It doesn’t matter how chill both you and your roommate are: a little drama is inevitable when two people are forced to live in a room smaller then most prison cells. Whether you barely talk or are best friends, here’s a guide on how to keep from going all Piper Chapman on each other.

1. The Dilemma: They took some of your food without asking. You return back from a long day of scrolling through Instagram in class only to find that your Doritos are missing and the only snacks left are those off-brand granola bars your mom sent you. Your inner fat kid is pissed and wants answers.    

The Etiquette: When it comes to food, always ask your roommate. Food isn’t free after all; you may as well have eaten a five-dollar bill. But, if you do swipe some Cup Of Noodle in a moment of drunchie desperation, always offer to buy the next set of groceries.

2. The Dilemma: You’re in bed and ready to crash but neither of you wants to turn off the light. Maybe you turned it out last night, or maybe they’re closer to the switch, either way, you don’t want to haul yourself down the ladder of your bunk bed to turn it off. You’ve already passive aggressively said “good night” and pretended to fall asleep, but your roommate stubbornly stays snuggled up. And so begins a silent standoff over who can handle fluorescent lighting the longest.   

The Etiquette: Even though you probably turned out your own light every night while living at home, doing it for someone else just seems wrong. A basic guideline for this is whomever gets in bed last has the responsibility of turning it out. Learning to alternate light duty until until one of you stops caring is another option. 

3. The Dilemma: Since when do we have a third roommate? You like your roommate’s boyfriend/girlfriend well enough, but they spend so many nights in your room that you’re considering asking for rent money. While you don’t want to be rude, listening to them cuddle (or worse) every night is getting nauseating. Plus you have nowhere else to change after you shower.      

The Etiquette: Having someone stay over for more than two nights in row is bordering on obnoxious. If the couple is truly inseparable, then they should spend at least half of the time annoying the other person's roommate. For the record, a twin bed is ridiculously small to be sharing with another person night after night.  

4. The Dilemma: You have different definitions of the word "clean." One of the most common fights between roommates is how organized the room should be. This probably applies to you if: your roommate practically bathes in hand sanitizer while yours is lost somewhere in your desk, your room looks like a before and after picture of Extreme Makeover: Dorm Edition, or if they own a Robovac and you have no idea what a Robovac is. 

The Etiquette: In my experience, people who describe themselves as neat freaks are also the kind of people who like to leave post it notes when they’re upset. If you run in to one these bad boys, “Please take out your trash. It’s been a couple days! Thanks :)”, then just get it over with before someone’s head explodes.   

5. The Dilemma: You dislike each other’s friends. You and your roommate are cool, but you would rather roll around in glass than spend any time with their best friend. You pretend not to see them when you’re in public and when they come to the room, you count down the seconds until they leave. At the same time, your roommate clearly wants you to stop inviting a friend over, even though you love hanging out with them.              

The Etiquette: Avoidance is key here. Ask your roommate to give you a heads up if they’re bringing someone you dislike over so you have a chance to mentally prepare yourself or get out. Other than that, don’t mention their friend at all. Rude comments just make things awkward. Meanwhile, if your best friend and roommate don’t get along, you should keep the guest appearances to a minimum and go elsewhere. Whatever you do, don’t try to make them like each other: no one is asking you to play Dr. Phil.     

6. The Dilemma: You have completely different sleeping schedules. When you have an early morning midterm the next day, the last thing you need at 2 AM is drunk person barging through the door like Miley on a wrecking ball. Likewise, they don’t understand why their hangover needs to start when your alarm clock goes off at 6 am.

The Etiquette: Whether it’s early or late, be as silent as possible and don't turn on the lights. Think of your roommate as a hibernating bear, you know, the fuzzy kind that will rip your arms off if you wake it before winter is over. If your roommate is the offender, you need to be upfront about it. They probably don’t even realize how loud/douchey they are being.        

7. The Dilemma: You're in a real fight. One of the best things about having a college roommate is that you can become really good friends with them. That said, good friends can also have bad fights –and if you’re angry at each other, it can turn your living situation in to a living hell. How awkward is it going to be when you’re done screaming at each other like Real Housewives and have nowhere else to go?              

The Etiquette: Stay out of the room for as long as it takes to calm down and then do whatever it takes to make things right again, even if it means (god forbid) being the bigger person. You live with this person, no good can come from having someone who hates you in the same room as your toothbrush.