Helena Arlo Lopez, a name as bubbly as the girl herself, hated being alone. A bright, playful kid, Helena did great in school. Sometimes, though, her mind wandered off to its own special place, especially when the work got tough. She was a ray of sunshine, always chatting and full of energy. It's no surprise she had tons of friends. Just a little peek into her childhood shows you exactly what kind of person she was.
Helena's parents ran a busy and successful jewelry business. It took up almost all their time. Helena was their only child, so they adored her, but their jobs kept them really busy. This meant Helena spent a lot of time on her own. Her mom was a super hard worker, always at her dad's side in the business. You could tell how dedicated she was.
Helena's days followed a simple pattern. Mornings started with breakfast with her parents – a quick bit of family time before everyone's day took off. After breakfast, it was off to tuition (extra lessons, like a lot of kids in India do). Then she'd go home, pack her lunch, and head to school. School was a blast – learning, laughing, and hanging out with friends. When she got home, it was homework time. Her parents were usually still busy with their jewelry business, so Helena often played with the kids in her neighborhood or popped over to the local shop – a place where everyone chatted and shared the news. This was pretty much how her days went, year after year – a comfy routine that shaped her childhood.
Now that school was done, Helena had a big, exciting, and kinda scary decision to make: college! It was a huge step into being a grown-up. After thinking it over, she picked a college just five train stops away. But the biggest thing? She'd be living in the college dorm! This was a huge deal for someone who hated being alone. Still, Helena was sure of herself. She knew she was friendly and could handle anything. She figured her outgoing personality would make it easy to get used to living on her own and making new friends. Being independent sounded awesome, even though she was a little nervous too.
After some serious convincing (her mom was a little worried about her only kid living so far), and after saying goodbye to all her friends, Helena was finally ready for college. Or, at least, she thought she was. Her heart was buzzing with excitement. She just knew this new adventure would be amazing – fun, new experiences, and tons of new friends! Being independent was a little scary, sure, but mostly it was thrilling. She couldn't wait to show herself that she could totally handle being on her own. She imagined herself loving college, surrounded by awesome people, exploring a new city, and chasing her dreams. The future looked wide open, like a blank canvas just waiting for her to fill it with all the bright colors of her personality.
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