Chapter 24 -- Graduation and Marla Returns

Though we had our fling,
I just never would suspect a thing.
Til that little bell began to ring,
In my head, in my head...
But I tried to run,
Though I knew it wouldn't help me none.
Cause I couldn't ever love no one,
Or so I said!
But my feelings for you,
Were just something I never knew,
Til I saw the light in your eyes.

--I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren)

As expected, Camille gave the valedictory address at commencement. Since the speech needed to be cleared by the Principal's office, it was your normal, everyday speech about appreciating the past twelve years, looking forward to college, and life afterward.

The highlight came when Camille reached the last lines of her speech:

And now, we find ourselves at that crossroads. There are many directions that we can go, and only one is right for any of us. And when we look back at this day, we can remember the one thing that we will all remember with pride and joy... the moment when we were able to throw these up in the air!

Instead of throwing her graduation cap up in the air, as she indicated in her speech notes, Camille instead grabbed her gown, and pulled it up over her head.

Underneath the gown was... Camille. Nothing else.

Loud cheers, hoots, and whistles greeted Camille's flash. Before anybody could do anything, the gown came back down, almost exactly as it had been before, her arms in the correct sleeves.

Later on, I would find out that there were some noises made about rescinding Camille's diploma due to her scandalous display during the commencement, but I think that Mr. Yank was secretly amused by Camille's antics. The coup de grace was when Camille gave him an itemized list of similar events that happened without repercussions in the past, including having a streaker interrupt the ceremony the previous year (the fact that Camille had supposedly been that streaker wasn't mentioned on Camille's list). In the end, Camille got her diploma without any problem.

After the commencement, Camille, Lynette, Patty, Toby, Wendy, Gerry, Roy, Jill, Archy, June, Kristen, and I had a party at our apartment.

For this party, we used the standard cheerleader rules: all sex was all right, as long as it was consensual and if multiple couples were involved, they needed to have the approval of all parties concerned. There was a half bottle of wine distributed to each couple (Camille and Lynette being considered a couple), which Kristen had made with a special "CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 1975!" celebratory label. We figured a half bottle of wine per couple would allow celebration but still avoid drunken carousing.

Kristen gave Lynette her freedom for the party, and I specifically told Archy and June that the guest bedroom was theirs for the night and for up to a week, if they wanted it. Kristen made a phone call and found out that the villa on Lake Michigan was available for the week, and when she told everybody, we all agreed it was a wonderful idea, so Kristen reserved it.

Before we left the apartment, Jackie and Maria visited us with their dates. Those two were going to be heading next year's cheerleaders, with Jackie replacing Lynette as head cheerleader, and Maria replacing Camille as co-captain.

They were "inducted" to their positions by Lynette and Camille where Jackie and Maria were ordered to earn their status as "head" cheerleaders by performing head on all party members, male or female, that wanted to audition them.

Kristen and Camille both asked me if I was going to at least "try" Jackie. I turned them down. This got me a few strange looks, but neither one of them decided to push it.

I was able to spend a few moments alone with Patty, who looked ravishing in a light purple dress that she borrowed from Kristen. "That outfit looks great on you," I said.

"Thanks, Jim," Patty said, giving me a warm smile.

We made idle chit chat while Toby was out of sight. Patty knew my unasked question. "He's in the bedroom with Maria."

"You don't mind?" I asked.

Patty shrugged. "We're not really romantically involved. It would be stupid of me to get jealous over Toby."

I laughed.

"I saw Kristen and Cammy try to get you to go with Jackie," Patty said, her face smiling.

"It's not my thing," I said.

This elicited a huge laugh from Patty, which drew almost everybody's attention, since Patty wasn't normally somebody to burst out like that. "Since the Senior Weekend, people would think that you'd be the last person to turn Jackie down."

"I didn't turn her down," I corrected Patty.

"No," Patty admitted, looking thoughtful.

A couple of minutes were passed in silence. When Patty thought that people's attention to us had waned, she said, quietly, "You turned Kris and Cammy down."

"It's not the same thing..." I started to say.

