"The Few Times You Ever Asked Me."

Title: The Few Times You Ever Asked Me
Rating: PG
Couples: Chlark
Disclaimer: The WB and CW own everything. I own nothing.
Summary: Cutouts from Chloe and Clark's life that led to, something.

1 //2//3//4//5//6 // 7





chapter one




　


*

Before they were ever best friends, they were just friends, and only because of one friend.

Pete Ross, the connecting dot between them, had introduced Chloe to Clark during fourth period lunch one day in eighth grade, and the first encounter was anything but perfect.

Pete and Clark sat across from Chloe, who had felt alienated since she'd enrolled in their school. She wasn't used to the small town chatter, rumors and gossip that swirled around her sudden existence in the classrooms. Chloe was smart, and smart mouthed, and hardly kept any bit of knowledge to herself. She was labeled a know it all, brainiac, the dreaded teacher's pet, and worst of all, a geek.

Pete shared homeroom with Chloe, and had the opportunity to sit next to her for the next three years of school; something that he felt fortunate for, since he developed a liking to her early, ever since that first smile she passed over her shoulder at him for simply no reason at all.

Pete, after intercepting a scribbled, nasty note that was passed around the entire class, had asked Chloe to eat lunch with him and his best friend. He couldn't help but notice how she leapt up to the invitation, all smiles and bright eyed like she had finally found a friend in the world.

Middle school was a tough world.

Pete tore up the hateful piece of paper his classmates had directed at the new girl, and walked Chloe to the lunch room where Clark waited.

Pete was excited. He and Clark had never sat with a girl at lunch before. It was like they were growing up, and the opposite sex becoming less of a threat, and more of a possibilty.

Pete found his best friend in their usual seats by the windows, and Clark's head craned in the usual direction. Pete rolled his eyes and tapped Clark on the shoulder.
He wanted him to say hi to his new girl friend. A friend, that was a girl.

"Yo Clark," Pete mussled up his dark brown hair playfully, "Earth to Clark?"

The dark haired boy in blue turned around eventually, a dreamy look clouding his eyes.

"I want you to meet Chloe." Pete smiled, and stepped aside to show off his new friend.

The expression on Clark's face was priceless, a mix of confusion then curiousity. This creature that Pete had presented to him wasn't like all the other friends Pete had introduced him to. This one was...

Pretty.

There was a bow in her hair, a green one, that wrapped around the short, floaty yellow hair that fell to her little chin. Her cheeks were natually flushed as if she'd just come from outside during winter, a glow that matched her animated expression. There was a bundle of books in her arms, and she held it protectively against her chest.

She was a girl, Clark noticed. And noticed over again. He snaked a look at Pete for confirmation, that in fact, Pete had actually befriended this creature.

Clark looked back at her, finding her eyes impossibly bright, and green, reflecting the sunlight that shone over his back.

She was already smiling at him. So Clark smiled.

"Chloe, this is my best friend, Clark." Pete said, looking between them expectantly.

"Hi." she said when she stuck out her hand.
Clark looked at her hand strangely, hesitant when he took it in his, and shook it very lightly. "Nice to meet you."

He felt hers pull away suddenly before they could even shake twice.

"Umm." She frowned at her hand and then wiped it on her shorts.

"Oh!" Clark blushed, wiping his palm on his jeans. "Sorry, I guess my hands are sweaty."

"Yeah, a little." Chloe smiled again. "It's ok."

Pete tossed his back pack down on the table and took a seat. "Clark sweating? This could mean only one thing."

Chloe looked between them.

Pete rolled his eyes as his best friend absently plopped down, head turned in the direction of one of the more populated lunch tables. "Clark only sweats when he thinks about her."

Chloe stared at the back of Clark's head. "Thinks about who?"

"Lana Lang." Pete supplied and then made a face.

Chloe looked over at the other table, and recognized the girls. "You mean her?" She studied the one with the raven black, beautiful hair that fell to her past her shoulders.
She was smiling, giggling with the crowd of other friends that chatted around her.
Chloe looked back at the only two people at her table and frowned. "Those were the girls who ignored me at P.E. today."

