Thanks, as always, to Carol for all her help!!
Just a warning – I don't foresee having much free time the remainder of the week, so expect the next chapter sometime over the weekend.
From Chapter 16
“You guess?” Maddie asked. “Besides, I called your room around eleven and Steve said you weren't there. So, where were you all wrapped up in how hard it was to write your article?”
“I went to the library,” I told her, looking at the ground so she couldn't see the lie on my face. “I thought it would be easier to concentrate there. It wasn't, though. I never even finished it.”
“Why would you go to the library?” Maddie asked. “How were you planning to type your paper from the library when your word processor is in your room? I thought that was the whole reason you weren't coming to my place – you don't like my word processor.”
“I never got that far,” I said truthfully. “I was just trying to organize my notes.”
“Half the night? And it never occurred to you to call me and let me know?”
I shrugged again, still not knowing what to say.
“You know what?” Maddie asked me. “I don't know what your deal is today, Clark, but you are not behaving anything like my boyfriend, and I'm not all that fond of this version of Clark Kent.” With that she spun on her heel and stormed off.
Chapter 17
I watched her walk away for a moment. What was the right thing to do? I couldn't tell her I had been in South Africa. I imagined how that conversation would go – she would think I was joking, and given her anger at me, this wasn't the time to joke.
I sighed. On the other hand, I didn't need to be so cavalier about not showing up for our plans. I did feel badly about that. It was just… I guess I got caught up in trying to cover up where I was so much that none of what I was really feeling came through.
I gave a sigh again before running to catch her. Mom and Dad would be so disappointed in me for my attitude already.
“Maddie!” I called. She stopped, but didn't turn around, and I could tell by the set of her shoulders that she was still pretty upset. Not that I was surprised really. It hadn't even been a minute since she had walked off.
“I'm sorry,” I said to her softly as I came to stop in front of her. And instantly, any apology I had been planning to make didn't seem like enough. She didn't look at all angry now that there were tears streaming down her cheeks.
I pulled her towards me, afraid she would fight against me, but she didn't. She let me wrap her in my arms. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered into her hair. “I don't know what came over me back there. I really didn't mean not to call, Maddie. I just got wrapped up in what I was doing and…” My voice trailed off. So far, I had managed not to lie in this little speech. Did I want to ruin everything by continuing on?
So, instead, I stood here, just holding her, while she cried some more. Eventually, she backed away. “I'm sorry,” she said with a sniffle. “I probably over reacted.”
“No,” I assured her. “You didn't. Really. Maddie, I'm so…”
“I know,” she gave me a small smile. “I guess I'm just… You know it's fine that you're so busy right now with this article. I know how important it is to your future. And I have this stuff with my dad to deal with, so maybe we just take some time off…”
“Are you breaking up with me?” I cut her off to ask. That was what it sounded like. I know I'd been looking for ways to spend less time with her so I could be the Boy in Black more, but I didn't really want that. I didn't want to break up.
She shook her head. “No, I'm not. I'm just thinking that maybe we both need some more time to ourselves than we've been getting.”
“Let me help you with the thing with your dad,” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No, it's not something you can help with. It's not something anyone can help with, Clark. Honestly. I just… I need to deal with it. I will, I promise. I've dealt with it before.”
Something about the look in her eyes scared me. I couldn't pinpoint what it was. She looked determined, but also… beaten down? I wasn't sure, but it made me uneasy. “Maybe we could just talk about it,” I suggested softly.
“No,” Maddie said again, shaking her head. “Really, Clark. I'll be okay. Let's go to lunch.” She grabbed my hand and tugged slightly, so I followed her, but I still wasn't comfortable.
************************
Given that more free time to be the Boy in Black is what I said I wanted, I guess I should have spent more time as the Boy in Black that week. I still saw Maddie, but mainly during the day, and so I had plenty of time in theory. In reality, though, I was spending so much of my time working on my article, I often just didn't even hear announcements of things going wrong.
I probably should have started after I finally handed in the article on Monday, but then… I don't know. I just didn't. I felt worn out. Not physically, really, but emotionally. I had put aside the whole thing with Maddie while I worked on my article. It was easy to do when she looked fine when I saw her. But there was still something there, some haunted look in her eyes almost, that made me feel like maybe I should have pushed harder to help her.
