The Last Girl

The Last Girl

By Riley Shasteen

Summary: Jenna Brown is entering her freshman year in high school. This high school however, has an annual tradition called the Slave Auction. Seniors bid on freshmen and make them do whatever they want for a whole week. Every year a group of the hottest senior guys in school bid against each other on the hottest freshman girl and tries to get her to fall in love with them (and tries to get
her to do a little something else). This year, the seniors are: Nolan Hanson, Zac Madison, Luke Parker, Hayden Sharpe, and Lance Turner. Everyone wants the guys to bid on them, but Jenna is the girl they are after. 

Chapter 1:
What the School is Famous For

“So how has your first day been so far?” I ask my best friends as I sit down at the lunch table.

“Boring as hell.”
Jessica says. “Absolutely no hot freshmen guys. Only hot seniors.”

“I know where you are going with that, and I’m telling you now, stop.” Daisy says.

I laugh as Jessica asks an innocent “What?”

“You’re going to say something about my brother and his friends being the only really attractive seniors you have seen.”

“Well it’s true,” Jessica shrugs.

“Ugh, so gross!” Daisy gags.

“If you hadn’t known them since you were little you would feel differently.”

“It’s true,” I chime in.

“No it was terrible seeing them around school today! Everywhere I went one of them would be there. You think they would ignore me but nope, they yell my name from across the court yard. It’s so embarrassing,” Daisy says.

We laugh. “Are you kidding?” I say, “I would die of happiness if they did that to me.”

“Ew, change the subject. How was your day?” Daisy says quickly.

“Well having a name
as boring as Jenna Brown means no one really pays that much attention to you. So actually, it wasn’t that bad.”

They both laugh.
We start to eat and then Daisy gasps. “Why did we pick this table?”

“It was the only one left, why?” Jessica asks. Daisy nods her head and we turn to that direction. At the table right across from us sat the boys who had been torturing her all day. Her half-brother,
Lance Turner, and his four best friends: Zac Madison, Luke Parker, Nolan Hanson, and Hayden Sharpe.

“Oh my God. Look at
Hayden’s hair! It’s so sexy,” Jessica says in awe.

“I prefer
Luke,” I say.

“Oh please.”

“Just my opinion,” I say and we continue to stare.

“You guys are such creepers.” Daisy moans. After a few more moments of staring, she can’t take it anymore. “Stop!”

We snap back to reality. “You know what I heard people talking about already?” Jessica says.

“What?” Daisy and I ask excitedly.

“The Slave Auction.”

Daisy
groans. “What the heck is the Slave Auction?” I ask.

“You don’t know what the Slave A
uction is? It’s what makes this school so rich and famous!”

“This school is famous?”

This time they both groan at me. “The Slave Auction is a fundraiser for the school, and they have it every year. Freshmen sign up and seniors bid on them. Like eBay. Whoever gives you the highest bid you have to do whatever they want for an entire week. You even stay at their house for a week too.”

“That sounds terrible,” I say.

“Are you kidding? It sounds amazing! Imagine if a hot senior, cough cough one of those boys sitting over there, bid on you and you got to stay at their house and do whatever they wanted? It’s a dream. There are videos on YouTube of the previous years, I’ll show you after school.”

“That doesn’t sound like a dream at all. It’s my reality,” Daisy says, “
Lance makes me do everything for him at home.”

Jessica clicks play and the school theater comes on the screen. She skips to the part when the freshmen start to walk out on stage.

“What are they wearing?
!” I ask, half laughing. All the girls were walking out in the shortest shorts I had ever seen. And they were all wearing tight white shirts with bright red bras underneath.

“They have to. The cheer captain, C
ourtney runs that part of the fundraiser and her idea is to get more bids you have to look really sexy. That’s why only really attractive people get picked as the bids. When you sign up, you send in a picture of yourself to the website. And then they pick you. They do it so they know everyone will get auctioned and no one will be humiliated on stage.”

“This whole
thing is ridiculous! The school is actually okay with them dressing like that?” I ask.

“No, actually, but it makes them a lot of money.”

I watch as guys standing all over the theater stood up, waving their numbered papers in the air calling out bids. The highest bid was $300. But then the last girl came out.

“So they pretty much put you in order from least hot to hottest. So the last girl costs the most. Watch.”

About 10 guys jumped at once to bid on her. They fought and fought until he price got to $750.

“There is no way someone would pay that much.” I say, shocked.

“Oh yes there is. They make it a game. The hottest guys every year fight over the hottest freshman. They want her to fall head over heels for them so then they can hook up with her and then never talk to her again. But get this. After the week is up, the girl auctioned for the most, usually the last girl, gets auctioned a second time.” Jessica explains.

“Why?”

“So the school can make more money. And the second auction is more brutal than the first. Prices go way up.”

“And the school knows
what’s really happening?”

“Not exactly.”

“This is so stupid. Not to mention racist and offensive. How can this have been going on for so long?” I ask mortified.

“
Why is it racist?”

“Are you kidding? You were in my History class last year. Abraham Lincoln, the thirteenth amendment?
Do you remember anything Mr. Martin said?”

Jessica stare
d at me. “Yeah . . .” She said reluctantly.

“So, it’s making fun of slavery.”

“Nobody thinks of it that way though. The guys don’t make you work or anything. How do you think the school paid for the whole football team to get scholarships? Honestly, other schools do it too and it’s just a bit of fun.”

“
It is still pretty bad.”

She nods, “You’
re right,” She watches the computer screen for a few more seconds before adding, “I think I am going to sign up.”

“You’re
not serious?”