Pete sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, most of the popular girls are snobs."
He smiled and passed a bag of chips to her from his backpack. "Don't let them get to you."

Chloe smiled, and took a handful of chips, eating one very delicately. "Don't worry, I wont. I could care less what they think of me."

"I've noticed." Pete grinned.

"Lana's not a snob." This came from Clark who had finally rejoined the conversation.

"Nice to have you back from LanaLand." Pete elbowed him playfully.

"She's not. " Clark grumbled defensively, unwrapping a sandwhich his mother had packed for him. "She's one of the nicest people at school."

Pete eyed him over his hoagie. "Really?" He said, chewing his food and swallowing before he talked. "I bet if you went over there right now and asked Lana Lang to come sit with us she would just stare at you like you were an alien or something."

Clark stiffened. "Lana's not like that."

Pete shook his head and finished his food.

"Sorry to interrupt," Chloe injected cautiously, "But if you're such good friends with her, why aren't you sitting over there?" She nodded towards the popular table, where all the kids huddled around.

Pete coughed, laughing while his food still filled his mouth. "Because Clark can't get within five feet of Lana Lang without becoming a total freak show. He even sweats just thinking about it."

Chloe studied the boy with the dark hair and noticed how embarrassed he was becoming. The boy was blushing, and had turned his attention down to his brown paper snack lunch that was already devoured, absently tearing at the edges.

He looked, genuinely sad.

Chloe opened her small bag of gummy worms and offered Clark one, hoping that would catch his attention.

It did, his fingers snaking out to grab just one, politely thanking her in a hushed voice. Chloe split the rest of the bag of worms with Pete, and continued to study the girl sitting at the other table.

"Well, she is pretty." Chloe admitted, carefully eating a neon red worm. Her dad would be furious if he knew she had even bought them.

Clark looked up for a moment, a small smile across his lips before it disappeared again. "Lana's the prettiest girl at school."

Chloe felt a stab of jealousy then, not knowing why the side comment hurt so much. Her composure curled in, carefully placing the remainder of her nibbled worm on the table.

Pete noticed this, "You're not going to finish that?"

Chloe smiled, a little sadly. "No. I'm not even supposed to be eating gummy things."

"Why not?"

And that's when she smiled, grinned ear to ear actually, exposing her bright, metallic smile to see.

"Braces." She said lamely, resting her chin on her hand.

Pete shrugged. "That sucks. How long do you have to wear them?"

"Hopefully only til next year. Ugh, I hate them." Chloe said, rubbing her lips. "They make my mouth itch and my teeth feel numb. But my dad says they'll make my smile beautiful."

Pete nodded, and then paused, feeling brave. "Well, I think your smile's already beautiful." It came out smoother than he thought it would, and a small bolt of confidence straightened his posture.

Chloe smiled bashfully, picked up the abandoned gummy worm and continued to nibble on it.

Clark seemed oblivious to the rest of the conversation, instead placing his head inbetween his hands as he leaned on the table on his knobby elbows. He sighed. "It's official. I'm in love."

Pete gave him a pathetic look, while Chloe, a softer one.

"That's sweet. Even though you're only what, thirteen?"

They both looked up at Chloe quizzically. She was the same age as they were and yet, she talked like she was much older.

"I can be thirteen and be in love at the same time." Clark said, defensively.

Chloe smiled sympathetically, but shrugged. "Well, I don't believe in love."

Clark blinked, hard. "You don't believe in love?" He said, doubt after every syllable.

Chloe nodded, looking at him flatly.

Clark stared back at her like she'd mutated into some strange creature. "How can you not believe in love? Don't you love your mom and dad?"

Chloe kept an even face. "Of course I love my dad."

Clark and Pete noticed she'd left out her mom, but neither challenged it.

"But that's different." Chloe said, shifting a little. "Your parents are supposed to always love you." She squeezed a gummy worm between her thumb and forefinger. "But love between a man and a woman is different. Things change. People don't feel the same way after a while and they break up."

Clark stared at her a while, the frown still mixing up his face. "Well I don't know where you heard that from, but you're wrong."

