Chapter 3

Metropolis – 2015

There was a nice crowd in the bleachers at the University of Metropolis Aquatic Center and Clark was among those in the crowd. A few of the students in the bleachers recognized him and nodded or said 'Hello' to him as he walked up the aisle to the first available row of seats. Swimmers were in the pool and Clark could not spot the girl from his business class. He was not even sure what her name was. He had heard her name was "Lamorris" but that was all, and he assumed it was either an unusual or foreign first name. But he suspected that if she was as good as others had said, she would be easy to spot when she finished the races she swam. The competitors' last names were posted on the lanes in which they were assigned to swim so he figured that he would be able to at least know that much about the mystery girl that kept staring at him.

The first couple of races were relay sprints with 50-meter legs and he was pretty sure that the girl was not entered into any of them. The Met U women were holding their own against the Ohio State team but no single swimmer on the Met U side stood out.

The next round of races were short distance sprints. One Met U woman did distinguish herself at the 100-meter freestyle race, coming in over one and a half seconds faster than the next fastest girl. He glanced at the scoreboard and the swimmer's last name was Reginald. When she climbed out of the pool and pulled her cap off, Clark saw short blonde hair and immediately knew that was not the girl from his class.

The next series of races involved relays, but the legs were much longer. The first was a 'four by eight' relay where each team had four swimmers. Each swimmer would swim 200-meter legs before the next swimmer. He watched each Met U swimmer take the starting platform. By the end of the third 200-meter swim, Met U had lost their lead to the Ohio State team and their fourth swimmer would hit the water with Met U trailing by 1.17 seconds as the last Met U swimmer stepped up. Clark thought that maybe the final woman was the female student from his class but could not be certain. As the third Met U swimmer touched, the fourth was ready to launch herself into the water but hesitated and instead, looked into the crowd and right at Clark.

Clark thought that it was the girl from his class and the fact that she delayed her entry into the pool to look in his direction was oddly unsettling. The swim team coaches and Met U fans screamed for her to go. She glanced back to the pool, launched herself into the water and was past the Ohio State swimmer just after the first turn. The Met U relay team won the event by over 3.7 seconds and when they finished congratulating each other, the final swimmer again looked up into the crowd assembled in the bleachers. Clark believed she was looking at him and quickly glanced around at other fans in the crowd to see if he was mistaken. He looked back at her, smiled, and nodded, and then checked the last name on the board. Lemaris. That's her last name, Lemaris, not Lamorris, he told himself.

When she pulled herself up out of the pool, Clark noticed that she was not even breathing heavily. Before the end of the swim meet, the Lemaris girl had won four long distance races, two were relays and two were solo swims. She was indeed phenomenal, Clark thought. The stories people were telling about her swimming ability were not at all exaggerated. He wondered if the other stories about her were true as well. Nonetheless, he had satisfied his curiosity and enjoyed the evening. The University of Metropolis women's team won handily that evening.

The following day, Clark was heading into his business class. He had made up his mind that if he saw the girl named Lemaris, he would congratulate her on her performance the prior evening. As he reached the door at the top of the lecture theater, he stopped and looked down to the last seat on the second row from the front where she normally sat. The seat was empty, and she was nowhere to be seen.

He felt disappointed but only because he wanted to tell her how impressed he was with her swimming and congratulate her, not because he was interested in her for any other reason, he told himself. "I'm right behind you," a woman's voice said, and he turned around to find her standing behind him, staring at him with a Mona Lisa smile and inquisitive pale blue eyes.

He was caught by surprise and all he could utter was a weak 'hi'.

"Thanks for coming to the meet last night. That was you I saw in the stands, right?" she asked quietly and moved away from the door and the students streaming in.

Clark moved out of the way as well. "Yes," he managed, and then fully regained his composure. "Someone had told me about you. They said you were a swimming phenom and I had to see for myself. I was really impressed," Clark said and then quickly added, "and the rest of the ladies too. You're an amazing athlete, Miss Lemaris."

