Hot Head Part 1

AN: Lemme just say I'm not too crazy about this episode to begin with… but it must be done. Urg. Don't own Smallville or Lex. Sorry to dissapoint

BTW, just to clear some of your questions, this story is probably gonna be Clex…albeit a very strange one. It's not gonna be any serious Clex immediately cause, let's face it. Clara is a 15-16 year old girl and Lex is a freakin sexy 20 something billionare…but just wait till the Red K episode.

HOWEVER! I am still trying to keep with the original storyline. But it is my story so I'm changing up everything. This means I need a way to kill off Helen, (any suggestions? The more violent, but realistic the better!)

So, any ideas on certain episodes you want to throw out, that's cool. I have a general idea, but the rewriting thing is a real pain. I'm trying to keep up with each episode without being totally out of character for Clara.

Coach Walt's POV

Great game. Absolutely great. That Luke kid was going to do good things for my team. But onto more important matters… it was time for some me-time. I was relaxing in my sauna, a special present from the Alumni's parents. It was nothing less than what I deserved, but still nice.

I was relaxing when there was a knock. I sighed. "Come on in."

Principal Kwan. Just who I didn't want to see. The newbie just didn't understand how important I was. He didn't give me the proper respect, but I was sure he'd come around eventually. I pasted on a smile. "Principal Kwan. What brings you here?"

He was scowling. "We have a problem." His "news" about the team cheating was no surprise to me, but I tried to hide it. I told him just to forget about it for a couple of weeks. Surely he would understand, right? But no! The little do-gooder wanted to 'bring them to justice'. Couldn't he see this would ruin everything?

"I've been educating young people all my life! You know how many boys have gone to college because of me, have gotten good jobs on my recommendations?" I yelled at him, my patience slipping. Kwan scowled. "I know most people think you walk on water, Coach. I think you're dangerous. I've seen your temper. I've seen your methods. Just because you win doesn't make you right."

What a load of bull. Everyone knew that the end results were all that mattered. He walked to the door. "Monday I'm giving those 7 players suspension. No arguments."

I screamed in frustration as he left. I slammed my fists on the desk. Suddenly the desk burst into flames. Strangely, the flames didn't burn me. I glanced down at my hands. What was happening?

Clara POV

I read the article with a criticizing eye. Just because Chloe was my friend didn't mean I had to play nice. "Football: Sport or Abuse?"

Chloe grinned. "So, do you like it?" I frowned, noticing the coffee cup in her hand. She was gripping it like a lifeline and I was pretty sure that was her 3rd one. It was only lunch time. "I think you should decrease your caffeine dependency."

Pete laughed. Chloe's grin faded a bit. "Pete thinks I'm being too hard on coach Walt."I raised an eyebrow. "No, of course not. Calling him a "soul sucking tyrannical bully" is mellow. Really." I remarked sarcastically.

Pete scowled. "The guy coached my dad, all my brothers. He used to come over and watch Super Bowl at my house." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Nice Hallmark moment. But you don't get points for subtlety." She grinned excitedly. "I'm already getting hate mail!"

I laughed. "And you're happy about that why?" She shrugged. "It means I'm hitting a nerve. Besides, with the terrible sentence structure and excessive use of obscenities, I'm pretty sure I know who's sending them."

Pete scoffed. "If you think my teammates are actually reading the Torch, you're giving them way too much credit." I had to nod in agreement. Chloe frowned. "Well, I think there's something deeper going on here, and I plan on figuring it out."

We walked outside to where Coach Walt was talking with a couple of players. I glanced at them. "Any idea how they got that midterm?" Chloe snapped a picture of the group. "Still working on it."

I saw one of the football players turn. He spotted Chloe snapping pictures. He frowned. "Hey, it's that news geek who bashed coach…" He picked a football of the ground.

"Man, I wish I could hear what they're saying." Chloe said. I scowled. The player chucked the ball and sent it hurtling towards Chloe. Chloe started to duck, but I knew she wouldn't make it. I grabbed the ball easily and shot the player a dirty look. Pete grinned. "Nice catch!" Chloe scowls, smarting back to Pete. I tune her out. Pete and Chloe start to walk away.

I tossed the ball from hand to hand for a moment, coming to a split decision. I pulled the ball back and launched it at the player. Not full power mind you, but pretty hard. The player doubled over in pain. I grinned before walking away. I admit I let my anger influence my actions, but I wasn't sorry.

Later the coach approached me and chastised me about possibly injuring one of his players. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. "With all due respect, sir." I spat. "If your players get hurt by a girl, then maybe they shouldn't be on the team."

He raised an eyebrow. "Spunk. I like that. Why aren't you playing a sport?"

