Aw... thanks for the reviews, guys! You now get a smiley dedicated to you! Nothing can be more exciting. Have you prepared yourself for it yet? Here it goes--  Wow! I know how overwhelmed you must be, but try to be strong—here's Ch. 10! And guys—really--thanks again! I'm excited!

Chapter 10

Clark was nervous. He hadn't been this nervous to see Lana since before they were friends when he would get the occasional "hi" from her. He looked around at all the other students hurrying to their lockers, and then off to class. It was just a normal day to them. They had no idea who he was, or what this day meant to him. If he was going to tell Lana and Chloe the truth, he decided he would do it before the end of the day. But not in school—later. After school, where they could yell and scream and cry if they wanted to, while Clark would just sit there and apologize for making them wait so long. That of course was if he decided to tell them. He thought about it all night, and he still had no idea what to do. Maybe it wasn't a choice between right and wrong, but between two rights. He stopped dead in his tracks. His heart felt like it forgot to beat. Coming down the hallway was Lana. She seemed so mature; she kind of seemed out of place. "Are we still in high school?" Clark asked himself. They had all been through so much, he felt older. "That's right... high school doesn't end..." He would have thought more, but Lana would have passed him.

"Hey Lana." Lana just stopped and looked up at him in disbelief before she walked right past him coldly. Chloe walked up from behind him. "I get the feeling she's mad at me." Clarks stated.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. She was kind of mad at Clark, too. "Ya think?"

Clark looked at her confused.

"You asked her what kind of font she used?!"

"Chloe..."

"No Clark- I don't know what planet you're from, but here on Earth people don't treat their friends, who are pouring their hearts out to them, like that."

Say something... "I didn't..."

"You know what, I know you've had a hard few months—we all have. But if you keep treating the people who are trying to help you like this, no one is even going to try anymore."

Clark tried to find something to say to that, but he wasn't fast enough. Chloe just shook her head and walked past him to her class. The bell rang. It was time for another long day.

Clark caught up to Lana during PE. The one time I'm glad we have PE together... "Lana, hey, can we talk?"

Lana smiled sarcastically and continued stretching. "We could, Clark, but my History essay is in my locker right now, so I couldn't tell you what kind of font I used. No wait, it was Times New Roman— it had to be, that's Mr. O'Connor's rule." Clark looked away. "Now we could talk about the color of the gym shorts we use. That has to be fascinating."

"Lana, I'm sorry. I..." he looked up and saw she was looking right at him. It kind of made him nervous. "I panicked. I was having a hard day, and I just wasn't expecting that."

Now Lana looked sort of ashamed. "Clark, if you're having a bad day, you can tell me about it."

Clark wasn't sure if he should or not, but once again he just wanted his friends to like him. "Maybe I can."

Lana's head shot up. That surprised her, but she didn't want to get her hopes up again.

"What?"

Clark became more determined. "Maybe I can tell you. Everything."

That seemed too good to be true. And when it was too good to be true, it usually was too good to be true. "Are you serious?"

"But not here. Later. After school—in my barn."

Lana shook her head again, only this time in surprise. "I'll be there if you want me to be,"

Clark smiled. "Good."

"But Clark, you've done this before, and..."

"Lana, I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but things kept me from actually telling you."

"I've noticed."

Clark paused. "But if there ever was a time for telling you and Chloe, it would be tonight."

Lana still hesitated for a second. "Is this definitely going to happen?"

Clark was still torn in two deciding, but he pushed his doubts in the back of his mind. "Yes." The gym teacher blew her whistle and both Clark and Lana looked up. Getting singled out two days in a row might not be the smartest move to make.

"Then I'll see you after school," Lana said before jogging away. Clark watched her for a second. Half of him was excited—the other half was petrified. It was like flipping a coin—she would either understand or today would be the last day they were friends. This could be the last real conversation I have with her, thought Clark. Reality began to come back to him, and the doubts were kicking in overtime. He tried not to think about it much. Yes, he'd just tell them before he thought about what he was doing. That way they would know, and he'd just be forced to deal with the consequences. "Why did I think that was a good thing again?" he asked himself. Oh well—anything had to be better than where they were at right now.