reason to smile ~ jonathan kent

barbeque at the cushing's

Another day of school passed, which was pretty uneventful for Tilly. The most drama she witnessed was overhearing some of the football team raving about embarrassing the 'new guy'. Obviously, that must have been Jonathan, which made Tilly feel bad for him. It must have difficult enough for him to go try out for the team, without having had access to the playbook. But after being 'embarrassed' – whatever that means – Jonathan must've felt awful.

Tilly tried to find him throughout the day but it seemed he had disappeared. Or maybe he was hiding. Eventually, Sarah convinced her to relent, reminding her of the barbeque the Cushing's were having later on, that his family were invited to, telling her that she'd see him later. With a heavy sigh, Tilly agreed and reluctantly let Sarah drag them both to class.

After school finished, Tilly rushed home to get herself ready for the barbeque. An infuriating chat with her father later, she finally escaped her house to make her way to her best friend's house, later than she originally planned.

The barbeque was in full swing by the time Tilly arrived at the Cushing residence.

Without needing an invitation, Tilly made her way into the house, making a beeline for the kitchen. Quickly, she got herself a drink and grabbed a few hors d'oeuvres from the kitchen island before hearing Lana's voice growing nearer. Her eyes widened a little, realising her mouth was full of small snacks and she rushed to swallow them before turning around.

Tilly watched as Lana turned the corner with the Kent family in tow. When they noticed her, she only sent them a small smile in greeting. Her eyes flickered to Jonathan, who stood behind his parents but still managed to send her an acknowledging smile. Jordan also took the moment to send an awkward smile towards her which she, of course, sent one back before realising everyone's eyes on her.

She began to feel a little uncomfortable so she raised her glass to her lips, taking a big gulp. Lana seemed to notice and effectively shifted the conversation away from the blonde girl.

"Barbeques have become a bit of a tradition around here. Everybody loves Kyle's grilling"

"Wait" Tilly interrupted, her gaze set on Lana. She didn't even notice the gazes falling back onto her, her focus only on the woman's words, "is Kyle making--"

"Full racks of ribs?" Lana smiled warmly at the girl, knowing how much she loved her husband's grilled food.

Tilly only smirked at the woman and raised her brow at her so that she'd confirm the words she was desperate to hear.

"He's not got many left, go get one whilst you still can, Tils" Lana chuckled, seeing the girl's happiness, relishing the sight. Tilly's smirked shifted into a wide smile as she rushed out towards the back yard. She only sent one more glance to the family as she left before finally getting what she was promised, with Kyle only laughing at her. She had always begged the man to tell her his secret of how his ribs could be so good but he always refused – saying it was his own secret he would take to the grave. As every other time this conversation happened, Tilly pouted but ate the ribs anyway, groaning in delight as the flavors exploding in her mouth.

~~~

Once Lana had left the family to join the rest of the hoards in her yard, the twins had quickly left also, wanting to have a look around. This left both Clark and Lois to watch out of the window, seeing Kyle air-guitaring with a meat cleaver.

"One hour?" Clark sighed in a questioning tone.

"Tops?" Lois countered back.

Clark shook his head in amusement at themselves – they were meant to be the adults, the role models after all.