Movies like “21 Jump Street” paint a picture of what happens when a teenager is left alone: raging parties are held, and for weeks on end, classmates are buzzing about what an awesome time they had. But, of course, movies are fiction, and reality is far more bitter.

I got my single living arrangements by a deal I made with my parents. With my house 20 minutes away from the school, I convinced my parents that residing in a house in town would be safe and would keep me from taking the long drive when I got home from football games late at night. To my surprise, my parents saw my logic and let me have a house in town until the football season ended.

After living without my parents for four months, I learned the truth of what it means to be a teenager on my own. Unfortunately for me, the partying and music was non-existent. Instead, I got cereal. Lots and lots of cereal.

What the entertainment industry does not tell you in their movies is that being alone, with little money, on top of piles of school work, is difficult and unexciting. The silence of an empty house fails to entertain, and let’s be honest: massive parties depicted in film just cannot occur in a quaint, Canyon neighborhood.

By far, the thing I missed the most about living with my parents was the home-cooked meals. I’m not going to say that I’m a bad cook; I’m just saying you will never see me on an episode of Master Chef. My mother on the other hand? Her dishes could please even the pickiest of critics. There was just something about eating Frosted Flakes for every meal that just wasn’t quite as… appetizing.

Finally, no matter how responsible I think I am, I tend to be incredibly forgetful. I have shown up at the school many times, grabbed my supplies and realized I have forgotten my calculator or some other necessity for school. When living with my mother and father, friendly reminders seemed like a nuisance, but looking back, the constant pestering made sure I wasn’t an ill-prepared fool.

The day I moved back in with my parents was a day of celebration. My fantasy of living alone was just a mirage. When I actually got to experience it, my sky-high expectations fell short. Instead of unchaperoned fun, I got silence, mediocre food and four months of loneliness.