"Thanks. And it's Lori," she added coolly. "You're Kent, right? Clark Kent, the football player?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'm the backup quarterback for the team."

She stared at him for another moment and then said, "I thought so. As athletes go, you're pretty amazing yourself." She glanced around. "But excuse me, I need to get to my seat." She moved past Clark and headed to the aisle. She looked back and said, "Thanks again for coming out and supporting the team," and then swiftly moved to the aisle and headed down to her usual seat.

Clark found a seat up towards the top row of the lecture hall and opened up his materials in advance of the lecture. He glanced her way and she had her head buried in her books. Pleasant, he thought, but I can see where some guys might find her cold. He surveyed the other women in the lecture hall before the class started and well over half of them who were not with someone were flirting with guys and others still were acting overly theatrical to garner attention. But Lori Lemaris was not doing any of that and Clark liked that about her, he respected that. She has her act together, he thought, and doesn't need the validation of others to feel comfortable about herself. He believed he needed to be more like that himself, although his reasons for seeking validation had nothing to do with low self-esteem.

When he glanced back in her direction, she was looking at him. She gave a slight smile and nod and motioned for him to come to see her. Intrigued, he got up and moved quickly to the aisle and then down to where she was sitting. She swiveled in her seat to look at him. "You want to grab lunch together after this class?"

"Sure," Clark replied. "I'll meet you outside of the door we came in?" Lori smiled, a nice smile this time and acknowledged the arrangement.

They met after class and went to lunch at the student union. They found a relatively quiet corner and talked for nearly two hours after eating and covered a lot of ground about one another. Clark learned that Lori had bounced around from place to place as a child. Her parents apparently worked for the government and were always being moved for new assignments. She began swimming early in life and just felt at home in the water, whether she was swimming or just having fun.

It was nearly 2:30 PM when Clark looked at his watch. "Hey," he said urgently, "I have to go. We have some light drills and game plan walk-throughs this afternoon and I have to get changed." Before they parted, they had each other's phone number and room number in case they wanted someone to share time with.

"Are you coming to the game tomorrow night?" Clark asked.

"Are you asking me to go, you know, like on a date?" She smiled demurely.

"Uh…well, I'm playing in the game so I can't really spend any time with you or anything but, uh, yeah, well I mean, no. I guess I just wondered if you were going."

Lori giggled at Clark's awkwardness and Clark smiled. It was the first real exhibit of emotion he had seen from her. Her face lit up when she giggled and her pale blue eyes sparkled. "So you don't care whether I'm there or not?" She cocked her head a bit, smirking.

"Good grief," he exclaimed, "I've really messed this answer up, haven't I?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I think it would be nice if you were there, Lori. But because I'm playing, I can't spend any time with you…obviously. But yes, if you come to the game and then wait for me to get cleaned up, we can go out and do something afterwards. I usually like to eat after the game."

"Okay, so I guess I'll see you somewhere after the game tomorrow night?" Lori asked.

"Yes," Clark replied. "Meet me by Gate 7 tomorrow about 30 minutes after the game is over. Okay?"

"Gate 7," she repeated. "Got it. I'll be there." She paused. "You'll have to tell me more about the game itself because I don't know much about football."

When Clark got back to his dorm room, he was in a great mood and was anxious to tell Pete about Lori.

"First off, she's not a man-hater," Clark began. "She told me that she got that reputation because she shut down a couple of intoxicated frat boys during rush week. She also said she keeps to herself in order to focus on her swimming."

"Where is she from?" Pete asked.

"She said she's from all over, from no one place in particular. I guess she was last in South Florida at a high school down there. That's where she was recruited out of for the Met U swim team."

"Sounds like there was a little more than that just satisfying your curiosity. I hear she's good looking and has a smoking hot body."

