"Do you think that Zakhrov boy is a part of the Russian mob?" Asked Emily Clarke of her friend Daisy Eddington.
Daisy shook her head her long blonde ponytail bouncing from side to side. "How am I supposed to know Emily? He sure does behave like one" she said suppressing a shudder. Emily tucked her brown hair behind her ear and regarded Daisy thoughtfully. "I think he is. And I'm going to get Mommy to investigate him. Get me his school ID will you?" she told Daisy as she stood from the bench in the school's courtyard, buttoning her blazer and smoothing down her skirt.
The almost Draconian uniform code at St. Ignatius Academy mandated that students have their blazers buttoned closed when standing, their sleeves rolled down and their shirts or blouses tucked in at all times. Emily found the code tedious, but as a senator's daughter, she had a strong sense of responsibility to follow the rules.
"Why me?" asked Daisy fearfully as they walked across the parking lot, she was terrified of the cold, calculating and quiet boy who sat next to her during class. She had heard that Aaron's revving of his car engine had got Viola Davis so traumatized that she had left school.
"Because you sit next to the twerp and can snap a picture of his school ID" said Emily coldly, not caring that Daisy was clearly terrified of the prospect.
"E-Emily I don't think I can do that. What if he really is Mafia and orders a hit on me?" whimpered Daisy.
"He's not going to be able to do that you useless bimbo!" snapped Emily annoyed by Daisy's fear.
Daisy screamed and cowered behind Emily at the sound of a loud, menacing rumble.
"Daisy! Get off me!" shouted Emily, struggling to maintain balance as Daisy clung to her for dear life.
"He's here" screamed Daisy as the source of the rumble, a massive black BMW M5 pulled into the parking lot. It turned, and reversed into a parking spot just half a meter from where Emily and Daisy stood. Daisy still rooted to the spot, clinging onto Emily's forearm.
"D-Daisy you're hurting me" said Emily wincing as Daisy's long fingernails dug into her sleeve.
The tinted window of the BMW rolled down to reveal the object of their discussion, Aaron Zakhrov looking coldly at them. "Is something the matter Ms. Eddington and Ms Clarke?" he asked coldly.
Daisy let out a whimper and hid behind Emily. Emily rolled her eyes and glared at Aaron. "What? Are you going to try and ram into us as well?" she snarled.
Aaron looked at her coldly, "Would you perhaps happen to have a baseball bat to vandalize my car?" he asked her.
"W-What? Of course not, why would I do that?" demanded Emily.
"Well that was the only reason I revved like that in front of Ms. Davis" snapped Aaron, his voice like ice.
Daisy timidly poked her head out from behind Emily. "I-Is that what happened?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, that is what happened, which is why I'm here and Ms. Davis is not." said Aaron as he and Ivan got out of the car. "Aaron might speak and act like a mob boss, but he's actually a great big softie, so don't worry girls" chuckled Ivan.
"Thanks dad" said Aaron coldly and left for the main entrance without another glance at the girls.
Ivan chuckled as Aaron left. "I take it that you two are his classmates?" he asked Emily and Daisy.
Daisy blushed and nodded, while Emily scowled. "Come along Daisy, we'll be late for class" she said, pulling Daisy behind her. Daisy gave Ivan an apologetic wave as she was dragged away by an embarrassed and irate Emily. Ivan looked at their retreating backs in confusion before shrugging and getting back in the car to drive to MIT.
Emily was furious that she didn't have any dirt on Aaron. Viola Davis' expulsion had been a very expensive complication for her mother's campaign due to her vocal support for the BLM movement, advocated by Viola's parents who were among her key backers. She had used her money and influence to make it appear that Viola had left St. Ignatius for medical reasons instead of being expelled. Since most of the student body had either seen or heard of Aaron's altercation with Viola, and he had escaped punishment, rumors linking him to organized crime had started to circulate. With a huff, she sat at her usual place in front of the classroom, casting a venomous glance at Aaron who was sitting near the middle of the classroom, already absorbed in his laptop.
Aaron stared at his laptop screen thoughtfully. While he wasn't aware of the rumors circulating among his classmates, he was aware of their fear of him.He wondered if there was a way to better explore these feelings of dominance and sadism he had. With that resolve, he started up the RenPy SDK to start a Visual Novel based on his ideas of dominance and sadism.
"U-um Aaron?" said a timid voice next to him. He looked up from the tutorial program code to see Daisy Eddington standing next to his seat, looking very nervous. "What is it Ms. Eddington?" he asked her coldly.
Daisy fidgeted nervously with the hem of her uniform skirt. "I-I'm sorry I thought you were part of the Russian mob" she whispered mortified.
