IMPORTANT Author's Note: After letting it linger on and on, i've finally decided to scrap an idea. The Hal Jordan bank robbery scene has now been deleted from chapter 2. Why? Because i've been struggling with the third chapter for months, writing it ten different ways, and it never worked. The Hal Jordan character became much more layered. And I realized it was just too much weight for this story to hold so soon. There's just too much that I want to do with the character. Unlike Bruce Wayne being mentioned by Lex in chapter 1, Hal Jordan just begged for too much attention. So, if there was to be more "Seasons" then he would appear and eventually become a major player in this particular universe.

For now... I wanted to just concentrate more on Kara and Lex, as they are obviously the two major characters. Also, chapters here and there could be centered more around the others. Chloe, Lana, Lionel, etc.. Though, honestly, at least for "Season 1" it will focus almost exclusively on Kara and Lex. That's not saying there won't be more DC characters introduced, but Kara and Lex are the most important. I'm striving for a simple yet complicated relationship for them that will develop as we go further.

SMALLVILLE: KARA KENT

Chapter 3- "Popularity"

Your primary goal? Eliminate the opposition at any and all costs. Cunning, determination, strength, quickness and sacrifice were all keys. All important factors in this war. One that had been waged on the hallowed ground of many a battlefields spanning the globe. Two opposing sides, each vying for dominance, each discontented with anything less than triumph. And this war's name? The label bestowed upon it?

Dodge ball.

Kara Kent was never a fan of the sport. Actually, truth be told, she never really dug into any sports. Although, she had gone to a baseball game or two with her parents. She sighed, thinking that thought. Her parents. She still considered them such, even though they weren't technically her parents. Adoptive paren... whoah! Kara snapped to life when a red ball whizzed right past her face. Stupid daydreaming. In Gym class, not paying attention could get you killed. Or at least booted from Dodgeball.

Another ball. But, this time Kara caught it with ease and chucked it right back to the opposing side. Her eyes went wide when it impacted another girl's face and knocked her right down onto her backside on the hard floor. In this distraction, Kara was eliminated from the game. She was socked in the stomach with a ball. Any other student would be doubled-over, gasping for oxygen. However, Kara ignored the blow as if it were a rain drop.

Everyone huddled around the fallen student. Kara breathed a sigh of relief when it became obvious that the girl was still conscious. Jeez, how hard did she throw the ball? She wasn't even paying attention. That was probably the cause right there. She wasn't paying attention. If she was going to keep her new found strength a secret, she would certainly need to keep it in check at all times.

"Give her some room." the Gym teacher said calmly, and everyone backed away.

That's when Kara rolled her eyes, sighing and scolding herself silently. You wanna know who she hit dead center in the face with a big red ball? The Smallville High gossip queen. Cat Grant! Kara muttered to herself how stupid she was for doing it, looking away. A couple of Cat's many followers helped her up as she sobbed. The teacher tried to tell her that she was fine, but Cat insisted that her nose was broken and needed immediate attention from the school nurse.

Kara tried apologizing but the gossip queen was having nothing to do with it. Great. A few seconds later, Cat and her disciples were out of the gymnasium. Off to the side, a pair of twins - brother and sister - laughed and snickered at the whole situation. They were amused, enjoying themselves like it were a show for their own personal entertainment.

Kara excused herself from the class, opting to get an early start on her next study period.

After school...

This day really wasn't turning out like Kara had planned. Of course, she hadn't really entered it with a plan, but nevertheless. Following the dodge ball incident, it seemed like the entire student body had been updated and privy to what happened. Kara could go nowhere - not down a single hallway - without there being at least five or so people pointing and giggling at her. Some even wanted high fives and a few boys claimed that it was hot. Kara, like most students, knew popularity was a double-edged sword. There was famous and infamous.

The idea of popularity came to mind when Kara had received word from the school's office that her mother called and the truck broke down, so they wouldn't be able to pick her up. Fantastic. It wasn't the end of the world by any means, but definitely an annoyance. Surprisingly, Kara was offered a few rides by otherwise complete strangers, but she kindly declined. It went without saying that Cat Grant was not one of the offers.

