Chapter Twenty-Two
"Kent and the quirky newspaper chick zeroing in on a kiss...way to finally sac it up, Kent."
Clark's eyes popped open and jerked his head back when he heard the words and the voice that produced them. Poor Chloe lost her balance and fell into Clark, and butted her nose into his chest. Her lips smacked on his chest, but that didn't count as a kiss at all. She was surprised that his muscles there felt like steel. "Ow!" She smacked Clark's arm for moving away, from her lips, but she saw what made him do what she thought was the unthinkable, what made his muscles so tense: she saw Whitney Fordman, his high school tormentor and Lana Lang, Whitney's girlfriend.
"Jeeze!" Clark whined when Whitney and Lana stood by them. Chloe rubbed her nose and gave the school's star quarterback the death stare. Whitney chuckled at it. Clark pulled away from Chloe and that upset her even more. "Do you ALWAYS have to rag on me?"
"I don't HAVE to," Whitney said with a smug smile. "I WANT to, freshman...besides...you should have been with Chloe last year..."
"Oh," Chloe said, surprised the bully made sense and downgraded her look at Whitney to merely her 'I-hope-you-get-riddled-with-acne' stare. Clark stuffed his hands into his pocket; he had so many powers, so many abilities, and yet, he was cowed by the senior before him. Or, at least, felt that he needed to, for appearances sake.
"Well?" Lana asked pulling Chloe aside, away from their posturing boyfriends. "Did you two kiss? I want details!"
"No," Chloe said, with a dramatic frown. Lana was struck by how her new friend wore her emotions so visibly. "Whitney just interrupted try #2."
"Damn, he didn't mean to, Chloe" Lana said and looked at her boyfriend. She was surprised that Clark was taller. And a bit more muscular. And better dressed. "Sorry, I'll talk to him about his 'Clark-blocking' you." They both laughed at the pun. "I know that he will try to 'Clark-block' you more now that I told him you and Clark are a couple." Chloe smiled at her friend sticking up for her, and liked the fact that someone else called her and Clark a 'couple'; Lana's comment validated it. "Tonight's the night," Lana nodded to her seriously. "I know it."
"I hope so, Lana. The suspense is killing me," Chloe confided. She looked over and saw the two boys still jawing at each other. "Whitney really gets on Clark's case..."
"Whitney actually likes Clark," Lana let Chloe know.
"What?" Chloe gave her a double take; she shook her head. Whitney liking Clark was preposterous, like her notion that Clark was a ...well, whatever THAT thought was, it was silly because it only popped up when she couldn't fully explain HOW Clark was able to be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing in a crisis. "No way."
"Way," Lana nodded, looking the boys acting very much unlike friends. "He rags on him to get on the sports teams... you've seen them on PE teams, Chloe... they are awesome together."
"Yeah," Chloe admitted. "But does he have to act like 'Stifler' all the time? He even rags on me."
"No... he's just seen 'American Pie' too many damn times," Lana said. "I swear I am going to snap that DVD in half."
"Now that you got the girlfriend, Kent, drop the other one so you'll have a pair and join the football team," Whitney said to Clark. Whitney grabbed Pete. "If Pete "The Human Fumble" Ross is starting, you can start."
"Hey!" Pete yelled and shrugged off Whitney's arm. Pete felt bad already about how he mishandled the ball, but a nickname like that would ruin his dating chances.
"Quiet freshman!" The school's record holding QB snapped at Pete. Pete just stood by Erica. She hugged him and whispered that she liked his hands.
"Clark DOES have a pair!" Chloe yelled, tired of Clark just taking Whitney's verbal humiliation. She suddenly felt two inches tall: everyone but Clark turned and gave her an awkward stare. "I mean," Chloe started to say in a little, little voice, "he saves lives...that's really brave." She scrunched her shoulders and hid behind Clark. She pressed her forehead into his back. 'Mental note #847 of the day: no matter how you feel, think clearly before talking about Clark,' she lamented.
"I already told you, Whitney," Clark said, his voice stronger after Chloe called him brave. "My dad won't let me. And stop picking on Chloe."
"Oh yeah?" Whitney said and stepped up to Clark's chest; He was a bit shocked that Clark didn't step back. He locked his blue eyes with Clark's blue-green ones.
"Yeah." Clark said it low and husky. Chloe shivered, not at the thought of Clark fighting, but the simple sound of his voice; it was a powerful sound, one reserved when he was going to fight a 'meteor freak' and she really, really liked it.
"Hey!" Lana said and pushed Whitney and Clark apart. "No fighting! You two boys need to burn off that testosterone another way!"
"Yeah!" Chloe agreed, stepping in front of Clark and looking at him. "Burn it off winning stuff for your girlfriends!"
"Ok, Reporter Girl," Whitney said derisively. "Let's go to 'Thor's Hammer', Clark...now."
