An Exceptional Young Woman--Part 22/23
Title: An Exceptional Young Woman
Category: Smallville
Rating: Teen/PG13
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: AU, barely detectable OOC
Summary: Chloe gets thrown out of Smallville High, landing her in boarding school, or more specifically, the sister school to Excelsior Academy. What will she think when she meets the young Oliver Queen?
banner by sarcastic_fina
"Hey, I wondered where you were," Oliver answered his phone.
Chloe bit her lip uncomfortably. She was lying flat on her bed and staring at the ceiling, a guilty feeling squirming in her stomach. "Yeah, I was so exhausted from unpacking...I just thought I'd crash for tonight. I hope you don't mind."
Please don't mind. Please don't mind.
Oliver's face fell at the other end of the line. "Oh. Well, no that's fine. You rest. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch for sure."
"Yeah," Chloe agreed immediately. "That'll be good. I've missed you," she added honestly.
"Me, too," Oliver said, sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop to check his e-mail, trying not to be too disappointed. "So how was everything?"
"Well, you know about prom. Good start. Lame finish. But after that things were fine. I spent a lot of time at the Kents', helping them rebuild and repair. They got hit pretty badly." Chloe's mind drifted to Clark with a hint of resentment.
"Did you?" Oliver asked, trying not to sound too curious. He gave up trying to read his e-mail immediately.
"Yeah. Mrs. K is like a non-biological mother to me," Chloe said affectionately. "She's wonderful."
"Hmm. How's Clark?"
"He's...good," Chloe said slowly. "Still drooling over Lana. Funny thing is, I think she may actually be starting to have a thing for him, too. I never thought I'd see the day," she finished absently, noticing a small crack in the ceiling and tracing it with her eyes.
Oliver opened his mouth to comment but then closed it again, thinking better of it. Then he opened his mouth to change the subject to summer plans but thought better of that as well. Finally he sighed. "You sound really worn out. Maybe I should let you go so you can get a bit of sleep?" Say no. Say you want to talk.
Chloe felt another small surge of guilt. "Actually, yeah. I'm really tired. I hate to, but--"
"Hey, no problem, beautiful. Get a good night's sleep."
"Thanks, Ollie."
" 'night."
"Good night."
Oliver hung up first and Chloe stared at the phone, her stomach clenching.
"I think I love you," she mumbled quietly to the phone. "How terrifying is that?" she asked it. She shook her head and set the cell on her night stand before clicking out the lamp and crawling under the covers.
It was going to be a long night.
________________________________________
The next couple of days things mostly smoothed over, but Chloe was ever on edge, anticipating Oliver's question. She knew it was coming, she just didn't understand why he hadn't already asked. She'd almost expected him to ask when she called him the night she got back.
The suspense was killing her. Had not going to Oliver's room changed his mind? She felt like that might be a bit anticlimactic, and honestly? Too much to hope for.
Friday morning, Claire found out Chloe was planning to where the same dress to Formal that she'd worn to Smallville's prom, and nearly had an aneurysm. ("Excuse me? Absolutely not. I forbid you to where the same dress with Oliver that you wore with Clark. That's just...wrong!" Claire exclaimed.) The next thing Chloe knew she was on a train into town, seated across from Claire and beside Diana, who had come along to watch the merriment.
"I know it's not a big deal to you or Oliver," Claire was defending herself for having once again stolen Chloe's phone and held it hostage to get what she wanted, "but it's bad mojo. It's just...just..."
"Bad symbolism," Diana supplied. Chloe glared at her.
"I still don't think it's necessary," Chloe said irritably. "I happen to really like my pink dress."
"And it looked wonderful on you," Claire said pleasantly. Chloe had e-mailed both girls the photos Martha had taken of her and Clark. "But I just think you need something separate for this--dresses attract memories like lint, and you need to have a separate dress for these occasions because they should stand out individually in your mind when you try on the dress five years from now to see if they still fit," her eyes twinkled.
