Just Shut Up Already
Chapter 12
Summary: Chloe has been having a bad week. Somebody wants to kill her. But now, Clark is paying attention to her. This is a good thing. Hey, maybe the week isn't all that bad.
A/N: Mantra- I will finish this! I will finish this! After that I'm going to go back to all of my other, many, many other unfinished fics. I'm kind of upset because I had two really great chapters (11 and 12) that will be replace by the new and improved (?) 11 and 12, but still, writing it over sucks. I want you to care! Why won't you care!
Here's a recap for all of you will a score board. Monday I woke up and felt like I would be having a bad day. I had a bad day. My biggest fear was that Lionel Luthor would get out of jail. He got out of jail. I prayed he wouldn't want to kill me. He claims he doesn't want to kill me. I feel ignored by all my friends. All of a sudden, Clark cares.
I wanted Lana to suffer (I know, I know. Bad friend!) and now she's switched places with me.
I've figured it out.
Maybe I'm a meteor freak. My will be done.
Nah. But this moment right now, it's pretty good.
"Chloe, when are you coming back? I don't think I could handle this any more. I never knew how much you did," says Lana. She's panting. I feel good.
"I'll be back tomorrow, I promise. I have a lead on the Jason story." Bad friend! Bad! "Lana, I know you can do this if you put your mind to it."
"I feel like my mind is going to explode. Can't we switch?" Oh dear, Lana. I think we already have. "You work on The Torch and I'll find out stuff about Jason."
"No, no, Lana," I say in my most patronizing, condescending voice. "I want to do this for you. This is what best friends are for."
I hang up before she can say any more. I wasn't exactly lying. I am working on the Jason story. But not what Lana expects.
"Jason Teague, we meet again."
"Chloe Sullivan, we meet again."
"How are things, Jason?" I make sure to say his name again. I need to let him know that I'm on to him. "With life? With Lana?"
He frantically looks around. "She's not here is she?"
I love today.
"Lana? No."
He sighs with relief. "So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"Pleasure? Not so much." This may seem weird, but go with me on this. "I want to know why you sent me a note saying I'd die on Friday."
"What? Me? No." He gives me the most comforting smile I have ever seen. I can see why a girl might like him. I have new found respect for Lana. She sure knows how pick a guy. Of course, I have no respect for any of these guys. Why do they like her? Oh right, the hair. The smile. The…. Lananess.
"But you know about the note?"
"I heard rumblings."
"From Lionel Luthor, I assume."
"From my mother, who heard rumblings from Lionel Luthor."
"And where did Lionel Luthor hear rumblings from?"
"Beats me."
"And this is why you winked at me."
"No."
Hmmm.
"Then, why?"
"I thought you looked foxy in that skirt."
What did I say? I think it, it happens.
He gives me a playful nudge. I blush. I hate that do not have the super human ability to suppress my blushing.
"Tell Lana that I'm really close to finding out the true identity of my father. She'll really love that."
"What are you really doing?"
He gives me another wink and slowly backs away until he is at his car. He gets in and drives away leaving me alone in the University parking lot. It's getting dark. This is the universes cue for me to go home.
Something inside me is telling me to go home. There are still so many things I want done, but if Friday really is my last day, I may not be able to finish them all. This instinct, though….
I drive home. My beautiful, wonderful car makes her beautiful, wonderful turns while playing some beautiful wonderful music. A thought occurs to me. If I die on Friday, who will take care of her?
No. Don't think like that.
The lights are on in the house, so I take it that Dad is home. Either that or we have some burglars that really don't care about our electricity bill. Money is tight, you bastards!
"Dad, are you home?"
"Chloe," he says simply. He is sitting at the dinner table that we don't use anymore, looking at the bills we can't pay anymore. I stare at him, waiting for something more than an acknowledgment of my existence. He gets the hint. "How was school?"
"I didn't go."
"Oh," he says. Didn't you hear me, tears? There is no room for you in my life right now.
Dad goes back to staring at the bills. I'm still standing here, just staring.
"Anything else?" he asks. Clearly he's having a bad day, Chloe. This is not about you. This is about his lack of a job. Sure, that may be your fault, seeing as how you pissed off Lionel Luthor, but this moment of bitterness is not about you.
"No, I guess not." I turn toward the stairs. I spot something that has been missing for almost all day. "My laptop. Where did you find it?"
"Somebody dropped it off."
"Somebody?" I ask, turning back around. "Who?"
"Whoever it was rung the doorbell and then ran off. Maybe you should be more careful with your possessions. Especially expensive possessions."
"Okay." I turn back to the stairs. Then I stop. Screw his bad mood. This is my week. On Saturday he can be pissy, but until then, this week belongs to me.
I walk back into the room. He is still staring at the bills. Yes, I feel bad about what I'm about to do. No, I won't stop.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about Mom?"
"God, Chloe. We already went over this."
"No, you gave me the runaround. I want answers. Real answers. Why did you let me believe that she abandoned me?"
He sighs. He gives in. I win, but I'm not so sure I'll feel much like a winner after this conversation.
"I didn't want you to worry. If you knew that your mother was up at Sunny Brooke-"
"Sunny Farm," I interrupt.
"Right. If you knew she was there, you might want to visit her. I've visited her. It's not something I want to put you through."
"I saw her today."
He sighs again. "No."
"I wanted to see her. You shouldn't have taken that away from me. I felt abandoned. I felt alone."
"You were never alone, you had me. You have me."
"No, I really don't. Dad, you should look in a mirror. You always look tired. You are always evasive. The only time you ever perk up is…. well, when Lois or Lana is over." I put my head down. Maybe I don't really want to hear this.
"Oh Chloe. Did you think….? I'm a bad father." I step closer to him, hoping he'll take this as a sign that I could never and would never think that.
"Sometimes I do feel like when Lana or Lois is over, you, I don't know, act happier."
"I'm sorry Chloe. I never meant for you to feel like I cared more about those two silly girls then you."
I sniffle. "They are really silly."
"Yeah," he says. He perks up, puts down the bills and looks me in the eyes for the first time in a long time. "I'm going to make dinner. Any requests?"
"Mom said that she used to make me this Mac and Cheese…."
"Oh, you don't want that. It's awful."
I smile. "I'd like to try it."
He grudgingly agrees. We eat at the dinner table like a family in the cheesy 60s sitcoms. For a couple of minutes we forget about bills and crazy psycho killers and play family.
Oh and the Mac and Chess…. It's terrible.