The Last Girl (3 page)

Chapter 6
: Listening

The next morning I am in front of the school. I have my bra and shoes on and my pajamas on as well. She was going to make us change our clothes anyway so why not be comfy? Jessica pulls up and we enter the theater. We sit as Courtney begins roll.

“Amanda?”

“Here
,” The girl, who I assume is Amanda, answers. I am confused as to why she is first and not more towards the middle, since she is really pretty.

As Courtney calls out names, I look at each girl. Every girl is gorgeous. Most of them are blonde and Jessica is the only red-head. How did I beat them as Last Girl? I wasn’t anything special. Some girls would notice me looking at them and would then roll their eyes at me. Well, I’m not going to make any lifelong friends here, that’s for sure.
“Okay, your shirts and shorts are all here. I personally checked everyone to make sure we had the right sizes based on what you put on your form. If you over-estimated or under-estimated sizes, there really isn’t anything I can do about it, so make it work,” Courtney says in her usual bored voice.

Other members of the cheer squad bring out cardboard boxes and start calling out names. A brunette girl in the middle of the stage calls out mine and I get up out of my chair and walk up to her. She thrusts the shorts and the shirt into my hands and tells me to go backstage. I follow
where she points and walk into a big room with those paper curtains that people change behind in movies all the time. There were a lot of them. I saw silhouettes of other girls changing behind their curtains and realize what I was supposed to be doing. All the curtains have numbers on them so I assume I should go to number 20.

Once I get there I start to pull off my pajamas. I look at the clothes I was given. The white t-shirt
had a red 20 on the back and the paw print on the front was red as well. I don’t remember the shirts yesterday being red. I thought the letters were in black. Well, with my green bra I guess I will look like a Christmas tree. I pull on the clothes and wrap my hoodie around myself so no one will see my undergarment.

I hear Courtney call, “Okay, let’s get started. We are going to start with you walking out individually so that way I can make sure to get to everyone of you in time. During the real auction, we will be w
alking out together first, because people need to be able to see what they can bid on. Number one, are you ready?”

Great.

“Are you done?” Jessica asks.

“Yeah.”

She enters my section, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Do what?” I ask nonchalantly.

She unzips my jacket and points to my chest, “That.”

“Well it’s a little too late to go back now, isn’t it?” I zip it back up.

“Why is yours red?”

I look at her shirt and see the paw print is black
, unlike mine.

“I was wondering the same thing.”

She shakes her head, “Okay well come on let’s go watch.”

We sit on the side of the stage where we couldn’t be seen. Other girls are there too but when they see me sit down, they leave.

“People are so rude,” Jessica says and I shrug. I’m used to it now.

We watch as Courtney judges and tries to coach numbers three through eighteen. A
blonde cheerleader comes up to us and asks if we are ready.

“Why are you wearing that jacket?” she asks me.

“Oh, I- I’m self-conscious about my body,” I reply and Jessica giggles.

“This is the Slave A
uction, you can’t be self-conscious about anything!”

“I know but I’m cold and I promise when I go out there I will take it off.”

“You better, otherwise Courtney will be M. A. D.” she says and then hurries away.

A couple seconds later Courtney calls number 19. Jessica takes a deep breath and walks out the way Courtney had told her to. She stands center as the cheer captain watches her and dismisses her. Apparently, Jessica did everything right. A lot of the girls got yelled at. I will most likely be one of them.

“Number 20!” she calls. I pull off my jacket and lift my chin up. I need to look confident while doing this.

I walk into the bright lights, just the way Courtney told me to, and stand center stage. She is quiet for a long time and I instantly regret doing this. Finally she speaks.

“Okay and that’s it. We are done everyone, good job! You can all go home and I will see you Tuesday at the assembly for the real auction. Don’t forget everything I told you!” She starts to pack up her things and so does everyone else.

What just happened?

I slowly walk off the stage and towards Jessica who has our stuff.

“What was that?” I ask.

She shakes her head, “I don’t know but let’s get out of here before something bad happens.”

We walk to the door and then Courtney calls, “Jenna? Can you come here please?”

Jessica looks at me and I tell her to wait out front. I walk back to the stage and stand next to Courtney. The theate
r cleared out quickly; no one is here anymore.

