A Chance at Your Heart

Chapter 5

Boa Hancock.

That was the name of Fushia High's nurse. She boasted beauty and youth but despite her young age she was forced to grow up way before her time.

She dealt with a handful of sleazy adults who couldn't keep their hands to themselves so she became less trusting and built a wall of a warrior eluding confidence so strong that no one would dare make her feel that she didn't have control of the life she chose to lead.

At the age of 21 she became a certified nurse namely for children offering them the kind of help she needed whilst she was in their shoes. Of all people in society she related to them the most. Teenagers were no exception.

Her sisters thought the career not suitable for a person like her who would have excelled far more in law or business but Hancock knew exactly what she wanted to do.

Of the five long years in the profession, it was the day she met a certain young man who made her glad she chose this road.

His name was Monkey D. Luffy.

Holding her pocket mirror, Hancock reapplied her red lipstick and smoothed her lengthy shiny black hair.

General checkup for the entire student body was in a couple of days and she convinced the apple of her eye to come early.

That morning before work, she was pulled away from this wonderful dream she had:

She and Luffy packed their bags and moved far far away to where no one knew them and labels like teacher and student didn't matter. It was just them and Hancock couldn't come up with a more better place to be.

Sadly, reality was not so sweet.

Minutes later, Luffy was in her office and Hancock busied herself testing his blood pressure, making notes along the way.

Giving him a glance, he wore a frown because of his growling stomach while looking around the space.

She made some changes to it. A new poster here and there; Had even moved around the furniture. Although it wasn't much, Hancock was glad he noticed.

"I missed you, Luffy."

At hearing this, said student cracked a smile and kicked his feet swaying them back and forth.

"Yeah. I miss coming here too."

One of his punishments during his early days of freshman year was to assist Nurse Hancock in her office after school. Things like taking out the trash and helping to sort documents were examples of a few of his assigned tasks.

Hancock rarely fancied the company of others but soon grew to appreciate his presence although his curiousity lead him to meddle with things he shouldn't.

One faithful day, he found her in the office hunched over her desk sobbing her eyes out and he responded in a way she never expected.

Right after entering, someone else tried opening the door which he latched in haste. Next, he sat on the white-tiled floor and gave her a nod, letting her continue all she wanted without judgement.

Hancock's past had crept up on her again. Episodes like that usually took place when she skipped a week or two of therapy. She had never wanted to go through another breakdown at work but it happened.

When her eyes were wiped dry, Luffy got up and began his routine as normal. Was more helpful than usual that day but to Hancock, he was no longer a child in her eyes and was convinced that what she felt whenever around him triggered a special reaction in her heart.

He saw her vulnerable- a side she hadn't shown to a soul in years. The last time anyone had seen her this fragile were her sisters and that was over a decade ago.