"I know, Jim," Patty interrupted. "It would be different if Jackie asked you herself."

I shrugged. I knew that Patty knew the way I felt, and could almost read my mind, so I didn't have much to hide from her. "I probably wouldn't do it today even if she asked."

"Sex is special to you," Patty observed. "I knew that when I saw you in the lingerie store last year."

This resulted in a laugh from me. "You knew something that I didn't know, Patty. At the time, I thought sex was something cheap. At least, with my... you know... I could have it at any time."

Patty nodded, knowing about my magical tickets. "In your own way, Jim, you opened my eyes. I was... I guess I was angry at all guys. I didn't trust anybody. Then you came out of nowhere and showed me that I could have fun... that I could... you know."

This conversation was getting uncomfortable for me. Patty had always attributed the fact that she finally got over her rape two years previous from my taking advantage of Camille, Wendy, and her nine months ago. In private, I tried to work out what it was or how I managed to do that for Patty. I had always figured that it was a side-effect of her being given a ticket.

Patty put her arms around my shoulder and started to walk away, dragging me with her. We walked out of the apartment and into my practice room... the one place that was sacrosanct in the apartment.

Once we were inside, Patty said, "I can't tell you how much you have done for me, Jim. I've tried in the past, but the words don't seem to fit. You think it was the tickets, and maybe the tickets helped, but it was you."

I shook my head. "I really don't understand, Patty."

Patty looked into my eyes and finally nodded. "You don't. Perhaps some day you will."

I didn't answer Patty.

Patty didn't say anything more. She simply kissed me.

Surprised by Patty's action, I tried to pull away, but Patty seemed to expect that and pulled me back. Her kiss wasn't overtly sexy--we didn't exchange tongues as I did with June, Camille, and Kristen. Despite that, Patty's kiss was totally erotic to me.

All too soon, Patty pulled away.

I looked at the red head, my mouth was open in shock.

"I shall forever be your friend, Jim."

The way that Patty said that, I had a distinct feeling that I would never be lonely for the rest of my life.

Back upstairs, I saw Jackie mingling around. She was topless and wearing only panties. I have always admired the nude form--well, ever since I first saw Merry's not quite a year ago--and smiled at Jackie.

"Hey, Jim," Jackie said, not the least embarrassed at her nudity.

"Hi, Jackie."

"One of these days, maybe I'll beat Cammy's record."

I knew that Jackie was talking about her cousin's legendary sexual exploits, and I also knew that Jackie said it in jest. However, a part of me felt a bit angry that she would talk about my friend that way. I decided to let my anger pass, and after a moment or two, I said, "You seem a lot different than you did back at the villa. Is that what happens when they make you the leader of the cheerleaders?"

Jackie's face turned serious. "I was a bit of a prude at the party because of my EX-boyfriend, Steve." Jackie nearly spat the syllable "EX."

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Steve's the kind of person that if you give him any kind of opportunity, he'd end up treating a girl like a whore. I didn't realize that about him until we were already at the party. I apologized to Kristen about the beer, you know."

Mentioning the beer started to get me angry again. I took a deep breath to maintain my composure.

"Jim, I'm very sorry for Steve's behavior at your party. You and Kristen spent a lot of money for us to have a good time, and the one rule you imposed on us was pissed all over by Steve, and I guess myself."

There was a question that had been bothering me for a while. "Did you know about his beer?"

"Not at first," Jackie said. "His friend Donny was around when we were packing the limo. Donny must have smuggled the cases into the limo when Steve was asking the driver to help him find one of his bags, which we never found. I didn't notice the beer until we were already at the villa. I told Steve it wasn't a good idea, but he ignored me. I told Kristen as soon as I saw her at the villa."

I nodded, remembering that Kristen had informed me of the beer, but she hadn't thought that the amount involved would spoil the party. I didn't want to make a scene at the villa, so I also decided to ignore the blatant abuse of our hospitality. Unfortunately, it turned out that it gave the opportunity for Steve to simply drink beer after beer all the time we were there, since everybody else obeyed our "no alcohol" rule.

