"So, this is where Chloe works all of the time?" asked Alex, glancing around the Torch office. "It's big. Our school newspaper was about the size of pamphlet... and it isn't even written by the students." she said, turning to Clark, "you're a lucky bunch."
Clark smiled. "Guilty as charged. Well, do you wanna see the gym now?"
Alex nodded, walking outside of the room and into the hallway. "So, Clark, how long have you been in Smallville?" she asked.
"Since I can remember," replied Clark.
"That's funny, I don't remember you from elementry school? Surely we must have met before."
Clark shrugged. "I don't remember. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't the most sociable type."
"My guess is you still aren't." replied Alex off-hand.
"Excuse me?" asked Clark, slightly amused. "How would you know that? Has Chloe been talking?"
Alex laughed. "No. It's just... this entire time, talking to me has been like an challenge for you. Like you're trying to figure out how to respond with everything I say, like everything is new to you."
Clark shrugged again. "As I said, I wasn't the sociable type. Plus I barely know you, I mean, we don't know each others last names."
Alex smiled. "I'm Alexandra Mercer," she said lightly, "and no, I don't have a criminal record."
Kent laughed. "Always a plus. I'm Clark Kent." he said. 'Mercer?' he thought, that was the name of the old man. In such a small town, same last names meant 95% of the time you were directly related. "Well, here we are." said Clark, opening the large gym doors for Alex. "Ladies first."
Mercer laughed. "The day I'm a lady is the day you wear spandex... in public at least, I have no idea what you consider fun on your own time." she said jokingly, stepping through.
'Anything's possible.' thought Clark in silent retort. Clark followed the girl inside, seeing several basketball players at the far end shooting hoops: practicing for the big game. The two sat down on the bleachers, watching them. Clark wondered about the basketball team... if he couldn't play football because of him possibly loosing control, what about basketball?
"What is with all of the streamers?" asked Alex, noticing several of them all over the bleachers. There was even a giant paper banner lying limp in the upper corner of the gymnasium.
"That's for the dance tomorrow night."
"Oh! How wonderful. It's too bad I don't have date." she said, rather sadly. "How about it Clark? Would you like to take me?" she asked, making an intentionally fake-looking puppydog face.
Clark mentally kicked himself. He had walked right into that one. "Of course I would." replied Clark, smiling. He would have to put off asking Lana for another time. Though Kent realized he wasn't just doing this to be nice, he defenitly had an attraction towards Alexandra.
Alex stood up. "Well, it's been fun Clark. Now I have to get some work done. I'll talk to you later!" she said, running off. ."Don't forget! Tomorrow night! You can pick me up at 7am. You can get the directions from Chloe." she yelled, before she left the gym with Clark sitting on the bleachers. Suddenly she popped her head back into the door, blowing Clark an air-kiss and waving a final goodbye.
"That was... interesting." muttered Clark as he stood up.
That night, Kevin Altins walked briskly down the main street, trying to ignore the inviting glow of the Talon. If he drank any coffee he would be up all night, and he just wanted to get a bit of excersize before his exam tomorrow. In reality Kevin knew he was just procrastinating from studying, but hey, wasn't excersize good for the mind?
'Not exercize past midnight.' said Kevin's mind, 'I'm going to be exhausted for the exam tomorrow. I'm going to fail.'
"Just like you always did."
Kevin stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, seeing some figure in the shadows. "Excuse me?" he thought. Surely the man was speaking about something else.
"You always were a failure." the voice said, sounding more familiar to Kevin.
Altins stepped backwards from the voice. "Hello? Who are you?"
The figure stepped out of the shadows and into a streetlight. Kevin couldn't believe it... "Dad?!" he exclaimed. Kevin ran forward, wrapping his arms around his father. Kevin thought he had died, everyone thought he had died, but he didn't! He was alive!
The man pushed Kevin away, sending the teenager on the ground.
Kevin scrambled to his feet. What was wrong with dad? Why wasn't he happy to see Kevin? Why did he look so angry?
The figure reached into his coat jacket, pulling out a pistol.
Kevin froze. No, not again. Years ago Kevin had seen his dad shoot a burglar in the arm to stop him, ever since then Kevin was terrified of guns. "D-dad? What's wr-wrong?" he asked, stammering. Kevin still backed away. Altin felt his heart racing, sweat was dripping down his face. Surely this couldn't be real. Dad had died in that accident, Kevin saw it with his own two eyes. Was this a ghost? His spirit coming back to get some sort of revenge on Kevin? What had he done to deserve that? "Dad... no..." Kevin stammered, pleading as the father came close, raising the pistol to his son's head.
