Slave Auction

"So, how has your first day been so far?" I asked my best friends as I sat 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 haven't had 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 asked quickly.

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

They both laugh. We start to eat when 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 Louis Tomlinson, and his four best friends: Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Harry Styles.

"Oh my God. Look at Harry's hair! It's so sexy," Jessica says is awe.

"I prefer Liam," I say.

"Oh please!" Daisy scoffs.

"Just my opinion," I say and 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 both 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? That'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, they have one 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 have to 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 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 previous years, I'll show you after school."

"That doesn't sound like a dream at all. It's my reality," Daisy says, "Louis makes me do everything for him at home."

***

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

"What are they wearing?!" I ask, half laughing. All these 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 tot he 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 this 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 watched as guys standing all over the theatre stood up, waving their numbers 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 ten guys jumped up at once to bid on her. They fought and fought until this one guy got the price 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 heals in love with them so they can hook up with her and then never talk to her ever again. But get this, after the week is up, the girl auctioned 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 sexist. How can this have been going on for so long?" I ask mortified.

"It's not racist, nobody this of it that way."

"Fine, but 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 kidding?"

"Think about this! I didn't 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! Imaging 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 wont get it. "They don't even auction guys!"

"They used to! But they got bullied too much so they had to stop."

"I'm 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. "Liam! Imagine Liam Payne bidding on you!"

"Yeah, like that will happen," I say sarcastically.

"Are you kidding? You would be put as the last girl! Or the 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," 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. And she is gorgeous, there is a chance Harry would bid on her. But if she slept with Harry, she knows Daisy would kill her. She wouldn't dare. But it would be amazing if I got bid on by Liam. I'd get to stay at his house for a week and hang out with him. Doing anything he wanted...

That night I had a dream about me being the last girl, and Liam bidding $1,000 for me. How nice?

Notes