Author's Note: I know that the entire point of this is to get feedback and that's exactly what I'm looking for... Just please be kind. smile This is my first posting, after all!
Disclaimer: As we all know, none of the characters or the locations are mine. They are all part and parcel of the WB and whomever writes for it. I'm not trying to steal it, just put my take on it. All credit goes to them. All hail the WB...
Chloe looked about the Torch with a smile on her face. A neat freak would wonder how she could possibly be so comfortable in such chaos. The floor had stacks of articles from other papers and old editions of the Torch and her Wall of Weird now encompassed two walls... heading for a third. She looked at her computer, wondering if she should try to go paperless, but shook her head. Not only was there something more satisfying about researching through hard copy, but she always seemed to get really bad eye strain while trying to work solely from the Net.
A groan and a muffled beat distracted her from her satisfied contemplation of her organized disorder. Her gaze flickered onto the dark head of her friend. It was so utterly lovely to have someone so mind-numbingly normal in her life that she smiled the smile of the just. Currently, Clark seemed to be pounding his forehead against the desk. Poor thing. He must really be having problems coming up with new ways to make the lunch schedule and the latest girls' floor hockey match exciting. She knew that the only reason why he'd started at the Torch was because she'd practically twisted his arm. But did he and Pete really expect her to do this all on her own? It wasn't as if neophyte reporters were always cropping up in Smallville. For crying out loud, she had to practically force all of her interviews as it was! She desperately needed help... And to have that bit of eye candy around for a large chunk of every day… Well, she wasn't complaining.
She rolled her eyes at her thoughts and decided to watch Pete for awhile. He was editing their latest edition of the Chloe Chronicles. So far, it wasn't going as smoothly as she'd hoped. After all, she'd only wanted to talk to Dr. Walsh and then he totally disappears on her. She growled and thought about throwing something to relieve her frustration, but decided that it would just mess up her system. She wondered why Pete was still there. After all, his girlfriend of the week must be dying for his company by now… He turned and smiled at her, seeming to sense her gaze. She'd investigate him for the Wall of Weird if she didn't know that it was only due to daily and prolonged exposure to herself that he was so intuitive. Sometimes she wished that she felt something romantic for him. Between her two guy friends, he would have been the easiest to have a relationship with.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened. Chloe smiled at her friend… her only girl-shaped friend. Who would have thought only 2 months ago that she and Lana would be friends? It hadn't been so long since she'd hated her with a passion… Mostly because Clark would practically drool all over himself and then because… Well, let's just put it this way. With Lana around, it was enough to give a girl a complex. But then she turned out to be really nice sigh and she'd been forced to look at Lana's good points. Now if she could just get her to bypass anymore angsty self-pity and find a direction in her life other than the Talon, Chloe thought she'd be ahead of the game. Of course, having her on the paper when she's quite willing to provide coffee for those late research nights could only be considered a bonus.
The room continued with the murmur of normal teenage high school paper conversation. Lana had tried to talk to Clark who only moaned and continued his rhythm. Lana showed more common sense than usual and was currently discussing the latest edition of the Chloe Chronicles with Pete. Chloe wondered if she would feel so comfortable in a "real" news setting. She sat back and sighed again. She'd definitely have to give up her Wall of Weird angles if she wanted to work for the Planet. Maybe she could work for the Inquisitor and do a service to government agencies like the fictional "Men in Black" movie. Just because it seemed improbable, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. She rolled her eyes. As if she would be satisfied with anything less than one of the top newspapers in the country. You know, it didn't even have to be the Planet. She could move to Gotham or Edge City. There wasn't any real reason why not to…
Chloe shook her head. Yeah, it was the end of their junior year and definite plans needed to be started for the future, but she had a paper to run and assignments to hand out… Plus, she needed to stop that gorgeous farm boy from trashing her furniture and hand in his assignment. For crying out loud, she was positive that it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be. He was just a perfectionist at heart... just like her. She smiled and looked at the possible subject material. Maybe she should start another board so she didn't have to do it official like. They could just see what she wanted them to do and they'd trot off to do it. Definitely give her more time to do the research she likes best... Hmmm… One more thing to think about after she tells Lana her assignment is to do an indepth study into the food in the cafeteria. Chloe was certain that it didn't contain any real nutritional value. Chloe smiled to herself evilly. Even though Lana was her friend now, it didn't make it any less amusing to give her stories that are almost guaranteed to get her dirty… Oh, was she bad!
Author's Post-Script: So did you like it? I know that it's small, but if encouraged, we could go further into the articles and what trouble they get into. Wouldn't that be fun? smile (Seriously, just nod and smile at the crazy woman!)