Chloe rolled her eyes, but was still somewhat placated. It was a reasonable explanation. And it was Claire's money. She had already said point-blank that she couldn't afford another dress, which had been a mistake in the long run because it have given Claire an excuse to spend on her. Again.
She stifled a smile. Claire loved buying other people things. She enjoyed getting things for herself, but it didn't seem to give her anywhere near the same kind of thrill as when she got a gift for another person. She was particularly fond of doting on Chloe, possibly because Chloe was so bad at accepting gifts.
Apparently that was half the fun.
After the train ride, Chloe was surprised when Claire didn't drag her straight to the mall
"The department stores will be totally picked over by now. Besides, you should have a dress that's as unique as you are," she said as if she'd reeled the same line off a hundred times but still beleived in it just as fervently.
Chloe just shrugged. At this point, she figured she might as well go along with whatever Claire wanted. "Lead the way, then," she sighed witha bit of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Awesome," Claire said, taking a right at the next intersection. "You're going to love this place, Chloe. I've gotten my last four dresses here. It's great, isn't it, Diana?"
Diana nodded pleasantly, clearly only half paying attention as she studied the window displays they passed.
"By the way," Chloe said slyly, "I heard a certain boy we all know and love asked you to the dance."
Diana's eyes widened and her face turned bright red.
"I further heard," Chloe continued, encouraged by this response, "that you said yes." Claire squealed in delight and rounded on Diana, hugging her. "It took him long enough!" she exclaimed. Then, admonishing, "Jeez, why don't you ever tell anyone anything?" she demanded. Diana gave Chloe a helpless, embarrassed look, which Claire followed before switching her attack. "And how did you know about it, anyway?"
"I may have been the one to give Geoff a nudge in the right direction," Chloe said calmly, resuming their walk down the sidewalk. "He called meup to thank me after you said yes."
Diana's mouth fell open, and Claire shook her head.
"Unbelievable," she said. "I've been telling him to ask her out for two years." She shook her head. "Men."
Chloe just smiled. Even if Geoff had asked Diana out sooner, she doubted whether he would have gotten a yes. Chloe had watched Diana carefully all year, waiting to see if she would soften toward Geoff and then to see whether she were ready before telling Geoff to go for it.
She had to admit she was impressed with Geoff for his perseverance. When she'd met him at the beginning of the year, she never expected him to turn out so decent.
He and Alden and especially Oliver had all done a lot of growing up since she first met them.
She was wrenched from this reverie when Claire pulled her into a boutique without warning.
Chloe raised her eyebrows when Claire immediately headed for a section of green dresses.
"More green?" she questioned, less than surprised.
"I already told Oliver you'd be wearing green. It's not my fault you got picked up by a tornado and I couldn't get you out here sooner."
Chloe laughed. No wonder Claire was so set against her pink dress. "Green it is," she conceded, joining Claire to search the rack while Diana studied a glass case of accessories.
______________________________________
"Wow."
"Hi, Ollie."
"Wow."
"Thanks,," Chloe laughed, her cheeks flushing.
"Wow."
This time she rolled her eyes. "New word, please."
"Wow."
She slapped his arm and he jumped. "Sorry." He kissed her easily. "You look--"
"Wow?" she supplied, smirking.
He grinned. "Yes. Have I ever told you that green is my favorite color?"
Chloe stared at him for a full minute before laughing abruptly until her eyes watered. "Oh God," she gasped, "that explains so much."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, ushering her into Excelsior's Grand Ballroom. "I'll take your word for it," he said, deciding it was better not to ask.
Chloe had had to meet him at Excelsior's because Diana had had a last minute bout of shyness and Chloe and Claire had been afraid that she might back out if they didn't take her over themselves.
Chloe glanced over at the couple in question. Geoff looked completely tongue-tied, and Diana looked silently, shyly, pleased in her pale pink dress.
