Thanks for the reviews. Better late than never on the update front. But that's okay. I don't own most of this dialog it's from both pilots.

Alex Whitman listened to Lana's rant about Whitney.

Girls…can't live with them…don't want to…he thought

He decided to present Lana with a bit of truth, "It says right here that shots were fired but no one was hurt."

"Well, then why is Whitney avoiding me? First of all Whitney always picks me up in the mornings and today he drove right by my house, where is he now huh Alex? Whitney always eats lunch with us."

I don't know maybe he got tired of the whining and the ranting but maybe that's just me. He thought and then chastised himself for being mean, and out of his mouth came something even meaner, "I don't see Tina here either maybe they are in the eraser room."

Lana glared at him, "Like that will ever happen. I'm serious Alex are you listening to me?"

"I am listening but this is just you jumping to another irrational height of conclusion. Whitney's fine nothing happened. It's all right here in the Torch if you don't believe me." Alex said waving the paper in her face.

Lana yanked it away, "I know and Chloe would never pass up an opportunity to get a bizarre scoop. But it just all feels so wrong."

"You're in shock after the shooting yesterday, it was traumatic experience." He droned in a monotone that was sure to annoy her.

"Don't patronize me you Dr. Phil wannabe motherfucker." Lana hit him with the paper.

"Lana quit playing with me." He snatched the paper back.

Lana was fumbling in her purse for something; Alex knew exactly what it was.

"Could you not do that in here? This place is crawling with teachers." He asked.

"I'm just a little stressed out right now." Lana said gripping the small canister in her right hand and slipping off to the bathroom.

I really wish she wouldn't do that. Alex thought before scampering off to Chemistry class.

Max's day went to pot right after he and Michael successfully embarrassed Clark at lunch.

Payback for the other day at the mall, Max thought. It was in fact well justified. Isabel and Clark had sufficiently embarrassed Max not even a week before in Barnes and Noble.

Again he found himself running late for his Bio/Chemistry class. It was one of those rare classes that managed to teach both classes at the same time, it was one of the three classes he had with Whitney. Alex Whitman was also taking the class. Max was fairly cool with Alex. He always hung out with Tina Greer and Lana and he wasn't gay but he didn't have a thing for either them, he seemed to be fixated on Isabel, like half of the boys in the sophomore class.

That could be a good way to get her back, revenge of the nerds' style, Max thought but he quickly dismissed it, Alex was a cool guy he couldn't do that to him.

He finally entered the classroom to see Whitney sitting where his usual lab partner sat.

"Hi," Whitney said, staring at Max intently with blue eyes.

"Hey." Max mumbled with a pencil in his mouth.

Smooth move, Max thought.

"Rachel Munds and Peter Gullah gave each other mono, so we're gonna have be partners, for the week." Whitney told him.

"Oh." Max said again around the pencil, finally he took it out blushing as he sat down.

"Today," Mrs. Lynch proclaimed, "we will be looking at human cells I want everyone on the right to take a sample from their cheek with the swab and those on the left to prepare the slide of plant DNA."

"I'm plant slide guy" Whitney said.

Fuck! Max thought, he was sitting on the right he had to think fast.

He raised his hand, "Mrs. Lynch, I umm just remembered… I need to see the nurse she told me to come back later and she'd tell me what my charts said."

"Are you sick Mr. Kent?" she asked deadpan serious and the class died laughing.

"I think I might be coming down that that bug that's been going around." He said.

Whitney was not at all a science wiz. He was taking Bio/Chemistry for the third semester, and he hated it, at least he was somehow passing this time around. Rachel had been a good lab partner.

Note to self: don't partner up with any of the guys from the team for science, you'll fail every time. Whitney tho0ught.

Since Max had came and went so quickly he was stock doing the assignment on his own, he got some cells from his own cheek and put them on the slide. It was not as easy as it sounded, it took him fifteen minutes before he could see it through the scope.

Human cells, boring. He thought.

A thought came to him, Max had left his pencil on the lab table the pencil that had been in his mouth. He wondered out of curiosity if Max's cells looked the same as his.

