Title: Moving On
By: MitchPell
My Idea: I had a question at the end of “Craving.” If there was all that kryptonite in the greenhouse and the greenhouse exploded wouldn’t some of that kryptonite go flying through the air? Hhhhhmmmmmm
~~~…~~~ = Clark’s thoughts
***…*** = Pete’s thoughts
End of “Craving”:
Clark summoned all the energy he could and hurled himself toward Jodie, knocking her down. He kept himself on top of her trying to cover as much of her body as possible.
BOOOOOOOOOOM
The greenhouse exploded. Clark felts the rush of intense heat and shrapnel hitting his body. Forgetting about the meteor rocks, Clark was surprised to feel extreme, almost unbearable, pain. The blast soon subsided. Clark tried to get up, but the usual pain he experiences from the meteor rocks seems to have multiplied by a thousand. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to his feet. He rolled off Jodie onto the ground. This, to his surprise, seemed only to make the pain he was experiencing even worse.
“JODIE!!! JODIE!!!” Pete called after seeing the greenhouse and regaining his senses. He ran over to the greenhouse, searching frantically. “JODIE!!! JODIE!!!” He called again. Through his panic he heard a faint voice.
“Pete.” Clark whispered. ~~~I can’t let him see me like this. Come on Clark get up~~~ But despite how hard he tried, he was still unable to muster up the strength.
Pete ran over in the direction of the voice, until he saw a body.
“Jodie? Jodie, are you ok?” He got no answer from her.
“I think she’s unconscious,” Clark whispered.
“Clark what are you doing here. Are you alright?” Pete asked, surprised to find Clark there.
“Fine. How’s Jodie?”
“She doesn’t look to good. Though, she looks better than you?”
~~~Better than me, that’s impossible. I should look fine. I should look like I wasn’t even in the explosion, like I always do.~~~
“We better get Jodie to a hospital.” Clark said.
“I think I better take you both.” Pete said.
“I’m fine, really. I’m just a little shook up from the explosion.”
But Pete didn’t hang around to hear anything more. He ran off to bring his car closer to his friends. When he got back Jodie is still laying there not moving and Clark is still rambling on about how he’s ok.
***And he says he’s ok. The guy didn’t even notice I left.***
Pete picked up Jodie and put her in the back of his car. Then he went back to help Clark. When he got back Clark was still mumbling about being fine.
“I’m fine……I’m fine…I…I…can’t be hurt…not possible…not…possible…has to…has to be…be the rocks…rocks…only hurt…”
Clark could feel himself losing consciousness, and everything around him started to spin.
“Come on Clark man, don’t pass out. You’re to heavy for me to carry.”
Pete reached down and started to set Clark up. During the process, he placed his hand on Clark’s back. It felt very wet. Pete looked at his hand, which he found stained red with blood.
“AWW man Clark, you’re bleeding man.”
This startled Clark out of his stupor.
“BLEEDING!!! I can’t be bleeding. Not…possible.”
“Clark your back is covered with blood, and so is ground you were laying on. Let me take off your jacket man. To see how bad it is.”
Pete takes off Clark’s jacket. ***Still can’t see anything.***
“I’m going to take off your shirt too.”
Clark didn’t object. He didn’t have the strength to fight, he had to save all of it to remain conscious enough to understand Pete. Pete took off Clark’s shirt. Looking at his back he found many small puncture wounds. In one of them he saw a glowing green rock.
“AAWW man.” Pete said.
“What?” Clark whispered.
“Your back is full of small holes man. And your…your skin??? It’s…I can’t describe it…it’s like…”
But Clark sat back abruptly, blocking Pete’s view.
“Listen to me Pete. Call my dad.”
“Clark man, they can call him at the hospital once I get you there.”
“NO!!! I CAN’T go to the hospital. Just call my dad. Please Pete.”
Unable to resist the pleas of his friend Pete ran to his car to get his cell phone.
************************************************************************
Jonathan Kent could not remember the last time he had driven so fast. He kept repeating Pete’s words over and over again in his head. ‘Clark is hurt. He won’t let me take him the hospital. You better get here quick.’ Quick. Quick was an understatement for how fast Jonathan was driving. He just couldn’t think of how Clark, his Clark, could be hurt. If wood chippers, knives, and fire didn’t hurt him, then what possibly could?
Pete was relieved to see the old pickup truck finally coming up towards him. It seemed like it took an eternity for Clark’s dad to get there. Jonathan came rushing over towards him.
“Where is he Pete?”
“He’s over here. I tried to get him to come with me to the hospital with Jodie, but he wouldn’t make an effort to get up. And I can’t lift him.” Pete said as he led Jonathan over to Clark.
Clark was still sitting in the same place. It was taking every last bit of his strength to stay awake.
“Clark, Clark can you hear me son?” Jonathan asked.
“Dad…I…I can’t…”
“Don’t say anything. I’m going to pick you up and take you to the truck ok.”
“Ok.”
Jonathan placed his arms around his son and lifted him off the ground. He couldn’t believe how heavy Clark was. He carried him over to the truck and placed him in the passenger seat.