"Mjolnir?" Pete said, remembering the name of the mystical weapon that the Norse god used in the comics; Pete was a closet comic collector.
"No, you freshmen scrub!" Whitney said and shook his head. "Thor's Hammer...That!" Everyone looked where he pointed. "The sledgehammer game... who ever rings the bell the most times wins!"
"Wins what?" Clark said.
"If I win, Kent, you tell your daddy that you HAVE to play football," Whitney said, blue eyes intense. "Or I will make sure this year will be hard on you...and your girl."
"If I win, you be nice to Chloe." Clark didn't care what Whitney, or his jock friends could do to him. But everything changed when he mentioned the girl he loved. "...and get off my back."
"DEAL!" Whitney shouted. He couldn't wait to humiliate Clark, humiliate him in front of his date, in front of the school, and get the farm boy on HIS football team.
"DEAL!" Clark wanted to defend Chloe's honor more than beat Whitney at his own game. He looked at Chloe and she nodded her approval; she thought it was romantic that he stood up for her. He smiled at her, turned and stuck out his hand. But Whitney and Lana were already walking to the booth.
With Whitney's loud boasting and energetic gesturing, seemingly EVERYONE that went to Smallville High School headed to 'Thor's Hammer'. All the jocks, all Whitney's teammates, their dates, nerds, stoners, every clique and even some teachers huddled around the booth. Whitney nodded to the game keeper. She smiled back.
"Amanda," Whitney said, looking at the name tag, "how much to rent the game for...," Whitney said, looked at Clark, and smiled at his competition, "just a few swings?"
"20 bucks," she said, thinking that the guys in front of her were built well enough to play the game for awhile. Whitney gave her a ten dollar bill. "Kick in, Clark," Whitney said and watched the farmboy dutifully comply. Amanda struggled giving Whitney and Clark each a 40 pound sledgehammer. Whitney didn't expect the sledge to weigh so much; Clark tried to make it seem it wasn't as light as a feather. The All-County QB's teammates and friends stood on one side. Lana, Chloe, Pete, and Erica on the other.
"Why aren't you standing with my boys?" Whitney asked his girlfriend.
"I'll cheer you on from here." Lana said easily while a few of her other girlfriends stood by her and Chloe: Shania Nahasaphon was in Lana's main clique, an immaculately dressed, beautiful preppie and head of the debate team. Also standing with Lana and Chloe were Jodi Melville, Alicia Baker, Felice Chandler, and Smallville High cheerleader Dolly 'The Energizer Bunny' De La Rosa. "I'm standing with my friends."
"OK!" Whitney knew better than to argue with her. "Rules are simple," he said to the group before him. "The first between me and Clark that can't ring the bell is the loser!" He looked at Clark. "Right, Scrub?"
"Yeah," Clark nodded with anger in his eyes; he wasn't a scrub, really.
"Since girls go first," Whitney said with a cheesy grin. "You're up, Kent."
There was a chant of "FORD-MAN! FORD-MAN! FORD-MAN!" and Whitney strolled around, basking in the sound of his name. Clark looked at the bell and the wooden block on the catapult and wished there was a chant for him. Then he heard something barely audible, faint and whispery.
"Please win Clark."
He turned and saw Chloe, eyes closed, clutching her hands to her chin, and her thumbs almost touching her lips. She opened her eyes and focused solely on him. She moved her hands and smiled, a smile that was his, and his only. Clark realized he didn't need the adoration of others. He just wanted Chloe and her whisper and the way she looked at him was better than any crowd's reaction. He smiled at his girl, turned, lifted the sledgehammer easily and let it drop on the catapult. The beaten square block shot up the 16 foot backer board.
CLANK!
"YAY! CLAAAAARK!" Chloe screamed and hugged her teddy.
"You can do it!" Pete yelled.
"You're up," Clark said with a smile to Whitney.
"Don't get cocky, Kent," Whitney said while Clark walked off to the side. The QB hefted the hammer, looked at the catapult and slammed the hammer down.
CLANK!
"WOOOOOO!" Lana whooped and did some of her favorite cheerleader moves for her boyfriend while several team members patted Whitney on the back for just making his first swing. The quarterback rolled his neck and strutted off to the side.
"Don't choke," Whitney said to Clark. The farmboy opened his mouth to speak, but...
"No pressure at all!" Chloe yelled. "None!"
"What she said," Clark replied and several football players made a whipping sound. Clark looked at the guys. "I'm..."
"He's NOT whipped!" Chloe yelled at the players; nothing riled her up more than people picking on Clark. She could do it, no one else.
"Maybe I should get Chloe on the team," Whitney said with a smirk. "She's got spunk."
