Superman: Dawnbreaker (DC Icons #4)(27)

He drifted back over to Lex and Bryan, feeling guilty about being at a party when there were so many more important things happening in Smallville. He and Lana had work to do. And he didn’t see why that work shouldn’t start right away.

“Clark?” Lex snapped his fingers in front of Clark’s face. “Hello? Anyone home?”

Clark left his thoughts to focus on Lex. “What happened?”

“I just asked you a question. Are you going to be Bryan’s gym partner?”

“It’s no big deal,” Bryan said. “I just started this new workout routine and nutritional plan. And Lex is giving me shit.”

“Not even,” Lex said, grinning. “I’m your biggest supporter. I just think you need a workout buddy. It’s too easy to backslide if you don’t have someone holding you accountable. And you know I’m not a gym guy.”

“I’ll go with you,” Clark said.

“See?” Lex said. “Told you Clark would come through.”

When Lex got pulled into a conversation about Metropolis a few seconds later, Clark nudged Bryan. “So, you’ve been going to the gym?”

Bryan shrugged. “Remember how I urged you to talk to Gloria at All-American? And said you needed to step into the action? Well, it’s time for me to practice what I preach.”

Clark nodded. “How’s it going so far?”

Bryan shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve been working pretty hard. And Corey, of all people, hooked me up with this supplement that’s been helping me recuperate. Honestly, I never thought of myself as a gym guy either. But I feel good.”

“That’s what matters,” Clark said.

They both went quiet for a little while. Clark was tempted to tell Bryan about the people disappearing from Smallville and how he was determined to find out what was going on. But he didn’t know if they had that kind of friendship. They were still just getting to know each other.

“It’s weird,” Bryan said. “I want so badly to be someone, you know? A person who makes an actual difference. But I have no idea how to do it. I mean, I love flying, but my dad doesn’t really think it’s the best future for me. He says the real money’s in finance. Or law. And since I came back from my boarding school…I don’t know. He’s just different.”

“I’m not really sure what my calling is either,” Clark said. “I know that sounds dramatic, but you get what I’m saying.”

“Totally.”

“It’s like you have all this pent-up energy,” Clark said, “but you can’t figure out where exactly to put it.”

Bryan nodded excitedly. “And you can’t just ignore it or else you’ll explode.”

“Exactly.” Ever since Clark was a kid, he’d wondered what his purpose was. When he was younger, he told himself it was farming. Tending to the land. Caring for animals. And those things were still important to him. But lately he’d been wondering if there was something greater he was put on this earth to do.

Like helping people.

Before Clark could say anything else, Tanya Davis, a star pitcher on the Smallville softball squad, took him by the elbow, saying, “Sorry to bother you, Clark. But I need you to step into this game of beer pong we got going.”

“What?” Clark said, caught off guard.

“We each get a lifeline,” she said, “and you’re mine.”

“You’re picking Clark?” a baseball player named Jules asked. He turned to one of his teammates, Beau, laughing, and the two of them slapped hands. “I know we’re good now, ’cause this dude doesn’t even drink.”

A couple of other baseball players laughed.

“You guys are ignorant,” Tanya said. “I’ve seen Clark break about fifty tackles on a single run. You think he can’t figure out how to throw a damn Ping-Pong ball into a cup of beer?”

“We’ll see.”

“Go on, Clark,” Bryan said, nudging him forward. “Let’s see what you got.”

Clark shrugged, took the Ping-Pong ball, and looked at the triangle of cups at the other end of the long table. “What do I do? Toss it into one of those cups?”

“Whichever one you want,” Tanya said. “And those assholes have to drink.”

A few people nearby started paying attention to the game as Clark lined up his toss. He estimated the velocity he’d need, based on the weight and tension of the Ping-Pong ball, taking into account the slight breeze. He aimed for the very point of the triangle and watched his toss arc toward the cup, landing right inside.

“Ha!” Tanya said. “Drink up, suckers!”

“Lucky shot,” Beau said after he’d downed the contents of the cup in one go. His own shot bounced away.

“Let’s see if you can double down,” Jules said.

Clark took the Ping-Pong ball again, lined it up, and made his second toss. The ball went straight into the next cup in line. He felt Bryan slap him on the shoulder. “Maybe this is your calling, Clark!” he joked. “You’re a natural.”

It was just a silly game, but Clark was getting a thrill out of it. Having a small crowd watching him perform. Competing against the two baseball players on the other side of the table. He made four more throws, sinking all of them in a clear pattern and working the small crowd into a frenzy. As they urged him to go on, though, he began to wonder if he was revealing his powers.