I forced a smile. "That's over and done with."

Jackie hugged me tightly. "You are such a nice person, Jim. I can see what all the cheerleaders see in you."

I hugged Jackie, and felt my anger wash away.

We invited Jackie and Maria to the villa, along with their boyfriends, with the proviso that any boyfriend needed to pass muster between Lynette, Camille, Archy, Kristen, and me. As it happened, both boyfriends passed muster with flying colors, both having a great sense of humor and a great party attitude without the need to take things too far.

At the villa, we reinstated the Twelve parties, but we just celebrated them with everybody nude, and everybody doing anything, as long as it was consensual. The midnight hot tub sessions added one extra rule: partners couldn't neck, allowing people to get to know the others better.

Lynette and June were Pussy Slave and Cunt Whore only on the last day of the holiday, although both wore nothing at all at most times. In fact, the nudity started slowly, with Lynette, June, Camille, and Kristen being the only ones the first day, and by the end of the weekend, everybody was comfortable enough that nudity was nearly universal.

It was amazing how close everybody got during these parties. Even the guys were starting to feel comfortable being nude around other guys.

Since Kristen hired limousines to take all of us to the villa, we expected limos to take us back, but we were all surprised when it turned out that Kristen instead hired three taxis to take us to an air strip where we rode a small jet to the air field just outside our town, where limousines were waiting for us. Kristen knew how to do things in style.

Kristen showed me first class tickets for the two of us to travel to Boston to visit her brother. Along with us, she also purchased tickets for Camille and Lynette. June was also invited, but she declined, saying that she was renewing her relationship with her mother, something that started with the confrontation her mother provoked with me at the apartment. It wasn't easy for June, as I made quite a strongly negative impression on her mother, and June was somewhat caught in the middle.

When Will met us at Logan, it was as if we were in a repeat of a television episode where two long lost lovers met in the airport after years and years of separation, with Will and Camille as the star-crossed lovers.

Kristen made reservations at the Ritz-Carlton for Lynette and the two of us to share a room. Will and Camille went to Cambridge and spent most of their time together without the three of us.

The exception was Sunday, July 4. The Esplanade was a madhouse, and it got crowded quite quickly. Kristen looked around and found some buildings on the other side of Storrow Drive with patios and balconies with a good view of the hatch shell, where the Boston Pops would be playing their annual concert. She visited each building until she found one amenable to allowing us up on a balcony for a wad of one hundred dollar bills that Kristen handed the manager. She gave him another five hundred dollars, and asked if the manager could arrange to get some fresh grilled fish from Legal Sea Foods delivered to our balcony.

We had what must have been the greatest view of the Charles River and we could actually hear the Boston Pops. Even if we couldn't, the manager provided us with a television, and a local station was carrying the concert live (it was eerie with the television sound on, since there was a noticeable delay). The five of us couldn't think of any way to spend the a fourth of July any better.

When I got back to Illinois, I found that Mr. Proilet signed me up for some advanced music classes at the community college not too far away from where I lived. Kristen hired a limo service to drive me back and forth between the apartment and the college. I was able to take about ten college credits during that time. It was nowhere near the cake walk that my junior and high school music classes were. I actually found myself learning things I hadn't known, and I enjoyed the courses, despite the hard effort that the classes required.

Kristen also attended classes at the community college, focusing on business courses. She explained to me that she disliked having to rely on others to maintain the money that was now hers. I convinced her to take a general music theory course with me, and the two of us got to see each other at that time, as well as at home, but not as much as I anticipated that we would have spent back when I was looking forward to the end of school.

I spent time with my own family, and found Merry coming into her own. She grew up a bit, and I noticed that her girlish charm, which she could still affect, was slowly being replaced by a woman who was reaching maturity.

Merry still stared at me when she thought I wasn't looking. I had mixed feelings about this, actually. Merry wasn't related to me by blood, but I knew that her father was very protective of Merry still. I remember that I was able to escape from under my mother's thumb at about the age she was at this point, and I was thinking that maybe I could help her with her father, although I wasn't sure I would go as far as to expend a couple of tickets doing so.

