Two weeks earlier, Clark was sitting in the Talon. There was no sweat and no tears of fear, only the usual smile. "Well, I have to admit, it was pretty funny."
"Funny?" asked Pete, "Clark, funny is getting a cream pie in your face. That was ihysterical/i!"
"What was?" asked Chloe, walking in from the front door. Sullivan walked over to the circular table, pulling up a seat, sitting in between Clark and Pete, accross from Lana. "Well, what was so funny?"
Pete leaned forward. "We were in biology class, class..." he tried to say, but was unable to finish before breaking out laughing.
"We were in biology class," continued Lana, smiling, "when Clark was giving his presentation on coevolution in the rainforest. Ian decided the snake needed a bit of fresh air, so he opened the tank."
Pete managed to hold back his laughing. "You should've seen the look on Clark's face when he realized there was a snake in his shirt!" he exclaimed. "Snake, snake! Help!" Pete yelled, mockingly.
Chloe laughed to, patting Clark on the back. "Good job, flannel-man."
The entire table broke out in laughter, including Clark.
"So, Clark. Heights, the dark, snakes, pretty soon you'll have every phobia covered." said Pete.
"Dark? I didn't know you were afraid of the dark Clark." said Lana.
"Yep," confirmed Ross, "ever since that camping trip we went on witht he Kents. I'm sure Clark'll be glad to tell us all about it sometime."
"Sometime." emphasized Clark. "Right now I think my ego is bruised enough." he said, which was met by another round of laughter. Clark glanced at his three friends, smiles on all of their faces. It hit Clark that things were truly going well for him. Kent's eyes gazed around the Talon in a brief scan. His eyes rested upon a reading man, some 70 years old... very short, and he looked horrible. His skin was ravaged with weathering, with clothes to match. Suddenly the man looked up from his book and gave Clark an icy stare, at which Clark turned his attention back to Chloe. "Chloe, do you know that guy over there? Sitting near the window?"
Sullivan didn't looked behind her, she simply pulled a mirror out of her pocket and angled it so she could get a view. That had always amazed Clark, how Chloe's nose could get anywhere she wanted it to. Almost as quickly as she had braught it out she put it back in. "Yeah. Johnathan Mercer, 'Crazy-Joe'. He barely ever comes out in public though, I wonder what he's doing here."
"Crazy-Joe?" asked Lana.
"Yeah. He has a way of... spooking people. Mostly just ranting, a few words of doom and gloom to anybody who tries to talk to him. I think he likes it." replied Chloe.
Clark nodded. Then he looked at Lana, who was now trying to hide the fact that she was staring at Joe. Lana had always amazed Clark as well, with her constant caring attitude. If Clark knew Lana she would...
Stand up. Getting to her feet, Lana picked up the notepad thast was sitting on the table and made her way over to Mercer. She stopped directly over the man, who had his nose dug into a book. Lana coughed to get his attention. "Excuse me, sir, could I get you something to drink? Some coffee?"
Mercer looked up at Lana, and something about them gave Lana a chill down her back. They had no colour, the iris was completely black. "No." he replied simply, before turning back to his book. "I'd suggest you don't bother me again."
Lana blinked, turning away. What had just happened? Lang slowly made her way back to the table.
"You okay, Lana?" asked Pete when he saw her blank expression.
Lana was about to reply when her eyes darted towards the front door, another teenager walking into the door. She was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, dark eyes which was exploring every centimetre of the Talon. Lana had never seen the girl before, was she new in Smallville?
"Alex! Over here!" yelled Chloe, waving her hand the in the air. Her hand was waving the girl towards the table.
Alexandra, seeing Chloe, smiled and quickly walked towards the table. Once there she kindly waved to everyone. "Hello."
Chloe turned away from Alex and waved her hand, indicating the other people at the table. "This is Pete, Clark, and Lana. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in Smallville. Which means a lot, by the way."
Alex beamed. "Hi, I'm Alexandra. Alex for short." she said, outstretching her arm. She shaked Pete's hand first, then Lana's, then Clarks. "Wow," she commented while shaking Clark's, "nice grip."
The farmboy smiled boyishly and sat back in his chair, blushing slightly.
Alex tapped Chloe on the shoulder. "I'm ready for that tour, if you're ready." she said.
Chloe's eyes widened in guilt. "I completely forgot. I've been swamped with work... I was just taking a break from the Torch. Maybe we could reschedual?" she asked. "I was supposed to give Alex a tour of Smallville High. She hasn't been living in Smallville since elementary school."
Alex shrugged. "Since you're busy, maybe Clark could show me around?"
Clark looked at Alex, thinking about she gets down to business quickly. Clark ignored the purely jealous snicker from Pete. Kent was sort of surprised, and stunned.
Chloe looked at Clark, seeing him completely frozen. "I'm not sure if Clark can-"
"-pass it up. Of course I will." finished Clark. He stood up, grabbing his schoolbag from the floor.
"Great!" exclaimed Alex. She waved goodbye to the rest of the group and she walked toward the exit with Clark following. "Don't worry, I'll have you home before midnight." she joked, looking at Clark.
