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 Auction 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, Courtney 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 stared 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.
Chapter 3: That’s Jenna Brown
I feel my body go numb as I hear people start to whisper things around me: “Is that her?”, “Who’s Jenna Brown?”, “That’s a funny name,”, “I think she is in my English class!”, “Shh! I think that’s her right there,” and “What a slut.”.
I turn around feeling the tears sting my eyes and the burning glares pierce through me. So that’s what Hayden and Lance were talking about. I push back through the crowd and find Daisy. She can tell something is wrong.
“Who’s the Last Girl?”
I shake my head, “Daisy we need to go to my locker.”
“Why-?” she sees the tears actually start to fall as another group of girls walking by cough “slut” at me.
“Now,” I say before I run out of the courtyard and into the hallway.
I lean my head against my locker taking a second to breathe. How did this happen?
“What the hell happened?” Daisy asks panting.
“I got the Last Girl,” I say through my tears.
“You- what?”
“I got the Last Girl! I’m the Last Girl!” I feel bad for shouting at her but I am just so upset.
“You didn’t tell me you signed up!”
“I didn’t! Someone must have signed me up as a joke! And now Jessica probably hates me because she thinks I betrayed her!”
“Well let’s go find her so you can explain. She probably went to the bathroom.”
So we check out every bathroom at the school. We found groups of girls crying and complaining in each one. As soon as they saw me walk in they would all stop whatever they were doing to glare at me. They must know who I am. At the last bathroom we check we only hear one girl crying. It was the crying of a girl we had known since the second grade.
“Jessica?” I ask.
She bangs open the bathroom stall, causing the gross blue door to hit the tiled wall. “I can’t believe this happened!”
“I’m sorry Jessica, it wasn’t me! Someone must have put my name in as a joke!” I feel myself tear up again.
“No one put your name in as a joke. I put your name in! I knew you wouldn’t do it with me and I really wanted you to! I didn’t want to do it alone. But I didn’t think that you would beat me and get Last Girl! I didn’t even send in that good of a picture of you,” Jessica explains.
“Great, thanks!”
“Oh you still looked hot! It was that
one of us on the beach.”
“You mean that one where the sun is in my eyes making me squint and my face looks all greasy?” I ask.
“Well, yeah, that one,” Jessica admits looking at her hands.
“You sent in that terrible picture? I’m in a bikini!”
“Yes and you looked really good! My picture was me in my dress at the eighth grade dance. Did I look fat in my dress?”
“No you looked gorgeous!” Daisy yells at her.
“Well something was terribly wrong with it because she beat me!” Jessica yells back, pointing at me.
“Why didn’t you sign Daisy up?”
“Because I’m more afraid of Daisy. Unlike you, she can actually pummel me.”
“I can pummel you too!” I yell angrily. Out of the corner of my eye I see Daisy smiling. I snap my head to the side to glare at her and her smirk fades.
“I’ll drop out.”
“What?” Jessica asks looking hopeful.
“I will drop out so you can be Last Girl. They can’t make me do it if I don’t want to.” I say shrugging.
“You can’t do that. You earned it.” She sniffed sitting on the floor up against the wall. Daisy and I sit on either side of her.
“I earned nothing. I don’t even want to do it, you do.”
“Thank you,” Jessica says, “For being a good friend even when I am a terrible one.”
“Oh please,” I say sarcastically, “Now I just have to talk to Courtney.”
“She’s probably on the football field, “With all the other cheerleaders, for practice. And knowing my brother and his friends, they will probably be there too.”
Chapter 4: No Choice
The football field was crowded with sweaty guys in football jerseys and gorgeous skinny girls in tight, short cheerleading uniforms. The cheerleaders were in a triangle formation with Courtney as the tip. Daisy, Jessica and I stood watching until they were done with their cheer and dispersed into small clumps and started whispering to each other. We walked up to Courtney and her little group. You could tell why Courtney was head cheerleader. She had shiny, long, light brown hair and crystal blue eyes. She was tall and skinny and the bright blue uniform made her skin glow.
The Last Girl Page 1