“Pete, listen to me. I want you to take Jodie to the hospital.”
“What about Clark?”
“Don’t worry about Clark. I’ll take care of him. Now go on.”
With a little reluctance Pete ran to his car and drove off with Jodie. Jonathan got in the truck and started racing home. He only hoped that he and Martha would be able to help Clark. Who knows what would happen if they had to take him to a hospital. He looked over at his son. The expression of pain on his face was almost more than Jonathan could bear.
“Hang in there Clark. We’re almost home.”
They soon pulled up to the house. Martha Kent came running out.
“Is he ok? What happened?”
“He’s in pretty bad shape. Let me get him into the house.”
She followed close behind Jonathan as he carried Clark into the house. He set Clark on the couch on his side with his back sticking out. Jonathan and Martha bent down to inspect all the small puncture wounds on their son’s back. That is when they noticed his skin. It was greenish in color, and almost seemed to be moving.
“What is that Jonathan?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Then he saw the green glowing rock sticking out of Clark’s back.
“Clark, Clark listen, I’m going to pull this out. Ok. It might hurt.”
Jonathan grabbed on to the small piece of rock and gently pulled it out of Clark’s back. As soon as the piece was removed Clark became more alert.
“That feels better.” He whispered. “What is it?”
“It is a green rock.” Jonathan replied.
“Meteor rocks. There must be more. I still feel…feel very weak. You have to get them…get them away from me.”
“I can’t see anymore. They must be lodged in your skin. I’m going to have to…dig them out. The only problem is I can’t see them. Martha, honey, get a light.”
Martha ran to the kitchen to get a flashlight, and returned quickly. She shined the light towards one of the small holes on Clark’s back.
“I still can’t see anything.” Then he had an idea. “Clark, Clark are you still awake? I need you to use your X-ray vision to help me find the rocks. Can you do that for me?”
“I…I can’t…it takes to much…to much concentration. Besides…they’re…they’re in my back.”
“We can use a mirror. You could look in the mirror and see your reflection.” Martha said. “I’ll go get one.”
She was soon back with a mirror.
“Ok Clark, it’s up to you.”
“I told you…it takes…to much…to much concentration.”
“You have to at least try. I don’t see any other way.”
Clark tried to concentrate. But all he could concentrate on was the pain. His dad had taken a small piece away from him, but there was still more.
~~~Concentrate Clark. Concentrate. You can do this.~~~ He was able to clear his mind and focus. His X-ray vision kicked in. He looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of his skull. He then looked down to his until he saw his spine. Not only did he see ribs and spine, but a few small green spots.
“I see them.” He said trying not to break his concentration.
“Ok, now I need you to direct me to them.” His father said.
Clark watched as the skeleton of his father hand moved towards his back. He directed him as best he could towards on of the rocks. Until he saw his father’s hand grab it. They worked together as his father slowly removed stone after stone. With each stone removed, Clark felts more and more energized. Finally the last stone was removed.
Clark was thoroughly exhausted. All he wanted to do was go to sleep. He waited for his mom to finish applying bandages to all of his open wounds and then he sat up on the couch.
“Clark, we need to talk about what happened tonight. We need to talk especially about what these meteor rocks are doing to you.” His father said.
“We will I promise, just let me go to sleep. Please I’m exhausted.”
“Ok.” His mother said. “But we’re going to talk about this first thing in the morning.”
Martha and Jonathan watched in relief as Clark went up the stairs to his room.
************************************************************************
It was close to 11:00 am before Clark finally stirred from his sleep. He wished he could sleep forever, partly because he was very tired, but mostly because he didn’t want to move. Every inch of his body hurt, he could never remember being so sore. But then again, he couldn’t remember ever being sore.
Hungry was what finally drove him out of bed and downstairs. He was glad to see no one else was in the house. All he wanted to do was eat some cereal and then go right back upstairs and sleep some more. He was almost done eating when he heard the screen door open.
~~~ They couldn’t have waited five more minutes, could they.~~~
“Hey look who’s finally up. Good afternoon Clark.” His father said.
“How are you feeling?” Chimed in his mother.
“Tired, stiff, and sore. To be honest.”
His dad couldn’t help but laugh. Not because he thought it was funny that Clark was not feeling one hundred percent, but because for once Clark knew what it was like to be sore.
“Jonathan, it isn’t funny.” Martha snapped.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. So, Clark, are you ready to tell us what happened last night?”
“There really isn’t that much to tell. I went to find Jodie and Pete. When I got to Jodie’s I found Pete lying on the floor unconscious. So I went out back to the greenhouse looking for Jodie. But, the greenhouse was filled with meteor rocks. As soon as I stepped inside I could feel their affect. Jodie was really upset, and she started hitting me with a shovel. Then she said something about ‘ending it’. She hit open a methane vent, and was going for the lights when I jump on her. The lights made sparks causing the whole greenhouse to explode, sending shrapnel everywhere including the meteor rocks. I guess they must have been able to cut me.”
“I don’t understand. Did you know that these meteor rocks could hurt you?” His mother asked.
“Well yeah. I mean, every time I was around them they would make me sick and really weak. I didn’t know they could cut me though.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?” She asked.