The gun went off.
Clark smiled. "Guilty as charged. Well, do you wanna see the gym now?"
Alex nodded, walking outside of the room and into the hallway. "So, Clark, how long have you been in Smallville?" she asked.
"Since I can remember," replied Clark.
"That's funny, I don't remember you from elementry school? Surely we must have met before."
Clark shrugged. "I don't remember. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't the most sociable type."
"My guess is you still aren't." replied Alex off-hand.
"Excuse me?" asked Clark, slightly amused. "How would you know that? Has Chloe been talking?"
Alex laughed. "No. It's just... this entire time, talking to me has been like an challenge for you. Like you're trying to figure out how to respond with everything I say, like everything is new to you."
Clark shrugged again. "As I said, I wasn't the sociable type. Plus I barely know you, I mean, we don't know each others last names."
Alex smiled. "I'm Alexandra Mercer," she said lightly, "and no, I don't have a criminal record."
Kent laughed. "Always a plus. I'm Clark Kent." he said. 'Mercer?' he thought, that was the name of the old man. In such a small town, same last names meant 95% of the time you were directly related. "Well, here we are." said Clark, opening the large gym doors for Alex. "Ladies first."
Mercer laughed. "The day I'm a lady is the day you wear spandex... in public at least, I have no idea what you consider fun on your own time." she said jokingly, stepping through.
'Anything's possible.' thought Clark in silent retort. Clark followed the girl inside, seeing several basketball players at the far end shooting hoops: practicing for the big game. The two sat down on the bleachers, watching them. Clark wondered about the basketball team... if he couldn't play football because of him possibly loosing control, what about basketball?
"What is with all of the streamers?" asked Alex, noticing several of them all over the bleachers. There was even a giant paper banner lying limp in the upper corner of the gymnasium.
"That's for the dance tomorrow night."
"Oh! How wonderful. It's too bad I don't have date." she said, rather sadly. "How about it Clark? Would you like to take me?" she asked, making an intentionally fake-looking puppydog face.
Clark mentally kicked himself. He had walked right into that one. "Of course I would." replied Clark, smiling. He would have to put off asking Lana for another time. Though Kent realized he wasn't just doing this to be nice, he defenitly had an attraction towards Alexandra.
Alex stood up. "Well, it's been fun Clark. Now I have to get some work done. I'll talk to you later!" she said, running off. ."Don't forget! Tomorrow night! You can pick me up at 7am. You can get the directions from Chloe." she yelled, before she left the gym with Clark sitting on the bleachers. Suddenly she popped her head back into the door, blowing Clark an air-kiss and waving a final goodbye.
"That was... interesting." muttered Clark as he stood up.
That night, Kevin Altins walked briskly down the main street, trying to ignore the inviting glow of the Talon. If he drank any coffee he would be up all night, and he just wanted to get a bit of excersize before his exam tomorrow. In reality Kevin knew he was just procrastinating from studying, but hey, wasn't excersize good for the mind?
'Not exercize past midnight.' said Kevin's mind, 'I'm going to be exhausted for the exam tomorrow. I'm going to fail.'
"Just like you always did."
Kevin stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, seeing some figure in the shadows. "Excuse me?" he thought. Surely the man was speaking about something else.
"You always were a failure." the voice said, sounding more familiar to Kevin.
Altins stepped backwards from the voice. "Hello? Who are you?"
The figure stepped out of the shadows and into a streetlight. Kevin couldn't believe it... "Dad?!" he exclaimed. Kevin ran forward, wrapping his arms around his father. Kevin thought he had died, everyone thought he had died, but he didn't! He was alive!
The man pushed Kevin away, sending the teenager on the ground.
Kevin scrambled to his feet. What was wrong with dad? Why wasn't he happy to see Kevin? Why did he look so angry?
The figure reached into his coat jacket, pulling out a pistol.
Kevin froze. No, not again. Years ago Kevin had seen his dad shoot a burglar in the arm to stop him, ever since then Kevin was terrified of guns. "D-dad? What's wr-wrong?" he asked, stammering. Kevin still backed away. Altin felt his heart racing, sweat was dripping down his face. Surely this couldn't be real. Dad had died in that accident, Kevin saw it with his own two eyes. Was this a ghost? His spirit coming back to get some sort of revenge on Kevin? What had he done to deserve that? "Dad... no..." Kevin stammered, pleading as the father came close, raising the pistol to his son's head.
The gun went off.