Clark shook his head. "Not really, Pete. I'm not really even ready to contemplate another relationship after Lana. But yeah, she is very pretty and in a natural way, not all cosmetics and stuff. I would call her just an acquaintance at this point, and someday, maybe even a friend, like you. Except, unlike you, she has a smoking hot body!"

"Hmm. Wait. Was that a funny by Clark Kent?" Pete asked, feigning astoundment. "You must be feeling a little better if you're cracking on me now."

They talked for a little while longer. Clark said he was impressed with her because she seemed really down to Earth and not at all flamboyant. He related that she told him that her athletic abilities tend to intimidate guys and rather than try to get to know her, they just want to come on to her, so she keeps to herself. "That's one big difference between her and the other women here at the college. She doesn't invite the attention of the guys here." He paused. "She's sort of quiet and reserved and that's what I find interesting about her."

"Plus, she was staring at you in class, right?" Pete reminded.

"Well, there's that too. I asked her why and she said that she was trying to figure out if I was the guy who was the backup quarterback or not. That's all."

"Riiiight!" his roommate replied, skeptically.

"No, really," Clark replied. "I believe her…," he paused. "Wait," he said aloud, frowning. "She was staring at me last night at the swim meet, too. I was in the bleachers, and she looked right at me from the starting platform." He shook his head. "I should ask her about that."

"Let it lie, dude. Remember, if she's interested, let her come to you, buddy."

"Because that worked out so well with Lana?"

"It did," Pete answered. "She did come to you. What she did afterwards was really shitty, but she did come to you."

Clark thought about it for a moment and nodded. Pete had been right about being patient and not pressing the issue with Lana once he had detected that she might like him. Maybe the same would apply to Lori.

But you're not interested in a relationship right now, are you, he reminded himself. Of course not. But there was no need to be rude either, he told himself.

The next night, Clark played the entire second half of the game. Danny Matthews, the Bulldog's starting quarterback, had his bell rung when he was sacked on the Bulldog's last possession of the first half. He struck his head on the cold hard turf during the tackle, causing him to fumble the ball. The other team recovered the fumble and four plays later, scored a field goal as time expired, pulling ahead by ten points at the end of the first half. During the halftime break, the starting quarterback was examined by the team physician in the locker room and the coach held him out the second half over concerns of a possible concussion.

During the second half, Clark completed 19 of 22 pass attempts and led the team on three scoring drives. A late two-point conversion earned the Bulldogs a one-point win and improved their record to 6 wins and 2 losses midway through the season. In the locker room, the head coach pulled Clark aside and alerted him that he may be starting in the next game if Danny was indeed diagnosed with a concussion.

After all the congratulatory backslaps and hollering in the locker room, Clark got cleaned up and quickly departed for Gate 7. He found Lori waiting for him as she had agreed. "Good game, Clark," she said when he appeared. "That was really exciting. I didn't understand why Met U got more points at the end than the other team when they scored a touchdown. But it was exciting."

"Thanks," he replied. "I can explain all that but it's cold out here, do you still feel like going with me to get some pizza or something?"

"I've already eaten but yeah, I'd love to join you. I might be able to eat a slice. But at least I can warm up with something hot to drink, coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea."

Clark called a campus taxi and it took them into town, not far from the campus. After conferring with Lori, Clark ordered a large pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni. They huddled in a small, dimly lit booth at the back of the restaurant. Clark chose the booth to avoid other students that came in. He was more interested in getting to know more about Lori than getting high-fives and praise from Met U students.

"I forgot to ask you yesterday," he began, "have you chosen a major?"

"Journalism," Lori replied. "Met U has a great journalism program."

"Really?" Clark said. "Why that?"

