First of all, a big thank you to my readers who voted/reviewed :D
Well, the votes were unanimous…here's Valen's chapter
*Disclaimer: I do not own JL, maybe just their kids in this fanfic
O~O~O
Chapter Twelve: Did I Do That?
Valen's P.O.V
'I can't believe I'm here. A lot of other people find themselves in a situation like this, but not me…'
A person who is a member of the student government and the junior editor-and-chief of the school newspaper do not find themselves waiting outside the principal's office, while receiving a phone call home.
I place my face in my hands and let out a long sigh of frustration. Lately, things have been…complicated for me.
I've been recently hearing things that I shouldn't hear. I've been able to eavesdrop on people's conversation from all the way across the cafeteria. I can even clearly hear my classmates' whispers from the back of the room. Either way, I know that it's not normal.
Neither is being able to see through doors, floors, walls, or anything solid for that matter! I'm no athlete either, but is running at your top speed for an entire one-hour long gym class and not breaking a sweat, also classify as normal? Yeah, I didn't think so…
I look up from my hands and stare at the door in front of me.
PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
It also doesn't help me that I am now looking through the door and seeing Principal Halloway on the phone with my parents.
'While they're finding out about what went on today, I'm just realizing that I can do something else. Something that I know is definitely not normal…'
(---O~O---)
Valen was arranging books in his locker, too preoccupied to notice one of his friends approaching him.
"Hey Val!" a feminine, chipper voice greets him.
"AHH!" he yelps, dropping the books he had in his hand, obviously taken by surprise. When he saw it was Ophelia, he relaxed a bit. "Oh, h-hey Phee…" he greeted as he picked up his books off the floor.
She giggles at his reaction and asks, "Why so jumpy, Val?"
He sighs and closes his locker, realizing his behavior was a little off and peculiar. "I was just deep in thought," he explained. They walked over to their next class together.
"Ohhh," Ophelia stated as if she understood. "Anyways," she continued, remembering why she wanted to talk to him in the first place, "Arabella Chou was looking for you, for the both of us, actually."
'Why would the student body president want with us?' Valen questioned.
As if she read his thoughts, she answered, "Well, we haven't been able to attend the meetings after school lately, so Angie dropped in to see Arabella yesterday and she told Angie that she was hoping that we all would attend next week because apparently there is going to be an upcoming meeting she wants all three of us to mediate."
"Oh alright," he blandly replies.
Ophelia was starting to get annoyed with him. She did not walk all over the place in her new, uncomfortable shoes to look for him and then get a response that was the total opposite of what she had in mind. She gets in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
"What's wrong with you?!" Ophelia blows up in his face. She puts her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, ready to lecture him. "I tell you that the student body president wants us to mediate in a meeting, something that you've always aspired to do, and all you can say is 'Oh alright'. Well listen here pal!" She rants and beings to poke him in the chest, "I better not hear you complain about how Rex has changed because you're doing no better yourself!"
He blinks at her, letting her words sink in. She was absolutely right.
"I-I'm so sorry, Phee. I really am and I do appreciate you letting me know about this. I'm glad and all but lately, I'm going through something right now," he admits, turning his face away from hers in shame. Ophelia's annoyance changes into sympathy. She reaches up and turns his face towards her.
"Listen. I don't want what happened with Rex to happen to you, Val. Don't shut all of us out, don't shut me out…" she says sweetly. He looks at her and gives her a warm embrace, which she gladly returned.
"OH, how sweet!" a loud, obnoxious voice comes down from the hallway.
Both were disgusted to see that it was Shayne Newman, making his way down the halls with his football team goons. He sported his football team jacket over his uniform. His brown hair was combed back, with a few strands over his hazel brown eyes. Most girls fell for his muscles and "boyish good looks," but Ophelia was not impressed.
Shayne casually comes up to them and pushes Valen out of the way. He puts his arm against the wall and leans against it, making himself look "cool."
"Hey, babe what's shaking?" he smoothly asks.
"That tail between your legs, you mutt!" Ophelia spat back. Shayne laughs obnoxiously at her response. He flashes a grin, taking a different approach.
"Ohhh, I like them feisty," he said in low, seductive tone. He cups her face in his hand and says, "Listen here, pumpkin, why don't you hang out with a real man like me, instead of a loser like Kent."
"I believe the young lady has already made it clear that she's not interested," a familiar voice comes from behind Ophelia. She turns around to see that it was none other than Damien.
Shayne narrows his eyes and glares at him. "Do you want a piece of this, pretty boy?" Two of Shayne's boys surround Damien from behind.
"Leave him out of this, you jerk! Ahh!" She cried out as Shayne grabs her by the neck and holds her up in the air. "I've been all peachy keen on you, sweetheart, but trust me you do not want a piece of this too."
