Alex Malmquist, Cooper Raiff, is a lonely college freshman who fabricates a pretend best friend and a pretend girlfriend to mask how little social life he actually has. To escape the quiet emptiness of his dorm, he and his roommate, Logan Miller as Sam, slip out to a party at the “Shithouse” fraternity. There, he unexpectedly connects with Maggie Hill, the dorm’s sophomore residential advisor, and the two form a genuine moment amid the noise and confusion of campus life. Maggie briefly steps away for a hookup with another student, but the two reconnect later that night and end up spending time together. What begins as a chance meeting blossoms into something deeper, as Alex opens up about his struggles to connect with others, his fear of living away from his family, and the quiet ache of his father’s absence. In turn, Maggie reveals her own complicated history—estranged from her father, grappling with the loss of a beloved pet turtle, and nursing secret dreams of acting. Their late-night hangout grows into a fragile trust, and an impromptu night baseball game with a group of students sends their connection into a more intimate space, ultimately leading to a shared, alcohol-fueled moment in the dorm.
The morning after, Maggie is cool and distant, leaving Alex hurt and confused. He tries to bridge the growing gap with persistent, overbearing efforts—long Instagram messages and a flood of likes that feel more like a plea than a gesture of care. Maggie responds by keeping her distance in front of her friends, leaving Alex to wonder where he went wrong. In a bid to move forward, he shifts his attention toward Sam, attempting to cultivate a real friendship and focus on building a social circle of his own. They attend another party where Maggie is present, and she greets him with a friendly, almost reassuring warmth that he cables into a renewed chance for connection. Yet when he later discovers her hooking up with another student, the old battles re-emerge: Maggie sees Alex as clingy and naive, while he accuses her of using sex to dodge real intimacy. The friction between them worsens into a mutual sense of immaturity—each convinced the other is not seeing the truth of their feelings.
Despite the turbulence, Alex makes a conscious effort to rejoin campus life. He begins to step out of his shell, helping Sam and reaching out to strangers with a new openness. His social world expands as he spends time with fellow students he met at the baseball game, building friendships that anchor him in his new environment. A turning point arrives when he calls his mother and tearfully admits that he has been lying to her about having a full social life—confessing that while he loves his family, he needs to try harder to enjoy his college years for himself. His mother’s response is steady and compassionate: she reassures him that family will always be there, even as he learns to stand on his own. That same night, he crosses paths with Maggie again as she discards an old terrarium, and he lends a hand; their quiet moment hints at a future where their honesty might finally prevail. Later, Maggie returns to her dorm and starts engaging with Alex’s world, liking some of his Instagram posts and letting the glimmer of possibility linger.
Fast forward two and a half years, and Alex has become an social anchor on campus, surrounded by friends and a more confident sense of belonging—connections with Sam and Maggie among them. Maggie, now pursuing her own artistic passions and taking chances by appearing in plays, relights a spark with Alex after a performance. She asks to be his girlfriend, and he agrees, conditional on them being good partners to one another. She accepts, and the two step outside into the night for an impromptu game of baseball, signaling a fresh start grounded in mutual care and real partnership. Throughout this journey, what begins as a carefully constructed façade evolves into a genuine companionship built on openness, accountability, and a shared commitment to grow beyond the loneliness that once defined their college days.