However, one obvious thing was that Merry didn't have the drive I had. She really liked to have fun, which wasn't a bad thing, but didn't seem to have a focus for her life, like I did with music. Now, I didn't think that everybody needed to have a single-minded pursuit of any one specific thing, but I saw more of a carefree attitude in Merry than I did in anybody else that I associated with, with the possible exception of June.

Archy would be leaving soon on a football scholarship to Purdue. He needed to get there early for training camp. In addition, Wendy was moving to the west coast, enrolling in UCLA. I also found out through Sherry that her cousin Dale, Kristen's old nemesis, was attending there as well.

Lynette gave up a dance scholarship on Long Island, NY to attend the local community college, mostly to stay close to Kristen who was also taking courses there during the summer. It was becoming obvious that Lynette would be a long term relationship with Kristen and myself. Lynette was becoming a regular fixture in my bed, although I only fucked her once, at Kristen's request, so that Kristen could taste my semen in Lynette's pussy afterward.

Lynette and I got along, although my feelings for her were much different than the feelings I had for June. I considered Lynette as Kristen's special playmate, as June was mine. The big difference was that I knew my time with June would eventually come to an end the day she left for college in Ohio or Indiana to be closer to Archy.

Patty was also attending the community college. Kristen convinced both Lynette and Patty to switch their majors to business. In addition, Lynette would minor in education, and Patty's minor would be art.

Camille hadn't told anybody until she was ready to leave that she got a scholarship to Brown University, which is in Providence, an hour's drive from Boston. She intended to get a medial degree. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination that the proximity to Will Swift may have had something to do with her decision of where she would attend. However, Camille actually received scholarship offers to a lot of places, including the esteemed Harvard, which would have been closer to Will's Cambridge apartment. Camille investigated the two schools and thought that Brown would be a better place for her to go.

A lot of my friends were leaving, and thinking about that sometimes made me feel a bit sad. I knew that I still had an "instant in" with the cheerleaders that remained at the high school; for that matter, I was already starting to get quite popular with most of the people in my grade and the new senior class. Still, I felt a sense of loss, and wondered why things couldn't stay the same way forever.

One thing that I was dreading was meeting with Marla LaGruzio, a girl I mistreated last year.

The word "mistreat" wasn't that accurate a word, but it was the way I felt about my behavior toward Marla.

I used a Lucky Ticket to have Marla perform oral sex on me. It was only one occasion, and she didn't seem to have any resentment over it. In fact, she asked to see me again on her own before she needed to head back to California, where she lived.

Marla's cousin, Doreen, was in my school and was also in my grade, although we didn't share any classes together. Doreen gave me Marla's phone number and address. I was too timid to call Marla, because I didn't know if I'd freeze up when I tried to say something.

I felt quite guilty over my actions with Marla, and she wrote to tell me when she would be visiting her Aunt Gin, Doreen's mother. Marla and Doreen were about the same age as I was, give or take six months, and at sixteen, Marla expected to be able to have some freedom to go out on dates.

I already wrote to Marla about Kristen, and Marla seemed to be interested in the woman who actually managed to snag me. At our age, relationships that lasted nearly a year weren't particularly common.

Kristen, of course, knew about Marla. I was quite truthful to Kristen about everything I ever did with another woman, and also just about everything that I ever did with the tickets.

I thought back to that day in the park when my friend Jack and I met Marla and Doreen. I just figured out some interesting uses for the tickets, and as such, I oozed a lot more confidence than I normally did at that time.

You would think that a guy who participated in orgies and had a steady girlfriend as well as two "slaves" would be immune to shyness. That wasn't the case with me, however. Put me in a concert hall with a conductor's stick, a trumpet, or a piano, and I have no problems taking control. Put me face to face with a girl who thinks I'm "interesting" and it is quite another thing.

The weird exception to this was how I handled June's mother, Mrs. Rodgers. Instead of being timid, I seemed to sense that I was the one in charge despite her bluster and bluff.