She thought for a moment. "Real journalism matters," she began. "Words can change people's minds, the way they perceive things, and the way they understand complex issues. I think that's important because far too often, words are written solely to sway opinion towards a specific philosophy rather than simply telling a true story or imparting unbiased facts." Clark nodded and took a bite of a large piece of pizza. "I think when a journalist can get a good jump on a story and faithfully recount the events, people appreciate that more than being 'directed' along a certain outlook or philosophy. I think it's hard for someone who wants to twist it from succeeding in doing that when the true fact are told without bias. Conversely, it's harder to unravel a story that has already been twisted by someone trying to leverage an event than it is to get the straight facts out in the open for people to make their own decisions about. Once people make up their minds, it's tough to change them. You know what I mean?"

Clark wiped his mouth. "Yes," he replied. "I know exactly what you mean. I sort of lived for a long time under a cloud of suspicion because my parents were very protective of me. Most would say overprotective. But because of that, people shared rumors and innuendo and they became facts over time. Overcoming those rumor-based 'facts' was difficult, and it took a toll on me when I was younger. Getting accurate information to the public is really a good pursuit and is a very noble cause," he concluded.

"I think so. What about you?"

"Me? Um, I haven't actually figured out what I'm going to major in yet."

"You ought to consider journalism," Lori offered. "The classes are challenging but they aren't difficult."

Clark frowned. "What?"

"It's a challenge to leave your own perceptions and biases behind when you recount an event. It's not difficult to tell a story, it's a challenge to tell it without your own spin coming into play."

He took a gulp of soda to wash down a bite of pizza. "I see what you mean. That makes sense."

"I'll tell you what," she began. "In about seven weeks, the Daily Planet is having its Christmas party at the Met U banquet hall. The journalism students volunteer to help in hopes of meeting and talking to some of the reporters and editors at the Daily Planet. Apparently, it's an annual event at the banquet hall for the Daily Planet and it's good exposure for some of the students who apply for internships there. I'm volunteering to help. Would you like to join me?"

"What night is it?"

"I think it's the Saturday before Christmas." She pulled out her phone and looked at the calendar. "Yes," she said, "It's on the 19th of December." She paused. "That's a Saturday. Will you have a game that day?"

"December 19th? Maybe. I hope so because that means we'll be in a bowl game, but I won't know that until sometime during the first week of December."

He paused and looked at her and he felt a stirring that he had not felt since Lana told him about her sexual affair. What Clark felt was not a sexual stirring but the feeling of excitement that perhaps Lori was a young woman he could enjoy spending time with and at some point, develop a relationship with. She had substance, a competitor, an athlete but not a 'jock'. Something good is happening here, he thought. He was not sure that she was feeling the same sort of connection with him, but she certainly was not cold or impersonal with him. She clearly was not a man-hater either.

"I'll tell you what. If we don't have a game that night, I'll join you to help out. I just can't positively say whether or not we'll be playing that late in the year. Our regular season ends the Saturday after Black Friday. Depending on our record, we may or may not be invited to a bowl game and even if we are, that game may or may not be played on Saturday."

"Your team will get an invitation if you're playing quarterback," she said assuredly. He smiled.

"There are dozens of college bowl games. Some are minor bowl games, and they're played before Christmas. Some are major bowl games, and they are played after Christmas and right through New Year's Day. So, if you're right, there are a lot of bowls that Met U could be invited to. It just means there is a good chance I will be available to participate with you."

"I'd like that," she said quietly and smiled, looking down. She took a sip of hot tea that she had ordered. "I think I'll take a slice of that pizza. It smells really good," she said.

The following week, Clark took snaps with the first team in practice and as suspected, was named starting quarterback with Danny Matthews in a reserve role, if needed. The defense was porous on both teams and the Bulldogs were nearly beaten but for the performance of their freshman quarterback. The game went back and forth with the Bulldogs edging out the University of Iowa Hawkeyes by three points, 48 to 45.

The win gave the University of Metropolis a record of seven wins against two losses with four games left and second place in the Big 12 NCAA Division 1-A conference. They were being considered for at least a minor bowl and likely post-Christmas bowl.

