Out In the Cold By Misha rating: PG Summary: Companion to "On the Outside, Looking In". Whitney reflects. (Clark/Lana, Lana/Whitney) Disclaimed- I totally do not own any of the characters of Smallville (though I wish I owned Lex!), they belong to a lot of people with more money than me. I am not making any money off using them in this story, so please don't sue me. Author's Notes- This is a companion piece to "On the Outside, Looking In". This one focuses on Whitney. I don't particularly like Whitney, but I decided to try and give him depth. Again, this one's pretty angsty... Sorry. One other thing, should I write a prequel to these fics? Should I write a long fic focusing on how Clark and Lana got together? I mean, they're not my couple of choice, but... It might be interesting to write a fluffy piece about them. What do you think? Well, that's it for now, enjoy! Rating- PG Spoilers- None really. --- Whitney watched as Lana walked across the cafeteria towards his table. Except she wasn't walking towards him. After over a year together, it was over. Whitney felt his heart break all over again as he watched Lana slide into a seat beside someone else at a table not that far from his. As he watched someone else slip a strong arm around Lana's waist and greet her with a kiss on the cheek. Just another reminder that Lana was someone else's girlfriend. Clark Kent's girlfriend. Whitney had seen it coming long before it happened. He had sensed it when Lana began to pull away from and move closer to Clark. But he had still held on to the hope that maybe it wouldn't happen, maybe he wouldn't lose her. He had held on to that hope until Lex Luthor's Christmas party. Whitney hadn't wanted to go to the party in the first place. He knew that Luthor had no use for him, that he was Clark's friend. But Lana wanted to go. They had argued about it for a few days, before she had finally told him that if she had to go without him, she would. Lex was her friend and she had no intention of missing his party. Whitney had given in then and had escorted her to the party. Afterwards he wished he hadn't, but deep down he knew that what had happened was inevitable, that it would have happened some other time if it hadn't happened that night. Every detail is carved into his memory like stone. Clark's embarrassed, yet hopeful look, the faint pink tinge in Lana's cheeks when the duo realized that they had been caught under the mistletoe. The dread in his stomach. He knew that somehow or another, Luthor was responsible, that he had arranged the whole thing. Whitney could still remember the smug triumph in the older man's eyes. But not as well as he remembered the kiss. It was a simple, short, sweet kiss. It was over almost before it began, yet... It changed everything. What had been bubbling below the surface, was now over-flowing. The rest of the night, Lana's eyes had been on Clark and his had been on her. It was like they were in a world of their own. A world that didn't include Whitney. The next day, Lana broke up with him. Whitney had taken it as graciously as possible. He knew that making a scene wasn't going to change anything, so he had smiled sadly, kissed her cheek and wished her luck. It had been hard, but he knew that he had to do it. He loved her, but he knew that she no longer loved him. Or at least not the way she should. So, he let her go. He didn't see her again until school started back up. By then he had heard the news, that she and Clark were together. But that hadn't prepared him for seeing them together, for seeing the look in her eyes whenever she gazed at Clark. A look that had never been there when she looked at him. He saw it as he watched her now. As she laughed at something Clark said and gazed up at him. Yet, as hard as it was, as much as it hurt, there was one consolation. Whitney realized that if he had to lose her, he was glad that he had lost her to Clark. He was glad that he had lost her to someone who would love and cherish her. It was obvious to anyone that Clark did, that he adored her. Whitney watched them and was amazed by how their every action portrayed how in love they were. The way Lana's hand was rested on Clark's arm, the way she looked at him, the smile on his face, the way he played with her hair... It all gave them way. Suddenly, Whitney couldn't take it anymore. He turned his attention way from them and something else caught his eye. That girl, Clark's friend, the one from the Torch... Chloe, that was her name. She was looking at Clark and Lana and her expression hit home to Whitney. After all, he was pretty his was the same. He studied her closely, paying attention to her for the first time ever. He saw his own emotions mirrored in his face and knew then that she knew what he was feeling. He saw it all so clearly. She was in love with Clark, just like he was in love with Lana. But, just like him, she knew it was hopeless. Their eyes met then, for a brief second, and he saw recognition in them. She understood. Whitney looked at her for a moment longer, then returned his gaze to Clark and Lana and felt his heart rip once more. He turned away then and stood up. He got up and left the cafeteria. When he reached his locker, he saw Chloe approach him. "It hurts, doesn't it?" She asked softly. Whitney just nodded. "I know how it feels." Chloe said. "But maybe it gets better. Who knows?" She smiled at him once more, looked him straight in the eye, and then walked away. Whitney watched her, realizing that in one moment they had connected. That as different as they were, they shared something. As strange as it was, it was also nice. It was nice to know that he wasn't alone. That he wasn't the only one hurting. He closed his eyes. Yet, even the connection he shared with Chloe, didn't make the pain go away. Nor did it change the fact that he was no longer Lana Lang's boyfriend, no longer the one she turned to when she was upset. Or the fact that he was now out in the cold, wishing he could have the warmth back again. The End