With all that said and done, she made the decision to simply walk home. It was a little bit of a walk, but nothing she hadn't done before. If no one was looking, she could just run really fast. But, the weather was really nice again, so the trip wouldn't be bad at all. However, that's when her day went from bad to worse.

"Need a ride?" speaking of popularity. The Golden Son of Kansas... Lex Luthor. He had pulled up alongside Kara in a new shiny black car as she walked down the side of a street. She had only been at it for a couple minutes, so she wasn't far from the school at all. He must have had a very good eye to spot her.

"I'm fine." Kara declined as politely as the other times, though this one was joined with a faint smile.

"C'mon." he stopped, opening the door. Behind him a line formed, honking their horns and shouting obscenities at the young Luthor. "Didn't you ever hear that exercise is bad for you?" he smirked genuinely.

Kara couldn't help but return the gesture at that point. She sighed inwardly and finally entered the vehicle, setting her pack in her lap and buckling up. After all, it wasn't too long ago that Lex lost control of his car. He was quick to pick up on that also, nodding and smiling. Kara blushed, feeling like an idiot, "Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

"No worries." he waved it off, accelerating and rejoining the traffic, which was thick. Of course it was thick, god forbid anything be smooth lately. "So..." he tried his hand at striking up conversation, "... How was school?"

Kara chortled, trying not to laugh.

Lex chuckled, stopping at a red light. "Wow, please tell me I didn't sound as corny as I think it did."

"My parents ask me the same question everyday." she pointed out humorously.

"Well..." he continued, "... You'll have to excuse me. I haven't really talked to a lot of women recently. It's usually just power hungry men with overflowing egos and macho attitudes."

She nodded, dressing in a fake smile. Something bothered her. It was just the way he said women. It may have been silly, but it brought in to focus the small yet visible age gap between them. Ugh, why did an age gap even matter?

"Anyways..." finally, a green light, "... I have to thank you again for saving my life. Honestly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

The same could have been said for Kara.

For just a brief few seconds, Kara sensed hesitation on Lex's part. She got the distinct feeling that he was debating something in his mind. He stalled longer, making it appear as though he were concentrating on the road and traffic far more than he really was. He wasn't that good of an actor, though. Kara wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but she didn't dare. It wasn't her right to ask such questions.

"Speaking..." he finally spoke again a couple minutes later, "... Of that rescue..." he paused chuckling through a breath, head shaking from side to side, "... I was wondering if you could clear something up for me?"

"... Okay." Kara's eyes thinned slightly, uneased with where the conversation may progress to.

"Did I - and please be honest - did I hit you with my car?"

The moment of truth, but Kara saw no other logical option other than lying. "Almost."

"I'm not sure if I told you already, but I was knocked unconscious at the beginning." he was surely finding some difficulty in saying this to Kara. "I skidded..."

"What are you saying?" Kara interrupted softly.

There was a slight pause, Lex shrugged just a little, "I don't know. I guess... just trying to make sense of the situation."

There was one small fraction of a second. One tiny little moment where Kara figured it may have been a good idea to confess the truth to Lex. The burden of secrecy would be off her shoulders. The pressure would be alleviated greatly. However, Kara's common sense refused to co-operate. If anyone should have been told of her secret, it would be her parents. So, Kara kept quiet for the short remainder of the ride.

Eventually, they had arrived at her home. Sure enough, there was the local mechanic's son, Pete, under the hood of the truck with her father.

Kara found herself remaining in Lex's car. She wasn't sure why. Then she noticed Lex turning off his engine, eyeing the display in front. "Car trouble?" he wondered the obvious, stepping out of his vehicle and approaching Jonathan and Pete.

"Lex Luthor." Jonathan greeted, wiping his blackened hands with an already dirty cloth as Lex - in his fine suit - stepped closer. "I see you gave Kara a ride. Thank you."

Kara knew her father hated the Luthor family. It was pretty much known by all. In fact, it was a sentiment shared by all. Nobody liked them. "Yeah, thanks, Lex." Kara spoke, casually moving past everyone on her way to the house.

"No need for thanks." he assured. "It's the least I could do. I still owe your daughter a debt of gratitude." . There was an awkward pause as Jonathan and Lex just kind of eyed each other. "Trouble with the truck?" Lex stated the obvious, much to Jonathan's hidden shigrin. "You know... I was thinking... with all the work you do... I bet this ol' girl here just doesn't have much left in her." he gestured with a thumb to the truck.

