And just like that, summer began and Nami had to start reminding herself that she was now a senior in high school; one year from graduating to college.
Vivi and Usopp voiced their intentions to make the most out of this summer break before she went off to Mary Geoise, but all three of them knew that these next few months wouldn't really be considered a break. They each had their own goals for college, and it was already time to start preparing for applications.
Nevertheless, they took this weekend to decompress and go out to the downtown shopping center.
"Jeez, it's been a while since you were free for a whole day," Vivi complained. "You know how much work it took me to plan this?"
Nami grinned sheepishly. "I appreciate it."
"Never mind that," Usopp said. "There's a new bakery that opened. We should try it."
"Are you talking about Whole Cake Bakery?" Nami asked. "It's still opening week. I bet we'll have to wait behind a mile-long line to get something."
"Not if we utilize our connections," he suggested.
Vivi frowned. "What are you even talking about?"
"You see, Mrs. Lin Lin's son owns the shop, and I happen to be in her good graces," he said confidently.
Nami sighed. "Usopp, no one is in that woman's good graces."
"Oh, come on," he said. "I have decent grades in her class, and she doesn't yell at me!"
"That's a bit of a reach," Vivi said.
"But it's worth a shot."
"Is it?"
"Think about it!" he exclaimed. "What have we got to lose? We have a chance at getting at the front of the line. Hell, maybe we can even get a discount."
"You're delusional."
"You just have to play your cards right. Follow me!"
They trekked up a couple of escalators and navigated through the crowd rushing to the food court. The upper floor of the shopping center was bustling with high schoolers. Ever since the place was renovated, it became a popular site for summer trips.
Palm trees have been planted in large pots in the center of the wide walkway; there was even a fountain sitting near the railing that lined the edge overlooking the city and mountain range. It was a new fountain, so there were only a few pennies that rested at the bottom of the pool.
From here, Nami saw the end of the line for what she assumed was Whole Cake. She recognized a bit more than half of them from Grand Line and other high schools in the area.
"It seems like your idea wasn't very original," Nami remarked. "I bet they all got forced to the back of the line for trying to negotiate their way in."
Usopp scoffed. "That's because these bozos aren't even in her class."
Vivi crossed her arms. "And you reckon Mrs. Lin Lin's son is going to recognize you for being a somewhat decent student?"
"It's worth a shot," he retorted.
"Suit yourself," Vivi said, dismissing him with a wave. "I'll save myself the embarrassment and wait at the back."
"Fine," he said smugly. "Once I get my chocolate pastry, I'll be waiting for you guys."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Sure thing."
He turned around and began jogging down the line. Nami and Vivi inched slowly forward, taking in the new scenery of the area.
"Isn't it nice to relax every once in a while?" Vivi asked.
Nami raised an eyebrow. "You mean while we're standing here for the next hour to spend money on some overpriced bread?"
Vivi pressed her lips into a thin line. "This 'overpriced bread' is pretty popular."
"Popularity doesn't reflect quality."
"Now we're getting philosophical here?"
A guy bumped her shoulder as he was walking past. He continued walking with a woman and cut the line about halfway through.
"What the hell?" she fumed.
At a closer look, Nami could tell it was Zoro and Tashigi. She wasn't surprised - they cut the line all the time during lunch.
"This guy," she grumbled. "Stay here and keep our spot."
"What?" Nami grabbed her wrist. "Don't tell me..."
"I'm going to tell him to get his ass behind us."
"No, you're not."
"Yes. I am."
She tugged her wrist away and began marching down the line. Nami could see other people walking up behind her, but she didn't care about losing their spot. She followed Vivi.
"Hey! Zoro!" Vivi called. "What's your issue?"
Zoro barely glanced behind him, his expression stoic.
"Zoro!" she repeated. "You can't just cut here!"
He shrugged. "Look around. No one else seems bothered."
Nami scanned the crowd. They all seem pretty annoyed to her.
"I don't care," she said. "You might get away with this during lunch, but I don't have the patience today."
"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" he said, and then his eyes trailed over to Nami.
Tashigi looked back but didn't say a word.
Nami swallowed once. "Vivi, it's really fine."
"Of course you'd say that Nami," she replied. "You're always too nice."
"That's debatable," he said firmly.
Crap. Of course he'd know about what she said to Luffy. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if the whole school knew at this point.
Nami put a hand on Vivi's shoulder, nudging her to stay back. "Let's go, Vivi. It's not worth it."