“Yes?” I ask.

“Remember when I said that we have to stay in uniform? That no one should upstage another person in the auction?” she asks me calmly.

“Yes.”

“Then why are you wearing a green bra?”

I shrug, “I couldn’t find a red one.”

She takes a deep breath in, “I know what you are trying to do. And it didn’t work.”

“I am sorry I don’t understand what you are talking about,” I say blankly.

“Yes you do. But it’s okay, because we want the Last Girl to stand out. That is why your shirt has red lettering and all the others have black.”

Well, th
at backfired.

“Well, perfect.” I say.

“It is. Don’t try anything else or I will put that stamp on Number 19’s file.”

I can’t believe she just called Jessica ‘Number 19’. How ridiculous.

“I haven’t tried anything in the first place,” I answer.

She stares at me, “’Kay well, see you Tuesday,” she turns to walk, flicking her ponytail.

“Wait,” I call. She turns back around. “Why did you pick me to be Last Girl? There are so many other gorgeous girls in the auction. Why me?”

She raises her eyebrows and thinks. Then she speaks, “You sent in that bikini picture of you. No makeup, no special hair-do. Just natural. Every other girl sent in a picture of them at a dance or a wedding in a fancy dress with full on makeup and hair. You were the only girl that didn’t and it stood out. That’s the confidence I was looking for. The Last Girl needs to be confident.”

I nod as the pieces click together and I laugh inside realizing that Jessica did it to herself.

“That’s why you pulling this whole green bra trick just proved to me that I made the right decision,” she turns again, “Don’t forget! Tuesday.”

She leaves the building turning off the lights and it gets dark around me. I walk out the other door and find Jessica.

“Well, what happened? Did she murder you?”

I stare at her, “Yes, Courtney murdered me.”

“You know what I meant! Don’t be a smartass! What happened?”

“She didn’t get mad. She was actually happy that I did it.”

“What the hell? How come everything you do is okay? But if I did something like that she would chomp my head off!
”

I smile and shrug and she groans.

“If one of those creepy pervs drives up to us today can we not get in their car?” I ask.

“Don’t be such a party pooper.” She laughs and her mom pulls up in front of us.

Thank God. I do not want them to see me in this outfit.

My mom pulls up in front of Daisy’s house, “Call Linda when you are ready to come home.”

“Okay
, thanks. Have a good trip. See you when ever,” I say and get out of the car.

Daisy is already waiting in her driveway. She is in her tennis outfit.

“Just got back from practice?”

“Yeah. I hate tennis.”

“Then why do you play it?” I ask.

“Because it’s fun,” she walks up her porch steps. I laugh and follow.

When you enter Daisy’s house you face the stairs and to get to the kitchen you walk through a hallway. We are in the middle of the hallway when I notice deep voices coming from the kitchen. I stop and grab Daisy’s arm.

“What?” she asks bothered.

“Shhh. Is you-know-who here?”

She looks at me like I am crazy and then she hears them too.
Lance, Hayden, Zac, Nolan, and Luke were in her kitchen. We lean against the wall to listen to their conversation

“I can’t wait,” I recognize
Hayden’s deep voice.

“I don’t see why, since I’m getting Jenna, not you,” a voice says. I look at Daisy and she mouths ‘
Zac’.

“Whatever you say
, Zac. But I am getting her,” Hayden replies.

Oh my God, they are fighting over me.

“I don’t get why you guys have to fight about it,” a southern accent says, “We all know she is going to be staying with me.”

Zac
and Hayden laugh, “Okay, Nolan.”

“Why do you guys have to argu
e about it? I’m staying out of it and I am just going to bid on one of the girls in the middle, if I even bid at all,” My heart sinks as I recognize Luke’s voice. I guess my dream of him bidding $1,000 on me won’t come true after all. “What about you Lance?”

“I think I am going to bid on Jessica. She is second to Last Girl. I think she is really
hot.”

“Yeah she is,”
Hayden chimes in, “But I like Jenna’s personality. She’s not all nice and fake like Jessica. She’s honest and real and so incredibly hot that just thinking about her makes me want to get in her pants.”

