Chapter 15

"Monday, again?" thought Clark, as he dragged himself out from under a mess of sheet and comforter. His alarm clock was broken and the one on his watch hadn't awoken him again. He knew he was late. His mom had confirmed that five minutes ago when she told him that he was going to miss the bus. Rushing out of his room in super speed he ran into Chloe who had the same idea. They collided and both went flying backwards. Lana walked down the hall to find a mess of Chloe and Clark on the floor.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Head on collision of two super powered teens," blurted Chloe.

Lana looked oddly at Chloe and sighed.

"You're going to have to face the truth sooner or later, Lana." Chloe said. "We're not going to hide this for you."

"I didn't say I expected you to." Lana snapped, and walked down into the kitchen.

"Chloe, I know that you and Lana don't get along, but don't you think that was a little extreme?" Clark said.

"No, not really." She said apathetically. She then stood up. "It looks like we're running to school." She said.

"Guess so." Clark agreed. When they passed Lana who was eating, Chloe asked Lana if she wanted to travel the 'Clark Express' but she turned it down, saying that she could take her jeep. With that, Chloe and Clark zipped away to school.

Before they knew it second period had started. It was health class. Their teacher stood up in the front of the class and began her lecture. Chloe hated health class, so she took out a piece of her notebook and began doodling. Halfway through class, she looked at what she had drawn. Without realizing it, she had drawn a cute little alien Clark in the middle of the page. She showed Pete and he motioned for her to show Clark. Quietly she folded it and passed the picture to Clark.

Meanwhile, Clark was sitting in his seat trying to control the urge to burn everything. He hated health class because it was mostly talk about sex. Again he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked over at Chloe. She was trying to pass him a note. He took it and unfolded it, trying his best to look as though he was paying attention. He didn't know how to react to what he saw on the paper. A small alien likeness of him waved from the page. He didn't know whether to laugh or…well what was the other option? He took it in stride though, and realized that he was going to be the butt of all alien jokes from now on. He folded the paper up again and went to hand it back to Chloe. Just as he did, he was caught.

"Clark Kent! Care to explain why you were passing notes in my class?" the teacher asked.

"Um…err…well…" Clark began.

"That explains enough." She said, and immediately snatched the paper from Clark.

When she opened the paper she snickered a bit. "Did you draw this, Miss Sullivan?" she asked.

Chloe reluctantly nodded.

"I think I know of a proper punishment. You won't have detention, but this picture is going to hang on the wall for a few days so everyone can see it."

Clark and Chloe's faces went white.

"Aw, crap." She said. Then the bell rang, and while Clark, Chloe and Pete ran to cover up the picture, they didn't run fast enough. Everyone in the class managed to see the picture before they left for recess.

Clark heard murmurs from the laughing crowd.

"That explains a lot…" someone said, laughing.

"Yeah, Kent, always knew you were a flake, this explains it…" another person chimed in.

"You make a cute little alien…" someone else chimed in.

Clark couldn't take it anymore and left. He knew that no one really knew the truth but their remarks still unnerved him.

By the time lunch rolled around, the whole cafeteria had heard about the cute alien picture of Clark on the wall. Clark wanted to die.

"Don't worry, Clark. It'll blow over soon." Pete said.

Chloe looked at him. "I'm sorry." She said. "This was my fault."

"As long as they don't really know the truth it's fine." He lied.

He stood up and went to get his lunch. One of the cafeteria workers looked at him and smiled. Then she pointed two of her fingers up from her head and wiggled them like antenna. Clark just glared at her and said that he'd pass on lunch.

In Lionel's lab, Lionel stood watching Whitney as he was examined by scientists while lying on an examining table.

"Oh, god, how am I going to get out of this?" Whitney thought. He looked around as much as he could and every way out was blocked with the red meteor rock, which he knew that he wouldn't make it past. However, when he felt the surgeon trying to cut a knife through his skin he knew that he had to think quickly. With one arm he slung the two scientists aside and picked the third one up with one hand, slinging him towards Lionel. Lionel fell down. Whitney stood up, and noticed that the only way out was blocked by Lionel. "That's okay," he thought "I'll knock him down." However, when he came into close proximity to Lionel he began to experience that same weak feeling again, like he was being drained of all his energy. "Help…" he called out in a fading voice.

