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Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt of the day #69: Evil Eye

Chloe Sullivan/Whitney Fordman set in AU Season 1.

"Shouldn't you be helping me with my curse instead of my Spanish?" Whitney complained, putting down the Spanish textbook later that night. He looked up from where he was lying on his back on the floor of Chloe's living room, the carpet incredibly comfortable.

"I am." Chloe didn't even bother looking up from the book she was reading. "What's 'I want Ice Cream'?"

"Yo quiero helado." Whitney monotoned, rolling his eyes and resting his hands behind his back, looking up the ceiling.

"We are going to win."

"Vamos a ganar." Whitney sighed, rolling over on his stomach to look at her instead of the ceiling. "Do I have to be doing this? I'd much rather help you research what to do with the evil eye thingy."

"You're helping yourself get an A you deserve. You leave the evil eye stuff to me." Chloe turned the page. "Hmmm. There's apparently some sort of charm that will repel the power of the evil eye."

He grinned at that. "Really? That's great! Let's go get it!"

"Calm down Barbie," Chloe motioned him down. "We can't find it here in Smallville. And unless you're going to borrow your dad's truck or something, you'll have to wait until I go to Metropolis with dad."

"One: Why can't I be Ken?" Whitney sat up, making up his nose in displeasure. "And Two, yeah, I'll borrow the truck, I have it now anyway and it's not like dad uses it. He doesn't go out anywhere. Let's go to Metropolis now. We can get something to eat while we're there."

Closing the book, Chloe gave him an amused smirk. "Careful Fordman, that sounds like a date." She got up with laughter, oblivious to the look on Whitney's face. "I'm going to change my clothes and in the meantime you tell your dad that you're taking the truck to Metropolis."

"Sure." Whitney got up and went to use the phone.

Upstairs Chloe went to her computer and checked her website, grinning as she saw the online auction still going on. She'd put out word that she had the numbers of the main heartthrobs in Smallville High, and that the person who bid the highest for each man would get the coveted phone number.

Sure, that was illegal as hell, but what was life without a little brush with the dark side?

Changing into more trendy clothes, Chloe ran her fingers through her hair, applied lip gloss, and grabbed her bag as she hopped back down the stairs.

Whitney turned at the sound of her descending and stopped, eyes wide as he looked up at her.

"Stop it, you're making me self-conscious." Chloe laughed, gliding down the stairs and passing him, slapping her handbag against his chest and leaving him to hold it and as she walked passed him into the living room. "So, I'm thinking, we should go and check out the occult shops in Metropolis and then we can get something to eat and just to show me how much you're grateful for how I'm helping you, you can take me to a movie. You paying for everything, of course."

"Of course."

Not hearing sarcasm, Chloe tore the page out of the book and turned to look at him in confusion. She would have thought that he would be complaining for having to pay for her. "Okay." She gave him a smile, deciding to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Where do you want to eat?" Whitney asked, holding her bag awkwardly, motioning with his head to the door.

"I don't know. Depends on how hungry we are after the occult shops." Chloe decided, breezing past him and grabbing onto his jersey on the way out, pulling him along behind him.

He chuckled at this treatment, shaking his head and letting her drag him out of the house towards the old pickup he loved so very much despite the fact that it could do with a good paintjob.

Not waiting for him to open the door for her, like Lana would, Chloe opened his door on the way to her side of the truck, opening her own and getting inside.

Whitney Fordman didn't know what to make of Chloe Sullivan.

That much was obvious as he got in and started the engine. "So. How are we going to find these occult stores you've been talking about?"

"Well, my plan is to go to the ones I usually frequent, and if we can't find the charm there, then we go to the others I've been thinking of checking out."

He backed out of her driveway and onto the street. "You frequent occult stores?"

She sent him a grin.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he shifted gear.

Despite the fact that they really didn't know each other, they didn't run out of things to talk about. It was actually kinda fun. Chloe couldn't think of when she'd had this much fun with a guy she didn't think of as a brother.

It was kinda…exhilarating.

They laughed the whole way to Metropolis, and Whitney was surprisingly enough mesmerized by the occult stores she took him to. He sneered at one or two things, but then he forgot he was supposed to be annoying and just got lost in the whole scene, asking Chloe what this or that was for, and if they really worked.

It was fun to have someone really listen to her as she talked about these things with.

Pete and Clark only listened to her because she was their best friend and because at the time it was keeping their asses safe with her endless knowledge of all weird, but Whitney was listening to her because he was interested in what she was saying.

She really liked the feeling.

In the end they got the charm for Whitney, and a couple of other protective symbols as well, just in case.

By the time they'd finished buying the things they'd come from, it was dark outside and they were hungry.

A diner close by became their next stop, as they went over what they'd bought and what it was supposed to help with, and somehow the conversation shifted.

"So, how did you become so fascinated in these kinda stuff?" Whitney asked, putting on his protective charm the same time Chloe fingered her on Pentacle. "What first caught your eye and made you say 'hey, I wanna know more about this'?"

"Well, I don't know. Ever since I moved to Smallville weird things were happening and people were turning a blind eye to it pretending they couldn't see what was going on. It frustrated me and I wanted to know why this was happening, how it was happening, and why people just were happier pretending it never happened."

"I think people are just scared." Whitney surprised her by admitting, taking a bite out of a French fry. "I mean, if they had to admit that things like this were going on, they'd have to admit that maybe they themselves are not normal. And that is the biggest fear of all."