The others laugh. Daisy clears her throat and I almost smack her. She turns the corner into the kitch
en and without thinking I follow.

“I am tired of listening to you creeps talk. I just want some water,” Daisy says walking to the fridge. All eyes look at me and their faces pale. If they had been talking about anything else before I came in I would have loved to see their faces this shocked. It was hilarious. But they were talking about
actually sleeping with me and it freaks me out.

It is dead quiet as Daisy finishes pouring her drink and walks back to the doorway. She waves her hands in the air, “Please continue,” and then grabs me by the arm and pulls me up the stairs
, laughing the whole time.

Chapter 7: The Auction

Monday went by so fast I don’t even remember it. Tuesday I knew would be the longest day of my life. I wake up and get ready for school. As I am leaving, I grab my backpack filled with a week’s worth of clothes, shampoo, toothpaste, and other things I need to live. When I get to school there are the usual whispers and stares. I’ve gotten so good at ignoring them that I feel like I
’m walking down empty grey hallways every day. No whispering high-schoolers to be seen or heard. Their comments don’t mean anything to me anyway. They don’t know who I am, and I know I am not what they say I am.

I com
e to school in sweatpants. The auction is during tutorial in the morning and then after school I am off to live with whoever buys me. It’s weird to say that. Someone will buy me.

In my bag I forced myself to pack cute clothes. I really wanted to pack the dumpiest things in my closet but there was a voice saying in my head ‘
Luke might buy you and you need to look cute for him’, even though I heard him say he was bidding on one of the middle girls.

The bell for the start of tutorial
rings and Jessica and I go backstage and start to get dressed with many of the other girls. Courtney, wearing her usual cheer outfit, takes roll for the last time and announces, “Okay everyone line up in order, it’s time for the introduction.”

And because we really have no other choice, we do as she says.
I hear the crowd murmur from the other side of the curtain and Jessica squeezes my hand. Courtney walks through the break in the curtain and Amanda follows. Next thing I know, I am walking through the curtain and bright lights hit my eyes. I squint trying to get my eyes adjusted. I was not prepared for this. I look out into the crowd. Seniors were seated towards the front and the other classes were placed all over. Even though only seniors participated in the fundraiser, everyone else came and watched. I see the school principle seated at the end of the first row with his head in his hands.

Good, he should feel ashamed.

Courtney clears her throat, “Hello everyone and welcome to our annual Slave Auction!”

I am reminded of the Hunger Games when she says this and it makes me smile. That’s when I remember that one of Courtney’s rules was to always smile on stage. So that’s what I do, as she drags on and on about how the auction will work. Finally, she says we can start and we all go backstage except for Amanda.

Jessica and I sit where we sat Sunday. Numbers one, two, and three are sold for $50, numbers four and five for $75, and numbers six through twelve between $90 and $140. Two of the bids were sold to girls; it wasn’t against the rules but it doesn’t usually happen. Usually girls only buy to save the bids from creepy guys or get help with homework or just to hang out with a cool girl. When number 13 comes out, the bidding wars begin. It is really entertaining, actually. But every time someone would stand up and make a bid, I would pray it wasn’t Luke. And it never was. When the war for number 15 began a girl came up to Jessica and me.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit and watch with you guys? I hear it
’s getting good.” We nod and she sits, “You are Jessica and Jenna right? I’m Kelsey.” I look at the number on her back and see she is number 18. She is so pretty. Curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” we smile and we all watch the show together. After number 15, girls who were already auctioned walked by calli
ng me a slut for hopefully the last time.

“She is a human being!” Jessica calls after them.

“Stop Jessica, it is not worth it. It is the day of the auction, they won’t do it anymore,” I plead.

“But if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be calling you that!” she yells and chases after them. I sigh.

“Don’t let them get you down,” Kelsey says, scooting closer to me.

“I’m trying but it’s just so hard. You are the only person other than Jessica who will talk to me at this auction. And even Jessica would hate me
if we hadn’t been best friends since eighth grade.” I feel my first tears start to form since this the start of this whole Slave Auction thing. Damn, I thought I was doing so well.

“I’m happy I didn’t get Last Girl. I don’t have so much pressure.”

I laugh, “Gee, thanks.”