She delivered one last glower his way and turned around in a frustrated huff. "He's so insufferable. I don't know what the other girls see in that guy."
"Are we just going to leave Usopp there?"
Vivi paused. "Alright, we'll wait by the fountain."
As they took their seats, Nami rested her palms on the cool cement of the fountain rim, looking up at the sky.
"Are you okay?" Vivi asked.
"Depends on your definition of okay."
"Well, you look like something's bothering you."
A beat passed.
"Is it Zoro? Do I need to go back up there and kick his ass?"
"N-no... that's not necessary."
"Then tell me what's up."
She sighed. "I know you're not fond of me leaving next year, but I don't think everyone would appreciate me staying in Grand Line anyway."
"What's with the self-deprecation? You have plenty of friends."
"And plenty of enemies too, it seems."
"It's just Hancock, isn't it?"
Nami cocked her head to the line that only seemed to be getting longer by the minute. "You don't think green-hair has it out for me?"
"He's just an asshole."
"It's more than that, Vivi," she said. "I practically insulted his captain. Do you think he'd stand for that?"
"He talks about me being dramatic, but after you tell Luffy some things he doesn't like to hear, he pulls this!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, he's acting like you punched his best friend or something."
"I just don't think I was as respectful to Luffy as I could have been."
"Forget that. If he doesn't want to accept the fact that you're going to another school, then that's his problem."
But it's more than that, she wanted to say.
It scared her that Luffy was right. No matter how many times she told him that she wanted to leave on her own accord, he just wouldn't buy it. Just because of that, she lashed out at him, and now she's made enemies with all of his friends. She's made enemies with him.
"I know, but it just sucks to leave on a bad note," was what she said instead.
"Hey," Vivi chided. "No more of that. You have me, Usopp, Rebecca... even Koala. And Sabo is Luffy's friend. He doesn't hate you, right?"
"I guess so."
Her mind drifted back to Hancock. It was hard to believe she went to Mary Geoise in middle school, but that was the only thing that could explain her attitude towards people like Nami. She wondered if their experiences were similar.
They caught Ussop walking back, deflated and empty-handed.
"What happened to your ingenious plan?" Vivi teased.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," he muttered. "You guys already gave up on the line."
"We can always come back later this summer when everything settles down," Nami said.
Vivi checked her watch. "On the bright side, we can get to the movie theater early. We'll probably end up getting good seats."
"We never agreed to a movie," Nami said.
"I vote for the Straw Hat Pirates," Usopp said.
Vivi frowned. "Straw Hat Pirates? I don't know about pirates..."
"I heard it got good reviews, though," Nami said. "We should give it a chance."
"Hmm... I never thought you'd be interested in something like that, Nami."
She shrugged. "People are allowed to change."
⤨
When she got out, Nami expected to be hit with a blinding ray of light that would ache her eyeballs for the next half-hour, but the sky was already dimming and streaked with a vibrant scarlet. The street lights were on.
"Three hours?! That movie was three hours?!" Vivi cried.
Usopp chuckled. "Yeah. The best three hours of my year."
"It was pretty good," Nami admitted. "But I'm in deep trouble now."
"There's no way your dad set up a 6 p.m. curfew; you're fine," Vivi assured.
"He doesn't set curfews; he just gets mad when I don't adhere to a schedule he prefers," she said.
"Just blame it on us," Usopp said. "I mean, it's not entirely wrong that I held you here longer than you wanted..."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Then he'd just tell me I need to find better friends."
"With all due respect..." Vivi began. "Your father kinda sucks."
"Yeah, I get it. But there's not much I can do."
"Why not crash at your sister's place?" Usopp proposed. "Didn't you say she lives in her own apartment?"
"That's not a solution," Nami said with a sigh. "I'd just be running away from my problems."
Vivi shook her head. "Come on, Nami. I can tell how much this has been weighing down on you. You need to give yourself a break every now and then."
"... I'll think about it."
Nami decided to take a taxi back home. After a few months interning at Weatheria Labs, she was able to get a bit more freedom with her spending.
The sun was now beginning to fade, a deep purple nestling its way into the evening sky. The clouds were milky and thin like white trails of smoke, a fiery fuchsia blooming from the edges of the horizon.
Ten minutes later, she was in front of her house. She got out of the car, thanked her driver, and threw him a few dollars of tip.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone sitting on the curb in front of her neighbor's house. Despite still being on the street, she stopped and blinked to make sure she wasn't imagining things.
"... Luffy?"