Hey everyone! Don't judge, felt like going back to Soulja Boy days lmao
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The table was being served with food and drinks by waiters as we sat in unison. After making myself comfy, Dorinda scooted away from me like an immature kid.

"Excuse me," She snapped, "You need to read your postcard. My son said a Katrina was sitting here with me. Not a Kristina."

"Mom, could you just shut up?" Hero demanded. "She's here. That's it!"

Dorinda huffed. "I didn't realize we were bringing in the filth-"

Hero had stood up, making the silverware on the table clatter, but I rested my hand on his arm.

"Just ignore her! Please!"

As soon as I managed to get Hero to calm down, a man in a suit walked onto the stage with a cordless microphone. His voice was loud and thundering as he spoke.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Horan Relief Foundation! We are all here to empty our pockets for a very good cause. Tonight we will be starting with a banquet dinner and an auction before our grand ball. We will be doing things a little differently! Instead of auctioning off the girls for a date, we will be offering them temp jobs at the enterprise, free of charge! How will this benefit our community you may ask? All proceeds will go to schools in need of supplies and funding programs!"

I looked around the entire ballroom, taken aback by the generosity. I had never heard of gala's that worked this way. Usually, it was centered around expensive property or estates. Niall's parents had certainly outdone themselves.

Just as I thought this, I saw Niall whispering to Jo, guiding her across the ballroom through a set of doors. I was a bit concerned, but I let them go not wanting to be rude to the speaker.

"Now!" The man on stage continued, "Let's welcome the lovely ladies all hoping for a chance to make a brighter future!"

I stared in awe as each individual girl climbed on stage. They were all dressed in tight, short dresses with heels, the same exact color. They all looked like they'd just graduated high school like myself: simply looking for a way to break into the career they desired.

Something that angered me as soon as I saw them was the sight of Kylie, with her black hair straightened to the max and a short black dress to match. When our eyes met, I knew there could be no mistaking it. Hero stiffened as he noticed this.

"Did you know she was here?" I hissed under my breath.

It took him a minute to respond. "Yes. She's always been a part of the program."

I felt my emotions running thin. "Is she always going to be number one in your life?"

"It's not like that-" Hero whispered back being immediately interrupted by Dorinda.

"What are you two squabbling about over there?"

I ignored her attempts at trying to rile us up. I was too concerned with Kylie who was obviously more important in my boyfriend's eyes. Why else would she be here?

"Oh, seems like we have a last-minute entry I'd forgotten about," The speaker went on, as a woman in a jump-suit ran off stage. "A Ms. Kristina Addison!"

Amidst the deafening applause around me, I wondered if I'd heard things correctly. Tawnee clapped excitedly, staring right at me.

"That's you, my dear!"

Dorinda looked confused. "How could she have been entered? We had no idea she'd be here!"

Tawnee laughed. "You mean you had no idea. Your darling son called me. There are no rules. It is, after all, my company benefit."

I stood up, not quite knowing what to do. My anxiety never did well in situations like this.

As I slowly made my way to the stage, with my flowing skirt behind me, I made direct eye-contact with the speaker's bulbous eyes. He held out a hand for me to take and I took my place in between Kylie and another girl.

Kylie faked an insincere smile at the crowd. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she whispered under her breath.

I didn't bother saying a thing. I had no idea what was going on myself.

"So to start off our night," The speaker went on, "we will pick a few names out of our bowl. The eight names we pull out will sadly be sent off the stage. The two remaining women will be in the bidding war for a spot in the enterprise!"

Kylie raised her hand, speaking above the applauding.

"Excuse me? Whatever happened to the tradition of letting men bid on each of us?"

"Oh," The speaker laughed. "There's only so many positions to fill!"

At this, everyone began to laugh. My heartbeat sped up as the speaker swirled a hand in the glass bowl. I knew Kylie would get a vote for sure. As I looked at the majority of the girls, I bit down on my lip.

I definitely never had the naturally clear skin and skinny frame. I always had to work for what I had. I never had work done in my life.

One by one, the girls began to exit the stage. A girl with freshly dyed platinum hair and a full face that I had been sure would win, was the first to go. She was soon followed by another girl, then another, until the stage had cleared. The last two remaining, much to my shock, was me and none other than Kylie.

We stood looking at each other for the longest moment. The speaker announced that they were starting the auction and I felt my legs began to shake. I had never been one to stand in front of a crowd like this. Was I even going to be betted on?

"First," The speaker said, "Is Kylie Benson! She's a striking young woman with a knack for sports. She uses soccer to keep up with her competitive streak and loves to play hard to get! Though she did say she'd make an exception for the benefit tonight! Do I hear one thousand?"

Without even a moment passing, I heard one man yell, "Three-thousand!", then another screamed, "One-million!, "Ten-million!"

My jaw dropped. This was impressive. Never, had I ever heard a man bet so much on one girl, especially someone like Kylie.

She was nothing but a rude, conniving girl that did nothing but try to stab me in the back. Granted, the soccer bit had been smart, but I didn't take her as an athlete.

"Ten-million! Anyone want to go higher?"

In that instant, both kylie and I looked at Hero in anticipation. He knew she would be here. We had such a wonderful night together at the frat and I didn't want to believe that he truly wanted to hurt me.

If he was a decent guy, he wouldn't bid on her. He'd bid on me. Right?

When I saw that Hero remained silent, I smiled.

He did care.

"Alright," The speaker yelled, "the man in the striped suit, please drop your money into the jar at the end, and we'll take about prizes!"

It wasn't long before the speaker stood in my line of view, staring at me before introducing me.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, Kristina Addison is a rare woman you only see every once in a while! She's quite the bookworm, but don't let that fool you! She loves to cook in the kitchen and is an avid fan of cooking shows! Shall we start with one-"

Before I could correct the man on my cooking obsession that I clearly didn't have, Tawnee stood up screaming:

"Six million!"

I gasped, taken aback by the gesture. Kylie audibly whined near the microphone, shouting about how rigged this was. I saw Hero leaning over to talk to Tawnee, only for her to shout again:

"I can top that price at one-hundred million!"

As I stared out at the crowd they were chattering energetically amongst themselves, I soon saw that absolutely no one was going to top that.

"I see we have a winner!" The speaker said. "Congratulations, Kristina and Kylie. You both had a fair bet. Go ahead and take your seats. Kristina, we'll forward you the necessary forms."

After Kylie gave me a poisonous glare and stomped off the stage, I followed in her steps, keeping my head down as I made my way to Hero.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I..." I trailed off suddenly remembering I needed to find my best friend and go to the restroom. "Can you excuse me for a moment?"

I didn't bother to wait to hear what he had to say. With my bladder hurting, I raced towards the set of doors Niall and Jo disappeared through only to hit someone on the way through. It was a frail woman, all dressed in a black hoodie with stringy brown hair spilling out, and a tattered snap back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The woman murmured weakly, sounding like she was hanging on by a thread.

"Oh no, I am so sorry!" I exclaimed, worried that she was someone who was down on their luck. "Are you okay? Do you need water or food?"

"No, I..." The woman finally looked up and her caramel eyes met mine. She looked desperate and broken. "I was looking for someone I heard would be here..."

"Can I help you find them?" I offered.

"No. I doubt she knows I exist... she's..." The woman trailed off, hugging herself and looking broken yet again. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I must go."

I shook my head as I continued on through the doors. That was indeed a strange affair.

Thank you all for reading.

I apologize in advance if the chapter kinda sucks. :/

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