In his freshman year, Clark's closest friends were Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. The three worked on the high school newspaper, the Smallville Torch. Clark's duties were minimal, such as writing the lunch menu and other small articles. By the end of his freshman year, Clark's powers had steadily increased. After being caught in an exploding truck, he remarked that he barely felt the heat from explosion and the debris did not even bruise him. After personal struggles, Whitney set his differences with Clark aside and asked him to look after Lana after he enlisted in the Marines.