wisdom won from pain

Smallville High School wanted all of its students to lead a long and healthy life. At least, that was the reasoning behind the new PE requirement. The posters showed up just after Homecoming, and an announcement was made by Principal Kwan. Each student had to sign up for an extra activity that would take place outside of school. Each activity would require one Saturday’s attendance, and participation. The goal was for students to pick up a new sport or hobby that they would continue through their lives.

Most students thought it was a waste of time and complained about having to give up a weekend for school. There were the usual sports choices: football, racquetball, field hockey, soccer, basketball, swimming and golf. And then there was line dancing, beginning karate, step aerobics, and because the weather was unusually warm for this time of year, camping. If you were involved in a sport, you couldn’t pick that as your extra activity. The signup sheets were outside the PE teacher’s offices, and the lists filled up quickly.

Whitney was slow in signing up, so he was left with either step aerobics or camping. He chose the camping trip at Crater Lake, which ran from Saturday noon to Sunday noon. Lenny Davis, a friend from the football team also signed up, and they decided to partner up. Lenny offered to provide the tent.

Lana had picked the step aerobics.

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when Whitney pulled into the school parking lot. Students were not being allowed to drive themselves to the lake, just in case they got antsy and decided to skip out during the middle of the night. They were all being bussed there instead. His bag was packed for one night, with warm clothes, some snacks, and his Discman.

A crowd of students were gathering around Mr. Hagar, the PE teacher in charge of this trip.

“Fordman!” Hagar called out, waving Whitney over. “Davis caught the flu. You’re getting a new partner.”

Whitney shifted his backpack from one shoulder to the other and set down his sleeping bag. “Okay. Who is it?”

“Me.”

Whitney turned around and exhaled hard.

“Kent?”

Clark half-smiled and shrugged. “Pete’s sick, too.”

Whitney didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t really been on the best terms with Clark since the scarecrow incident, and he wasn’t sure how to act around him.

“If you want to find someone else-” Clark said, sounding uneasy.

“You have a tent?” Whitney asked.

Clark nodded.

“Good. Kenny was bringing ours.”

Whitney knew he was being curt, but he couldn’t help it. Clark made him act funny.

All of the necessary camping supplies not provided by the students were being packed into a bus, along with the tents the students did bring. Soon the busses began loading, and Clark followed Whitney onto Bus Number 2, but he chose an empty seat instead of sharing with Whitney.

“Hey, Kent,” Whitney said. “You can sit with me. I won’t bite.”

“Oh. I wasn’t sure.”

Whitney slid closer to the window and Clark settled in beside him. The bus rolled along towards Crater Lake. Whitney and Clark didn’t speak through the entire ride. They just sat uncomfortably side by side until the bus stopped. Clark jumped up and stepped into the aisle, letting Whitney go first.

Whitney clenched his jaw, irked at the politeness, and got off the bus. Clark stepped off after him, a small smile on his face. A slight breeze ruffled his hair, and he pushed it back off his forehead.

“Beautiful day,” he said, looking at Whitney.

“Yeah, sure.”

They stood together in the crowd of students, waiting for directions.

“Set up your tents around here,” Mr. Hager said, motioning to the area near the dock. “I’ve got a list for you all with things you can do before dinner this evening.”

Whitney grabbed two of the lists, handed one to Clark and said, “We can get the tent set up first. Then tackle this.”

Clark nodded and went to get his tent. Whitney picked out a spot near the edge of the woods, close enough to still be within eyesight of Mr. Hager, and far enough away so Whitney wouldn’t have to listen to others snoring. He wondered for a second if Clark snored.

“Got the tent,” Clark said, breaking into Whitney’s thoughts. “Is this where we’re setting it up?”

“Yeah.”

“All right.”

Clark began unpacking the tent and spreading out the materials. Whitney jumped in to help, even though he didn’t have a clue about setting up a tent. Camping wasn’t a big thing in the Fordman house. They worked quickly, Clark giving directions. Within minutes, they had a neat little two-person tent. Whitney glanced around at the others who were struggling with the task. He smiled.

“The list says we need to make our own campfires,” Clark said. “I’ll go find some sticks to burn and rocks to set around the edge.”