I managed to forget it again on Thursday, though, when Professor Matthews handed back our articles at the end of class. I was waiting to see what he would say - would he tell us who had gotten the recommendation?
He didn't. Nor did he hand back my article. Or Lois'. Instead, after he had handed back all the papers he had, which seemed to be everyone else's, he announced, “Lois Lane and Clark Kent, please come see me during office hours tomorrow.”
I looked over at Lois. Was this a good thing? Was it a bad thing? Was he giving us recommendations? Both of us? Did he think our articles were awful? Or he was giving Lois a recommendation and thought mine was awful?
“What do you think this means?” Lois asked quietly as she put her books away.
I shrugged. “I don't know. Do you think we both got recommendations?”
Lois smiled slightly. “Maybe. I don't know. It can't be anything else, right? I mean, you're article was so good, Clark.”
I suddenly had a thought. “But my article was about sexism at the medical school.”
“Right?” Lois said, looking at me quizzically as we left the building.
“At the university where Professor Matthews works.”
“You don't think…” Lois started.
I shrugged. “It sounds like the professors at the medical school all know. Maybe all the profs do. I mean, the school wouldn't want this getting out, right?”
Lois gasped. “Just like they may not want it getting out that they just allowed the student class president to withdraw from the university without giving up his office.”
I sighed. She was right. While it seemed less awful an offense, Lois' article, too, could bring bad press to the university. Of course, we weren't doing anything with them aside from giving it to Professor Matthews, but maybe he felt like he had to tell us they were bad or he'd be required to take some sort of action.
“Well,” Lois said, standing up straighter as she walked. “If that's the case, we just need to go further. We know our articles are based on fact, and we know that both things are injustices. So, if Professor Matthews isn't interested in them because they make the school he teaches at look bad, we just look further.”
“What do you mean?” I asked her, a little in awe of her attitude.
Lois shrugged. “We may be too young for the editor of the Planet to take seriously, but there are other papers in this town. Maybe the Star would be interested in our stories.”
“You're thinking we should shop our stories around to real papers?” I asked her.
“Why not?” Lois asked.
“Why not?” I parroted back. “Why not? Because we're freshmen, Lois. It's not just the Daily Planet that won't take us seriously. No one will.”
Lois shrugged. “It's too bad. You have the better story. But it's what I'm doing if he shoots down my article.”
I smiled. “You're insane, Lois.”
She gave me a wide grin back. “I know. But how else am I going to get the Pulitzer before I'm thirty?”
************************
I brushed my sweaty palms on my jeans again. For the third time in about as many minutes. Lois and I had decided to walk over to Professor Matthews' office hours together, but when we got there, another student was already there, so we were waiting outside.
Lois, in a complete twist from her normal self, was the picture of serenity. I was a mess, pacing back and forth and running my hand through my hair so often, I knew it was a mess.
Finally, the other student exited his office. “Ah, Miss Lane and Mr. Kent, come in,” Professor Matthews said when he saw us.
We glanced at each other as I followed Lois into his office. As far as I could guess, there were two reasons he'd want to see us together – if he was recommending us both or if he was telling us both that our articles were awful. Maddie had pointed out last night at dinner that he had seen our topics beforehand, so he shouldn't be terribly against them. It was a reassuring thought, but somehow did not completely remove my fear that this was exactly what was going on.
He motioned to the two guest chairs in front of his desk and took a seat himself. I sat down, running my hands over my jeans yet again, and Lois sat down next to me. It was only in the brighter light of his office that I realized that despite her calm demeanor, Lois was white as ghost.
Professor Matthews picked up some papers from his desk and glanced at them before looking up at us. “Miss Lane,” he said, turning to look at Lois. “I have to tell you how impressed I was with your article.” I could almost feel Lois relax at his words. “When I read it, I couldn't stop thinking that it was the best piece of investigative reporting I had ever seen in my freshman journalism class.”
Lois was positively beaming beside me and I looked over to give her a smile.
“In fact, I was so impressed with your article that I sent a copy over to Paul Bender and he will be calling you shortly to give you a place on the Met Titan. Your article for my class will be on the front page of next week's addition.”
I chuckled, and both Lois and Professor Matthews looked at me strangely. “Sorry,” I said, feeling myself flush. “It's just that you were right, Lois. You are the first freshman to ever be given a place on the Titan.”
