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Chloe had spent the past couple of days alternating between working on the Torch, homework, and researching the story Lex had told them about his friend from Excelsior. Normally it wouldn’t take her long to find out about a murder like that, but it looked like it had been covered up in every possible way because all of the information she was coming across was conflicting at best.
She was working at the Torch when she heard footsteps coming and paused, looking up from her research to see who was coming toward the office. It was after school hours and not many people came up to the second floor at this time.
“Hey, Chloe.” Clark smiled as he stepped inside and dropped his bag on the couch. “How’s it going?”
“Hey,” she relaxed a little when she saw it was him, “busy, you?”
“Oh. Just finished up some homework,” he told her with a slight shrug. “You want me to go? I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy.”
“No, it’s okay,” she shrugged, “I was just finishing up some research.”
“Anything interesting?” he asked, moving to sit down in one of the chairs by her.
“You could say that,” she said, arching her eyebrows, “remember that story Lex told us about Oliver?”
Immediately his expression grew serious. “Yeah, hard to forget,” he told her.
“Well...” she said quietly, “I don’t know if things are what Lex made them sound like.”
“What did you find?” He frowned, studying her.
“That Lionel went out of his way to cover it up?” She said, cocking her head, “and that that guy’s death was officially ruled accidental.”
His frown deepened. “Why would Lionel want to cover it up if Oliver killed someone?” He shook his head.
“Exactly,” Chloe told him, “unless Lex was involved.”
Clark fell silent at that, staring at her for a moment. “Maybe one of us should find out Oliver’s side of the story.”
“Yeah...” she agreed, pursing her lips together, “but I don’t think I’m his favorite person right now.”
“What happened?” His eyebrows furrowed a little. “I thought you guys were working together on that whole baby project.”
“Yeah and then he got into that fight and I kinda told him he should have backed out of the fight?” She said.
“Oh.” He nodded a little. “Well, for what it’s worth, you’re right.”
“Thanks,” she smiled a little, “I just didn’t want Lionel to ground him again.”
Clark winced at that. “How long is he grounded?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, “but I assume longer now.”
“Yeah, knowing Lionel, probably.” He frowned a little more.
“Yeah,” she shrugged a little, “so what do you think? You wanna talk to him?”
“You think he’d want to talk to me?” There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
“Probably?” She said, shrugging, “I don’t know, I don’t think he has many actual friends.”
Clark looked at her for a minute, then nodded and rose to his feet. “All right. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Awesome.” She grinned a little, “let me know.”
He smiled back at her. “Will do. Hey, are you gonna go to the game Friday night?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah.” She said, arching her eyebrows, “you?”
“Definitely.” He grinned. “We should all go. A big group thing. Maybe we can get some pizza or something after.”
“Yeah,” she grinned up at him, nodding, “why don’t you invite Oliver?” She asked, “maybe that will make it easier on him.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, too. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Cool,” Chloe agreed, “what are you up to for the rest of the day?”
“No plans,” he admitted with a shrug. “Want to finish up here and come hang out with me at the Talon for awhile?”
She considered for a moment, even as she bit back a smile, “yeah, sure. I guess I’ve done enough for the day.”
“Cool.” He smiled a little brighter and moved to pick up his bag.
Chloe saved everything she had open then shut down her computer, “alright, let’s go.”
* * *
Oliver stood at his locker the next morning. He was a half-hour early, but he’d just wanted to get the hell out of the mansion and away from Lionel. And Lex. Not that the latter spoke much to him at all. Raking a hand through his short, spiky blonde hair, he pulled out the books he’d need for his first two classes and shut the locker, blinking when he spotted the dark haired guy who was always hanging around with Chloe and Lex and the brunette cheerleader whose name he didn’t even know.
He eyed him warily. “Are you here to threaten me?”
Clark paused at that, frowning and shaking his head, “No, why would I do that?”
“Because you’re friends with Lex. And Chloe.” He pursed his lips.
“And I don’t think we got the chance to really meet.” He said, holding out his hand, “Clark Kent.”
He hesitated a moment, then shook Clark’s hand. “Oliver Queen. But you already knew that.”
