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.
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, taking in every detail. The shirt fit
perfectly on his broadening shoulders and tapered down to his waist
where it was tucked into his pants that sat just above his hips.
"Tie please,"
he said, 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 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 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.
He glanced at the
crucifix of the rosary hanging from the rearview mirror of the car
offering a silent prayer that Aaron would grow out of this strangely
domineering phase.
"What is my
maximum budget for the new school laptop, Father?" asked Aaron,
as Ivan pulled into the mall's parking lot.
"2000,"
said Ivan, following Aaron as he walked straight to the computer
shop.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"I think I'll
get this one," said Aaron, running his hand almost reverentially
over a massive 17-inch black laptop with large vents and angular
molded plastic bodywork.
"Are you sure
son? It might be too heavy to lug around every day," Ivan 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.
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 gave out a
powerful rumble, followed by a satisfying whistle from 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.
His expression
turned apprehensive as he spied Annette looking out of the living
room window, her arms crossed and a vein throbbing in her temple.
---
"How could
you?" Annette asked Ivan, after Aaron had retired to his
bedroom.
"I wanted to
try something to break him out of that cold demeanor of his,"
Ivan tried to explain.
"And you
thought letting a 12-year-old take the wheel of that thing was the
answer to that?" shouted Annette
"Well, it
actually worked for a while. Aaron's expression changed from cold, to
excited when I suggested it," he said wearily.
"Men!"
exclaimed Annette, throwing her arms up in frustration and flopping
down on the living room couch.
"Hey, remember
your first try driving it? You nearly plowed into the house across
the street! Aaron managed to drive two laps around the neighborhood
under fifteen miles an hour on his first try!" said Ivan, trying
to defend his son.
"T-that wasn't
on purpose! I told you to get something sensible like a Prius, not
that monstrosity!" snapped back Annette, completely ignoring
Ivan's defense of Aaron.
With a sigh, Ivan
went to the kitchen and poured himself a coke and vodka.
"Explain to me
why he's started to behave like some oil tycoon or business mogul!"
demanded Annette as Ivan returned to the living room.
Ivan took a large
sip of his drink to calm his nerves before he answered her.
"I honestly
don't know. I asked him why he wore the uniform out of the shop, and
all he said was that he felt more like himself in it" said Ivan
Annette sighed
wearily. "I had hoped enrolling him in St. Ignatius would help
him open up, not turn him into this cold, calculating thing" she
grumbled.
"Well maybe we
can ask Father Abel for help" said Ivan, trying hard not to show
how Annette's dismissive attitude towards Aaron hurt him.
---
"Please Father,
you need to help us!" pleaded Annette.
Father Abel sighed
as he surveyed them in his office.
Annette and Ivan had
come to him to tell him that the St. Ignatius Academy uniform had
made a profound impact on Aaron.
Father Abel could
also see that a crack was forming between Annette and Ivan's
relationship. It appeared that Aaron's new attitude was resonating
differently for both of them.
Ivan, while worried
about Aaron's ability to adjust socially, did not see his new
assertiveness as a bad thing and was actually proud and admired
Aaron's self-control and self-discipline as evidenced by his
recounting of the driving lesson.
Annette on the other
hand, felt that Aaron's new assertiveness was a manifestation of
toxic masculinity and that Aaron was going down the path of misogyny
and sexism and blamed Ivan for encouraging such behavior.
"Mr. and Mrs.
Zakhrov. Children of high intelligence such as Aaron, have minds that
can be several years ahead of their emotions. This can be both a
blessing and a curse, they can perceive things as adults do, but can
fixate on them like a child would," he explained carefully.
"So are you
saying he'll grow out of this new attitude?" asked Annette.
"I'm sure he'll
be back to his old self once the novelty of wearing the uniform wears
off," said Father Abel with much more confidence than he felt.
Annette sighed in
relief. "I don't know what I'll do if he starts becoming some
toxic male misogynist. I'm really worried about his belief that only
women in high heels are elegant and sophisticated," she said,
making Ivan frown in disapproval.
"That is no way
to talk about your own son Mrs. Zakhrov! Do not let your ideology
cloud your judgment. Despite his intelligence, Aaron is still a
child. He needs guidance and love, not hostility and accusations,"
said Father Abel sternly.
Annette opened her
mouth to argue back but then stopped and reconsidered. "I
suppose you are right," she admitted grudgingly.
"On to other
items, I assume you monitor Aaron's online activity?" he asked
Ivan.
"Well yes. All
of Aaron's personal devices have firewalls and parental controls on
them. However, he may be sophisticated enough to bypass those
systems," said Ivan.
"Have you
noticed any unusual online activity? If so, then there could be other
factors influencing his behavior," said Father Abel.
"Not to my
knowledge. I regularly check with both my internet service and my
phone providers and Aaron has not made any unusual web searches,"
said Ivan firmly.
Father Abel sighed
in relief. It looked like Aaron (at least to his parent's knowledge)
was not actively searching for potentially age-inappropriate content.
"Alright. I'll
monitor Aaron's behavior carefully once he starts school. I'm sure
we'll be able to get to the bottom of this," he assured them,
anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach that Aaron's ability to
quickly pick up a skill might just be a much bigger problem than
anyone anticipated.
