Carter.

47.

We pull into the parking lot at Stanley's before I know it. I step out of the car on shaky feet.

"Hurry up!" My mother barks at me. I waste no time and speed up to the door. I'm just ready to get this over with. Whatever tonight turns into.

We walk through the doors and I step on the scale.

88.

I step off and wait to be told which room to go to. But my mother talks to the bouncer for a lot longer than normal. Passing numbers back and forth on napkins. My heart beat picks up with each note being passed back and forth. My normal rate is already set... this is it. It's really happening. I'm going to die tonight. My head starts to spin.

Before I can panic anymore my mother finally nods her head yes. She looks back at me and almost looks at peace. She never spares me a second glance.

"I loved you." She says barely loud enough for me to hear it. Oh fuck.

My arms gets grabbed roughly. "I love you mom." I call out to her as a tear slips down my cheek.

Before I can see her reaction I'm pulled through the door into the main hallway.

"Wait in central, we have to get a special room ready." The bouncer roughly states before pushing me towards the central room.

This room is like the main waiting room. I've only been in here a handful of times. If they have too many girls brought in they wait in here until later in the night for the second bidding. Most of the time I'm one of the top six girls so I don't get to wait. Lucky me.

There are two other girls in here, one I recognize, Hannah, and one I don't.

"Hey Carter." Hannah gives me a half smile.

"Hey Hannah." I return her half smile. "I think this is last time we'll see each other."

She raises an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"I think my mother just sold my life." I sigh as I fall into the uncomfortable couch in the middle of the small room. Hannah and the other girl are sitting across from me on the bean bags. This room is pretty bland. One long tan couch, and three bean bags with an old wooden coffee table in the middle. A gross old circle rug in the center under it all and a trashcan by the door.

"What?!" The other girl says while perking up and so does Hannah. "Sorry, I'm Rylie."

"Nice to meet you Rylie." I half laugh at her feeling bad for intruding on not so secret conversion. "And yeah I'm like sure she did."

"How do you know?" Hannah quickly asks.

"Well, she told me this morning she wants me dead because I look too much like my dad it makes her sick." It feels good to tell someone the whole story. It's not like there is any time left in my life for secrets. "Then at the door the bouncer and her negotiated for like 5 minutes of my price which she hasn't done since my first time here. And then when I was getting pulled into the back she told me she loved me. As in past tense." For some reason I'm completely calm.

"Oh my god!" Rylie shrieks.

"What are you going to do Carter!?" Hannah sounds panicked. I probably should be.

"What can I do?" I shrug.

"What do you mean? You're just going to let her sell you murder to one of these sleaze balls?" Rylie is near tears. It's crazy someone who just met me has more emotions towards my death than I do.

"I guess." I look at the ceiling. "I mean I've already gotten so much more in this life than I thought possible."

"Bitch what?" Hannah questions. That reminds me of Miciah, what a sweet girl. I never did check if she messaged Grayson's Instagram back...I guess I'll never know.

"Well, it was my fault my dad died. I sent him out late at night to get a stupid phone case and he got hit by that drunk driver. Then I met Grayson. And he... he changed my life. He made me realize how amazing life can be. He taught me what being in love is like and what having someone in love with you is like."

"And you're just going to leave him?" Rylie questions.

"He deserves a normal girl, someone uncomplicated. He deserves the world, and I-I can't give that to him. I love him so much I truly want better for him. I want him to meet a girl who's mother doesn't want her to die. Who didn't cause the death of her dad. Who can just focus on being with him." My heart clenches at the thought of him with someone else. "He made these last seven months of my life happy and something I would give anything for to live again. But I have nothing to give to anyone to deserve the time I got with him, let alone more."

"First of all, you didn't kill you dad. Second, I know how to get you out of here and back to him." Hannah states standing up.

"Hannah it's not that simple..."

"Yes, it is, get out of here and go to him and run away. I understand what it is like to feel worthless especially when the person that's supposed to care for you brings you here. Your mother and my step-father are best friends and in a fucked up relationship just hanging at this shitty ass bar while we get abused. But they don't get to win. We do." Hannah starts to feel under the coffee table. "Here it -"

She gets cut off by the door opening and one of the name-less bouncer strutting in.

"Mason lets go." He barks, some bouncers never use our first names. I bet so they don't feel like we're humans.

I glance at Hannah and her eyes are wide.

"It's okay." I tell her as I stand up. "If you can find Grayson Matthews, tell him I love him but I want him to move on. And tell Emma -"

"Let's go Mason!"

"I love her more than anything." I speed say before the bouncer grips my arm hard enough to leave bruises immediately. Hannah nods with tears rolling down her face before the door closes.

"So I guess you figured out this is the end of the line for you?" The bouncer speaks as he pulls me through the hallway faster than I can walk.

"I was guessing but now I know for sure."

"Don't worry the man that bought you likes to do it quicker than the others, it will be over before you know it." He slows his pace a little as we walk through doors I've never been through before.

"Gee thanks." I deadpan. This area is new to me. There are quite a few doors that lead to who knows what. All of the dark wooden doors in this dim lit hallway seem like nightmares lie behind them.

"Good luck." He rumbles before pushing me into through one of the many doors. I look around the room that is covered floor to ceiling in plastic wrap.

"Ohh you are a pretty little thing." A gruff looking man greets me. He's not very tall but he looks like a run of mill man. Blonde hair, a slight beard and sinister gray eyes. He is wearing all white which seems odd to me. He pops his knuckles and smirks at me.

Maybe it will be fast?