Clark's performance made it a difficult decision for the coaching staff to put Danny Matthews back in as a starter. It was his senior year, and he was an accomplished quarterback that had a slight chance of making an NFL roster as a backup or practice squad QB. He was effective but lacked the vision and accuracy of throws that the freshman quarterback demonstrated.

Jonathan Kent called his son and reminded him that football was just a game for him but not necessarily for the other players. Clark spoke to his dad for a while, reassuring him that he had not forgotten what he had been told before. He knew that Danny's one shot to make it to the NFL depended upon him showing his abilities in the big games and a big game was coming up after the current week's game.

So, in the current week game, Clark was named starter but in the beginning of the second quarter, he was sacked and in the process, a defensive player caught his throwing arm just as he released the ball. At the same time, Clark was hit in the left shoulder from a blitzing safety coming from his left. Clark went down and stayed there, holding both hands over his chest. He was helped off the field and the early diagnosis from the team physician was a possible cartilage tear in his sternum. It would seriously hinder Clark's ability to throw the ball and he was finished throwing until it healed. Danny Matthews came into the game with a 12-point lead and stretched that lead to 24 points by the end of the game.

Lori waited for Clark outside of Gate 7 again and this time, she called for the campus taxi that took them to an Asian restaurant where they ate in relative silence. She asked him if he was in pain, and he said that he hardly felt anything unless he moved a certain direction or picked something up in a way that would aggravate his injury.

There were two away games over the next two weeks and Clark did not attend either. He could not be used and therefore, he remained on campus as the team traveled. Only Pete knew the truth about Clark's injury and after a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion with his indestructible roommate, the one human being in the room came to appreciate exactly what had happened, why it happened, and what Clark had given up to give Matthews a shot at a future in the NFL and the rest of the players, including the opposing team, a level playing field.

On the positive side, Pete was excited at the announcement that the Met U Bulldogs were selected to play in the Citrus Bowl on December 30th in Orlando, Florida.

"So," Lori began, "you won't be traveling with the team for the rest of the season, right?"

He nodded. "Not the regular season but I will be going to Orlando at the end of the year." He paused for a moment and then asked, "Would you be interested in going? I can get you tickets."

Lori smiled but shook her head. "I am going to see my parents and I won't be back until after New Year's Day." She paused. "Are you still willing to go help me at the Daily Planet Christmas Party on the 19th then? Believe me, from what the professor says, it can be a pretty good time."

"Won't most of the class be gone on Christmas break by then?" Clark asked.

"Yes, which is why the dean of the Journalism school has come to all the classes to try to convince enough students to stay around to help out at the newspaper's Christmas party. Most aren't committed enough to stay, and others had already made travel arrangements that couldn't be changed."

"Sure," Clark said. "I'll go with you to help."

"Are you sure it won't aggravate your injury?" Lori asked.

"It shouldn't unless things get really out of hand at that party!" He grinned. "I imagine that it will be helping with clearing tables and keeping the place picked up during the event. Nothing too strenuous," he suggested.

"Yes, and helping put up and take down decorations afterwards, I think."

In response to his question, Lori told Clark that she had to leave on the train on the 21st of December to meet her parents a spend time with her family over Christmas and New Year's. Clark said that he had to wait until December 23rd to go since the team was in a bowl game, there would be practice every day up until then.

"But you can't play, can you?" Lori asked.

"No, but I need to be at the practices. I'll be going as backup quarterback if I'm cleared to play by then and I'll need to attend all the team meetings too. That is when they teach players all the new plays for the bowl game." Lori nodded.

Clark would not start another game for the rest of the season as Danny Matthews performed better than ever before and Clark was relieved by it. He had contributed to his team's fortunes, had made his mark, and had stepped aside so that his teammate could showcase his potential. Plus, he was penciled in to travel to Orlando with the team on the 27th and was excited about that.