“Yeah,” he said, smiling a little, “I knew.”
Oliver nodded a little, not sure what else to say.
“I know you and Lex don’t get along,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “but Chloe said nice things about you.”
He paused, genuinely surprised by that. “She did?”
“Yeah, she said you helped her with the project and everything,” Clark shrugged.
Oliver nodded a little, looking down at the floor for a moment and then back up at Clark. “She seems like a cool person.”
“She is,” Clark nodded, “are you going to the football game on Friday?”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he said uncertainly.
“There’s a group of us going,” he said, “if you want to come too. We’ll probably go have pizza after.”
He pursed his lips. “I assume Lex is going.”
“He can’t come,” Clark said, shaking his head, “I think he and his dad will be in Metropolis.”
Oliver raised his eyebrows. He did vaguely recall Lionel saying something about a trip to Metropolis. He just hoped that didn’t include him. “If I don’t get dragged along, sure.”
“Okay,” he nodded, “we usually meet at the Talon half an hour before the game and walk over here.”
He looked at Clark warily, but managed a faint smile. “Are you sure Chloe’s okay with me joining you guys?” Because the last time he’d talked to her, she hadn’t had much use for him.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he nodded, smiling, “if you don’t have to go to Metropolis, we’ll see you then?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, nodding. “Yeah. I’ll see you then. Thanks for the invite.”
“No problem,” he said, smiling at him before starting down the hallway.
Oliver watched him go, then reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if he had just been set up.
* * *
Chloe sipped on her coffee then made her way over to the table Lana and Clark were sitting at, “you guys ready to go?”
“Not yet,” Clark answered, arching his eyebrows. “Oliver should be meeting us here soon.”
“Oh, he’s actually coming?” Chloe asked, surprised as she took a seat across from them.
“He said he was, unless Lionel made him go with him to Metropolis.” He smiled a little at her.
“Huh,” she nodded, leaning back against her chair. “I guess we wait then.”
Lana smiled and took a sip of her own coffee. “So the game tonight sounds like it’s going to be exciting.”
“I’m really hoping so,” Chloe said, smirking a little. Not that she cared about the game itself, but she needed people to be engaged, “who are we playing again?” She teased.
Clark smirked at her, shaking his head. “You’re just going to check out the players,” he teased.
“I want you to know I’m on a mission, Clark Kent.” She said, arching her eyebrows.
“Uh huh.” He smirked a little more, knowingly.
At that moment, the door to the Talon opened and Oliver stood just inside, glancing around with uncertainty written all over his face. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket.
“There he is!” Lana said, waving at Oliver.
He hesitantly lifted his hand in a wave, slowly making his way over to them.
Chloe set down her coffee and looked up at him; she hadn’t really talked to him since the day of the fight.
“Do you want a drink? On the house.” Lana offered, smiling.
His eyebrows furrowed a little. “You own the place?”
“Yeah, Lex and his dad helped me keep it, it was going to be demolished otherwise.”
He pursed his lips at that, nodding ever-so-slightly and shifting his gaze to Chloe.
Chloe chewed on the inside of her lip and smiled a little at him, “we should probably go soon.”
“Yeah, the game starts in a few minutes,” Lana added, standing up.
“Yeah,” Clark echoed, standing up and looking down at Lana, “there will be a crowd going in.”
Oliver shifted from one foot to the other. “Lead the way.”
Clark followed Lana outside of the coffee shop, placing a hand on her back.
Chloe watched them for a moment, shaking her head a little as she pulled her purse over her head, picked up her coffee and followed silently.
* * *
Oliver was a little surprised at how packed the stadium was, considering how small the town in general was. He glanced around, his eyes landing momentarily on Chloe, whose gaze was lingering on Clark and Lana. Pursing his lips, he paused for a moment, then regarded the pair himself. He’d heard a rumor that Lana was dating one of the football players in school, and considering they were at a game and Clark apparently wasn’t on the team, he assumed that wasn’t him. Or the rumor had just been wrong.
“You guys take the middle,” Chloe offered, “I’ll need to sneak out in the middle of the game.”
