SS(S)S - Ask Softly

“Is Sal here?” You speak softly. You don’t try to act; you are not an actress. But you don’t have to fake being uncomfortable.

The girl seems taken aback by the question and the way that you ask it. This situation doesn’t happen in real life, someone just coming to the door and asking if someone is around. In real life, you just text people.

“I think so,” the girl says slowly. She steps back and opens the door. “Come on in. I’ll check.”

You enter the house for the second time today, but for the first time through a door. Nothing’s changed.

“Hang on,” the girl says, going up the stairs with her hand on the banister.

She comes back with a puzzled, somewhat rumpled-looking Sal. Sal’s wearing the same clothes from earlier, but she’s shifted into loafing around the house mode, something that you can relate to: comfy clothes and not caring about how you look. She’s trying to pull her hair back as she hurries down, eying you curiously.

“Hi,” she says, taking in your outfit. She hasn’t noticed the computer under your arm. To be fair, silver Macbook Airs aren’t that rare, and several CCL girls probably have this exact same laptop. Sal has noticed it, but she doesn’t appear to be alarmed, as she would be if she’d noticed that hers was gone. Interesting; you expected her to have noticed already. Well, it’s a Saturday.

“Hi,” you say, avoiding eye contact.

“Are you here to pledge?” she asks, walking up to you. It’s a reasonable question. You’re face to face with her. She’s taller than you are, and she has the combination of fitness and confidence that turns heads, even when she’s not turned out. Even the way that she stands with her knuckles on her hip looks cool.

If you didn’t know about what she was doing to Athena, she would seem nice right now.

“Not exactly.” You glance at her face. She looks curious. There’s no suspicion or anything else. “I’m Meri. I’m already a pledge,” you add, lowering your voice.

“Oh.” Now Sal looks truly confused.

“Can I like talk to you?”

“Um, yeah.” She can’t help it. Her affect is softening and your visible discomfort is making her want to comfort you. If a more or less innocent-looking girl walks in acting this way, anyone would want to be nice.

But that girl who answered the door is still here. She’s upstairs, just out of sight, listening in out of sheer nosiness. Or boredom. Either way, you’re onto her.

You have to talk now.

Ask Sal if you can talk in private?

Or

Ask if you can sit down?