Senior Year Memories Ch 07

Usual Disclaimer Time: Even though this story almost entirely takes place in a high school setting, all the characters in this story are 18 years old or older, and since we're living in the wide wonderful world of porno-land here, where clichés roam free and things might get a little unrealistic from time to time, please remember it's all in good fun, I swear.

*****

Previously, on Senior Year Memories: After getting revenge on bully Kyle Bowman at Homecoming, nerdy 18-year-old Ryan Collins retreated to his best friend Tori's house along with cheerleaders Kaitlyn and Brooke. After downing a little alcohol, the three of them engaged in some vigorous group sex, where Ryan and Tori had sex for the first time. The next morning, Ryan admitted that he thought he was in love with Tori, while she stated that she didn't want to be in a relationship given the uncertainty of senior year. Uncertain he wanted to keep it casual, while still wanting to stay friends with Tori, Ryan agreed.

***

The fallout from what happened at Homecoming was everything we'd hoped it'd be come the next Monday morning. All that and more, really. Though the rumor mill had gone crazy, especially in speculation of what the hell had happened at Homecoming (and what was all over Kyle Bowman's face), amidst all the fake news and exaggerations, I was able to sort out one major fact that was completely inarguable.

Kyle Bowman had been expelled from Regan Hills High School.

Nobody knew if it was more for the drugs or for having been exposed for drunkenly driving his car through the side of Principal Carpenter's house, but that he'd been expelled was undeniable. Social media posts indicated he'd spent the night in lockup, and while he was bailed out the next day, his legal future was far from settled. He was eighteen, and he'd fucked up pretty badly. For now it sounded like he was going to be sent to private school out of town, but when his court date came around...

I could've put a lot of thought to this, but after a couple days I decided that I'd put enough thought to Kyle Bowman. Even though he was defeated, and I was a major part of that defeat, I wouldn't let him take up any more of my thought processes.

Good riddance.

Unfortunately, while I was ready for Kyle Bowman to be behind me, by the time the next staff meeting of the Puma Press came around, it was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about.

"Look, I'm not saying we need to do a whole article about it, I'm just saying that we can at least make mention of the one thing that's got everyone around here talking!" Hope Harris protested. A tall and willowy band geek with large glasses and dirty blonde hair done up in a bun, she was one of the most surprisingly loud voices in the Puma Press offices, which was especially impressive considering how quiet she was in every other class.

My guess was, she got it from Nadia Barclay, the editor and guiding voice of the paper who stood by the room's whiteboard. Including her, there were sixteen of us representing the student voices of the Puma Press; twelve writers and four photographers. My best friend Tori and I were writers, sitting across from each other at one of the room's many mismatched tables and sharing amused glances as the fight over what to say about Homecoming went down. While the paper technically had to have an adult advisor, Mr. Hopkins rarely peeked his head out of his small office in the corner unless Principal Carpenter was coming around.

With good reason, he trusted Nadia to take care of everything.

"I agree with you. I really do, but it's not going to happen," Nadia said, her voice completely even. Her eyes passed over me fleetingly, a faint trace of a smile on her lips, but it was just that: fleeting. A beautiful and wickedly intelligent black girl, I'd only formally made her acquaintance when I interviewed for the paper a couple weeks back. I'd nailed the interview before I wound up fucking Nadia in all of her holes in the Puma Press' dark room, so there was still some tension between us, but she kept very professional during staff meetings.

"Why not?" Hope asked.

"Because it's an ongoing criminal matter? Because it's gossip? Because it's in bad taste? The school administration's given us every excuse and then some, but the fact remains they won't let us touch it. That right, Mr. Hopkins?" Nadia raised her voice to the corner of the room.

Mr. Hopkins stuck his middle-aged, balding head out of the office. "Whatever she said, that's right!"

Those were the only words I'd ever heard him say. Maybe it was his catchphrase, maybe it was the only thing he knew how to say, maybe he was just some elaborate puppet created by Nadia, whatever the answer was, it ensured that Nadia was undeniably in charge of the office.

Nadia continued. "We can talk about Homecoming. We can even mention a kerfuffle-"

"A kerfuffle?" Tori asked, amused.