“Where to?” Clark frowned, sitting next to Lana.
“Torch work.” Chloe smirked.
Lana smiled and shook her head a little, taking the seat farthest away from the end. “All work and no play...” she teased.
Chloe shrugged and smiled, “it’s like play for me.”
Clark smiled faintly at that and sat down next to Lana, glancing up at Oliver wordlessly.
He rubbed his neck and took the next seat, leaving the seat on the end for Chloe.
Chloe took her seat and set her things down on the floor, glancing over at Oliver. Maybe this seating wasn’t really a good idea.
Oliver glanced at her sideways and offered her a small, hesitant smile.
She smiled back just as hesitantly, “are you into football?” She asked, it was a lame conversation starter, but it was better than awkward silence.
“Not really,” he admitted, arching his eyebrows. “Are you?”
“Not at all,” she said, smiling a little, “mostly, I come to these because of my friend Pete.”
Pete. Pete. The name sounded familiar and he had a brief memory of meeting someone named Pete at the party in the caves a few weeks ago. “Oh, I didn’t know he played.”
“Yeah, he’s actually playing this year, last year he was on the bench all season.” She explained, “he’s excited, so I’m trying to be supportive.”
Oliver nodded a little at that. “Oh. That’s good. I’m sure he’s glad.”
“Yeah,” she nodded then arched her eyebrows, “why did you come?”
“Clark invited me,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek.
“Oh,” she knew as much, she was more interested in understanding why he had accepted the invitation, but she was just going to remain curious for the time being.
He sensed that wasn’t what she meant, but since she didn’t clarify, he didn’t either. “Do you guys want some popcorn or something?”
“I’m okay,” Chloe said, glancing over at the other two.
“No, thank you,” Lana answered with a smile.
“I’ll come with you if you’re getting something,” Clark told him.
He nodded a little, rising to his feet. “You hungry?” he asked the other man as he carefully slid around Chloe’s seat and headed up the stadium stairs toward the concession booth.
“Always,” Clark grinned a little.
He couldn’t help but grin, too. “What do you recommend?”
“Hot dogs, they are not as good as the ones at Sharks Stadium, but they are okay.” He told him.
“I’ve never been to Shark’s Stadium,” Oliver admitted, arching his eyebrows a little.
“You haven’t?” Clark asked, surprised, “you should go. It’s cool.”
“Maybe we can all make the trip up there sometime,” he suggested.
“That sounds nice, I don’t think Lana has ever been to a game there either,” Clark said.
“What about Chloe?” Oliver asked curiously.
“Oh,” Clark frowned, “I’m not sure. She doesn’t really like football, but her dad does.”
He paused at that, nodding slightly. “Oh.”
“But she’d never pass up an opportunity to go to Metropolis,” he smiled.
“Yeah? She a city girl at heart?”
“Yeah, she grew up there,” Clark shrugged a little as they got in line.
Something else he hadn’t known. And now he was even more curious. “And her parents decided to move to Smallville for a safer environment?”
“Her dad got transferred here,” he told him, “he works at LuthorCorp.”
He paused, cocking his head. “Oh.” He chewed the inside of his cheek as they moved farther up the line toward the concession stand. He could smell popcorn, and corndogs, and some kind of cheese the closer they got.
“You didn’t know that?” Clark frowned.
Oliver glanced at him sideways, and shook his head. “Weird, considering we were married, right?” His voice grew light and joking.
Clark paused at that, his eyes widening then he smiled, relaxing, “right, the project.”
He chuckled lightly at Clark’s reaction. “Yeah.” He grinned.
“I forgot...” he said, embarrassed.
“It’s all right. I hadn’t even actually met you then,” he reminded the other man.
“Yeah,” Clark nodded a little, “sorry... I just heard from Lex.”
“Right.” His smile immediately faded a bit, but he nodded, too.
“But you seem alright,” he said, smiling.
“Thanks.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You too.”
“Thanks,” Clark echoed, then stepped up to the booth as they got to the front of the line.
“What do you want?” Oliver asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I’ll get it,” Clark said, embarrassed.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” he said honestly.
