Fic - In the School Yard
Title: In the School Yard
Author: moviefreak4634
Rating: PG
Characters: Connor, Laura, Oliver, Chloe/Clark
Summary: Just because he doesn't want to play with her doesn't mean Connor doesn't care about what happens to Laura.
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or its characters.
Previous stories in this verse can be found here.
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The bell rings, and most of the class springs from their seats. Mrs. Moffet smiles. She should reprimand them, but the bell did ring and they are only six and seven. She waves them out, and the students run off happily.
Still, some take their time. Jenny makes sure her pencil is positioned just so on the desk before calmly heading for the door. Timmy lingers by the coat rack, trying to get his zipper up, so she goes to help him. She watches the last few students as they make their way outside.
Connor Kent is one of the last to go. She isn’t surprised. While she can see the excitement in his steps as he hurries from the room, forgetting his coat, Connor always follows the rules, and one of the rules is that no one is supposed to get out of their seats unless the teacher says so, even if the bell rings.
As the last few students rush from the room, Mrs. Moffet grabs Connor’s coat from the rack. He’ll need it. It’s cold outside today. She locks the door behind her and walks toward the school yard and the cacophony beyond it that can only mean one thing - recess.
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Connor bounces down the stairs, grinning. He likes school just fine, but this is by far his favorite part of the day. He looks toward the far door. The preschoolers aren’t outside yet. He made it just in time.
The sound of his name stops him, and he turns. Mrs. Moffet is standing at the top of the stairs, holding out his coat.
Connor takes a furtive glance toward the other door. He considers leaving his coat with the teacher, but he can’t do that. His mom said to always wear his coat when it was cold, whether he was cold or not.
Connor dashes up the steps, grabs the coat from Mrs. Moffet, and bounds back down the stairs. The door still hasn’t opened. He’s still okay. The sound of his name stops him again. Mrs. Moffet is gesturing at him to put the coat on.
Reluctantly, he slides his arms into the sleeves - first one arm, then the other. The coat isn’t easy to get on because it’s a winter coat. Connor doesn’t like it, and he doesn’t really need to wear it. He only does because his mom insists.
Coat on, Connor turns to run, but there’s a tugging on his sleeve. He ignores it, instead turning to look at the door. It’s open. Putting on the coat cost him precious time. He should have gone without it.
The tugging on his sleeve comes again, slightly more insistent this time, and Connor has to acknowledge it, whether he wants to or not. He turns to face Laura.
“What do you want?”
Laura holds up the bunny rabbit she carries everywhere. “Mr. Cotton and I want you to play tea party with us.”
Connor just stares down at her for a moment. He turns slightly, sneaking a glance at the teacher, the teacher who insisted on the jacket and caused all of his troubles. He turns back to Laura. “No, I’m not going to play tea party with you.”
He turns and heads for the jungle gym. Laura runs around in front of him, still holding out the bunny.
“Please?”
“No.” He breaks into a run then, quickly outstripping Laura. He makes it to the swings and takes an open one, leaving his back toward the girl. It only takes a couple of minutes for him to turn around. He probably should have just played with her. Uncle Ollie would be here to pick her up anytime anyway.
Connor kicks his legs, pushing the swing forward, as he watches Laura settle down on the sidewalk with her rabbit. She takes a tea set from her bag and puts it down in front of her. Connor is just glad he doesn’t have to play with her.
He kicks harder, the swing soaring higher. Connor likes the swings. He likes the feeling of moving through the air. It’s almost like he can fly.
Connor closes his eyes, just enjoying the rush of wind, but there’s an underlying sound. He opens his eyes again, frowning. It’s Laura. He can hear Laura.
“Stop it.”
There’s a pause, and Connor stops kicking, the swing dropping lower. He hears Laura again.
“Don’t.”
The swing drops lower still, and Connor brings it to a halt. He’s still listening, and now he looks Laura’s direction again. Two of the boys from his class are standing near her. Laura bursts into tears, and Connor is up and out of the swing suddenly, crossing the schoolyard to stand by Laura’s side.
“Leave her alone,” he says before bending down to see if Laura’s okay.
“And what if I don’t?” one of the boys asks.
Connor stands back up. “Come on, Michael. Just leave her alone.”
Michael steps forward, purposefully resting his foot on top of one of Laura’s tea cups. “What are you going to do about it?”
Connor stays where he is, and after a moment, Michael takes another step forward. The tea cup crumbles beneath his foot. Connor can see Laura’s rabbit clutched in Michael’s left hand as he stands his ground.
The rabbit falls to the ground, and Laura scrambles to pick him up, cradling him against her chest. Connor stays where he is, even as Michael reaches out to shove him.
The shove is hard, probably one that should have taken Connor down, but Connor stays standing, losing his balance for just a second as he steps backward. Michael shoves him again, but this time Connor shoves back. Michael hits the ground.
Eric, the other boy, takes off running. Connor watches him go and turns back to Laura. He bends back down by her side. Laura’s head is bent down over her rabbit, and Connor can hear her tears.
“Laura?” he asks.
She looks up. Tears stain her cheeks. She holds her arms out to Connor, and he wraps her in a hug.
