DISCLAIMER: i DO NOT OWN ONE PiECE OR iT'S CHARACTERS.

Chapter 3: My Desert Cloud: Coming, Leaving, Coming, Gone?

The summer after 7th grade was too long! So, when 8th grade finally came, I was excited. I couldn't wait to see Sanji again. My first period of the year was Geometry. And, luckily for me, Chopper was in my class! Sanji's nickname for Chopan had caught on quickly so everyone called him Chopper now.

"Hey, Chopper! How was your summer?" I greeted him.

"Nami! Mine was great. I got to go to Canada to visit some cousins. How was yours?"

'Canada... I'm pretty sure reindeer live there...' I thought. I've made up my mind, Chopper really did resemble a reindeer and not a raccoon.

"Mine was great! But, by the time August came, I was just anticipating for school again." (That was a lie, I was anticipating school since the first day of summer.) I casually tried to bring up Sanji into our conversation. "So, did you get to hang out with Sanji over the summer?"

Chopper, being too kind to notice that I was using him (I'm a horrible person!), answered happily. "Oh, yeah. We got to hang out a lot, especially since he's moving to another middle school."

WHAT? "He's moving?" I feigned mild surprise, but on the inside I was devastated. These past few months with him in my life seemed to make me even more happier to go to school! Not just for learning, but also for him! Now he's just going to move?

"Well, he already moved." Chopper said casually. He obviously didn't know how depressed I was about this because he continued. "At least I got to say goodbye to him." He said kind of sadly.

'I DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOOD BYE!' My heart was crying... "Oh, that's good... for you." I managed to say.

"Yeah. We still stay in contact though! So don't be sad." He smiled at me as if trying to cheer me up.

'I'm not sad for YOU, I'm sad for ME!' Life is not fair. I can't ask Chopper for Sanji's number. We were never really close... Plus, that would just be creepy of me.

"Well, it's still a bummer that he moved." I said sympathetically. "I heard a lot of girls liked him."

-0-0-0-

After the summer of 8th grade, my first day of high school came rolling in. Unexpectedly, so did my desert cloud. I was sitting in my first class of the day, English.

'Okay, let's see... After this I have Spanish. That's upstairs.' I read through my schedule over and over trying to memorize it in case I lost this paper. I heard the tardy bell ring and set my schedule down to look at my teacher, who was currently checking attendance and calling everyone's name.

"Nami Clementine? Well, that's a delicious last name!" Mr. Franky exclaimed. The class laughed and I smiled with them.

"I'm here. And, I prefer tangerines over clementines." The class giggled, which boosted my confidence a bit (not that I already wasn't confident).

"I can't tell the difference, so I'm neutral on the matter." My teacher jibed. He continued to call more students, so I just lay my head down on my desk and listened quietly.

"Sanji Takamura."

EH? My head shot up instantly, looking for the person who would say they were here in that dreamy Jersey accent. I hadn't seen him in... a year! Who would have guessed he would apply for the same high school as me and also get accepted? No one raised there hand. No one said "Here". The jitters were already in my system and I pushed my glasses up on the bridge of my nose to think. 'Maybe it's a different Sanji... Yeah. This Takamura guy sounds Japanese. Was Sanji Japanese? I don't think so... I wish I knew his last name!' I put my head back on my desk in defeat. We weren't going to do much anyways since it's the first day. Just get a list of school supplies needed and also the classroom policies. Mr. Franky also passed out a crossword puzzle for us to spend the rest of the class to work on.

After a while, I looked up at the clock and it was half way through class already. Just then, the door opened. Everyone was working on a crossword puzzle (I had finished in 5 minutes), so they didn't see the graceful appearance... of Sanji Takamura. He seemed to glide to the teachers desk and I strained my ears to listen to what they were saying. 'He is Sanji...' I was blushing like mad so I put my head on the desk again. My heart was pounding through my ears! I wonder if he even remembers me...

"Hello, sir," Jersey accent! "I'm Sanji Takamura."

"Ah, you're late. Really late." Mr. Franky didn't seem mad. His tone gave off that he thought Sanji's tardiness was actually quite funny.

"Yes. I live about 20 miles from the school and we came upon a street on the way here that had some construction work. Of course, maybe I should have woken up earlier." By now, Sanji's chat with Mr. Franky had gotten the attention of our classmates (especially the girls) and I could hear them whispering about the late kid.

"That's fine. It's only the first day of school anyways. Here's a crossword puzzle. That's what the others are working on. Oi! Nami, are you sleeping?" Mr. Franky called out to me.

'NOOOO, don't call me!' "Eh? No! I'm not! Well, yes I was. I thought I could because I had already finished my puzzle thirty minutes ago!" I avoided eye contact with Sanji and only looked at my teacher who had addressed me.

"Finished? I'm not even done with it... Here, get another one in case an administrator comes in. I don't want them to see you being unproductive. I might get in trouble." He laughed heartily and I walked over to the two of them.

I could feel Sanji's eyes on me but I continued to ignore him. I said thank you and scrambled back to my desk. I didn't bother looking at the puzzle and tried hard not to take a peek at Sanji, in fear that we'd make awkward eye contact.

'I'll greet him after class... Yeah.'

-0-0-0-

The bell rang and everyone was eager to go to their next class, yelling "Bye Mr. Franky!" as they walked out the door. I took my time, planning on how I could exit the class room right before Sanji. I exited the room and turned towards him. "Sanji?"

