Everybody's coming to get me

*

Later Thursday Morning, Oct. 17

Going commando, while interesting, is not comfortable. At least not during the Kansan fall. In the frozen morning.

Most of the clothes were Isis' own: the jeans, the sneakers, the inexplicably torn dusky-red vest. And her heavy wool hoody. Sleeves also torn.

The socks, T-shirt, and flannel shirt were Clark's. Martha had kindly gone through her son's things and presented them to Isis before she went to shower. "They probably won't fit, but it's better than putting on your old things."

"You didn't have to."

"It was no problem. It's not like Clark can wear them anymore. It's a good thing I didn't get rid of them," Martha said with a smile.

Isis tried to return it with as sunny a smile as she could muster. If Martha's face was any indication, it wasn't going over well.

"I'll just go shower now."

But even with the heat all the way up in the car, the windows quite securely closed and a cup of hot coffee, black, sloshing around her belly, Isis felt a breeze where there most certainly shouldn't have been one. Psychosomatic that. And her rear seam was digging into her butt.

"Banner day, Izzy," she muttered, using her mother's nickname for herself.

"Abso-friggin-lutely Banner."

*

"Why can't you just obey the rules?!" Pete yelled.

"It wasn't my fault!" Isis yelled back.

"Oh, so that wasn't you who walked in the house at 5 a.m. this morning? And what about Saturday night? Or should I say Sunday morning?"

"How did you---? Ugh! We are not having this conversation in the car! I had enough for it out of Uncle Mark and Aunt Janice this morning, thank you." She spared a quick look Pete's way.

He was still pissed.

"Don't start with me, Peter."

"You were at Lex Luthor's house."

"Not in the car Pete."

"You don't deny it."

"Well since you've obviously been listening in on my arguments with your parents you already know that's what I told them."

"But why?!" he demanded.

"Because!" she cried.

"But he's a Luthor!" Pete nearly bellowed.

Isis pulled the car off the road in a motion that sent them both reeling. "I'm gonna tell you like I told Aunt Janice and Uncle Mark," she said with her signature cool, belying the fiery anger in her eyes: "Lex is something like a friend."

"But--"

"And he was doing me a favor by letting me use his computer. I got a little carried away--"

"That doesn't explain why you stayed the night. Again."

"I didn't! I ended up at the Kents'--"

"Oh yeah. What was it you told Mom? Right, that you decided to take a walk in one of their fields but so freaked yourself out that you woke everyone up and the Kents took pity on you and your idiot city-slicker ways. Then they made you stay the night and wouldn't let you drive home.

"Admit it, Isis, you were with Lex," Pete snarled.

They stared at each other down angrily for a long moment. Isis licked her lips. "You think I'm sleeping with him, don't you," she said with cold assurance.

"Aren't you?" But it was more affirmation than question.

Isis pulled out onto the street, again none-too-gently. "You ask Clark, Peter. You ask him what happened." She tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel as if she weren't angry enough to burn concrete. "You ask him Pete, then you sure as hell better have a good apology for me."

*

"Miss Ross, may I see you in the hall for a moment?"

Isis was covering a science class -- Whitney's in fact -- when Principal Kwan called her out. They had an assignment from their teacher and didn't worry much about their getting out of hand.

"Yes, sir? How can I help you? You did get my proposed grant letters didn't you? I left them wi-"

"Yes, yes. The secretary gave them to me after my parent-meeting. I understand you were late this morning."

"Indeed. I had some car trouble. I even had to pull over for a mome-"

"You didn't call in."

Isis got very wide-eyed innocent. "No, sir. I didn't. I didn't have a first period class to cover so--"

"But Peter Ross was late, was he not?"

"Yes, he was--"

"And we might have had an unexpected call out. I need to know that you can be reliable, Miss Ross."

"I a--"

"Especially if you are going to be Mr.. Ross' ride. I thought when I hired you I was hiring a responsible person. I haven't misjudged, have I?"

"No, sir."

"Now then, if I've made myself perfectly clear--"

"You have."

Principal Kwan glared at her. "Good-day, Miss Ross."

Isis made pleasant not-sounds at Principal Kwan's back. Taking a deep breath she went back to class.

*

Her bags were outside her attic-room door. Shaking her head, Isis adjusted her shoulder bag, picked up her things and headed back downstairs.

*

"Hey, you okay? Can I get you something?"

Isis looked up from her coffee into Clark's concerned face. Shaking her head she lifted her cup for him to see. "Ever had one of those days where it just seems like you're on everybody's hit list?"

Clark sat down. "Yeah, a few."

"I swear, running into you was the highlight of my day. You know, I never did thank you for saving my life."

Clark graced her with a half-smile. "I hardly saved your life. And even if I had you wouldn't owe me any-- Hey, look, there's Pete." Clark waved to his friend.

Pete started to make his way over. He stopped short when he caught sight of Isis.

"Hey! Pete!" Clark called, confused, when his friend turned away. "What was that about?"

Isis sighed heavily. "That's my doing. You should probably go over there. We aren't exactly talking."

"Huh? Why?"

"Pete thinks I'm sleeping with Lex."

"What?! What gave him that--- Is that why he asked if you were at my house last night?"

Isis nodded.

Clark stood. "Don't worry. I'll straighten this all out."

"No," she caught his jacket sleeve. "No, Clark. It's okay. You just go over there and make with the friendlies."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. I have to get going anyway." She stood, dropping a tip on the table. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, kay?"

Clark watched her leave.