Claire was already greeting people and mingling, strategically maneuvering herself and Alden in the direction of the photographer. Claire looked like a movie star, Chloe thought. He midnight blue dress combined with her gleaming red curls stood out in a daring combination that suited her personality so well, Chloe just had to smile at it.
Claire had snagged up a pale green chiffon dress for Chloe, and judging by Oliver's reaction, it worked for her, but she couldn't help feeling self-conscious in it. She had a difficult enough time with the one she wore to Smallville's dance, but this one was so flowy and graceful looking, she was afraid she couldn't live up to it.
Oliver pulled her on to the dance floor almost immediately, and feelings of insecurity soon drifted away.
At least with Oliver she didn't have to worry that he would up and abandon her. She didn't blame Clark, but...well...no matter the reason, it wasn't fun to be left standing alone at prom.
______________________________________________
Chloe was having a fantastic time. For the first time since returning to school, she'd forgotten all thoughts of Mr. Christopher and Mr. Williams, of super-powers and meteor rocks and anything else upsetting.
She and Oliver had been talking to Dave and his date Shannon for a while, several hours into the dance, before Oliver decided he had to "snatch her" for another dance.
Encouraged by her good mood, and the apparent lack of tension she was feeling for once, Oliver started the conversation he'd been meaning to for a while. "So, I wanted to talk to you about this summer."
Chloe's heart sunk faster than an anchor. No, she thought. Don't do it. "Oh?"
He nodded, not immediately noticing her change in stature. "What are your plans?"
"Umm, well, a lot of things, I guess," Chloe said quickly. "I always spend some time with my cousin in the summer if I can, and I'm applying for a Daily Planet internship, but I doubt I'll get it. I'm actually a year too young to apply, but I thought I'd try annyway, and then there's the possibility of getting a job in Smallville, save up for a car...things like that. I'm sure I'll be pretty busy."
Oliver couldn't help the slight frown at her rambling. "Huh," was all he said at first. "Well, I was actually wondering if--"
Don't say it!
"--you'd be interested in coming to stay with me in Star City for a month."
Chloe bit her lip, wishing she didn't have to say no. Then she pulled herself together and brought out her carefully prepared and perfectly reasonable excuse.
"Oh, Oliver," she sounded disappointed. "I'm not sure if I can. I mean, of course I'd like to," she added, unable to help herself. "It would be really great. It's just...I doubt my dad would let me. He's barely comfortable with the boyfriend concept as it is. I don't think he'd take to the idea too well."
Oliver's brow creased still deeper, sensing something amiss. "Well, if you want to come, you can at least ask him. Maybe he wouldn't be okay with a month, but he might go for a week," he suggested.
She hadn't anticipated that. "Well, I'll ask, I just don't want you to get your hopes up. I really don't think he'll say yes."
He studied her carefully. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse, and he understood fully, but he couldn't help the suspicion that something was off. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked finally.
Chloe's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she asked, praying he would let it drop, knowing he wouldn't.
He frowned still deeper. "I just...I don't know. I've had this feeling all week that something's wrong. Is everything okay?"
Why does he have to be so damn good at reading me? Chloe wondered bitterly. No one else has noticed anything at all. "Yeah," she assured him, aware that she was lying through her teeth. "I'm great. Why?"
"Are you sure? Did something happen in Smallville? You've just seemed a bit off ever since you got back."
"I'm fine," she repeated firmly.
"Chloe--"
"Oliver."
"You can tell me, whatever it is. Does this have something to do with--" he suddenly brought their dance to a halt. "Is this something to do with Clark?"
"What? No!" Chloe said, unable to stop her heart beat from speeding up.
"Chloe," he said seriously. "Are you...feeling guilty because something happened between you and Clark?"
"Oliver, nothing--"
"Because it's okay. Whatever happened. I don't--"
"Nothing happened between me and Clark, Oliver!" Chloe said a little more loudly than she'd intended, her arms falling from his shoulders. A couple of faces glanced curiously in their direction.