"A disturbance. Commotion. Disruption. Need I run through the entire thesaurus to entertain you?" Nadia asked.

"Not today, but thanks for asking," Tori joked. Playfully, I kicked her under the table. She kicked me back. Nobody, save for Kaitlyn, Brooke, Homecoming Queen Addison Gonzalez, Kyle himself, Tori and I knew all of what went down that night, and it was hilarious listening to everyone speculate, even if I was tired of putting my own attention to it. It was a great and powerful secret Tori and I shared between us.

One of many that stemmed from that night, actually.

Unabated, Nadia went on, "We can mention a disturbance, but we can't mention any of the more sordid details, or any names. The truth aches for it, and when the truth complains, I hear it louder than anyone, believe me, but our hands are tied on this topic. Now, do you want to do the write-up on Homecoming for our October issue, or don't you, Hope?"

Deflated, Hope said, "Sure. Why not?"

Nodding, Nadia continued, "Good. Have it e-mailed to me by Saturday. Alright, sports writers, give me an interesting way of describing how we were utterly trounced in the Homecoming game without it somehow being all about how we lacked a star quarterback, since, let's be honest, we would've lost anyway."

While the sports writers droned on about the game as only they knew how (since most of the rest of the people in this room couldn't have given two shits about our school's football team), Tori and I silently eyed each other across the table, exchanging looks that were equal parts charged and tentative.

Things had been strange for us since the night of Homecoming, and not just because we'd had a four-way with Kaitlyn and Brooke. Well, maybe that was a big part of it, but I think the better chunk of the awkwardness that we were still coping with came from the next morning. Mostly from me telling her that I loved her, and her... less enthusiastic response.

I didn't go into that night expecting to have sex with her, let alone telling her that I loved her, but both of these things happened and neither of them could've been undone. Tori, amazing that she was, was good enough to tell it to me straight, to let me know that she did love me as a friend, but that she didn't want to be with anyone when we'd all be scattered to the winds at the end of the year. I said I got this, and maybe I even did understand it a little, but if given the option of being together with Tori and not being together with Tori, I'd have picked with her in a heartbeat. Don't get me wrong, I was loving the new status quo of fucking around Regan Hills High with as many hot girls as I could, but if Tori had asked me to be exclusive, I'd have done it in a heartbeat.

She didn't want to be exclusive, though. She wanted us to still be best friends, but with the sex to be strictly casual to not confuse things. We hadn't acted on that yet since Homecoming, not that I wasn't looking forward to some more sweaty, naked alone time, but we still hung out as friends.

It was like nothing had changed.

I wasn't sure if I liked that yet, but if it meant not losing Tori as a best friend, it was the compromise I had no choice but to accept, because in the end, that really was the most important part to me. If she didn't want to be in love with me, that'd hurt, but if she didn't want to be my friend anymore, that would've been the end of the world.

So, yeah, it wasn't a perfect or ideal solution, but it was better than most of the alternatives.

Now we just had to see where it'd take us.

"And that," Nadia said, finishing up with the sports crew, "brings us to our final point of the day: the Regan Hills High Halloween Scream."

This brought equal groans and enthusiasm in the room, and I made sure to add my voice to the latter. Regan Hills High School didn't have much going for it, but they went all out for Halloween. The Halloween Scream was a carnival-like fundraiser held on Halloween itself, where a number of the school's clubs put together haunted houses and booths to raise as much money as they could to keep them funded. It was mostly an excuse to have a place to be to dress up on Halloween if you were too old for trick-or-treating, but the haunted houses were often fun, and they sometimes had some pretty decent bands perform. Having never been a part of any school extracurricular before this year, this would be my first opportunity to participate in it in a capacity past attendance, and it had me excited.

Nadia waved down the naysayers. "Now, yes, I understand that it's a lot of work on top of everything else we've already got on our plates, but the paper's budget is dependent on fundraisers like this. If we do an exceptional job, and I mean really knock it out of the park this year, we might actually be able to afford some new equipment around here."

We all took a quick look around at the broken tables and mismatched computers, many of which were older than us and few of which worked reliably.

It was impossible to deny that we could've used some money.