Someone taps on Shayne's shoulder from behind. "She doesn't, but I do!"
He turns his head and sees that it was Valen. "Forgot about me, Newman?"
Valen punches Shayne in the face and Ophelia was dropped on the ground. Damien helps her up and asks if she was alright. After a few coughs, she nods.
"Hey you don't mess with Shayne like that!" "You're gonna get it now, bub!" Shayne's goons yell in protest. They run up to Valen to back up their leader.
"I don't think so," Damien states as he trips the boys, taking them on himself.
"You're going to wish you hadn't done that Kent!" Shayne says as he charges towards Valen. He lunges for him and throws a punch that connects with Valen's face. A crowd surrounds the fight, chanting and yelling at the people involved. Ophelia was consumed by the flock of students, unable to stop Damien or Valen. She forced to helplessly watch them instead.
Damien seemed to be doing fine fighting all by himself against the football goons. Valen on the other hand just managed to dodge Shayne's punches. He was going all out, throwing punches left and right but unable to land a hit on Valen. Shayne was getting more frustrated by the minute, humiliated at the fact that Valen wasn't getting hit and making him look bad.
"C'mon Kent! Fight me like a man!" Shayne cried out in rage. In his anger he was finally able to land a hit on Valen. Seeing his opening, he grabs hold of him and throws him against the lockers.
"Heh, I knew you were a loser," Shayne said as he stood gloating over Valen, thinking that he already won. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off with you little friend. Maybe after doing a lil' bit of this and a lil' bit of that, I'd be able to get more than a hug outta her…"
Hearing Shayne talk about his friend like that made Valen's blood boil.
"Arrgghhhh!!!" Valen let out a feral cry as he tackled Shayne, throwing him against the wall, denting lockers and creating cracks in the wall. Shayne became unconscious from the impact.
Just then, the school patrol officers and teachers came rushing in and broke up the crowd. Valen was still blinded by rage, but after seeing that Shayne was out cold he saw the devastating damage he made.
As they were hauling the two fighting parties towards the principal's office, Valen still was still in shock of the large dents in the lockers and the cracks on the wall, with broken pieces of plaster on the floor.
'Did I do that?'
(---O~O---)
Sitting in the principal's office with your parents and knowing that you were in trouble is the worst feeling that you can ever imagine.
Dad was quiet the entire time. If you didn't know him you'd think he was indifferent about the whole thing. Unfortunately, he was the complete opposite. I knew he was absolutely furious because didn't even look in my direction.
Principal Halloway re-entered the room after questioning students who were witnesses. He sat behind his desk and folded his hands. He had my student record laid out on the desk in front of him.
"Well, I've questioned some students and they said that you were the one to throw the first punch at Shayne Newman," Mr. Halloway began.
"But, I-" I started to explain. Mr. Halloway holds up his hand to silence me.
"Valen, you were…are…one of the best students in Trinity Union. A student whom I can trust to set the right example for others. Seeing you in a fight clearly disturbs me. You of all people should know the consequences of school fighting. So tell me this, what on earth set you off to fight Shayne?"
"H-he was the one who really started it," I told him in a weak, shaky voice. I clear my throat, trying to pull myself together. "He was the one who rudely barged into the conversation I had with Ophelia Queen. He pushed me out of the way and began to harass her. When Newman couldn't take the hint that she wasn't interested, some other guy jumped in and told him to back off. Then Shayne grabbed Ophelia by the neck and held her up. He was hurting her…" he weakly stated. "I had to do something…"
Mr. Halloway sat up in his seat and looks me in the eye for a few minutes, trying to read me for any lies and inconsistencies.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Damien Princeton testified the same thing as well. He, and some of the few students who witnessed the whole ordeal, told me the something along the same line from their perspective. Miss Queen told me that you were only defending her," he concludes.
He strokes his beard in deep thought, trying to come to a decision.
"Because I've recently heard some complaints from other female students about Shayne and because this is your first offense, you won't be severely punished as him. Instead of a suspension, you shall serve detention after school for the next three weeks. Am I understood?"
I nod my head in agreement. "Thank you, Mr. Halloway," my father says in an even monotone voice. We both get up and exit the room.
"Oh and Valen," the principal calls after me before I leave the room. I hold back and listen to what he has to say. "This is the first and last time I shall see you in my office for this kind of thing. The next time, I will not condone it; you will be suspended…"
"Yes sir…"
I jog down the hall to catch up to my dad. School has ended for half an hour already and we were on our way home.
"Hey Dad, I-"
"Save it! We'll discuss your behavior when we get home," he says through clenched teeth, his voice thick with rage.