Chloe frowned. "I'm not wrong. I'm only speaking my mind."

Clark frowned back. "Well, my mom and dad love each other. Always have, always will. So you can't tell me I'm wrong."

"I never said you were wrong. I only injected an opinion on the matter, and you're upset because it conflicts with yours."

Clark blinked and then looked at Pete for help.

"Okay guys, let's just eat before the bell rings." Pete said, trying to mediate before he lost both of them. Now he realized why Chloe had created such a bad reputation so soon. She didn't know when to keep her ideas to herself, to blend in and just make friends. No, she wasn't like other kids. She was difficult, and stubborn. Possibly more stubborn than Clark was.

He could tell Clark was still put off by the small fit he had fell into, looking like someone had said there wasn't a Santa Claus. Chloe on the other hand looked triumphant, like she'd stood up for herself against a mob. They both watched as she slung her bright orange messenger bag over her shoulder and picked up her books, smiled, telling Pete she'd see him in algebra.

Clark crumbled up his paper sack lunch and threw it in the trash, a mere thirty feet away.

"Nice shot." Pete said, gauging his friend's mood. "So, what do you think about Chloe?"

"She's ok." Clark offered.
Pete snickered. "C'mon, Clark. What do you really think about her?"

"Honestly?" Clark looked up to follow her out the lunch room. She was still making her way through the maze of tables, the girl with the yellow hair, green bow, purple shirt, with the flower print shorts. She was a miss-matched sort, kinda funky. Different. "I think she's the first girl I've ever talked to."

Pete squinched his brows. "Seriously?"

Clark explained. "Well, I mean really talk to. She seems smart."

Pete nodded, picking up his backpack as the bell rang. "She's super smart. And cute." Pete added, smiling to his friend.

Clark smiled back, picking up his back pack too. "Yeah, she's kinda cute I guess."

"Anyways," Pete said walking down the hall with Clark on his wing, "I'm thinking about inviting her over to my house this Saturday. You wanna come?"

Clark nodded, frowning at the same time. "Yeah of course. We always hang out on Saturday."

"Cool, because..." Pete stopped at his locker, dialing the combination. "I thought she could hang out with us from now on. You know, part of the gang."

Clark smiled strangely. "Wait a mintue, Pete. You're not thinking of asking her out are you?" Clark teased.

Pete laughed and then shut his locker, walking to his class. "I don't know. Thinking about it."

Clark stopped. "Really?"

When he watched Pete shrug, a innocent grin on his face, Clark jogged back to his side, walking backwards through the hall to face him. "No way. So are you guys going to be kissing and stuff while we hang out?" Clark teased again.

Pete punched him playfully in the shoulder before ducking into the classroom where he spied Chloe saving him a seat. "Be cool, man. I'll see you later."

Clark waved and then continued down the hall to his class.

It was strange, Clark thought, he and Pete really talking about a possibilty of an actual girl friend.They had talked about it often in the last year or so, but neither of them had enough guts to follow through and actually talk to a girl, yet.

It felt like a big accomplishment, for both of them. If Pete could talk to a girl, then
Clark knew it was only time until he summoned enough courage to talk to Lana.

He spotted her, down the hallway. A group of kids huddled around her locker, laughing, joking before the second bell rang.

Clark stood there, intranced by her cute, contained smile, her dark eyes and dark, flowing hair. He thought of what he might have said to her as one of the lucky guys who hung around her shoulder, whispering in her ear. Clark smiled to himself, forming the little words he thought would catch her attention. But someone elses words were in the way, interferring--

　

I don't believe in love.
　


Clark shook his head, knowing full well that love did exist. No matter what Chloe said, he knew, in his heart, love was true. Besides, what else could make Clark feel this way when he was near the girl of his dreams? He literally fell head over heels everytime.

Clark slung his back pack over his shoulder as the second bell rang. His next class was gym, and he'd have to sprint across campus to get to the football fields on time for roll call. Other kids scrambled around him, but Clark waited until the halls were empty. Only then did he burst into speed, a blur the whole way.

*


chapter 2
1 //2//3//4//5//6 // 7