PART I - HELEN

Little did I know / That you were Romeo / you were -

"Lenny, turn down the volume!"

"Sorry, Dad."

I didn't turn down the volume. This song was simply too good. Besides, it belonged to my morning routine. My morning routine was developed perfectly; I listened to "Love Story" by Taylor Swift while waking up and checking social media, to "She looks so perfect" by 5 Seconds of Summer while I was dressing, to "Silence" by Marshmallow while brushing my teeth (because it lasts exactly three minutes), to Lizzo's "Like a Girl" while I was doing my make-up and to "Adore You" by Harry Styles while I was doing my hair.

My mornings were perfect. Like my outfits. Like my grades.

"Lenny, breakfast is ready!"

Perfect like my Dad. He was the loveliest Dad one can imagine.

"It's a perfect morning, Dad, isn't it?" I asked as I entered the dining room.

"It is, Sweetheart," he said with a smile, "like every morning I see your lovely face." He kissed me on the cheek and sat down on the opposite side of the long glass table. We were the king and princess of our own little kingdom.

Amanda served blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, freshly pressed orange juice, and a black coffee for my Dad. Buttercup took a leap and landed on the table to inspect our food – where he most certainly was not supposed to be.

"You little rascal!" I said, picking him up and putting him back down on the floor. He meowed protestingly at me.

"No, Sweety, you know you're not allowed on the furniture," I told him with a scolding look. I still gave him a treat; I just couldn't resist his cute little face.

I asked Amanda for a latte macchiato.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Dad asked.

"Since Jamie convinced me that a latte wasn't really much coffee. We were at Starbucks yesterday and the latte was not that bad."

"I am not sure my coffee is as good as Starbucks'," Amanda said.

"I want to try anyway."

Amanda's latte was even better than the one at Starbucks. I told her to bring one every morning from now on.

Jamie, my perfect boyfriend, picked me up as he did every morning. He lived only two blocks away and was sweet and kind and hot. Not to mention his Mercedes.

"Morning, Babe," Jamie said as I got into his car and he gave me a kiss. I handed him a thermos cup with coffee. "Amanda made one for both of us."

"That's very nice of her."

Jamie and I, we were the It-Couple. Everyone knew who we were, and we got elected as Junior Prom King and Queen. I planned on going to an Ivy-League-College after High School, preferably Harvard. Not far from home, and one of the best universities in the country. My grades were perfect, I was student body president, took part in other extracurricular activities, and was probably also going to be valedictorian. After Harvard, I was going to go to Law School and be a kick-ass lawyer just as my dad, marry Jamie, and have two children.

My future was perfectly planned. I wasn't someone who didn't know where they were going. I had an aim. I knew where I was heading, and I liked it.

The first day of school after the holidays was exciting, and I had a feeling that this year was going to be perfect.