Alexandria nodded. She hadn't met so many of her neighbors as she probably should have; her time away last semester had seen many of the ones she had met moved out, she presumed, and new tenants moved in. The fact had caused Alexandria brief anxiety; so many new people to meet, to have awkward conversations with, to not know what to say to. But admitting that would make her appear even more awkward than she undoubtedly did already, and so she refrained. Instead, she addressed the other part of what Lucy was saying, which was actually something to which she could relate all too well.
"I don't know if they ever get over that," Alexandria said, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Realizing that might not seem to make sense, she added,
"You know. I..." she pursed her lips. "I was ill as a child. For years."
It wasn't something that Alexandria talked about much -- not for shame, but simply because most people wouldn't know what to do with the information, and she didn't particularly want or need pity, which seemed like a best case for people who hadn't been there. But this was an entirely different context.
"My parents, my sisters, my brother... they're fantastic. They were... they did everything. They sacrificed, and they took care of me, and I don't know where I'd be without them. But..."
She shook her head, smiling slightly. "Sometimes I just wanted to move to China and not leave a forwarding address."