Title: A Heart Whose Love is Innocent
Author: Coren Lee
Email: coren@tiscali.co.uk
Rating: R for language
Challenge: Wave #19 Jet-setting. Lex needs to get away from the castle. Why? Does it have to do with the holidays? Where is he going? Will he invite Clark?
Notes: Spoilers for Season 1, but generally AU and possibly ooc in places. Thanks to Jazzy for a wonderful beta and my friend Kevin for a conversation recently about quantum dynamics, some of which was stolen by Clark and used in this story ;) None of these characters belong to me, no copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Lex was looking forward to his vacation away from Smallville, but hadn't realized how much he would miss his best friend.

***

"Termites?"

"Termites."

"How can a Scottish mansion built out of stone have termites?" Clark took his shot, missed, and stepped back to allow Lex to line up his own shot.

"Just because the walls are stone doesn't mean there's no wood in the construction. There are the beams, the doors, the windows, the wine racks in the cellar…" Lex hit the white with a resounding smack, and smiled with satisfaction as his chosen ball plopped into the pocket.

"So, where are you going?"

"Hayman Island. It's a very exclusive resort just off the coast of Queensland Australia, right near the Great Barrier Reef. According to its publicity, Hayman is a tropical island lapped by the azure blue waters of the Coral Sea. Apparently it's the closest thing to paradise on Earth… or at least, so said the person who recommended it to me. Here, take a look at the brochure while I win this game," he grinned.

Clark leafed through a glossy brochure, looking at one stunning image after another.

"And you're going to be away for how long?"

"About three weeks." Another good shot, another ball in the pocket.

"I can't believe it takes three weeks to fumigate this place," muttered Clark.

Lex smirked and took another shot. "It doesn't but it's a good excuse to get out of Smallville for a while, take a vacation."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I guess."

"I mean, I would have had a honeymoon back in the summer if Desiree hadn't tried to kill me, so I guess I'm owed some time off."

"That's one way of looking at it," mumbled Clark.

"What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking out loud."

Lex pocketed the winning ball, and returned his cue to the rack.

"So, I'm out of here for a while and the fumigators will be in here… doing whatever it is that fumigators do. I tried to convince my Dad to stay here and supervise, but he thought that all that imidacloprid and chlorfenapyr might be damaging to his health. Imagine that," he chuckled.

"Yeah, imagine that," said Clark glumly, slipping his own cue back in its place.

"Hey, you okay? You seem a bit down."

"No, I'm okay, it's just…"

"What? Just what?"

"I'm going to miss you. Miss this," he said, waving his arm in the general direction of the pool table. "Miss having coffee together at The Talon."

"I'll only be gone for three weeks; it'll pass so quickly you won't even notice it."

***

Clark couldn't believe that Lex was going to be gone for three whole weeks. He'd come to rely upon having him around, and the hours when they would normally be together playing pool, watching a movie, or talking over coffee were going to hang really heavy on his hands. He knew he was being unreasonable and acting like a spoilt brat, but that only made him feel even more out of sorts.

He'd gone to the mansion after dinner intending to spend a few hours there, but after that one game of pool during which Lex dropped his bombshell, he made an excuse about chores and headed back to the Farm.

"Clark? Is that you honey?"

"Yeah, Mom." He quickly grabbed a glass for the milk he was about to drink straight from the carton.

"Is anything wrong sweetie? I thought you were going to be over at Lex's for a few hours?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just changed my mind."

His Mom didn't say anything, but she was looking at him as if she could read the lie on his face, which, come to think of it, she probably could. He'd never been able to hide anything from her. Every smashed dish, every broken toy, every tiny evasion when he'd done something he knew she wouldn't like, she'd somehow seen right through all his excuses like they were made of glass.

He sighed and told the truth. Well, a version of the truth at least. "Lex is going away on vacation day after tomorrow, that's all. I left early because I thought he might need some time to pack." He shrugged and put the milk back in the refrigerator. By keeping his back turned for a few seconds he hoped he could get the expression on his face to stop saying things like 'it's not fair he's going away and leaving me', and instead broadcast something like, 'lucky Lex, I'm so happy for him that he's getting such a wonderful vacation'.

"Ah," she said, "and he told you about this vacation tonight?"