He tossed his stuff inside the tent, dusted off his hands and headed towards the woods. Whitney was glad for the time alone. He ducked inside the tent and unrolled Clark’s sleeping bag, instantly noticing the smell of pine that wafted from it, then wondered which side to sleep on. It then occurred to him that he would be sharing this space with Clark for the night.

It was small. Cozy.

Whitney quickly unrolled his own sleeping bag down and darted from the tent. Rubbing his arms against the sudden goose bumps, he looked towards the woods where Clark had gone. He felt sure that Clark was just as uncomfortable about this whole situation. That night in the cornfield was burned into Whitney’s memory forever; he could just imagine how Clark felt about it.

Whitney scrubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. The truth was, he really didn’t hate Clark. He actually admired him.

And maybe, just maybe, he had a slight crush on him.

Whitney’s head whipped around, his eyes darting left and right. He knew he hadn’t spoken aloud, but he feared someone might have noticed how edgy he was, especially around Clark Kent.

He looked to the trees, expecting to see Clark emerge, his arms full of perfect rocks. But Clark didn’t come, and Whitney had a sudden feeling of dread take residence in his stomach. He decided to go after him, make sure he was okay.

“Kent?” he called out, pushing aside branches and leaves. “Hey, where are you?”

There was no answer. Frowning, Whitney kept walking. Where the hell was he? Did he go to Metropolis for rocks?

“It’s not funny, man. Come on,“ Whitney said. “Hagar’s gonna be checking up on us.”

A low moan came from somewhere ahead of him.

“Kent?” he asked, hurrying towards the sound.

He broke through the trees and came to a clearing.

“Kent!”

The name died on his lips when he spotted the younger man on the ground. Clark was lying facedown in the dirt, his arms outstretched as if trying to push himself away from something. Whitney’s first thought was a snake. He approached cautiously, surprised to see a small pile of rocks resting near Clark’s head. He recognized them as the green meteor rocks that littered the countryside.

But these. These were glowing a brilliant green color. Leaning closer, Whitney saw the same color in Clark’s hands. The veins were raised, moving, as if the blood boiled just beneath the skin.

Clark moaned again, snapping Whitney back to attention.

“Help me,” Clark whispered. “Please.”

Whitney’s heart thudded wildly. Clark had said those same words that night in Riley’s field. Just before they left him tied to that cross, Whitney had given him one last look. Clark had been the vision of utter helplessness, and for a moment Whitney had wanted to take him down and send him home. But the others had urged him away, congratulating him on this year’s choice of scarecrow.

“Whitney, help me,” Clark said, his voice softer.

Whitney hauled Clark to his feet, balancing Clark’s weight against his side. He dragged him away from the pile of rocks, far enough away that he could see they’d stopped glowing. Gently, he lowered Clark to the ground in a sitting position.

“Thanks. I, uh, got dizzy I guess,” Clark said, not quite meeting Whitney’s gaze. “I didn’t eat lunch.” He smiled and tried to hide his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

But Whitney had seen the way the veins had returned to normal. Clark was somehow affected by the meteor rocks.

“Whitney? Let’s go back, okay?”

Clark sounded stronger, but also scared, like Whitney had just witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Kent, I’m calling bullshit,” Whitney said.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get some rocks and go back.”

He rose to his feet and turned away, and Whitney wondered just what the hell was going on.

“Sure, sure,” he said. “Rocks.”

His eyes locked on Clark’s as he made his way back to the meteor rocks.

“Whitney,” Clark said, almost pleading.

But Whitney ignored him and grabbed a meteor rock. As he neared Clark again, he watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the rock glowed green. The effect on Clark was instant. He gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead.

Whitney turned and hurled the rock as far as he could, as if it were a winning throw in a tied game of football. Then he caught Clark in his arms before he collapsed completely.

“They make you sick,” he stated.

Clark swallowed hard and steadied himself, gently disentangling himself from Whitney’s grasp. “Yeah. I don’t know why, but they do something to me.”

They stood up and looked at each other.

“That night in the cornfield,” Whitney said. “You were really sick. Lana’s necklace?”

Clark nodded and Whitney’s face turned white.

“It could have killed you.”

“Whitney, forget it.”

“I can’t! Why didn’t you say something that night?”