I shrugged. "Cross country's a bust, cheerleading gives me hives." He nodded. "Well, I don't do this often, but you got grit, and an great arm. Come out to practice today."

I snorted. "You have got to be kidding me. I'm a girl. Not that I don't like football, but last time I checked we aren't allowed to play."

He shrugged. "I'm allowed to do whatever I want. Besides, if we work it right, nobody will even know."

I scowled. "I would know, coach. This entire plan sounds a bit too covert for me. Besides, my folks need me on the farm."

"The team needs somebody with your talent. With the recent vicious rumors circulating, we're down valuable players." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Kinda scrapin the bottom of the bucket if you're asking cheerleading rejects, huh?"

His face turned red. "Look, I'm givin you the opportunity to be part of something great. I know you'll do good. Your father was great. It's in your genes." I rolled my eyes. "Actually I'm adopted." He sighed exasperatedly. "You know you want to do this. No kid wants to sit on the sidelines and watch life float by."

I rolled my eyes, but the truth was his words hurt. I hadn't been able to do sports as a kid…my entire life, actually. I scowled momentarily. "Lemme think about it." His face lit up. Yeah right…But this did get me to thinking. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life hiding, staying under the radar…I needed to discuss this with dad.

I decided the easiest thing to do would be to soften dad up with dinner. I got home just in time to help mom with the main course. Next, double chocolate brownies. I may have super strength and stuff, but I'm still a daddy's girl, and I'm not above bribery. When he finally came inside I confronted him, broaching the subject carefully.

"You'd never guess what happened to me today." He raised an eyebrow, more focused on his brownies. So far, so good. "Coach asked me to join the team."

He coughed, joking on his brownie. "W-what? What did you do?" I shrugged, moving my potatoes around on my plate. "He saw me throw a football and asked. I didn't accept of course. The guy's a bit too intense for me." Dad nodded in relief.

I took a breath. "But…"

His eyes snapped to me. "Clara, we've talked about you doing sports…" I frowned. "You've talked about it. It's never been a discussion. I just want a chance to do something! I'll be careful, I promise. I'm careful when me and Pete play basketball, and when Chloe and I play tennis."

He scowled. "That's not the point." I frowned slightly. "So what is the point? You just don't trust me?" He shook his head. "That's not true. I do trust you."

"But not enough to make my own decisions." I raised an eyebrow. He sighed. "In the heat of the game, any number of factors can change your actions."

I closed my eyes momentarily, trying to reign in my temper. I took a deep breath. "Dad, I hate being punished because I have these abilities. You call them 'gifts' but how is that so when they stop me from doing something that makes me happy."

My mom had been listening in with a serious expression. "Jonathan. This is ridiculous. We were all ready for her to do cross-country. She's not some testosterone-driven teenager. She's our daughter."

Jonathan frowned. "Figures I'd be ganged up against." I shook my head. "We're not ganging up on you, dad. This is something I want to do, but I want your approval." He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well, I'm not giving it." I rolled my eyes exasperatedly. "Can't we even compromise? I want to listen to you, but if you don't listen to reason I don't see how I can."

Dad shook his head. "I don't approve, Clara. Nothing you say is going to change that." I stood up from the table. "I said I wanted your approval, dad. Not that it was required." I turned to leave. I needed a good run.

If anybody is a runner they know the feeling I get when I run. The feeling of freedom. The peace of mind that comes from being solely focused on the pounding of your feet on the ground. It's great. Of course, normally I don't run near enough to be out of breath. I usually just ran to school and back. Recently, though, I've been testing my limits…covertly of course. I was trying to find how far I could run without being out of breath. So far I had worked up to 3 state widths, at super speed.

For the geographically challenged, that meant I was making regular trips to Nevada. The desert was a lot different than the farmland I was used to. Nice, but not really my thing. But my mind wasn't really on geography. I couldn't understand my father's hesitation. I mean sure, maybe if I was a 5 year old with no self restraint, but hadn't I done everything that proved my trustworthiness? Why couldn't he just let me play a sport? Or anything really. I just wanted to quit hiding.

Sometimes my powers caused a lot of trouble. But they'd already saved lives. What good is saving lives if I can't live? Immediately I chastised myself. I skidded to a stop. It was dark and I was in a small town in Colorado. I absolutely loved the mountains here. They almost always had snow and they were perfect for thinking. I sat down heavily. My father had done everything to save me from myself. But he wouldn't always be there. When did I start learning to trust myself? More importantly, when did he expect me to start making the decisions that could change my life.

I cast a sad eye to the horizon. I couldn't stay daddy's little girl forever. I just hope he realized that.