His prayers were answered. At that moment, Lex walked into the lab. Immediately Lionel turned around, but was still holding the rock toward Whitney. "Lex, how did you get in here?" he inquired.

"Being a Luthor has certain privileges, Dad. I figured that you, of all people, would know that." Lex remarked. Then he noticed a shaking Whitney on the floor and three unconscious scientists.

"What did you do to him?" Lex demanded.

"No need to get excited. I'm just containing him for a little experiment, that's all." Lionel explained.

"H-help me." Whitney whispered. He was blacking out.

Lex followed his better instinct and tackled his dad to the floor. What Whitney had done was horrible but this wasn't much better. He took the red rock and held on to it.

Whitney looked up. "Thanks Lex." He said.

But Lex's face was anything but friendly. "Don't move." He said.

"I won't hurt you, Lex. I don't know what came over me before, but I think it's passed now. Can you just get me out of here?"

Lex studied Whitney's face for a second, and then put the rock to the side and cautiously motioned for Whitney to follow. Lex knew that he was safe. He had a piece of his red rock in a box in his pocket. If Whitney tried anything he would nail him with that. Although he doubted he would have a problem. Whitney seemed pretty sincere.

"Where do you want to go?" Lex asked.

"I don't know. Maybe crash at your place?" he asked hopefully.

"Okay, fine. But if anything happens, I will make sure you pay. Do you understand?" Lex stated.

"Completely." Whitney said.

It was now forth period at school. This day had dragged on for Clark terribly. It was now geology class. He dreaded this class because any day he could walk in and expect to be faced with a giant chunk of kryptonite. And God help everyone if it was red. His teacher, Mr. Grant, walked out to his desk with a rock wrapped in tinfoil.

Clark winced but relaxed when he learned it was only a normal rock. After five minutes, though, he began to feel strange. Then he saw a bit of red sticking out of the side. "Oh God I have to get out of here." He thought, and panicked. He stood to get up but Mr. Grant stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going Mr. Kent?" he asked.

"Uh, the washroom. I don't feel so well." Clark said hurriedly.

Then the teacher grabbed his shoulder before he could leave and unfortunately had the rock in his hand. Clark was trying to keep his senses while at the same time convince the teacher that he needed to leave. He could see the red starting to go up his hands and knew that it wouldn't be much longer before the rock took him over completely. He just wondered if anyone else could see it. He hoped they couldn't. Then Chloe dropped her books and everyone's attention turned toward the noise. Clark took that as his cue to get out of there and began to run out of class. When he reached the hallway he was stopped by another teacher, his math teacher. It was her period off.

"Mr. Kent, what are you doing out of class?" she demanded.

"I-I'm feeling sick and I have to get to the bathroom." Clark said hurriedly.

Then Mr. Grant came up behind him. "Thank you Sara, but I'll handle this now." He said to the math teacher, "If it's not too much, could you mind my class for a few minutes?" She nodded, smiled and left.

Clark's gaze went to his geology teacher's hand. "Couldn't he have at least dropped the rock?" Clark thought. "Why do these things always happen to me?"

Then he realized that Pete would be affected too.

"Now, Clark," his teacher said, "Would you care to explain the rude display that just took place in my classroom?"

Finally the rock started to eat away at Clark, and reduced his inhibitions. He looked at the teacher with a red glow to his eye.

"There was no rude display. There was just an asshole teacher who wouldn't let his student go to the washroom." Clark said.

His teacher got a surprised look on his face. "Obviously you're not really sick, Clark. That little escapade interrupted my class."

"Oh well." Clark sighed. "Geology is boring anyway. I don't even know why we have to be in school."

With that Mr. Grant brought him up to the principal's office.

The small part of Clark that was fighting against the rock had a thought. He could tell the teacher that he couldn't tolerate that sort of rock either. Maybe that would work. But first he had to stop the rock's hold on him. Of course, that was easier said than done.

The principal looked at him with surprise. It wasn't very often that Clark Kent was sent to his office.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young man?" he asked.

"I had a good reason for leaving." He said, half in control, half not.

"Well why don't you enlighten us?" the principal asked.

Clark smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." He said.

