Senior Year Memories Ch. 43

(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. This story is highly serialized, and though it's not 100% necessary to have read the whole story up until this point to enjoy the content of the chapter, it's definitely advisable to understand the many ongoing plots.)

(Author's Note: I want to thank everyone whose votes helped create this chapter's starring SYM Girl Zahra Dashti, as well as helping me decide some of the blocking and content of this chapter. As always, I want to give special thanks to fellow Literotica author Lil_kitty for her excellent work as my editor and acting as a second set of eyes on this chapter, and for letting me know what did and didn't work; if you get a chance, please check out her work and drop some stars if you enjoyed, she writes some very hot and fun stories.)

Previously, on Senior Year Memories: While still reeling from the aftermath of Sarah joining in with his poly relationship with Josie and Brooke, 18-year-old Ryan Collins found his month only getting busier as his duties with the paper had him cross paths with the school's drama club during pre-production of the spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Alongside stage crew member Olivia Raine-Goldblum, he had been secretly tasked to be an outside perspective to offer honesty and truth to better help drama teacher Mrs. Harker decide on who should get what in the play. While setting up some preliminary interviews let him get to know the major players in the school's drama club, including arrogant jerk Micah Burke, one particular actress eluded him, as the danger-seeking Amy Temple had bowed out of interviews to go play paintball. Tracking her down on the paintball course, Ryan engaged Amy in battle and after getting in a cheap shot on her, convinced her to take it easy and not risk life and limb while the play was going on so she wouldn't disappoint the rest of the drama club. Though sore and bruised, Ryan wasn't too tired to take Amy up on her offer of inventive, and very rough, sex, while wondering just how much crazy he was getting into by in getting to better know the drama club girls.

***

Over the course of my senior year at Regan Hills High School, I'd met a number of people I'd call "partners in crime", the kinds of people who were good for getting up to the best kinds of trouble, and who'd have your back whenever that trouble came around. Josie. Brooke. Rachel. Sarah. Kaitlyn. Tori, though she'd kind of always been my partner in crime. All of these girls knew how to tap into potential trouble and make it into something pretty glorious. These were the girls who, when they came to you with an offer of excitement and fun, you could never turn down because you'd be all the poorer for it.

Now, I guess if there's such a thing as a "partner in crime", there's always bound to be the occasional "partner in order" as well, someone who's no-nonsense and driven and knows how to get things done, and while what's accomplished may not always be fun, you've still accomplished something at the end of the day. I knew a few people on the Puma Press and the cheer squad who could easily fall under this category, but arguably the biggest "partner in order" I met during senior year had to be 18-year-old Olivia Raine-Goldblum.

Olivia wasn't the kind of girl whose path I'd crossed in the past, but since that was the case for almost every girl who wasn't Tori before senior year, that hardly narrowed anything down. At best, Olivia was a know-it-all who liked everyone to know she was a know-it-all, and an accomplished leader of our school's stage crew. At worst she was a girl with a serious chip on her shoulder, a naturally stand-offish personality and a snide sense of humor.

This attitude was somewhat offset by the fact that she was seriously cute. At a slender 5'9", she had a natural, rough-around-the-edges kind of elegance in the way she carried herself that she often sought to hide behind a baggy hoodie and earbuds meant to discourage anyone talking to her. Her skin was naturally pale and soft-looking, perfectly accentuating her naturally narrow, angular face as it peeked out from underneath her long black hair with her well-maintained bangs. With clever, hazel eyes and full lips that would infrequently smile, she was the master of the "bitch, please" look, which may have been meant to turn people away, but I had to admit looked seriously good on her.

We had been pushed to work together behind the scenes advising the school's drama teacher, Mrs. Wanda Harker, as outside perspectives to help offer insight on the play, while I was also expected to be reporting on its production by my editor, Nadia Barclay. To say I had a lot on my plate would be an understatement, but this is where that whole "partner in order" thing came in handy, as Olivia was quite an expert at keeping me apprised of the goings-on in the drama club.

Nevertheless, it did feel exciting on those rare moments I could surprise her.