Chloe looked him over in surprise. "You're surprisingly deep, you know that, Fordman?"

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "What? You thought that just because I'm gorgeous and the head of the football team that I was shallow?"

"Yeah." Chloe replied with no shame as she sipped her milkshake.

"Maybe that makes you the shallow one." He told her seriously, giving her a look she just couldn't understand.

The smile drained from Chloe's face as she looked into his baby blues. "Maybe you're right, Fordman."

They were silent, looking at each other.

Somehow…

Somehow Chloe knew that what was happening right now was important. She just couldn't figure out how.

The sound of the bell jingling over the entrance door caused Chloe to jump and look away, missing the look of disappointment on that handsome face as she refused to look at him, instead sipping her shake, confused, not sure what had just happened and why her heart was beating so rapidly.

"So…how about that movie?" Whitney suddenly asked, voice odd.

She didn't know if that was such a good idea.

Not with her heart still racing so rapidly.

"Uhm," she still couldn't look at him. "I don't---."

"They're playing Love Spelt Backwards is Still Love." Whitney interjected quickly. "Don't all the girls in our school want to see that movie?"

Chloe made a face. "I've never even heard of it."

"Oh." Whitney seemed to slump, chewing on his fry despondently.

Chloe didn't like the change.

Why did it even matter to her?

"I heard they're playing Punch Face though." Chloe replied, knowing that this was probably another of those times when Pete and Clark tried to remind her she was a girl and shouldn't be so psyched about all the many action movies she enjoyed.

Men wanted woman who acted like women…or so Clark and Pete kept telling her.

Whitney looked up at Chloe in surprise. "You want to see Punch Face?"

"Yeah?"

His face split in a huge grin. "No way, me too! The commercial looked great."

"Especially the part with him fighting on the China Wall!"

"Exactly!"

They grinned at each other.

And somehow things weren't uncomfortable anymore.

The duo went to the cinema, Whitney buying the tickets to the show, which would be in twenty minutes. Chloe and he looked at the poster for the movie, sharing laughs and wondering if the movie would live up to their expectations or if it would suck.

"Chloe? Whitney?"

They turned at the sound, eyes widening to see Lana Lang standing there, with Tina Greer a little behind her, wearing an outfit almost identical to Lana's---like she was known to do.

"Lana." Whitney blinked. "Tina."

Tina looked between Chloe and Whitney in interest.

"Um, what are you two doing here?" Lana asked, looking between them nervously.

"We're going to see Face Punch." Chloe answered, noticing Tina's small smile at that answer. "What about you two?"

"We're watching Love Spelt Backwards Is Still Love." Tina announced, speaking for the first time since they'd met up. "Lana's been wanting to see it ever since we first saw the commercials, right, Lana?"

"Uhm, yeah." Lana nodded. "I also wanted to see Face Punch though. Why don't we all go see it together? We haven't gotten our tickets yet."

Tina frowned. "Since when do you want to see Face Punch? You can't stand fight scenes. They scare you."

"They don't." Lana whispered, looking embarrassed. "I just don't have much experience with them…and I like watching them in a larger group."

Tina turned and gave Whitney and Chloe a glare.

Whitney didn't trip.

Neither did Chloe.

Both grinned at each other, fingering their protection charms.

Tina frowned in confusion.

Lana frowned as she watched them grinning at each other. "Tina, let's get our tickets."

"Sure." Tina grabbed Lana and turned to leave with a sulk.

"They're working!" Whitney grabbed Chloe and lifted her in excitement, twirling her around and laughing.

Chloe squealed, surprised. She hung unto Whitney and laughed when he finally put her down, understanding how excited he was.

His hands still on her waist, Whitney smiled down at her.

Chloe smiled up at him.

Something changed in his eyes, his smile changing.

And once again, Chloe's heart was racing.

"We're back!" Lana exclaimed, appearing next to them once more.

Chloe broke away from Whitney, blushing, eyes wide, not even needing to look at Tina to see her grinning broadly.

Whitney let out a sigh and then smiled warily at Lana. "Are you guys getting food too? Some drinks maybe?"

"I'm sending him to get his and mine since he's my slave." Chloe announced.

"Slave." Lana echoed the word.

"Yeah, slave." Chloe nodded. "He's working off my Spanish tutoring."

Lana made a face. "But doesn't Whitney always get good grades in Spanish?"

"Now we know why." Tina announced suggestively.

Lana looked away. "Tina, why don't you get us our popcorn?"

Tina made a face, looking between Lana and Chloe. "Okay." She gave Whitney a raised eyebrow before turning and storming to the concession stand.

'Save me' Whitney mouthed to Chloe behind Lana's back.

Chloe laughed, going to him and surprising him by stepping up on her tip toes and throwing her arms around his neck, drawing herself into his body.

Whitney went stiff, before his arms went around her waist and pulled her closer, his heart racing against her breast.

Chloe brought her mouth to Whitney's ear, lips brushing against it as she spoke in a soft whisper. "You'll be safe as long as it looks like we're on a date."

He stiffened a moment before his hands traveled down to her hips. "Might as well take advantage of this moment."

She laughed. "Behave." And with that she pulled away, waving him away. "Now go get me my popcorn."

"Gees. You're such a taskmaster." And yet the grin on Whitney's face was face-splitting as he turned and jogged towards the concession stand, not tripping once.

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