Chapter Forty-One
"Egyptology? They offer Egyptology 101?" Jeff shook his head in disbelief.
It was another glorious, sunny summer day in Smallville. Clark had some articles he had to read and decided it would be best to do it outside where there was a breeze, instead of the conservatory. Then, he realized the Luthor mansion had a pool and set up his laptop and papers at a nearby table. Dominic had come out with an Iced Arnold Palmer on a tray.
Lex encouraged Clark to look at Excelsior's class list so he could prepare himself. The mandatory classes he felt confident about, like geometry, chemistry, and world history. But he did have to choose a foreign language. Lex was encouraging Latin, but Clark thought he should pick something people were speaking. His choices ranged from the Spanish, German, and French offered at Smallville High, but also Mandarin, Italian, and Russian. He had to pick a physical education course. That list contained fencing, polo, gymnastics, martial arts, boxing, and horseback riding. Then there were the elective courses. Jeff had stopped by just as he was going through that list.
"You never know when it could come in handy." Clark laughed.
Jeff was thrilled about the opportunity to attend Excelsior in the Fall. It was a close call if he was more thrilled than his mother. Jeff still had to finish his essay and take the tests, but he was confident he'd do well. "I'm really excited about the chemistry classes. I was able to get a brochure and those labs are state of the art."
"You'll be leading the Chemistry Club in no time." Clark took a sip of his drink.
"Not with my invisibility serum."
Clark coughed as he choked. "What!"
"It's a joke." Jeff looked startled. "People don't usually see me. I was just joking."
"A joke. Right. Funny." Clark breathed a sigh of relief. He thought back to his first memories of Jeff. He had made a real invisibility serum from the oil of kryptonite tainted roses and tried to kill Victoria Harding and then Lex.
"You know, Lex really wants me to talk to you about what you could experience there." Clark tried to change the subject. "Being a scholarship kid. They get bullied a lot."
Jeff laughed. "I have a hard time believing anyone would see me or remember me long enough to bully me. People forgetting my name, even on purpose, I'm used to. Besides, it'll happen no matter what school I'm at. Might as well get a good education out of it, right?"
"I guess. I'm really glad I'll at least know someone."
"Yeah." Jeff stared down at the table. "So, um, Lois filled me in a bit. About what she found out with Zatanna. How are you doing?"
Clark shrugged. "Does it matter? This is reality."
"I kind of brought up the breakfast theory to her. So, sorry if I caused trouble."
"You didn't."
"But do you know how your body could handle food right away?"
Clark had asked Lex that same question later. Lex had reminded Clark that he was an alien, so his biology was a bit different. And his body did heal faster when working properly. In his mind he wondered then why his body had stayed in a coma for a year. Not healing until magic was used. It was such a small thing to focus on.
"No." Clark couldn't explain his biology to Jeff. "But let's say something did happen. In my Dreamworld? Want to know how many lives are…different? In my Dreamworld? Want to know how many people are dead? Want to know where you are right now?" Jeff stayed silent and Clark tried to stay calm. Mr. Kent's red shot eyes and hunched stance were vivid in his mind. "Right now, I'm the only one suffering in a world without Clark Kent. It's selfish to want that life. Not that anything happened in the first place."
"Just know I got your back. Okay?" Jeff gave Clark a small punch in the shoulder. "Speaking of, aren't you running late for that press conference in Metropolis?" Jeff looked at his watch. "You had to leave an hour ago."
"It's all good." Clark stood up and began to clear up his laptop and papers. "But I should get going. Thanks."
Clark had planned on running to the conference. He had plenty of time, but Clark needed to keep up appearances for Jeff's sake. He took his time showering and shaving. Lionel had had a special razor made just like the scissors for his hair. It was funny how such a little thing made him feel like a king instead of the sports cars and silken sheets. He usually had to use his fingernails to cut the short fibers. The razor felt so much better. Clark randomly picked out a suit and tie, then put on one of the Rolex watches Lex had bought for him.
He sped the route he knew so well to the Luthor Corp plaza where the conference was taking place without breaking a sweat. Lex was busy getting set up with a clipped-on microphone. Unlike at the conference held in front of the plant, this was taking place in an actual auditorium, the reporters sitting in plush seats. Clark peeked from the backstage curtains and smiled when he saw Chloe sitting among the other reporters.
It was soon time for him and the other board members to take their seats at the back of the stage. In the small quiet before Lex would take his place at the podium, Clark's mind drifted back to his conversation with Jeff.
He was not the only one suffering. Clark had confirmed with the bank that the Kents were being foreclosed on by the bank. They were losing the house and the little bit of land that they had left. Apparently, Mr. Kent had been selling off plots of land for years.
The Kents were also suffering in a world where he was not their son. But he could still help them. As Julian Luthor.
Smallville avoided the subject on how Clark shaved and cut his hair/nails. I've heard it mentioned in some comic books that Clark used heat vision/ bit his nails to cut them. (Unclear what he did before he got the heat vision.) In the Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman show, Clark also used heat vision to shave. I'm using the fingernail razor explanation used in the movie Hancock. Feel free to share any fanfiction stories that cover that topic.