“I didn’t know.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You just said they make you sick. If you’d been there all night, you might have died.”

Clark saw that Whitney was becoming hysterical. “I didn’t know the effect the meteor rocks had on me until that night. Now I know to stay away from them if I can. Thank you.”

Whitney blinked. “Are you loony? You’re thanking me?”

“Well, yeah.”

Whitney stood up and stormed off, leaving Clark very confused. He jumped to his feet and ran after him.

“Just leave me alone, Kent.”

“Whitney-”

Whitney stopped so suddenly that Clark crashed into him. To Whitney, it was like having a wall smack him in the gut.

“Jesus, what are you made of, steel?”

Clark looked panicked. “Did I hurt you?”

“No! God, will you just leave me alone? I have to think.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Gaah!” Whitney exclaimed. He wanted to rip his hair out. Clark was going to make him crazy for sure. “Just. Give me some room. I’ll meet you back at the tent.”

Clark nodded and walked away, and Whitney saw a definite slump in his shoulders.

~*~*~

When Whitney returned, Clark did his best to give Whitney some space. Mr. Hagar’s list of things to do kept them busy until dinner. They worked in silence as they built their campfire and cooked a simple dinner of hotdogs and beans.

After dinner, some groups went into the woods to search for insects, but Clark suspected they were going off to find some fun away from Mr. Hagar. Whitney hid inside the tent, burying himself in his sleeping bag and turning his Discman up loud. Clark didn’t have any other friends around, and he wasn’t big on spontaneously joining groups, so he decided to call it a night. It was almost ten anyway. Mr. Hagar would be waking everyone up at dawn to start the day.

Clark tried not to take it personally that Whitney hadn’t spoken to him since the incident in the woods. He entered the tent and saw Whitney turn away towards the outer wall. Sighing, Clark took off his jeans and put on a pair of sweatpants and a Smallville High t-shirt. Then he crawled into his sleeping bag.

“Sorry,” he said when he accidentally knocked Whitney’s leg.

Whitney didn’t respond. Clark could hear the music through Whitney’s headphones. It was loud and angry rock music, reflecting his mood. Clark closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.

After a half an hour or so, the music suddenly stopped, and Whitney cursed. His batteries had died, and he didn’t have any extras with him. He wrapped the headphones around the Discman and tucked it into his backpack. A quick glance at Clark showed he wasn’t sleeping, even though his eyes were closed.

Whitney swallowed around the lump that had been in his throat since finding out about the danger Lana’s necklace held for Clark. He wanted to say something, but nothing good enough came to mind. He settled into his sleeping bag and willed sleep to come to him.

He lay completely rigid, his entire body tense. Knowing that Clark was just inches away was causing him to sweat, and he feared he would suffocate in the enclosed space. The smell of pine drifted around him, causing him to think of Clark’s body wrapped in his own sleeping bag.

Clark suddenly moved, and Whitney froze even more.

“Whitney, are you awake?” came the hushed whisper.

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Whitney frowned. What the hell?

“Are you okay?” Clark asked.

“Fine.”

“Oh.”

Whitney let out an exasperated sigh. “Is that the only word you know?” He sat up, and Clark did, too.

They were face to face in the darkened tent, and Whitney could make out Clark’s clear eyes staring at him.

“You wanna know the truth, Kent?”

“Well, sure.”

“All right. The truth is, I feel really guilty over what I did to you. You could have died because I’m a coward.”

Clark opened his mouth to speak, but Whitney shook his head.

“No, let me finish. I’m a coward because instead of telling you how I feel, I let my fear and anger take over.”

He paused and took a deep breath.

“I like you, Kent. Okay? I like you.”

“I like you, too, Whitney. I never wanted us to be enemies,” Clark said.

Whitney smiled a little. “Has anyone ever told you you’re far too innocent?”

“I don’t understand.”

“No, I guess not.”

Whitney inched closer until their lips were nearly touching. When Clark didn’t move away, he said, “I like you a lot, Clark, and I have for a long time. Like this.”

And then he kissed Clark, a soft peck on lips that haunted his dreams. When he pulled away, Clark blinked and said, “Oh.”

“You really need to expand your vocabulary.”

“Oh, I mean, um. You called me Clark.”

