He didn't know how to take care of her. Didn't know what a woman truly wanted.
Not like him.
Bellamy watched as his comrades dragged Monkey D. Luffy to him in a secluded corner vividly hidden behind a garden the late Whitebeard sensei left behind.
The squirt didn't bother to struggle this time around and when his bowed head lifted to stare back at him, Bellamy couldn't help but smile.
Usopp went to meet his friends outside the smelly shoe station. School was over and it was time to head home but he knew at a glance that they were missing a few members.
"Where's Luffy?" Usopp asked, unlocking the door to retrieve his loafers. "I figured he'd be here by now to show off how well he did on his math test."
The last part was said in a low grumble. Usopp barely passed but Luffy scoring in the 80's was a huge deal. He had a ball rubbing it in the long nose's face.
He paid more attention in class now; more than ever before and didn't mention anything about extra lessons or anyone helping him but there was a change- a huge one. And Luffy sucked at keeping secrets.
The others had no idea. Zoro was missing too. Probably lost somewhere so all they had to do was wait.
"Scared?"
"No."
Luffy looked from left to right.
"When are you guys letting me go?"
He was well aware that his friends were waiting on him.
Bellamy chuckled and charged forward planting a dangerous blow to the underclassman's stomach that sent him gasping and bending over in agony but he didn't cry out.
"If I knew how much you enjoyed a beating, I wouldn't have gone easy on you in the first place."
Luffy straightened and glared and Bellamy's eyes glinted with delight. He loved this part. He had always had this tough guy aura about him but hasn't up to this day thrown a punch. And if he did end up trying, what kind of damage could a wimpy shit like him do?
Starkiss didn't like this. These were dangerous waters they were treading in. The plan was to threaten him a little but neither of them expected him to be so incredibly stubborn. The situation escalated way too quickly.
If anything bad happened, they could all be expelled.
"Break up with Nami."
"I refuse."
A thick vein swelled in the upperclassman's forehead.
"What if I hit you again? Just a tad harder this time?"
"Do what you like but I'm not breaking up with Nami so stop asking me that. Can I go now?"
This was going to be a lot harder than Bellamy thought.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret about Nami. She's not always the sweet, passionate class president she's cracked up to be."
Luffy's face wrinkled in confusion but common sense hinted to him that he shouldn't believe a word Bellamy had to say. Nami was not friends with Bellamy nor were they related so how would he know her secrets?
"She has a great body and- I'm just speaking from experience- she knows how to put it to good use."
"What do you mean?"
"We've all had a piece of her. Isn't that right boys?"
His friends egged him on.
"What are you talking about?"
Bellamy grew impatient and indicated to his boys to release him. Luffy thinking that he was let off the hook tried leaving but Bellamy grabbed the tuft of his shirt and slammed him against the vine covered concrete wall. A new crack formed at the very top.
The back of Luffy's head throbbed, his teeth clenched down tight.
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, squirt. Or maybe it's because she hadn't made you get that far? You never got to-"
Bellamy finished his sentence in a low whisper close to his ear and he enjoyed how stone still Luffy got. A noticeable frown was present and Bellamy was pleased to finally get a reaction out of him.
"Liar."
"You really think that I'm lying?"
Luffy didn't answer him.
"At this rate, I might have to start messing with those friends of yours. You keep making things harder on yourself."
"You leave my friends alone."
"Break up with her."
"No."
"Look, I like her. Like what her body can do. Love how she makes me feel. That bitch is mine. Do you hear me? Mine!
You've been keeping her away from me for far too long. Give up already. She's way out of your league so be a dear for me and break up with her. It's that simple."
Luffy went limp and Bellamy perceiving that he had successfully wounded his spirit released him and watched him slide down the wall like a worm; cause that's exactly what he was: weak, defenseless and pathetic.
He was sure he had him this time.
Nami was ignoring him completely now and was even skipping practice- something she had never done before and it was all this worm's fault. Bellamy needed to take him out of the equation. Only then would Nami be his once and for all.
Luffy stood slowly on his feet and cracked his knuckles. All pain forgotten. The echoing sounds made all those present throats grow dry. The air changed and whatever it was wasn't good. Bellamy felt it in his bones.
Once Luffy's concealed eyes came to fore, the upperclassman struggled to breath. His hands drenched with sweat and adrenaline raced through his veins. The roles of predator and prey had been reversed.
"What did you call Nami?"
The squirt's voice was deeper and stronger than before. Almost as if he had become a whole new person but Bellamy kept fooling himself refusing to believe that the worm had gone ahead and found himself a gun.
Looking around him, Bellamy saw that he was standing alone. The cowards he called friends fled the scene ages ago. Unlike them, he enjoyed playing with his food.
