Mirrored Expectations

Chapter 1 - Move-In Day

…aaaand done. My dorm room is decorated. I glance up around the ceiling where the edges are covered in Christmas lights with a sense of pride. It’s light glistening down on my desk and bed, which is two full sized beds next to each other. I gently seat myself in front of my door mirror to take a picture in celebration…but I can’t seem to find the right angle. Anywhere I positioned myself it looked like my gut was poking out. There’s no way I’m prepared for a freshman 15” when it’s only been 2 hours since I made it to campus and I already look like I’ve ate a ton.

Ugh. Being over it I just said fuck it to the mirror selfie and just to snap a picture of my room with the caption “college ready”. As my thoughts subsided and spread myself on my bed, I couldn't help but to feel the looming boredom. I guess I had to go out and meet people. The rush/student week activities didn’t start till tomorrow but I still wanted somewhere to go.

I overlooked the ground from my window and saw several groups formed on the back of the student dorms. I guess I could go check it out, better than sitting in my room looking at TikToks for hours.

Opening the door I stumbled into someone on my way out. “Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Sarah, I live on the opposite side of this floor.”

“Oh, hi nice to meet you too. I’m Addy–well that’s what I go by from my hometown. My real name is Adelaide.” I reply back.

“How about I call you Abby just to be different” Sarah laughed to herself, “I’m kidding, Addy is fine, I’m sure you’ll get a new nickname eventually. Well I was headed down to check out whatever’s going on down there. You can come if you want.”

“I was actually about to do the same. I just finished decorating my room” I said.

“Ooo can I see? I still haven’t decorated mine. I need that ✨inspiration✨” Sarah says as she does some hand gesturing a frame as a movie director would.

I push my door open further and clear my throat to prepare my best tour speech. “This is my room.” Tour speech over.

“You’ve got a big fuzzy carpet! Oh my God I love it! Can I touch it?” As I nod, Sarah, fixated on the carpet, begins rubbing her fingers through my fuzzy cowprint rug.

A part of me felt a like Sarah was invading my space too fast, but her childish attitude felt welcoming to me.

“Where is your mirror? It feels like my hair got all frizzy from that carpet.” Sarah asked. I close the door revealing the mirror. Sarah gets quiet and pauses for a second, which felt off for her eccentric personality. She looks as if she is checking me and herself out completely distracted from the frizzy hair. “Huh, do you have like a fun house mirror or something, you look... bloated in it?”

“It’s a normal mirror, it might be a little bent because I got it secondhand for cheap.” I replied. I did think it was weird how we both agreed I looked bigger. Sarah seemed to notice it right away. Silence follows, and I ask, “That’s about it, I mean, there isn’t much. Are you ready to check out whatever happening downstairs?”

“Sure” Sarah said. As we walked down to the crowd Sarah was just talking and talking constantly throwing jokes. It felt like even though I had none of my friends from high school on campus, she made me feel as comfortable as they did.

The crowd was just the start of some campus tour done by campus resources. “Looks like it’s just some tours, I guess we could still follow” I said.

When the tour started, we followed closely for the first few stops. After a while Sarah and I continued to talk and laugh with each other that we fell behind. Not before long, a freshman comes up to us and says, “Hey, have you heard of the party up at pike house tonight?”

“No we haven’t, That sounds fun!” Sarah said.

“Well, feel free to come around. Girls get free entry and booze” said the freshman guy as he handed us a flyer entitled, “Pi Kappa 106th FIRST EVER party of the year” It had some times and an address. “Be sure to let them know I sent you. I’m Ryan by the way. You two have a good day.”

As soon as Ryan appeared, he vanished around a corner, probably to invite more girls into his fraternity’s party. Sarah asked “So are you going? I want to.”

“I don't know I’m not really the party type” I said, trying to passively beg against it.

“How many parties have you been to?”

“I haven’t” I said.

“I haven’t been to one either, let alone a frat party. How can you say you don’t like parties when you've never been to one?”

“I guess I—“ I say as Sarah interrupts me.

“YAY, because I’m not going to go alone, you need to come with me. and you BETTER not change your mind.”

“Okay, I promise I won’t” I say.

Our mindless chatting continues as we follow the tour group from a distance. As the tour finishes I could see the sun starting to set. Sarah and I decided to eat with each other at the buffet food court on the ground floor of the dorms, continuing our chatting.

It’s finally time to go back to my dorm and I’m exhausted. It doesn’t matter how tired I was, because I promised her I would go with her to the party.

I laid down on my bed for a good five minutes before I forced myself up to get ready. I sat myself down in front of the mirror. I instantly noticed how bloated I looked, I didn’t even eat that much for dinner. I gave my belly a few pinches and looked down. They just didn't look the same as it did in person.

Maybe I could reposition the mirror. As I grabbed the mirror I felt my thumb slip, but I’ve never felt anything like this. I could feel a cold band around my thumb. I looked over at my thumb and it was completely submerged in the mirror. I took a step back before I nervously went back in to put my hand in. I couldn’t help but poke my head through, inside it was a complete mirrored image of my room. I committed and walked all of the way into it. I just walked around in awe as all the text was mirrored on everything. It was weird.

I took a look back into the mirror and saw myself, this time it appeared normal. As I looked down at myself my body was just as usual. I guess there would be no harm in trying to get ready in here.

In the mirror world I continued to get ready. As I was wrapping up I then heard a knocking on the door. “Abby, Are you almost ready?”

“Yeah, it will just be a second” I say, but then register it. I’m not Abby. I shouldn’t be here… I try to go back into the mirror and can’t. I bounce right off of it.

“What was that Abby are you okay?”

“Um yeah, I just … ran into the door.” I said. Fuck. Of course this happens with a weird creepy mirror. I guess I can go to the party tonight as mirror Addy.

I open the door and instantly realize I’ve made a mistake. Behind the door was a white fog, as if beyond my room didn't exist. I partially backed away but it was no use.

“Come on Abby, you can’t bail on me now, you got ready and everything.” Said Mirror Sarah as she pulled me into the fog.

As I entered the fog, I exited back into my room. Feeling warm, drunk, and a little full with some late night fast food. It felt like I had blacked out, but I didn’t feel that drunk. I stumbled over to my bed and laid down.

Just before I fell asleep I remembered this wasn’t my room. I still needed to go back through. Despite the food and drink party concoction happening in my stomach, I launch myself out of bed. I make my way back over to the mirror and try to dip my hand through. My hand phases through the mirror and I take the rest of my body with it.

I instantly feel twice as bloated as before. As I walk, I’m starting to get really dizzy. I must be twice as drunk too. I try to grab hold of my desk and bed frame to make it to bed. My range of movement to make it up was greatly limited. I manage to throw myself up onto the bed and practically fall asleep as I hit the bed.