"How the *fuck* did you convince Amy to take it easy for the next couple months? I'd always thought that task Sisyphean," Olivia said, a pleasantly shocked look on her face.

Lunch had only recently begun, and between thoughts of my rough encounter with Amy Temple and the text I'd recently received asking me to sneak off to the art room in a few minutes, I might've been a little distracted as Olivia and I walked down the hallway toward the little theater. She had matters she needed to take care of there, and I needed to discuss some Puma Press matters with her, but as memories of the crazed shit that happened between Amy and me, and the promise of what was to come in the art room, I found myself wanting to end our discussion as quickly as I could.

I cleared my throat, "Well, I-"

"Wait, no, scratch that, I don't want to know," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I've seen that smile on her face, I should've... you really did get that 'interview' with her, didn't you?"

Quickly, I replied, "You sounded really disappointed that she didn't show for the preliminary interviews, and that she might not make the show... so, I had a talk with her."

She considered me for a moment, then replied, "You really should've put air quotes around 'had a talk with her'."

"Oh yeah," I replied, trying to keep my smile from breaking out. "But I got results."

Olivia eyed me for another moment, her face unreadable, but kept walking. "Here I was thinking I had a busy night doing laundry and my weekly food prep, and there you were, 'getting your interview'. Well, Mrs. Harker should be happy, anyway, and barring any backsliding from Amy, the play shall have its Oren Scrivelo. So, since I can tell you're looking to run off as soon as possible, why don't you explain why you came to me today?"

"Right," I replied, trying to catch up with her as she picked up the pace. "Nadia, now that all the preliminary interviews are done, she wants me to get more in-depth ones with the people playing, or, since that hasn't been locked down yet, who *will* be playing, the lead roles, so we can put some profiles out there once the roles have been decided. I was thinking if anyone had insight on this who wasn't Mrs. Harker, it'd be you."

"I see," Olivia replied, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, Micah Burke is all but cast for Seymour."

I winced at the name, seeing that cocky asshole who fancied himself a ladies' man and wanted to compare the number of girls he'd slept with with me. I didn't know him well, but I knew enough to hate him, and I wasn't the only one who shared that opinion.

"And that's set in stone?" I asked.

"Unless he's struck by lightning or something, yes," she asked. "He has talent, and he knows just how to suck up to Mrs. Harker, so, unless something were to happen to him, he's got the part."

I was annoyed at the prospect of having to sit down with him longer than I had to. "And if something were to happen to him? I mean, is there a line of succession where I could interview someone else instead?"

Olivia gave me a look that might nearly have been a smirk. "Are you planning on recreating Homecoming to make that happen? Because I'm not telling you you shouldn't, but I believe you'd find Micah more of a challenge than Kyle Bowman."

I was about to question her about how much she knew about that when she waved a dismissive hand. "But to answer your question, I'd say the next most likely would be Tommy Jarvis. After the whole Jason thing that happened at that Halloween party last year, his confidence has been through the roof, and I'd say he could be pushed to raise his ambitions from chorus to lead easily."

"Interesting," I said, filing that information away for later. I wasn't planning on doing anything with it, but the possibility that Micah may not be the end-all, be-all of actors to take the lead in the spring play was an intriguing one.

"As for our female lead, Audrey, that's where things *really* get interesting," Olivia explained, strolling around the corner and through a trio of frightened-looking freshmen. "Because at the moment, it's effectively a four-way tie between Faith Serrano, Chloe Marcus, Zahra Dashti and Doreen Bell."

I remembered all of the girls she listed from the preliminary interviews, and given that they couldn't have been any different from each other, I was surprised that it was that close. Faith was as arrogant as she was gorgeous, Chloe was studious and overachieving, Zahra was a fun-loving free spirit, and Doreen was our curvy class clown. They all had to have some impressive drama chops to be that close.

"And Mrs. Harker hasn't indicated which way she's leaning?" I asked.

Olivia shrugged. "Not to me. She's going to continue the auditions with them, to be sure, but odds are we'll be the deciding votes."

This stopped me in my tracks. "Really?"

