Surprisingly home sweet home

Quickly cycling home through the clean streets and shady avenues, birches and oaks looming over my sad head, my hopes to see Orihime today perishing into nothingness as I already dreaded a tirade about my incompetence and ungratefulness from my oh-so grateful and competent mother.

Soon I reached our admirable two-story suburban home, securely positioning my bike within our fences’ boundaries, protected by my little dog Bailey and her high-pitched, thief-repelling barks.

Opening the door, a waft of pleasant frying chicken entered my mind, the worries about a bone-shaking scolding easing a bit upon hearing the gentle humming of my mom.

Suddenly she appeared from the kitchen, wearing a green pullover beneath a flower-plastered apron.

“Hi-” I started but was quickly interrupted by her impudent attitude.

“A nice lady brought this to our doorstep about 10 minutes ago. Told me to give it to you as a surprise or gift, I dunno,” replied my mother in her rasping voice, before turning around and waddling back into the kitchen, dragging the groceries alongside her. No greeting nor bashing.

I didn’t miss a moment, grabbed the mysterious package and hurried up the stairs to my private chamber in the far end of the corridor, my two sisters’ rooms between mine and the bathroom which I preemptively reserved by switching the sign from ‘vacant’ to ‘occupied,’ a stupid yet effective technique to prevent miscommunication and misunderstandings among our frequently quareling family.

Just as I twisted my doorknob, my older sister Tier, or lovingly called Harribel by us siblings, appeared from her room, joyfully yelling in her energetic attitude: “Bro, long time no see. Did you bag Orihime once more, plowing her into unconsciousness or did you also cheat on this precious, poor bambi?” Her voice possessed a menacing, almost insane glint, the memory of her sobbing for hours the night her boyfriend had left and cheated on her still vivid in my memory, justifying her perplexed state.

Not angry at her derogatory comment on my innocent beloved, I simply kept my mouth shut and entered my bedroom, locking the door behind me, praying that Harribel wouldn’t try breaking the lock or pound on it repeatedly until I joined her insanity.

I opened the package and stared wide-eyed at …