"Uh-huh", he said. "The mansion has termites so he has to leave while the fumigators deal with the problem. He figured it was a good time to take a break."

"You know sweetie, it's okay to feel jealous that someone is having a vacation and you're stuck here on the farm."

"I'm not jealous!" he declared hotly. "I'm really happy for Lex! He's going to this amazing place in Australia called Hayman Island, and he's going to windsurf, and scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and jet ski, and paraglide and…"

"Okay, okay! I get it! Lex is going to an amazing place," she chuckled, "and he's going to have a wonderful time."

"I'm going out to the barn," he muttered, "I'll see you later."

Clark threw himself down on the old sofa, and stared at the dusty ceiling. Was he jealous? Was he really so petty that he would begrudge his best friend a badly needed vacation to an island paradise? He hoped he was better than that, but there was no doubt there was a twinge right deep down inside that was making him very unhappy right now. He reached under the sofa and pulled out a box. He'd twisted the latch around so that no-one would be able to open it but him, and from the inside he pulled out a scrap book filled with stories and photos about Alexander Luthor. He'd collected an impressive array of things going back to Lex's childhood. He guessed it was kind of creepy in a way, to dig into his friend's past like this, but it made him feel closer to Lex, as if he knew him better than anyone. Everyone had access to the news and magazine articles he'd clipped, but no-one else had the candid photos of Lex standing with Clark at the Farmers' Market, or slurping down a soda outside a cinema. There were little keepsakes in the box too. A button from one of Lex's shirts; a coin they'd used once to decide who would queue for the sodas at the football and who would stay wrapped in the blanket; a piece of quartz that they found one day while walking along the river bank. They were all little things that meant nothing to anyone else, but were important to him because they reminded him of Lex. He figured they would get a lot of wear and tear over the next three weeks.

***

Martha saw Clark briefly when he came home from school, but then he disappeared after doing his chores, and didn't show his face again until she called him to wash up for dinner. She watched him aimlessly pushing food around his plate, and decided it was time to say something.

"Clark, you've barely touched your dinner, and I know you didn't eat breakfast this morning, is everything alright?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm just not that hungry, that's all."

Martha shared a look with Jonathan, sighed, and tried again.

"You're not still moping around because you're jealous about Lex going off on vacation are you, sweetie?"

"Mom! I told you, I'm not jealous! Why can't you just let it drop?"

"Clark, don't speak to your Mother like that. We didn't bring you up to be rude and if that's what hanging around with Luthor is doing to your manners…"

Clark stood up so abruptly that his chair tipped back over with a crash.

"Why is it that every time I do something you don't like, Lex gets blamed for it?" he asked angrily. "Why can't I just be out of sorts like any normal person? Oh wait. Maybe it's because I'm not a normal person. Well guess what, I'm NEVER going to be normal, so get used to it!"

With that parting shot Clark was suddenly gone.

Martha was so taken aback by his response that she just sat there with her mouth open. Jonathan got up and set the chair back on its feet, and was about to head out of the door.

"Wait Jonathan, give him some time to cool off," she said.

"Martha, I can't let him get away with that kind of behavior. I don't care what anyone says, this is all Luthor's fault. Clark was a sweet, even-tempered kid till he came on the scene. Now look at him! Sulky, morose, snappish…"

"Just like any normal teenager."

"…rude, arrogant… what?"

"I said, just like any normal teenager."

She stood up and put her arms around him.

"Jonathan, for once Clark is doing exactly what any normal boy his age would do - getting jealous and huffy because his friend has gone off on an amazing trip, and he's stuck here on the farm. Don't be too hard on him, and don't blame Lex unfairly. Clark won't stand for that, you heard him. Clark hates it when people treat Lex like he's just a Luthor or his Father's clone. We've raised Clark to try to see the good in people, so don't make it hard for him now that he's putting into practice all the things that we taught him."

"You're saying it's our fault that he's hanging around with that Luthor?"

"His name is Lex, and if you tried to think of him as 'Lex' instead of 'that Luthor', I think you might begin to understand why Clark is his friend."

"Martha, I can think of him in any way you like, but I will never understand why Clark is his friend."

