Polar Planes [Luffy x Nami]

9. Static Chill

Nami took a whiff of the tangerine clutched in her hand. The Saturday afternoon brought a warm humidity to her front yard, collecting the zesty fragrance of blossoming trees and the earthy scent of moist grass.

She loved picking fruit and slicing them up as her study snack for when the days got too hot for her to concentrate. But either way, she wouldn't be concentrating today. No... her thoughts still drifted to Luffy. Today was when the soccer team would have their first match, and she had no clue if the captain would be out on the field to get warmed up or punching a wall out of frustration from failing his two tests.

If he was sitting at home, unable to play, it wasn't just him that failed. It was her, too.

But haven't you already failed him by walking away?

She cursed at herself for overthinking things like this; she didn't have the time. Her first priority was to finish her homework, and then to get going to her internship. Weatheria Labs was highly renowned for its scientific breakthroughs in meteorology, and have even collaborated with Vegapunk Labs to fashion all types of advanced technology. She wouldn't throw such an opportunity away.

I am above all this.

As the realization of that thought sunk in, Nami felt her heart drop and her chest constricted with utter disgust.

Had her dad's elitist mindset finally corrupted her? She could imagine her own thoughts taking form as words that passed through his lips: You deserve more than Grand Line High School, you are smarter than them, you are more, you are better.

The kids of Mary Geoise High School thought like that. Thanks to them, Nami developed a distaste towards Grand Line High before she even stepped foot on campus. But was any of it true?

Vivi worked just as hard as Nami did, and unlike any other person at Mary Geoise, she was reliable. She cared when Nami couldn't afford to. She brightened the mood when Nami was sulking unreasonably over a 2-point deficit on an exam that would barely chip at her overall grade even if she got a C.

Usopp himself was a refreshing new face to be around. He had the intrinsic genius in him that would be hard to spot in a man-eat-man private school, where every kid was doing things for the sake of being the best rather than just... doing it. That, and he offered the most nose-scrunching, eyebrow-raising, teeth-gritting sarcasm that proved to be a good distraction whenever Nami was thinking about Luffy.

And Luffy... she just couldn't seem to figure him out even when she thought she had figured everything out. He did things she could never think to do. He thought things that she never dared to think. She would never find herself relating to him, and yet it made her all the more curious.

She packed her things and left for Weatheria Labs, but her mind never followed suit.

⤧

Nami almost collapsed in relief when Mr. Newgate provided them with work time for the rest of the period. Mondays were never that calm, but she wouldn't be the one to complain.

She didn't know if it was the internship over the weekend that wore her out, or the fact that she stayed up late the previous night doing paperwork for her clubs. Either way, she didn't like the chills washing over her perspiring skin like an unpleasantly icy bath or the pulsing migraine that never seemed to loosen its acute hold on her. But as always, she planned to do what she always did: brave out the fatigue and push on until it was physically impossible.

She made sure to use her time wisely and finish up any assignments that were due later today, but her focus kept drifting to Zoro.

He appeared to be in a good mood, but she usually couldn't tell since he frowned all the time, even when he was happy.