Merry Christmas all.....
*
The changing of the cameramen
*
Thursday . . .again
"Pete, just apologize to her. Chloe can't stay mad at you forever," Clark reasoned.
Pete didn't answer but shook his head and went off to class. Clark hoped that the head shake meant that Pete realized how crazy he was being and was going to apologize sometime before the end of the day. But he was afraid he was witnessing a fit of classic Pete Stubbornness. Which Isis seemed to have in droves.
Walking to class, Clark decided it must be a universal Ross trait and not just found in the Y-chromosome like Isis said.
He slid into his chair moments before the Late Bell rang, took out his books and forgot his friends' problems. Hemingway was taking up too much of his brain-space. Only those green rocks could hurt more than trying to fit all that into his head at the same time.
*
Martha met Jonathan as he stepped out of the sweet-corn field. It was the last field they would harvest for the year -- very soon -- and the one Isis had mistakenly identified as wheatbarleysomething two nights ago. They hadn't corrected her then. She had been so obviously shaken, despite the bravado. It had been better after everyone had had a few hours of sleep, but Martha had stopped Jonathan from bringing it up again over the breakfast table. Which Isis hadn't eaten, breakfast, just thanking them all, apologizing again for imposing, and making long careful sweeps of their land as Clark helped her find her car.
"Find anything?" Martha asked, handing Jonathan a thermos of coffee.
He took a long drought before answering: "Only that the last of the sweet-corn is ready."
"Do you think that maybe it was all in her head?"
"If this were anyplace other than Smallville, I'd say yes in a heartbeat . . ."
"But it isn't," Martha finished with a sigh. "Well we can't worry about that now. Let's go inside. Lunch is ready."
*
"Hey, Ross! Pay attention."
Pete snapped to. The Harvest Ball Committee was having yet another meeting. "Sorry guys. I guess I'm in need of some serious caffeine."
There was a murmur of agreement from the group. Pete offered to act as gofer.
With a wad of cash in one pocket and a frighteningly detailed list in the other, Pete walked downtown to The Talon. He thought he saw Isis' car speed down Main Street at one point, but he wouldn't let himself think about it too long -- because then he might have to take Chloe's advice to heart.
Who was sitting with her back turned to Pete, with Lana. The girls laughed at something. He watched them, watched Chloe, through the window until Lana noticed him. Pete pulled his swagger together, his Chloe's-just-a-good-friend cool around him and walked in.
"So what're you girls talking about?" he asked.
"You, of course," Chloe answered. Pete knew she was lying. He always knew when she was lying, which meant they were probably talking about Clark.
" . . .What is It?" Lana asked.
Pete refocused on the conversation. "What?"
Chloe did a bad impression of his blank look. "Well you said you have It, so we want to know what It is."
Were they really having this conversation? Pete asked himself even as he gave them a classically evasive Pete-answer.
"Seems kind of fickle to me," Lana complained, swirling the water in her glass before taking a sip. She asked him about Dylan Strauss. "Does he have It?"
They got into a medium long discussion about their fellow classmate. Until Chloe brought up Isis. Pete had seen his cousin walk past them and had hoped that Chloe wouldn't notice. No such luck.
"Does Isis have It?" Chloe asked.
He watched his cousin and tried to summon up the same smoldering hot anger he could tap, at nearly any moment, for the Luthors. But it was like trying to be mad at his brothers. It was just like trying to be mad at his brothers: the anger was intense, consuming fuel so fast it burned itself out. But he wanted to be mad -- just as much as he wanted to know that she was okay now that their- his, parents had kicked her out.
Isis left.
". . .you think?" Lana's voice plucked him out of his thoughts.
"I, uh, have stuff to do for the Harvest Ball, guys. I just stopped in to say hi. See you guys later," Pete said as he slid out the booth.
He remembered the coffee a block past The Beanery.
*
He watched her step off the curb, balancing on, what he considered, ridiculously high heels. Although she handled them well. He watched her check the street. Up and down. He watched her wait, then cross, hurrying to her car.
He watched her remote unlock it.
Watched her open the door and slide inside.
Watched her settle the coffee. Start the car Check the side-mirrors Check the rearview mirror
He saw her in the rearview mirror
Saw her through the rearview mirror
through iced-chocolate eyes.
*
Lex pulled his sunglasses from his jacket pocket and expertly replaced them over his eyes as he climbed out his car.
He watched Isis drive off before he slammed the door shut and headed in the direction of The Talon.