"Well then I really wish you'd let me know what's going on, Chloe! I'm in the dark here!"
"Nothing is going on," Chloe said, lowering her voice in hopes of losing the attention they'd accidentally drawn to themselves.
"Everyone else might believe that, Chloe, but I can tell something's wrong. Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"There's nothing--" she caught the look in his eyes and stopped, swallowing tightly. She closed her eyes, deciding to opt for at least an ounce of honesty. "There's nothing for you to worry about, Oliver, I promise."
"Then why can't you tell me what's going on with you? You've been keeping things from me all year, but something's gotten a lot more serious lately, and I just don't understand why you're keeping me out of the loop."
"I can't tell you everything, Oliver," Chloe said sharply. "Everyone has secrets. It's nothing to do with you. That's just how it is. Can you honestly say I know every detail of your life?"
"Of course not, but if you asked, I'd tell you what you wanted to know."
"But this isn't about me, Oliver."
"But there is something going on," he asserted, and Chloe huffed angrily.
"Yes, all right? Yes, there's something going on. But it hasn't got anything to do with you or us, and it honestly doesn't have all that much to do with me, I'm just caught up in it, all right? It's not for me to talk about. I'm sorry!" She broke away from him, too worked up to trust herself to say anything more, heading for the punch bowl to get herself a drink.
Oliver chased after her.
"Oliver, I don't want to and can't talk about it, so please just let it drop."
"But I don't understand why you can't talk to me about it!"
Chloe swallowed a scream of frustration. This wasn't fair. "I just explained that, Ollie! It's not for me to talk about!"
"But why?"
She rounded on him, fire in her eyes. "Are you listening to yourself? You sound like a five-year-old! Oliver, for the love of God, please just let it drop!"
"I'm not letting it drop. I'm your boyfriend, Chloe. I care about you and clearly something serious is going on in your life and you won't even let me in enough to tell me what it is! How the Hell am I supposed to feel about that? I'm worried about you and I'd like to be there for you, but you don't seem to care."
Chloe could feel her eyes beginning to burn as she got more upset. "It's not your battle, Oliver! Like it or not, there are some things I have to face on my own!"
Oliver stared at her, guilt surging through him. He hadn't changed his mind, but at the expression on her face, he was beginning to wish he could just have kept his mouth shut. His voice gentled. "Chloe--"
"Don't," she said, her voice tight. She blinked back a few tears, guilt surging through her relentlessly. "I--" she shook herself. "I don't feel particularly well. Headache. I'm going to--" she cut off, not sure what she was saying as it was. She looked away and swallowed, steadying herself. "I'm going to see if Claire or Diana is ready to head back."
She broke away from him, and Oliver for once in his life wasn't sure whether it would be better to go after her or to give her her space. His body, which had apparently been rendered motionless, made the decision for him.
Chloe never stopped to look for Claire or Diana, but slipped out as discreetly as possible, all too aware of how many people must have overheard them.
When she got back to her dorm, she threw herself on her bed, hating herself and finally crying at the unfairness of it all.
It wasn't long before she felt the bed sink slightly, and a soothing hand rubbing her back. "Diana's fixing coffee," Claire's voice informed her, and Chloe sucked in a shaky breath. "It's okay, honey. Just let it out," Claire said.
Chloe buried her face in her pillow. "I'm never going to another dance again," she announced bitterly.
Chapter One; Chapter Two; Chapter Three; Chapter Four; Chapter Five; Chapter Six; Chapter Seven; Chapter Eight; Chapter Nine; Chapter Ten; Chapter Eleven; Chapter Twelve ; Chapter Thirteen; Chapter Fourteen; Chapter Fifteen; Chapter Sixteen; Chapter Seventeen; Chapter Eighteen; Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty; Chapter Twenty-One; Chapter Twenty-Two; Chapter Twenty-Three; Epilogue
Category: Smallville
Rating: Teen/PG13
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: AU, barely detectable OOC
Summary: Chloe gets thrown out of Smallville High, landing her in boarding school, or more specifically, the sister school to Excelsior Academy. What will she think when she meets the young Oliver Queen?
banner by sarcastic_fina
"Hey, I wondered where you were," Oliver answered his phone.