Well, of course they do dumb ass, what in the hell else would they look like. Whitney scolded himself as he scraped the cells from Max's pencil, which took him even longer than getting his own cells from the swab.

At least when this semester is finished I will have learned a few things about science, he thought as he looked through the microscope.

Green cells, not at all human. Whitney thought.

He destroyed the slides and when the class was over he made it his mission to track Max down. It didn't take him long to find him, it was another one of those weird things he'd been doing lately. It was more than as if he could sense him, he smelled him. Not in that bad after gym class and no shower kind of way, but he guessed the way dogs or something could. He'd been able to do it with everyone recently and he hadn't the slightest idea why.

He found Max in the music room, sitting at the piano playing some great tragic piece.

I wonder why he isn't in the orchestra, he's really good. Whitney thought.

"Max." Whitney said allowing the door to slam behind him.

Max stopped his playing and turned to face him, "Whitney…"

"Hey, um we need to talk about yesterday, and kinda about today too."

"Okay," Max said.

I thought this was gonna take all day. Whitney said.

"Um… today in class we had to look at cells right?" Whitney paused, and Max nodded rising from the piano bench and pacing the length of the room.

"Max can we just focus for a minute," Whitney said blushing as he raised the hem of his t-shirt revealing the hand print on his stomach.

"You left early and didn't stay for the assignment, but you left your pencil on the table and I scraped some cells from you pencil and looked at them under the scope. The cells they weren't normal….Maybe we should go back to the lab and I can take another sample and see if I got things wrong which is quite possible that I got the wrong cells." Whitney said in a rush.

"You didn't get this wrong." Max said.

"What?" Whitney asked.

Okay this is weirder than my whole sniffing thing, Whitney thought.

"Umm…okay… what are you?" Whitney asked cutting to the chase.

"Well, I'm not from around here." Max said after a pause.

"Okay then where are you from?" Whitney asked not all liking where this was heading.

Max raised his hand and pointed upward.

"North Dakota?" Whitney asked, Max simply pointed higher.

"Canada?"

I didn't know Canadians had supernatural powers and different DNA. Whitney thought.

Max pointed higher still.

The realization finally dawned on Whitney, "You're not an… al–alien are you?"

"I prefer the term not of this earth… that really sounds dumb now that I've said it aloud." Max chuckled.

Whitney was not all amused he was positively frightened, he took a step back and finally took a breath.

"I guess it isn't the time to joke is it?" Max said.

I would have a wicked crush on someone not of this earth wouldn't I? Whitney thought.

He had to get the hell out of there, "Max, I just remembered I've got to go start my shift."

Whitney backed away until he could turn around without feeling overwhelming guilt for running away, but he was scared shitless once again. He couldn't stop himself from breaking into a full blown run.

Max was there before he reached the door, and pushed it closed when he tried to open it.

"You can't tell anyone what I told you today. No one can no about this, not Lana, not Alex, not the guys on the team, not your parents, no one. Please don't saying anything." Max whispered in Whitney's ear.

That was so hot… wait a minute…that was more of a plea than a threat, Whitney thought once he was finally able to get out of the music room, he realized he didn't really want to.

Clark survived a mediocre day at Smallville High. The attention he got from the whole hero thing was annoying; the only person on the little Clark bandwagon was Chloe. She asked a million questions and took his picture. Pete being the good and lazy friend he was gave him genial clap on the back smiled and walked away without any lengthy congratulations. Some girls asked him questions about Lex, the same questions Isabel had asked only with more squealing. They wanted to know Lex's height his weight what he smelled like if he was really bald or did he shave his head.

Clark didn't know how to answer those questions and Michael and Max didn't help matters any they made a big scene at lunch, and Clark got all red and there was some clapping. He had never been more excited about boarding a yellow school bus. Isabel had a meeting for Homecoming Court and Max had chess club meetings and Clark didn't know where in the hell Michael had gone to.

Clark was a bit depressed when he got off the bus, and he didn't really notice the huge red Ford F150 extended cab truck sitting in the driveway. His mother was smirking at him from where she sat on the tractor a few feet away.