“I haven’t known about it that long. Plus, dad knew.”
“Jonathan you knew? Why was I the only one kept in the dark.”
“Well. Well, Clark and I haven’t really talked about it. I mean, I guess I kind of forgot about it until now.”
“Is there anything else you guys haven’t told me about? Huh? I mean, if you are keeping this from me I can’t imagine what else you are keeping from me.”
“Nothing. This is the only thing I haven’t told you guys about. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about it before. I guess, I just didn’t want you guys to worry about me.”
“Clark, we’re your parents. It is our job to worry about you.” Martha said.
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry…if you guys don’t mind, I’m going to go upstairs.”
“Sure thing son.” His father said.
Clark went upstairs to his room and changed into a pair of jeans and an undershirt. He never thought that putting a shirt on could hurt so much. After changing, he went outside to start his chores. His parents would have probably let him skip them today, but he was hoping the movement would help loosen up his back a little.
He was out in the apple orchard when Pete came walking up. Clark had almost forgot about Pete. What was he going to tell him.
“Hey Clark, your mom said you were out here.”
“Hey, how’s your head? And how’s Jodie?”
“My head’s fine. They kept Jodie at the hospital. She was fine from the explosion. But they kept her to try to find a way to help with her stomach problems.”
“I’m sorry Pete, I know you really liked her.”
“It’s alright. So…so, how are you?” Pete asked with a questioning look, but in a sincere voice. “You really had me worried last night. You looked like you were going die.”
“Oh. I’m fine. Just a little sore.”
“Just a little sore. That’s it.” Pete said in disbelief. “You looked on the verge of death last night and all you are is sore. That doesn’t make any sense, Clark man.”
“Why not. I mean, I was in an explosion. I think I had the right to be a little shook up.”
“Yeah, you were in an explosion. Which is why it doesn’t make any sense. I mean look at you, and Jodie for that matter. How did you guys get through that without a single burn?”
“I don’t know. I guess we were just lucky.”
“Lucky, if that isn’t the understatement of the year, then I don’t know what is.”
“Look, can’t you just accept that fact that we’re fine and be grateful. I mean, why does everybody have to ask why and how? Can’t they just say ‘thanks for saving my life,’ or ‘I’m glad your ok.’ Why does it always have to be ‘why am I live when I should be dead’ and ‘how did you escape.’ For once, I don’t want to be asked a million questions to which I can’t give an answer.”
“I’m sorry man. I was just concerned. Excuse me for asking.” Pete said indignantly while turning to walk away.
“Pete, wait I’m sorry. You were just trying to be a friend, and I do appreciate that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Pete went to leave when he turned back to his friend. “You know Clark, I’m glad you know that I am your friend. Just don’t forget that friends can be trusted. You can tell me anything. If you ever feel like talking about last night, or anything else, just let me know.” With that Pete turned and walked away.
~~~I wish I could tell you Pete. I really wish I could.~~~
************************************************************************
After finishing the remainder of his chores, Clark retired to his fortress of solitude. He couldn't get what Pete had said out of his mind. 'Just don't forget that friends can be trusted. You can tell me anything.' Clark wanted to be able to trust Pete, and Chloe for that matter. But he was afraid. He was afraid of what they would think of him. Even if they didn't think he was a freak, what if they slipped. He had a hard enough time keeping the secret. He pretty much told Pete he could see through walls, but luckily he didn't catch on. And when he had told his father about the driving the post through the granite, Lana had been there. Good thing she had believed the sledgehammer bit. That reminded him.
~~~Lana.~~~
He had forgotten about Lana. She would probably never forgive him for standing her up again. He knew she would have loved her gift, but it was probably too late for him to give it to her now. Maybe he would go over tonight. If he was lucky she would let him try to explain. But even if she did he didn't know what he would say.
"URRRGGG!!!" He cried. Why did everything have to be so difficult.
"Are you alright Clark?" His mother asked from the base of the stairs. Clark jumped at his mother's voice.
~~~Great, one more thing for me to explain.~~~
"I'm fine mom." He lied.
"Really? People who are fine don't usually yell out in frustration. What's bothering you Clark?"
"The question should be what's not bothering me." Clark muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I'm fine mom, really."
"Clark please don't lie to me. Tell me what's wrong. Or…If you don't want to tell me…at least tell your father." She said, forcing the last part out.
Clark looked down at the ground, not wanting to look his mother in the eye. "It's not that I don't want to tell you everything mom." He said in a guilty voice. "It's just that."
"Just what, honey?"
"Well sometimes...sometimes I'm afraid that I freak you out."
"Why would you feel that way?"
"I don't know. It's like the time I saved Whitney from his truck when it exploded. The look on your face when you saw me was of compete and udder shock. And…and maybe a little of fear." Clark said, feeling more and more guilty as he went.
"Clark I was afraid, afraid that you had died or had been hurt. You don't 'freak' me out. I love you. And I want you to know that no matter what powers you develop, I will never think of you that way. You can tell me anything, just like you can tell your father anything."
"Thanks, mom. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier about the meteor rocks."