Chloe bit her lip uncomfortably. She was lying flat on her bed and staring at the ceiling, a guilty feeling squirming in her stomach. "Yeah, I was so exhausted from unpacking...I just thought I'd crash for tonight. I hope you don't mind."
Please don't mind. Please don't mind.
Oliver's face fell at the other end of the line. "Oh. Well, no that's fine. You rest. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch for sure."
"Yeah," Chloe agreed immediately. "That'll be good. I've missed you," she added honestly.
"Me, too," Oliver said, sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop to check his e-mail, trying not to be too disappointed. "So how was everything?"
"Well, you know about prom. Good start. Lame finish. But after that things were fine. I spent a lot of time at the Kents', helping them rebuild and repair. They got hit pretty badly." Chloe's mind drifted to Clark with a hint of resentment.
"Did you?" Oliver asked, trying not to sound too curious. He gave up trying to read his e-mail immediately.
"Yeah. Mrs. K is like a non-biological mother to me," Chloe said affectionately. "She's wonderful."
"Hmm. How's Clark?"
"He's...good," Chloe said slowly. "Still drooling over Lana. Funny thing is, I think she may actually be starting to have a thing for him, too. I never thought I'd see the day," she finished absently, noticing a small crack in the ceiling and tracing it with her eyes.
Oliver opened his mouth to comment but then closed it again, thinking better of it. Then he opened his mouth to change the subject to summer plans but thought better of that as well. Finally he sighed. "You sound really worn out. Maybe I should let you go so you can get a bit of sleep?" Say no. Say you want to talk.
Chloe felt another small surge of guilt. "Actually, yeah. I'm really tired. I hate to, but--"
"Hey, no problem, beautiful. Get a good night's sleep."
"Thanks, Ollie."
" 'night."
"Good night."
Oliver hung up first and Chloe stared at the phone, her stomach clenching.
"I think I love you," she mumbled quietly to the phone. "How terrifying is that?" she asked it. She shook her head and set the cell on her night stand before clicking out the lamp and crawling under the covers.
It was going to be a long night.
________________________________________
The next couple of days things mostly smoothed over, but Chloe was ever on edge, anticipating Oliver's question. She knew it was coming, she just didn't understand why he hadn't already asked. She'd almost expected him to ask when she called him the night she got back.
The suspense was killing her. Had not going to Oliver's room changed his mind? She felt like that might be a bit anticlimactic, and honestly? Too much to hope for.
Friday morning, Claire found out Chloe was planning to where the same dress to Formal that she'd worn to Smallville's prom, and nearly had an aneurysm. ("Excuse me? Absolutely not. I forbid you to where the same dress with Oliver that you wore with Clark. That's just...wrong!" Claire exclaimed.) The next thing Chloe knew she was on a train into town, seated across from Claire and beside Diana, who had come along to watch the merriment.
"I know it's not a big deal to you or Oliver," Claire was defending herself for having once again stolen Chloe's phone and held it hostage to get what she wanted, "but it's bad mojo. It's just...just..."
"Bad symbolism," Diana supplied. Chloe glared at her.
"I still don't think it's necessary," Chloe said irritably. "I happen to really like my pink dress."
"And it looked wonderful on you," Claire said pleasantly. Chloe had e-mailed both girls the photos Martha had taken of her and Clark. "But I just think you need something separate for this--dresses attract memories like lint, and you need to have a separate dress for these occasions because they should stand out individually in your mind when you try on the dress five years from now to see if they still fit," her eyes twinkled.