"Mom whose truck is that?" He asked raising a dark brow finally really noticing it.

"Yours," she answered reaching in her pocket and holding out a card.

Fucking right! Clark thought

"It's a gift from Lex Luthor." She said handing it to him.

Clark opened the card and read quickly, "Dear Clark, drive safely, always in your debt, the Maniac in the Porsche."

Karma has its rewards and finally some disbursement got to Clark Kent.

Clark beamed his day had greatly improved, but there was only one thing missing the keys.

"Mom where are the keys?" He prayed that they weren't where he thought they were.

Now just give me the keys, he thought.

"Your father has them." She said.

Well, maybe I won't get that karmic reward disbursement today.

"It figures." Clark said just as little sliver Mazda sports car pulled into the driveway; he could hear the unmistakable voice of his sister telling her friends that she'd call them later.

"Whoa, sweet ride whose it?" Isabel asked once she'd closed the door and joined them.

"Isn't it though?" Clark asked as the two admired the truck, Martha shook her head and drove off on her tractor.

"Gift from a certain bald billionaire?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah." Clark said.

"So why aren't we taking it for a spin?" she asked.

"Well, daddy dearest has the keys and he probably isn't going to give them up without a fight." Clark said.

"Right. Dad hates the Luthors almost as much as he hates flashy expensive things. He made me return the necklace that Warren McGready from the Metropolis Sharks gave me last year." Isabel said.

"A real tragedy," Clark said sarcastically.

Why does everything have to be about her? Clark wondered.

"It really was. It was a really expensive white gold necklace with a four carat diamond pendant." Isabel said, ignoring her brother as she fantasized about the necklace that had been hers for less than a day.

"You should at least try, maybe he won't look a gift horse like a new truck in the mouth." Isabel said hopefully.

"Alright. I'm going in." Clark said walking over to where their dad was working the thrasher.

Like I even stand a chance of getting that truck, if I couldn't have it why did he have to let me see it. It's just like Lana she's right there not even half a mile away, but I'm never gonna be with her.

"I know how much you want it son, but you can't keep it." He said without even looking up.

"Why not." Clark demanded.

His father sighed but didn't answer, Clark assumed he didn't have legitimate answer as to why he couldn't keep the truck.

"I saved the guy's life Dad." Clark said as his father look of the goggles and faced him.

"So you think you deserve a prize?"

"Don't put words in my mouth; you know that is not what I meant. How about you drive the new one and I drive the old one. That way everybody wins." Clark said.

"It's not about winning Clark."

"What is it about? Money? It's not like Lex broke the bank to get the truck." Clark said stomping up the steps.

"Son, I know you're upset, it's normal."

"Hey, Clark I guess you finally did something normal." Isabel said venturing further into the barn and standing next to their dad.

"Normal? You call this normal." He said stomping down the steps and over to the thrasher.

"No, I call it a temper tantrum. I'll admit Dad is being unreasonable but you're being childish." Isabel said.

"Unreasonable," Jonathan muttered.

Clark rolled his eyes, "This is not normal." He said turning the machine back on and sticking his whole arm down it.

The machine protested at the intrusion, and both his sister and his father ran over to make him pull his arm out. He pulled out just before they reached him. His arm was completely intact the sleeve of the flannel shirt he was wearing was another story entirely.

"I didn't dive in after Lex's car he hit me going sixty miles an hour. So tell me that's normal Dad? I'd give anything to be normal." Clark said stomping off to his hide way in the loft.

"Isabel go find Max we're having a family meeting in half an hour."

"What's going on Daddy?" She asked.

I know exactly what's going on but Daddy needs me to humor him. Lord knows the boys won't do it. Isabel thought.

"Your mother and I are finally going to tell you something we've been keeping from you all these years."

To hell with humoring him.. Isabel thought.

"The fact that we're aliens from a distant planet. We kind of figured that out on our own dad." Isabel said.

Jonathan Kent looked gob smacked for the first time in a long time. And Isabel couldn't help being proud of herself.

"Just go get your brother." He said once he maintained his composure, but Isabel had another bombshell to drop on him.

