~ + I'll have you know that this 'ere story was requested and co-written by Janshal. fem!Luffy and fem!Usopp alert ~ +
Sudden Complications of Life
1.
Bartolomeo's life was simple; wake up, eat food, shower/stuff, school, nap, afternoon-stroll, homework, sleep.
On the weekend, it was just a bit less organized; wake up, eat food, shower/stuff, ...friend-time?, party-till-you-black-out, sleep.
However, it was a new school year at New World Academy, and everyone knew what that meant. There would be totally new schedules, the same exact (with some new) student council members, new teachers, and last but definitely not least.. new students. Each of these new-things would always present the same overall problems concerning adapting to the changes and dealing with personal problems at the same time.
At New World, freshmen were considered 'new kids', too, just because. There were still the new-new kids, of course... they just had to be new-er than the freshmen.
To be honest, teachers are teachers are teachers, so, most of the kids just automatically despised the new teachers just for their occupation. Therefore, tons of pressure from the students made the teachers try especially hard to earn themselves at least a decent reputation.
The student council, though small, controlled a major portion of the activities and clubs at New World, and were practically feared by all.
The schedules- eh. The changes were just as annoying as the teachers, but at least they don't kill.. like some people.
First day of Bartolomeo's sophomore year
"Bartolomeo?"
Said teenager snored and rolled over in his bed.
"Bartolomeo!?"
Bartolomeo sat up quickly in a panic and fell off his bed onto the tan carpet. Brushing a stubborn mess of green hair out of his face as he stretched and righted himself again, Bartolomeo was nearly hit by his bedroom door when his urgent mother came charging in to find her half-naked sophomore-son sitting on the floor when the alarm clock read 8:04 A.M. - 4 minutes late for school.
"I can't believe you! Get up, get dressed, and get out the door, kid!"
Bartolomeo sleepily yawned and nodded, standing up straight after a second or two. In moments, Bartolomeo's mom was chucking clothes at him and pushing him into the bathroom.
Slipping on the bathroom tile on his bare feet did not help when attempting to brush his teeth and comb his hair all at once.
Once the finishing touches (a.k.a golden piercings) were in place, Bartolomeo grabbed his bookbag off of the living room floor and was out the door.
"Late on the first day I see," the front office-lady told Bartolomeo as she handed him his first tardy pass of the year. Bartolomeo shrugged with a smirk and turned on his heel to go to his locker when the lady called him back.
"Hey, kid, my name's Shakki (just so you know)."
"Okay..?" Bartolomeo tossed over his shoulder, giving the busty secretary a second look. She caught his glance with an odd luring one.
"Mind helping out the new lady, tough-stuff?" Shakki called, resting her head on her palm. Bartolomeo turned to face her in his dark cargo pants, boots and purple tank-top, looking but a little too eager to 'help' her.
"Dear god, its the first day and I'm getting the hot chick?!" Bartolomeo thought to himself, licking his lips as he walked fully into the office. That's when the green-haired punk saw the other person in the office; a student. Shakki laughed at him.
The student, Monkey D. Luffy, sat on a chair further back in the office, twirling a strand of hair around her blue-nailed finger as she gazed at anything and everything in the office. Bartolomeo couldn't help but wonder if the girl was mental or something.. but, he didn't want to be too rude to the kid; lie.
"This is little miss Luffy-chan," Shakki explained, stepping to place her hands on Luffy's shoulders and bring the kid back to reality, "if you hadn't already noticed, she's a bit confused, as a new kid should be. Why don't you help her out? ..for me?"
"Such a bitch.."
"Yeah, I guess," Bartolomeo muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as Luffy stumbled to her feet with her Kill la Kill backpack on. Stepping up next to her new classmate, Luffy nearly broke her neck attempting to look up at Bartolomeo's face. Bartolomeo smirked in amusement.
"Orders from Principal Shanks, you know, so thanks, uh..." Shakki started, returning back to her chair as the other two turned to leave.
"Bartolomeo," he replied curtly, steering Luffy by her shoulders out of the office and down the main hallway. The only problem was, the hallway was almost too deserted and quiet to try and talk. After a few awkward moments of silence, standing in the middle of the hall, Bartolomeo blinked and looked down at Luffy; one thing caught his attention.
"Nice curves.."
"Bartolomeo?" Luffy asked, blinking up at Bartolomeo's green eyes. Blinking back, Bartolomeo's mind whirled.
"Uh, what?"
"Whatcha looking at~?" Luffy pushed further, standing on her tip-toes to try and match her classmate's height. This didn't work too well. Luffy lost her balance, flailed like a chicken, and then was caught at the last second by a blushing Bartolomeo.
"I don't like her.. I don't know why, but I don't."
Pulling the lady back onto her feet, Bartolomeo only grumbled under his breath and then realized that he should've probably been leading Luffy to her locker.