“I eat a lot,” he nodded, “thanks.”
“All right.” He ordered a corndog for himself, glancing over his shoulder to where Chloe and Lana were seated, and then he ordered a cup of coffee, too.
Clark ordered two hotdogs, a portion of nachos and a bottle of juice, controlling himself since Lana was there. He smiled at Clark as they headed back to their seats. He scooted past Chloe’s seat and then held out the cup of coffee to her wordlessly.
Chloe blinked in surprise, looking up at the coffee cup, “oh, thank you.” She said, turning to look at him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, sitting down in the seat beside her once more. “I wasn’t sure how you took it,” he admitted. “So it’s just plain.”
“As long as it’s coffee, it doesn’t matter,” she said with a smile.
He smiled back, relaxing as he leaned back in the chair. “Cool.”
She glanced over at Clark, who had his attention back on Lana then shook her head a little and sipped on her coffee, “I’m sorry I’m going to have to leave you here for a while.”
“Right, the Torch thing.” He shrugged a little. “It’s all right.”
Chloe nodded a little, sliding back against her seat, “so you’re home alone?”
She was half right, but he simply nodded. “Yeah, other than some staff.”
“Must be nice,” she told him, “being home alone and still not have to worry about what you’re going to eat.”
He smiled faintly at that. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Or laundry,” she grinned a little, “that must be awesome.”
Oliver chuckled. “I do hate laundry.”
“You’ve done it before?” She asked, sincerely surprised.
He couldn’t help but smirk at the expression on her face. “Yeah. They taught us a lot of basic life skills at Excelsior,” he informed her. “It’d probably surprise you to know that I can also cook.”
“Yeah, definitely,” she said, arching her eyebrows, “I can’t.”
“Maybe I could give you a cooking lesson,” he said lightly.
“Maybe,” she grinned then shook her head, “but Mrs. Kent tried and still didn’t work, so keep that in mind.”
“So are you saying you’re unteachable?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Just when it comes to cooking,” she said with a nod.
“Well, it sounds like a challenge.”
“Take it as you will,” she smirked, sipping on her coffee again.
He smirked at that, as well, arching an eyebrow. “You sure you want me to do that?”
“Now it almost sounds like a threat,” she said, looking over at him in mock shock.
“I’d never threaten a woman,” he informed her, his eyes widening in feigned defense.
“Uh huh,” she smirked, then shook her head, “I accept your challenge, depending on what you want to teach me.”
He met her eyes, grinning involuntarily. “I’m sure I can figure something out.”
“Let me know,” she told him, sipping on her coffee again.
He simply smiled.
* * *
After second half started and everyone seemed to be really involved in the game, Chloe pulled her purse up and glanced over at Oliver and Clark, “work time, see you guys later.” She told them as she stood up.
Oliver glanced up at her, nodding a little. “See you.”
Chloe pulled her camera out of her purse and nodded, then headed down the stairs, before disappearing in the crowd.
He watched her go, expression curious as she vanished from sight. “What’s she doing a story on?” he asked Clark, glancing at the other man sideways. “Just the game?”
Clark paused at that and shook his head a little. “I don’t know.” He admitted, “she didn’t tell me.”
He nodded, sitting back in his chair once more.
“She always comes up with something,” Lana said with a smile.
Somehow, he really didn’t doubt that. He smiled back at Lana faintly. “Good to know.”
* * *
Chloe had managed to make her way into the locker room without being seen. It wasn’t surprising considering no one usually stayed there during the second half and since there usually was no need for security when it came to Smallville, she was having a pretty easy time looking inside the lockers themselves.
According to rumors she had heard, some of the members of the team had figured out that mixing steroids with the meteor rocks, would make them even stronger and faster than normal and not only was that illegal, it was incredibly dangerous if she was right about the effects the meteor rocks had on people. According to the first half of the game, however, Chloe had been pretty sure the rumors were true.
They had never played like that before, as far as she knew, and they were beating the other team by ridiculous amounts. Now all she needed was proof.
