Lex spotted the faint glimmer from his headlights hitting metal in the cornfield. He pulled off the road and parked, stepped out of the car, and weaved through tall cornstalks. He came to a car hidden in an open patch of the field, where the cornstalks had all died or been cut down. It was Chloe's car. He definitely wasn't expecting to see this car hidden in a cornfield, much less have to wonder why it was out here. Lex stepped up to the side of the car. A silhouette was clearly outlined in the car… was it Chloe? He knocked gently on the window. The figure jumped, and turned to face the intruder. It was Chloe. Lex questioned her with his eyes, and she rolled the window down, looking toward the floorboards to hide the tears.
"Lex," she said. She avoided looking at him directly for more than a few seconds for fear that he may realize that she had been crying.
"May I ask why you're in a cornfield in the middle of the night?"
She smiled weakly. "You caught me," she said. "This is my favorite spot to just get away and think. It's really quiet out here."
"It seems to me that you're doing a little more than just thinking." He reached in, and wiped a tear from her cheek. One salty bit of water betrayed it all.
"Caught again." She looked ahead into the cornfield. "So I'm not happy. What more can I expect? I don't have a perfect life. It's not like I want one… it… would just be nice to have things go my way for once." Tears started welling up again in her eyes. She avoided Lex's gaze.
"Would you like to enlighten me on the subject?" He removed his elbows from the car window, and walked around to the passenger side. He opened the door, and got in, sitting down beside Chloe.
"It's Clark. And Lana." She wiped her tears using the back of her jacket sleeve, and turned to face Lex. "Do you know how hard it is to look at your two best friends and know that they have feelings for each other? You want them to be happy, but at the same time, you want to be happy too. But when it comes to wanting the same exact thing that the other side of the conflict wants, then… it's just not possible."
"You love Clark."
"I've always loved Clark, Lex. I've loved him since the day that he showed me around Smallville. Call me stupid, but I knew there was something special about Clark. I guess that's why I kissed him that day."
"You kissed Clark?"
"I'm not stupid." Chloe smiled at her own remark. "Who wouldn't fall for someone as gorgeous, intelligent, and strong as Clark? He's the all-American boy that every girl dreams of. And something that I'll never have."
"Have you ever taken a step out on that limb, just to see if it could happen?"
"Yes, I have. But it always turns around with Clark playing the hero, and Lana comes into the picture. In fact, I thought we could have had something together once."
"Have you ever thought that maybe Clark isn't the one for you?" Lex placed his hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Remember that saying, 'there are many more fish in the sea?' Maybe you just haven't caught the right fish yet."
"But when I'm around Clark, things just seem so… right."
"Try giving them a chance not to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Alienate yourself, and find out what you think is right." He stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "Give yourself time away from your feelings."
Chloe smiled. "Thank you, Lex." She wiped the remaining tears away, and fished for her keys in her bag.
"Do you need an escort home?" Lex asked. "I'm willing to follow you home, if you like."
"No, I'll be fine." She smiled as she watched Lex climb out of the car. "Thanks anyway."
Lex simply shut the door and waved through the window. He then walked back to his car. Chloe watched him through her rearview mirror. She smiled again, and whispered, "Thank you."
Chloe felt a wash of relief over her when she arrived at school on Monday. She was going to be brave, and was going to be able to face both Clark and Lana without any hard feelings. At least that's what she hoped would happen. She ran into Pete at the Torch office. She needed him to run a few errands for the next issue of the paper. She wrote his assignments down on a sheet of paper, gave it to him, and told him to have it in by this Wednesday. Pete hurried off to start his assignments, or at least that's what Chloe figured. Either that or he was going to ogle girls in the hallways. She checked her watch. She still had fifteen minutes before the first class bell rang. She opened her computer files and signed onto the net to check her email. An unexpected surprise popped up on her screen at the top of the list of the electronic messages: an email from Lex Luthor. Curious, she opened it to find a single message: 'don't forget your fishing rod.' She laughed at the concept, but knew that it was also serious. She sat back in her chair, reflecting on their conversation that weekend. Maybe Lex was right. Maybe she did need to try to find someone else. Sure, she loved Clark to death, but when it came down to the little pieces and flaws, she and Clark only had a few bare things in common. Plus, there was the certain problem with Clark's secrecy. She was highly inquisitive, and always wanted to find out the truth. Would a relationship based on secrecy be such a wonderful thing? Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps in the doorway. She looked up to see a beaming Clark.
"Well good morning, sunshine," she said. "What brings you here… on time?" She checked her watch, teasing Clark. He had a bad knack for being late.
Clark rolled his eyes. "I wanted to turn in my articles to you before school started. I won't be staying around long enough to give them to you after school."
"Really? Where are you going?"
"I promised Lana I would help her with some math problems. She's been having a little bit of trouble."
"Oh." Even though her current mission was to alienate her feelings, it still stung a little bit that Clark was spending time with Lana and not her. "Sure, that's fine." She took the articles from his hands. "Let's see what you've got." She read over the articles. "These are pretty good Clark. I'll try to fit them all in. Pete's got a few errands to run for me, so I may have to cut at least one of them out.
"That'll be fine," Clark said. "I'll see you in class."
"Okay," Chloe said. She placed the articles in a file folder, then watched Clark leave out the door. She flopped down in her chair.
"Lex," she thought, "It still hurts."
After Chloe locked up the Torch office and left the school grounds, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She didn't want to go home just yet, and she definitely did not feel like going by the Talon, for fear of bad feelings. So what did that leave to do? She decided to go out to the cornfield again… just to think.
She drove up in her normal spot and parked. She leaned her seat back, and closed her eyes. Thoughts ran through her mind… first fast, and then slow, and then there was Clark. He stood there, smiling at her, beaming at her like she was the best friend he had ever had. Then came a flashback from the spring formal. The slow dance, and when their lips barely brushed…
Chloe was startled awake by a knocking sound. She shot straight up, clutching her heart. She looked at the window only to see a familiar face.
"Lex!" Chloe exclaimed. "You scared me!"
"Sorry. The tabloids always say that Luthors are rather sneaky."
Chloe smiled. "So what are you doing out here?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Lex said. "At least you aren't crying this time. Did you get my e-mail?"
"Yes, I did," Chloe said. "Thank you."
Lex grinned. "That's what friends are for." He looked at the cornfield. "So, why are you here?"
"I just wanted to think on everything. Everything that I had been feeling, seeing, and everything that we talked about last night." She looked up at him. "You give really good advice… maybe it is time for me to move on."
"That's your decision to make on your own," he said. "And considering my past relationships, I wouldn't say I give the best advice when it comes to love, but I'm glad you think my advice worthy of your trust."
"I trust your advice. Thank you for talking to me."
"And Chloe?"
"Yes?"
"If you ever want to think, you don't have to come to a cornfield."
