 Season two also showed Lana 's transition from the " girl next door " to a more " self @-@ reliant young woman " . At the beginning of the season Lana is forced to come to terms with her diminished feelings for Whitney , as well as her growing feelings for Clark . It takes time before Lana is strong enough to finally tell Whitney the truth , in a video message , about the way she feels . The Talon , a local coffee shop co @-@ owned by Lana , becomes her new grounding force as Whitney and her aunt have left Smallville . Kreuk thinks that it can be hard to believe that a sixteen @-@ year @-@ old girl could become co @-@ owner of a coffee shop , but she believes that it helps to provide more independence for the character and establish her more within the show . Eventually , in order to really get to know herself , and find her role in life , Lana leaves Smallville for Paris . In season four , Kristin Kreuk felt like Lana is " going a little crazy and is uncertain about her direction , and feels people aren 't validating her beliefs " . 