"That's all right sweetheart. So." She said with a sigh. "Did you want to tell me what is bothering you?"
"Mom, how would you feel if your best friend didn't trust you enough to tell you his or her secrets?"
"Well, I guess…I guess I would be a little hurt. But, Clark you know you can't tell anyone, not even Chloe or Pete."
"I know. I'm just afraid that…that if they did find out, they wouldn't understand why I didn't trust them."
"Well, if they were to find out, on their own, I'm sure they would understand that a secret like yours is not something you tell even your very best friend."
Clark gave her a little half smile and then looked to the floor. His mother gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then turned to go back to the house.
After dinner Clark headed towards Lana's house. It was already dark outside, and the temperature was quite cool. But the cold didn't bother Clark. It didn't take him long to reach Lana's. He started towards the house when he noticed a truck sitting in the driveway, Whitney's truck. Clark's heart suddenly sunk to his knees. Not wanting to interrupt the two, he turned around and headed home. At that moment Clark started to realize that he and Lana would not be happening anytime soon, and that maybe he should start looking for someone new and available.
************************************************************************
The next morning Chloe and Pete watched as Clark missed the bus yet again.
“I can’t believe you didn’t want to bet.” Chloe said. “You could have had another ten bucks.”
Pete made a pathetic attempt to laugh and continued to stare at the back of the seat in front of him.
“What’s with you this morning? You seem so…so not you.”
“I had a rough morning. I placed my English paper on the kitchen table with my book bag, and my little brother found it necessary to scribble all over it with his crayons. And then when I went to print it out again, I had computer problems. This led to a slight outburst, in which I yelled at my brother, proceeded by a grounding from my father. So lets just say it hasn’t been a good morning.”
“Wow. I hope your sentence isn’t that long.”
“Two nights without any phone, TV, or the computer.”
“It could have been worse. They could have made you baby-sit your brother.”
“Actually, I think I would have preferred that. At least then I could have watched TV, or played video games with him.”
Chloe continued to babble on about something or other that wasn’t of great importance, so Pete went back to staring at the seat in front of him. Even though his morning was rather rough, it was not the only thing on Pete’s mind. Nor was it what was causing him to stare so diligently at the seat. He kept thinking about his conversation with Clark the day before. He just couldn’t understand why Clark didn’t trust him. They were supposed to be best friends; they were supposed to tell each other everything. But Clark was holding out, keeping Pete in the dark. He had always known that there was something secretive about Clark, something mysterious. He just figured that Clark would tell him sooner or later, but he never did. And that was really bothering Pete. He definitely needed to talk to Clark again. Maybe if he apologized to his parents and his brother they would let him to go Clark’s after school.
Clark sighed as he watched the bus pull away from the end of his driveway. In a way he was glad he had missed it. He really wanted to talk to Pete, but he didn’t want to do it in front of Chloe. Plus, she would probably catch on to the awkward silence between the two and want to know what the cause was. So, he started to trudge down the road at a walk. He didn’t feel like running, and despite his tendency to miss the bus he was always on time for school. So, he figured one tardy wouldn’t upset his parents too much.
It took Clark longer than he thought it would to get to school. Yet when you’re deep in thought, two hours could seem like mere minutes. After stopping in the office to get a late slip, he headed off to trig/pre-calculus. Unfortunately, Clark was the only freshman among many juniors in his math class. He could have probably could have tested out of all the required math classes at Smallville High. But his parents thought it would be better if he only skipped two years of math instead of four. Clark hated it when he was late for math. One would think that a teacher would love to have a kid as gifted as Clark in their class. But Mr. Miller just didn’t like him, some thought this was due to the fact that Clark could probably get up and teach the class himself. Clark entered the room about ten minutes after the bell rang and took his seat as Mr. Miller turned around from the chalkboard.
“Ah, Mr. Kent. How nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Mr. Miller said. “We’re going over this weekend’s homework. So, get it out and pay attention.”
Clark didn’t say anything. He just fished his homework and textbook out of his bag and placed them on his desk. As Mr. Miller continued to go over the homework, Clark started to think of what he was going to say to Pete. He had to tell him something, but what. He couldn’t think of anyway of explaining what happened at Jodie’s without telling Pete his whole secret, and he couldn’t do that.
“Think, Clark, think!!” Clark muttered to what he thought was himself.
“What’s that Mr. Kent?”
“Nothing…sorry,” a bright red Clark said, while the rest of the class snickered.
“The ever intelligent Mr. Kent couldn’t be having trouble with a math problem could he?” Mr. Miller asked in the most sarcastic manner he could pull off.
“Gee, I thought that would make you pleased.” Clark retorted.
~~~Open mouth, insert foot.~~~
“No, what would please me is to see you remove yourself from my class room and go to the office. NOW!!!!!”
Clark gathered up his stuff and left, no longer red from embarrassment but anger.
Clark was in the office for what seemed like an eternity. Principle Kwan heard his side of the story, but needed to talk to Mr. Miller. Therefore, Clark had to sit in the office until Mr. Miller was able to talk to Kwan. He would have gone to his other classes, but Kwan insisted that he stay in the office. Mr. Miller shot Clark a little smirk as he left to return to class.