"Thanks, rooster-head-kun," Luffy chirped, latching onto Bartolomeo's arm. Bartolomeo cringed and slithered his arm away from her grasp, turning away from her.
"Yeah.. what's your locker number?"
"Locker number?"
"Don't tell me-"
"I don't know," Luffy mused, putting a thoughtful finger to her pink lip. Bartolomeo looked over his shoulder at her and then sighed. Turning back to face her, Bartolomeo grabbed her arm and pulled her along to his locker, passing quiet classrooms and hallways along the way. Luffy was thoroughly confused, but at least somewhat interested in the new atmosphere.
Upon arriving at his locker, Bartolomeo spun the lock a few times and then opened his new locker. Bartolomeo took the things out of his own bookbag and shoved it all into his locker, except for the first 3 periods' worth of items; bookbag went in the locker. Bartolomeo turned to Luffy who had calmly and sneakily decided to take a seat on the floor next to him, accidentally flashing her red and white stripped panties from under her hot pink skirt.
Looking away from her, Bartolomeo shook his head at her naïveté.
"Too innocent... god."
"Um.. lemme see your schedule," Bartolomeo mumbled, holding his hand out to her while Luffy quickly fished through the things in her bookbag. Soon items were spread out on the floor surrounding Bartolomeo's locker. After a few minutes, the schedule was found and promptly handed to the taller of the two.
Bartolomeo scanned his and Luffy's schedules, and... they were in the same grade with the same schedule.
Now, even though he may not act like it, or look like it, Bartolomeo was pretty intelligent in school and got relatively good grades. Bartolomeo then looked at Luffy, higher-up, for a moment and doubted that she could be in all his higher classes.
Oh well.
Bartolomeo sighed again in annoyance and began stacking Luffy's 1-2-3-4 period books on top of his own books. Luffy blinked and watched intently, switching positions to sit on her heels. The rest of Luffy's stuff was crammed into Bartolomeo's locker, and bookbag, and Luffy's backpack was the only thing that was neatly resting on top of everything.
From afar, the locker was.. a gravitational masterpiece.
"This is going to be an annoying-as-fuck kinda day, isn't it Bartolomeo?"
"Yes, yes it will be Bartolomeo."
"Well damn."
"Let's get going then," Bartolomeo decided, taking the large stack of books into his arms while Luffy stood next to him holding nothing.
"Okay!"
A little ways down the hallway, Luffy trotted up beside Bartolomeo and tugged on his tank top.
"What is she, a kid?"
"Um.."
"What?"
"I need to go pee.."
"Yeah... I need to just stayyyy calmmm.."
"Alright.."
With one hand steering Luffy quickly down the hallways again, the two almost took out the janitor, (who yelled at Bartolomeo for his nose ring).
The girls' bathroom sign was like heaven to Luffy's eyes, and in a second she was in there, leaving Bartolomeo awkwardly standing outside it with a day's worth of school books pressed against his chest.
Looking up at the ceiling, Bartolomeo was secretly happy for the blessing of a real excuse for missing class, even if it was a completely and utterly embarrassing and annoying.
"I bet it's all just an act.. which makes it even more annoying. What kinda girl would want to act like that?"
Flush.
"She would, I guess."
"Rooster-head, I-!"
"Wash your hands."
Bartolomeo glared down Luffy till she blinked up at him and slowly shuffled back into the bathroom and washed her hands.
"I swear... if I have to do this everyday, Imma hafta start smokin' again.."
Faucet off.
Luffy skipped out of the bathroom with a grin like she was ready to take on the world, and she stopped right in front of Bartolomeo as if reporting for duty. Then, the dripping ensued; Luffy didn't dry her hands.. so she just pulled up her skirt and used that!
Having enough of the unintentional-flashing, Bartolomeo pulled down her skirt with his free hand, a grimace of sorts on his face.
"For god's sake, use my shirt, or anything besides your skirt!"
Luffy stuck her tongue out at Bartolomeo and put her wet hands on the side of Bartolomeo's left pocket, smiling childishly in the process. Bartolomeo bit his lip to keep from losing patience with the 'child'.
"Before I forget, senpai," Luffy started softly, suddenly afraid of summoning Bartolomeo's wrath, "thank you for helping me! I know I can be a bother, but I hope that I can make it up to you someday! Friends?"
Bartolomeo blinked.
"Uh.. sure.."
"Something profound was just said. I should remember this.. and she called me 'senpai'!"
"It's no problem, uh.. Luffy.." Bartolomeo mumbled, shoving his hand into his.. wet pocket. He cringed inside. Luffy pouted and grabbed his arm again, grabbing the taller one's attention as well.
"Don't lie to me, senpai!"
"Huh?"
