-1Chapter Twenty Six-The pass of Summer
It had been weeks since he'd moved into the Kent farm. In fact it had been weeks since he'd really eaten, slept, or even seen his girlfriend Lana. Since he'd received Lionel's check, which really only covered the cost of fixing the truck, tractor, and first supply of feed; Clark had been nothing but busy.
He had football practice which left him worn and sore, only for him to come home and do work on the farm. He didn't have time to do much of anything else, but with his determination he continued on with his stretched thin life.
He would wake at five in the morning and start on the farm. He would get the animals fed and other small chores done before having to go to practice. By the time practice was done, he would have to clean out the stalls and finish up with whatever else had to be done.
One would think with all the manual labor that he would be gaining muscle. Clark however, wasn't eating well and was getting paler and weaker. The team had noticed and began to worry about him. They just thought it was because of the coming trial of Lex Luthor. Clark had been called as a witness along with Max.
They had gotten together and discussed what they were going to do. Of course when Max saw Clark he too began to worry about the teen. Since his involvement with the Luthor's his life had been drawn thin and there was nothing he could do about it.
Clark was the type of man who stuck true to his word and his responsibilities. Max had offered to give him a loan, but Clark had turned it down. Lionel wasn't going to give Clark any money since he was signing over the will. Still Clark had to get the funds for the farm. Max had seen the pile of job applications on the kitchen table along with the bills and other paperwork.
The summer was almost over and everyone was getting ready for classes. Lana, Chloe and Pete were preparing for senior year. They had looked for Clark to try and get him to take a break and chill with them at the Talon. When Lana went to the farm he wasn't there, he was either in town for supplies or he was at football practice. If she saw him in town he was in a rush and never stopped to even breathe.
Tomorrow was the first day of school and Clark was at the farm packing his backpack with left over supplies. He was reusing everything he could from last year. He leaned against the counter with his head resting against the cabinet.
He breathed as he finally allowed himself to take a moment and slow down. Tomorrow school started, and so did the football session. Next week was Lex's trail and Clark had to meet with the lawyer to prepare. Max wouldn't stop bothering him with loan offers.
All he really wanted more than anything was to stretch out on the couch with his girlfriend in his arms. He missed the feeling of her in his arms, when the world wasn't against him and he was happy. He turned and headed for the kitchen table and took a seat.
He looked over the dozen job applications and finally decided to just turn them in. He really had nothing left to sell save for his bike. He was trying to put off on selling it. The truck was in better running condition than the bike, but it was really something he loved. It didn't matter that it was Lex's, it mattered because ever since he was little he dreamed of owning one. Having that dream made a part of his life brighter.
He looked over what else he had to sell. He'd sold all of his designer clothes and settled for simple red and blue t-shirts and blue jeans along with a few mark downed plaid shirts. His leather boots had also gone and replaced with common worker shoes. His nice watch was left to be sold for grocery's this month. He could sell his Ipod for feed. He could really use his laptop for school but if it came down to the bills he would sell it as well.
Tomorrow while he was job hunting he would have to stop by the pawn shop. Of course he had school to think about and the chores afterwards. He would have to get up earlier just to get more done so he would have time after school to job hunt. He rubbed his eyes in frustration and rested his head on his hands.
He rolled his shoulders and stood from the table. He tried to fight off the yawn as it overpowered him and finally gave up. He headed upstairs to his bedroom and rubbed his hand over the smooth finish of the new paneling. He was proud of how well he replaced it, it was the first sign that he might actually succeed at this.
He opened his door and walked into his bedroom. The same room he'd lived in as a child had been redone as he'd settled into living at the farm. He kept the walls the same but he'd gotten a full sized bed after trading in his twin. The dresser held pictures of his family, his desk held his laptop and a picture of Lana. It wasn't much, but he felt at home.