She'd kept walking, not noticing that I'd stopped, only pausing and turning to look at me after it'd become clear I wasn't responding to her. She looked at me impatiently, and I quickened my pace to catch up with her.

"Yes, really," Olivia replied. "She likes her outside perspectives, believes that it offers 'emotional truth unblinded by a devotion to the stage', so we'll be important in deciding who gets what, I'd say. Which, as I say it out loud, makes me realize that you have a unique opportunity with your interviews, a chance to get to know them better and get some true insight, rather than a surface-level analysis. And, perhaps, to 'work your magic', which if your results are anything like what you got with Amy, can only be a net gain for the show."

I rubbed a hand through my hair, a little embarrassed. "You don't really have a high opinion of my particular set of skills, do you?"

"Oh, on the contrary," she said. "After what you accomplished with Amy, I believe your libido might be an excellent asset to the play. Who knows what truth you'll find in the aspiring starlets seeking the lead role? Why, I imagine that your talents might find us the best leading lady this school has ever seen..."

I could sense the smirk in her voice even if it wasn't on her lips. I kept looking a moment longer, hoping that I might see one forming yet, but she held her amused tone and quick walking pace, leaving me as curious about Olivia as ever. For the size of the chip on her shoulder, there was something about her that was vaguely magnetic, something within her confidence that I couldn't turn away from no matter how hard I tried. Standoffish as she was, I couldn't see wanting to stay away from her.

"Well, whatever works, right?" I joked.

Olivia didn't laugh, not that I expected her to. "Indeed."

We rounded the corner to the little theater and found that we weren't alone. Standing outside it was an 18-year-old, 5'1" lighter-skinned half-black, half-Latina girl with a full head of dark, curly hair, a pretty face, and nice body for her size. If none of this was a dead giveaway to her identity, her stylish top and short shorts showing off her exquisitely toned legs did.

Scarlett Bishop. She was a party girl and a social butterfly and generally regarded as one of the most fun girls in school, and though our paths rarely crossed, I knew that she was nice enough, even in just a polite kind of way. When she saw Olivia and I walking toward the little theater, she looked conflicted, almost as if she wanted to make a break for it, before she smiled at us.

"Hey, Olivia, Ryan, how's it going?" she said, her eyes darting around.

"If you're looking for Cecilia, I think I saw her walking in the hallway and heading toward the cafeteria," Olivia said, pulling a keyring from her pocket and sorting through it for the theater's key.

"Oh, I wasn't looking for Cecilia, just waiting here for... a friend, someone else, you know, lots of friends here who aren't Cecilia who I could just wait around for wherever I wanted and I just happened to be waiting here!" Scarlett laughed, her eyes still darting.

Now, having been caught trying to lie a few times myself, I knew that those who rambled like Scarlett were generally hoping to throw out enough detail that you wouldn't think too hard about what they were actually trying to cover. But, considering the way she was dressed, that look of impatient excitement on her face, and what I knew that the little theater was often used for, I could make a few guesses.

"So, you're waiting for Micah, then?" I suggested.

Scarlett's eyes widened and she started almost as if she was splashed with cold water. "What? I mean, no, not at all, why would you think that?"

Olivia sighed with deep annoyance. "Seriously, Scarlett, you're hooking up with Micah in the little theater?"

A distinct flush hit Scarlett's cheeks. "I mean... aside from it being during school hours and on school property and against the rules, what's so wrong with that?"

Olivia rubbed the bridge of her nose, turning her attention to me. "You want to explain this one, Ryan, or should I? Because I know you're in a hurry, but I wouldn't want to deny you the opportunity of dropping some hard facts about our mutual 'friend' Micah."

Now, I had no reason to think that Scarlett would believe anything that I had to say since, you know, we barely knew each other, but when she turned to me with those attentive, dark eyes of hers, looking like she was genuinely interested in what we had to tell her, the truth was easy to find.

I rubbed a hand through my hair. "Now, if you wanna hook up with Micah Burke, that's your business, we can't tell you what to do and not do or make you do anything, but you should know that if you do, you're probably not going to be much more than another number to him. He's just interested in building this list in his mind of girls he's been with and moving on to the next one without any damn care or consideration; he's told me as much to my face. You can hook up with him, but you'll just be an object to him..."