"What're we doing? Selling snacks? A game booth?" Hope asked.

"Not this year. I fought pretty hard with the administration, but I finally got us a slot hosting one of the haunted houses," Nadia said, beaming with pride.

If only the rest of the room shared her enthusiasm.

"We're fucked," Willie White, one of the photographers bemoaned.

I looked around, confused, then finally whispered to Tori. "Why are we fucked?"

Tori leaned in closer, explaining, "Because the drama club's always got the best setup. They've got the stage crew helping them with everything, and they always sell more tickets than any of the other haunted houses. Running one against them is about as good a way to lose money around here as it gets, unless, you know, you put it all in a pile and set it on fire."

That... well, that was less encouraging.

Nadia, though, was prepared for this exact argument to be brought up. "Look. I know it sounds like an uphill battle, but the drama club doesn't get any more seed money than any other club to set up a haunt. And what do they need the money for, a better backstage lounge? We're motivated, we've got some of the best writers and other creative minds in the school who could help us put an amazing story together, some of the darkest minds..."

With this, she nodded to 18-year-old Josie Wong, the busty goth photographer whose picture I had in my Senior Year Memories album licking my cum off of Nadia's face. The memory caused my cock to stir, forcing me to readjust how I was sitting at the desk. Looking to Josie, I could swear I saw her looking at me, smirking at my discomfort.

Nadia finished, "...and some secret weapons that they won't even see coming that'll put us over the top in a way we never would've been able to pull off before. If we play our cards right with those, we'll have a haunted house that those drama geeks wouldn't even dream of in their darkest nightmares. Isn't that right, Mr. Hopkins?"

Not hearing that she was messing with him, he stuck his head out of the office and said, "Whatever she said, that's right!"

Nadia chuckled. She wasn't the only one, as laughs rippled through most of the room. I didn't know what she meant by "secret weapons," but the way her eyes flickered over me at those words was intriguing. Intriguing, and more than a little frightening the more I thought about it.

"First planning session will be next meeting, until then, keep to your assignments for the October issue. If anyone has anything that they think might be useful for the haunted house, if you know anybody who's got any skills or would be able to donate time and money, preferably money, especially money (we need money if you can't tell) let me know," Nadia said, dismissing the meeting. I pulled my backpack together as most of the others bolted from the room. Tori was clearly waiting up for me, and odds on we would've probably ridden our bikes home together.

We would've, at least, if Nadia hadn't called after me. "Hey, Ryan, can you hang back for a few? I need a favor."

Tori shrugged at me, smiling mischievously before heading out of the Puma Press office. I didn't know, not for sure, if Tori knew that I'd had sex with Nadia, but it wouldn't have surprised me. Tori's nose for gossip and what people were really up to wasn't as well defined as Nadia's, but it was pretty damn attuned. She probably knew that something had happened between us, but she either didn't care or didn't want to let on that she cared.

Whatever her stake in this, Tori left me alone in the Puma Press' office with Nadia Barclay.

Or should I say, almost alone. Josie Wong stood next to her, a playful smirk on her black painted lips.

These two together were trouble, but with Tori wanting to keep things casual, they were the kind of trouble that I felt no guilt indulging.

While Nadia looked as professional as she ever did while clothed, Josie was her polar opposite. Lean and fit, save for her large D-cup tits and round ass, Josie was a knockout Asian goth princess. Her already pale skin was made almost perfectly white with heavy makeup and a strong aversion to the sun, while her silky black hair was chopped almost short enough to be a pixie cut but messy and glossy enough that I knew she put some work into it. Her long black coat was enough to cover her up to school dress code policy, but I knew beneath it she tended to favor knee high boots, fishnets, and as little clothing as she could get away with. The piercings in her ears, the stud in her nose and the faint trail of a tattoo up the right side of her neck told me her body had all sorts of secrets she'd be all too eager to share with the right audience. Goth chicks had never exactly been my style, but if I were ever going to lust after one, well, Josie would've been an excellent choice.

That she had already masturbated to Nadia and me fucking and then licked my cum off of Nadia's face probably helped with that too, though.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm gonna be blunt," Nadia began. "You're really into horror, right?"