~~~Me and my big mouth.~~~
“Clark, come in here please,” Principle Kwan called. “Well, Clark, I feel that even though you were invoked you acted in a disrespectful manor. Therefore, I’m going to have to give you one night of detention.”
“Detention??” Clark cried in disbelief. “He makes fun of me, and I get detention.”
“Yes, Clark, detention. Now, as far as I’m concerned you can make it up after school today. Be in room 209 at 3:15. You can ride the activity bus home. Any questions?”
“No.”
“Good. Here’s a pass to get you back into class.”
Clark took the pass and left, wishing that he had just stayed home. Between being two hours late this morning and spending so much time in the office he really only went to one class, study hall. Normally he would have spent his study hall in the torch, but he hadn’t had time to get a pass. Therefore, he was forced to stay.
The final bell rang, and Clark headed for his locker. He had just finished gathering up all his stuff when Lana walked past.
“Lana!!”
“Oh…hey Clark.”
“Lana, I just want to apologize for standing you up at the party. I…”
“Don’t worry about it. Pete explained to me what happened.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, he did. I’m glad you’re all right.”
Whitney came up behind Lana and wrapped his arms around her.
“Are you ready to go?” Whitney asked.
“Yeah. I’ll see you around Clark,” Lana said while giving Clark a small smile.
“Bye.”
Clark watched as Lana and Whitney walked off down the hall. He still felt a tinge of jealously, but not as much as before. Moving on was definitely the best thing to do. Clark picked up his bag and headed off to detention. Two and a half more hours and he could finally go home.
************************************************************************
Detention seemed to drag on and on. Clark kept looking at the clock. Every second seemed like a minute, every minute an hour. He tried to work on his homework, but it was just so boring. He was trying to wade through a chapter of this Biology book. But between thinking of what to tell Pete and how to get over Lana, he couldn’t remember half of what he read. After rereading the same sentence for the tenth time, Clark could feel his eyelids starting to get heavy. He was just about to nod off when the bell rang.
“Alright, you are free to go,” the Dean announced.
Clark picked up his stuff and headed out the door. Trying to read Biology had made him so tired that he didn’t feel like walking or running home, so he decided to take the activity bus home.
Out front, Clark was accompanied by most of the winter athletes. He watched as basketball players, wrestlers, rifle team members, and hockey players made their way to various vehicles. A few stopped and mingled on the sidewalk while waiting for the bus. One in particular caught his eye. She was standing off to the side by herself, patiently waiting for the bus. She was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants, a huge hooded sweatshirt, and a navy blue letterman’s jacket. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled up over her head, covering her damp, sweaty, blondish brown hair. On her back she wore a dark green backpack that looked like it could explode at any minute. And hanging on her right shoulder was a large navy duffle bag. Her baggy clothes hid her figure, but one could easily see that she was short, 5’2” at the most. Clark smiled at the site, the girl barely came up to his armpits. Obviously tired of standing, the girl placed her duffle bag and backpack on the ground and then sat on the duffle bag. She glanced at the people around her, including Clark. He noticed she had blue eyes and a small nose set on a thin face. Her lips were not thin, but definitely not full. All in all he thought she was fairly attractive.
The bus finally pulled up. The girl picked up her stuff, and got in line to get on the bus. Clark got on the bus last. He took the remaining open seat, which happened to be across from the girl. Her duffle bag was placed against the window, and her backpack on top of it. She was slumped down in the seat with her knees pushed into the back of the seat in front of her. She was leaning on her elbow, which was propped up against her bags, staring out the window. Clark decided to introduce himself.
As the bus started to pull away from the school, Clark swiftly moved from his seat into the remaining space in hers. She took a quick glance at Clark and then returned to staring out the window.
“I think if I tried to sit the way you are sitting right now, my knees would be in my chest,” Clark joked while flashing a blinding smile.
“On of the few upsides to being vertically challenged.” She said while cracking a small smile of her own.
“I’m Clark, Clark Kent.”
“Kacey Peterson.”
“So…I take it you’re new in town?”
“Yeah, my mom, my brother, my sister, and I just moved here from Avella, Pa.”
“Oh,” Clark said pretending he knew where that was.
“It’s in the southwestern part of the state. Not many people know where it is, so don’t feel bad.” She added, seeing that Clark was obviously clueless.
“So…what part of town did you move to?”
“We bought some farm on Hickory Lane.”
“Really!! You guys must have bought the Wilson’s old place. It’s not far from my house. Well, not far by Smallville standards anyway.” Clark joked.
Clark had barley got that last part out when the bus suddenly died. The driver let the bus drift over to the side of the road, and then got out to inspect the engine.
“I’ll be right back,” Clark said as he followed the driver out.
The driver and Clark came back a few minutes later.
“Listen up everyone,” the driver said. “The engine died. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I’m going to call the school, so they can get another bus out here. But it will probably take a while. So, you can either sit tight or walk.”
A grown filled the bus as the students took in the news. Clark sat back down next to Kacey.
“My place is only a mile down the road. If you want you can come with me, and then I can drive you the rest of the way home.” Clark said.