"Can't complain." Jonathan said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Actually... Kara does have my card." Lex mentioned as if it were casual talk. "If you're interested in a new truck, just give me a call."

"I appreciate the offer, Lex. Really, I do." there was just a hint of sarcasm to Jonathan's voice, but the majority of his discontent was contained. "But, times have been tough lately. My pockets aren't as deep as I would like them to be."

"Understandable." Lex saw Mr. Kent's point of view. However... "You wouldn't need to push a single bill across the counter, though. I would take care of the payments."

Jonathan wasn't so easily bought and sold. Rather than an answer, Jonathan returned to his work with Pete, "I should get back to this. Thanks for giving Kara a lift."

"My pleasure." Lex smiled, turning away and returning to his own vehicle with hands in his pockets.

From the corner of his eyes, Jonathan watched as Lex entered his car and backed out into the road, accelerating away. What was his game? If he was a Luthor, he undoubtedly retained a hidden agenda of some sort for all of these nice gestures and offers. And if he was anything like his father, it was something underhanded.

Elsewhere...

Cat Grant was chatting up a storm about Kara Kent to all of her friends. Sadly, this included Lana Lang, who was already well-known to be close friends with Kara ever since they were little. That was something that did not sit well with Cat at all. Every so often during her little verbal bashing of Kara, Cat would shift her glance over to Lana in a rather sinister way.

Lana didn't know what to do. On one hand, she was a Cheerleader who was hoping to make it to the top eventually, understanding that popularity was key. But on the other hand, she hated hearing anyone talk bad about Kara, let alone a stuck-up drama/gossip queen like Cat Grant. The whole situation was awkward and uncomfortable, made all the worse by Lana's boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, laughing and cracking idiotic jokes right with the rest.

All it was was a stupid accident during Dodge Ball. How did that become a good enough reason to unleash a bunch of rude and downright nasty jokes at Kara's expense?

"How about her always wearing red and blue?" Whitney laughed, everyone followed suit like hyenas, save for Lana. "What's the deal with that?" Whitney added.

"They're her favorite colors." Lana spoke but too softly for anyone to pay her much attention.

"Honestly... if it was me who attacked her... I would have at least knocked some fashion sense into her brain." Cat said, receiving a generous laugh from her friends. All except Lana, who didn't seem as appreciative of the humor. A wicked twist curved Cat's lips just enough to be noticed, "Oh gosh, Lana, I should apologize. I forgot... you're totally bff's with her. Wow, my bad."

Lana couldn't absorb any more. Popularity aside, she couldn't just sit by and watch her friend get verbally shredded to pieces. "I should go." she said, excusing herself from the little group and walking away.

"Lana?" Whitney questioned, getting up and following his girlfriend. "Lana? Lana!"

"What!?" annoyed, Lana finally turned around when it was assured that they were a safe distance away from Cat Grant's click.

Whitney took a step back, a little surprised by her minor outburst. "Whoah, what is the problem?"

"Like you even care." Lana glared, hurt. "I'm going home."

"Oh, c'mon." Whitney scoffed. "Relax, everyone's just joking. Lighten up."

"I'm going home, Whitney." she turned back around, heading defiantly in the opposite direction. "Maybe you should go hang out with your new friends."

Whitney rolled his eyes, chuckling as Lana walked away. "Yeah... maybe I will."

That night, the Kent household...

Another dinner. Boring and plain. But, Kara was having troubles. She didn't feel like eating, her stomach starting to knot with the various issues complicating her life. She remembered just awhile ago when she was nothing or nobody but a lonely farm girl. Nothing unique. Nothing out of the ordinary. She could remember laying awake at night whispering prayers that she could become something more. But... not this. Not some comic book character come to life.

"Kara?" her mother's voice. "You don't look well."

"I-it's nothing." Kara sighed. But, maybe it would be better if she let out a little. Just a little. "Or... actually... there was a little incident at school."

"Hopefully nothing serious." Martha was concerned.

"No, no." Kara dismissed. "Just... I accidentally hit Cat Grant in the nose with a dodge ball." . She could instantly hear her father trying his hardest not to laugh. "Dad!" she half-smiled, trying to deny the humor in it. "It's not funny!"