It's not over yet.

"Should I get Michael as well, this does involve him too."

"What does it have to do what that chain smoking juvenile delinquent?"

"He's alien too," Isabel said.

Her father's jaw dropped a good six inches, Isabel decided to leave the scene just as her mother approached having heard everything.

"You didn't know about Michael? Honey I could have told you that," Isabel heard her mother say.

Isabel laughed all the way into the house, it was good to have relatively understanding parents, and a smart mom was always good to have around. Isabel went in to call Max and Michael. They were both still at school, Michael in detention and Max at a chess club meeting. She called Max's cell first and he answered on third ring.

"Isabel this better be important, I think he's going to jump me."

"Finally, it's about time you and Whitney finally got down to that." Isabel said.

"Isabel!" Max practically screeched into the phone so loudly Isabel had to move away from it some.

Drama King burst my eardrum why don't you? She thought.

"I am playing CHESS! What in the hell do you want?" Max demanded.

"You can dial back the attitude; I take it you haven't spoken to Whitney since yesterday…"

"If this is what you called to talk to me about, I'm hanging up," Max said.

"Dad needs you for a family meeting, he's going to finally state the obvious, about our alien ancestry." Isabel said.

"He figured it out?"

"Nah, I told him. Mom knew we knew all along, she knew about Michael too."

"So I should bring Michael with me?" Max asked.

"That would be greatly appreciated. Just one tidbit of info first, Clark didn't jump in after Lex's car it hit him." Isabel revealed.

"Whoa, I knew that kid was tough."

Isabel made a dismissive noise, "If he's so tough how am I able to make him cry once a week?"

"Clark's tough on the outside, Isabel he's a real sensitive kid underneath." Max said.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I'll be there in about ten minutes." Max said.

"Okay." Isabel hung up just as her mom entered the room.

"Are they on their way?" she asked.

Isabel nodded, "Yeah. Is Dad talking to Clark?"

"Uh huh, if you hurry you can eavesdrop on the end of the conversation. I'll tell you about the beginning later if I get details about what you hear."

"'Kay Mom." Isabel said running out of the house and to the barn, she slipped in as quietly as possible.

"Izzy you can come on up Dad's done talking." Clark said.

Shit, that kid has ears like a bat I swear.

"Shit!" Isabel said, "How'd you know I was down here?"

"We heard the screen door slam twice; you didn't think we'd notice you doing it for the past ten years. You and your mother work in shifts." Her father said coming down the stairs with Clark following close behind.

"Did you call Max?" Clark asked.

"Yeah he's on his way, he should be here in few minutes with Michael."

"I can't believe you kids knew. And you didn't tell me." Their father mused.

"Being able to do this," Isabel said waving her hand above her head and causing a light snowfall in the barn, "is a dead giveaway that we're either aliens or witches. Since you didn't hear me do incantations to make that happen it gives a clear idea of what I'm not."

"Cool. I didn't no you could do that." Clark said, "I thought all your powers were good for were changing the color of your lipstick to match your outfit."

Isabel glared at him, "I should fry you with some lighting,"

"You can't do that." Clark said.

"Wanna bet." Isabel said just as she heard Old Bob come to a stop in the driveway.

Bob was Max's trusty jeep which didn't look at trusty to the casual observer. But it had never been towed at least since they had it and, their dad won it in a poker game and they'd fixed it up for Max's sixteenth birthday, more like Clark helped their dad fix it up and Isabel made snide comments and Max studied.

"I heard there was meeting of Aliens Anonymous here. My name is Michael." Michael said entering the barn.

"Hi Michael," Isabel and Clark both said at the same time.

"I don't wanna hear anymore jokes from your goofy ass," Jonathan Kent said pointing at Michael, "This is a serious."

"Come on Dad lighten up," Max said walking into the barn.

"Don't think for a second your gonna get off without showing me what special abilities you have." Jonathan said.

I knew there was no way I was going to get out of doing that, Michael thought.

"I'm not very good," he said.