He changed into a pair of sweats and set his alarm clock for four in the morning. He needed the extra hour to get what he could done so he could get his extra activities done after school. He climbed under the sheets and sighed at its coolness against his feverish flesh. He loved this part of the day, where he climbed into bed and allowed his muscles to rest. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The annoying buzz of his alarm clock broke through the silence of the early morning. Clark moaned and rolled over to look at his clock. He rubbed his eyes and slammed his palm down on his alarm clock. The buzz stopped and Clark rolled out of bed. He dressed in blue jeans and a red t-shirt, along with his simple boots. He yawned and headed down stairs and packed up his backpack along with his job applications. Once packed to go he headed outside to the barn to get what he could done.
By the time it was time for school, Clark had a good chunk done with his chores just for the morning. He still had work to do when he got back but he gave himself time to job hunt after school. He ran into the house and grabbed his bag before running to his truck. He pulled out of his driveway and made his way to Smallville high for his senior year. He pulled into his old parking space and jumped out, his backpack swung over one shoulder. The area by the doors were crowded with students and Clark forced his way through.
Apparently without his bad boy look, not many people wanted to part for him. It frustrated him as he bumped and shoved his way through to the doors and into the hallway. He sighed as he faced the even more packed hallway. He shoved his way through the hallway and found the sheets taped to the wall. He searched through the senior list and found his homeroom. With more pushes and shoves he worked his way to his homeroom.
His homeroom class was empty as he finally squeezed himself through the crowd and into the room. He found a seat at the back of the class and sat down. He was thankful that school required sitting, at least he could rest his legs today before getting back to work. He folded his arms and laid his head down. His eyes snapped open when he felt something brushing his hair. He sat up quickly and looked around the room. A majority of the seats in the front were full and so were the ones in the back but he could still hear the crowd in the hallway. He looked up to see Lana smiling down at him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"Hey, sleepy head." She said greeting him.
"Looks like you finally got him awake. We've been trying to for fifteen minutes now." Pete said from in front of him.
"Sorry, I must have drifted off. It's been a long day." Clark said rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"What? It's only eight in the morning." Chloe said from his left.
Clark looked over at her and shrugged. He didn't know what to tell her. It's not like she understood anything about running a farm by yourself. Besides he'd been up since four this morning.
"How's the farm?" Lana asked, practically reading his mind.
"Hard work and getting harder." Clark said.
"Why don't you get some help?" Pete asked.
"I would but that costs money, which is something I don't have." Clark said.
"You could get a job at the Talon." Lana said.
Clark had thought of that, but he couldn't really work there if in only two months he'd be turning eighteen. It didn't work for him, besides if he could hold out for two months he would have a small income. After all the Talon paid its own bills and some after supplies were bought. It would help him out but not pay for everything.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm still the owner. Two months at least till it'll be on paper." Clark said.
"So what are you going to do then?" Chloe asked, "It's not like you can go to school, run a farm, and work."
"I can try." Clark said.
"Whoa, how in the hell are you going to do all that and football?" Pete asked.
"He could quit the team." Chloe responded.
"I can't." Clark butted in.
"Why?" Chloe asked.
"How else will I pay for college?" Clark asked with raised eyebrows.
"Would you like me to come over this week?" Lana asked.
Clark smiled up at her. It was kind for her to offer but it would require her taking off work and he couldn't let her miss out on a paycheck just to keep him sane. "Thanks love, but I'll be fine this week."
She smiled down at him and took her seat beside him. Chloe and Pete shot each other glances at his choice of words. The teacher walked in and the class quieted down. She called roll and as each student raised their hand she handed them a packet. Clark got his and looked over his schedule, locker number and parking space. He was in all advanced courses and with football, the farm and work; it would be a miracle if he survived. He leaned over and looked at Lana's schedule and sighed in relief. He had all of his classes with her. At least she really could help him with his homework.
The bell rang and the group stood and filed out of the classroom with the rest of the group. They headed down the hall to their lockers and stuffed what they could in them. The warning bell rang before they knew it and all four of them headed to the next class. Clark smiled at his luck of being with them all for class. They got their seats closer to the middle and Lana said in front of Clark, Chloe and Pete to his left. The teacher stood and smiled at them.