"Cat Grant?" Martha winced. "Ugh, her mother just goes on and on at the Flea Markets. I don't know why she even goes to them... she's never there to buy anything."

"She must gossip like her daughter." Kara concluded.

"Mother like daughter."

"It'll blow over." Jonathon spoke up, warranting scoffs from the women in his life. "What? These types of things always do."

"Cat Grant is the Queen of Hell!" Kara blurted.

That received a troubled look from her mother. "I don't know if I would go that far, but Kara does have a steep hill in front of her."

"Nah." Jonathon disagreed. "It's just high school nonsense. Trust me, Honey, this will blow over before you know it. I'd be surprised if it's even still going on tomorrow. Teenagers have bad memories, anyway."

The next day, Smallville High School...

Why couldn't her father have been right?

It seemed like every single student in the entire cafeteria was buzzing over what transpired the day before between Kara Kent and Cat Grant. Even worse, ninety-nine percent of the student population seemed to be gravitating towards Cat Grant at an alarming rate. Kara was surprised, but so pleasently gratious, that Lana had decided to sit with her and Chloe at a lonesome table.

"Not partaking in the bashing today?" Chloe quipped as Lana sat down. Lana just kind of shook her head and started quickly on a soda. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine."

"Lana?" Kara worried.

"I knew I shouldn't have sit here." Lana picked up her tray and dumped the food in a nearby trash bucket, leaving the cafeteria then. Before either Kara or Chloe could respond, they were approached by Smallville High's resident pair of twins...

"Mind if we sit down?" they spoke in complete unison, their voices harmonizing together like two alike singers.

"Ummm... sure." Kara smiled out of politeness, yet neither her nor her friend knew quite what to make of the situation.

"We're Zan and Jayna." they kept speaking at the same time, voices tied together like two shoelaces.

"Hi." Kara and Chloe humorously chimed in.

"Sorry." Jayna spoke independently, shying away slightly. "We have a tendency to do that."

"Yeah... sorry." Zan followed.

"Zan?" Chloe questioned. "Unique name."

"Yep." Zan nodded simply. "That's why Pop picked it out."

Chloe chuckled. "So, if you don't mind me asking... why come over to the uncool side of the beach?"

"Yeah." Kara added. "Considering my blunder yesterday, being seen with me is pretty much social suicide."

"We don't mind." they spoke together again. "Actually..." Zan smirked wickedly, "... We kinda had an idea on how you could get back at her."

"It's a pretty sweet idea." Jayna followed, showing the same smirk.

"Oh." Kara replied, shifting a quick glance to Chloe. "Thanks, but that's alright. I just plan on waiting until this thing blows over."

"Why?" they asked. "Someone like you... you could get revenge easy."

"No, I really don't want to." Kara stood firm in her decision, but picking up on what they could possibly be hinting at.

"Are you sure?" Jayna asked, not sold.

"It's a really good plan." Zan finished her thought.

Kara laughed slightly, more out of being nervous than anything else. "Really, I'm sure."

Zan and Jayna frowned, their black hair and green eyes matching perfectly. "Okay, if you insist. We have to go. See ya later." and they left just as quickly as they came.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that's a little freaked." Kara commented as they walked away.

"They're new." Chloe mentioned. "They actually enrolled just a day or two after your little underwater adventure."

"Chloe!" Kara whispered, annoyed that she would mention that aloud. "Anyway... do you know what's bothering Lana? She's been upset all day, but she won't tell me what's going on."

Chloe looked over to Cat Grant's table and Kara followed suit. That's when it became very evident of what had been plugging away at Lana's otherwise cheery mood. "I swear... it's like he does it to her on purpose." Chloe commented, sneering at Whitney as he sat and laughed with the popular click.

"She deserves better." Kara stated. "A lot better."

SMALLVILLE: KARA KENT

So, as you can probably tell, this chapter was more of me getting back on my feet with the story. But, it's not entirely useless. The Kara/Lex dynamic or whatever is touched upon. We see Lex slowly trying to integrate himself into the picture a little more. Also, there's Cat Grant intro'd as a human "enemy" for Kara to deal with at school. We get a glimpse of Pete. The Lana/Whitney relationship is set-up. Plus... the Wonder Twins?