The Hall Speaks #fallsemester

Game Over

#Landon

After going over the incidents from BCD at the ice cream shop, the RA staff convinced Landon to hang for a bit. He hesitated at first because of something he realized during training: he felt attracted to Alana, the pieces of her personality unfolding like a story he wanted to read. Already he struggled to keep his gaze from lingering too long when she was around. For most of their training she wore loose-fitting shorts and t-shirts over her thin frame. But there was no concealing the fullness in her chest or the way her shorts filled out in the back. And the staff wanted to play beach volleyball. Major problem. Seeing Alana in whatever girls called swimwear would only make him think of the wrong thing—the very thing he'd avoided for several years.

Luckily, no one seemed to be interested in baring any skin. Except Ethan. He was seemingly allergic to his clothes and always looking for opportunities to take them off. Carly stood there in the sand, staring as Ethan pulled off his shirt.

As the group walked along the beach, the sun began to set. The sky was filled with an array of colors ranging from gold to orange. In the distance, set against the colorful backdrop, were many shops, luxury beach hotels, and food-venders. The twinkling lights from the Ferris wheel flickered on, setting the evening scene into full bloom. Kids played in the sand and families strolled carelessly on the boardwalk, and every now and then a whiff of funnel cake filled the salty air. The way the sky reflected in the water seemed to put everyone at ease. Shandi twirled around with outstretched arms while Alana, Ethan and Carly were engulfed in another one of Will's stories. Even Landon felt himself forgetting that he was essentially at a work-related event.

Marcus was an exception. He stood in the sand, looking a bit anxious. He huffed once and leaned over to whisper to Will: "Is this staff development stuff really necessary? I mean, how much developing do we need?"

Will chuckled. "Getting tired of fundatory already? This is going to be a long year for you."

"I gotta go, a brother got things to do," Marcus insisted.

"Ah, Tiffany," Will joked.

"So do you all want to split up into teams or what?" suggested Marcus impatiently, addressing his chattering staff mates.

"I got it," said Will. "Let's just count off by two's." The groups were evenly split as Landon made ten.

"This isn't a fair split," said Kessa, pulling her hair weave back into a ponytail. She'd just gotten the black, wavy extensions sewn in before training. "You got Landon, Ethan, and Marcus... they shouldn't all be on one team," she added, possibly because they were the most athletic bodies on the beach that evening.

"Well, you have Owen and Will..." Ethan voiced, gripping the volleyball in both hands.

"Exactly my point," snapped Kessa. Neither Will nor Owen were the most coordinated individuals. Owen oddly resembled the Pillsbury Doughboy, pudgy and pale with a baby face. He was the type of person that would worry too much about ruining his manicure than actually striking the volleyball.

"Hey... what's that supposed to mean? I can't speak for Owen, but I got skills when it comes to volleyball. What are you bringing to the court?" Will asked rather snidely.

"Dating pro-athletes, I've learned to play many games..." said Kessa confidently, tilting her small, doll-like face and flashing a rare smile.

"Oh," laughed Marcus. "Okay, okay... Kessa got game."

"Maybe Kessa's right. We could be split more evenly," encouraged Alana.

Landon agreed. "Yeah, Carly and I can switch," he stated, walking toward his new position in the sand.