My summer class schedule kept most days busy for me, but a lot of my nights were available. Even so, I made my date with Marla for Wednesday, since I only had one class on Thursday afternoon, which would allow me to do any homework that needed to be done the next morning.

Kristen noticed my nervousness. Her idea was for us to take Marla to Vaughn's, and afterward take her back to our apartment and just talk. When Kristen suggested June and Lynette be around as well, I vetoed that idea: Marla might be scandalized by their costumes at the apartment.

"That's silly, Jim. They're here just about every day. Marla should see the real you."

"Please, Kristen. Let me do things my way. I haven't told Marla too much about my personal life with you. I really don't want to shock her."

"You're not even going to tell her tonight?" Kristen asked, surprised.

"I didn't think it might come up, actually."

"Let me feel her out. We girls can usually figure out how another one of us would react. Is that all right?"

"Fine," I said, sighing.

Kristen gave Lynette some money for June and her to have a night out on the town. They were to come back home no earlier than ten.

After the two girls left, I asked Kristen why we couldn't go out on a night on the town.

Kristen had an immediate answer. "You're meeting a girl with whom you had a sexual relationship, albeit a short one, and you're bringing your current steady along. Dinner and talking is best."

Kristen and I picked up Marla at Doreen's house.

When Doreen's mom answered the door, she smiled at me. "The world famous Oogie Woogie!" She turned to Kristen and said, "You must be Kristen Swift."

I smiled. "Yeah, that's us."

Marla looked pretty and just a little older than I remembered her. We made small talk before we left. I noticed that Mrs. Peterson--Marla's aunt--didn't give any time limit for this date.

Marla was quiet in the car, and I helped her out of the back seat when we got to Vaughn's.

"Hi, Kristen; hi, Jim. Who's your guest?" the manager said as he greeted us.

"This is Marla LaGruzio, from California."

"Pleased to meet you, Marla."

The manager took us to our secluded table and handed us our menus.

"So, Marla, what do you think of our town?" Kristen asked.

"It's interesting. I was really most interested in seeing Jim again. Doreen has been keeping me up with all the gossip."

"Gossip?" I asked. Doreen and I hardly interacted.

"Doreen calls them 'Oogie Stories, '" Marla said.

Kristen laughed while I groaned.

"Is it true that you have two slaves and throw orgies at your house and at expensive villas on the lake?"

Oh, dear.

Kristen liked Marla immediately. She was herself and very secure in unfamiliar surroundings.

It was natural for anybody to like Kristen, and I wondered how I could have hated her so much just a year ago. Surprisingly, I didn't see any jealousy exhibited by either girl.

I don't remember what I had, probably my usual, which is one of the burgers the place specializes in.

Marla and Kristen refused the Belly Buster dessert, and we ended up back in the apartment. The two girls chatted all during dinner and the trip back as if they were old friends.

When we got to the apartment, Marla gulped. "This is the Den of Iniquity?"

Kristen laughed. "Is that what people are calling it?"

Marla blushed and nodded.

"We should get a sign, Jim."

I spoke for the first time since we left Vaughn's. "Knowing you, Goddess, you'll make it a neon one!"

"Ooh!" Kristen sighed.

Maybe my attempt at humor was going to backfire.

We went into the apartment.

Marla seemed genuinely surprised and just a bit disappointed that our place was just a regular apartment.

"What were you expecting, Marla?" Kristen asked. "Torture chambers, whips on the walls?"

Marla laughed. "Well, not really."

"Do you want to see our dungeon?" Kristen asked.

"Huh?"

"Kris is talking about the downstairs," I said. "We have three rooms set up. We also have space that used to be a garage, but we haven't figured out what we're going to do with it."

Marla said, "I'd love to see your dungeon!"

Kristen took the two of us downstairs. We went into the first room, which was my practice room.

Since this was "my" room, I gave Marla the tour. "Those instrument cases are mine. The room is soundproof so that if I wish to doodle on the trumpet or whatever in the middle of the night, it doesn't wake people up."

