Chapter 3
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"Happy birthday, dear Alexis," the group gathered in the Talon sang, "happy birthday to you!"
"Make a wish, Ali!" Jessica shouted above the other well-wishers. Chloe made her way over to Clark as Alexis blew out the candles on her birthday cake. He turned when he felt her hand on his shoulder.
"Just a head's up," she spoke so only he could hear, "you may want to avoid the birthday girl's sister. She's still scared senseless of you."
"Did you find out why?" he asked.
"Apparently you remind her of a very abusive ex-boyfriend," Chloe replied.
"And that's why she's suddenly terrified of me?"
"If I knew more, I'd tell you." Chloe shrugged, and then squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "It will all work out, Clark." Giving him an encouraging smile, she went to help Lana with the drinks. Suddenly, Clark felt light-headed and the room started to spin. Beginning to lose his balance, he reached out to steady himself on one of the pillars. A second later, the feeling passed.
"Clark, are you alright?" Alexis asked in her quiet tone as she approached him.
"Yeah—I just felt dizzy for a second," Clark answered.
"Well, if you do feel sick, don't feel bad about leaving." He nodded and she continued, "Thanks for helping Jess plan all this."
"No problem . . . but, how did you know I had a hand in it?" he asked incredulously.
"Jess told me," Alexis responded. "Was she not supposed to?"
"No, it's fine, it's just—has Jess mentioned why she's afraid of me? She's been avoiding me and apparently it's because she's scared."
"No, she hasn't said anything. Let me ask her . . . ." Alexis turned and sought out her sister. Spotting her, she made her way through the crowded room towards her.
"Happy birthday, sis!" Jessica exclaimed, giving Alexis a big hug. "I'm sorry mom and dad couldn't be here, but they can't get back until Sunday."
"It's not your fault. I didn't expect them to be here—it's better this way," Alexis responded, lightly biting her lip.
"I know," Jessica offered sympathetically, but her sister chose to ignore it.
"Why are you afraid of Clark?" Alexis dropped the bomb. There was a brief moment of silence.
"I'm not," her sister answered with a small laugh.
"He said that you're avoiding him. Why?"
"If that's true, it's non-intentional."
"Then you should talk to him—he's worried about you."
"I can't do that," Jessica spoke quickly, panic suddenly edging her tone.
"Why not?" her sister protested, "You talked with him enough to organize all this!"
"That's different! I just can't, okay?" she snapped. Wincing suddenly, she brought a hand to her temple. "Ow . . . ."
"Jess, what's wrong?" Alexis questioned anxiously.
"I'm okay—I just don't feel well," Jess answered. "I'd better get home. Think you can get a ride?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Okay, don't stay out too late." Jessica made her way towards the exit, stumbling slightly.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Alexis called after her.
"Fine, Ali—just don't worry about it." With that, she was gone.
"Oh, wow, why did Jess leave?" Chloe asked as she and Lana joined Alexis. The girl continued to gaze at the door through which her sister had just departed.
"She's not feeling well," Alexis finally answered. "She's been acting strange the last couple of days. My sister's not afraid of anyone . . . and she doesn't get sick. I'd better go home, too, just to keep an eye on her. Thanks so much for having the party here, Lana, and thanks to both of you for your help in planning this."
"No problem—we'll see you tomorrow." Lana returned. "Oh, and let us know how Jess is doing in the morning." Alexis smiled before giving both of them a hug.
"Thank you guys so much for being my friends," her eyes brimmed over with tears and she wiped them away. "It means so much to me."
"We'll always be your friends," Chloe assured. Alexis turned to go.
"Hey, are you leaving?" Clark asked.
"Jess isn't feeling well and I don't want to make her be home by herself," Alexis explained.
"I have the truck tonight—one advantage of being a farm kid—let me give you a ride," he offered.
"Oh. Okay," the girl accepted.
"See you guys tomorrow," Clark said to Chloe and Lana.
"Yeah, we'll see you—and Clark," Chloe reminded, "don't forget to turn in your article for the Torch before school tomorrow."
