Prom Night Tensions

Excitedly, he ran to tell Clark that he had found a prom date.

Clark, however, looked a bit stunned.

Oh.

Soren invited Chloe...

This should have been good news for him.

Chloe and Soren were both his good friends.

He should be happy that they were going to the prom together.

But...

…But...

Clark felt a sudden, vague sense of disappointment.

His heart felt empty, as if a hole had opened up, and his emotions seemed to drop down into it with a thud.

Soren was standing right in front of him.

Clark suddenly noticed that Soren seemed a bit thinner than when he first met him—under the setting sun, his face looked as smooth as porcelain.

The smile in his eyes and the curve of his mouth had a certain indescribable charm that made Clark stare at him for a few seconds.

Clark noticed that Soren had such a slim waist that it seemed like he could be held in one hand.

Clark thought, if he held Soren's waist, would Soren blush and jump away, trying to push his hand off?

Why couldn't they dance together?

Couldn't two guys be dance partners?

"Clark? I'm asking you, have you found your dance partner?" Soren's voice brought Clark back to reality.

Clark snapped out of his daze.

He opened his mouth, his eyes darting around, and blushed as he scratched his head. "Uh... um, I... I also..."

Driven by an inexplicable emotion, he said the name of Lana, who had just been rejected.

"I've decided to go with Lana as my partner," Clark said, his face turning red.

Soren was slightly surprised.

"Oh... that's great. Lana has a lot of people interested in her. She's so pretty... You two will be the most outstanding pair at the prom."

Soren managed to find the right tone and expression, forcing a cheerful look and speaking lightly.

Lana Lang was Clark Kent's first love.

It was an unspoken truth known by everyone.

Even though he hadn't seen Clark show special interest in Lana since arriving in Smallville, it seemed like a story that was meant to happen.

They would have a wonderful, memorable time.

A memory of the town, of youth, like a shining gem that can never be forgotten.

He had no right to stop it.

On prom night, Soren had prepared a beautiful pink corsage for Chloe.

He also pinned a pink rose boutonnière on his own suit.

He wore the white suit that Renee had made for him last year.

It still fits him perfectly.

He had carefully styled his hair, pulling back his golden waves to reveal his smooth, pale face, which looked more mature than before.

As a gentleman, he had even gone to Chloe's house to pick her up for the prom.

Chloe looked stunning in a rose-pink gown.

She wore light makeup and looked charming and sweet.

After they checked in together, they went their separate ways to chat with friends.

Soren stood with a few close friends, but he was clearly distracted.

He kept glancing at his watch, wondering why Clark wasn't there yet.

He wasn't sure why he was so anxious, but he really wanted to see Clark at the prom.

Finally, just before the prom started, Clark and Lana arrived, a bit late.

Lana wore a pale yellow fishtail gown that highlighted her curvy figure.

Her ginger-red hair was smooth and flowing, making her look radiant, beautiful, and gentle.

Many boys stared at Lana, unable to take their eyes off her pretty face.

But Soren only had eyes for Clark.

Clark wore an old dark gray suit, probably given to him by Jonathan.

The suit didn't fit well; the sleeves were too tight, making his arms look bulky and uneven.

He still wore those old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses that covered his handsome face, revealing only the chiseled lines of his jaw.

Soren, holding a glass of juice, watched Clark from a distance.

Clark was also scanning the crowd, and when their eyes briefly met, Soren quickly looked away, pretending to be deeply engaged in conversation with his friends.

Clark tilted his head slightly in confusion.

He took a step forward, about to speak to Soren, but Lana grabbed his hand.

"Clark, it's time to dance. Let's go to the dance floor," Lana said with a smile.

Lana held his wrist, making Clark feel a bit awkward.

He responded nervously, "Oh, okay. Let's go."

They entered the dance floor and began to dance slowly as the first song started.

They had all taken basic social dance classes during their school years.

Clark had a natural talent for remembering things, so he didn't need to practice much to master any dance steps.

But for some reason, he pretended to be clumsy, stepping on Lana's dress several times.

Lana didn't get upset.

Instead, she just smiled and said, "You're just like you used to be, Clark."

Clark touched his nose and replied, "Maybe it's because I'm not very coordinated... You know, I used to trip every time I saw you."

Lana smiled gracefully.

Her eyes were soft and shimmering. "Back then, Whitney always caused trouble for you… I'm sorry."

"That's not your fault, and Whitney already apologized to me," Clark said.

Lana looked at him with a smile.

"You know, Clark, you've always seemed mysterious to me. Sometimes I think you're hiding something from everyone. Actually, it wasn't that we pushed you away; it was more like you stayed away from all of us," she said.

Clark replied seriously, "No, you're wrong. I don't have any secrets. I'm just a boring, ordinary person."

Lana smiled but didn't say anything more.

She leaned her face close to Clark's shoulder, but then her arm was gently bumped by someone.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry, I didn't see you," said Chloe, who had bumped into them.

She turned around and gave them a smile.

Even though Chloe kept apologizing, her expression was playful, and there was no real remorse on her face.

Clark's gaze followed Chloe's arm to where Soren was dancing with Chloe.