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“Yes! Good job. Love that show, too! How about Barry and Iris?”
Oh, I've got this, but fuck, Clark beats me. “The Flash.”
“Yep. Last question. Team Idaho, you need this to move on to the final round. Clark and Lex.”
I hit the button first. “Smallville.” It’s funny, how the character has the same name as the man I’ve hated my whole life, and both Clark Kent and Lex Luther hate one another, enemies for life like the two of us.
And just like that, Clark and I are in the finals together.
“Okie dokie, everyone. We have no categories in this round. They’re miscellaneous and challenging, if I do say so myself. But first, I’ve been told there’s some history with these two teams. Wanna tell us how?”
Both Clark and I answer at the same time. “No!”
The emcee laughs at us and turns to the audience. “Well, if that’s not telling, I don’t know what is. So, let’s start with the questions and the first to three wins. What fruit is not a berry out of bananas, strawberries, and blueberries?”
I pound the button. I know this. “Strawberry,” I state, overly confident.
“You’re right, Xander. It seems odd that a strawberry is not a berry, yet a banana is, but I gotta tell you, it’s true. Now, what is the largest fast-food restaurant by number of stores worldwide?”
I buzz in right away. “McDonald’s.”
“Sorry, Xander. Clark or Jennifer, do you know the answer?”
Clark thinks for a second. “Is it Subway?” he asks.
“Yes, you’re correct. It’s tied one-to-one. What is the national animal of Scotland?”
No one answers him. “How does no one know that the mythical unicorn is the national animal? Okay, but speaking of unicorns, what are four or more unicorns called?”
I turn to David, then Clark as Jennifer hits the buzzer. “It’s a blessing.”
No fucking way! That can’t be true, I think to myself. “You’re right, and one more correct answer and you two win.”
“How the fuck does someone know that?” I ask David, who reaches over to me and squeezes my hand.
“You know, baby, this is a game. It doesn’t mean he’s better than you just because he wins, right?”
David doesn’t understand the vehemence in which we both hate each other. I don’t respond because I’m hyper-ready for the next question.
“Okay, for the win! Are you ready?” We still give no answers, and the emcee looks perplexed. “What countries made up the original Axis powers in World War II?”
I know this, and I hit the buzzer, but it doesn’t buzz. I hit it again, with no sound, and David and I look at one another. The damn buzzer finally goes off for Clark and Jennifer. “Japan, Germany, and Italy,” he says.
“Wait,” I call out. “Our buzzer wasn’t working, I hit it first.”
The emcee and the whole entire bar whip their attention to us. “Tell them, David,” I demand.
“Xan, baby, it’s a game, a simple game. It’s okay not to win.”
I push from my chair and walk away with my head held high because I know the truth. I won, and I’m not sure how he did it, but Clark Farmer is a fucking cheater.
6
CLARK
Law school
Jen and I are attending Yale, and we’ve been on again and off again for some time, but she’s my best friend, and I can’t let go of the familiarity that we share together. Safe is what we call one another.