"I won't."
"Bye, guys," Lana told them.
"Thank you so much, Clark," Alexis said for about the fourth time as they pulled up in front of her house fifteen minutes later. "And it's been good getting to know you a bit." She faced him, the shadows concealing the blush on her cheeks.
"Yeah, it's been fun," Clark agreed. "We'll have to talk again sometime."
"That'd be nice. I'd like that."
"I hope Jess will be okay."
"Me too," Alexis voice became quieter than usual. "Good night, Clark."
"Good night." As Alexis got out of the car and walked through the headlights to the house, Clark couldn't help but see what a pretty girl she was. He hadn't noticed at first because of her loose clothing and simple way of presenting herself, but now that she made an effort to do herself up, he had to admit that she was just as lovely as Lana. "Lana's got a boyfriend," he thought, "maybe I should move on." He shook his head and backed out of the driveway. He'd liked Lana ever since he first saw her and he was far from being over her.
"Jess?" Alexis called after she had entered through the front door. "Jess, why didn't you turn on any lights?" The teen groped her way down the hall until she found the light switch and turned it on. Looking around she saw that her sister had left her keys on the hall table. "She always puts her keys away," she murmured in confusion.
"No! No, it's not what you think!" Jessica's voice floated down the stairs.
"Jess?" Alexis shouted, running up the staircase and to her sister's bedroom. Receiving no answer to her knock, she entered quietly. Jessica was backing up slowly, tears streaming down her face, terror etched into her delicate features.
"Donnie, don't do this," Jessica sobbed. "I swear he's just one of my sister's friends. There's nothing between us—you're the only one I care for."
"Jessica, what's going on?" Alexis demanded. Jessica let out a scream, throwing her head to the side as though she'd just been slapped across the face.
"Donnie—no!" the older girl cried hysterically, holding her arms out to shield herself from some unseen danger. "Put the gun away. Donnie--!" Suddenly, she doubled over and fell to her knees, her arms cradling her stomach. "No!" she whispered, "not again . . . ." Then she crumpled, unconscious to the floor. Alexis was at her side in an instant.
"Jessica!"
---
The next morning . . .
Chloe paced across the floor, finishing up what she could of the final touches for that day's Torch. "Clark, why can't you be early for once?" she muttered to herself. Just then the door opened and someone walked in.
"Wow, looks like wishes do . . . ." she stopped short as she turned around. "Alexis?"
"Chloe!" the girl cried holding out her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Chloe took her friend into her embrace.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"My sister's in the hospital," Alexis sobbed. "My parents got home around two . . . . The doctors don't know what's wrong with her."
"What happened?"
"I don't know—she just started hallucinating and then she passed out. We've been in the hospital all night. She's in a coma."
"I'm so sorry."
"Just hold me—I just need someone to hold me." Alexis hugged Chloe tighter as her tears continued to fall.
"Don't you want to be with your parents? I'm sure they need you right now." Chloe suggested, reciprocating the embrace.
"They don't mean as much to me as Jessica does."
"What?" the blonde uttered in surprise.
"They never wanted a second child—Jessica is all I ever had," Alexis replied. "Chloe, what if she . . . ?"
"Don't say it!" Chloe spoke sternly, putting a finger to her friend's lips. "Everything will be fine."
"Other than Jess, you're the best friend I ever had." Chloe bit her lip, fighting back her own tears. It seemed like she could've done so much more, and yet, Alexis had said that she was her best friend.
"Chloe, could you . . . ." Clark began as he entered the Torch. "Alexis. What's the matter, did Jess get worse?" Alexis turned to face him.
"Clark, she's in the hospital, she. . ." she started, but was unable to continue. He looked at Chloe whose expression told him that the situation was grave.
"Come here," he murmured, wrapping Alexis in his arms and laying his cheek against the top of her head. "Everything will be alright, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. He exchanged a look with Chloe and she nodded.
"You want to go see her?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she answered.
