lana placed her tiny hands on Clark's rather larger ones to settle him down back in his seat. "Obviously something is bothering, and it clearly has something to do with Chloe." When it came to Clark's personal life, Lana knew that asking questions would be hopeless. She frequently felt foolish trying to get Clark to open up to her; it made her feel like a nuisance with the way he would constantly turn her down. *If at first you don't succeed, try and try again*. "Doesn't exactly tell you if you will ever succeed at all," Lana accidently mumbled outloud while analyzing the popular saying.
Clark looked up again, "What?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. A girl's gotta have secrets too you know," Lana answered as she angerly gathered their empty mugs and walked away toward the counter.
*Secrets?* "Wait, Lana, what are you talking about? Secrets? Did you talk to Chloe today; did she say something about me?"
*There he goes again talking about Chloe and whatnot. Is that the best he can come up with right now?* "It's okay, Clark. I know that you have a hard time saying the right things at the right time. Then again, I also understand that your skills ly elsewhere..."