“Except for Linda,” Lois pointed out and I shook my head. She was right, but did Linda really count? Lois would be the first freshman published.
“Well, it is still quite an accomplishment, Lois,” Professor Matthews said. “And very well earned.”
“Thank you,” Lois said, still looking as if the sun was shining directly on her.
“Then,” Professor Matthews continued, “I read your article, Mr. Kent,” he turned to me. “And I have to say I was equally impressed.” I could feel my shoulders sag in relief. It was going to be okay. He didn't hate my article. “And I almost got on the phone and called Paul Bender again.” Lois glanced at me before looking back at Professor Matthews, clearly as confused as I was.
“But then I kept reading,” Professor Matthews said, “and realized that this is not a topic for the school paper. So instead, I called up Perry White.” Lois gasped beside me. I grasped the sides of the chair I was in, afraid I might actually float off the chair. “I can't promise your article will be printed in the Daily Planet, but Mr. White would like to talk to you. He asked that you give him a call today.”
“So, Clark got the recommendation,” Lois said next to me, her voice surprisingly calm. I was glad she had asked the question as I wasn't sure I was able to speak.
Professor Matthews sighed. “I haven't decided. Honestly while Clark has the bigger story, the writing in these articles are both very strong. I'm waiting to see what comes out of the assignments for Professor Halkuff's class, but frankly, right now I don't foresee anyone else but the two of you getting recommendations from us.”
There was silence for a moment, before I finally found my voice and said a quiet thank you.
Professor Matthews handed us back our papers. “There are a few notes here on your articles, but overall, these are really excellent pieces of journalism.”
“Thank you,” I said again and Lois thanked him as well as we took our papers and got up.
“Here's Mr. White's number, Clark,” Professor Matthews said, handing me a small piece of paper. “Make sure to call him as soon as you can. Perry White does not like to be kept waiting.”
We walked out together, not knowing what to say. I stole a glance at Lois. How was she doing? Was she still excited about her Titan job or was she upset about my meeting with Perry? I couldn't tell.
“I knew your article would get to Perry White,” she finally said quietly.
“It sounds like we're both going to get recommendations,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“But Perry White already knows who you are,” Lois said. “That has to improve your chances at the internship.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it means he'll be expecting even better things from me for the application and if I don't deliver, he'll be disappointed.”
“Maybe,” Lois said, but she didn't sound convinced.
“Are you angry?” I asked cautiously.
Lois gave a short laugh. “No. But I am jealous. Still, it's okay. Now I know to start looking now for a great topic for the application. I'm going to have to blow you out of the water.”
************************
“You're early,” Maddie said when I showed up at her room that night. She had left a note with Steve asking me to stop by.
“I just got off the phone with Perry White,” I said to her. When she looked at me quizzically, I added, “the editor of the Daily Planet.”
“Clark, that's great!” she said. “Is he going to print your article?”
I nodded. “He wants to have one of his researchers double check my facts, but basically yes.”
Maddie got up to give me a hug. “I'm so excited for you. Your first article in the Planet. And you're going to get the recommendation, too, I'm guessing.”
I shrugged. “Professor Matthews hasn't decided yet. Lois' article is getting printed on the cover of the Titan and she's a member of the staff now. Professor Matthews wants to wait for next semester, but he says he expects us both to be recommended.”
“That's great!” Maddie said, “But I would think you stand a better chance of getting the internship with an article already published in the Planet.”
I shrugged again. “Mr. White said no. That this was impressive journalism, but he expected to see something better for the internship application. But I'm meeting with him tomorrow to go over my sources. Maybe he'll tell me something else.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I bet he's just trying to scare you.”
“Maybe,” I said, but I wasn't sure. He hadn't sounded like he was kidding. “So, are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I actually wanted to see you as I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?” I asked her.
“My cousin is coming for a visit. He has some sort of conference in Metropolis to attend and he's arriving on Sunday. I'm supposed to go to dinner with him, and I was hoping you'd come with me.”
“Sure,” I said. “Is there anything I should know?”
“Not really,” Maddie shrugged. “I just… I don't get along that well with him, so I prefer to have someone I like with me.”
I smiled. “Well, I'm glad to be someone you like.”
She swatted at my arm. “Now, go,” she told me. “I'm sure you want to call your parents.”
I leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips before following her advice… or sort of. I went to see them instead.