"Go on I ain't got all day, I got them hogs to get in,"

Michael extended his right hand and concentrated. He managed to blast a bale of hay which ended up catching fire. Max walked over calmly and waved a hand over it extinguishing the flames.

"He's one of us Dad, we remember him." Max said.

Isabel nodded.

"You said you didn't remember anything about what your life was like before we found you," Martha entered the barn and joined the discussion with one fail swoop.

Uh oh, Max and Isabel lying to the parentals thought I'd never see the day. Michael thought.

Isabel looked like she was going to cry, "Mom, we didn't know how to tell you guys. We don't remember much, just when we woke up. It was like we were in these pod things kind of like we sleeping, the three of us."

"There was another girl, she hadn't woke up when we left. We all sensed danger coming. And we went out into the desert," Max explained.

"We walked for days before we reached the road." Isabel said tearfully.

"We all saw the headlights at the same time. Isabel grabbed my hand; I knew everything would be alright if we stayed together. Michael didn't take my hand; he stayed behind the fence." Max continued.

"So begins my life as a dumb ass." Michael muttered.

"You aren't a dumb ass, you were scared Michael," Isabel said.

Damn it she's doing that creepy standing too close to me thing again, Michael thought As Isabel's dark eyes seemed to swallow him whole as she stared at him.

"How come we've never discussed this until now?" Clark asked.

"Your mother and I felt it was best to let sleeping dogs lie." Jonathan said wringing out a pair of gloves.

"Sleeping alien heritages lie you mean." Clark said.

"That made no sense." Isabel to told him.

"Goes ditto for me." Michael said.

Clark rolled his eyes, "So what do we do now?"

"You kids need to lay low for a while, and after you return the truck Clark, I don't want you to have any more contact with Lex Luthor."

"Come on Dad he seems like a fairly nice guy." Isabel began before Clark could even reply.

"You haven't even met him." Jonathan said.

"Come on Dad, everyone knows half that bullshit in the papers isn't even true." Clark said.

"With him around things won't be boring around these parts at least," Martha said.

"Martha, don't tell me you want these kids hanging out with Lex Luthor?" Jonathan Kent said sounding appalled.

"I doubt Lex has time for friends especially friends still in high school, but not to ask the children not to have any contact with him is a bit harsh don't you think?" Martha asked.

Jonathan made grunting noise and started to walk away, "Is that all you have to say I've got to go get them hogs in."

"And I've got to get to class. You guys are on your own for dinner." Martha said.

"We'll just have burgers or something in town." Isabel suggested.

"Bring something back for your dad." She said as she and her husband leaving the four aliens alone in the barn.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting down for an early dinner at Bill's Burger Barn in town, Isabel sat down at the table with four bottles of Tabasco sauce. She was still fuming from what Michael had just told her.

"Just when I thought I had a semi normal life you go and blow it all with one random act of stupidity." She told Max.

"And you how could you let him do this?" She demanded of Michael who shrugged and took a bite of his hamburger.

"I'm not the one who thinks he's a superhero. You didn't get down on Clark for saving Lex's life." Max said eyeing Clark.

"I'm not in on this one I was just standing on the bridge. All I did was get him out of the car and give him CPR. I didn't resurrect him from the dead." Clark said.

Isabel had never been so outdone, He would stoop as low as to pick on Clark when he's the one in trouble.

"Don't get down on Clark he had nothing to do with that. This about you." Isabel said.

"I know, I'm sorry guys. I've said that I was sorry a hundred times." Max said.

"You're sorry? You can say you're sorry a hundred more it won't change anything, you went and broke the rules the rules we made Max. Clark didn't." Isabel said.

"You use your powers all the time." He accused just as she was melting the cheese on her burger.

"He's got a point Isabel." Michael said around a mouthful of food.

"Whose side or you on?" She demanded.

He should be on MY side, Isabel thought though she really didn't know why he would be on her side.

"Whoever's side that will let us finish our food without anymore of this drama. The important thing is to contain this, we just need to figure out what to tell Jock boy. He isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed." Michael said.

Isabel was about to pick up her hamburger and take a bite when she saw the expression on Max's face.

"You told him!" she exclaimed horrified.