Chloe rolled her eyes, but was still somewhat placated. It was a reasonable explanation. And it was Claire's money. She had already said point-blank that she couldn't afford another dress, which had been a mistake in the long run because it have given Claire an excuse to spend on her. Again.
She stifled a smile. Claire loved buying other people things. She enjoyed getting things for herself, but it didn't seem to give her anywhere near the same kind of thrill as when she got a gift for another person. She was particularly fond of doting on Chloe, possibly because Chloe was so bad at accepting gifts.
Apparently that was half the fun.
After the train ride, Chloe was surprised when Claire didn't drag her straight to the mall
"The department stores will be totally picked over by now. Besides, you should have a dress that's as unique as you are," she said as if she'd reeled the same line off a hundred times but still beleived in it just as fervently.
Chloe just shrugged. At this point, she figured she might as well go along with whatever Claire wanted. "Lead the way, then," she sighed witha bit of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Awesome," Claire said, taking a right at the next intersection. "You're going to love this place, Chloe. I've gotten my last four dresses here. It's great, isn't it, Diana?"
Diana nodded pleasantly, clearly only half paying attention as she studied the window displays they passed.
"By the way," Chloe said slyly, "I heard a certain boy we all know and love asked you to the dance."
Diana's eyes widened and her face turned bright red.
"I further heard," Chloe continued, encouraged by this response, "that you said yes." Claire squealed in delight and rounded on Diana, hugging her. "It took him long enough!" she exclaimed. Then, admonishing, "Jeez, why don't you ever tell anyone anything?" she demanded. Diana gave Chloe a helpless, embarrassed look, which Claire followed before switching her attack. "And how did you know about it, anyway?"
"I may have been the one to give Geoff a nudge in the right direction," Chloe said calmly, resuming their walk down the sidewalk. "He called meup to thank me after you said yes."
Diana's mouth fell open, and Claire shook her head.
"Unbelievable," she said. "I've been telling him to ask her out for two years." She shook her head. "Men."
Chloe just smiled. Even if Geoff had asked Diana out sooner, she doubted whether he would have gotten a yes. Chloe had watched Diana carefully all year, waiting to see if she would soften toward Geoff and then to see whether she were ready before telling Geoff to go for it.
She had to admit she was impressed with Geoff for his perseverance. When she'd met him at the beginning of the year, she never expected him to turn out so decent.
He and Alden and especially Oliver had all done a lot of growing up since she first met them.
She was wrenched from this reverie when Claire pulled her into a boutique without warning.
Chloe raised her eyebrows when Claire immediately headed for a section of green dresses.
"More green?" she questioned, less than surprised.
"I already told Oliver you'd be wearing green. It's not my fault you got picked up by a tornado and I couldn't get you out here sooner."
Chloe laughed. No wonder Claire was so set against her pink dress. "Green it is," she conceded, joining Claire to search the rack while Diana studied a glass case of accessories.
______________________________________
"Wow."
"Hi, Ollie."
"Wow."
"Thanks,," Chloe laughed, her cheeks flushing.
"Wow."
This time she rolled her eyes. "New word, please."
"Wow."
She slapped his arm and he jumped. "Sorry." He kissed her easily. "You look--"
"Wow?" she supplied, smirking.
He grinned. "Yes. Have I ever told you that green is my favorite color?"
Chloe stared at him for a full minute before laughing abruptly until her eyes watered. "Oh God," she gasped, "that explains so much."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, ushering her into Excelsior's Grand Ballroom. "I'll take your word for it," he said, deciding it was better not to ask.
Chloe had had to meet him at Excelsior's because Diana had had a last minute bout of shyness and Chloe and Claire had been afraid that she might back out if they didn't take her over themselves.
Chloe glanced over at the couple in question. Geoff looked completely tongue-tied, and Diana looked silently, shyly, pleased in her pale pink dress.
