Sophia smiled at Aaron as he strode into the uniform shop, dressed again in a simple black long sleeved T-shirt, black jeans and black sneakers."
Your uniform is ready Mr. Zakhrov, would you like to try it on and see if it needs alteration?" she asked him politely.
"Yes please. Ms Sophia." said Aaron in his usual cold and clipped voice.
Sophia led him back to the fitting area and brought him a neatly folded white shirt, black pants and black leather oxford shoes.
Aaron disappeared behind the changing screen for a couple of minutes before he came out again, dressed in the black pants, white shirt and Oxfords.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his cold and calculating eyes taking in every detail. The shirt fit perfectly on his broadening shoulders and tapered down to his waist where they tucked into his pants that sat just above his hips.
"Tie please." he asked Sophia holding out his left hand expectantly.
Sophia handed him the tie, and he started tying it into a half Windsor knot before she could offer.
Sophia finally draped the blazer on his shoulders and he pushed his hands through the sleeves, shrugging it on.
"W-What do you think sir?" she asked hesitantly as Aaron adjusted and buttoned the blazer looking at himself in the mirror.
Aaron felt like he had never before. The sleek cut of the blazer and pants made him look and feel taller, the shiny black leather of the oxford shoes lent a touch of elegance to the uniform. He felt powerful, like he could challenge anything and anyone and subjugate them to his will.
"I feel good, the tailoring is perfect, I can see why you like yours. Have 3 more sets ready by the time school starts Ms. Sophia." he answered, his cold blue eyes boring into her bright green eyes.
"Y-Yes sir. Thank you for your patronage." she said hesitantly.
Aaron stepped down from the platform and picked up his old clothes, putting them into a large bag Sophia gave him.
"I shall wear the uniform out, thank you Ms. Sophia." he said handing her his school ID that doubled as a debit card.
Sophia took the school ID in trembling hands and swiped it over the card reader. She had not known how much the uniform would increase Aaron's intimidating presence. He looked and spoke more like a mob boss or a ruthless corporate executive than a student.
Aaron took back the card and left the shop, giving Sophia a nonchalant wave.
The black BMW M5 rumbled through the busy Boston traffic, its twin turbochargers adding a satisfying whistle as the engine revved through precise gear changes executed by its automatic transmission.
Aaron, dressed in his new school uniform was sitting in the front passenger seat, his regular clothes in the large bag Sophia had given him.
Ivan, driving the car, shot a sideways glance at Aaron, the uniform had seemed to have awakened something in Aaron that Ivan wasn't sure if he liked or understood.
All he knew, was Aaron's cold and calculating demeanor now had a hint of assertiveness and confidence that wasn't there previously.
Ivan glanced at the crucifix of the rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror of the car offering a silent prayer that Aaron would grow out of this strangely domineering phase.
The car pulled into the parking lot of the local mall and father and son disembarked.
"What is my maximum budget for the new school laptop Father?" asked Aaron in his cold clipped voice.
"2000." said Ivan trying and failing to match Aaron's cold and clipped demeanor.
They entered the mall, and Aaron proceeded straight to the computer store, his oxford shoes making sharp clicking noises on the tiled floor, his black blazer and pants lending maturity and structure to his developing body. Ivan followed close behind him, marveling at how much the uniform changed Aaron's appearance.
Aaron closely studied each laptop on display, his analytical eyes roving over their design and specifications.
He finally stopped at a massive 17-inch black laptop with large vents and angular molded plastic bodywork. "This one shall do nicely." he told his father.Ivan looked over the laptop and its specifications. It had very powerful CPU, GPU and large memory and storage drive capacities out of the box. It was also just within the budget he had given Aaron. However, he felt that it was quite bulky and heavy for a school laptop.
"Are you sure son? It might be too heavy to lug around every day." he asked Aaron.
Aaron carefully picked up the display laptop and hefted it experimentally. "Yes, it will be fine." he said.
Ivan shrugged, the laptop was within budget, and it seemed high quality and durable. "Alright." he said pulling out his card.
The rest of the shopping trip for school supplies was uneventful. They got new notebooks, and ink cartridges for Aaron's fountain pen.
On the way back home, Ivan couldn't resist asking. "Why did you decide to wear the uniform out of the shop?"
Aaron frowned slightly as he pondered the question. "It is difficult to explain. I feel more like myself in it, that's all I can tell." he said.
As they approached the secluded streets of their neighborhood. Ivan pulled over the BMW. "Would you like to try driving?" he asked dangling the keys in front of Aaron.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure father? I'm not 16 yet." he asked
"In that uniform, you look and behave like a short dude who's 20. Do you want to try it or not?" growled Ivan.
Aaron's eyes lit up, and his cold demeanor fell away. "Yes please!" he said before carefully schooling his expression back to his usual cold and calculating self.
Ivan sent a silent prayer of thanks and relief. Aaron, for just a few seconds looked normal. He handed Aaron the keys and got out.
Aaron seated himself in the driver's seat of the BMW and experimentally revved the engine.The car responded to his pushing of the throttle, giving out a powerful rumble followed by the high-pitched whistle of the turbochargers.
Left foot firmly pressing on the brake pedal, Aaron shifted the gear to drive mode and slowly let off pressure on the brakes.The car rolled forward slowly, Aaron gripping the steering wheel firmly.
"That's it slow and easy." said Ivan from the front passenger seat.
Aaron made a couple of laps around the neighborhood, slowly getting the feel of the car and how to properly steer it.
"Alright, I think you can try giving it a little more gas." said Ivan cautiously.
Aaron nodded and put a little more pressure on the throttle.
"Now remember, the faster you go, the faster you need to respond and the calmer you need to be. Panicking is the worst thing that can happen at high speeds." instructed Ivan as the BMW let out another powerful rumble and started to move faster.
After a couple of laps at 15 mph, Ivan called a halt.
"You picked that up quite well! What do you think?" asked Ivan.
Aaron frowned thoughtfully at the wheel. "It felt a little underwhelming to be honest, Father. The car responds to me, but I feel like it responds when it chooses to." he finally said.
Ivan nodded thoughtfully. He had observed Aaron trying to keep the car in a high gear with the paddle shifters, but the car's driving aids stubbornly kept downshifting to the lower gears to prevent engine stall whenever Aaron let off the gas to stay within the 20 mph speed limit.
"I'll keep in mind that you would prefer a fully manual transmission when you turn 16." he said as Aaron pulled into the driveway.