Kent for an instant stared directly into her eyes. There was something very warm about them, inviting. Those beutiful, black eyes.
"Funny?" asked Pete, "Clark, funny is getting a cream pie in your face. That was ihysterical/i!"
"What was?" asked Chloe, walking in from the front door. Sullivan walked over to the circular table, pulling up a seat, sitting in between Clark and Pete, accross from Lana. "Well, what was so funny?"
Pete leaned forward. "We were in biology class, class..." he tried to say, but was unable to finish before breaking out laughing.
"We were in biology class," continued Lana, smiling, "when Clark was giving his presentation on coevolution in the rainforest. Ian decided the snake needed a bit of fresh air, so he opened the tank."
Pete managed to hold back his laughing. "You should've seen the look on Clark's face when he realized there was a snake in his shirt!" he exclaimed. "Snake, snake! Help!" Pete yelled, mockingly.
Chloe laughed to, patting Clark on the back. "Good job, flannel-man."
The entire table broke out in laughter, including Clark.
"So, Clark. Heights, the dark, snakes, pretty soon you'll have every phobia covered." said Pete.
"Dark? I didn't know you were afraid of the dark Clark." said Lana.
"Yep," confirmed Ross, "ever since that camping trip we went on witht he Kents. I'm sure Clark'll be glad to tell us all about it sometime."
"Sometime." emphasized Clark. "Right now I think my ego is bruised enough." he said, which was met by another round of laughter. Clark glanced at his three friends, smiles on all of their faces. It hit Clark that things were truly going well for him. Kent's eyes gazed around the Talon in a brief scan. His eyes rested upon a reading man, some 70 years old... very short, and he looked horrible. His skin was ravaged with weathering, with clothes to match. Suddenly the man looked up from his book and gave Clark an icy stare, at which Clark turned his attention back to Chloe. "Chloe, do you know that guy over there? Sitting near the window?"
Sullivan didn't looked behind her, she simply pulled a mirror out of her pocket and angled it so she could get a view. That had always amazed Clark, how Chloe's nose could get anywhere she wanted it to. Almost as quickly as she had braught it out she put it back in. "Yeah. Johnathan Mercer, 'Crazy-Joe'. He barely ever comes out in public though, I wonder what he's doing here."
"Crazy-Joe?" asked Lana.
"Yeah. He has a way of... spooking people. Mostly just ranting, a few words of doom and gloom to anybody who tries to talk to him. I think he likes it." replied Chloe.
Clark nodded. Then he looked at Lana, who was now trying to hide the fact that she was staring at Joe. Lana had always amazed Clark as well, with her constant caring attitude. If Clark knew Lana she would...
Stand up. Getting to her feet, Lana picked up the notepad thast was sitting on the table and made her way over to Mercer. She stopped directly over the man, who had his nose dug into a book. Lana coughed to get his attention. "Excuse me, sir, could I get you something to drink? Some coffee?"
Mercer looked up at Lana, and something about them gave Lana a chill down her back. They had no colour, the iris was completely black. "No." he replied simply, before turning back to his book. "I'd suggest you don't bother me again."
Lana blinked, turning away. What had just happened? Lang slowly made her way back to the table.
"You okay, Lana?" asked Pete when he saw her blank expression.
Lana was about to reply when her eyes darted towards the front door, another teenager walking into the door. She was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, dark eyes which was exploring every centimetre of the Talon. Lana had never seen the girl before, was she new in Smallville?
"Alex! Over here!" yelled Chloe, waving her hand the in the air. Her hand was waving the girl towards the table.
Alexandra, seeing Chloe, smiled and quickly walked towards the table. Once there she kindly waved to everyone. "Hello."
Chloe turned away from Alex and waved her hand, indicating the other people at the table. "This is Pete, Clark, and Lana. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in Smallville. Which means a lot, by the way."
Alex beamed. "Hi, I'm Alexandra. Alex for short." she said, outstretching her arm. She shaked Pete's hand first, then Lana's, then Clarks. "Wow," she commented while shaking Clark's, "nice grip."
The farmboy smiled boyishly and sat back in his chair, blushing slightly.
Alex tapped Chloe on the shoulder. "I'm ready for that tour, if you're ready." she said.
Chloe's eyes widened in guilt. "I completely forgot. I've been swamped with work... I was just taking a break from the Torch. Maybe we could reschedual?" she asked. "I was supposed to give Alex a tour of Smallville High. She hasn't been living in Smallville since elementary school."
Alex shrugged. "Since you're busy, maybe Clark could show me around?"
Clark looked at Alex, thinking about she gets down to business quickly. Clark ignored the purely jealous snicker from Pete. Kent was sort of surprised, and stunned.
Chloe looked at Clark, seeing him completely frozen. "I'm not sure if Clark can-"
"-pass it up. Of course I will." finished Clark. He stood up, grabbing his schoolbag from the floor.
"Great!" exclaimed Alex. She waved goodbye to the rest of the group and she walked toward the exit with Clark following. "Don't worry, I'll have you home before midnight." she joked, looking at Clark.
Kent for an instant stared directly into her eyes. There was something very warm about them, inviting. Those beutiful, black eyes.