It was enough to make Michael drop his food, "Are you fucking kidding me dude?"

"I didn't have a choice." Max said.

"Dad says you always have a choice Max. Especially when it comes to this." Clark said.

"You could have lied Max!" Isabel shouted.

"Everything will be fine guys." Max said.

"Don't you realize that everything has changed?" Isabel asked.

"No it hasn't." Max said.

"She's right. It's time we leave Smallville." Michael said getting up and walking away from the table.

"Michael we can't leave." Max said dropping bills on the table, and following leaving Isabel and Clark sitting in shock.

"We can't leave Smallville its home. Where would we go Michael?" Isabel asked getting up and dragging Clark along.

"L-leave Smallville…" Clark stuttered.

"Maybe to you three. The Kent's are like real parents to you. My foster dad just keeps me around to collect a monthly check." Michael said once they were outside.

Sometimes I forget Michael doesn't have it easy. Isabel thought.

"Don't you realize Smallville is not home it's probably not even our solar system? There's a whole big world out there and even bigger galaxy once the three of you realize that there is more in this world than cows and Kansas." Michael said heading over to where Max's jeep was parked.

The three took time to let Michael's words sink in, Max spoke first.

"This is going to be okay. We'll just lay low, we'll go to school tomorrow like normal." Max said.

Isabel pushed past him and climbed into the jeep, "Okay? Lay low? Is that your big plan?"

"You know just as well as I do that it's only a matter of time before they find us and turn us over to some secret government agency where they poke us and prod us and oh yeah… exterminate us." She said tying her hair back.

Clark climbed in the back and sat beside her Max walked around and got in the jeep and Michael got up front.

Heaven knows what you've got to prove

I think I'm paranoid

Complicated

I think I'm paranoid

Manipulated

Whitney arrived home from school to find his mother and Lana sitting in the living room. Lana had the face smile pasted on her face he could see her twitching from the door.

She's stoned as usual. He realized.

"There he is, I've got to go get dinner finished up. Would you like to stick around for dinner?" his mother asked Lana.

"I'm not really hungry," Lana responded.

You wouldn't be now would you? You're always hopped up on that Coke you never eat. He thought.

"You can stay if you like we have plenty," his mother said walking back into the kitchen.

"So I called you like a thousand times." Lana said.

"I know I've just been busy." He replied sitting his backpack down.

"Whitney, what happened yesterday?" she asked.

"What do you mean? You know what happened, you were there." Whitney said.

"Was I?"

"You need to quit doing that stuff if you can't remember what you did yesterday," he said.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, and you know that this isn't paint." She said holding up the red apron he had to wear at work that she had sitting in her lap the whole time.

"It looks a lot like blood to me." She said standing up and bringing it for him to inspect.

He still hadn't moved from where he stood in front of the door.

I know this is your cracked out way of being concerned but I can't tell you Lana. It isn't my secret to tell. Whitney thought.

"I've got to get some things done for tomorrow." Whitney said.

"Our "anniversary"?" She asked doing air quotes.

Whitney rolled his eyes, "No, it's Homecoming. You and Nell are going to alterations done on your dress at seven."

"Homecoming. Right…I knew that." She said.

"Weren't you supposed to be at cheerleading practice like two hours ago?" He asked.

"Oh crap…" she said. "I've got to go…"

She really needs to stop using. He thought.

An hour and half later Whitney was downtown at the tailor's with Alex getting refitted for their tuxes. They had made this plans a week ago and he couldn't get out of them he needed his tux for tomorrow. He already knew he was going to be Homecoming King he couldn't show up naked to the dance and even though he considered not going, he knew it would look weird if he didn't go.

"Hey Whitney whatdya think?" Alex asked from outside of the dressing room.

Whitney opened the door with out thinking.

"Are you seriously trying to be the laughing stock of the school two years running at this thing?" Whitney asked frowning at what his friend was wearing.

"I dare to be different Whitney," Alex said adjusting the collar on the yellow eighties mockery of a tuxedo.

Daring to be different is a nice idea, but different and tacky are too different things. Whitney thought but he didn't have the heart to tell Alex that the tux looked ridiculous.