“Are you sure you won’t mind? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“I’m positive,” Clark said, laughing a little.
“Ok, thanks.”
She gathered up her stuff and followed Clark off the bus.
They walked on in silence for a little while, until Clark finally spoke up.
“Do you want me to carry something for you? I feel guilty watching you lug all that stuff around.”
“No, it’s ok. I’m used to it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, positive.”
“Alright.” Clark said in a way that showed he didn’t really believe her, but wasn’t going to argue. “So, I’m guessing you’re on the basketball team.”
“Yep. How about you? You seem like the sporty type.”
“No, not really. I don’t really have time for sports,” Clark said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“Oh…I’m sorry. Farm work, huh?”
“Yeah, my dad relies on me a lot.”
“I see,” Kacey said as she hiked her bag further up on her shoulder.
“Ok, that’s it. I’m carrying that. Hand it over.” Clark said in a seriously joking manner, as he reached over a grabbed her bag before she could protest.
“Well, I can see I have no choice in the manner,” she replied with a smile.
The two walked on talking quite a bit. Clark found that along with basketball, Kacey was also active in soccer, softball, and horseback riding. She had also been invited to join the math team and French club. Clark told her about the torch, Pete, and Chloe. He didn’t tell her about Chloe’s meteor theory though. He figured he would leave that to Chloe. They soon found themselves at the Kent farm. They walked out back where they found Martha cutting firewood.
“MOM!!” Clark yelled over the noise of the chainsaw.
His mother shut it off, and turned to her son.
“Clark where have you been. You should have been home three hours ago!!” His mother said in a worried ton.
“I’ll explain later. Mom, this is Kacey Peterson. Her and her family moved into the old Wilson place.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you Kacey.”
“Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kent.”
“So mom, the bus broke down, and I told Kacey I would give her a ride home. Is that ok?”
“Sure, the keys are on the kitchen table.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“Goodbye Mrs. Kent.”
“Goodbye. Drive safe!!”
“I will don’t worry.”
************************************************************************
Clark handed Kacey her duffle bag, as he ran into the house to grab the truck keys. Kacey made her way over to the truck. She threw her bags in the back and waited by the door for Clark to come back. He came jogging out a minute later. They both climbed in the cab and headed down the road. They rode in silence. Kacey looked out the window, while Clark kept his eyes on the road. They arrived at the Kacey’s a mere five minutes later.
“Well, thanks for the ride,” Kacey said after she had retrieved her bags from the truck bed.
“No problem,” Clark replied as he flashed her a big smile.
“Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
With that, Kacey turned around and walked into the large farmhouse. Clark smiled as he watched Kacey walk away.
Clark returned home to find his parents waiting for him at the kitchen table.
“Clark, where have you been all afternoon?” His mother asked with a tone that was a mixture of anger and worry.
“Well…I was in…I was in detention,” Clark replied. He had been dreading this lecture, that he knew was coming, all the way home from Kacey’s.
“Detention?” Martha asked, a little confused and shocked.
“What happened?” His father asked.
“Well…I was late for class…”
“Why were you late for class?” Jonathan interrupted.
“I walked to school, because I missed the bus.”
“You walked,” Martha said in disbelief. “Just how late were you?”
“Two hours late for school…around ten minutes late for my math class.”
“Clark!!” Jonathan exclaimed, shaking his head. “Alright what happened next?”
“I muttered something out loud during class. Mr. Miller made a smart comment, and I retorted. Principle Kwan gave me one night of detention. So…I decided to serve it after school today.”
“Clark, you know better to mouth off to your teachers.” Jonathan stated.
“I know, but he just struck a nerve. I mean, the guy hates me for no reason.” Clark said letting his frustration come out in his voice.
“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. But he probably doesn’t appreciate you interrupting his class.” His father said while giving him a look that said that he should know this already.
“You’re probably right.” Clark said, deciding not to argue with his parents.
“Well next time, even though there shouldn’t be a next time, call us to let us know where you are,” his mother said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you guys worry.”
“It’s alright. Just call next time, ok. We know that you are pretty much able to take care of yourself, but we still worry.” His father said.
“Ok, dad. I will. I promise.”
“Alright. Now go finish your chores before dinner is ready.” Martha said cracking a smile.
After finishing his chores and eating dinner, Clark retreated to the barn loft to do homework. He was sprawled out on the floor once again trying to read from his Biology book. He could have finished the entire one thousand-page book into a couple of minutes, but he just didn’t feel like doing anything that required him to tap into his special abilities. With each page he turned his eyelids became more and more heavy, until it was impossible for him to keep them open.
It had taken a serious amount of apologizing and a promise to take his little brother to the movies, but Pete had finally convinced his parents to let him go to Clark’s house. He hadn’t bothered to call before leaving. He hadn’t seen Clark all day at school. And even though he didn’t think that Clark was avoiding him, he wasn’t positive. Therefore, he figured the best way to avoid being told not to come was to just show up. He arrived at the Kent’s around eight. He strolled up to the door and knocked.
“Hello, Mrs. Kent. Is Clark around?” Pete asked.