“What?” Not exactly the reaction Whitney had been hoping for.

“You’ve never called me by my first name before. It’s always ’Kent.’”

Now it was Whitney’s turn to say oh.

“I guess I never thought of that.”

Clark touched Whitney’s hand. “I like it.”

“The kiss or me saying your name?”

“Both.”

Clark moved in for another kiss. This one was bolder, Clark’s tongue exploring Whitney’s mouth. His hands gripped Whitney’s shoulders, and Whitney wrapped his hands around Clark’s waist.

When they stopped this time, they were both panting. Clark’s eyes sparkled in the dark. Whitney licked his upper lip, still tasting Clark.

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” Clark said, his voice mock stern.

And Whitney laughed. It was a real laugh, and he liked how it felt.

“I guess so.”

They sat in their tent, just talking. Whitney revealed to Clark what he had never revealed to anyone. He was gay. It felt good to say it aloud. He thought about it constantly, about how he was different from everyone else. He had to work really hard to just appear normal.

Clark nodded his head, like he knew exactly what Whitney was talking about. Perhaps he did.

“You were adopted, right?” Whitney asked, remembering.

“Yeah, when I was three.”

“Does it make you feel like you don’t fit in?”

Clark’s expression was unreadable as he said, “Everyday.”

“Guess we have something in common then.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Whitney picked at a loose thread on his sleeping bag.

“I hate who I am,” he said after a moment. “I hate being labeled a jock. But if I come out, I’ll be labeled something different. Maybe it wouldn’t matter in a bigger city, like Metropolis. But here in Smallville...”

“Everyone is defined by their label,” Clark finished. “Everyone thinks I’m a geek.”

Whitney raised a brow. “I’ve always wondered about that. You’re not a geek, Clark.”

“I’m clumsy. I’m slow-moving. I don’t go out for sports.”

“You’re nice,” Whitney said. “You help people. You saved my life. You’re really smart, and people like you. And you could go out for things other than sports. You’re always hanging out with Chloe. Maybe you could write for the paper.”

“Doesn’t really help with the geek label,” Clark said. “But I do like helping Chloe.”

“So tell me, Clark. Are you gay, too?”

Clark jerked a little. He tilted his head in thought. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I like Lana, but I really liked kissing you, too.”

“Well, you could either be bi, or curious.”

“Geez, as if my life wasn’t complicated enough,” Clark muttered.

“What do we do now?” Whitney asked.

“I don’t know. Are you going to tell Lana?”

“No.”

“It’s not fair to her, you know.”

“I know. But you understand why I have to keep this secret?”

Clark sighed wistfully. “I know all about secrets.”

Whitney slid out of his sleeping bag and reached for his jeans.

“Wanna go for a walk?”

Clark nodded. “Sure.”

They dressed quickly, then slipped from their tent and into the woods. The moon shone brightly from the sky, illuminating the trees around them. Clark looked and instantly spotted the constellation of Lacerta, the Lizard.

“You’re into astronomy and stuff, aren’t you?” Whitney asked.

“Yeah.”

“You ever use your telescope to peek at Lana’s house?”

“Um, I. . . ” Clark stuttered, but Whitney laughed.

“I’m teasing, Clark.”

They stopped after about ten minutes and sat down on a fallen log.

“I’ve always wondered if there’s anything out there,” Whitney said, pointing to the stars. “We can’t be the smartest species in the world.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Just look at how messed up we are. You can’t tell me we’re the top.”

Clark picked up a twig and began peeling away bits of bark.

“But what if other, um, species, are like us emotionally? What if they have to give up their kids, too?”

Whitney shrugged. “Questions of the galaxy. It can be kind of scary, Clark. Do you ever think your real parents will try to find you?”

“I used to until...”

“Until?”

Until I found out they were aliens, he thought, but he couldn’t say that. No matter how connected he was feeling to Whitney right now, he still had to keep his secret.

“Until I realized they weren’t my real parents. Not in the way that matters anyway.”

Again, they slipped into a comfortable silence. Then Clark felt a hand brush against his. Whitney’s.

If someone had told Clark that he’d end up holding hands with Whitney Fordman on this camping trip, he’d have laughed in their face. But here they were.

And Clark liked it. It felt right.