While the smell was overwhelmingly bad, the worst part was touching the disgusting things everyone had in their lockers. Or she thought that was the worst part anyway, until she heard steps and without thinking twice, she sneaked into one of said lockers, to keep out of sight.
“We are kicking ass out there! I can’t believe Coach sidelined me!” someone complained loudly.
“Doesn’t matter. Johnson and Michaels are still out there, and as long as they are, there’s no chance they’re going to catch up with our score now.”
Johnson and Michaels, yep, those were definitely the prime suspects. They sucked the previous year, even Clark had agreed.
“So we’ll just chill out and relax the rest of the game. And find a way to blow off some steam after.”
“No,” Chloe winced as she muttered under her breath. Moving quietly, she reached for her purse, trying to find her phone.
“Sounds good. I’ll just grab a shower and then--” The guy yanked open the locker that Chloe was standing inside, disbelief flickering over his features.
She stilled when he opened the door, then smiled at him, “I guess I don’t have to sneak around for pictures then?”
His eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you doing in my locker?” he demanded.
“Well, yours was the cleanest one,” she lied, her heart beating fast, “I was hoping for a closer look at our amazing football team.”
He paused, then smirked. “How close were you hoping for? I do have some time to kill.”
“She’s that bitch from the stupid school paper. You know, the one who screwed over Coach Arnold last year, and a bunch of guys from the team,” his buddy spoke up, glaring at her.
“I don’t think that’s fair,” Chloe said, frowning, “he tried to set me on fire first.”
“Shut your mouth,” the guy in front of her ordered, glancing at his friend. “So what the hell are we supposed to do with her?”
“Look, I was just looking for some more information for a story on the obvious win you guys are getting tonight,” she told them, “so I’m just gonna get back out there and you can go take your shower and relax.” She told him, smiling.
“I don’t think so,” the second guy responded, narrowing his eyes. “Actually, I think you’ve just found yourself in a lot of hot water.” He cracked his knuckles.
“Now,” she said, shifting back slightly, “you don’t think you’ll get away with that, do you?”
“You’d be surprised with what guys like us can get away with.” He smirked at her, eyes flashing.
“Hate to tell you, Charlie,” she said, “but you’re not the one Coach is going to worry about protecting. You’re not even on the field right now, are you?” She pointed out, even though she knew she should keep her mouth shut.
He chuckled, reaching inside the locker and pulling her out by her arm, none too gently. “I wouldn’t worry about the Coach.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “There’s a lot he doesn’t know about.”
* * *
Chloe had been gone almost forty minutes when Oliver glanced at Clark with a slight frown. “You think everything’s okay? She’s been gone for awhile.”
“It hasn’t been that long,” Clark said, glancing at him, “I’m sure she’s okay.”
He pursed his lips, glancing at his watch again. “Yeah, okay. I’m gonna use the bathroom. Be back.” He rose to his feet and headed down the stadium stairs.
Clark frowned a little, but shrugged and looked back at the game.
Oliver rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way into the school building and towards the men’s restroom, which was connected to the locker room. He paused just inside the door when he heard a scuffling noise and he cocked his head for a moment.
“What are you planning on? Killing me?” She asked, arching her eyebrows, her heart beating fast.
He knew that voice. Uh-oh.
“Maybe. Might have a little fun with you first,” Charlie told her with a smirk.
“I hope you consider that whatever happens here will be printed on the Torch. And don’t forget I have contacts over at the Inquisitor and the Planet, Charlie.” She said, not backing down, “kiss goodbye any attempts at scholarships.”
“I’m not too worried about it. You see, they’re not going to find your body,” he responded, shoving her backwards into the lockers.
“Are they gonna find mine?”
Charlie turned to see Oliver standing there a few feet away, eyes narrowed and dark. “Maybe.”
Chloe gasped as she fell back inside the locker, then blinked and looked up, arching her eyebrows when she saw Oliver, not Clark, standing there.
“So do you make it a habit of practicing violence against women?” he asked, taking a couple steps closer, fists clenching at his sides.
She stood up, adjusting her purse on her side and when she saw the other jock starting toward Oliver, she arched her eyebrows at him and smirked, “I wouldn’t.”