"Good morning. I'm glad to see all of your smiling faces on the first day of school. This semester we will work fast to get through the book which will require a lot of focus on the subject so you don't get lost. If you pay attention in my class you will be better off." She said the Advanced English twelfth book in her hand.
"How do they expect us to learn when it's still summer? I just don't understand why we start back so soon." Pete whispered to Clark from his seat beside him.
Chloe turned around and shushed him. Clark shrugged and looked back to the front. The teacher went on about what she expected from them and all of the class groaned when they found out about the four papers they had to write, one being a research paper on a present day troubled person. Clark laughed thinking about Lex, a perfect subject to write about. If he wasn't troubled then no one was. The bell rang and Clark grabbed Lana's English book from her desk and added it with his own.
"What are you doing?" She asked trying to get her book.
Clark bowed, "A lady never carries her book." She smiled at him and blushed while he continued, "She has her minion carry them for her." Pete and Chloe laughed at his comment and goofy smile.
"Such the gentleman." Lana said.
Clark shrugged and followed Pete and Chloe out of the class room and back to their lockers. Lana nudged Clark and pointed to the books in Pete's hands. Clark smiled when he saw him carrying Chloe's book and notebook. Pete obviously didn't want to be the bad boyfriend so he had followed Clark's ways and carried Chloe's book. They dropped everything off and headed to their next class. Well all of them but Pete, he continued on down the hall.
"What did he have?" Lana asked as they walked in a took their seats.
"Some elective he forgot to take back in his first two years. Luckily he was ahead enough to go back and take it without punishment." Chloe said.
Clark leaned back and yawned again. Sleep was catching up with him and he couldn't afford to fall asleep in class on the first day. He didn't want to give a bad impression with his teachers. Speaking of the, old man stood from his desk and addressed them. He began speaking about how he didn't waste anytime and his tests were based on his lectures. Advanced Government was going to be a headache, and defiantly not a class to fall asleep in.
He did manage to zone out midway through the teacher's first day speech. It didn't help that he had monotone voice. The bell snapped him out of his daze and he stood and followed the others out of the class and into the next class room. They had Calculus next and after an hour of listening to the plans of doing millions of hard math problems. Afterwards they made their way, with Pete joining them, to Sociology. The teacher explained to the class and passed out the handouts. Clark could only wait for the bell to ring and for the day to be almost over.
Right as he was beginning to fall asleep the final bell rang. With a sigh Clark stood from his seat in the back and followed Lana out and to their lockers. She turned at smiled at him softly while he got what he needed from his locker.
"I know I'm a sexy bad boy, but you staring at me is a bit unnerving." Clark said with a laugh as he closed his locker door and smiled at her.
She laughed, "You're dead sexy."
"Oh no, someone call a doctor. Does anyone know CPR?" Clark asked looking over at Chloe and Pete. They laughed at the exchange.
Lana swatted his arm, "I'd rather have you do CPR on me." She said with a sexy tint to her voice. Clark smiled and pulled her close. She leaned into him and met him halfway. Wolf whistles filled the hallway as the two love birds continued with their make out session.
"Okay you two, part for air." Chloe said. Pete had his armed wrapped around the blonde's shoulder. The two parted and smiled at each other before looking over at Chloe and Pete.
"We still on for tonight?" Chloe asked finally having the attention of the two of them.
"Tonight?" Clark asked.
"Oh no. I completely forgot to ask. We're doing a movie night at my place." Lana said.
"Think you can spare yourself a break?" Pete asked.
"I don't think so. I have to go job hunting and then head back to the farm." Clark said. Lana rubbed his biceps and squeezed them softly. He could tell she was worried about him.
"How about this, next Friday we have a movie bash at my place. We can order pizza and pop popcorn." Clark suggested.
"Promise not to cancel?" Pete asked with a smile.
"Promise." Clark said.
"Sounds like a plan." Chloe said before looking down at her watch. "Oh, I'm late. I'll see you tomorrow Clark and the rest of you tonight."
