The Hall Speaks #fallsemester

Freshmen Move-In

#Carly

Carly rushed down the hallway to the elevator. The elevator dinged and opened slowly to reveal Marcus standing there in his periwinkle staff shirt and khaki shorts.

"Morning..." Carly croaked, frustrated. "You look somewhat rested... I'm glad that one of us got some sleep." She peered into his honey-colored eyes. To Carly's surprise, Marcus actually looked like he had slept quite well; this made her even more upset considering the horrible night she had experienced.

Marcus pulled his black and wavy shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. "Yeah... I slept like a rock. I was so worn out after... you know," he added roguishly.

"From training or Tiffany?" Carly questioned bitterly. She ruffled through her bag, finally pulling out a grain bar and taking a bite.

Marcus frowned at Carly. "Nah, I got a new bed and I was setting it up last night. The other one broke."

Carly's eyes narrowed, realizing she should have slept in her own room last night from the start. "How did you break—never mind, don't answer that." She pulled out a small mirror and examined her face, hoping her freckles would serve as camouflage this morning and make the circles under her eyes less noticeable.

Marcus laughed. "Wasn't going to, but I see how it is." Not being one to talk about his personal affairs, he quickly changed the subject. "So, you ready to meet all these crazy kids?"

"I guess. I mean, at least we're not in training," Carly grumbled, feeling quite insecure about her surprise visit with her resident and his mother earlier that morning.

"You got that right, anything but training," agreed Marcus. "Not that I didn't like getting to know you all, but being with everyone all day was a bit much."

Carly smiled, but not enough to really change her expression.

The elevator doors opened. Landon and the rest of the RAs were already in the lobby. By their lingering looks, it appeared that they had been waiting on Carly and Marcus.

The sun was so bright that day that nothing in the lobby seemed to cast a shadow. Freshmen move-in would start in just a few hours, and the stage was set. All the props were in place for the return of the college edition of High School Musical. Several organizations had made banners to lure new students in, but they looked more like paint hastily thrown up on some white paper. Volunteers from the cheerleading team to the chess club hung around like tailgaters. The front desk workers, full-time students employed by Res-Life, had set up the check-in tables and signs the night before. Several feet behind the circular mahogany front desk in the lobby were five long tables. A huge banner hung from the middle table that said "Welcome to Corbin Hall" in purple lettering.

The RAs were all dressed in their periwinkle move-in shirts with "Your Community, Our Passion" scripted on the back. Landon was wearing a staff shirt as well. His lightly-styled hair and youthful appearance made him look like one of the RAs. The only way to tell him apart was by his name tag, which stated "Professional Staff" before his title.

"Good morning!" Landon said, looking alert with a clipboard in his hands. . "We have a long day ahead of us; hopefully you all got enough rest."

Carly made a huffing sound and blinked her eyes.

Alana turned to look at Carly and mouthed the words, "Is everything all right?"

Carly shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

#Alana

Focusing back on Landon, Alana watched his mouth move as he made several announcements. Her eyes traveled down his form, his appearance reminding her of an old movie she saw once. His clothes actually fit him like they were tailor-made for his body. Landon's natural side-part through his thick hair, his clear skin and fine but strong features made him the perfect guy to give Alana a new heart condition. It was beating so fast she placed her hand over her chest. She inhaled, thinking Landon was the most gorgeous person she'd ever seen in real life.