"Do you really hate it? I don't see what's wrong with it." Alex said still staring in the mirror.

"You look like Prince dressed you." Whitney said, "If you want to go retro why don't you get that really cool blue zoot suit."

"Or I could just get the powder blue tux…" Alex said gazing longingly at the horrible powder blue Dumb and Dumber tux he'd worn last year.

"NO!" Whitney yelled causing his friend to look at him sharply.

"Whitney what's that on your stomach?" Alex asked with the hint of a stutter.

Whitney looked down realizing that he hadn't got a chance to button up the dress shirt he'd just slid it own when Alex asked his opinion.

Fuck! Whitney thought butting the shirt quickly.

"The cheerleaders made me and some of the guys paint signs after practice. Megan Graham thought it would be funny to give all the guys the touch," Whitney lied.

"Uh huh…" Alex said he seemed torn between disbelief and the thought of Megan touching him with a paint covered hand.

That was a close one. Whitney thought.

"Okay this or the powder blue?" he asked.

"Which one do you think will complement your date's dress better?"

"You mean the nonexistent date that I'm taking to prom? What she wears pretty much goes with anything." Alex said.

"Why don't you ask Tina? She'd go with you." Whitney said.

Alex just looked at him.

"Still holding out for Isabel Kent I see." Whiney said.

"I don't want her to see me at the dance with another girl not even Tina who I would never take as a date, date. She would think that I was attached, and I don't want her to think I was attached. I mean just incase I ever work up the courage to ask her to dance, I don't want her to say no because she thinks I'm with Tina." Alex explained.

Whitney rolled his eyes, "Okay first of all this is the Smallville High Homecoming Dance it doesn't matter who you came with it's who you leave with and just because you're with Tina doesn't mean your with her."

"Whatever, I'm still flying solo."

"Even if you don't ask Tina you two will still be standing on the wall together making lame jokes about everyone else." Whitney said.

"Well, we can't help it we're shy and unattached." Alex said.

"Why don't you ask Chloe Sullivan then?"

Alex considered this, "I heard from Lana that Pete Ross was taking Chloe to the dance. I think it would be awkward dancing with Chloe on account of I'm so tall and she's so short. Don't get me wrong she is pretty. And she's nice and if I'd asked a week ago I don't have any doubt she wouldn't have said yes, but it's too late and I'm already too awkward by myself."

"Alright. But for the record, if you want to dance with a girl like Isabel you can't show up to the dance in a suit like that." Whitney said.

"Alright fine, I'll go traditional just this once. Just so you know unless I'm taking her to prom I'm going to wear that yellow suit come spring." Alex told him.

"Fine. Are you going to even ask her to dance tomorrow?" he asked.

"If her date isn't huge with bulgy muscles that could pummel me with out seconds thought, maybe." Alex said.

Whitney shook his head, Alex Whitman is who he is no matter what people think about him and I'm standing here trying to make him conform? What am I thinking? But that suit was the ugliest f-ing thing I've ever seen.

"On second thought, do your thing." Whitney said.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Wear the suit you like. Don't change just because you think it'll help your chances with Isabel if she doesn't like Alex Whitman then she's not the girl you should be with." Whitney said.

"You just went all Oprah on me dude. I think you're right. Why do I have to wear the suit at all I can just wear some black Dickey's shorts and some Vans with my MADE shirt. Thanks man. You just saved me a hundred bucks."

One step forward three steps back. Whitney thought.

Long after the tuxedo fiasco, Whitney was alone in his room when the phone rang.

"Hello," he said just knowing it would be Lana.

"Whitney?" the unmistakable voice of Max Kent came over the line and Whitney nearly dropped the phone.

"Max?"

"We need to talk. I'll meet you at the store in ten minutes." Max said.

"Alright, I'll be there." Whitney said.

The line went dead and he hung up the phone and ran down stairs, his parents were in the living room.

"Where are you going this late?" his father demanded, it was only half past ten.

"Let the boy alone Jerry, he's going to see Lana." His mother said.

"Don't stay out too late son…" his mother said.