Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Comments: homecoming 18

Sorry about all the violence in this section. I haven't posted a WHAM warning for a reason though...it'll all work out. Don't worry, be happy!

Will it work out and will there be violence in the next section?? I shouldn't say this, but nothing is quite as cheerful as seeing a bully/thug/criminal/lowlife biting off more than he can chew.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire! I knew nothing good would come of both Lois's parents being AWOL. And now Lucy and Uncle Mike have headed out of town, too. EEK!

Yes, I could see Clark feeling guilty about using precious seconds to get a back-up witness, but since he knew that the coach and the principal weren't on his or Lois's side he needed to do that or they'd both be in trouble. I wonder how well the principal would fare if Sam Lane became involved. He might be a self-centered egoist, but he wouldn't want his daughter treated in this manner or abused and then blamed for any assault upon her. (Or is that just my optimism?)

It's so sad that Lois's classmates care more about winning games than about the football players' education or about them cheating. Yea! Lois! Yea! Lois! She's showing TRUE school spirit!

After an event like this, I couldn't see Lois ever returning to her high school reunion... of course, I could see Julie and Joe's hindsight recollections of the events would be something like... "Oh, LoLo, you know that I always had your back. I'm so glad you did what you did. I was rooting for you the whole time." Yeah, right.

I'm a bit surprised that Lois didn't call Ralph to ask him about the article or tell him about the reprisals, but then again, she probably didn't want to chance losing her internship.

I wonder what will happen to Lois. After what Tom did to her in the locker room, I doubt these are just innocent pranksters breaking into her house. These are angry young men with an ax to grind. How do they plan to enact their revenge? It's scary that they knocked out her power and telephone. At least, she has actual chargeable offenses to put them away... well, at least, until she's "safe" in Ireland (but that's another story). Would her classmates change their minds about Tom if they knew how much he had hurt Lois? Would they really want to be party to assault or battery or worse? (party as in agreeing that she deserved it or that it was her fault, and not doing anything to stop the violence against her.) Don't these boys know that anything that they do outside of school, can have real-life consequences? Nah, probably not. "Daddy'll get me off," I can see Tom saying.

Will she go on the lam and go hide out with Clark? See how and where *he* lives? That would be informative. Or will he come and stay at her house? Of course, then Sam will return early and she'll get in trouble for having a boy in the house. There's no winning for Lois (or Clark), is there?

Shayne, you win Cliffy of the Week award. Two in one week.

Yikes.

The adults in the locker room didn't even ask Lois what happened. They obviously don't care that Tom assaulted her. Even if it boils down to a he said/she said situation, it should be documented that Lois claims that he assaulted her. The bruises on her neck should go a long way to support her claims. She needs to go on the record now so that, even if nothing comes of this incident to punish Tom, there's a documented history of him attacking her to support her claim the next time he does it.

Clark was smart to get Mr. Johnson before he intervened, or else he would be in serious trouble for fighting.

If Tom is currently suspended, why is he allowed on campus? Shouldn't he be in trouble for being there in the first place?

So has Clark been keeping a covert eye on Lois's place while he's out and about? How quickly will he get there to save her? (I ask this, of course, hoping that that's what's going to happen.)

I also get the feeling that Lois is not going to get any backup from the DP. I presume that Ralph is flat-out stealing her story. I admit that I don't have any real knowledge of how newspapers function, but it seems odd to me that Ralph finds the idea of an intern actually writing a story so preposterous. If she has done all the research for it, why shouldn't she write it? I can see that they would pair her with an employee to help her polish it, and maybe it would be a joint-byline, but why shouldn't she expect to do the write-up for the work she's done?

I love that Lois's reaction is to "start paying a lot more attention in Tae Kwon Do classes," with no thought of ever backing down. It sounds like her fearlessness is about to be put to the test.

Clark definitely stayed out of trouble by getting Mr. Johnson first. I can understand why he's feeling guilty, though.

Wow, things are escalating quickly between Lois and the football team. I'm looking forward to her taking down the coach and the Principal, too. Assuming Ralph doesn't mess everything up…

This continues to be a great story! I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no... (replace the "no"s with 4-letter word of your choice)

Thank GOODNESS Clark managed to grab the one relatively decent adult in that school. But his instinct to stay with Lois was right on. I'm surprised no one's suggested that Tom Church has backup from Daddy's friends along - I can't imagine high school football players would know to cut the power and the phone lines before breaking in.

And Ralph deserves to be kicked in a very sensitive place for hanging Lois out to dry like that. At the VERY least, she should have been warned that it was going to be published so she could consider taking a sick day, or at least avoid the team areas.