"I'm willing to give you half a chance, Mr. Kent, seeing as you haven't been a trouble student before. However, if this keeps up, I'll be forced to give you a week's detention." The principal warned.

Clark managed to gain control a little, but not a lot. "Well if Mr. Grant didn't bring in those damn rocks all the time then I wouldn't have to leave like I did."

"What do you mean those rocks?"

"I mean I can't be around the damn things. I told him that once before!" Clark exclaimed.

Mr. Grant looked questioningly at the rock he had in his hand. "You mean this?" he asked.

"What other rock would I be talking about?" Clark answered sarcastically.

Mr. Grant looked at the principal. "He did have a reaction in the last lab, but to the green kind. He told me he was allergic." He said, and shrugged.

The principal nodded. Mr. Grant left with the rock and brought it back to his class. Clark finally gained control again and sighed. He was lucky he hadn't just blurted out everything. Since this was Clark's first warning and he had explained himself somewhat, he didn't get a detention. The principal then asked the secretary to add the meteor rock to Clark's file as an allergy.

Clark walked back to class just in time to receive his assignment. The teacher had fine pieces of the rock he was just holding and everyone had to take one home to do the worksheet they were given.

Mr. Grant walked up to Clark after the period ended. "Don't worry, there's nothing in that one." He said. "But I don't appreciate the language you used earlier. There is no place for it here. Next time, just tell me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Clark said.

Walking out he pocketed the rock and thankfully, it didn't have any stray pieces of kryptonite in it. He looked and noticed Pete heading toward the door to leave school.

"Hey, Pete!" Clark yelled. "Where are you going?"

"I'm skipping off last class, man. You want to come?"

Clark looked gravely at Pete. It had to be the red meteor rock. That was twice that it had screwed up his day.

"Yeah, I might." He said. "Wait here a minute."

Then he ran and got Chloe, and asked her to go get the rock out of Pete's pocket. She tried, to no avail. When Pete had realized what was going on he had left quickly, cursing on them.

The late bell was about to ring so Clark scurried off to his class. Then he realized that he had study hall, so he grabbed his books and turned to head outside to follow Pete. He was caught by a teacher.

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Kent?" she asked.

"The Torch?" Clark said.

"Well I might have believed you if you had been headed that way. Where are you supposed to be now?"

"Study hall." Clark sighed, giving in.

"Well I suggest you run along and get there. Next time I won't be so lenient."

"Yes ma'am." Clark said. This was just not his day. Since it was study hall, no student looked up when he was late. However, the teacher supervisor gave him a warning look. He walked over to an empty table and sat down. Then he took out his books and began to do some homework and some study. In the background a conversation was taking place between two students. Clark didn't mean to but his hearing picked it up. What he heard did not please him, to say the least.

"Did you see that in geology class?" Dale asked.

"What happened?" asked Melissa.

"Clark Kent went all weird and tried to leave."

"What's so bad about that?

"Well everyone was looking at his hands, and they were kind of pulsating red. Not really his whole hand but the veins in his hand. Then we heard him outside of class and he started cursing on the teacher."

"That doesn't sound like Clark."

"I know. That's what's weird."

Clark immediately felt a twinge of anger and guilt. Anger because they were talking about him and guilt because he should've been more careful. Standing up, he walked over to where the two were.

"I can hear you talking about me," He said, "and I'd appreciate it if you stopped."

"We weren't talking about you," said Dale. "We were discussing geology."

"Yeah, you were discussing geology - the events of geology class – the ones having to do with me, and I don't appreciate it."

"How could you have heard that?" Melissa asked. "You were almost halfway across the library."

"I've always had good hearing," Clark said.

"Hey, what was going on with your hand in class?" Dale asked.

"Huh?" Clark said, playing dumb.

"It was all glowing red and crap." Dale said.

"Maybe he's a meteor freak." Melissa offered.

"No, I'm not a meteor freak!" Clark exclaimed. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Looking down, he noticed his hands start to do it again. He quickly covered them up. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he noticed that it was Pete. "You came back." He said.

"Yeah I did." Pete said, and then dropped a piece of red rock into Clark's pant pocket where it wouldn't fall out. "Come on, man. Let's skip this joint."

