The Roommate Game

Before I could even finish arguing with Ryan, the dorm door opened.

Rachel, Natalie, and Chloe walked in together, laughing and chatting away. Their conversation was animated, full of stories and jokes that I knew nothing about. I couldn’t even begin to join in.

Later, Rachel posted photos from her birthday party on social media.

I’d been tied up with Student Office work the past three days, barely checking my phone. Out of nowhere, she sent me a message.

"Lila, what’s your deal?"

My stomach twisted in confusion. I replied with a simple question mark.

She shot back with a rolling-eyes emoji. "I didn’t invite you because I thought you were busy. And now you’re deliberately ignoring my post? Not liking it on purpose?"

I sent another question mark. "No, I was just busy with Student Office work the last few days."

Rachel fired back with another eye-roll emoji. "Wow, how coincidental. You just happened to be too busy to see my birthday post? Disgusting. What, did you scroll past it and pretend you didn’t see?"

I was floored. Really? I’d posted so many times, and she’d skipped me every single time. I never once complained. But the one time she posts for her birthday, I didn’t hit like, and suddenly I was the villain?

Her accusation lit a fire in me. I wasn’t going to swallow it anymore. "I’ve posted plenty of times, and I’ve never once seen you like mine. Who’s really pretending not to see things?"

Rachel shot back with an angry emoji. "You’re way too sensitive. I don’t even check social media much, okay?"

I laughed bitterly as I typed. "If you don’t check, how come you still manage to like everyone else’s posts?"

The screen showed she was still typing, but no message came through. I knew she was just buying time, trying to spin her words into something reasonable, but I saw right through it. She was doing it on purpose.

A few minutes later, her reply popped up. "I didn’t realize you were that sensitive. It’s just a post. Are you really going to argue with me over something that small? I don’t have time for all this drama. Girls like you always make things complicated."

I sat there, speechless.

Who was the one who messaged me out of nowhere, demanding to know why I hadn’t liked her birthday post, when I was in the middle of work?

It was only later that I learned why Rachel had been so upset about me not hitting like.