บท 52: A Sudden Plunge
Clark was both amused and a bit frustrated.
It turned out that a simple pair of glasses could solve the problem he'd been dealing with.
He finally felt like he was back to being just another face in the crowd.
He enjoyed this "ordinary" feeling.
He liked the experience of being an ordinary person.
When he was still the unnoticed Clark Kent, the bakery lady would always give him an extra filled pastry whenever he visited; the newspaper stand owner would greet him warmly; and he had his two close friends, Pete and Chloe.
They often discussed the Smallville Weekly's topics, wrote articles together, and went through all sorts of strange events in town.
He cherished everything from the past that was ordinary and trivial... as if he had never had superpowers, and was not an outsider, but just another person among six billion ordinary humans, an inconspicuous small-town boy.
The end of the Christmas holiday also meant they would soon start their last semester of high school.
After this semester, they would say goodbye to their high school years, move on to college, and take their first step into adulthood.
By March or April of each year, acceptance letters from various colleges start to arrive.
Soren was curious about which schools Clark had applied to, so he asked if Clark had received any acceptance letters from his favorite schools.
With Clark's genius brain, he could probably apply to any college in the country.
Clark didn't answer directly but smiled slightly and asked Soren in return, "What about you? Have you received any acceptance letters?"
Soren blinked his eyes and secretly hid the acceptance letters from Empire State University and the University of Pennsylvania behind his back.
He thought about the different universities Clark had attended in various comic book universes and finally decided to say, "I... I just got an acceptance letter from Metropolis University!"
Clark smiled.
He reached into his book and pulled out the third acceptance letter behind the ones from Columbia University and Brown University, showing it to Soren: "What a coincidence, I did too."
The special paper letter, featuring the unique blue carriage and skyscraper patterns of Metropolis University, with ribbon patterns extending to the sides, and the acceptance letter clearly printed with Clark's name in high-quality ink, seemed to glow in the sunset.
Soren was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with a bright smile.
"So, does this mean we can go to college together?"
He guessed right!
Clark from this Earth really did go to Metropolis University.
The thought of being able to stick around Clark made Soren incredibly happy.
He couldn't help but raise his arms and cheer, "That's awesome! Clark, we'll be going to the same university!"
Clark nodded his head with a smile.
In the warm and bright orange sunset of spring, Soren happily raced to the school bus station with his backpack, while Clark, with his hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely behind him.
Even though Soren, being a night owl, often missed the school bus in the mornings, at least in the afternoons, he and Clark would ride the bus home together.
They usually sat in the last row of the bus.
It was a perfect spot for Soren to read his comic books; the back of the front seat was just right to hold his comic books without him having to hold them himself.
Clark took care of Soren's backpack, which he was used to doing.
Everything was focused on supporting Soren's comic book hobby.
As Soren got on the bus and found his seat, he settled down and opened his comic book, only to see Lana and Whitney walk onto the bus.
He paused for a moment.
Since that football game, Whitney hadn't caused Clark any more trouble.
Soren knew Whitney had lost face and would avoid direct eye contact whenever he saw them at school.
Whitney lived in town and usually didn't take the school bus, but today he seemed to be on the bus to drop Lana off, which was why they crossed paths.
Although Soren disliked Whitney, since he and Lana were sitting far away at the front of the bus, it didn't bother him much.
After a few more glances, he went back to reading his comic book.
The school bus drove smoothly towards the village on the outskirts of Smallville.
The sunset burned fiercely in shades of orange, turning the sky into a molten gold.
Kids on the bus laughed and joked, filling the air with the joyful sounds of youth.
Then, an unexpected disaster struck as the bus crossed the dam bridge.
With a loud bang, Soren was jolted upright.
He looked up, trying to see what happened, only to find Clark already reaching out his hand and pulling him into his arms.
Suddenly, he felt a strong sensation of weightlessness, as if he were floating in mid-air.
But he quickly realized that the bus was plummeting off the bridge!
The teenagers on the bus began to scream in panic, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop the bus from falling.
The front of the bus had already gone over the bridge railing and was heading straight for the reservoir below.
The whole bus tilted almost vertically.
Soren was pushed forward due to gravity, but Clark held him tightly around the waist, preventing him from falling to the front of the bus.
Clark's hands gripped his waist like iron bands.
Soren had never been so close to Clark before.
Clark's warm breath was right next to his ear, and his voice was low and steady, "Don't be afraid."
Clark's brief reassurance came just before the bus's front collided with the water, creating a huge splash.
Water poured into the bus through the shattered front windows, and within moments, the entire bus was submerged underwater.
The world went silent.
They were all floating in the water.
Under the lake's surface, the water rushed fiercely, making it hard for Soren to stay afloat.
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