“Do you think I could kiss you again?” Whitney asked, his voice low and husky.

Clark swallowed hard and said, “Yes.”

~*~*~

The next day was spent hiking through and exploring the woods surrounding the lake. Whitney, now that he knew the effect meteor rocks had on Clark, kept a watchful eye out for them.

He was actually enjoying himself, more than he did when he was with Lana, or even out on the field during the game. He thought about the night before, kissing Clark under the stars. It was a truly romantic setting, and Whitney knew he was in big trouble.

“You know,” Clark said, breaking into Whitney’s thoughts. “I never thought much about owl poop before today.”

Whitney laughed, something he was doing a lot lately. “Seems kind of silly, I’ll agree. But it’s on the list.”

Clark shook his head and they continued walking. Other groups of students milled around, looking for things on the “Scavenger Hunt” list from their teacher. It was full of obscure things, like the owl poop, clusters of leaves in pairs, and square shaped rocks.

~*~*~

Whitney and Clark hopped off the bus with the other students. While most of them hurried to their cars, eager to get home, Whitney and Clark hung back. It was probably safe to say they’d gotten the most out of the camping trip.

“Um, do you have someone coming to pick you up?” Whitney asked.

“No, I was going to walk.”

“Long walk. Can I offer you a ride?”

“Sure.”

Whitney started up the truck and turned down the volume on the radio. Clark settled into the passenger seat and buckled up.

“I probably stink,” he said.

“Actually, you don’t. That’s a funny thing about you, Clark. You live on a farm, but you never smell like it.”

“My mom buys strong soap.”

Whitney drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove.

“Clark,” he said, his voice tinged with nervousness. “If I were to ask you to go on a date with me, what would you say?”

He came to a stop sign and turned his head to look at Clark.

“Well, I’d say, um, that you’re still with Lana. I don’t think I’d do well sneaking around.”

Whitney blinked and faced forward again. The truck continued towards the Kent farm.

“Honest answer,” he said. “You really are a good guy, you know that?”

They reached the bright yellow house, and Clark got out and grabbed his things from the back.

“Thanks for the ride.”

Whitney looked down at him. “If I’d break up with Lana, would you take the opportunity and go after her?”

Clark didn’t hesitate when he answered.

“No.”

Whitney nodded. “See you at school, Clark.”

Then he sped away.

~*~*~

Clark walked through the school hallways on Monday morning, his ears open for any news about Whitney and Lana. Part of him hoped to hear they’d broken up, but part of him didn’t want to hear that. He still cared about Lana, and he didn’t want to see her get hurt. He didn’t know what Whitney was thinking when he’d left the day before, but Clark knew he wanted Whitney to be honest with Lana.

Lunch rolled around, and as Clark entered the cafeteria, he spotted Lana sitting with Whitney and the rest of the football team. Whitney had his arm around her, and it appeared that nothing had changed. Whitney looked up and caught Clark’s eye. He nodded in his direction, then focused his attention back on Lana.

Clark dumped his tray of uneaten food and walked out. He went in search of Chloe, who was holed up in the Torch office. Pete was still at home sick.

Had the weekend been all in his imagination? No. The kisses had been real. And Clark had said he wouldn’t sneak around on Lana. So why did he feel worse than that night in the cornfield?

“Hello, mopey,” Chloe greeted him cheerfully. She pulled a thick file from one of the many cabinets and sat down at her desk. “Come to help lay out tomorrow’s edition?”

Clark dropped his bag on the floor.

“Sure, I’ll help.”

He threw himself into working with Chloe, and tried unsuccessfully to push Whitney from his mind.

Whitney groaned when he saw Clark leave.

“Are you okay?” Lana asked.

“Yeah. Fine.”

She smiled at him. “So tell me about your camping trip. Was it fun?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “It wasn’t bad.”

“What did you do?”

I kissed Clark Kent in the moonlight, was on the tip of his tongue.

“Oh, usual camping stuff. We searched for owl poop.”

Lana giggled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sounds like a blast.”

“I heard you got stuck being partners with that loser, Kent,“ Jimmy Travis said. “Dude, you poor guy.”

Whitney felt Lana bristle beside him.

