Chapter 7

I called practice for the day after that incident because the two of them were acting odd all day. Sure we lost a training day, which was practically unaffordable considering I had to go back to Wichita soon, but I couldn't stand for all the weirdness going on. Life is only as awkward as you make it, I always say, and right now they were both making it really, really awkward.

From what I took of yesterday's deafening silence they hadn't gone any farther than that one kiss, as serious as it had looked. I know Chloe, she must have pulled away the second she had the chance and called interference, blaming the whole damn thing on stress.

Clearly, they weren't going to need a small shove to get back to each other. I was going to have to throw them off of a cliff. And with two super-powered super-stubborn friends it was worth the risk. If they hit the ground hard enough, they might even get the message through their thick skulls.

Now Chloe and I were standing in the Kent field awaiting instruction. Clark walked up to us clipboard in hand, dressed for some reason in his usual outfit; gap flannel and jeans.

Glistening with sweat, she stood with hands on her hips, eyeing him suspiciously. "What the hell are you wearing?" Her voice was brazenly annoyed and I knew immediately that today would be a long, long day.

"What? This?" He pinched the middle of his shirt and tugged at it.

She turned to me. "Pete, why are we both in gym sweats when he can wear that?" I stood silent, deathly afraid of involving myself.

"I never said there was a dress code." He gestured to her clothing, which included tight pants, running shoes and a Met U sweatshirt.

She looked taken aback for a second and looked to me. Then sighed in defeat. "I guess when I thought 'training' I figured it would include running and pull ups. Or muscular sweaty men in gyms."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You would think that."

She stepped toward him threateningly, her ponytail wagging behind her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Children, Children." I moved between them. "We're trying to act older than 13 today. No cold shoulder, no bickering."

"He's a child." She accused.

"And she's a—"

I cut him off before he said anything I knew he'd regret. "You finish that sentence and I'll have to punch your teeth out with chunk of kryptonite." She smiled smugly after that, as if she somehow won an unspoken battle.

"Alright. Now that that is finally over, what're we starting with?" I rubbed my hands together excitedly, ready for the plan of action.

"I thought—I thought you were doing that." He stammered with embarrassment.

She slapped herself in the head. "Of course. Pete, why do you trust him with these things? He obviously has two brain cells working up there."

He leered at her, as realization hit him. "Oh no! Now I remember." He feigned animation as he flipped through his obviously blank clipboard. He pointed to a page arbitrarily. "There we are. Chloe, go run 4 miles and come back." He flipped it shut and grinned at her.

"What?" She looked speechless at him first, then to me. "No way!"

"Why not? You're dressed for it anyway. It seems fitting."

"I thought we were trying to get my mind bullets to shoot straight, not exhaust me for no reason.

"Ah… but the mind is what the body is."

"That's insane! Pete, tell him its insane." My eyes fell to the ground helplessly. When they fought they really went at it and you didn't want to be a mile near them. Unfortunately, I was here trying to save their lives and I had to be in ground zero for the time being. Damn me for caring. Damn me to hell.

"You can't argue with the clip board." He held it closely to his chest.

Then out of no where, she lunged at him, passing me and heading right to him. He grabbed her in mid flight and set her down as she struggled against him kicking and writhing. "I hate you. You freaking jerk." She broke free and moved away from him.

Okay, this was far more serious than I thought. They must have had another Talk after I left that night. Maybe Chloe stopped it, but he obviously said something to make her act this way. Sometimes when it came to talking to girls, Clark wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed…or in the yard for that matter.

"Alright." I said, my voice carrying louder than I'd intended. "Look, Chloe and I will go run a mile and circle back." The two of them seriously needed to be away from each other for a while. "C'mon." I tugged on her sleeve and began to jog. She hesitated and then followed me out of the field, leaving Clark to stand alone.

Chloe had defiantly refused to turn back, but I did once right before we past the "Kent Farm" sign, seeing Clark crumpled on the ground, hands on his face.

They weren't angry because of anything real. They were reacting just like anyone would when they were about to lose someone they cared about. They cared about each other so much they couldn't bare to be without…and yet recognized that they might have to some day. Recognizing that its easier to have never had it and lost it then to feel it, really hold it in their hands and then have snatched away so unceremoniously.

"So are you going to tell me what he said to you?" I asked after we just made our turn from the main road, back toward the farm.

"Are we really that transparent?"

"As glass. But that's because I know you both so well." She didn't catch my eyes for an instant as she tried to push it away.

"I guess it really shouldn't have bothered me. I don't know why it does." All her preamble didn't faze me. This was her lead in to make her reaction seem petty and false.

"He says pretty bad things sometimes, it's no surprise that you two are so upset."

"No, its just me." She added, puzzled as to why I had said that.

"Oh really? Is that why I saw him crying in the fields earlier?" She stopped running, and though I'm a fit guy I was glad to rest.

"Okay, I'm really confused now." She resumed, except she progressed slower, walking barely. "Two days ago, we sort of…Well I guess it doesn't matter. But yesterday he cornered me, telling me his feelings for Lana weren't completely resolved and he wasn't ready for anything else. I was so caught off guard. I just told him that I wasn't offering anything. You know, to cover myself." I listened to her story closely and then suddenly started to laugh, and loudly too.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked, hurt. "It's not funny."

"Actually it is. You really believed him? That's sort of funny."

"Its true. He's always loved Lana, as sporadic as it may seem."

"Why did whatever happen two days ago, end?" Knowing fully what it was and what had happened between them.

"We uh— kissed. Afterwards I told him I had Jimmy and we needed to stop."

"You don't think it's even a little suspicious that the very next day he tells you he loves Lana and is not over her?"

"Why? Its not like it's the first time that's ever happened. One moment I think we're a millimeter away from being a couple the next he's chasing the Lana ghost."

"Which makes it a great defense in coming situations of rejection. He wants to reject you too so he doesn't feel so dumped on." She stared at me thoughtfully and began running again, back the final stretch of land to where Clark was. I pulled up the rear and caught up quickly, moving in time beside her.

Her eyes studied me. "How'd you get so wise, Pete?"

I let my grin grow wide, showing off my set of whites. "I stayed the hell away from Smallville."