The Doppler Effect [h.s]

Chapter 1

No one is staring at you, I told myself. No one is staring at you.

But, because of the continuous silence that ceremoniously followed me through the packed hallways leading to my dormitory, I couldn't help but glance around at the unwavering stares and looks I was receiving.

Today was my first day at Johns Hopkins and I was already feeling like an outsider.

Although most of the looks and occasional whispers were, in fact, most likely bestowed by my baby blue pastel-colored hair that I was temporarily sporting, I couldn't help but feel like a lab animal being examined by scientists.

As I looked around at all the seemingly over priced, preppy clothing that most students were flaunting about, I could feel the regret washing over me for not saving up enough money for a better wardrobe.

I turned into a less-crowded hallway and breathed out a sigh of relief as I spotted my dorm number gleaming elegantly on top a dark wooden door. I quickly opened the door and found that my roommate, who I would be spending the next year with, was not here yet. I set my luggage down on the right side of the room and looked around.

Blank white walls stared back at me, along with two small beds opposite of each other, and a door probably leading to the bathroom. I hummed as I thought of all the different possible ways I could decorate this mundane room when I heard a polite knock from behind me.

A petite girl with shining eyes and a messy ponytail atop her head smiled at me before stepping into the room.

"Hi, you must be... Nova, right?" she quietly asked. I nodded in agreement, before she continued. "I'm Marnie Peters."

She looked around carefully, before dropping her bags onto the bed closest to her. "I can't believe I'm actually in college," she said with a dazed look in her eye.

I laughed in agreement before plopping down on my bed and turning my body towards the small girl who was now unpacking. "So Marnie, where are you from?" I asked.

She smiled before looking down with a shy look in her eye. "I'm actually from Pasco, Washington," she replied solemnly. "It's a pretty small city that not a lot of people know about," she added before turning towards me. "What about you?"

"Well, I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, so there's not much to tell really," I replied.

"You're from Arizona? How cool."

"Yeah, I guess," I chuckled in amusement before sitting up on the bed. "Hey, I'm actually pretty hungry. Wanna go to the snack bar?" I asked.

She nodded before turning her back towards me. "Let me get my wallet, and then we can go," she said with a smile.