“Hi, Pete. Yeah, he’s in barn. You can go on over.” Martha replied.
“Thanks.”
Pete jogged over to the barn and up the stairs to the loft. He was just about to shout out a hello when he saw Clark. Pete lost his voice as he stood in utter shock at what he saw.
************************************************************************
Pete just stood there. He was sure that he was hallucinating. He had to be. Nothing else could explain what he saw in front of him. But after he had blinked about twenty times, shook his head until his was dizzy, and slapped himself a couple of times, Clark was still hovering about three feet off the ground. Pete’s voice might not have been working, but his feet were. He soon found himself walking towards Clark.
Pete walked slowly and quietly because he didn’t want to disturb Clark. He stopped when he was right beside the sleeping figure. His friend appeared to be quite comfortable; he looked as if he were lying on an invisible bed or couch. Pete took one of his arms and waved it underneath Clark’s body. He had half expected, half wanted his hand to hit something. An invisible couch was more plausible than his best friend floating in the air. Yet his hands found no supports below or above Clark’s body.
Pete walked over and sat on the couch. He didn’t know what to do. He had wanted to know what Clark’s secret so that he could be there to help and give advice to his friend. But he didn’t want to find out like this. He had wanted Clark to confide in him. For a minute Pete thought he should just leave, that he should go and wait until Clark was ready to tell him. But knew that he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t be able to stand Clark not knowing that he knew at least part of his secret. But then there were Clark’s parents. Pete knew they were pretty protective of Clark. They would probably freak out if they knew that he knew even the smallest little detail. He didn’t want them to treat him differently. Pete let out a big sigh. He had made up his mind. He got up off the couch and approached Clark’s floating body.
Pete placed his hand on Clark’s shoulder and gently shook him.
“Clark. Clark, man, wake up.”
Clark groaned and rolled over. Pete watched as Clark turned over. Clark really did look as if he was lying on some invisible object. Pete waved his arm underneath Clark’s body again. But, his arm failed to make contact with anything once again. Pete shook Clark a little harder.
“Clark!!! Clark, wake up man.”
Clark started to stir from his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the wall across from him. Then he noticed his desk. Instead of seeing the legs of the piece of furniture, his eyes were level with its smooth surface. A smile crept over his face. He slowly moved one of his arms underneath him, feeling the air beneath him. He turned his head to look down at the floor. He saw the floor of the loft below him, his Biology book still open to the last page he was reading, and a pair of sneakers.
~~~A pair of SNEAKERS?~~~
Clark started to panic, and he crashed to the floor.
Pete was going to shake Clark again until he noticed his arm moving. He watched Clark wave his arm underneath him. He seemed to be as unsure of his situation as Pete was. Pete watched Clark turn his head to look at the ground. Then BAM, he had fallen hard to the floor.
“Clark, are you ok man?” Pete asked worriedly.
Clark jumped up and stared at Pete. He relaxed a little when he saw his best friend standing there looking fairly calm. The two just stood there for a while in complete silence, until Pete spoke.
“Clark, I’m sorry.”
Clark gave Pete a confused look.
“I didn’t want to find out this way. I really didn’t. I would have much preferred you tell me yourself.” Pete said sincerely. “Can you forgive me?”
Clark was shocked. He had expected to be doing the apologizing. Apologizing for not trusting his best friend. But Pete wasn’t angry, he wasn’t hurt, and didn’t even appear to be freaked out. Clark was confused, he was shocked, he was speechless, and it must have showed.
Pete was mentally kicking himself.
***I should have left. I should have left. God, I’m so stupid. I’ll just leave now.***
Pete turned to leave. He was about to go down the stairs of the loft when Clark finally spoke.
“Pete, don’t you want to know everything?”
Pete stopped and looked at Clark.
“Only if you want me to.”
“I do. I really do.”
Pete walked back over and sat on the couch. Clark let out a big sigh and then joined Pete on the couch. He looked down at his shoes for a while, rubbing he hands together. Pete knew he shouldn’t rush Clark, so he just sat there patiently looking at Clark.
“I can…how do I say this…I can do a lot more things than just…than just floating.” Clark stuttered, still not looking at Pete.
“Like what?”
Clark snickered a little, looked at Pete, and then asked, “Do you know why my dad wouldn’t let me join the football team?”
“You said he needed your help on the farm.” Pete said a little confused as to where this was headed, or what it had to do with Clark floating above the ground.
“Come on, Pete! I spend almost as much time at the torch after school as you do at football practice.”
“Then why won’t he let you?”
“Because he’s afraid I might hurt someone.” Clark stated.
“Yeah, but that is a possibility for anyone. It is part of the game. Why would you be different?” Pete asked, still a little confused.
“Because not anyone is as strong as I am. I’m strong, Pete, unbelievably strong. I don’t even know the limit to my strength. Sometimes, I feel as if I’m getting stronger and stronger each day. And that’s not all.”
“What else?”
“I’m pretty fast.”
“Pretty fast?”
“You know how I’m always missing the bus, but I’m also at never late for school?”
Pete nodded.
“Well…I’m never late because…I run.”