On the afternoon of December 19th, Clark joined Lori at the Met U banquet hall where the Daily Planet's Christmas party was being held. He wore jeans and a sweater but had a black suit and white shirt and tie waiting in his room. There were less than 18 students there and Clark was surprised that the number was so few but, he remembered, most students had already left the day before on Christmas break.

Once all the decorations were in place and tables were set up by the caterers, there was nothing left to do until the party began. Clark made arrangements to meet Lori there at 6 PM where they would get their assignments from the Journalism school coordinator. The coordinator, an assistant dean, thanked Lori for bringing Clark along and then thanked Clark for agreeing to help out. He was aware of Clark's injury and promised to assign him light duties that night with Lori helping him. Clark and Lori's jobs were to check-in the Daily Planet employees and their guests.

The party anticipated 174 attendees. Once everyone was checked in and given a badge, the two were asked to circulate and help caterers recover empty or dirty cocktail cups that the partiers would deposit throughout the banquet hall. They were encouraged to speak with the guests if they were engaged to speak but otherwise, simply be polite to them.

There were twenty round tables at which ten chairs were placed and they lined the sides and rear third of the hall, seven on each side, and six in the rear third with a large aisle leading to an open space in front for mingling and dancing. At the rear of the banquet hall where attendees entered, there were three bars set up and manned by the caterers, along with three buffet tables. A DJ sat on the small riser stage at the front of the hall where the podium stood for the master of ceremonies and speakers.

At 6 PM sharp, Clark arrived and waited for Lori. He wore his black suit, white shirt, and had borrowed Pete's Christmas tie that was a deep red with small, decorated Christmas trees embroidered on it.

When Lori arrived a few minutes later, Clark hardly recognized her. She was dressed in a deep red form-fitting sequined short sleeve cocktail dress with a white shawl around her shoulders and black high heels. She had gotten her hair styled and it was stylishly pinned up above her shoulders. But most prominent was the makeup she was wearing. It accentuated her eyes, cheekbones, and full lips. She looked like a runway model and Clark was effusive in his compliments over her appearance. She removed her shawl and Clark smiled when he saw a small poinsettia pin fastened above her left breast. He also noticed that his tie nearly matched the color of Lori's dress.

"You two look great!" the assistant dean told them as he scurried in from the banquet hall. He gave them checklists of attendees and provided them the pre-printed badges received from the Daily Planet that they were to issue the attendees once they checked in. They quickly organized them alphabetically. Clark would check in the A-L guests and Lori took the M-Z group.

At 6:51 PM, guests began to arrive. The Daily Planet had several photographers arrive early and they checked in quickly. They were pulling half-duty, photographing the event while enjoying it as well. By 7:10 PM, a large number of guests had arrived, and a small line had formed waiting to be checked in. One of the guests stared at Clark as he moved ahead in his line. When he reached the table, he said, "Lombard, Steve." As Clark was checking his name off, the man said, "Aren't you Clark Kent?"

Clark retrieved the man's badge and handed it to him. "Yes, Sir, I am," he said.

Lombard fiddled with his badge and said, "I am the Sports writer for the paper and I'd like to talk to you a bit after things get started, if that's okay?"

"Sure, we're done with this once everyone gets checked in. That shouldn't be too long."

"Great," Steve said. He reached out and shook Clark's hand. "I'll find you once things get settled," he said and glanced at the beautiful woman sitting next to Clark. He sidestepped to allow the person behind him to move forward and then stepped through the line and said to her, "You don't happen to be a swimmer, are you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm Lori Lemaris."

"Holy cow! I have two of Met U's premiere athletes here. I'm Steve Lombard and I would like to talk to you as well if I can?" She nodded and said, "Of course, Mr. Lombard. I'd be happy to speak with you."

"Please, just call me Steve. This is my lucky day, I guess." He smiled and departed the area.