Clark nailed the catapult and the block hit the ring. Chloe, Pete and Erica cheered. Whitney did the same thing with Lana and the jocks hooting and hollering and the two contestants went back and forth, dueling with the sledgehammers, pelting the metal piece of the catapult with the iron wrought heads of the hammers, making the woodblock clang against the bell.
"Getting tired?" Chloe yelled when Whitney grunted loudly, hitting the catapult for the 14th time. He took a breath of relief at the ring of the bell; his arms were starting to burn.
"No!" He snapped. He took off his letterman's jacket and tossed to Brian "Fubar" Barr, who played the center position on the team. Whitney pulled at his sweaty shirt. Clark realized that maybe he should take off his jacket too. He slipped off his new jacket, and his shirt was like a second skin covering his muscles. He wished he was sweaty, but he was dry as a bone.
"I will never complain about him doing his chores again," Chloe said aloud to the girls around her, "if that is the end result."
"I never knew Clark was built like that," Shania gasped.
"No arguments about that," Dolly whispered.
"Wow," Lana said, and Chloe looked at her. Lana knew that possessive look. "Get his jacket," She said to distract her. Chloe scampered over, took Clark's jacket and came back smiling to the girls. Lana was happy that Chloe was soothed by an article of Clark's clothing.
"Getting a little tired there, Clark?" Whitney asked. Both the team's wide receiver and tight-end massaged his arms.
"No," Clark said and aimed at his target. "I can do this...," he smashed the hammer's head into the catapult and watched the block ring the bell again. "...all night!"
"Lucky!" Lana whispered and elbowed Chloe. "Stamina like that will come in handy."
"Huh?" Chloe said, unsure what Lana meant so Lana whispered her meaning to her. "Oh...thanks," was all Chloe could say and blushed, thinking about her and Clark. She smiled wider when the other girls congratulated her, too.
Clark and Whitney went back and forth, trading successful swings, but after the 22nd swing, Whitney started to struggle. He wasn't swinging the hammer fast or lifting it high like he was earlier in the competition. Clark knew it was a matter of time before Whitney would tire and stop. 'Fubar' started to wipe the sweat from Whitney's brow but was slapped way. The QB was mad that the freshman punk was still in the game, and maybe pulling ahead. He looked at Lana and her eyes bore down on him, nervous and afraid. Whitney walked to catapult and looked at his teammates. Their shouts and whoops steadily declined along with their leader's performance in the competition.
"C'mon guys," Whitney implored. "Have I ever let you down?" The guys shook their heads in unison. "Who's the man?"
"CLARK!" Chloe screamed before any of the team could muster a believable word and Whitney was shocked that some in the crowed cheered for the freshman than him. "HE'S ALL MAN!" The object of her affection smiled at Whitney. The star football player looked at his girlfriend, and she just gave him the thumbs up sign. Whitney groaned and dropped the hammerhead. The crowd "ooh'ed" and "ahh'ed" watching the block go up the backing board slowly and barely hit the bell.
Clark had been using his right arm to swing the sledgehammer, but he switched arms. "This one is a bit tired," he said to Whitney. The QB rubbed his own burning arms and chest. Then Clark lifted the hammer.
"Oh! Keep going, baby!" Chloe said. "He's bushed!"
"Baby?" Clark looked at her with the sledgehammer high above his head. Chloe nodded. Clark smiled and hit the catapult hard, slamming the block against the bell, causing a resounding CLANK. Clark looked at his faltering competition. "You're up." Again, Whitney barely hit the bell. He turned and saw his supporters dwindling, and Clark's group growing larger.
"I guess it's my turn," Clark said and spun the hammer's long handle in his hands.
"Whoo! Yeah! Go, Clark!" Chloe screamed out and Clark nailed the catapult easily. He didn't hesitate or dawdle like the QB, trying to get that extra few seconds of rest; he didn't need it. '"You're up Superstar!" Chloe screamed to Whitney, not at all derisive.
tink.
That was the sound the bell made when Whitney scraped it with the block. He was sweaty, haggard, and not at all pleased that some of his teammates left to go have fun at the carnival. Clark walked softly and carried a big stick to the front of the backer board and stood before the catapult.
"Clark Kent! Come on!" Chloe yelled out; her reporter's instincts ablaze. She knew that the end was here and wanted Clark to crush his...their bully. "Give me a K! Give me an E! Give me an N! Give me a T!" Clark loved his own personal cheers and the girl that screamed them out so lustily. Clark swung the hammer and made the sound that Whitney hated more than anything in the world:
CLANK.
"You're up," Clark smiled.
"I know," Whitney said tiredly. "I know."
He dragged the sledgehammer to where Clark was standing. He looked at the catapult, the wooden block. His eyes traveled up the backer board to the bell. It seemed so high now. He hefted the hammer up...but it dropped.
"Finish it." He looked at Clark and whispered in defeat.