'This is not good…'
O~O~O
The entire ride home was silent and there was so much tension in the car that I was about to suffocate. My dad enters the house with me trailing behind. I knew that this was going to be a long night for me, so I was preparing myself for the worst.
I walk into the kitchen to see my mom having tea with someone who I haven't seen in a long time.
"Cousin Kara!" I cry as I run up to hug her. It must've been at least two years since I've seen her. Her presence here made me forget that I was in trouble for a minute.
"Hey Valen, wow you've gotten so big now. You're not the scrawny little kid I used to know. You're turning into quite a hunk," she smiles as she looks up at me. When she sees the bruise on my face she grimaces and tenderly touches it.
Momma takes notice of it too and asks, "Baby, what happened? How did you get that?"
"He was in a fight at school," Dad explains, suddenly appearing into the kitchen. He had this stern look on his face, but it disappeared when he saw Kara.
"Kara, why I…I didn't notice you were here," he stammers for a minute.
"I was around the neighborhood and I thought that I'd drop in to say hello," she explained. "How have things been Clark?"
"I'd hate to break it to you but right now isn't a good time," he says trying to control his anger. "Can you please give the three of us some time? Lois and I have to have a talk with Valen."
She nods in understanding and gives me a gentle squeeze on the hand before leaving the kitchen.
Dad pulls off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He closes his eyes and exhales a long breath. "Explain yourself…" he demands.
"Dad I told you and Principal Halloway already. I was just trying to defend Ophelia from that creep, Shayne. I was just doing what was right."
"WHAT WAS RIGHT?!" he yells at the top of his lungs. He had definitely lost his cool. "Just like how you thought it was right to put your friends into danger, trying to save those civilians?!"
"She was in trouble as much as those people!" I yell back passionately. I was tired of him thinking that everything I did was foolish and rash. "What would you have me do? Let Shayne put his hands on her in that rough manner?"
"I don't know what's gotten into you lately. You've always been bright, but I don't know when you started thinking that your fists would solve things and protect people," Dad stated.
"You are grounded Valen Connor Kent. Do you understand me? That means that you are still not able to attend any after school activities even after you've finished serving detention. You are to come straight home. That also means that you cannot hang out with your friends for the month."
"MONTH?! But-"I begin to complain.
"Do you want to make it two?" he threatens. When I gave no reply, Dad said, "Now go to your room…"
I felt like I had nothing but hatred for my father this very moment. The fact that he didn't seem to have a sense of chivalry disgusted me. I stormed off into my room and slammed the door. I was steamed up with anger. I threw my book bag against the wall and heard it slam from the impact.
I take a breath to calm me down before I did anything that was reckless and destructive.
'I really hope this works…'
I summon my new strange abilities to see what was going on downstairs. I focus my hearing as well and before I knew it I was watching the events unfold.
Dad was seated at the table with his hands in head. He looks up and runs a hand through his hair. Momma walks over to him and wraps her arms around his shoulders.
"I don't know him anymore, Lois. He's not the son we've raised…" he admits, sounding defeated. His words sting me to no end. 'I guess I'm just a disappointment,' I thought with despair.
"Clark! How could you say that?" my mom says utterly shocked. She seems a bit peeved off at him for some reason. "Valen is still himself, but you're too blind to see that he gets that extreme selflessness from you! Sure his methods aren't the best, but he means well. Did you ever tell him that you were proud of him?"
"Proud of him? For what? Worrying me to no end?" Dad asks.
"He worries me too, Clark! But he makes me so proud. He helped those people get away and he saved Ophelia from that ruffian. He's growing to be more like you in every way."
Dad remains speechless and seems to be thinking about what she said.
"She's right Clark. You're a little too hard on him. You were the same way too. And if you were in Val's situation, you'd do the same thing too," Kara states as she walks into the kitchen.
"Considering whom his father is, I'm not surprised that he's got a bit of heroism in him…" she declares.
'He's a writer for the Daily Planet. What heroism is she talking about?"
I stop my eavesdropping and lie on my bed. I try to reflect upon what went down today but I keep on thinking about what Kara said.
"Considering whom his father is…"
'Dad, who are you really?'
O~O~O
A little bit of drama going on for Valen. Anyways there are two characters left- Ophelia and Maddox.
I think that for the next chapter I'm gonna choose who to write it about and you readers can guess. Whoever guesses correctly, I will dedicate the next chapter to.
So plz take some time to read & review. And don't forget to put in a guess. It wouldn't hurt you to…
A/N: I got the "a lil' bit of this and a lil' bit of that" line from Hatsuharu of Fruits Basket. I loved it when he said that line and Kyo's reaction was priceless! lol