I live with three guys in a room that is basically a shoe box. We are on top of each other all day. My parents back home think I am out here making brothers for life and becoming a real person. They worked twelve hour shifts for years so I could be at this university. They think I am HAPPY. The reality is I haven't heard my roommates speak a full sentence to me out loud in three days. We just sit in the dark with our laptops glowing. (It is pathetic honestly) The group chat is where they actually live. It’s constant pings. They are sitting five feet away from me but if they want to say something or ask about the trash, they send a stupid video or some deep-fried meme I have seen a hundred times. I try to actually talk. I will ask how their classes went or if they want to grab food at the dining hall. They just grunt and look back at their screens. (Probably checking the chat to see if I posted something instead of opening my mouth) My mom calls me every night on WhatsApp and asks if I am lonely. I lie to her. I tell her the guys are great and we are always hanging out. I can't tell her that I feel more alone in this crowded room than I did back home when six of us shared a tiny apartment. At least there we shouted. We fought.