Phones buzzed around the classroom after recess. Daisy felt the atmosphere shift as students whispered and pointed at her.
She discreetly checked her phone and saw that Emily had sent a message to the class group chat.
"Want more proof Zakhrov is a Russian mobster? Check out Daisy Eddington. The poor thing has been forced to get a boob-job and liposuction to please her Russian overlord. #RussianMob #ZakhrovIsAMobster" read the message.
Daisy's heart sank as she read the message, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She looked up to see several students staring at her, some with pity, others with disdain.
Her phone buzzed again, and she saw the group chat blowing up with messages.
"Fr? Fr? That's so sad! Poor Daisy!" read one message.
"That's crazy? She got tatted up as well?" read another.
"I haven't gotten surgery!" she furiously typed back, but her message was drowned out by the flood of replies.
"You've got to say that because he's got a gun to your head, right?" read one message.
"Hey Zakhrov! Leave that poor girl alone!" read another.
"No use asking him over here! He's not even in the group chat!" came another message.
"Yeah, he's too busy counting his dirty money!" read another.
"Guys, stop it! I'm fine! Aaron is not a mobster! I just got a new uniform!" Daisy typed desperately, but nobody bothered to reply.
"All right! Phones away! Class is starting!" barked the teacher, putting an end to the chatter.
A group of boys surrounded Aaron and Daisy once the end-of-day bell rang.
"Hey Zakhrov! You may be a mobster, but you ain't gettin' away with cuttin' up Daisy!" snarled one of the boys.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Have any of you gentlemen had any surgery?" he asked.
"No, but you're about to need some!" growled another boy, cracking his knuckles.
"Hey, Douglas, how long were you out after you got your wrist broken in Lacrosse practice?" asked Aaron.
Douglas, the first boy, looked confused. "Couple of weeks, why?" he asked.
"So a broken wrist needed a couple of weeks to heal, but plastic surgery is supposed to heal in less than a day?" asked Aaron.
"That's enough! Aaron didn't do anything! I just got a new uniform!" shouted Daisy, stepping in front of Aaron.
"That's exactly what happened. Now beat it all of you!" snarled Father Abel, who had entered the classroom in time to hear Daisy's protest.
"Hey Teach! You've been coverin' Zakhrov's ass all semester! You a wise guy?" asked Douglas, puffing himself up.
"Definitely wiser than you'll ever be, Douglas! Now get lost, before you get pulled up for threatening a kid half your size!" Father Abel shot back.
The boys filed out, grumbling under their breath.
"You two. Come with me," growled Father Abel to Aaron and Daisy.
----
"You really are a piece of work Zakhrov! I've never had to deal with so much of drama over a damn wardrobe malfunction," grumbled Father Abel, as Aaron and Daisy sat before him in his office.
"Father Abel, please! Aaron did nothing wrong!" said Daisy, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"I know, I know. I didn't mean to cause you further distress, Daisy," said Father Abel, dropping his harsh tone.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Aaron, I know you meant well, but teenage mob mentality can't be countered with logic." he explained.
"I don't understand how they can keep up their biology GPA and not know how cosmetic surgery works," sighed Aaron.
"Not everyone has your iron-willed control over their hormonal impulses Aaron," chuckled Father Abel.
"And others just want to feel superior by bullying others," added Daisy, her voice trembling.
"Exactly. Challenging Emily was good, Daisy, but you need to keep a low profile until this blows over," said Father Abel.
"I understand, Father. I'll be careful," said Daisy, wiping her eyes.
"Good. I've contacted Ivan, he has agreed to be here early from now on to pick you up, and I've asked Javier to escort you from class to the parking lot," said Father Abel.
"Won't that cause more attention and rumors?" asked Aaron.
"Maybe, but it's better than having you two assaulted by a mob of jealous teenagers," said Father Abel.
"Thank you, Father," said Daisy, her voice steadying.
The door opened and Javier, one of the school's security guards, entered.
"Ivan's just pulled up. I'll escort you two to the parking lot," he said, nodding to Father Abel.
----
"I wonder if we should lean into these rumors instead of trying to fight them," observed Aaron, as Ivan drove him and Daisy home.
"What are you talking about?" asked Daisy.
"The zero tolerance policy of St. Ignatius Academy only extends to its campus. If other students stop believing the rumors, it could lead to assaults and harassment outside of campus because they have nothing to fear from a physically smaller and weaker 13-year-old whose parents are teachers. On the other hand, the implication that I am a child of a Russian mob boss who can order a hit on them and their families will cause even the most thick-skulled thug to reconsider assaulting us," explained Aaron.
"Ooh so, we pretend that you are a ruthless gangster, and I am the helpless gun moll?" giggled Daisy.
"Why not? I like the idea of arranging a tragic accident for Ms. Emily Clarke," said Aaron trying to imitate the accent and demeanor of a Russian criminal.
"You're good" whispered Daisy.
"I don't like having the reputation of a Russian mob boss, but I see your point. It did offer some degree of protection for me when I was in school," said Ivan wondering how his own father, who was an immigrant construction worker, felt when he decided to play that stereotype in school to protect himself from being bullied.
"Dad, I would like to get marksmanship training during our winter break. A Russian mob boss needs to know his way around a gun," said Aaron.
"Guns and pretending to be a mob boss are not going to solve our problems Aaron," said Ivan, as they pulled into the driveway.
"I understand, but I would still like to learn to exercise my right to bear and use arms," said Aaron.
"I would like to learn as well Mr. Zakhrov. At least to be aware of the actual power a gun possesses instead of what they show in movies," said Daisy.
"All right. But only how to handle and use a gun. There will be no firearms in my house," said Ivan sternly.