Scarlett bit her lip in consideration. "I mean... optics of a white boy like him wanting to do that with me in particular aside, that kind of treatment *can* be fun sometimes..."

"Not with him, believe me," Olivia said quickly. "Been there, done that; over way too quickly. He's not good enough to add any joy to the objectification."

"Yeah, you can do better than Micah. You know that, everyone knows that. If you're not interested in becoming just another number, then jump ship while you still can, is what I would suggest," I said, shrugging. "But you gotta do what's best for you."

Scarlett looked from Olivia to me and back again, clearly weighing whether she wanted to trust us, a couple of relative nobodies to her. She must have weighed this pretty quickly, or at least had us confirm some of her own reservations, because soon she sighed and hiked her backpack up on her shoulder.

"Alright, that makes a ton of sense. Guy's cute enough that I thought I could overlook all the red flags, but, they're still red flags. Better not find out how red they are. But, fuck, he's *really* cute," Scarlett said, shaking her head and chuckling.

Olivia elbowed me in the side. "You know who else is cute? Ryan. Lots of girls think so."

Instinctively, I tried to elbow Olivia back, but she was quick enough to dodge me. Scarlett, on the other hand, grinned at the two of us, quickly looking me up and down.

"I mean, you're not wrong," Scarlett replied, looking suddenly quite interested. "And, like, Cecilia and half my friends seem to think so, too..."

This was taking a different kind of interesting turn, and one that I wasn't all that against, until Olivia quickly unlocked the little theater's door.

"That'll have to wait; Ryan's got an important appointment he should really be getting to, shouldn't he?" Olivia said, holding the door open. "If you brown-bagged it, want to join me in here for lunch? We can both listen to Micah impotently pounding on the locked door and send a bunch of pitifully desperate texts while we eat, and I can tell you everything you'll be happy to miss."

While I was glad I'd get to make my lunch appointment in the art room, part of me did still regret that I'd miss this chance with Scarlett. Nevertheless, I *was* looking forward to making that appointment, and I was glad to see that Scarlett would be taken care of. Olivia had managed to keep us on task, save Scarlett a disappointing hookup, *and* managed to make sure I got to have my fun.

My partner in order had struck again.

Grinning broadly, Scarlett patted Olivia on the back as she made her way into the theater and said, "You nerds are alright, you know?"

"Oh, *we're* not nerds," Olivia corrected, ushering Scarlett inside the little theater. "Ryan's a nerd, and one of the best-adjusted you'll find; I'm just a misanthropic malcontent with a high IQ and what might pass for a few functional social skills."

I thought about what sounded like Olivia's compliment for a moment after the two of them disappeared into the little theater (accompanied by the sounds of a locking door), and remained as curious as I ever was about Olivia Raine-Goldblum. She was an interesting girl, and one I would have been happier to get to know better, but with the sharp barriers she put up between herself and everyone else, I knew that that could well prove a problem.

Even though whether or not we'd ever be friends was something that was up for debate, even if she only ever remained my partner in order, I knew that I could count myself as pretty lucky. She'd already pointed me in the right direction with the final four girls who'd be up for the lead in the spring musical, and now I had to figure out what to do with that information...

My phone vibrating in my pocket insistently yet again, I nodded quickly and ran off down the hall. I had a long distance to clear, and a girl I didn't want to keep waiting.

***

Our school had a few art classrooms, but ever since Mr. Downes had retired the previous year and hadn't been replaced, one of them had been left abandoned, mostly relegated to supply storage for Ms. Montague's classes. It was meant to be locked, but enough ambitious art students liked to practice in it that the lock had been somewhat broken, and if you jiggled the handle just right... well, it was easy to get a semi-locked room to yourself. I'd first been introduced to this unique quirk of the room by Brianna Roth back in January, and while I hadn't made nearly as much use of it as I probably would have liked, I did have some good memories in it.

Reaching the room, I found the door thankfully unlocked and snuck inside quickly, closing and mostly locking the door behind me.