Another little gem, C_A! This is beautiful - so poignant, as well as insightful. You write the minor female characters in L&C so well, especially their feelings for Clark.
/me wonders if C_A's next story will be from Mayson's point of view... 
You said you wanted to shed light on that stage of Clark's life using Rachel as a mirror - well, you succeeded admirably. We see the loneliness and isolation, even among his cheerful friendliness. And the way he describes Lana as not being open-minded enough...
These were the perfect final lines:
He would never realize just how well she had known him back then, in those days of loneliness and frustration, how she had understood without words all the things he had never shared with her, and how well she remembered the ones he had, including a farewell kiss in the face of an impending storm.
He would never know that he had never been alone.
Wonderful!
I hope this, and your Lana story, are on their way to the Archive!
Wendy