“Clark Kent is not a loser,” she said. “He’s a better person than you are, Jimmy.”

“Whoa, touchy. Fordman, I think your girl’s got a thing for the geek.”

“Jimmy, shut your mouth about Kent,” Whitney said, resisting the urge to growl. He really didn’t like Jimmy all that much. Ever since Whitney had caught Jimmy and his friends smoking weed behind the school, and learned they kept a small stash in Jimmy’s locker, Whitney wanted nothing to do with them. He only tolerated them because they were fellow team members and good players.

“What the hell is up with you?” Jimmy asked. “I thought you hated the kid.”

“I was wrong, okay? So just leave him alone.”

Jimmy backed down. “Fine, geez.”

The conversation switched to the next football game coming up. But Whitney wasn’t paying attention. He knew he had to talk to Clark and explain that he was taking things slow with Lana. Eventually though, he did want to be with Clark.

~*~*~

Clark squinted into his telescope and adjusted the focus. The stars were really bright and clear tonight. A week had passed since he and Whitney had shared a kiss at Crater Lake, and nothing else had happened. Whitney was barely speaking to him at all, and it was really bothering him. His parents had noticed he was quieter, but they figured it had something to do with Lana.

Well, they were close.

He sighed heavily and sat down on a crate, resting his head in his hands. He’d been a fool that night, he knew that now. What would a guy like Whitney Fordman want with him? It was the same with Lana. Clark just wasn’t meant to be with anyone. It was almost like it was his punishment for being different.

It was totally, fucking unfair, he decided.

“Clark?”

His head popped up and he saw Lana coming up the wooden steps. She looked beautiful, as usual.

“Lana.”

“Looking at the stars?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

Lana came to stand in front of him. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Clark stood up. “Sure.”

“It’s about Whitney. Have you noticed anything different about him lately?”

“Um, like what? We don’t talk much, you know.”

Lana peered outside the open loft window. “Well, we had a talk today. A long one. He told me some things I hadn’t ever expected to hear from him.”

Clark gulped. He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch.

“Clark, Whitney and I broke up.”

Clark’s breath left him in a whoosh and he sat back down again. “Wow. Lana, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He had an explanation, and while I’m still getting used to the idea, I’m not mad at him.“ Lana sat across from Clark on the old couch and laced her fingers together. “He told me he was gay.”

Omigod, he did it, Clark thought. He really did it.

“I thought he was joking at first, like it was some kind of lame excuse to break up with me. But, then I realized he was being 100% completely honest with me, just like always.”

Clark cleared his throat. “Are you, are you okay?”

“I’m still a bit shocked, but I’ll get over it. I just want him to be happy, you know?”

“Why did he decide to tell you now?”

“He didn’t think it was fair to me, to lead me on anymore.“ She paused for a moment. “I think there might be someone else.”

“Whitney didn’t say for sure?”

Lana shook her head. “No.”

“Oh.”

“And he’s asked me to keep his secret. He doesn’t want to reveal himself just yet. I think he may wait until after graduation.”

“Maybe that’s a good idea.”

“Clark?”

Clark dragged his eyes away from the stars and back to Lana. He was finding it hard to look at her, which almost made him laugh.

“This may sound completely crazy, and I’m sorry in advance, but...” She faltered and twisted her hands together. “Is Whitney in love with you?”

Clark felt his heart begin to beat faster. “Lana, I don’t-”

She jumped up and covered her eyes with her hands. “I’m sorry! I just, I had this feeling. I’m sorry.”

Clark pulled her into a hug. “Your feeling is half right. We like each other, but I don’t know if he’s in love with me.”

“When did this happen?”

“I guess he’s had some feelings for me for awhile, but we only just connected last weekend.”

“On the camping trip,” Lana breathed.

“Right. If it makes you feel any better, Whitney hasn’t said two words to me this whole week.”

“He probably wanted to make sure I understood first.” Lana’s arms tightened around Clark. “Thanks for being such a good friend, Clark. I really appreciate it.”

A million thoughts were spinning around Clark’s head. Hadn’t he always dreamed of this moment? Having Lana in his arms was all he thought about for years. And now, when it was really happening, all he wanted was Whitney.

Neither of them noticed Whitney leaving the barn.

~end Part One

onto Part Two