She sighed and gave it up. Jonathan's hatred of the Luthors was bone deep, and for someone who was usually such a fair-minded, easy going guy, he was as stubborn as all get-out when it came to Luthors. If only she could get him to back off slightly, they might be able to find some common ground. Despite the fact that Clark was not their biological son he had the Kent stubbornness and temper, and unless she could act as a buffer and peacemaker, she could see some very stormy times ahead as Father and son butted heads over Lex Luthor.

***

"Clark! Will you answer me dammit?!"

"Huh?"

"For heaven's sake Clark, I've been talking to you for the last ten minutes. Have you heard a word I've said?!" snapped Chloe. "What's up with you? You look like someone's killed your puppy."

"Um, nothing I'm fine. What did you ask again?"

Chloe sighed and gave it up. Clark was hopeless when he was in this sort of mood, she might as well talk to the back of the seat in front. In fact, that's more or less exactly what she'd been doing given that he'd been completely ignoring her since he sat next to her on the school bus. He'd been just as bad yesterday, moping around and not talking to anyone. Jeez, she felt like smacking him upside the head at times.

"Forget it Clark, just let me know when you land back on Planet Earth and we'll try again," she sniped.

"What?"

"Never mind."

As they piled out of the bus Chloe saw a sleek black Mercedes in the parking lot, and one of the mansion staff looking around. She nudged Clark.

"Hey, do you know that guy?"

Clark looked at the direction she was pointing, and smiled in recognition.

"Hey Enrique, what are you doing here?"

Chloe was right on Clark's heels as he walked over to meet the guy. She was determined not to miss any of this.

"I hope this is not contravening school regulations Master Clark, but Mr. Luthor asked me to hand this to you personally, and he suggested it would be better to do it here rather than at the farm."

Master Clark? Since when did Clark warrant a 'Master' in front of his name? And since his reaction was… well, no reaction at all actually, she had to suppose that he was used to being called 'Master' by the mansion staff. That was definitely something to think about later.

Clark accepted a padded envelope from the guy, and gave him one of those blinding Clark Kent smiles. Huh. So, puppy not dead after all.

"No, it's fine, thank you Enrique. Did Lex get off okay?"

"Yes sir, the jet left on time."

"Where are you staying while the mansion's being fumigated?"

"The staff members are either taking a vacation like Mr. Luthor, or working from the penthouse in Metropolis until he returns."

Fumigated? Vacation? Chloe's investigative nose was twitching like a rabbit that had overdosed on oats. Clark was so dead! How could he have failed to let her know all this was going on? Although, thinking back to his mood yesterday and on the bus this morning, Lex being away on vacation might explain the doom and gloom in Kent-land.

She had never understood their friendship, although it didn't upset her the way it did Pete. His hatred of all things Luthor was impressive in an intense kind of way and he had never reconciled himself to the fact that Clark appeared to be close friends with Luthor junior. But, whether she understood it or not, the reality was undeniable. They played pool together, went to the movies, the football and The Talon together… if she hadn't known better she would have said they were dating. In fact, come to think of it they spent more time together than most couples who actually *were* dating. No wonder Clark was distracted if Lex had gone away on vacation.

"Well thank you Enrique, I appreciate you bringing this over for me."

"My pleasure, sir, I shall look forward to seeing you at the mansion again once Mr. Luthor returns."

Chloe followed the exchange with avid interest. This Enrique obviously knew Clark pretty well and just as obviously liked him. She waited until the guy was safely back in the Mercedes before giving her curiosity free rein.

"So, what it is Clark?"

He grimaced at her, but opened the envelope anyway.

"Wow," he said.

She was inclined to agree with him. Wow indeed. It was a top of the range cell phone, one of those that could send and receive video as well as still photos. Her attention was so focused on the black, slim line phone that she didn't notice Clark was reading a note until he folded it up, and put it in his pocket.

"What did it say?"

He was smiling, so she guessed it wasn't bad news.

"Lex wanted to be able to keep in touch while he's on vacation and send me photos of the places he's visiting."

"So he what, bought you a cell phone?"

She wondered if she sounded as incredulous as she was feeling, but Clark, bless him, was totally oblivious to her once again, so what the hell.

"Yeah," he grinned, "and best of all, the call charges get billed to LuthorCorp."

"Shit Clark, your Dad's gonna blow an artery when he sees that phone, let alone finds out that LuthorCorp will be picking up the tab!"