“God, I’m not good at making people feel better, am I?” I shake my head and she smiles, “It doesn’t matter what they think of you. In four years you won’t ever see these people again. What matters is how you think of yourself because you’re stuck with yourself for the rest of your life.”

I laugh again, “Yeah you probably shouldn’t be a therapist.”

We both laugh
and Jessica returns, “All good.” She gives me a thumbs up.

“How’s my makeup?” I ask Kelsey. She gestures for me to wipe my cheek and then nods. I was wearing more makeup than I have ever worn
in my life; gold eye shadow, dark mascara, eyeliner, tons of foundation and powder.

“Number 18!” Courtney calls, and Kelsey stands up.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she walks to the center of the stage. Courtney starts the bidding at $200. Two guys in the front rows jump up and bid back and forth against each other until they get up to $300.

“$300, going once, going twice-.”

“$350!” someone calls. Jessica and I gasp. It was Nolan. I guess Nolan decided not to bid on me after all.

“$350, going once, going twice, sold to
Nolan Hanson!” Courtney yells. People cheer and Nolan walks up to the stage to pay while Kelsey walks backstage.

“Number 19!”

I hear Jessica gulp and I squeeze her hand. “You will be amazing.”

She walks out and five guys jump up and call out numbers. The bid started at $250 and the five guys each got to bid once before
Lance yelled $350 and silenced them.

“$350, going once, going twice, sold to
Lance Turner!”

Jessica gives me a shocked look and I shrug. At least she gets to stay with Daisy.

Can’t wait to hear Daisy complain about this.

“And finally number 20!”

I stand up, and I walk, remembering everything Courtney told me; back straight, smile, chin up, shoulders back. Back straight, smile, chin up, shoulders back. Back straight, smile, chin up, shoulders back. My eyes adjust once more and I am center stage. I feel heat on my shoulder from the over head lights. I hope my hair looks good. I kept it natural and didn’t do anything fancy with it.

“The bidding starts at $300.”

$300? Oh my God, that is so much. Who would pay that?

I see a silhouette stand up and yell $300. It was hard to see because of the lights but I saw curly hair and knew it was
Hayden.

“$400!” someone sitting right next to
Hayden calls out. Zac.

“$500!”

“$600!”

“$700!”

“$800!”

“$900!”

“$1,000!”

Well my dream did come true. But with
Zac instead of Luke.

“$1,100!”
Hayden yells. Why would someone spend this much money?

I’m really not even worth $300.

My heart drops when I see Zac’s outline sit down.

I’m stuck staying with
Hayden.

“$1,500!” someone from the other end of the row calls out. I see
Hayden turn in confusion and slowly sit down.

What?

“$1,500, going once, going twice? Number 20, our final girl, is sold to Luke Parker!”

Excuse me?

That’s when I know I wasn’t hallucinating. I see his face come into the light as he comes to the stage to pay. I don’t know what else to do, so I turn and walk to Jessica.

She squeals, “
Luke Parker just paid $1,500 for you! And you said he wouldn’t pay a penny! He paid fifteen hundred dollars! And Lance Turner paid $350 for me! I bet Daisy is pissed!” She laughs.

I am still in shock. I don’t even bother to change back into my sweats. I grab my bag and walk to the stage, where all the guys who won bids were waiting. I see
Luke and Hayden talking and walk towards them.

“You said you weren’t going to bid!”

“I changed my mind,” Luke says.

“
Fifteen-hundred bucks isn’t just last second. You were planning this.” Hayden complains.

What a whiner.

“It’s an auction; the point is to outbid people.”

“I still feel betrayed.”

“There is still the second auction isn’t there?”

Hayden
smiles, “You’re right,” he sees me and clears his throat. Luke turns around.

“Am I interrupting?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“No, I was just going to class,” Hayden says. He winks at me and walks away.

What is up with him and
the winking?

I roll my eyes and
Luke turns to me. “Um, so I guess after school you should meet me at my car,” he clears his throat and hands me a little paper. “My spot is A10.”

I nod, “Okay
, thanks.”

He nods back and stands there awkwardly, “Okay, well, see you then.”

“See you.”

He walks away and I stand there, staring after him.

Well that was, weird.