Clark turned around to the people he was talking to before. "When I say for someone to stop talking about me, I mean it!" he said, and hit the table they were sitting at with his fist. The wood cracked and it tipped over. Then he grabbed his books and left with Pete.

Melissa looked at Dale, who returned her glance. Melissa had been the cafeteria worker who had teased Clark at lunch.

"I wonder if there's any truth to the alien story…" Melissa trailed off.

Dale stood up to try and pick up the table. "Well, it was meteor rocks that did something to him in class."

They both pondered the thought. "I still think he's a meteor freak," said Melissa. "But it doesn't matter if he is. Sooner or later everyone's going to know."

Outside Clark and Pete were planning on racing. However, Clark looked at Pete and said, "Who needs a car? We have super speed."

"True, true." Pete said. "But where should we go?"

"Home first. I want to change out of all this flannel." Clark said.

"You got it!"

Clark walked into his house and was about to go upstairs when Martha stopped him.

"How come you're not in school?" she asked.

"Because I didn't feel like it." Clark said. He then walked up the stairs and put on a leather jacket and tight black t-shirt, also taking his shades and putting them on. As he walked downstairs he ran into Jonathon.

"Clark, since you're home, I need help with some farm work. Can you come out here a minute?"

"Do it yourself, Jonathon. I'm having a racing contest." Clark said and sped out of the house and onto the dirt road, standing next to Pete.

After Clark had left, Martha and Jonathon looked at each other. "Red kryptonite." They mouthed.

Lex was driving home with Whitney in his car. He didn't know if he should be helping Whitney, but he chanced it anyway. He pulled on to the highway to go to his mansion when he spotted Pete and Clark. Slowing down, he asked them, "You guys need a ride anywhere?"

Clark smirked at Lex. "Ride? Why would I need a ride?"

Wanting to knock Clark's new ego down a notch, Lex said sarcastically, "I guess not, with that apparent teleporting ability you have. Sorry I asked."

Zipping over to the driver's side, Clark lifted Lex up out of the seat. "Teleportation? Ha, don't make me laugh. You might not want to mock me, Lex. I'm not someone you can toy around with, and I won't put up with your bullshit."

Whitney stood up. "Set him down Kent," he demanded.

"It's Kal. And what makes you think you can take me on?" Clark asked.

"This." Whitney said, as he zipped out of the car and in close proximity to Clark.

Immediately both Whitney and Clark began to feel effects, Whitney from the red rock, Clark from Whitney's essence of green rock.

Whitney looked at Lex. "He's weak now. I would say there's a red rock close to Clark. Get it."

Lex looked confusedly at Clark. Then Pete went to help Clark and became weak himself.

Lex went over and checked Clark's jacket pockets, finding nothing. Then he realized that it must be in Clark's jean pocket. He really didn't want to reach in there. Looking up he noticed a piece sticking out of Pete's jacket pocket and tried to grab it. He was unsuccessful in his attempt. Pete got out of the radius of the green kryptonite and picked up Lex, throwing him into the car. Lex didn't pass out, and tried to get up, but he was too weak. Clark had more tolerance to the nauseating pain caused by the meteor rock, and managed to stand up and walk away. However, before Clark left, he looked at Lex's car and set it on fire. Then he placed Lex far enough away that he would have to sit and watch his vehicle explode.

Laughing, Pete and Clark began to run in super speed. "Adios suckers." Pete yelled.

They decided to head back to the Torch, obviously not to do work of any kind, but to try and convince Chloe to come out. Of course, there was another reason Clark wanted to go back. When influenced by red kryptonite, Clark always liked to screw with people's minds when it regarded his secret, and he figured that today might be good for a few laughs. On his way in, he bumped into Nancy, another one of the girls in his health class.

She giggled when she saw him. "Hey Clark, I saw the cute pic of you." She said, laughing. "Aliens aren't supposed to look cute." She joked.

"What makes you think that?" Clark responded.

"Oh I don't know. They always look so grimy and gross in movies, but you're not. You're…hot." She said grinning. Clark realized that she was flirting, but thought it was an odd way of flirting, all the same. In his current state of mind, however, flirting was flirting, however the kind.

Clark grabbed the girl and gave her a full kiss on the lips. "Thanks babe." He said.