"I'm a bother to you and you know it.. so don't say that I'm not. I don't like liars," Luffy concluded with a nod. Bartolomeo opened his mouth to object, and then he realized..
"Was I honestly just about to try and make her feel better? Since when do I do that?"
"Senpai? Shouldn't we get to class now? It's almost 8:35." Luffy announced suddenly, bending at the hip to read Bartolomeo's black wristwatch. Bartolomeo gasped, which sounded more like a hiss, and he then hurried off to 1st period with Luffy still at his arm.
After all, what if he missed some new hot babe's introduction?
There were a few new kids in Bartolomeo and Luffy's class, but not many. There was a girl, Jewelry Bonney, who was looked-over by Boa Hancock the entire class period.
There was also a green-haired guy with a weird name, Zoro, who was pretty quiet but he seemed tough enough. Luffy wound up talking to Zoro for the last 5 minutes of 1st period, and apparently wanted to walk with him to their next class.
Zoro got lost.
Luffy got lost.
Bartolomeo was sent to go find them.
After that, Luffy told Zoro that it was okay to walk with Bartolomeo and her to their shared classes, which was only 2. Zoro agreed. Bartolomeo never got a say in the matter..
After 2nd, 3rd and 4th period Bartolomeo had to clamp down on Luffy's wrist and barge through the crowds in the hallway to ensure time for mistakes.
In 3rd period, Luffy met Nami and Ursela (fem!Usopp), who were trying out for cheerleading the next day. They convinced Luffy to try out, too. Bartolomeo was apparently to attend this 'momentous occasion'.
Fourth period wasn't so bad... oh who am I kidding? An expert in womanizing by the name of Sanji attempted to flatter the daylights out of poor Luffy who only blinked and grinned in confusion, sending Bartolomeo into an unexpected protective mode. Bartolomeo's friends Kidd and Killer gave him raised eyebrows and smirks.
Bartolomeo sent them the finger when he got the chance.
During lunch, Luffy and Zoro decided to sit with Bartolomeo (who still had all the books with him), Kidd and Killer. Luffy was constantly talking to Bartolomeo about everything and anything, and eventually spilled too much for the other four's liking.
"Oh oh, and when I was 15, (I'm 16 now!), I had this boyfriend, Rob Lucci, and I thought he was realllly nice and awesome and strong, you know, all that amazing stuff! But, then he started touching me and stuff, and I just thought 'oh whatever', but, he started hurting me, and soon everyone gave me weird looks, and Lucci just kept on doing that stuff. Soon, Grandpa pulled me out and talked to me, and he started crying when I told him about it, and so then Grandpa turned Lucci in to the police. We went to that reaaaally big pretty court-place, not the basketball court, mind you, and then I had to talk about it againnnn, and then I never saw Lucci again! Grandpa said that it was better that way, but, now Grandpa's gone, so I guess I really don't have to think that way, but maybe he was right.. I don't know!"
Everyone at the table stared at Luffy with wide eyes. She just spilled her guts over something that could've ruined her life, but her she was, stupid and happy as ever. Her story made everyone shut up and think about it..
"You said.. he went to jail?" Zoro asked quietly. Luffy nodded with a grin.
"How old was this 'Rob Lucci' then?" Bartolomeo asked with an eye-roll, folding his arms over his chest. Luffy sat back and bit her lip as she thought about it, puffing out her cheeks.
"18 maybe? I don't remember!" Luffy finally decided with a nod. Kidd and Killer looked at each other and then back at Luffy. The poor girl! Maybe underneath that baby-blue ruffled shirt of hers there were scars from the bastard.
"You said 'now Grandpa's gone'?" Killer asked, lifting his head from drinking from his bottle of water. Luffy cocked her head and nodded. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that he passed away a month or so ago," Luffy explained with furrowed brows, not understanding why they didn't understand her. The others all nodded seriously, looking down at their food with no appetite whatsoever. Luffy, meanwhile, inhaled her food and was soon done and all over Bartolomeo again, who was trying desperately to scoot away from her. He nearly fell off the bench.
"Ah, uhh, oh yeah, why don't you go figure out what your locker number and combination are? Better now than never...!" Bartolomeo said on the fly, helping Luffy out of the bench and towards the door. Luffy blinked up at him and smiled, saluting him as she walked out of the cafeteria.
Bartolomeo sighed in relief as he walked back to the table, hands in pockets. Kidd and Killer eyed him while Zoro ate quietly.
"She's hiding something," Kidd said after a minute of awkward silence. All four could agree on that.
Minutes later, Luffy came marching back to their table, looking happy as ever.
"You find it?" Bartolomeo asked Luffy. Luffy shook her head with a grin.
"I got lost!"
"Don't be proud 'bout it!"
~ + Thanks for reading me and Janshal's first chapter! :D Tell me what you thought~~~? XD + ~