“Just stupid reporters who make the team look bad,” Charlie said, “she deserves it.”
“That’s what they all say,” Oliver said sarcastically, shoving the first jock aside and moving toward the one closest to Chloe. He slammed his fist into the guy’s face.
Chloe blinked, looking from the guy who was suddenly on the floor, to Oliver. “Okay,” she said, grabbing his arm, “let’s get going.”
“Are you serious? They were just threatening to kill you.” He gave her a look like he thought she was crazy.
“They wouldn’t have had the balls to do it and you don’t need to get into trouble because of them,” she said, tugging on his arm.
“Oh, I think it’d be worth it,” he responded. He glared down at Charlie.
She stepped to the side until she was in front of him and he had no choice but to look at her, “let’s go.”
He blew out a breath, reluctantly taking a step back. “Either one of you comes near her, and it’s gonna be the last thing you do,” he warned darkly.
“And I won’t stop him next time,” she added, then pulled Oliver’s arm and dragged him out of the locker room.
Oliver flexed his fingers, slowly realizing that his knuckles hurt. He was fairly certain he’d broken Charlie’s nose.
Chloe frowned at that, looking down at his hand once they were back out of the room, “you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m all right.” He glanced at her sideways. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
“No,” she took a deep breath, “it was my fault anyway.”
“That they were threatening to kill you?” he asked dubiously.
“That I got caught,” she said, arching her eyebrows.
Oliver glanced at her sideways. “What story are you trying to do, exactly?”
Chloe pursed her lips together, “I’m pretty sure that,” she looked around then lowered her voice, “some of the jocks are using steroids.”
He arched his eyebrows at that. “And you didn’t think backup might be a good idea when you’re going after a bunch of super-pumped idiots?” he whispered.
“They weren’t supposed to be in there!” She said, then lowered her voice again, “the whole team is usually out on the field by the second half.”
He let out a breath, raking a hand through his hair and glancing at her again. “And you’re sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” she breathed, “just annoyed I got caught. Now they’re going to be on the lookout and they will cover their tracks up.”
“I’m not sure they’re smart enough for that. Besides, why don’t you ask your friend Pete?” he whispered.
“I thought about it, but I don’t know if I should do that to him,” she said, “I mean, he has to be around those guys.”
He chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking. “What about a camera? Or tape recorder? You know, somewhere hidden.”
“Yeah, I thought about it, but I don’t think they’ll be dumb enough to inject at school...”
“Maybe not inject no. But do you really think they’re smart enough to refrain from talking about it while they’re at school?”
“Yeah, good point...” she said, “especially considering they think they are so smart for figuring this thing out.”
He nodded a little. “Exactly. And my gym locker happens to be right next to Charlie’s.” He smirked.
Chloe arched her eyebrows and smirked back at him, nodding a little, “I’ll get my hands on a tiny camera by Monday.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking a deep breath, “for this and for that,” she nodded back to the room.
“No problem. Just glad you’re all right.”
“Guess we should get back,” she told him, pursing her lips together.
“Probably,” he agreed, flexing his fingers by his side once more. He was going to need to ice that tonight.
“Let me see that,” she said, stopping in front of him and holding out her hand.
“It’s no big deal.”
She frowned and took his hand gently in hers anyway, “it’s swollen.”
Oliver gazed at her for a moment, then dropped his gaze to their hands. “I’ll ice it. It’ll be fine. Besides, it was worth it.”
“Are you sure it’s not broken?” She asked worriedly, “can you move your fingers?”
He wiggled his fingers a little, then dipped his head to catch her eyes. “I’m okay.”
“Okay,” she relaxed a little, then looked up at him again. “But if you need anything, tell me.”
“I will.” He smiled faintly. “Don’t worry.”
Chloe nodded a little then let go of his hand, “we should get back,” she said, looking down.
“Yeah, probably,” he murmured, looking down, too.
She pursed her lips together and glanced at him again, then started back toward the stairs.
He held his breath for a moment and then followed her silently, forgetting about his hand injury for the time being.