The Auction

Dos.5: MD

MD Point of View

  "Crap," I thought as I made my way through traffic. God, I hate traffic, but then again, who doesn't? I might not hate it as much as the stupid auction that my apartment-mate, Jay, bribed me to attend.

I can't believe a bunch of girls would auction a date night. If that doesn't sound desperate, I don't know what does. Well, I should think about the fact that the money raised will go toward a good case, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that most of the girls with be auctioning themselves for selfish reasons.

I'm supposed to be bidding on Jays friend. I don't know anything about her nor do I care to know anything about her. Apparently this misery girl doesn't want to go on a date, which is perfect for me. I'll help out a good cause and won't have to worry about a possible desperate, clingy girl wanting to trap me into going on a date with her.

After another frustrating  twenty minutes in traffic, I finally made it to the theatre where the auction was being held. I opened the door and cursed under my breath when I realized that the auction had already began. I had missed the only good part in all of this: the free food that came before the bidding began.

I spotted Jay sitting in the front row and I made my way toward him. On my way to my seat, I decided that I won't be spending more than fifty bucks on this auction.

"What did I miss?" I asked Jay as I sat beside him.

"Not much. The bidding just began. Only one girl has been sold so far. Where the hell were you?" Jay whispered.

"Stuck in traffic. Who's the girl I'm supposed to bid on?" I looked at the stage and saw ten girls standing in a line facing the audience.

"She's standing second to last." My friend discretely pointed in her direction.

I gasped and my eyes nearly bulged out my eye sockets when I recognized the girl. She's the girl that I've been watching every Wednesday for the past month since school resumed.

I know it sounds like I'm a stalker or a creep, but I can explain.

On the first Wednesday of the semester, I decided to try a new cafe on campus for lunch. When I sat down at the back of the cafe, I saw her for the first time, and for some unexplained reason, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of her.

She seemed like an ordinary girl with her skinny jeans and sweater, but upon further inspection, I realized that this girl was different. I found myself thinking about her even after I left the cafe that day.

I began to look for her in my classes and when I was walking around campus, but I never saw her.

When I went to the same cafe at the same time as I had the first time I saw her, I couldn't believe she was there again sitting in her same spot.

That day, I ordered, sat in my same spot, took out some homework, and occasionally looked at her, trying to be as discrete as possible.

I wasn't surprised to see her at the cafe the following Wednesday because that seemed to be part of her weekly routine. She was always doing the same thing: drinking a hot chocolate, eating a chocolate muffin, and either looking intently at the screen on her phone or typing furiously on her phone. It drove me crazy not knowing what she was looking at on her stupid phone or who she was texting, but I couldn't exactly pass behind her to peek over her shoulder because her chair was pressed against the wall, and I was too much of a wimp to approach her. Besides, she didn't seem like the type of girl who would invite a stranger to sit at her table. She seemed like a reserved person, and I didn't want to intrude on what seemed to be her personal time. She never did go into the cafe with a friend or anyone else. For selfish reasons, that made me happy.

It's been a month, four Wednesday's, that I have been watching her, and I feel like I know her but at the same time, I don't, if that makes any sense.

Looking at her now standing there on that stage is fucking unbelievable. My mind is racing with thoughts and questions scattered all over the place.

Firstly, I can't believe she's Jays friend! Lucky bastard. Secondly,  I can't believe I get a chance at a date with her. Thirdly, the reason I'm here is because I'm supposed to be helping her by declining the date. There's no fucking way I'm missing out on this opportunity. And I sure as hell ain't letting anyone else bid on her.

I was jerked out of my thoughts when Jay nudged my shoulder.

"She's next," he whispered.

She looked uncomfortable and nervous up on stage. She was avoiding eye contact with the audience by looking at her feet and occasionally to her left or right. Her hands were linked together and she was fiddling her thumbs in circles.

I couldn't help but notice that while most of the other girls were wearing heels and dresses, she was wearing her usual outfit of skinny jeans and a sweater. Her dark brown wavy hair was down and resting right below her shoulders. Of course, she had on a hair band or head band, whatever they're called, like always. The one she had on today had little stars on it. They were always different. I liked those head bands on her hair, they looked cute on her. What the hell? I just said head bands are cute. Well, they are on her. She's simply beautiful. Her face was clear and void of any make up. I liked that she never wore make up. She honestly didn't need it.

I found myself laughing internally when I realized that she's obviously not trying to impress anyone. It's ironic because she's trying not to stand out, but she stands out the most because she's dressed differently from the rest of the girls.

"Our next girl is very generously providing two tickets to the OC fair along with a date night, of course," the host of the auction said. "We'll start the bidding at thirty dollars. Who bids thirty do-?"

Before the host could even finish the question, some idiot raised his hand.

"Thirty dollars, going onc-" the host started to say before I cut her off.

"Two hundred dollars," I said firmly. I saw Jays head turn to look at me in shock.

Even the host couldn't hide her shock as she said something that changed my life forever.

"Uh, two hundred dollars. Going once, going twice... Ella Ballinger sold to Marko DiMaggio for two hundred dollars!"

This seemed to snap the girl out of whatever trance she was in because she looked up at me with a confused look on her face.

I felt my body burning up as she held my gaze for the first time. Her eyes were so captivating. They held so much mystery and curiosity. I never thought I'd see the day when those beautiful big, bright hazel eyes would stare into my boring brown ones. I'm sure I looked like a creep just smiling from ear to ear at her.

I don't know how long we stared at each other, but the moment was cut short when the host thanked the bidders and announced that the auction was now over.

My creepy smile widened when I saw that the girl of my infatuation needed to be nudged in the arm by the girl behind her to get off the stage.

Holy shit, I thought when I replayed the hosts' words in my head. "Ella Ballinger sold to Marko DiMaggio."

Ella Ballinger. I just bought a date with Ella Ballinger. Holy fuck.