Hi, guys!
1. I'm really sorry for not updating this chapter sooner, but I was ill. Sorry again ^^
2. Someone has told me recently that people in America get offended if they are called 'guys' (how I call you all), and I wanted to know if it's true, because I don't want to offend anyone, so please tell me.
3. I'm trying to make chapters longer, this one is 3, 305 words *so proud of myself* so you'll have more to read.
4. I've noticed some major punctuational mistakes in my writing (for which I'm really, really, really sorry) and I'd probably go back in chapters and fix them, so don't get surprised if you see many updates today 28.04.2018
Hope you enjoy the chapter ^^
After a good 20 minutes Luffy was standing in the rain in front of a huge building, which apparently was his new school. Nami was still waiting for him to get inside, before she headed to her apartment. Luffy looked behind him, shooting a nervous and unsure glance to the green pickup. The boy was wondering if he could just return to the car and ask Nami if she could drive him home and after this, ask his brother if he can just go himself to sign the documents.
Yeeeah, and he, for sure, will be sooo happy that I refuse to do such a simple thing.
Luffy snorted and with a heavy sigh, turned to wave at Nami goodbye, to which she responded with a wide, reassuring smile, and a happy wave, before she started the engine and drove out the parking lot. Luffy watched the car, which was receding further and further down the street, with a great reluctance, clear in his gaze. The boy sighed again and shuffled his feet towards the building. The rain was diligently drenching his hair and clothes more and more with every second, so he decided to quicken his steps a little bit. Heavy raindrops were running down his face, preventing him from seeing properly. Luffy put a hand, screening his eyes.
When he managed to reach the two-leaved glass door of the school, he was completely wet. After he was inside, Luffy shook his head, sprinkling water everywhere. On the floor, on the door… And on one of the security guards. Startled, Luffy jumped away from him. The boy's cheeks were completely red from embarrassment. He stood still, starting to nervously fumble with the hem of his soaked hoodie, not daring to look at the man.
''Can I help you with something?" asked the man harshly, wiping the water of his face.
"U-u-u-m-m…" stuttered the boy out, not knowing what to say. The man was waiting him, expectantly, to say something. He took a few steps, nearing the raven-haired kid. When Luffy dared to look up at him, the guard was hovering over him, with his hands crossed in front of his broad-chest and having his piercing gaze, fixed on him. His hair was white, but he didn't look older than forty, probably in his mid-thirties. The man was tall, maybe even a little bit taller than his brother, and a giant of a man, at that. He was wearing a black jacket on which was written 'Security Guard', dark pants and there was an actual cigar between his lips, which wasn't really lit, but still. It was making him look more as a member of the mafia, than as a security guard.
The man arched an eyebrow at the kid's stare. Luffy gulped.
"Can. I. Help. You. With. Something," growled the man through gritted teeth. The boy nervously shifted his gaze to the floor, next to his left foot, trying to think of something to say. He could sense how the man's remaining patience was slowly disappearing. The sharp, brown eyes were burning a hole in his head and the man was standing like a stone wall an inch away from him, obviously not having any intentions of moving any time soon. Luffy moistened his dry and cracked lips with his tongue and cleared his throat, "U-um, I wanted to-to go to t-th-e-e principal's o-offi-i-ce to get some do-documents for my b-brother to sign."
''You are the new kid?" asked the guard, eyeing him from head to toe. "You don't look like a tenth-grader," concluded the man.
"I-I-I, um… I-I'm just short," said the boy, wiggling awkwardly.
"Hn."
The man looked at him for a few more seconds, and after that stepped back from the kid, giving him some air. "Alright, brat, follow me."
The security guard started going in some direction, expecting Luffy to follow him, which the boy did quickly, not wanting to frustrate the man more. The boy caught up with him and saw how he put the cigar in one of the many pockets of his jacket, which was actually dark blue.
Still scary, and still making him look as a part of the mafia.
With this thought, Luffy took a peep at the man's face. He was frowning, obviously not pleased at having to deal with some brat, who was preventing him from smoking the cigar outside. Sensing his gaze, the man casted him a rigorous glance. Yup, scary.
Luffy looked away, gluing his eyes to the floor. They turned left, reaching an elevator. After getting inside, the scary man pushed the button for the fifth floor. The buttons were ten, and seven of them were for the different floors. Hm, it indeed is enormous, if there are 7 floors, thought Luffy. After a lovely 20-seconds journey the doors of the elevator opened and Luffy waited for the guard to get out before him. Passing a few doors more, they were finally in front the principal's office. The man knocked and after that they heard a harsh man's voice, telling them to wait.