"One for me!" Clark yelled happily, and rang the bell. The block barely settled when he swung again when he shot it back up and slammed it into the bell. "And one for Chloe!"
Erica held the huge teddy bear for Chloe and watched the blonde run up and hug Clar. Chloe was so proud of him, so happy that he squashed their bully. 'Triumph never felt better,' she thought. 'Or so dry.'
"You didn't even break a sweat!" Chloe said, a little amazed. She tried to remember when he did break a sweat, and honestly couldn't come up with one instance.
"Umm...it's a cold night," Clark said nervously, and compounded his lame excuse. "I paced myself ."
"I wanna pick up the pace," Chloe whispered, grabbed his shirt, licked and puckered her lips...
"Impressive display, Clark," Victoria Hardwick said, her British accent washing over Chloe and Clark. She and Lex Luthor stood uncomfortably close. "Bloody good show."
"I told you," Lex said. He smiled at the young couple. "He seems to have no end to his show-stopping abilities."
"I don't FREAKING believe it," Chloe seethed when she and Clark pulled away. She stared at Lex and his date. "We're always getting interrupted!"
"It's the full moon I think," Clark whispered and Lex smiled at him. "Weirdness."
"I know weirdness," Chloe fussed. "This is an all-time high, even for Smallville."
"Oh," Victoria said, noticing the closeness of the two teens. "Did we interrupt something?"
"Just my kiss!" Chloe stomped. "We're always getting interrupted!"
"Well then," Victoria smiled at the pouting girl, "carry on."
Victoria and Lex just stood there and waited to see the couple kiss. Clark looked at Chloe and she smiled. But, they both looked over at the same time and saw Lex and Victoria's smiling faces. Pete and Erica stood by, too, but they knew better to look at Clark and Chloe so obviously.
"The mood is gone," Chloe said with a whimper and slid away from Clark; it was one thing to kiss in front of people to Chloe, another to be ogled. They broke apart from each other's embrace. Still holding the huge bear, Erica elbowed Pete.
"Hey, Chloe," Pete said, looking at his disappointed friend. "Erica and I will take your bear, and put it in her car. That way you two can enjoy yourselves without lugging it around."
"Thanks Pete," Chloe said. "Thanks Erica. Take care of Clarkie."
"Clarkie?" Everyone said.
"The bear," Chloe blushed. "That's his name." Pete hit Clark's shoulder and he and Erica left. Lex walked up to Clark, while Victoria pulled Chloe aside.
"Tell me you kissed her earlier?" Lex said with a slight grin.
"You sorta blew the moment," Clark said and crushed a foam cup with his boot.
"I am honestly sorry, Clark," Lex said and patted him on the back tenderly. "Victoria thought you had already kissed her." Clark shook his head so hard." Well, just take Chloe over to the ferris wheel. When it reaches the top...kiss her."
"Ok, I'll do that," Clark said. "Thanks Lex."
"Just good advice," Lex smiled. "The kind I'd give a younger brother, if I had one."
"I found the money...," Clark said softly.
"Just have fun, Clark," Lex said. "Show Chloe a good time." He spun around, letting his black leather trench coat twirl and walked to Victoria. Clark wished he could be selfless and good of heart like Lex was when he got older.
"So you're Clark's girlfriend," Victoria said, offering her hand. "Chloe, isn't it?"
"Yes...Chloe Sullivan," she said sheepishly; beautiful women always intimidated her. Chloe shook the British woman's delicate hand. "You are?"
"Victoria Hardwick," She said, enunciating her last name perfectly. "I'm Lex's...date." Chloe noticed the hesitation, but didn't press. They both looked at their escorts. "Clark's a very lucky boy to snag a girl as beautiful as you."
"Really?" Chloe beamed. First Lana validated her couple status with Clark and now Victoria validated her looks. She was ecstatic. "Thanks!"
"Of course," Victoria said. "My advice is just snog him." Chloe translated that in her head to 'kiss him' and nodded. Victoria pulled out her business card and a pen. She scribbled her private number on the card and gave it to Chloe. "Any friend of Clark's is a friend of mine. Call me tomorrow."
"Ok," Chloe agreed. She pocketed the card; she was extremely happy to have made another friend, and an unlikely one at that.
"Victoria," Lex said, wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."
"Ok," she said. She gave Clark a quick hug. "Clark, you be a good bloke and treat Chloe well tonight." He nodded. She and Lex walked away, toward 'Super Space Pods', the silver shaped rocket ship ride; Clark saw the ride with Chloe when they walked around and had an odd sense of deja vu.
"Let's go ride the ferris wheel," Clark suggested. He pretended to shiver and slipped back on his jacket. "It will be just us...I promise."
"I'd go anywhere with you, Clark..." Chloe said. He took her hand and they walked to the ride. Both waiting to kiss each other at the top of the ride.