Aaron looked at her with a hint of amusement in his cold eyes. "So that's what people think of me?" he asked her.
"U-um well Viola left school right after that incident with you for medical reasons, and you didn't get any punishment, so everyone thinks it is because you have mob connections and are forcing Father Joseph to keep you" mumbled Daisy, realizing how silly it sounded.
"Ms. Eddington, does Father Joseph strike you as someone who would be intimidated by a 13-year-old member of organized crime?" asked Aaron coldly.
Daisy stared at him for a few seconds and then burst into a fit of giggles. "No I suppose not," she said. "Wait, are you only 13?" she asked him as the full extent of what Aaron said crystallized.
"Yes I am," said Aaron coldly.
"I see. W-well sorry again" said Daisy, embarrassed again that she was so scared of someone 2 years younger than her. Aaron gave her a nonchalant wave as she returned to her desk.
Things settled into a routine for Aaron after that initial meeting with Emily and Daisy.
Aaron attended classes and quietly worked on his game in his free time, while classmates still gave him a wide berth.
Despite Daisy telling everyone that Aaron was not linked to organized crime and that Viola had in fact threatened to vandalize his car, most students still believed that Aaron was dangerous, even if he was 13. Aaron's cold and Stoic demeanor fueled these suspicions and made it easier for the other kids to believe that he was linked to the mob. Daisy however, made it a point to talk to him, even if his responses were clipped and cold. She found herself growing attracted to his intelligence and his assertiveness and was curious to know more about him.
"Do you have a girlfriend Aaron?" asked Daisy a few days before their midterm tests. Aaron was pouring over a physics textbook in the library, the coursework for subjects other than English and computer science were proving to be quite hard for him.
"Not particularly. I did ask a girl out on a date back before school started, but she said she was a little too old for me" said Aaron in his cold and clipped voice as he copied down a circuit diagram.
"I see" said Daisy, returning to her own assignment, a blush creeping into her cheeks.
They worked in silence until the bell rang, signaling the end of day.
Emily cornered Daisy as she exited the library. "Well? You've been getting closer to him for the better part of the semester. What have you found out?" she demanded of Daisy.
"I-I don't know what you mean" said Daisy somewhat taken aback by Emily's sudden demand.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Have you found any dirt on him, Daisy? Anything that I can use on him?" she said slowly as if talking to a child.
"No I haven't, and I suggest you drop it. Aaron is quite intelligent and much too young for you to try and ruin his life" replied Daisy coldly. She couldn't believe that Emily was still looking for dirt on Aaron.
Emily seized Daisy by her tie and pulled her close. "Listen up you dumb bimbo. The only reason I let you associate with that piece of trash is so that you can come up with something I can use against him. Now either do that or I'll ruin your life. I have plenty of dirt on you. You got that?" she threatened Daisy fiercely.
Daisy looked away holding back tears. "Y-Yes Emily" she whimpered.Emily released her and sauntered off. Daisy took a deep shuddering breath and wrestled with her guilt and shame. She knew Emily's threat was not empty, her parents were deep in debt, and employed by Emily's parents. It would only take a word from Emily to have them dismissed and replaced with other people. Unable to hold back tears, Daisy ran for the guidance counselor's office.
"Shh. It's alright. You did the right thing to come to me" said Father Abel gently stroking Daisy's head as she sobbed into his black cassock.
"I don't know what to do, Father. I cannot refuse Emily. She'll toss my parents out on the streets!" sniffled Daisy.
Father Abel sighed. Despite St. Ignatius Academy having a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying, there was nothing that could be done in this case since there were no witnesses.
"Alright Daisy, here is what you can do. Continue to be friends with Aaron, and whenever Emily asks you for dirt on him, just tell her honestly what you observe. I'm sure Aaron has nothing that Emily will be able to use against him, but I will keep a close eye on everything and step in to protect you both. Alright?" said Father Abel.Daisy dried her tears and stood up. "Thank you for listening Father" she said, a weight lifted off her shoulders by Father Abel's reassurances.
After she had left, Father Abel held his head in his hands. Aaron Zakhrov was making his job even more difficult. First, his little confrontation with Viola Davis had resulted in her expulsion which was covered up by Sarah Clarke, Emily's mother who was running for office. Then, because of the cover-up and the aggressive way Aaron had handled the situation, rumors had started to spread that he was linked to organized crime, causing the more gullible students to react with fear around him. Now, Emily was looking for dirt on him and poor Daisy was being blackmailed into cooperating with her. With a sigh he dialed Ivan's number.