She took off and Pete shrugged before following. Lana looked up at him with a worried expression on her face.
"Do you really think you can handle all of this?" She asked.
"I don't know," He said with a shrug.
"I understand it must be done, but do rest," she said her smile small.
"I'll rest next Friday," He said with raised eyebrows, trying to convince her it was okay.
It was no use. She believed he was in over his head. He couldn't deny that he was. The summer had been hard enough work, and now with a school load, football, and a job; he was amazed he was still standing with his eyes opened.
"Clark, don't joke. I'm really worried about you," She said rubbing his arms again.
"I know and I can't just back off. The farm is all I have left. Just give me two months and by then things should slow down," He said squeezing his hands against her waist.
"Two months?" She asked.
"Yea, I'll have income with the Talon to help me out. Talon pays all of its bills and for supplies along with extra that the owner holds on to. I'll be great with the farm where I can stop pawning off valuables." He said.
"He said the Talon was costing him money. The only reason he kept it open was because of me," Lana said clearly upset.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Lex is out of our lives now and you don't have to worry about his lies anymore," Clark said trying to sooth her emotions.
"I know and I'm glad it will help you out," She said with a small sigh.
"It just means I'll be able to take you out on a proper date soon," Clark said with a genuine smile.
It was something he was looking forward to. The time they spent together had really only been on the couch and that camping trip. Yet over this summer he really had fallen for her hard and if he stopped to think about it and analyze his feelings he would possibly even say he was in love with her.
"I'm sorry that we haven't seen much of each other this summer. I really did try but every time I came over you weren't there and if I called," Lana said but Clark cut her off.
"It's okay. The times we did spend together were amazing and I'm glad I was able to share them with a beautiful girl like you," He said. Lana blushed and gave him a quick kiss.
He held her hand and carried her stuff as he walked her to her maroon jeep in the school parking lot. He pulled open the door for her and gave her a kiss before she left with a promise to see him tomorrow. He was actually looking forward to school. With a small bounce in his step he made his way to his truck and tossed his stuff inside. He hopped inside and started the engine. Nervous he made his way into town. He parked the truck along the curb and grabbed his backpack. With a deep breath to calm him, he made his way down the sidewalk and to the first store.
He hit everyplace he could and even got a few interviews but with the football schedule and running the farm he had a feeling that he might not get a job. His last stop was the farmer's store. They sold tools, feed, and parts for all the farmers. He walked in and smiled at the clerk behind the counter.
"Good afternoon Clark. What can I help you with today?" Mark asked seeing Clark enter.
"I have an application I would really appreciate if you would look over." Clark said pulling it out from a folder in his back pack. Mark took the paper from him and looked it over.
"Are you sure you can handle a job?" Mark asked.
"I know I have a full work load but the farm is all I have of my family. I can't afford it without a job, and I don't want to lose the farm." Clark said hoping that Mark would understand where he was coming from. Mark smiled softly and took a second look over the application.
"Jonathan was a good friend of mine and I know how much that farm meant him. It's hopeful to see his son have that same passion. This is what I can do, with your football schedule and with the farm I can have you work from after school to close on Monday and Wednesday. Along with a full shift on Sunday, I can give you seven an hour along with an employee discount on everything in the store and the feed in the back." Mark said.
Clark smiled and took a breath of relief. "Can you handle that?" Mark asked.
"Yes sir." Clark replied. Mark smiled and walked to the back and came back with a stack of paperwork.
"I just need you to fill these out and if you can start next Monday after school, we'll get you trained." Mark said.
"Yes sir," Clark said reaching for a pen in his pocket.
He spent the better part of an hour and a half filling out the forms. By the time he was done he needed to get to the farm and finish his chores. Mark wished him well and said he would see him on Monday. Clark jumped back into his truck and made his way home. He pulled up his driveway and jumped out of his truck. He dropped his backpack off and grabbed a glass of water before heading out to the barn. He worked well past dark and finally when he couldn't keep his eyes opened he headed back in and went to bed, his alarm clock set for four again.