You know I'm slightly in two minds about your story, because Clark isn't free to respond to Lois in it.
But for all of that, I think this is a very well-told story, set in a fascinating milieu. The very fact that it is an undercover story, with Lois as a sort of undercover agent, makes it captivating. And the fact that practically everybody can identify with a school situation and remember what going to school was like, means that the identification factor is amazingly high.
Claude makes my skin crawl. (Claude Malfois, indeed... the name suits him.) I truly hate seeing Lois infatuated with him. Of course, in this part, Lois had the cobwebs ripped from her eyes when it comes to Claude's character. And even though Clark isn't free to respond to Lois, he defended her to Claude with a quiet passion which suggests that Lois has become more than just another high school student to him.
And now I have to wonder if Lois's cover will be blown. Will she get the story? Will she put an end to the deadly initiation rites? Will she get a job at the Daily Planet? And will she get the guy, her handsome teacher? I doubt we will be able to answer the last question in the affirmative, but I'm more hopeful about the answers to the other questions.
Anyway, this is definitely a very well-told and fascinating story, Laura.
Ann