"And what is your name, handsome?" a husky, woman's voice asked. Lori's head jerked to her right and Clark looked up to see a stunning red-haired woman in a very indiscreet gold sequined spaghetti-strap gown cut nearly to her navel. The dress was also split up the left side of her body. She wore more makeup than Clark thought was probably needed because he could tell that she was a very attractive woman naturally. She had full breasts and he suspected that she would expose herself 'accidentally' more than once that evening.

He smiled. "My name is Clark," he replied. "And yours?"

"So kind of you to ask," she said. "I'm Catherine Grant." Clark found her name and her badge quickly. He handed her the badge. "Here you go, Miss Grant. Have a nice evening."

"I will. You can be sure of that." She winked. "And if you're around later, I'll save you a dance…a slow one."

He smiled but said nothing and looked to Lori who appeared oblivious to the exchange and he felt relieved for some reason.

After meeting Perry White, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, who thanked them both for helping out, and once all the guests had been checked in, Clark and Lori began circulating. They came together and talked for about twenty-five minutes with Steve Lombard who had a lot of questions and had suggested that they go out into the lobby where there less background noise.

He asked Clark about his season, how he was recovering from his injury, and if he expected to play in the Citrus Bowl. Clark told him that he was recovering well, thrilled with the outcome of the season, and that he would be ready to play in Orlando but the way that Danny Matthews had been playing there was, hopefully, little need for him. Steve then asked about next season and Clark said it was a little premature to speak about that now, but he looked forward to it, and would do whatever the coaches wanted him to do to help the Bulldogs.

Steve turned to Lori and asked her about her national rankings in swimming, how she trained, and her background that gave her such a competitive advantage over the rest of the field. He asked her about her workout regimen now that the swimming season was over, and about a possible Olympic appearance in the summer of 2018.

"You two are remarkable athletes and I just look forward to watching and writing more about you two in the next three years," he concluded. He thanked them for their time and said he needed to get back to the party.

"That was pretty cool," Clark said.

"It really was," Lori replied. "He seems like a really nice guy." She paused and then said, "Aren't you glad you came tonight?"

He smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I'm actually enjoying just being here with…" he caught himself and then continued, "…all the Christmas atmosphere and meeting important people." Lori smirked.

"Me too," she said. "Let's go back in."

Music was playing and there were several couples dancing. Most of the guests had eaten by then and the alcohol had taken center stage. Clark and Lori were filtering through the tables and suddenly the music changed to a slower Mannheim Steamroller version of Silent Night. From out of nowhere, Lori grabbed Clark and pulled him to the dance floor. He looked at her and she was simply breathtaking to him. He took her hand and put his on the small of her back. She put her hand on his shoulder and pulled herself right up against him just as he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh! So close but no cigar!" she said and without looking back, Clark knew it was Catherine Grant. He could tell by her husky voice and the slight slur.

Lori smiled. "You're lucky. I saved you from the claws of that cougar just in the nick of time." She raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't mind," she whispered in his ear.

"I don't mind at all," Clark replied, and Lori laid her head on his chest as they danced. "And I do feel lucky," he said quietly but loud enough for her to hear.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "I like you, Clark Kent. I really, really like you." They moved slowly to the melodious strains of Silent Night, and she said softly, "God, you're so warm."

"Too warm?" Clark asked.

"Oh no," Lori replied. "I love that you're so warm," she answered and put her head back on his chest. They swayed a little longer and she looked up at his face. He wanted to kiss her badly but was afraid that it was too early in their relationship and would ruin what seemed to be a good thing. Sensing he was not going to kiss her, she rose up on her toes and kissed him, deeply, pulling him down to accommodate her height. When they broke, she said, "I wish I wasn't leaving on Monday." Clark agreed without saying anything. "Clark, think about Journalism as a major. We could share classes together next semester. We could spend more time together, too." She smiled and took a deep breath, then exhaled. "A lot more time."

She laid her head back on his chest and Clark listened to the heavy drumbeat of her heart and could almost feel the pain and anger from Lana's betrayal flowing out of him as they swayed together on the dance floor.

Journalism, he thought. Why not?