“You run?”
“Yeah. I run through the cornfields. I’ve never timed myself. But I’m pretty sure that I can break the sound barrier.”
“How could you possibly run that fast? I mean it’s not that I don’t believe you. But wouldn’t that cause some kind of damage to your body?”
“No, I don’t think so. Pilots go that fast in jets and stuff. So, normal people can handle it. But even if they couldn’t I still could.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pretty much indestructible.”
Pete just looked at Clark waiting for him to explain.
“I stuck my arm in a wood chipper…and broke it.”
“You’re lucky that is all that happened!” Pete exclaimed. “It should have ripped your arm off!”
“Pete, I didn’t break my arm. I broke the wood chipper.”
“Then what happened at Jodie’s this weekend?” Pete asked after digesting what Clark had just said.
Clark hesitated a little, but then said, “meteor rocks. I’m allergic to them or something. I don’t really know what they do to me. All I know is that I get really sick and weak around them. And, they are the only things that I know of that can cut my skin.”
“How is your back, by the way?” Pete asked.
“Oh, it’s fine, still a little sore though.” Clark said, a little shocked that Pete had changed the subject off his ‘gifts.’
“That’s good.” Pete sat there for a little while, and then asked, “So, do you get like muscles cramps or anything like that? The only reason I ask is because that day you feel off the rope in gym class you were saying something about your head hurting.”
Clark chuckled a little under his breath and then said, “no. I usually don’t feel any pain, except for when I’m around the meteor rocks.”
“But, you had a headache?”
“I got a headache because a new ‘ability’ was emerging.”
Again, Pete just waited for him to continue.
“My x-ray vision. I have x-ray vision, and I can also see through things. Except for lead, for some reason I can’t see through lead. And now that I think about it, lead is the only material that can shield me from the meteor rocks…I wonder what it is about lead…sorry,” Clark said, feeling a little embarrassed.
“That’s ok, don’t worry about it.”
“But that’s it. That is my secret. I’m really strong, I can run really fast, I’m indestructible, I have x-ray vision, I can see through objects, and I can float.” Clark said, still looking as if he were deep in thought. He chuckled again and then added, “but who knows what might happen to me tomorrow. For all I know I could grow another head.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Pete asked.
“Sure, I guess.”
“Do you know why you are this way?”
“No…no, I don’t. I have an idea though.”
“Can I ask what that is?”
Clark hesitated.
~~~Should I tell him. He doesn’t seem freaked out. But with all of the people affect by the meteor rocks I’m sure this doesn’t sound that strange. Well, I’ve gone this far. I don’t want to turn back now.~~~
“I…I might not be from this…this planet,” Clark said, while preparing himself for Pete to freak out.
“You mean you think you’re an alien?” Pete said with disbelief. “Why would you think that? How do you know that you were not just affected by the meteor rocks like some of the other people in town?”
“Because, my dad has my spaceship hidden in the storm cellar.”
“Your spaceship?” Pete still looked skeptical.
***Man, I would really like to see that. But, I don’t think I should push it.***
“Cool,” was the only thing Pete could find to say.
“Cool? I just told you I’m an alien from another planet, and all you say is cool?”
“What do you want me say? That I’m freaked out and that I want you to stay away from me.”
“No, but I still thought that would be your reaction.”
“Clark man, we are best friends. You know, best friends. People who know everything about each other, the good, the bad, the weird, but don’t care about it. Just because I found out you’re…not…from this planet doesn’t mean anything is going change between us, at least for the worst anyway. If anything, this should make us better friends.”
“I’m sorry, Pete. I just never expected anyone to accept this part of me so easily.”
“It’s alright man. I’m sure if I was you, I would think the same thing.”
Clark smiled at Pete and then looked at the floor. The two just sat there for a while, until Pete spoke again.
“So…what happened to you at school today?”
Clark laughed, and then began telling Pete all about his day.
The two had been talking for an hour or two when Martha came up into the loft.
“Pete, your mom just called. She said to tell you that if you didn’t want to be grounded again, you had better get home,” Martha said.
“Thanks, Mrs. Kent. I’ll be leaving in a minute.”
“Ok. Clark you should be coming in soon too.”
“Alright mom, I’ll be in a little bit.”
Martha turned and left.
“So…are you going to tell your parents that I know?” Pete asked
“I don’t know. They really don’t want anyone else to know. I probably will. I’ll let you know if I do, though.”
Pete got up off the couch.
“Ok, well, I better get going.”
Pete walked across the loft and stopped at the stairs, and then turned and said, “Clark, I really am sorry about tonight. I really wanted to wait until you felt comfortable enough to tell me.”
“Pete, don’t worry about it. I’m actually relieved that it happened this way. I really needed to tell someone, and I don’t think I would have been able just to come and tell you.” Clark said. He laughed and then added, “plus my parents would have killed me.”
Pete laughed as well. “Alright, well I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting Kacey. Bye, man!!”
“See ya, Pete.”
Pete left the loft, headed out to his car, and drove home.
Clark picked up his books. He looked out the loft window at the stars above and smiled. He could not remember a time when he had been happier.
The End.
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