Magnetic Part 3

At the Kent farm…

Recap:

Clark talks with his parents how surprised he is at how Lana's behaving toward Seth. The Kents are sympathetic but remind him Lana is free to date who she wants.

At Smallville High…

"Oh, Pete, I'm so sorry." Chloe said.

Pete's two best friends, Clark and Chloe, were standing around his locker before first period. After the game, he managed to avoid Clark by celebrating with the rest of the team. But now, at school, he had nowhere to hide, and he was questioned on why he had been benched. Their pity was worthless; it didn't make him feel better or get noticed by talent scouts.

"Hey, it happens." Pete smiled, although he didn't feel as good as he was pretending.

A commotion was coming from the end of the hallway. Not even looking up, Pete could tell it was Seth. Smallville High's newest quarterback was the type of jock who adored attention and always tried to make an entrance. There were always other jocks and cheerleaders nearby to bask in Seth's greatness.

But what caused Pete's, Clark's, and Chloe's jaws to drop open was seeing Lana as one of the hangers-on.

Lana Lang waltzed down the middle of the hallway on Seth's arm. She was smiling as she gazed up at him. The outfit she was wearing was short and tight enough to make every guy turn their heads. Her makeup that day was heavier than usual. And she was clinging to Seth as if she were a magnet. Pete couldn't remember her dressing like that even when she was on the cheerleading squad and dating Whitney.

"Lana?" Clark stared at her.

Their friend made no reply or acknowledged them in any way. She only had eyes for Seth.

"Dude, that's cold." Pete said as he watched Lana strut away.

"Chloe, please don't treat me like the jealous boyfriend, but…"

"No, something's up and we need to investigate."

"Thank you."

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Lana's bizarre behavior continued. During first period, which she shared with Chloe, Lana was scribbling "Lana Seth Nelson" in her notebook instead of paying attention in class. They didn't share any other classes, but each time Chloe saw Lana in the hallway, her friend sought out Seth, even if he was on the other side of the school. The first time Chloe could retreat to the Torch office and do some actual work was during lunch.

Chloe breezed into her office to find Smallville High's IT specialist, Van McNulty, sitting at her computer. "Hi, Van."

"Hey, Chloe. I got that spyware installed for you; did a few updates. Wiped out a few unnecessary things to increase the memory. You should be all set. But I'm surprised you asked for help."

"Yeah, well, I'm learning to delegate. Got a lot on my plate."

"Gotcha. Well, call if you need anything else." Van vacated her chair as Clark and Pete showed up.

"All right. Let's get started. Does anyone know of anything that could have caused this Seth infatuation?" Chloe leaned back in her chair.

"You live with her. Can't you think of anything?" Clark pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I haven't exactly been around a lot, lately." Chloe kept the part that she was investigating Lionel Luthor to herself.

"I'm thinking mind control." Pete said.

The three reporters were startled by the sound of Van bumping into the nearby desk. "It's all right. I'm leaving." Van put on his backpack and left the room.

"Pete, what were you saying?"

"Right before the game, Seth asked coach to put Fitz in instead of me. Coach turned him down, Seth asked again, and he agreed."

"Pete, as tragic as it is you didn't get to play, I'm not sure that's a smoking gun."

"Chloe, this is Coach Altman we're talking about. A salesman couldn't sell the guy a life preserver on a sinking ship."

"And what about Lana?" Clark spoke up. "She distinctly told me at the beginning of the game she'd never date Seth."

"Ok, fine. For arguments sake, Seth can control minds. How's he doing it?" Chloe asked.

"And how do we stop it?" Clark asked with his arms crossed.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Clark didn't know what he was going to say to Lana. He already knew he was going to be treated like a jealous boyfriend. And he couldn't deny that he was jealous.

Jealous that Lana was with someone else.

Jealous that someone else could be with her.

A day would come when that would happen. Lana was too amazing to be overlooked by anyone. But Clark had to know for sure it was Lana's choice and not one being forced on her.

Clark's search after school brought him to the football stadium. Seth and Lana were seated together on the first row. Seth was waving his hands as he recounted a heroic tale of how he lead the football team to victory. Lana just sat there smiling, hanging on to Seth's every word.

"Hi." Clark said as he approached them.

"What do you want, Clark?" Lana's eyes never left Seth, but she clearly sounded annoyed.

"I need to speak to you for a moment."

"Go ahead." Seth patted her hand.

The motion ignited a spark of fury in Clark. Lana didn't need Seth's permission to talk to him. Lana would know that and would never take that from anyone.

When she was thinking clearly, that is.

Lana followed Clark a short distance away. "What?" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I'm worried about you. You're not acting like yourself. Did something happen?"

"Yeah, you know, something weird did happen. Seth actually wants to be around me. He actually wants to date me."

Clark took in a deep breath. "And if that's your choice, I'll have to accept it. But Chloe and I think…"

"You talked to Chloe about this?"

"Lana, your behavior is so unusual we all noticed. We're worried about you."

"Don't bother. I'm actually happy. We're not together anymore and that was your choice! I'm beginning to care more about Seth than any other guy. Ever! So just leave me alone, Clark."

Just then, Seth stood next to Lana, wrapping is arm around her shoulder. She snuggled close to the football jock. "Come on. Let's ditch this loser. And you, why don't you run home." Seth patted Clark's shoulder rather forcefully. The touch wasn't strong enough to make Clark stumble back even an inch, but it felt electrifying.

Got to run home. No! They'll see me. Run home. Run home. Not now. Not yet. Runhomerunhomerunhomerunhome.

Clark fought the urge long enough to make sure he was out of sight. Then he unleashed his speed and arrived at the Kent farm within record time.

"Touch." Clark said out loud to the nearby cows. "Seth does it by touch."