They stood in silence for a few seconds, when Lu ventured to say, "U-u-um, I-I'm r-r-really-y sorry f-o-or the w-water from be-e-fore, Mr."
The man looked at him, fixing his sharp gaze one more time on him, watching him intently. He watched the boy intently for about 2-3 seconds, and then said, "It's fine."
Suddenly the door of the office opened and a woman with long, dark hair showed up at the doorframe.
"You can come in," announced she, pushing her darkly pink framed glasses up her long and thin nose with a delicate, pale finger. Luffy casted a glance at the minacious security guard, who had already turned his back to them and was walking down the corridor, without even greeting the woman, who was probably the secretary. The boy looked again at her and with unsure wave, stuttered out, "H-h-i."
The woman gestured him to come into the office, and went back inside. Luffy followed her, closing the heavy, wooden door after him.
The room was painted white with a dark wooden floor, which was creaking with every step the raven-haired boy took further. There was barely any furniture in it, despite its enormous floorage. A huge desk was placed right in front of him, accompanied with two big leather chairs, on one of which was sitting a man, who had his elbows situated over the dark surface of the desk, with his strong jaw, resting on the back of his hands. He was broad-backed and tanned. His intelligent, but harsh gaze was burning the boy's face and body, as if trying to pierce his skin and see deep inside of him.
Luffy gulped soundly, trying to recall any good manners in his head.
"So, you're the new student?" asked the imposing man, his deep and gruff voice filling the silence, sounding almost deafening to the boy. Luffy nervously nodded, still standing, not really knowing if it was appropriate for him to sit on the other leather chair, across the man.
"Portgas D. Ace's brother.. Hn."
The man's eyes were fixed on the boy. Luffy was watching him intently, not daring to look down at his lap or shift his gaze to the side, like he usually did. Something in him was telling him to not loose this man from his eyesight. For a part of the second, something went through the principal's eyes. Something malevolent. Luffy was going to miss it, if they weren't lifelessly staring for the past few seconds. It was violent and loathsome, at the same time.
But like everything in this town, it was gone as soon as it had appeared. Luffy was taken by surprise, when the sinister man spoke, breaking their eye contact to look down at the documents placed in front of him, "You've to go and get your uniform from the uniform-shop, which is situated at the first underground floor. You'll pay it there. And here are the indispensable documents. Bring them to your brother. I need them signed today. I expect to receive them till the end of the day."
After finishing with his instructions, the principal handed him the documents and started doing some of the paperwork in front of him. Feeling totally ignored by the man, Luffy shifted his gaze to the dark-haired woman, as if asking her to say him at least where exactly was this 'uniform-shop'.
"Come on,'' said the woman, walking to the door. The boy stood up, but before he turned, he hastily said to the man, "H-have a n-ni-c-ce day."
After Luffy and the quite beautiful secretary were outside and the door was closed, the woman spoke softly, "Don't take it by heart. Mr. Sakazuki can be pretty intractable sometimes. He is just like that."
Luffy blinked and looked at her. Noticing his gaze, she smiled warmly at him. They were walking along the hallway, probably to the elevator. The only sound was coming from the rattling of the woman's high heels, which were hitting the marble floor with her every step. She was wearing a knee-long, tight-fitting, navy-blue skirt, white shirt with a V-neck and a coat, that was the same color as the skirt. The top part of her hair was being held by a big, pink hair clip at the back of her head. A few strands of hair had slipped from it, branching her oval face. She was young, probably around 26-27, slightly made up, just enough to enhance her beautiful features.
Yup, she is beautiful, indeed.
Once they were in the elevator, the woman said, "I'll bring you to Mr. Smoker, he'll lead you to the uniform-shop. It might be at the first underground floor, but it's big and you can easily get lost. After that he'll show you around, so you can have some notion about the main building and the schoolyard. Don't worry to ask if you're not sure of the exact situation of something, when your lessons start next week. It's normal for you to be a little disorientated at first."
Luffy nodded shyly, fumbling with the hem of his hoodie.
"I'm Tashigi, by the way, the school's secretary."
Tashigi stretched her hand for him to shook, which Lu did.
"M-monkey D-d. Luf-fy."
"I know," answered Tashigi, smiling. "If you have any questions you can come to me."
''O-o-okay."
When they were again at the first floor, they got out the elevator and headed to the two-leaved door, but no one was there.
