Everything Changes

Chapter Six: Juliana Hartley

Not only was moving into college intimidating for Juliana, but so was lugging her three bags down the hallway of her dorm as she passed a cute boy.

She held her breath, trying not to make it obvious that her lungs were fighting for their life. She was on the soccer team after all. She wasn't completely out of shape - but her extremely heavy bags were trying to contradict that fact.

She placed her bags in front of her dorm room before taking a glance at what was in front of her. 216A. She couldn't believe she made it to this point. She was officially a college student - and she never felt happier.

It was time to start her new beginning.

She opened the door, revealing a tan skinned girl with wavy golden brown hair. She was watching as her father straightened a picture above her desk hutch. Juliana smiled as she walked into the room, meeting eyes with the girl she would be living with that school year.

"Juliana!" She smiled, walking towards her with open arms. They both shared a friendly embrace. "It's so nice to finally meet you," she said in a sweet tone. Her eyes then moved to Juliana's parents who entered the room behind her. "Hi! I'm Kara."

Her parents waved to her daughter's roommate as Juliana spoke. "Hi!" She exclaimed, excited to finally meet the girl she had been talking to all summer. Her eyes moved to the wall of blue pictures beside her roommate's bed. "I really like your side of the room so far."

"Thanks," she smiled before pointing back to her father. "We've had some difficulties but it's going smoothly."

"That's good," said Juliana as she resumed lugging her bags to her side of the room. She was glad her roommate was warm and friendly in person. Not only did she feel like they would be instant friends, but she was also on the soccer team. They would be spending a lot of time together. Her first impression of college was already good.

It only took Juliana an hour to move all of her items into her room. Everything looked perfect. She and Kara planned to have matching navy blue bedding, which made the room feel put together and aesthetically appealing to the eye. It was exactly how she pictured in her head.

Saying goodbye to her parents was the hardest part. She knew it would be sad, but she didn't know it would be that sad. Her parents had always been just a few steps away if she needed them. Now that they weren't going to be so close, it not only made her sad, but also nervous. She felt lost without them. Doing everything alone was a scary thought.

Kara said goodbye to her father without showing any emotion, which made it easier for Juliana to fight back the tears that formed in her eyes. She would see her mother and father in a few months, anyway. It wasn't like she was saying goodbye to them forever.

Almost immediately after she and Kara said goodbye to their parents, she and her hall-mates gathered with their orientation advisor. He was going through the list of names on the sheet of paper in front of him, making sure everyone was in attendance.

Juliana was paying no attention to anyone in her group as she watched her parents walk towards their car. She then felt the light shove from Kara, who was trying to get her attention. "That boy is staring at you," she told her.

Juliana furrowed her eyebrows, trying to find what boy she was talking about. She didn't see anyone looking at her. "Who?"

"Him," Kara pointed, careful not to make it obvious. Juliana's eyes moved towards a tall boy with fluffy brown hair. "Right across from us." Juliana then realized who it was. The cute boy she was walking past when she was moving in. "Oh, wait. You have a boyfriend, right?" Kara questioned, recalling her roommate's Instagram pictures.