"You mean when I called her a bi-"
Everything went black but Bellamy was still conscious. Not a single hair on his body was harmed.
He felt warm soil under his hands and was confused as to why he was sitting on his ass and breathing like he escaped death.
He opened both his eyes to see the worm knocked out and dangling from the green-haired second year, Roronoa Zoro's shoulders.
Zoro peered down at Bellamy, glaring sending him a silent warning before turning away but Bellamy was not fazed.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with him."
Zoro didn't bother turning around.
"Consider yourself lucky."
"Lucky? Don't make me laugh."
Zoro smirked at the oblivious fool.
"You might want to head home. There's a little something on your pants."
Bellamy addressed the fabric and found a big wet spot in the front of his crotch. He made a throaty sound of surprise and Zoro took pleasure in his silence and went ahead to meet the group.
Luffy was so gonna hate him for this.
Nojiko had always been a multitasker at heart so when she left her room with curling iron in one hand and toothbrush in the next, she did not expect to see her sister sitting alone at the kitchen table with her cheek in hand.
School was in the next half hour.
"Where's Luffy?"
By now her boyfriend would have already collected her so they could walk to school together as he had ever since they decided on it.
However, when Nami sent him the occasional morning text as soon as she woke, he sent one immediately back saying that he won't be able to make it.
Saying that she was gutted was an understatement.
"I wonder what happened," Nojiko said sticking her dry toothbrush in her mouth, hand on her chin deep in thought.
Nami shrugged and tapped her feet impatiently under the table.
"Is he sick?"
"Luffy doesn't get sick."
"That's not humanly possible. How do you know?"
Nami smiled. Long eyelashes hooded her eyes.
"I just do."
When they met as kids, Luffy declared that he never got sick in his entire life and it was proven true.
When it rained, he would stand proudly in the shower getting a proper soak or when he ate too much till the point his belly hurt, he never fell ill.
She wondered about that for some time but the reason was simple. He was an idiot; and idiots didn't get sick no matter how hard they tried.
Nojiko hummed and after her trip to the bathroom she was half-way done buttoning up her blouse and pulled open the fridge for the milk she downed before pouring her cerial.
"It's getting late, you know."
"So?"
"Hurry up."
"You don't have to wait on me- just go by yourself like you used to."
Nami looked at her time piece again failing to remember that she did so a minute ago.
"I know but... It's been a while since I've gone ahead on my own so I just thought..."
Nojiko rolled her eyes with a sigh and a tease of a smile; her mouth full of cereal she scraped out the bowl.
"I'll be ready in 10 minutes."
She wanted to see him. It was the kind of want that felt like a need. So when she left home, she slowed her pace and kept looking down the street in hopes to see him but he didn't show.
Even through morning class she didn't hear the teacher calling her name for the register. It took a good kick to her chair from her green haired classmate seated behind her to get her head out the clouds.
Some looked on worried for the class president, others were amused but Nami showed no signs of embarrassment. She had more important things to worry about.
Lunch came around and Nami pushed her chair back and gathered her things to leave.
"What's with you today?" asked Zoro who was untraditionally awake. He yawned out loud and scratched his head with one eye closed observing her carefully. She had been on edge all morning.
"Where's Luffy?"
"Who knows."
"Maybe he's home today..." She got her phone out but Zoro stopped her.
"He's most likely here. His dad is serious about his schooling and the last time he skipped school got him in a lot of trouble."
"I'll go look for him then."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Nami already on her way out the door stopped deeply annoyed at her meddling classmate. Time was ticking and she didn't have all day.
The classroom was almost empty but for those remaining, Zoro knew that he had to find a quiet place. Getting up, he lead the way.
"Follow me."
Nami was steps behind him.
"What the hell is going on, Zoro?"
"You have no idea, do you?"
They stopped in the middle of the hall. A poorly pinned poster advertising the drama club fluttered in the wind coming from the windows; A group of boys ran pass them racing to the cafeteria and once gone, it was just them.
"You don't know about the nurse visits?"
"Luffy helps Ms. Hancock every now and then. I know that. Why are you being so-?"
"He hasn't been going for that."
Nami thought of another reason but had to remind herself again,
"Luffy doesn't get sick."
Panic came over her like a heavy blanket and her eyes took on this alertness.
"What about the bruises?"
Analyzing what had been said, Nami crossed her arms. Behind her hazel pupils was a blazing flame. Her pink lips pointed south. She needed an explanation. Someone was responsible and there was hell to pay.
"Name."
"What?"
"What's their name."
Zoro chuckled admiring her thirst for vengeance.
"Bellamy."
Her blood boiled.
She should have known.
To be continued...