"Okay, let's go." Chloe grabbed her jacket and the three friends exited the room. That was the first day the Torch wasn't printed on time.
---
"Richard Rosenberg, you know that that child caught something in that cave and gave it to her sister," a woman was angrily telling her husband as Clark, Chloe, and Alexis stepped off the hospital elevator.
"Kathryn, just listen to yourself," the man responded. "If that is true, why isn't Alexis sick?"
"I don't know—maybe she's immune to it—but you know this is her fault!" she snapped. Alexis hid herself behind Clark as her parents noticed that the three friends were standing there. "Speaking of the devil . . . ." Kathryn Rosenberg muttered.
"Alexis," her husband said, his expression showing how much he wished his daughter had never heard their conversation.
"Father," Alexis quietly returned, moving out in front of her two friends, her eyes fixed determinedly on the floor.
"Who are you friends, Alexis?" her mother demanded. "Or have you forgotten your manners?"
"Sorry," she murmured. "This is Clark and Chloe—meet my mother and father."
"It's nice to meet you," Chloe said, offering her hand, but Kathryn ignored it.
"Alexis is too young to have a boyfriend and I expect her to dress becomingly."
"Ouch," Chloe thought to herself, glancing down to see what could possibly be immodest about her sweater and jeans.
"Mother, Jessica dresses the same way," Alexis pointed out, "and she'd had two boyfriends when she was my age. Clark's not a boyfriend."
"Don't talk back to me, or you'll be home schooled again," the woman whispered threateningly in her daughter's ear so that her friends couldn't hear.
"How is Jessica?" Clark asked, addressing Mr. Rosenberg.
"I'm sorry to say that she shows no sign of improvement," the man answered. "The doctors can't really do anything because they don't know what's wrong."
"The truth is," Mrs. Rosenberg added, "our daughter has always carried more than her fair share of responsibility." She cast a brief, accusing glance at Alexis.
"I'm going in to see her," the youngest Rosenberg declared, turning and walking hurriedly away.
"And I'm going home to rest," Kathryn told her husband. "I'll wait for you in the car." Getting onto the elevator, she disappeared.
"I'm sorry you got pulled into this," Richard Rosenberg apologized once his wife had gone.
"And we're very sorry about Jessica, but Alexis isn't to blame," Chloe returned.
"I know." His eyes momentarily met each of theirs. "I'll see you two around." He shook hands with them and started down the hall. For a minute, he paused outside Jessica's room, gazing in at his two daughters, his eyes glistening with tears.
"Mr. Rosenberg?" Chloe's tone asked if he was okay.
"I love both of my girls . . . and so does their mother—she just has a harder time showing it," he said gravely. He pushed the elevator button and stepped through the doors as they opened.
"I'm so sorry," Alexis spoke softly as Clark and Chloe entered the room. She didn't seem to hear them. "I feel like this is all my fault. I don't know what happened to you, but you've been nothing but kind to me and I accused you of such a horrible thing. Jess, I care about you more than anyone else . . . ." she trailed off.
"Ali," Chloe put an arm around her friend's shoulder, "it's not your fault."
"Then, how did she get sick? What if my mom is right?" Alexis questioned. "The doctors don't know what's the matter."
"You can't take responsibility for everything that goes wrong," Clark commented, remarking how much he sounded like his father.
"I guess you're right," Alexis grew silent for a moment. "Can you leave? I'd like to spend some time alone with her."
"Sure—it's not a problem," Chloe gave her a hug. "Call if you need anything."
"Okay. And—could you guys get my homework?" Alexis wiped away the tears as she began to cry again. "I'll probably just stay here all day."
"Yeah, I'll bring it to you after school," Clark assured her. She hugged him, allowing her head to rest a moment on his chest.
"Thanks," she said, looking up at him. He wiped a tear from her cheek and patted her shoulder.
"Everything will be fine," he told her. She managed a faint smile as her friends left the room.
"Poor Alexis!" Chloe said as they headed towards the elevator. "Her mom doesn't seem to like her at all."
"It's horrible," Clark agreed.