“Think about this! I didn’t want to say this around Daisy but the hottest guys in school are her brother and his friends.
Everyone is saying that they are going to be the ones to fight over the last girl! Imagine if I was that last girl! I would look so good in that red bra!”

“Oh, shut up Jessica. You really don’t understand how discriminating and sexist this is?” I argue, but she just won’t get it. “They don’t even auction guys!”

“They used to! But apparently something happened so they had to stop.”

“I am not letting you sign up for that,” I say harshly.

“That’s not your decision, it’s mine. You don’t have to do it. But it would be so much fun if we did it together!” I shake my head. “Luke! Imagine Luke Parker bidding on you!”

“Yeah like that will happen,” I say sarcastically.

“Are you kidding? You would be put as the last girl! Or second to last girl because you know, I am doing it too,” She says.

“Gee, thanks.”

“I’m just messing with you. But seriously do it with me!”

“I’ll pass. I have to go home,” I stand up and grab my bag off her floor. As I walk out of her room I hear her call, “Signups are tomorrow! Think about it!”

I walk home angrily. They should stop that fundraiser. Why can’t they just do a bake sale or a car wash like a normal school? How come no parents have shut it down yet? I can’t believe Jessica is actually going to do it. But she is gorgeous, there is a chance Hayden would bid on her. But if she slept with Hayden, she knows Daisy and I would kill her. She wouldn’t dare. But it would be amazing if I got bid on by Luke. I’d get to stay at his house for a week and hang out with him. Do anything he wanted.

That night I have a dream about me being the last girl, and
Luke bidding $1,000 for me. It was nice.

Chapter 2: The Last Girl

“I did it,” Jessica says, setting down her tray.

“Please tell me you are joking,” Daisy says eyebrows raised.

Jessica
grins, “Nope. I sent in my picture and everything.”

I sigh and look over at the bulletin board.
There were a bunch of girls crowding around it, all trying to put their names on the paper for the auction.

“Look at them. It’s like a zoo over there,” I say rolling my eyes.

“It is a zoo over there. Three people pulled my hair while I was trying to sign my name.”
“Are you sure you want to do it?” I ask. I had asked a billion times already. I hope every time I ask she will have a different answer, but she never does.

Jessica nods eagerly, “I’ve never been so excited about anything in my life.”

“I don’t understand why.”

“You guys are so negative! Why can’t you be excited for me?”

“There’s nothing to be excited about! All you’ll be doing is walking out on stage in a two sizes too small shirt with a neon bra underneath. It’s stupid,” I say.

“Why won’t you just do it with me?” Jessica asks.

“Did you not hear anything I just said?” I ask.

“Because she isn’t as crazy as you are to do something like this,” Daisy defends me.

We hear two girls yelling foul things at each other in front of the signup sheet.

“
I’m not the only crazy one.”

Daisy and I laugh. “When will they announce the bids anyway?”

“In about a week, then the auction will be a week after that.”

“Well, I for one just can’t wait,” Daisy says sarcastically.

The rest of the week was spent in agony for Jessica. Every day at lunch, she would stare at the bulletin board, even
though the list wouldn’t be up until Tuesday. All day Monday Jessica was mute. Daisy and I lost count of the number times of we caught her staring at Hayden. And I admit, I glance over at Luke every once in a while, but Jessica looked at him so much it got annoying. Tuesday morning she wouldn’t stop shaking. And then came lunch.

“I am so freaking excited,” she nearly shouts.

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Daisy mocks.

“Shut up. When do you think the list will be posted?”

“When Courtney pins it up on the board,” I say.

“
You’re a genius, you know that?” Jessica said, mocking me.

All of a sudden, a large group, of guys and girls were following a girl in a bright
blue cheerleading uniform. That must be Courtney.

Jessica lets out a little shriek, “Okay, I need to see my name at the bottom of the list. Whoever is at the bottom of the list is the Last Girl,” Jessica gets up and plunges into the large group.

Daisy and I watch and laugh as people push and shove each other.

“Why do you think guys are looking at the list?” Daisy asks me.

“Probably to see who they can bid on.”

“Oh yeah, they are all seniors.”

“Hey Dais,” a dark haired tan senior sits down next to her.

“Hey,
Lance.”

“Daisy!”
Hayden sits down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She pushes him away.

“What do you guys want?”

“We just wanted to chat,” Hayden says smiling. “Hey, I’m Hayden Sharpe,” he says holding his hand out to me.

I shake it, “Jenna Brown.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says, his dimples popping up.

“Are you guys going to check out the list?”
Lance asks.

“No need to,” Daisy replies.

“Oh well we are, we need to see who we will be bidding on,” Hayden winks.

Daisy rolls her eyes, “Well, have fun with that, perverts.”

They get up and become part of the crowd.

Moments later, Jessica appears, her eyes watering.

“What happened?”

“I got second to last girl!” she says, the tears falling.

“That’s nothing to be upset about! You still got picked.” I say, “Who got last?”

“Why don’t you go see for yourself!”
She grabs her bag and storms out of the cafeteria.

I shrug at Daisy and she says, “You go, I’ll stay and make fun of more people crying.”

I nod and walk towards the crowd. About to elbow my way in, I run into Hayden and Lance. “Well, I guess you’ll be staying at my house for a week babe,” he winks at me for the second time in the past three minutes and walks away. Lance follows him laughing, “In your dreams,” I hear him say to Hayden. I enter the crowd wondering what they could have meant by that. I finally am able to read the list and do in fact see Jessica second from the bottom. The very bottom row however, caught my eye:

20.) Jenna Brown

I’m the last girl.