"Nami, you did recognize me!" He took my hand and kissed it. Angry whispers were coming from the other girls, but they turned to squeals when Sanji turned to them and smiled that radiant smile of his.

"Hehe, yeah. Sorry for ignoring you back there. I wasn't sure if you remembered me." I laughed nervously. He kissed my hand!

"How could I forget these vibrant orange locks or yours?" He took a strand of my hair and held it in his hand. Was he always this easy to communicate with? "What class are you going to next?" I still having trouble comprehending how I should act towards him. The feelings from 7th grade I had for him were returning and so were the butterflies.

"Um, Spanish. You?"

"As am I!" Gee, he's so lively. "Let's walk together." He smiled. It was hypnotizing.

Sadly, the same events in 7th grade were happening all over again. Sanji became so popular in just the first week of school. He talked to everyone; hung out with everyone; was friendly with everyone! And me? I think people have come to see me as overbearing. The only people who could stand my smart mouth were the other smart mouths in this school. I was fine, my new school friends were hilarious in a witty way, but this caused me to distance myself even more from Sanji. I'm not saying I was hated, I'm pretty sure people admired me for my brain because they would always come and ask me for help on their homework or something.

-0-0-0-

I just didn't know how to approach Sanji. He would have to be the conversation starter, but he was always so busy conversing with other people who could just easily go up to him and start a conversation. I couldn't be myself around him. What if he hated my snarky attitude and urge to always be right? 'Why can't I be like that an enjoyable person?' I thought miserably one day. The first week of school was easy and now I was hanging out with my childhood friends (they didn't go to the same high school as me) on this fine Saturday evening. But, I was probably killing the mood.

We were saving a table and waiting for Vivi, Nojiko, Usopp and Brooke to get their food.

"Nami, what's up with you?" Portia asked. Her and Conis were looking at me with worry.

"What? I'm fine. Totatally fine." I told them reassuringly.

"Really? You look terrible." Zoro teased.

"Shut up, Zoro. I'm not in the mood." I said glumly.

"So you're not fine!" Conis exclaimed. Vivi, Nojiko, Usopp and Brooke came back to the table we were sitting at with their frozen yogurt.

"Seriously guys, it's nothing to worry about." I said as I got up with the rest of them who needed to get their cold treat.

When we were all sitting at the table, Portia brought up the topic again. "Is it about a guy? It's about a guy, isn't it?" A sighed, exasperated.

"It's probably about grades. This is Nami we're talking about." Nojiko chimed in.

"Who's the guy?" Conis asked eagerly.

"Maybe she's crushing on a girl." Usopp joked and Brooke laughed with him. ("Yohohoho!")

"I bet he's smart. Nami would definitely go for the smart guys."

"Plus, there's a whole bunch of them at the honors high school she's attending."

"Hehe, yeah. Every one of them could be a potential doctor."

"Nami, you gold digger, you!"

I have had enough of this idle chatter. "OKAY, SHUT UP! All of you! If you want to know, just... shut up." I rubbed my temples. All their gibbering was giving me a head ache. "It is about a guy. Not a girl." I glared at Usopp and Brooke and both just snickered. "I'm pretty sure he is smart, since he was able to get into Going Merry Academy. Or he paid his way to get into the school, but I don't like him because he's rich! I don't even know if he's rich!"

"Do I know him?" Portia asked.

"Actually, you do... So does Zoro!" I had forgotten that we went to the same middle school.

He looked at me surprised. "Me?"

"Yeah... It's Sanji." The two siblings looked at me like I was crazy while the rest of them were just confused.

"Didn't that noodle move away?" Zoro asked annoyed while he was staring at his bowl of yogurt, his eyes closed. He does that when he's thinking...

"Wha- Noodle? What's with that nickname? Do you have a problem with him or something?" I asked, annoyed with HIM.

"Yeah, he's a NOODLE. Him and his skinny arms always took all the girls in 7th grade." He stared into my eyes. Suddenly, there was a mischievous glint in them. "I mean, sure there were girls falling for me, but not the girl I liked back then. I mean, who could resist these?" He lifted his arms and flexed his biceps. We all laughed as he stood up and showed off his guns to the entire shop.

"Zoro, sit down!" Portia yelled through her laughs.

"You know, just because you're a track star-" I started.

"And a football star." He interrupted.

"Doesn't mean you'd get all the ladies. You have a sour attitude most of the time anyways." I told him without pausing.

"That was in middle school. I talk to my football friends all the time now."

"Oh yeaah, you wouldn't talk to anyone in middle school. Besides me and Nami." Portia said in thought. Portia was two grades below us, so she was in 6th grade when Zoro and I were in 8th.

"That's because you're my sister! And she's my longest friend."

"Well, now that Sanji reappeared back in your life... Do you still like him?" Vivi asked with curiosity. "I mean, he's like the prince that you've been long awaiting to see! It's almost like fate, don't you think?" She winked her brown eyes at me.

"Woah, don't get carried away! Besides, Sanji is just too... popular. I think I'll just like him from afar. It's not like things will actually work out between us because he's so nice to everyone. He likes everyone equally."

I was right. It didn't work out with me and my desert cloud. He was so close, yet so far. It only took some time for the wind to finally blow him away, even farther out of my reach and sight. But, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. This door just took another year to open and reveal to me my rose.


Tada! Working on Chapter 4 Now!

Chapter 4: "My Rose"

Well, leave reviews on this chapter because I am not completely satisfied with it. Too much dialogue.

I'll try to work on that in the next chapter.

R&R. Thanks!