"But now we know who Alexis likes," Chloe grinned, pushing the button.
"Who?" Clark asked in surprise.
"Oh, come on! She thinks that you're her knight in shining armor!" She smiled up at him, thinking that she couldn't blame Alexis for liking him. Clark blinked as the hall began to twist about him. He felt faint and dizzy like he had at the Talon the night before. As the elevator door opened, he stumbled in, beginning to loose his balance.
"Clark, are you alright?" Chloe anxiously inquired. The door closed and the feeling passed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, "I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night." Her expression said that she didn't believe him. Meanwhile, a pair of glowing meteor-rock-colored eyes glared jealously at the spot they had occupied mere seconds before.
---
"Knock, knock, is someone in here?" Clark entered Jessica's hospital room.
"Clark! I knew you'd come back." Alexis got up from the chair that she sat in. "Did you bring my homework?" He held out her book bag.
"Right here," he said.
"How did you break into my locker?" she asked, gingerly taking the backpack. He shrugged.
"I had a bit of help."
"I guess there's more to you than meets the eye. Just don't break into my house while my parents are home," she laughed, putting her backpack next to the chair.
"I won't," he chuckled and then grew somber. "How is she?" Alexis turned to the bed and gently smoothed the hair back from her sister's forehead.
"Still the same," she answered sadly. "No sign of change. I suppose some things are easier to tell than others."
"What do you mean?"
"That Chloe likes you and so do a lot of other girls," Alexis replied with a sigh. "I have who you like narrowed down to two girls. They're both very pretty." Her mannerisms were cold and tense, and she seemed to be suppressing a strong dose of agitation. Clark cleared his throat.
"Ali, what are you talking about?" he finally asked. His friend turned to face him.
"I'm talking about you . . . and Lana and Chloe and Jessica and Madison and Jamie—to name a few."
"Alexis, what . . ?"
"They all like you and you're attracted to them, too. It doesn't seem fair." Alexis crossed her arms and gazed at the floor, biting her lip for a second. "I'm sorry," she said, glancing at him for a moment before turning to look at Jessica. "You probably think I'm a green-eyed monster—jealous for no reason at all. It's just that I'm tired of just standing in the background while all the pretty girls . . . ." She broke off, leaving her thoughts unuttered. Clark took her by the shoulders and made her face him.
"Alexis," he began, feeling somewhat awkward, "you are very pretty and I find you very attractive."
"You do?" she smiled slightly, looking away.
"I do," he said softly. The girl bit her lip before gazing up into his gentle eyes.
"Clark," she hesitated a moment before continuing. "Do you like me?" Alexis held her breath, her heart fluttering with a mixture of hope and fear, her cheeks a rosy crimson. Clark studied her delicate face a moment, carefully repeating her question to himself so that he could give the right answer. He took her hands into his own.
"I do," he answered.
---
That evening at the Torch . . .
Chloe typed away at her computer, relieved that Clark had at least gotten his article to her on time. Her lips were firmly set and it was obvious that she had been ruffled. Muttering something to herself, she shoved back her chair and crossed the room to grab her notes. Suddenly, one of the doors creaked open. Turning, she saw that no one was there.
"Hello? Is somebody out there?" she called, stepping out the room and looking cautiously up and down the hall. "Hello?" A noise behind her caused her to spin around in fright, but it was only a pencil that had fallen off her desk. "Calm down, Chloe," she told herself, "there's no one here."
"Are you sure about that?" an unfamiliar voice inquired. It seemed to be coming from all around her. Chloe's heart skipped a beat.
"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded, her eyes searching every corner of the room.
"Who am I? You know, I could ask you the same question, but I'd probably get an answer like, 'Chloe Sullivan, editor of the Torch,'" the voice taunted. "I saw you, Chloe, at the Talon, the hospital, here—in fact, everywhere—with Clark and I don't like it."
"Clark and I are just friends," Chloe told the unseen stranger.