"Chloe! You can't tell anyone! Promise me you'll keep this to yourself!"

"Ow, Clark, you're hurting me! Jeezus, that's some grip you have there, buddy."

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, letting go of her arm. "Just… Chloe, you have to keep this secret, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, sure, okay. But Clark, let me tell you that keeping secrets is never a good idea, especially not keeping secrets from your parents."

She held up her hands as he glared at her. She had to admit that was a bit hypocritical considering that she often made Clark her alibi for some incident or other that she didn't want her Dad to know about.

"Okay, okay, I'm just sayin', it usually backfires. So when the shit hits the fan - and it will - don't say I didn't warn you, okay?"

***

Clark wanted to read the note from Lex again, but he was too nervous to pull it out in class in case it got confiscated. The morning dragged by, minute by painful minute, until finally lunchtime came and he escaped to find a quiet spot outside to read it again.

Clark,

After you left the mansion I realized that I am going to miss you too. Three weeks without hearing your cheerful voice or your gentle teasing is just too long. I know your parents won't like me giving you this, but I thought we might be able to keep it as our secret. I have the same model phone, and my number is already programmed into the phone book for you under LL. All charges are billed back to LuthorCorp, so don't be afraid to use it.

There is a sixteen hour time difference between Queensland and Kansas. If you call me at 6am your time, it will be 10pm in Hayman Island. If you call at 6pm, then it will be 10am for me, the next day. I could call you, but I don't want to ring at the wrong time and land you in trouble with your folks. I will send you a text when I have arrived though, so that you know I am in Australia.

Your friend, Lex

Wow. He looked at the phone again, and couldn't believe that Lex would do something like this for him.

"What you got there, Clark?"

He slipped the phone into his pocket using his super speed, and had a sandwich in his hand before turning round to face Pete.

"Lunch," he said, holding up the sandwich.

"Uh-huh. Just lunch? You sure 'bout that?"

"Chloe told you," he said bitterly.

"Don't blame the girl; I beat it out of her."

Clark raised an eyebrow.

"Well okay, not literally. I saw you and her talkin' to that creepy guy from Casa Luthor this morning, and I wouldn't let up till she told me what it was all about."

"Yeah, well so much for her protecting my secret," he said. "It's a good job she doesn't know anything about the other one."

"Hey man, don't be like that. She wouldn't tell anyone else about the phone, it's just that she knows you trust me, and I really did give her a hard time about it."

"I don't want my folks to know about this Pete," he warned.

"I hear ya buddy. If I was you, I wouldn't want my folks to know that Luthor junior was giving me presents like that either."

"See, that's what I hate. There's nothing wrong with Lex wanting to talk to me while he's on vacation and this is the easiest way to do it, but you have to make it sound like something bad, or wrong."

"Clark buddy, it *is* bad and wrong. Can't you see what sort of message something like this sends to folks? It's like you and him are, I dunno, dating or something."

"Pete, the only ones who know about this, apart from me and Lex, are you and Chloe, so what folks?"

"That's not the point," said Pete, "it's the principle of it…"

"Pete, just shut up, okay?" he snapped. "I don't want to hear it. I know you don't like Lex, and I know you don't like it that he's my friend, so just drop it."

Pete held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, don't bite my head off, dude."

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and as soon as he got home he rushed up to his room to hide the phone and battery charger. He quickly x-rayed the house to make sure his parents weren't around, and finding the coast clear he switched on the phone. Wow. Lex had set the wallpaper, and it was a photo of them both taken at the Farmers' Market a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful photo, but wow. Lex was so thoughtful, who else would have done something like that?

He quickly checked the battery, and was relieved to see it was fully charged. Switching the phone off, he wrapped it in a handkerchief and slipped it into the pocket of his baggy jeans. He checked carefully in the mirror to make sure that it didn't show at all, and then rushed out to do his chores.

By the time he joined his folks for dinner, he was like a cat on hot bricks. He'd tried to work out when Lex would arrive in Australia, but what with not really knowing how long the flight was - except that it was a long way - plus factoring in the time difference, he couldn't be sure. He thought that maybe Lex would be there by now, but he would have to wait until he got the text message.

"Clark, for goodness' sake stop fidgeting," snapped his Dad.