Pete was standing there laughing his nuts off. "Come on. Let's go find Chloe." He said to Clark.

When they entered, Chloe knew that something was up. "Hey guys, what's new? I thought you skipped off last period?"

"We decided to come back." Clark said. Then he swept Chloe off her feet and kissed her passionately. "Want to go somewhere…private?" he asked.

Chloe looked at Clark. She caught a glimmer of something in his pocket. Being his girlfriend, she wasn't afraid to reach in and get it. Before Clark could react, she had the red rock out of his pocket and in the small lead box she owned. Clark returned to his normal self.

He immediately remembered everything he had done that day. His face went white. He remembered tipping the table over in the library, making cracks to Nancy about him really being alien, and most of all, Lex having full sight of his speed, strength and heat vision. Immediately he knew that the stars were not in his favor today.

Chloe tried to pull the piece of rock out of Pete's jacket pocket to no avail. Quickly he speeded off, leaving Clark and Chloe to wonder where he'd went to.

"Damn Pete and that stupid kryptonite." Clark exclaimed. He was really pissed off at himself.

"Clark, calm down. It's alright." Chloe comforted.

"I have to see Lex." Clark said, and Chloe was left to feel a small breeze where she was sitting.

Lex was standing over his exploded car. It had been a beaut when he bought it, and it had cost well over 200,000. He shook his head and opened his cell phone to call for a ride. When he turned around, Clark was standing face to face with him. He closed his phone and glared.

"Clark, what gives?" he asked. "You just ruined my favorite car, and not only that, but how in the hell did you do it?"

"Lex, I can explain." Clark said, hoping he could think up an explanation in the next ten seconds.

"It better be good, Clark."

"I didn't do it at all. There was one of those bombs on the bottom of your car and it was timed." Clark lied.

"Alright, that may be plausible, but that doesn't explain why the car caught on fire first." Lex said, sensing some bull on Clark's part.

Clark looked at Lex blankly. "Maybe it's a new kind?" Clark said meekly.

Lex looked at Clark. "Clark, is it so hard to tell me the truth?" Lex sighed.

"That is the truth!" Clark exclaimed.

"You are the worst liar I have ever met Clark, and I am sick of the bullshit, so fill me in. And while you're at it, answer me this: who owns that octagonal key?"

"I…" Clark began.

"He does." Whitney said.

Whitney looked at Lex. "Does that explain anything?" he asked.

"A little. But I still want my answers." Lex said.

Clark began to panic and backed away from Whitney. He looked at Lex. "Why don't you explain to me what you're doing with Whitney?" he yelled.

Lex told Clark the truth. "Helping him escape from my dad's clutches in a lab." He said.

Clark was caught. He had hoped Lex would lie so he could catch him and claim the right to have secrets if Lex does, but it hadn't worked out that way.

"Lex, I just came to make sure you weren't hurt." He said.

"So are you Clark now or Kal?" Lex asked sarcastically. "Oh and while you're answering that, tell me why you didn't let me know you had the key, even though you knew I had lost it."

"I have to go." Clark said, and began to run away. Then Whitney caught his arm, before he could leave.

Whitney motioned for Lex to watch and Whitney gave him a full demonstration of his speed, strength and heat vision that he had as a result of Lionel. "Clark can do all of this, and more. In fact, he can also hear really well and he has something the scientists called 'x-ray vision'." He said.

Clark began to panic and his newly gained, not yet perfected power began to surface.

"Ah that's cold!" Whitney exclaimed as he felt his hand go numb. At the same time he let Clark go.

(AN: Whitney is not completely invulnerable. He has some sensation of hot and cold left and he can be cut, somewhat.)

Clark immediately held in his breath, forgetting that it did nothing. He stood next to the blown up car for a second, trying to regain control.

Immediately Lex's concern overwhelmed his thirst for knowledge and he ran over to help his friend.

"Clark, are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on Clark's shoulder. He immediately gave a yell and pulled back. "Clark, we have to get you to a hospital." He said. Then he looked down at his hand. It was frost bitten.

