I originally was writing this to be a character study on the main circle of friends - Anzu, Yuugi, Honda, and Jonouchi... it didn't exactly turn out that way. U I kind of got carried away, as usual.
In movies, brown paper packages often appear on the hero and/or heroine's doorstep. In fact, it is almost a prerequisite to most corny horror films. But in real life? Since when did old-fashioned packages show up unexpectedly?
So when Anzu returned home from school to find a taupe package on her doorstep, she couldn't help but to be wary.
Picking it up gingerly, she noticed the large, loopy script that depicted her name. Mom and Dad.
Fumbling around to open her door with one hand, shifting the package's weight constantly, she began to rip off the package's coverings as soon as she set down her keys, even before taking off her shoes. Patience was overrated, especially when it comes to her jetsetter parents.
She tried not to expect anything. Gifts had never really been her parent's thing, much like taking care of their daughter. But even so, Anzu couldn't help but to hope for something real, something tangible, something that would prove to her that her parent's bought this gift somewhere other than the airport. She never claimed to be a realist.
Wrapped in bright (albeit cheesy) flowered paper, Anzu took one last shuddering breath before completing the opening process. There was a card, also addressed to her, but Anzu didn't touch it until after the present. She never did. Birthday greetings, two months late and signed with "Love Mom and Dad", were always her favourite part, shallow and hollow as the cliches sounded. We love you, we miss you, etc., etc. ... Anzu saved those words for last.
She tore off the final layer. Laying flat in Anzu's hands was a handwriting analysis.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. One solitary tear rolled down her pale cheek. A typical teenage gift. Nice, but impersonal.
Anzu wiped her eyes, only the slightest bit frustrated, and sat down, book laying open in her lap. No sense in not at least reading the damn thing.