The Art of Being a Gentleman

CHAPTER THREE

"This shade of blue goes really well with your skin tone," Ricky murmured, holding a shirt up to David's chest. Rachael was bobbing her head in agreement, her arms full of other clothes she had picked out for him. David was standing stock still, eyes flickering around the store to make sure nobody from school was going to come bursting in with a camera. Even having Mack there was bad enough.

"Can you find him a shade of something that makes him look less likely to spew? Because that might help."

"If I didn't have to look at your face so often maybe that would help."

Eventually, Rachael was satisfied with their haul and took him over to the dressing room and urged David to try on everything, even the ones that were the same sizes. David had never spent so much time in one store, it kind of made him nauseous. Maybe Mack was onto something after all.

Stepping out of the stall, David tried to keep the redness from reaching his cheeks as he stood in front of the trio, feeling more uncomfortable than he probably ever had. Except for that one time, some lady at a game asked him to hold her newborn baby while she went to the washroom. David had zero experience with babies. He had had no idea what to do.

"I like it," Rachael smiled, shooting him a thumbs up. "You look really nice!"

David started to smile, "Th-"

"But what's going on with... that? Do you not know how to tie a tie?" Ricky interrupted, gesturing at the long fabric hung around David's neck.

Immediately, he scowled. "I've never had to."

In his typical condescending manner, Ricky tutted and stepped right into David's personal space to expertly form a perfect knot, tightening it just so. "That's a full Windsor. Try that with your next outfit."

"I literally did not watch a single thing you did."

Ricky sighed through his nose and then spent the next minutes teaching David how to tie a stupid necktie that he didn't even want to wear in the first place. Once his knot was deemed acceptable, he was sent back in to try on the next outfit.

This continued for the next half an hour.

Mack thought that the whole situation was hilarious, and constantly mocked David each time he emerged from the dressing room wearing some ridiculous colored dress shirt with a tie.

"That one is good," Mack sat up from where he had been lounging on a bench outside the dressing room.

"Really?" David hesitated, slightly shocked by something positive coming out of his mouth. By Rachael and Ricky's expressions, he didn't think he could trust Mack's opinion.

"Yeah. Good for stopping traffic."

David smacked his friend across the head, which Mack returned with a punch in the gut, which started a big wrestling match, which caused the boys to knock over a couple of mannequins, and ended with the group getting kicked out of the store.

Rachael and Ricky finished the rest of the shopping by themselves.

Mack and David were forced to wait outside like petulant children.

Once the two of them were content with their purchases, consisting of two bags of assorted men's clothing, they all headed back to the food court. Mack had been complaining about being absolutely starved for the last hour because even though he just ate, he was an endless black hole.

 As they found a table, Mack went to buy his next meal and David slumped in his seat.

"Hey, chin up," Ricky encouraged, sitting next to David after holding a chair out for Rachael. "We've got a bunch of nice outfits for you. Alyssa will definitely be impressed."