Clark stepped into the yellow farm house, his somewhat of a good mood that had started in the morning completely ruined. He knew his test would be a zero, and one of the people he thought had been a friend had made fun of -- in his eyes -- the few people who actually loved him.
Yeah. Great day.
"Mom?" he called, albeit loudly. His mood wouldn't tolerate it.
No answer.
Clark knew that Chloe would be spending the night at a friends, but he had expected his mom to be home from her journalism classes that she taught at Gotham University.
Apparently not.
He sighed and set down his backpack on the kitchen table before opening the fridgerator and appraising its contents.
He sighed. His mother had forgotten to go grocery shopping again.
He did an about-face and picked up the phone, dialing Domino's number from memory.
After he hung up, he grabbed his book bag off the table and bounded up the stairs before turning into his room.
He dumped the contents of his backpack onto his bed and shuffled through his papers until he came on his math homework.
He had just settled down to finish it when he heard voices from across the hall in his mother's room.
His mouth creased into a frown as he crept to his door, opening it just a crack so the voices drifted to his ears easier.
"I don't know, Bruce. Clark seems a little distant lately. More so than usual. And his dyslexia...Bruce, that's never happened before. EVER. Like, as in medical history."
"It sounds like he's got some psychology and psychological issues going on. And you know how Clark was...special, to say the least. That could have an effect on this. Tell you what, when you guys come over this weekend, I want them to see a psychiatrist."
Why did his mom have the phone on speaker? She never did that.
"One of the ones who knew Clark's...situation?"
"Yeah."
Lois sighed. "All right. But the kids have to understand they we don't think they're abnormal or anything."
"Lois, if we told them that, we'd be lying."
"Their father was abnormal, not them."
It was Bruce's turn to sigh. "Lois, for all we know Clark's genome was the dominant one. Probably was."
"Is, Bruce. He's not dead."
"Lois, we don't know that."
"He's not dead, Bruce."
"Ok, say that he's not. He promised you that he'd come back. It's been fourteen years, Lois. Now, the few months that I knew Clark Kent, I knew he was a good man. Honest and loyal. The only thing that I can figure that's keeping him staying away this long is that he's dead."
"Something's just keeping him away, that's all. He's not dead. I'd know."
"If you say so," Bruce said in a not-so-convinced tone.
"I do say so."
"Ok, Lois. Oh, Chloe's doctors have seen an improvement. One that they didn't see in her mother."
"So that's good?"
"They believe so."
"Believe so?"
"Yeah. Its kinda touch and go. I've got the best and most educated scientists trying to figure out the enigma that is Chloe Sullivan. They don't understand the human brain anymore when they started working with her. If anything, they probably just have more questions that are destined to go un-answered."
Lois sighed. "Yeah, probably. Listen, Bruce, I can't thank you enough for helping take care of what little bit of a family I have left. You mean the world to me."
"Anything for my little sister."
Clark could hear his mother grin.
"Hey, listen, Lois, how about you and the kids come tomorrow morning instead? Let them take a day off from school. It sounds like all the trouble Clark's been having lately that he needs it."
"I dunno, Bruce. I think Clark's been having trouble with school lately. And if he has, he needs all the time at school he can get."
"I'll help him figure out anything he needs, ok? Or is that not it? The dyslexia?"
"I think so.
"Look, it's not gonna make a difference whether he misses a day of school right now, right? The sooner he gets this past him, the sooner his grades will pick up."
There was a pause as if she was considering. Then - "Allright."
"Great! Oh, say, you remember that kid - Dick? The one who's parents were killed by Two-Face?"
"Yeah."
"He's my side-kick. Robin."
Clark's eyes widened. What the hell was he talking about?
"Isn't he a little young?"
"I think so too, but he did an act on the trapeze, which makes him good at all the defense stuff. He also wouldn't leave me alone."
Lois was in the middle of laughing when the doorbell rang.
Clark cringed. He had forgotten about the pizza.
His mother had come to the door, and Clark's eyes widened when he realized she hadn't had the phone on speaker. She had an earpiece in her ear and the phone in her hand.
"Lois, what?"
How had he heard his Uncle's voice that clearly from that far away?
"The doorbell rang. I wasn't expecting visitors."
"Maybe it's just a salesman."
"Mmm. Maybe."
"You gonna go look?"
"Oh shit."
"What?"
"I forgot to go grocery shopping. Clark always orders pizza when I forget to do that. If it's the pizza guy, Clark probably heard."
She cast a glance at Clark's door before starting down the stairs.
"All he would have heard was a one-sided conversation. Nothing to worry about."
"Unless he's becoming more like his father."
Silence.
"Bruce?"
"Maybe you guys should come tonight."
"You read my mind."
"All right little sister. See you in a few."
"Bye."
Clark heard the phone beep off and his mother open the screen door.
"How much?"
"$11.50"
He heard her digging in her pocket for her money. Then - "Here you go."
"Thanks, ma'am."
"Sure. Have a nice afternoon"
"You too."
The pizza guy walked to his car, and got in and drove away before he heard his mother climbing the stairs again.
He hurried back to his head and made it look like he had been doing his homework the whole time.
"Pack while I'm gone. We're leaving for your Uncle's tonight."
"Where are you going?"
"To get Chloe."
His mother turned and closed the door, but he jumped and rushed out of his room just as she was starting to descend the stairs.
"Mom?"
"Not now, Clark. I know you have questions, but not now. They pertain to your sister as well. Wait until we get to you Uncle's. Now go pack."
He sighed and turned back into his room.
Why did he think it was gonna be a long few days?