The Hall Speaks #fallsemester

Broken Pieces

#Alana

"Am I interrupting something?" Sage asked; it was evident by Alana's flushed cheeks and shiny eyes that she had been crying.

Alana smiled, shaking her head. "No. Did you need anything?"

"Just need to grab banner paper for my hall."

"What are you doing?" asked Owen.

Sage smiled mischievously. "Something scary—too scary for you."

Sage focused his gaze solely on Alana. "Hey, I have a question for you," he said as Alana stared back curiously.

Sage's eyes flickered at Owen, probably trying to figure out why he was still there.

"Oh, you're going to have to ask me," Owen said, folding his arms and waiting.

Sage squinted, his narrow lips in a hard line. "Can you give us a minute?"

"I guess I can go get a soda or something. Alana, you want anything?" Owen mumbled.

"No," Alana answered, and Owen walked off.

"You know, I had a really good time with you at Homecoming. Do you want to hang out again sometime? Remember, I am supposed to take you for a ride on my bike."

Alana looked away briefly, contemplating a legitimate excuse. She didn't want to be in the habit of going on dates with Sage. She really liked him, but just as a friend, and for the first time she considered that maybe he wanted more.

"I don't know, motorcycles seem a little dangerous..." she said hesitantly.

"C'mon, you trust me, right? We can just ride a few blocks from campus."

Alana felt her will caving. "All right," she sighed with a rueful smile. But Sage's I like you gaze made her nervous.

"Awesome, this weekend?" he said, hope in his tone. He grabbed some banner paper from the roll, tearing it off. "Well, just needed to pick up some of this paper; I have class so I will see you back at the hall," he finished. As he walked out, Owen strolled back in.

"Mmm, what was that about?" Owen nudged Alana, reclaiming his seat.

Alana shook her head, combing her hands through her hair. "Nothing, he just wanted to take me for a ride on his motorcycle."

"Yep," Owen said casually. "I'm sure his motorcycle isn't the only thing he wants you to ride. What's up with all these staff hook ups?" Owen looked irritated.

Alana's eyes widened, her perfectly arched eyebrows rising. "Oh, no, it's not like that. Sage and I are just friends; besides, professional staff strongly discourage dating staff."

"Hum... that isn't stopping Carly and Ethan," said Owen with a low, sarcastic chuckle.

"What?" Alana felt so out of the loop. "You know, don't tell me. I have enough to think about." She began cutting out shapes in the banner paper, then moved on. "Are you on duty tonight?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "No, but Romeo and Juliet are."

#Carly

Ethan and Carly had just finished their midnight duty rounds. It had been an uneventful night, with only a few quiet hour violations and three lock outs. As was tradition for the past two weeks, Carly and Ethan had been staying with each other almost every night. Her boyfriend, Patrick, had been extremely busy with fraternity rush, and Carly conveniently took advantage of his absence.

"Do you want to see my Halloween costume?" said Ethan as he opened his door.

"Sure, if it's tight and skimpy," Carly replied smoothly as she tugged at the seam of Ethan's pants.