They still weren't really speaking to each other after the fight they had last night, but that didn't seem to stop his Dad from criticizing him at every opportunity.

He saw his Mom glare at his Dad, and unfortunately allowed a smirk to pass across his lips.

"And you can wipe that look off your face right now, son! Is that something else you learned from Luthor? He's the only person I know who smirks like that."

He only just managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Instead, he made his face look as blank as possible, and just stared at his Dad. He would not let this get to him, he could rise above it.

"Clark, Jonathan, please, can we get through dinner without you two sniping at each other?"

They ate in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, but Clark was too keyed up with anticipation to settle. He barely restrained himself from eating at super speed, and as soon as his plate was cleared, he jumped up to place it in the sink and head off to the barn.

"Whoa, wait a moment young man, where do you think you're going?"

He made a supreme effort to bite back the 'none of your damn business' response that was on the tip of his tongue, and took a deep breath.

"Homework", he said, and started to walk towards the door.

"Clark, sit back down right this minute. You and I are going to have a serious talk about this new attitude of yours. It's not smart or clever to be rude to your parents, and you never used to be so insolent before you met that damned Luthor."

Clark spun round and glared at his Dad.

"Will you just shut up about Lex?" he snarled. He knew that he was red in the face and could feel himself shaking with anger. "He has done nothing but be a good friend to me, and I'm sick of hearing you criticize him all the time."

With that he stormed out of the kitchen and went up to the barn. He knew his Mom would stop his Dad from chasing after him, and his homework really was out in the barn waiting for him. God, couldn't his Dad see how unreasonable he was being?

***

Lex was very grateful that they had finally arrived at the resort. Even on a private jet it was a hell of a journey, and he had no idea how people coped with traveling on scheduled flights. He shuddered at the thought.

He had booked the French Penthouse, and its classic Louis XVI and contemporary furnishings gave it the feel of a villa in the south of France. As he wandered around checking the place out he noticed a 19th Century French marble fireplace, with a Venetian gilt mirror hanging above the mantelpiece, and in the bedroom there were two elegant Louis XVI lamps. Lex was impressed. Outside he could see a crescent-shaped, sparkling white, sandy bay towards the south west, and inland there were glimpses of shady ponds and gentle waterfalls strategically placed among beautiful gardens and elegant walkways. Bruce Wayne hadn't exaggerated; this place truly was a tropical paradise.

It was late morning local time, which meant early evening in Kansas. He took a bottle of water out onto the verandah, and surrounded by the lush tropical vegetation with the vibrantly colored birds as his audience, he sent a text message to Clark. 'I've arrived, all good. Lex.' That was safe enough. If by chance anyone else should get that message, it wouldn't mean anything. Seconds later, the phone rang, but until he knew for sure it was Clark calling him and not (shudder) Jonathan Kent or even Enrique to say that he hadn't been able to give the phone to Clark, he played it safe.

"Lex Luthor"

"Hi, it's me."

Lex always thought that was one of the most ridiculous things that anyone could ever say during a phone conversation, but somehow when Clark did it, it was cute.

"Hey."

"How was the trip?"

"Boring, tedious, dull… oh, did I mention boring?"

"Um yeah, I'm pretty sure you mentioned boring."

Lex could hear the amusement in Clark's voice, and he was suddenly hit with a pang of longing to see those mischievous green eyes twinkling back at him. At least they could talk, that was something.

"It was okay. I did some work, read a bit, slept a bit, watched a movie, slept some more. I don't know how people cope in a normal aircraft though, it's an awfully long way. How about you? Anything exciting happening in Smallville that I should know about?"

"As if," he chuckled. "Apart from the mutant of the week, what ever happens around here?"

"What are you doing at the moment?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Lex realized it sounded like the opening line in phone sex chat. The pause was long enough that he wondered whether Clark had the same thought, but no; surely he was more innocent than that?

"Hiding out in the barn. I had an argument with my Dad tonight. Actually I had an argument with him last night too, so I'm just keeping out of his way."

"Ah, the 'live to fight another day' strategy of father-son relationships; I know that one all too well."

Lex hoped that he wasn't the cause of the arguments but he strongly suspected he might be. Clark never said anything about his Father's dislike of the Luthors, but he knew it went deep and that Clark took flak from time to time because of their friendship. It was one of the things that made Lex accept that Clark actually did like him, and he wasn't just trying to suck up to him for some selfish reason.

