Facing Redemption

Some volunteered to help with first aid.

Luckily, Whitney hadn't been unconscious for long.

After gently turning him over, he coughed up the lake water he had inhaled.

Seeing that Whitney was awake, Clark quietly stepped back from the crowd without saying another word.

He found Soren and was about to ask if Soren wanted to go home first, but Soren stopped him, grabbing his hand and leading him to the other side of the lake.

From this spot, they could see the broken section of the bridge where the school bus had fallen.

Soren pointed to the gap in the bridge rail and then to a silver sports car that was stuck on the broken rail: "Clark, look, it was this car that caused our bus to fall into the lake, but the people in the car are gone now."

Clark frowned.

The silver sports car was new and flashy.

Even though the front half was badly damaged, it was clear it was an expensive vehicle.

There were very few people in Smallville who could afford such a car.

"Are you saying the driver of the car also fell into the lake?" Clark asked.

"No, he didn't fall in," Soren said.

He turned to Clark with a complicated expression.

"I saw him run away."

Soren watched as Lex Luthor, with his signature hair, climbed out of the car's airbag.

The violent crash seemed to have hurt him badly.

Struggling, he pushed the crumpled car door aside and, holding his left arm, got out of the car.

At that moment, Soren was sitting next to the unconscious bus driver, calling emergency services.

When he looked up, he saw a familiar figure at the edge of the bridge.

Lex Luthor was leaning over the railing, looking down at the lake.

When he saw that his reckless driving had caused a bus full of students to fall into the lake, he looked visibly alarmed.

But his first reaction was to immediately flee the scene.

Soren couldn't hang up the phone right away, so he got up and tried to chase after Luthor.

He could only memorize the fleeing figure of Lex Luthor.

—He had finally caught Lex Luthor in the act.

He wouldn't let him get away.

...

Although the bus accident was serious, fortunately, no students were injured except for the bus driver.

The bus driver had a mild concussion and stayed in the hospital for three days.

After that, he was released and went to the Smallville Traffic Department to assist with the investigation.

As an eyewitness, Soren also contacted the police and gave them his account of seeing Lex Luthor.

However, since there were no security cameras at the accident site, the investigation would take some time to make real progress.

As graduation approached, there was a big news story at the school.

Whitney had enlisted in the military.

This caused quite a stir at Smallville High School.

No one understood why he would give up his acceptance to Kansas University to join the army.

Even the school's soccer coach lamented over Whitney's decision to abandon his promising future in soccer.

When Whitney returned to school after a two-week leave, he was wearing the light-colored camouflage uniform issued by the army.

During the break, the students flocked to the hallway, crowding around Whitney as he packed up his things, all of them were curious and fascinated by his new look.

Whitney made his way through the crowd to the door of the classroom where Clark and Soren were.

He stood outside and called Clark out.

Clark walked out of the classroom, a bit puzzled, and stood in front of Whitney.

They were about the same height, and facing each other, they could clearly see each other's expressions.

Whitney looked at Clark, his eyes flickering, but he was silent for a moment.

It felt like his mouth was glued shut, making it hard to speak.

After a struggle with many emotions swirling in his throat, Whitney finally decided to speak: "...Kent, thank you for saving me last time."

His seriousness surprised Clark.

Clark thought for a moment and calmly said, "My father taught me when I was very young that people should help others as much as i can. You don't have to keep thinking about how I saved you. Even if it wasn't you but someone else, I would still do my best to help."

Whitney stood silently, not knowing what to say.

Whitney looked down at his hands.

His long and strong teenage hands were clenched into fists, hanging by his sides.

"Kent," he said slowly, "I'm sorry. I've been... insulting you and making fun of you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I still want to apologize. I'm really sorry, Kent."

Clark didn't say anything.

He noticed that Soren had pushed through the crowd and was standing behind him.

Clark turned his head to look at Soren, gave him a small smile, and then turned back to Whitney.

"You already apologized before, and I accepted it then," Clark said calmly.

Whitney was taken aback, "...Okay."

He couldn't believe Clark forgave him so easily.

He thought that after everything he had done to Clark Kent, Clark might never forgive him.

Whitney had even braced himself for public humiliation, just like he had done to Kent before.

But Clark Kent had just lightly moved on from the topic.

Whitney felt like something inside him had been gently touched.

He didn't know what to say next, as a mix of surprise, guilt, embarrassment, relief, and anxiety made his face turn red.

He was deeply ashamed of his own actions.

Clark asked, "Where will you be stationed next?"

"To a training base in Oklahoma. I leave tomorrow," Whitney replied.

"Then I wish you a safe journey," Clark said naturally.

Whitney nodded his head slowly.

He glanced at Clark and Soren, his voice hoarse, "Well... goodbye, Kent, Hargreaves."

He said his goodbyes and, as if trying to escape something, turned around and quickly left the hallway without looking back.