Hanging by my fingernails here!!!!

First; Wonderful part. well done.



I hope you are planning to use this later. I tend to forget that at this point in time Sam Lane, whatever his personal failings, is a highly regarded member of the sports community.I wonder how the coach or his team would be treated by the rest of the sport community if they hurt Dr. Lane's daughter.
Perhaps this is something Clark can use? Being a trusted couriers he goes everywhere and meets people in all walks of life. Perhaps he could put the word in where it might help.

How would the coach or members of the team react if a well respected pro football player who has been helped by Dr. Lane "happen" to drop by the high school and greet Lois in the course of doing so.

Except for Tom Church I think it would stop the rest in their tracks.

Poor Lois. She's not having a good day at all.

Excellent story!!! You got me at the border of my seat. .. literally

How very interesting. And how very true-to-life.

There are, unfortunately, high schools in the US where the athlete-centered culture is not only tolerated but passively encouraged. The educators have to claim that they're working for the betterment of the kids as adults, but so many middle-aged men and women who are now parents of football or basketball or baseball players or cheerleaders make that activity the most important one for their children, making the kids' academic achievements less than noteworthy. Every high school coach of any sport has had pressure put on him or her to play someone who isn't quite as talented as another, and it makes coaches a little nuts at times. They're paid to win - yet they're also pressured to play someone's little darling who just isn't everything Mommy and Daddy think he or she is. And someone who stands in the way of winning - be that person a teacher, a student, a law enforcement officer, or a judge, gets strong hints to "do the right thing for the team." The premise is not just believable, it's all too real.

As for the story - wow. The physical intimidation is a bit over the top, as is Tom Church's attack on Lois, but that kind of stuff happens. A couple of decades ago, there was a case in Texas where a cheerleader candidate's mother had another candidate's mother killed to take the other girl out of the running for the squad so her little darling would get the slot. I know, it sounds like a Lifetime movie, but it really happened. So when I write that the violence is "over the top," I don't mean that it's outside reality. It isn't.

I understand Tom's motivation in attacking Lois. That doesn't mean I endorse or condone it, I just understand it. He's trying to please Daddy, and he thinks the best way to do that is to be a gridiron hero. In his mind, Lois has taken away his best chance to be a good son, and he can't get outside that paradigm to see that sports isn't something that will carry him into adulthood. There are no forty-year-old running backs at any level of pro ball, and he thinks that he won't have to worry about that because Daddy will take care of him when his career is over. He sees Lois as the only impediment to that scenario, so eliminating her interference is his best solution.

Lois is showing determination and grit that vanishingly few high school students possess. The vast majority of them would behave just as her "friends" do here. The brains of teenagers aren't finished growing yet, so a lot of what they believe and decide to do is incomprehensible to mature adults. Lois has been forced to grow up quickly, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Neither she nor Clark will have a store of good "home" memories to draw on when they begin their adult lives. All Lois will know is what she doesn't want to be like, and that's not the best model for adulthood.

On the positive side, I like Lois' don't-quit attitude and her recognition that sometimes she needs help. She isn't pushing Clark away like she did in S1. And Clark has had some good role models, like Brother Wayman, to let him know what a good man is supposed to look like. So if they decide to become a couple (whether that means going steady, engagement, or marriage) right out of high school, they've got a better chance than most who take that route.

This is a great tale, Shayne, and you've crafted it well. It started gently, picked up speed near the beginning, set up and developed the dramatic storyline effectively, put Clark and Lois together without awkwardly pushing them at each other, and now they're developing a level of trust for each other which will eventually allow them to share their innermost secrets with each other. Most importantly, each one will have a safe place with the other, a confidence that no matter what insane or unbelievable thing one might say to the other, the other will listen and not judge the speaker of the secret. That's rare in any type of relationship, and I hope both of them will treasure the friendship they're building.

Once Clark is eighteen, the state of Kansas won't be able to reach out and grab him back. I doubt they would to that at this stage anyway, unless there are some criminal proceedings still pending in that state. I think he's going to have to choose between staying hidden and protecting Lois very soon, and I wonder which option he'll choose.

Nah, not really.

So when's the next part?

The principal and the coach are both a piece of work (she says, angrily.) You've got me so involved in this story that I'm ranting at my computer monitor! Well done.

And another cliffhanger! I sure hope Clark is keeping an eye out. Since this is the 80's, there are no cell phones for Lois to use to call for help.

Things are looking dark for our heroine....