"Well, I generally consider myself a nerd of many tastes, but I like to think I'm moderately well-versed in horror," I said.

I didn't want to boast, but I was actually more than just well-versed in horror; it was probably my greatest passion outside of video games. The countless nights Tori and I had stayed up watching cheesy, bloody movies in the dark only paled to the number of nights I did so on my own. Close to half of the toys that decorated my room were horror-related collector's figurines, and I had a pretty respectable poster collection (even if most of those posters were currently rolled up and kept in Dad's storage unit for safekeeping).

"No, I know you're into it. Social media doesn't lie; don't sell yourself short," Nadia said bluntly.

Well, so much for not boasting.

"Fine, I really know horror. Why?" I asked.

Josie said, "Nadia wants a couple people to run point on this project and would prefer people who knew what the fuck they were talking about. Lucky us."

"I'm not hopeless, but this isn't exactly my forte," Nadia admitted. "I know you're new here, and I'll understand if your answer is no, but-"

"I'll do it," I said, unhesitatingly.

"Just like that?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah, why?" I responded.

"Nothing, I just expected that I'd need to butter you up a bit first, maybe take you back to the dark room to talk you into this," Nadia admitted, biting her lip toward the end. I shifted around uncomfortably as my erection threatened to burst right through my pants, but somehow I was good enough to keep this from happening.

"Well, I wouldn't say no, but..." I said.

"Tempting, but we'll need your particular skills elsewhere, and I wouldn't want to wear you out," Nadia said.

"Say what?" I asked.

"You did hear her whole 'secret weapon' speech, didn't you?" Josie asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, you're the secret weapon, if you'll do it, and why the fuck wouldn't you do it?" Josie asked.

This had me a little confused. A little, but not enough to completely surprise me.

"There are certain... student specialists around this school whose skills I would like to enlist. The best of the best. These women have talents that would really be useful in helping us build the best haunted house possible, but for a variety of reasons, be it financial, misplaced allegiances, or simply not liking me, they won't work with us without some particular coaxing and incentive," Nadia said, laying out the whole story without explicitly saying it.

My eyes went wide as the magnitude of what she wanted fully sank in.

I asked, "You want me to-"

"Yes," Nadia confirmed.

"And you think it'll work?" I asked.

"I know it'll work," Nadia confirmed.

Josie nodded, "Oh yeah, treat them right and these girls'll be eating out of the palm of your hand. Maybe eating cum out of your hand if you treat them really right."

I pondered this question for a moment, then asked another, "Are they hot?"

"Pretty good, for the most part, yes," Nadia said, in a tone that could've been more convincing. It wasn't the first time this year someone had broached the concept of pimping me out, but this time it wasn't going to be to her friends. This time, if I said yes, I'd actually have to charm girls to get them to help out with our fundraiser. The fate of the Puma Press might very well depend on how good I can be at sex, which isn't exactly the kind of responsibility I understood or was fully certain I wanted.

Even so...

"Let me know when you want me to start," I said.

"Nice," Josie said. "See, I told you he'd be a team player."

"Excellent," Nadia confirmed. "There's nothing, yet, but I will be in touch. In the meantime..."

She pulled an old key from her pocket, holding it by its plastic tag. The number 237 was printed on it, which given the circumstances almost made me giggle.

"Can you and Josie check out the venue? It's one of the old bungalows on the soccer field, pretty much the only place the administration will let us do anything. If you two can check out its condition, take a measuring tape and get the stats on the place so we can start drawing up a map, that'll go a long way toward getting us started," Nadia said.

I looked to Josie. "I'm game if you are."

"Lead the way," Josie responded.

We headed for the door, but before we made it outside, Nadia pulled me in close enough to whisper in my ear. "I know it's a lot to ask, but thank you for putting your cock on the line for us. If any of those bitches treat you wrong, let me know and I'll make it up to you like you wouldn't believe."

Though I sincerely hoped nothing would go wrong, that was a promise I knew I wouldn't mind seeing go through.

Smirking, Nadia raised her voice. "Isn't that right, Mr. Hopkins?"

Sticking his head out of the office, Mr. Hopkins said, "Whatever she said, that's right!"