Catching Lana’s horse turned out to be surprisingly easy.
One burst of speed and a couple of strides were all it took before I was running alongside it.
Head to head.
Horse to…
Well, never mind.
The important part was that I was keeping pace with a trained horse that had won awards before.
Though, if I remembered correctly, its awards had been for show jumping rather than racing.
Still, the fact remained that I was running alongside a horse, and it was ridiculously easy.
I wasn’t straining, and I wasn’t even pushing myself.
It felt less like sprinting and more like taking an easy morning jog while still trying to wake up.
Lana was just as surprised as I was.
I wish I’d had a camera for the look on her face when she realized that, after three hundred meters, I wasn’t merely keeping up with her horse.
I was slowly pulling ahead.
And her horse was already at a full gallop.
The look on her face was priceless, and I saw every bit of it.
I winked at her, smiled, and then, at full speed, performed an acrobatic combination.
Cartwheel.
Roundoff.
Back handspring.
Backflip.
I remembered learning that combination purely to show off under the guidance of an old friend.
A long time ago.
Decades ago.
Apparently, it had finally found a use, even if that use happened to be in another world.
Childish?
Absolutely.
I knew that.
But if I was young again, why not act young once in a while?
There was nothing wrong with it.
The important thing was knowing when to stop, before somebody got hurt.
I ran beside Lana for another three hundred meters before waving and gradually slowing down.
Just in time.
During the race, Lana had taken her horse off the packed road and onto open ground.
At that speed, one hidden gopher hole would have been enough to break a leg.
I thought Lana would keep riding.
She didn’t.
When she noticed me slowing to a walk, she reined in her horse as well.
“Clark!”
She clearly wanted to say more, but there were too many emotions fighting for space, and apparently none of them could find the right words.
So all she managed was my name.
Just one word.
But there was an incredible amount packed into it.
“Lana?”
I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head slightly, smiling as I threw my shirt back over my shoulder.
I’d been clutching it in one fist while running.
It was interesting.
After that sprint and all those acrobatics, my breathing was still deep and steady, as if I hadn’t exerted myself at all.
I felt more like a machine than a human being.
Lana looked pretty good too.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were bright, and her breathing was quick from the ride.
Yeah.
It really was a great day.
“Clark!”
She still couldn’t find the words.
“Lana?”
I tilted my head toward my other shoulder, my smile becoming slightly more mischievous.
“Clark!”
There was irritation in her voice now.
“Lana?”
I gave her my most innocent expression.
“Damn it, Clark!
Why aren’t you on the football team with abilities like that?!
You could be the captain!”
She finally managed to get the words out.
“Why would I?”
I shrugged casually.
“What do you mean, why?!”
She sounded genuinely offended.
“If you do well, you could get a scholarship to a prestigious college after graduation!”
“I’ll ask again.
Why do I need that?”
I shook my head.
“I’m not going to college.”
“But…”
She faltered.
“Everyone goes to college.”
“Lana, my family owns a huge piece of land here in Smallville.
We have a farm.
I’m going to be a farmer.”
I shrugged.
“You don’t need a college degree for that.”
“A farmer?”
She looked genuinely baffled.
“But…”
“You’ll be surprised, but I like this life.”
I gestured around us.
“Smallville is a wonderful place.
Fresh air, nature, wide-open spaces.
I can have a house as big as I want, with as many rooms as I want.”
I smiled.
“What could a city give me that I don’t already have here?”
“But…”
She had no answer.
“And money and physical labor…”
I shrugged.
“You can make money on a farm if you put some imagination and effort into it.”
Then I gestured toward myself.
“And physical labor?
You can see how useful that is.”
Lana swallowed.
“Yeah.
You’re built like a horse.”
“Exactly.
So what do I need a football team for?”
“I never thought about it that way.”
She genuinely seemed to be reconsidering things.
“One day, I sat down and thought about my future.”
I spoke calmly.
“As objectively as I could.
Like an adult.”
I considered my words before continuing.
“I looked at what I wanted and compared it to what I already had.
And I realized I already have everything I need for a good life.”
A home.
A livelihood.
Food on the table.
“The only thing I’m missing is a wife.”
Lana’s eyebrows shot up.
“A wife?”
She stared at me.
“You’re sixteen!”
“Finding a wife isn’t a one-day task.”
I shrugged.
“It’s a serious decision.
You shouldn’t take it lightly.”
I looked at her.
“You have to find someone you can spend your entire life with.
Someone whose life you won’t poison and who won’t poison yours.
Someone you won’t regret choosing.
Someone you won’t spend the rest of your life looking away from.”
She shook her head.
“You really don’t get tired of surprising me, Clark.”
“And confusing you?”
“That too.”
“How am I confusing you?”
“Now I’m going to have to sit down and think about my future too!”
She sounded slightly offended.
“Think?”
I pretended to be horrified.
“Are you trying to give yourself wrinkles on that beautiful face?”
“Did you just call me stupid?”
She narrowed her eyes.
“I called you beautiful.”
“Beautiful and stupid?”
“No.”
I sighed sadly.
“I couldn’t call you stupid.”
She kept staring at me.
“You’re too smart for that.”
“Too smart?”
She looked even more suspicious.
“Are you disappointed?”
“Dumb girls have easier lives.”
I smiled.
“Smart ones think too much, and that makes them suffer.”
Then, completely out of nowhere, I asked:
“Will you marry me?”
“What?”
Her eyes went wide.
“Will you marry me?”
I repeated the question calmly.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
I shrugged.
“I’m not asking for an answer right now.
But keep it in mind.”
I smiled.
“I just proposed to you.”
“I’m dating Whitney, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Her voice carried a slight edge.
“I’m aware.”
I shrugged.
“You’re dating him.
You’re not engaged.”
“You’re together today.
Tomorrow you might not be.”
I looked at her.
“And life is long.”
I smiled.
“So you’ve heard my marriage proposal.
Think about it when you have some free time.”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
“Clark!”
Lana looked outraged.
Then she started laughing and shook a finger at me.