"Hm, he probably is out to smoke," said Tashigi, more to herself than to him. She pushed the door, going outside. Luffy did the same thing, and they saw the security guard, smoking under the canopy of the school's façade. Tashigi narrowed her dark eyes. Fixing her skirt and pushing her glasses up her nose, she went decisively towards him. She was almost in front of him, when he noticed her.
"You're not supposed to smoke in front of the school," were Tashigi's first words towards the man. In response to her trenchant tone, he breathed out the smoke of the cigar in her face, without even looking at her. Luffy could see how Tashigi was getting purple in the face with anger. She grabbed the cigar out of his hand, threw it on the ground and stepped vigorously on it. The man lifted his eyes up to look at her. He was furious. For a moment Luffy thought he would hit her. But the only thing he did was to glare at her, his eyes menacingly narrowed to slits. Tashigi, obviously unmoved by this, was standing motionless with her head erect and looking daggers at the man, who was double her size.
"U-u-um, I-I can g-go alo-one," offered nervously Luffy. Two pair of eyes shifted to him. The boy gulped and looked to his feet. After a second he heard the rustling of clothes.
"Do I have to lead him to the uniform-shop?" guessed the man, nearing him.
"Yes," said Tashigi, pushing her glasses up her nose. She fixed her skirt and with an angry step, went back inside the school.
"Come on, brat," said Smoker and for the second time this day Luffy followed him.
After half an hour, Luffy had his uniform and was now behind the school with the guard, who wanted to smoke, before walking the boy to the nearest bus station. Tashigi, because she had forgotten to do it before, had called Smoker to inform him that the principal had ordered him to show the boy around. If Luffy had to be honest, he seriously doubted that this same Mr. Sakazuki he met, was so concern about his ability to orientate around the school, to even say to someone to show him around. More likely, Tashigi was just being nice.
But because Smoker wasn't really fond of the idea of spending his time, walking around the school with some kid, following him, they had agreed that, since Luffy was new in town and had come to the school by car, the man would show him the nearest bus station, after he had smoked at least one cigar.
"Want one?" asked Smoker, sitting on one stump. There was a small, metal door near them. It was padlocked, so there was no need for them to worry, that someone else will reprove them. A big canopy was placed over their heads, protecting them from the pouring rain. Maybe, I actually should have taken a jacket… Or an umbrella. Smoker had already pulled out of his pocket two cigars and was now searching for a lighter.
"No, t-thanks." At his words the guard just shrugged and put one of the cigars in his jacket and the other between his lips.
Luffy sat on the ground with crossed legs and took out of the front of his hoodie his pack of cigarettes and a lighter, which he handed to Smoker. The man looked at the item with the corner of his eye. "You smoke?"
Luffy nodded. Smoker took the lighter, lit the cigar in his mouth and returned it to the boy. Luffy lit his cigarette and put the blue lighter back in the front pocket of his hoodie. He inhaled the nicotine and rested his head on the wall behind him, closing his eyes. The next time he brought the cigarette to his blood-red lips, he didn't even open his eyes. It just wasn't necessary. A
few minutes passed and Luffy could feel Smoker's piercing and estimating gaze, roaming over him. He didn't bother to ask what was the matter. He knew the man was just assessing him. Luffy already knew he was from those people, who always watch, examine and appraise - both people and situations. He had seen it in Smoker's intelligent and sharp gaze.
Hm.. Smoker. What a strange name…
Luffy smiled and blew out the previously inhaled smoke, creating curls of white smoke, which, afterwards, were disentangling in the air, disappearing in a few seconds.
"You ready?"
Luffy opened his eyes and nodded, throwing his cigarette on the ground. Smoker had already stood up and was waiting for him, with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his dark pants. The boy stood up too, taking the enormous plastic bag, which contained his new uniform, of the wet ground, where he previously had carelessly thrown it. It was slightly muddy, but the boy hoped he could clean it before his visit to Ace's work. They headed towards the bus station. Luffy tried to remember from where they were passing and especially how to go again to this place behind the school. It was going to be really useful if here the smoking was actually forbidden.
The bus station wasn't this far at least. In a few minutes they were there and before Smoker had had the chance to turn his back to him and walk away, Luffy said, "U-um, how can I-I go to the police station?"
Smoker cast him a glance and puffed out the smoke of his second cigar, before answering, "Bus № 414, ask the driver where you should get down."
The man took out his phone, swang around and headed back to the school, leaving Luffy alone.
REVIEW! Love you all, and please share your opinion ^^