"What are you doing at the moment?"

Was that a slightly husky note in Clark's voice? No, it must just be the phone line.

"Sitting on the verandah of my island penthouse, looking out over a tropical rainforest towards a white coral beach and sparkling blue sea," he said.

"Wow. So the place is as good as your friend said it would be?"

"Actually, I think Bruce held back a bit. The island is amazing, and the accommodation is really impressive. I wish you could be here to see it."

Okay, where did that come from? Lex had lots of plans for his three weeks in paradise, but he had never considered that sharing the time with a high school teen would be on the list of things he most wanted to do. And where did that little lump in his throat come from?

"I'll send you some photos," he added, "but first I'm going to have a shower and get changed before I start exploring."

"Okay, well have fun, and I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, talk to you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."

***

They slipped into a kind of habit over the next few days. Clark would leave the farm after dinner and phone Lex, although after that first time he decided to avoid the barn, just in case his folks came out to see what he was up to. It was easy enough with his speed to get away somewhere private, and having grown up in Smallville, he knew all the hiding places in the area.

Every night Lex would tell him all about the places he'd visited and the things he'd done the previous day, and then send him the photos as soon as he hung up. Clark spent the next half hour gazing at the photos, remembering what Lex had told him about each one. He would then go back to the barn and look through his scrapbook or play around with the coin or the button. He guessed he was being a little obsessive about this, but he wasn't hurting anyone so he didn't agonize over it. After all, no-one else need ever know. It was his secret and if there was one thing Clark Kent knew all about, it was secrets.

***

"…and this one is the view from Lex's verandah, and this one is the lagoon and waterfall just behind his penthouse."

"Wow, it sure is a beautiful place."

At first Clark had been shy about showing the photos to Chloe, but she nagged him until he agreed, and now he was rattling through the images so fast she was getting left behind. Pete had muttered something about having to do… well, something, she wasn't sure what. She knew it was just an excuse not to have to look at whatever Lex had sent Clark, so she didn't call him on it. Clark didn't even seem to notice he wasn't there; he was so intent on looking at the images.

"And this is Lex standing by the waterfall that's just a bit around on the other side of his penthouse."

Aha! The first photo to feature the man himself. Chloe put her hand over Clark's to stop him from moving on to the next image too quickly. She thought that Lex looked pretty much as he always did when he was looking at Clark; an open, friendly smile that actually reached his eyes, and a completely relaxed pose.

"Nice photo," she said, and was rewarded with one of those beaming Clark Kent smiles that dazzled.

"Yeah, when Lex gets back I'm going to ask him if he can get that one printed for me," he confessed. "He looks just like he usually does, but there's this amazing scenery all around him, it's such a contrast, you know?"

Surely Clark realized that the only time that Lex Luthor looked like that was when he and Clark were together? Okay, maybe Clark wasn't actually with him on the island, but the photo had obviously been taken with Clark in mind, and Lex was smiling at the camera as if he was looking directly into Clark's eyes. Wait a minute… is there anything…? Nah, she shook her head. Clark Kent and Lex Luthor? Never gonna happen.

***

Clark dashed into his bedroom as soon as he got home and plugged the cell phone into the charger, and then dropped a pile of dirty washing over the top to keep it out of sight. He had been very careful only to charge the phone when he was in his room, but showing the photos to Chloe at school had run down the battery, and he wanted to make sure it was fully charged before phoning Lex after dinner.

He came out of his room and nearly bowled his Mom over.

"Clark! Be careful, will you?"

"Sorry Mom," he grinned at her.

"Do you have any dirty washing up here? I know it's not washing day, but your Dad got his clothes in a mess fixing the tractor, and I'm going to run a load before the stains set in."

He was looking at her as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Clark? Honey? What is it?"

"Um, nothing Mom," he stammered. "Um, no, there's nothing up here, I did all my washing yesterday."

That was odd. She was sure he was lying, but why on earth would he lie about his dirty wash… ah, a light went on in her brain. Teenage boy plus teenage boy's hormones equals some stained clothing that he would probably not want to explain to his Mother. Poor kid, she needed to give him an out, and quickly.