From somewhere above them, a voice calls his name. Connor turns to see Mrs. Moffet coming towards them, Eric on her heels.
“Connor Kent!” Her voice is sharp.
Connor sighs, lets go of Laura, and stands to receive his punishment.
“You need to come with me, young man.”
She takes Laura by the hand, and Connor trudges after them. When Connor reaches the classroom, he flings his coat off. That was what got him in this mess anyway. He had to put the coat on, and that gave Laura time to catch up with him. He goes to sit at his desk, arms crossed. It’s not like he even needs the stupid coat anyway.
Connor sits at his desk while the teacher fusses over Laura. He knows Mrs. Moffet called his parents, and they’re just waiting for them to show up. Michael and Eric aren’t there. Connor doesn’t know why he’s going to get in trouble and not them. They started it. They were the ones being mean to Laura.
Connor lays his head down on the desk. He just has to sit and wait for his punishment, but he knows it will be worth it. He stopped Michael and Eric. He saved Laura.
A few minutes later, he hears Oliver’s voice in the hall. He’s talking to the teacher. Connor looks up. Laura and Mrs. Moffet are gone, but it’s only for a moment as Oliver strides into the room, holding Laura in his arms. Mrs. Moffet is right behind them.
“We’re waiting on his parents.”
Oliver waves her off. “They’re busy. I’ll take him home.”
“Mr. Queen, I must insist-”
Oliver ignores her, turning to Connor instead. “Get your coat. I’m taking you home.”
Connor only hesitates for a moment before he’s up, picking his coat up off the floor and grabbing his backpack. He goes to stand next to Oliver, and Oliver puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Mr. Queen,” the teacher tries again. “Connor could have seriously injured that boy.”
“Well, this kid - Michael, that’s his name? He’s fine, right? I don’t see a problem here.” He starts pushing Connor toward the door.
Mrs. Moffet sighs then goes to her desk and pulls out a piece of paper. “Hold on one moment.”
She scribbles out a note and holds it out to Connor. He walks over to take it from her. “I want your parents to look at this tonight, and you bring it back tomorrow with both of their signatures on it, okay?”
Connor nods.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It’s a little while later when they’re in the car that Oliver speaks to Connor again.
“Connor?”
Connor looks up. He’d been mulling over what Mrs. Moffet said about how he could have seriously hurt Michael. He hopes he didn’t. He hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone.
Oliver continues, “I wanted to say thank you. Laura told me what you did for her. You didn’t have to stop those boys, but you did. So thank you.”
“Do you think I hurt him?” Connor murmurs.
“What?”
“Michael. Do you think I hurt him?”
“You stopped him. That’s what matters.”
Connor nods, but he’s not sure he believes it. The rest of the car ride passes in silence.
When they get to the house, both his mother and father greet them at the door. Connor knows there’s going to be trouble, but he’s expected that all along. He silently hands his mom the letter and goes to sit on the couch. He can hear the voices from the doorway, hushed though they are.
“What happened?” his mom asks.
“He protected Laura. The teacher got a little bent out of shape about it, said he could have hurt some kid. He did the world a favor if you ask me.”
There’s silence for a moment then his dad says, “Thank you for bringing him home, Oliver. We’ll handle it from here.”
The door closes softly, but there are no footsteps in the hallway. Connor can hear whispers in the hallway, but he can’t make out any words. Carefully, he stands up from the sofa and makes his way closer to the door.
“We have to do something,” his mom says. “Connor has to understand he can’t just fight people.”
“He was protecting Laura. Besides, I don’t think we can blame him after what I do every night,” his dad adds.
“This is different, Clark, and you know it. Anyway, he needs to know now that he can’t push other children around before his powers develop.”
“If his powers develop.”
“Clark. When. He already has your immune system and most of your invulnerability, and he’s never cold. It’s only a matter of time until something else shows up.”
Connor takes a step closer, drawn in by the conversation. Of course he’s noticed that he’s different from the other children, but he’s never known why. He wants to know. But the floorboards squeak under his shoes.
“Connor,” his mom says.
Connor swallows hard and steps out from behind the doorway. His dad looks worried, but his mom just looks stern.
“What happened today?” she asks.
Connor decides they’re ignoring what he overheard. “Uncle Ollie told you. I saved Laura from some bullies. They were being mean. I had to.”
His parents look at each other. There is silence.
“Did I hurt Michael?” Connor asks quietly after a minute. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
His parents look at each other again before his dad bends down next to him.
“No, Connor, your teacher says everyone is fine, but you know you can’t push people like that, right? You could hurt them, and it isn’t very nice.”
“They were being mean to Laura.”
His dad glances up at his mom who bends down next to both of them. “That doesn’t mean you can push them. Maybe next time go find a teacher to deal with it.”
Connor nods, even though he’s not quite sure he understands. He’s not sure what he could have done differently.
“Am I in trouble?” he asks.
His parents exchange another glance. Finally, his mom shakes his head.
His dad says, “Not this time, kiddo. Try not to do it again, okay?”
Connor nods, keeping his eyes on the floor. He walks back into the living room and picks up his backpack. Then he heads to his room. He leaves his coat on the couch. It’s done nothing but cause him problems today anyway.