"Nice try," she snapped, her voice seeming to reverberate from the corners of the room, "but I know your secret: you like him." Chloe suddenly got the sensation that someone was glaring at the back of her head. Turning, she found herself face to face with the owner of the strange voice. The girl was green from head to toe, her glowing eyes (and even her skin seemed to glow faintly) the shade of the meteor rocks. Gasping in surprise, Chloe ran for the far door, but it was locked and the creature was blocking the way to the other door.
"Help!" she shouted, pounding her fist against the door frame. "Is there anyone here?"
"What I don't understand," the girl continued, slowing making her way towards the blonde, her voice now originating from herself, "is why. Why do you like Clark? He only lets you down—or have you forgotten that you're nothing more than his walking encyclopedia? Doesn't it make you mad, Chloe?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Chloe declared as the girl backed her into the corner.
"Chloe, Chloe, Chloe," the stranger shook her head, "you and I both know that Clark doesn't treat you fairly. It's enough to make anyone perfectly pissed." She reached out suddenly and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders. Chloe let out a cry of pain and fear. The phone began to ring . . . .
---
"Hello?" Clark answered the telephone as he entered the Kent kitchen.
"Clark, there's something wrong at the torch—Chloe's not answering her phone."
"Alexis?" he asked in surprise. "When did you try calling her?"
"Just now," she answered worriedly, "and a couple minutes ago—I even tried her at home, but I got the answering machine."
"I'll check it out," he told her.
"Clark, hurry!" Alexis hung up the hospital room phone as a single tear streamed down her cheek. "Jessica, I'm right here," she whispered in a frightened tone, "I couldn't have hurt her." Meanwhile, Clark had made it to the school and was hurrying down the hallway.
"Chloe!" he called, reaching the door to the Torch. "Chloe?" He stepped inside the room to find his blue-eyed friend seated at her desk.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Chloe, why aren't you answering the phone? Alexis tried to call you."
"I should've known," Chloe scoffed. "Naturally, you had to be sent by someone else."
"Are you alright?" he asked, eying her suspiciously.
"I'm feel fine, Clark," she snipped, standing to her feet. "Thanks for asking—or were you told to do that, too?" Clark was stunned. Chloe seemed to be mad at him, but everything had been fine not more than a couple hours before.
"Chloe, what is this about?"
"It's about you, Clark," she exploded, glaring at him angrily. "What is it with you and exotic, dark-haired beauties? First Lana, now Alexis—and don't play stupid with me! Just because I'm blonde, doesn't mean I don't deserve your attention. All you ever do is ask me for information. I'm lucky if I get a hello! Well, I'm through with being your doormat, and I'm through with you, Clark Kent! You can drop off your press pass at the office in the morning. You don't work here anymore—and you're not my friend! Never talk to me again!" She gave him an impetuous shove and stormed out of the room. Clark stood in the middle of the room for a moment, trying to internalize what had just happened. Figuring it best not to be found by Chloe when she returned, he sped home and to his loft to finish thinking.
"What's going on with Chloe?" he mused sadly. Redirecting his telescope, he gazed into some far-distant galaxy, but his mind remained ill-at-ease. Straightening up, he sat back to gaze at the stars with his own eyes.
"You look like you have the whole world on your shoulders."
"Lana," Clark looked up in surprise, then turned back to the night sky. "Sometimes I feel like I do."
"What's the matter?" she asked. "Or is it another deep, dark secret that you can't share with me?"
"Alexis called and said she couldn't get a hold of Chloe at the Torch and she wasn't at home, so I went over there to check on her," Clark told her.
"Is she alright?" Lana inquired anxiously.
"She was fine—only she wasn't."
"What do you mean?"
"When I showed up, she got angry with me—I'd never seen her so mad. She told me never to talk to her again."
"Wow," Lana said. "That's pretty harsh—do you know what she's mad about?"
"It happened so fast I didn't catch the reason," Clark replied.
"I'm sure you two will be able to work it out," Lana placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He managed a thankful smile. "Good night, Clark." She turned to leave.
"Good night, Lana," he said.
---
TBC . . .