Claire was already greeting people and mingling, strategically maneuvering herself and Alden in the direction of the photographer. Claire looked like a movie star, Chloe thought. He midnight blue dress combined with her gleaming red curls stood out in a daring combination that suited her personality so well, Chloe just had to smile at it.
Claire had snagged up a pale green chiffon dress for Chloe, and judging by Oliver's reaction, it worked for her, but she couldn't help feeling self-conscious in it. She had a difficult enough time with the one she wore to Smallville's dance, but this one was so flowy and graceful looking, she was afraid she couldn't live up to it.
Oliver pulled her on to the dance floor almost immediately, and feelings of insecurity soon drifted away.
At least with Oliver she didn't have to worry that he would up and abandon her. She didn't blame Clark, but...well...no matter the reason, it wasn't fun to be left standing alone at prom.
______________________________________________
Chloe was having a fantastic time. For the first time since returning to school, she'd forgotten all thoughts of Mr. Christopher and Mr. Williams, of super-powers and meteor rocks and anything else upsetting.
She and Oliver had been talking to Dave and his date Shannon for a while, several hours into the dance, before Oliver decided he had to "snatch her" for another dance.
Encouraged by her good mood, and the apparent lack of tension she was feeling for once, Oliver started the conversation he'd been meaning to for a while. "So, I wanted to talk to you about this summer."
Chloe's heart sunk faster than an anchor. No, she thought. Don't do it. "Oh?"
He nodded, not immediately noticing her change in stature. "What are your plans?"
"Umm, well, a lot of things, I guess," Chloe said quickly. "I always spend some time with my cousin in the summer if I can, and I'm applying for a Daily Planet internship, but I doubt I'll get it. I'm actually a year too young to apply, but I thought I'd try annyway, and then there's the possibility of getting a job in Smallville, save up for a car...things like that. I'm sure I'll be pretty busy."
Oliver couldn't help the slight frown at her rambling. "Huh," was all he said at first. "Well, I was actually wondering if--"
Don't say it!
"--you'd be interested in coming to stay with me in Star City for a month."
Chloe bit her lip, wishing she didn't have to say no. Then she pulled herself together and brought out her carefully prepared and perfectly reasonable excuse.
"Oh, Oliver," she sounded disappointed. "I'm not sure if I can. I mean, of course I'd like to," she added, unable to help herself. "It would be really great. It's just...I doubt my dad would let me. He's barely comfortable with the boyfriend concept as it is. I don't think he'd take to the idea too well."
Oliver's brow creased still deeper, sensing something amiss. "Well, if you want to come, you can at least ask him. Maybe he wouldn't be okay with a month, but he might go for a week," he suggested.
She hadn't anticipated that. "Well, I'll ask, I just don't want you to get your hopes up. I really don't think he'll say yes."
He studied her carefully. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse, and he understood fully, but he couldn't help the suspicion that something was off. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked finally.
Chloe's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she asked, praying he would let it drop, knowing he wouldn't.
He frowned still deeper. "I just...I don't know. I've had this feeling all week that something's wrong. Is everything okay?"
Why does he have to be so damn good at reading me? Chloe wondered bitterly. No one else has noticed anything at all. "Yeah," she assured him, aware that she was lying through her teeth. "I'm great. Why?"
"Are you sure? Did something happen in Smallville? You've just seemed a bit off ever since you got back."
"I'm fine," she repeated firmly.
"Chloe--"
"Oliver."
"You can tell me, whatever it is. Does this have something to do with--" he suddenly brought their dance to a halt. "Is this something to do with Clark?"
"What? No!" Chloe said, unable to stop her heart beat from speeding up.
"Chloe," he said seriously. "Are you...feeling guilty because something happened between you and Clark?"
"Oliver, nothing--"
"Because it's okay. Whatever happened. I don't--"
"Nothing happened between me and Clark, Oliver!" Chloe said a little more loudly than she'd intended, her arms falling from his shoulders. A couple of faces glanced curiously in their direction.