Clark then tried taking shallow breaths, but that didn't help either. "I've got to go." he said. Although Lex was knew what Clark could do, he didn't have any proof yet, and Clark didn't want to give him any, so he ran away normally. However, as he ran he felt this weird sensation in his stomach. He kept running, but it kept getting worse and worse. Finally he looked down at his stomach and had the surprise of his life. He was floating about a mile above Lex's car, with Lex and Whitney looked up at him curiously.

"Oh God, heights!" he thought. His mind raced and again, Clark began to panic. "Just lower yourself. Think of touching the ground. Think." He instructed himself. He started to lower and finally he felt solid concrete. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think it's time for the truth, Clark." Lex stated. "Finally."

Clark decided to use his fall back plan. "Okay, Lex. You got me." He said. "I'm a meteor freak."

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Lex asked. "But if you are I'm going to have to keep an eye on you since…"

"I'm not going to go nuts and kill people. Don't worry." Clark said. "And floating? I didn't even know I could do that."

Lex seemed to be satisfied with the answer. Whitney knew the difference but he let it slide.

"You could have told me." Lex said. "I wouldn't have hated you."

Clark just looked at his feet. His father wasn't going to be happy about this. "Maybe." He said, and looked up at Lex, before zipping away to check the town for Pete.

When he experienced no luck he came back to the Torch to pick up his books and then headed for home.

As he walked into his house, he heard, "Clark, get in here right now!"

Walking into the kitchen he saw his mother and father sitting at the kitchen table and he knew it was time for a talk. Throwing his book bag down and walking into the kitchen he reluctantly sat.

"Yes, it was red kryptonite, and no, I didn't try it this time. Pete slipped it in my pocket." Clark said.

Jonathon immediately became angry. "Why did you ever tell Pete, Clark? He knows how to manipulate you too much."

"Because today we had to do a worksheet in geology and it involved miniature chunks of red kryptonite, which ended up with Pete being affected and me being affected because of Pete."

Clark looked totally upset about that day. Martha, always concerned asked him, "Clark, sweetie, are you alright?"

"I would be if today never happened. Chloe was doodling and drew a picture of me as an alien and the teacher caught us and posted it on the wall. Now that's on the wall and everyone is making comments. Then, the incident with the red kryptonite happened and I got sent to the principal's office where I had to admit I'm allergic to the meteor rocks. Then, I tried to follow Pete to stop him when I was caught and had to go to study hall. I heard two students talking about me and how the red rocks caused something to happen to my hands. I told them to stop talking about me and for some reason they concluded that I was a meteor freak. Then Pete slipped a rock in my pocket and I tipped their table over with one hand and left. To top that off, I blew up Lex's car and gave him full view of my strength and speed. After I got the rock out of my system, I went back and something happened. I had to make the excuse that I'm a meteor freak." Clark explained. "There is no way this day could possibly get worse."

Jonathon was just sitting in his chair with his head in his hands. Martha put her hand on his arm. "It'll all blow over." She said.

"I don't believe it." Jonathon said. "Now what are we going to do? If everyone finds out about Clark…especially Lex Luthor... Clark, how could you be so careless?" he yelled, "And what exactly happened that you had to give him an explanation?"

"I started floating until I was a mile above Lex and Whitney."

"Floating!" Martha said. "Wait a minute. Whitney was there?"

"Yeah. Lex said that he was helping Whitney escape from his father's lab, but I still don't know what Whitney's intentions are."

Martha walked over to the counter and brought some apple fritters back to the table. "I think we need some cheering up. So let's do something together to get our minds off it." She said, as her way of dealing with the normal weirdness that surrounded her family.

Clark and Jonathon nodded. But Jonathon couldn't let the floating go.

"Did you try to float or did it just happen?" Jonathon asked.

"It just happened. I was running and I felt this weird feeling in my stomach and I realized I was a mile in the air."

Just as Martha turned on the television, a news broadcast came on. "Scientists are baffled by the frequent occurrence of sun spots this year. Communication links, and power shortages have been happening all across the world…"

"Oh no…" Clark sighed. "Not again."

"Package for a Mr. Lex Luthor." The delivery man said, standing in the doorway.

"That would be me," Lex asserted. With that, he signed the paper and took the package inside, ripping it open as soon as he reached his study. Although Clark had revealed quite a bit today, he just had to see what was on the tape from the caves. Putting it in his VCR, he sat down to watch.