Disclaimer: If you think I own any of this, you're a very sad individual.
Author's Note: I was loosely inspired by the conversation Lex & Clark had in 'Hourglass'. Lex's POV, Craving references/spoilers
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One Day Can Change Everything
When I told Clark that I don't believe in fate, I didn't lie; up until today, I didn't. I'm not entirely sure why this afternoon changed my views on destiny, but it did, and I have to be okay with that.
I walked into the office of the high school's paper (the oddly named, 'Torch'), searching half-heartedly for Gabe Sullivan's 'intrepid' daughter; after the way he'd raved about her accomplisments as editor of said paper, and her skills as an investigative journalist, I figured I had to see for myself.
Instead of finding Chloe, I found Clark, and an intriguing collage tacked to one wall. Clark called it 'the Wall of Weird', and told me it was Chloe's 'hobby'; the way he emphasized that last word (with a roll of his eyes, brotherly-teasing in his voice) led me to believe she was obsessed with her large collection of newspaper clippings.
He and I made smalltalk for a bit, then a curious, female voice called out, 'Mister Luthor', from behind us. I turned, and got my first look at Chloe Sullivan: she was short, with messy blonde hair; her wardrobe was all Metropolis, though the shimmer in her bluish-green eyes seemed to have come from one too many encounters with things she couldn't explain. A slight smirk was on her lips.
I don't know where Clark went; in fact, he was probably next to us the whole time I talked to his lovely blonde friend. Wherever he was, I was too distracted by said lovely blonde girl to acknowledge that Clark was even there.
In our short conversation, I discovered that she was anything but your typical high school girl; she was blunt, sarcastic, and a bit cynical. When I told her to call me 'Lex', she ignored me; didn't seem to be worried about whether or not she came across as rude. She wasn't over-eager to be speaking to me (I'm aware of my popularity, thank you), if she cared at all that I stood in front of her. In short, she was refreshing, intelligent, and the kind of person I thought I wanted to get to know.
I don't know what possessed me to offer her a summer job at the *Inquisitor*; I suppose that, because she said she didn't blame me for all the crazy stuff that happens in this town, I felt I should..thank her somehow. I was feeling unsettled when I left, though there was no conceivable reason for that feeling.
Now, here I am at three o'clock in the morning, staring blindly at a stack of papers. My distractedness stems, in part, from meeting Chloe; also from what Clark and I discussed that other day.
I can't help but wonder: if my destiny is not pretermined, at least in some capacity, why did I meet her? She is (to use a phrase that I hate), almost a 'kindred spirit'; she treats me like an equal, instead of 'that rich guy' (so does Clark, but that's a bit different); we seem to be obsessed with the meteor shower and that way it's affecting our town; since we both grew up in Metropolis (it's obvious that's where she'd from), we have the same attitude....
Whether or not my fate has already been decided, I know that Chloe Sullivan will somehow be a part of it.