"Well then I really wish you'd let me know what's going on, Chloe! I'm in the dark here!"
"Nothing is going on," Chloe said, lowering her voice in hopes of losing the attention they'd accidentally drawn to themselves.
"Everyone else might believe that, Chloe, but I can tell something's wrong. Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"There's nothing--" she caught the look in his eyes and stopped, swallowing tightly. She closed her eyes, deciding to opt for at least an ounce of honesty. "There's nothing for you to worry about, Oliver, I promise."
"Then why can't you tell me what's going on with you? You've been keeping things from me all year, but something's gotten a lot more serious lately, and I just don't understand why you're keeping me out of the loop."
"I can't tell you everything, Oliver," Chloe said sharply. "Everyone has secrets. It's nothing to do with you. That's just how it is. Can you honestly say I know every detail of your life?"
"Of course not, but if you asked, I'd tell you what you wanted to know."
"But this isn't about me, Oliver."
"But there is something going on," he asserted, and Chloe huffed angrily.
"Yes, all right? Yes, there's something going on. But it hasn't got anything to do with you or us, and it honestly doesn't have all that much to do with me, I'm just caught up in it, all right? It's not for me to talk about. I'm sorry!" She broke away from him, too worked up to trust herself to say anything more, heading for the punch bowl to get herself a drink.
Oliver chased after her.
"Oliver, I don't want to and can't talk about it, so please just let it drop."
"But I don't understand why you can't talk to me about it!"
Chloe swallowed a scream of frustration. This wasn't fair. "I just explained that, Ollie! It's not for me to talk about!"
"But why?"
She rounded on him, fire in her eyes. "Are you listening to yourself? You sound like a five-year-old! Oliver, for the love of God, please just let it drop!"
"I'm not letting it drop. I'm your boyfriend, Chloe. I care about you and clearly something serious is going on in your life and you won't even let me in enough to tell me what it is! How the Hell am I supposed to feel about that? I'm worried about you and I'd like to be there for you, but you don't seem to care."
Chloe could feel her eyes beginning to burn as she got more upset. "It's not your battle, Oliver! Like it or not, there are some things I have to face on my own!"
Oliver stared at her, guilt surging through him. He hadn't changed his mind, but at the expression on her face, he was beginning to wish he could just have kept his mouth shut. His voice gentled. "Chloe--"
"Don't," she said, her voice tight. She blinked back a few tears, guilt surging through her relentlessly. "I--" she shook herself. "I don't feel particularly well. Headache. I'm going to--" she cut off, not sure what she was saying as it was. She looked away and swallowed, steadying herself. "I'm going to see if Claire or Diana is ready to head back."
She broke away from him, and Oliver for once in his life wasn't sure whether it would be better to go after her or to give her her space. His body, which had apparently been rendered motionless, made the decision for him.
Chloe never stopped to look for Claire or Diana, but slipped out as discreetly as possible, all too aware of how many people must have overheard them.
When she got back to her dorm, she threw herself on her bed, hating herself and finally crying at the unfairness of it all.
It wasn't long before she felt the bed sink slightly, and a soothing hand rubbing her back. "Diana's fixing coffee," Claire's voice informed her, and Chloe sucked in a shaky breath. "It's okay, honey. Just let it out," Claire said.
Chloe buried her face in her pillow. "I'm never going to another dance again," she announced bitterly.
Chapter One; Chapter Two; Chapter Three; Chapter Four; Chapter Five; Chapter Six; Chapter Seven; Chapter Eight; Chapter Nine; Chapter Ten; Chapter Eleven; Chapter Twelve ; Chapter Thirteen; Chapter Fourteen; Chapter Fifteen; Chapter Sixteen; Chapter Seventeen; Chapter Eighteen; Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty; Chapter Twenty-One; Chapter Twenty-Two; Chapter Twenty-Three; Epilogue