Clark's POV:
"I'll be back in time to help you get ready for tonight," I told my mom early Saturday afternoon as I grabbed my coat. I was headed to the coffee shop to meet up with Chloe and Lana and possible Pete if he didn't have to babysit.
"Okay, not that there is much left to do," she told me as she turned around from putting the cake in the oven. "Have fun," she told me.
"I will," I told her and then headed out the door. Looking around to make sure there was no one around, I used my speed to get to downtown quickly. I slowed to a normal pace just outside of town.
When I got to the coffee shop, I headed inside to find Chloe and Lana already sitting at a table. I headed over to join them.
"So you actually got to dance with Lex Luthor!" Chloe exclaimed. The Saturday edition of the Ledger was spread out in front of her. "Whitney isn't going to like that. Especially not with the talk that's going on about you and the Luthors already."
"I had forgotten all about that. Chloe can I see the society section of the paper?" Lana asked her holding out her hand.
"Did you have fun in Metropolis then?" I asked her as I sat down on the empty couch near the table.
"Yeah, I did," Lana said "but I might end up regretting it," Lana said as Chloe handed her the section of the paper with a quizzical look on her face. I knew how Chloe felt. I took a glance at the section of the paper as it changed hands. The front page of the society section was on the Luthor party.
'That didn't take long,' I thought as Lana started flipping through the section obviously looking for something.
"Lana, what are you doing?" I asked her. She didn't answer me. I looked over at Chloe who looked right back at me and shrugged her shoulders. I was about to ask Lana the question again when we heard Lex's voice.
"You're safe," Lex said. "I already intercepted the photographers from the party and told them not to print any pictures that the two of us were both in. I figured with the trouble your going through in school that was the last thing you needed," Lex told her sitting down on the couch beside me.
Lex tossed a manila envelope on the table in front of Lana.
"What's this?" Lana asked picking up the envelope.
"The pictures I 'intercepted'," Lex said. "I thought you might like to have them."
Lana opened the envelope and took out a small stack of pictures. She started looking through them with Chloe looking over her shoulder. I reached across the table and grabbed the section of the paper that Lana had abandoned on the table.
I looked at the pictures the paper had printed. There were a lot of people who I had no clue who they were. One picture was of Lana and her Aunt. There were quite a few of Lionel and Lex, some together some apart, but I guess that had been the whole point of the party. Despite the smile on Lex's face though he didn't look as if he was enjoying himself. Maybe Lana was right. Maybe to Lex it had indeed been business. Still, I wanted to talk to him about it, I just didn't know when I would get the chance. I knew I didn't want to bring it up in front of anyone else.
"Ooohhh that's a good picture. You might not want to let Whitney see it though," Chloe exclaimed.
"Can I see it?" I asked holding my hand out to Lana for the picture. Lana handed it over to me.
The picture was of Lex and Lana dancing. I felt a slight pang of jealousy even though I knew that I didn't have anything to worry about. As far as Lana was concerned, Whitney was my competition not Lex.
I could see the joy on Lana's face. I knew she was enjoying herself. As I looked at the picture in my hand I noticed something else though. The smile on Lex's face actually looked genuine.
Taking one last look at the picture, I handed it back over to Lana.
The four of us hung out chatting for awhile longer. Chloe had a lot of questions about the night before. I wasn't sure why. Chloe had never before showed any interest in parties, especially not fancy ones. I hadn't even seen her wear a dress since sixth grade pictures and the only reason she did so then was because her mom had forced her too.
It didn't take me long to realize that it was mostly Lana talking about the party. Lex would answer if Chloe directly asked him a question but other than that he seemed reluctant to talk about the night before. I thought about what Lana had said the night before about the party being business to the Luthors. The more I saw, the more I was inclined to believe her.
"Well, I should be going," Lex said after awhile, standing up.
I saw my chance to talk to Lex alone.
"Hey Lex, can you give me a ride home?" I asked him.
"Yeah sure," Lex said.
"Great," I said standing up. "I'll see you two later," I told Lana and Chloe.
"Okay," they both said.
I walked out with Lex to his car. I was trying to figure out a tactful way to bring up the subject. We were halfway out to my place and I still hadn't figured anything out but I knew if I didn't say something soon I was going to lose the chance.
"Lex, why did you tell me that your Dad sprung a business function on you. Why didn't you just tell me what last night was about?"
"Believe me Clark as far as I'm concerned last night was a business function. It was a way for Dad to boost his image after that editorial and nothing else."
"You still could have told me what it was about," I told him.
"Look Clark, I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make a big deal of it. I still don't. I'm sorry I had to cancel our plans on you but I had no choice. As much as I didn't want to be there last night I had to go. I wish you would understand that."
"I do Lex," I told him. "I just would have told me the truth about last night. No instead I find out from Lana."
"Why would I tell you Clark? So you could feel sorry for me," he said with a bitter edge to the words.
"Lex that's not at all what I meant," I started saying. I wasn't sure what else I was going to say so it was probably a good thing that he interrupted me when he did.
"Look Clark, my family life is hardly ideal, but it is what it is. I don't like dwelling on it or talking about it. If I had told you what last night was about you would've started asking questions- questions which I don't even want to think about let alone answer," Lex told me.
It wasn't so much his words as it was the way he said them. His voice wasn't as even as it normally was. I could hear the pain in his voice and I was immediately sorry I had even brought the subject up.
I heard Lana's words from Thursday evening in my head.
"Don't get mad at Lex, Clark. To tell you the truth, he probably would much rather spend time with you than go to this party tomorrow afternoon."
Well, I wasn't mad at him anymore although I had probably managed to get him mad at me. The words "I'm sorry," were on the tip of my tongue but I held back from saying them. I knew they were the last words that Lex wanted to hear.
I looked over at Lex who was looking straight ahead. Everyone had always wondered why Lex Luthor, the son of billionaire Lionel Luthor, was friends with me, a simple farm boy. To be honest, the thought had occurred to me at times too. There were times that I wondered what I could possibly offer Lex. It seemed to me as if he already had everything.
Looking at him now, remembering what I had just said, I realized what I had to offer Lex -true friendship. That was all he was looking for from me.
'Some friend I had turned out to be' I thought bitterly.
I felt the car slowing down. I looked up to see that Lex was making the turn into my driveway. As the car came to a stop in front of the house, I tried desperately to think of something to say to him, something other that I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything though.
I opened the door to the car and started to get out. I knew I just couldn't leave things like this though. I looked back over at Lex. He was still staring straight ahead, his face emotionless.
I reached out and rested my hand on his forearm. Lex looked down at my hand and then up at me.
"Lex, about tonight," I said wondering if he would still show up. I might have to end up calling people to cancel.
"I'll be there Clark," he told me.
"Okay then," I said getting out of the car. "I'll see you then."
I shut the door and walked to the porch. Stepping onto the porch step I turned and watched the Porsche back out of the driveway.
As different as the two of us were it occurred to me that we had something in common. We both wanted something that the other had.
I couldn't deny that I envied Lex because of his wealth. I would love to have the cars he had. To live in a house like his. To not have to worry about money.
But it finally dawned on me, why Lex had taken to me and my family. He envied what we had. What we were. A family. That was something money couldn't buy. As I looked away from the disappearing Porsche to the house that stood me before me, my home, I knew I wouldn't give up what I had for all the money in the world.
"I wonder if Lex would give up his money for this," I said softly to myself as I walked up the porch steps and into the house.