"Do you think that Zakhrov boy is a part of the Russian mob?"
asked Emily Clarke.
Daisy Eddington
shook her head, her long blonde ponytail bouncing from side to side.
"How am I
supposed to know Emily?" she asked.
Emily tucked her
brown hair behind her ear. "I think he is. And I'm going to get
Mommy to investigate him. Get me his school ID, will you?" she
told Daisy.
"Why me?"
asked Daisy.
"Because you
sit next to the twerp," said Emily.
"E-Emily I
don't think I can do that. What if he really is Mafia and orders a
hit on me?" asked Daisy.
"He's not going
to be able to do that you useless bimbo!" snapped Emily.
Daisy screamed and
cowered behind Emily as a loud, menacing rumble echoed through the
parking lot.
"Daisy! Get off
me!" shouted Emily, struggling to maintain balance as Daisy
clung to her for dear life.
"He's here!"
shrieked Daisy as a black BMW M5 pulled into the parking lot.
It turned slowly,
like a predator encircling its prey, and reversed into a parking spot
just a few feet from where Emily and Daisy stood.
"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.
"Is something
the matter Ms. Eddington and Ms Clarke?" he asked.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"What? Are you
going to try and ram into us as well?" snarled Emily.
"Would you
perhaps happen to have a baseball bat to vandalize my car?"
countered Aaron.
"W-What? Of
course not, why would I do that?" demanded Emily.
"Well then ask
Ms. Davis, she brought a bat, so I had to improvise," snapped
Aaron.
Daisy poked her head
out from behind Emily. "I-Is that what happened?" she
asked.
"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.
"Don't worry
girls, Aaron's quite the gentleman," chuckled Ivan, ruffling
Aaron's hair.
"Later, Dad,"
said Aaron, 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.
Daisy blushed and
nodded, while Emily's lips curled unpleasantly.
"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.
Ivan shrugged, and
got back in the car to drive to MIT.
Emily glared at
Viola's empty seat, and then back at Aaron, who was sitting near the
middle of the classroom, hidden behind a black plastic behemoth of a
laptop. Her hands shook as she recalled the fallout of the "incident"
between Aaron and Viola.
"You're going
down Zakhrov, one way or another," she silently vowed to
herself.
Aaron stared at his
laptop screen thoughtfully, replaying an earlier conversation he had
with Father Abel about safe outlets.
"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.
"What is it Ms.
Eddington?" he asked her.
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.
"And why would
you make that assumption?" asked Aaron raising an eyebrow.
"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.
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.
"I see. W-well
sorry again," said Daisy.
Aaron gave her a
nonchalant wave as she returned to her desk.
----
"Do you have a
girlfriend Aaron?" asked Daisy a few days before their midterm
tests.
"I asked a girl
out on a date before school started, but she said I was too young,"
said Aaron 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.
"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 asked slowly, as if talking to a child.
"No I haven't,
and I suggest you drop it, Emily. You know what happened now,"
replied Daisy.
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 your life is over. You got that?"
she whispered.
Daisy looked away,
her eyes starting to leak tears. "Y-Yes Emily," she
whimpered.
Emily released her
and sauntered off.
Vision blurring,
Daisy ran for the guidance counselor's office.
