Chapter Three

The first hour of research at the Torch was painfully uneventful. They had shed no light at all on the possible solution to their problem, although they were starting to feel slightly more comfortable as each other.

Suddenly, Chloe stepped back from the filing cabinet she was looking in, holding and old Torch article in her hands.

"Oh my god!" She said. "I can't believe I didn't remember this!"

"What is it?" Clark asked, looking up from the monitor.

"Look at this." She said, passing him the article.

The photo was of a teenage boy, standing on a table in the school cafeteria, waving his arms about, and apparently shouting something. The headline read; 'Boy causes riot; claims alias.'

"Remember Trey Thompson?" She asked. "He was my 'orientation buddy' in freshman year until he got expelled for causing a riot in the cafeteria. He went nuts, like he just suddenly lost it or something, screaming that he was some guy called Roy Barker."

"I know that guy." Clark said. "He graduated a few years back."

"Yes, but at the time he was a senior." Chloe said. "Here. At Smallville High."

"Well, was he in the cafeteria when Trey went crazy?" Clark asked, now intrigued.

"That's the thing." She continued. "He'd taken a sick day. No one saw much of him after that."

"That's it, Chloe!" Clark said, excited. "That's exactly what we're dealing with!" He hadn't expected a lead to come so easily.

"They do share some uncanny similarities." Chloe agreed, scanning the article over one more time, then put it down on the desk. "Ok, run a full background check on Trey. Try and find out where he lives now, or at least where he works."

"What are you gonna do?" Clark asked, brining up the search page.

Chloe looked guilty.

"You'd hate me if I told you." She said, but she didn't need to tell him. Clark glanced at his watch. 11.30. By now, Chloe would already be halfway through he second coffee.

"No!" Clark said firmly. "You can't go to the Talon! Not like that."

"Clark, don't worry, I'll be back in five." She said, starting out the door. The need for caffeine outweighed her discomfort as Clark. "Anyway," She called after he as she left. "It's Lana's day off."

Clark opened his moth to argue further, but she was already gone.

"Clark! What'll it be today?"

"Lana!" Chloe exclaimed. "I thought it was your day off!"

'Well, it was, but one of the waitresses called in sick." Lana replied.

"Oh. Right." Chloe said. Clark was going to be so mad! "Uh, I'll have a double espresso with cream and a shot of caramel to go."

"Hmm, the Chloe special." Lana noted. "She making you work at the Torch during the holidays?"

"Uh, yeah, she sent me on a coffee run." Chloe said, but was reminded of Clark by Lana's comment and thought she had better get him something to make up for coming to the Talon in his body. "Uh, and I'll also have… my usual?" Chloe had no idea what sort of coffee Clark drank, but she certainly hoped he had a usual.

"Sure." Lana said, smiling, and added it to her notepad. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.

"So," Lana continued as she started preparing the drinks. "I hear tell that you were seen driving down Lamprey Crescent this morning, in a red VW, and a pink dress?"

Chloe choked on her breath. It was a bathrobe! She was really in trouble now. Remember She told herself Think 'Clark'. Stay vague.

"Uh, I, umm… who told you that?" She asked.

"Oh, about four freshmen, two seniors, a traveling salesman and a little old lady who was walking her poodle at the time."

Chloe gulped. She hadn't realized there had been so many eye-witnesses.

"Well, you know how rumors can get blown out of proportion." She said, sounding less than convincing.

"Right." Lana said, giggling a little, and handing over the drinks. "Uhh, shall I just put it on your tab?

"Yeah, sure." Chloe said, feeling guilty for the billionth time that day. She was now using his body and his credit, but she reassured herself by remembering that the body-switch wasn't intentional, on her or Clark's part anyway.