"Don't listen to him, Marla," Kristen said. "The room is soundproof so that the screaming doesn't alert the police!"

I rolled my eyes.

Marla pointed toward the back at what looked to her like a table with a blanket draped over it. "What's that?"

"A vivisection table!" Kristen giggled.

I pulled the blanket off and showed Marla my electric piano. "The blanket keeps dust off it."

"Yeah," Kristen said. "A bit too small for vivisection."

After the studio, Kristen led Marla to the playroom.

"This room isn't soundproof, for those that don't mind screaming."

Marla knew that Kristen was teasing her now. "I like playing pool."

"Kristen did, too, until she played against Camille."

"Oh?"

"Camille is a pool hustler that won thousands of my hard earned dollars, as well as my virtue."

"Hard earned?" I asked. "Virtue?"

Kristen ignored my questions. "I'll have you know that he had his way with a virginal cheerleader on that very table not too long ago!"

"Virginal cheerleader? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Marla asked.

I laughed. "Actually, she was. She still is."

"Huh? Kristen was kidding, right?"

"Kristen was talking about June. If you've heard the gossip, then you should know the story about the virgin cheerleader."

"The rumors said you took her virginity."

"Well, I didn't take it. She gave it to me for safekeeping."

Marla looked confused.

Kristen looked at me, impressed. "Interesting way to put that, Jim."

"Thank you, Goddess."

Marla looked confused, but let the comment pass. "I thought you said there were three rooms down here."

"There are," I said, wondering why Kristen had avoided her favorite one.

"Want to see it?" Kristen asked.

From her tone of voice, I knew that Kristen had some sort of agenda. It wasn't too difficult for me to read her mind. I gave Kristen a look that asked her, "Are you sure?" but Kristen seemed determined.

"This way," Kristen said, leading Marla out of the playroom.

The next room was our communal shower. Kristen didn't turn on the light as we entered.

"There's an echo here," Marla said, noticing the acoustics.

"Surprise!" Kristen said, flipping the light switch.

Marla saw where she was and laughed. She stopped laughing when she realized that Kristen was down to bra and panties.

In five seconds, Kristen was nude. "Nothing like a hot shower, Marla!"

Kristen turned on one of the showers and started to drench herself. "Come on and join us!"

Marla stared at Kristen, disbelief on her face.

"Come on, the water's warm!"

I didn't want to spook Marla, so I didn't take off my clothes, even though I knew that rubbing soap on Kristen's body was one of her favorite activities that didn't include my sperm in her mouth.

Marla looked from Kristen to me, and then I saw her start to undress. She saw a place that was convenient for storing clothes, and slowly undressed.

I still had memories of Marla's long, dark brown hair, which was longer than last year. Now, it hung down to the middle of her back.

Marla was getting naked without my having to give her a ticket!

When she was completely nude, Marla selected a shower on the other side of me and turned it on. I was now standing underneath a silent shower, with two lovely nude women on either side of me.

I didn't need to be told what to do. I went over to one of the dressing nooks and got undressed quickly. As I turned, I got a bit embarrassed at my nudity, but realized that Marla already saw my cock a year ago, up close and personal.

I took the shower between the two girls.

"This shower isn't quite right," Kristen said, turning off her shower. She moved over to where I was and tested my spray. "Ah, perfect!"

I took the soap from its holder and started rubbing Kristen's body the way I know she loves being caressed with soap.

"You should try the water from this shower, Marla!" Kristen said, inviting Marla over.

Marla smiled at Kristen's offer and moved over to where we were playing.

"Can you soap me?" Marla asked, softly.

It was one of the sexiest requests I heard.

"Of course, Marla," I answered.

"Will you take my virginity on the pool table the same way you did that cheerleader's?"

Kristen started laughing. "I think you have the wrong impression. June was a virgin when Jim took her on the pool table. She's still a virgin."

"Huh?" Marla said, confused. "I thought she gave him her virginity."

"For safe keeping," I said. "She gets it back on her wedding night for Archy Jonas, her boyfriend, to take for real."

Marla didn't seem to understand.