I left the Peer Program and made my way to the library. I thought about spending my time in the café, but I didn't want anyone coming over and dumping their drink on me.

                So I checked the map of the library, trying to determine where the quietest place would be. There was a basement level that had book shelves, rooms for group work, and rooms for silent solo work.

                I limped my way to the elevator and took it down to the basement level. Here, there were no windows and probably not a lot of students. I could hide out here for most of the night to catch a break from Jordan and the other Blues.

                The hallways in the basement were cold, and a little creepy. They were dimly lit and pretty narrow, with heavy doors that led off into different sections. There were signs taped up on the wall to help students navigate the maze of hallways, and I followed them until I emerged into an area lined with bookshelves.

                It was quiet, only two other students moving about through it. I ducked behind one of the shelves, realizing that one of the students was Lev.

                But he was focused on searching for a book, his finger gliding over titles. I left out a side door and emerged into a quiet sitting room.

                There were rows of desks separated by thin walls, and a few old couches and chairs at the end of the room so kids could sit and read comfortable. I moved down the rows of desks and sat down at one, putting my bag on the ground and taking a notebook out of it.

                I looked around, mentally groaning as I spotted Jin at one of the other desks. He was leaning back in his chair, hat tipped up and book in his hands. If he'd noticed me entering, he didn't show up. His eyes stayed on the words of his book, chewing on his straw as he flicked the page.

                I turned around and flipped my notebook open, getting to work on an assignment due next week. It was quiet down here, the two of us the only one in this part. The basement was freezing, but I liked the silence and the smell of old books that lingered in the air.

                I found myself able to sink into the work. I found all the schoolwork pointless, but it was nice to have a distraction after the mess today had been.

                My leg was still sore from taking the stairs in the dining hall. Shit, if they kept doing that to me, I might just have to be their spy. My leg would give out if I took those stairs too often.

                Time in the library passed peacefully. I heard the sounds of Jin turning the pages of his book, and the sound of my pencil scratching out letters on the paper. Every once in a while, the air conditioner would kick in and give a little hum as it worked. The sounds were relaxing, and it was easy to lose myself here.

                I heard the door opening, but paid it no mind. I was surprised Jin and I had managed to be the only two people in here for so long, anyways. As long as the new person here was quiet, I didn't care.

                "Well, look who it is."

                Goddammit.

                I looked up from my notebook. Two Blues were standing there, watching me. One of them was Ryan, which instantly made me nervous. He'd been ready to break Karson's nose. What would he do to me?

                "Not surprised you're hiding out here with Amano," Ryan said, nodding towards Jin.

                I looked over, but Jin wasn't paying any attention to us. He was still reading the book, calmly turning the page. He had to hear Ryan since we were so close, but his face was expressionless and he didn't acknowledge us at all.

                "Sorry, next time I'll only go to the library when there are no Maroons here, just so you don't get the wrong idea," I said.

                "I think there's more between you and that lot than you want us to know," Ryan said.

                "You caught me. We have secret movie nights every Tuesday and don't invite you," I said.

                "We can give you another chance, Kai. It doesn't have to be like this," Ryan said. "You can help us and Mr. Constance will reward all of us. The Academy will be a better place without Jin's group running around."

                "Why the hell would I care? I'm graduating and when I do, I won't think about this place again. I don't need Mr. Constance to invite me to some fancy ass party. You want the reward? Do the work yourself," I said, turning away from the two of them.

                "Shame, this could've been a lot easier," Ryan said with a sigh.

                The chair was yanked backwards and I stumbled out of it, hitting the ground hard. I twisted my body to make sure my bad leg wouldn't hit the ground, and tried to scramble up into a sitting position.

                I winced as they whipped my notebook at my face. Ryan picked up my cane and tossed it across the room. His friend snickered and kicked my bag at me.

                "You'll learn your place," Ryan assured, picking up my bag and aiming it at my bad leg.

                No, no, no.

                My panic grew and I tried to get up, wincing when my bad leg wouldn't cooperate. Ryan was smirking, my bag clutched tightly in his hands.

                "He'll learn his place after you learn yours."

                Ryan yelped as my cane collided with the backs of his knees. He fell to his knees, my bag tumbling out of his hands to the ground.

                His friend spun as Jin brought the cane around again and hit him in the knee. The Blue stumbled backwards, wincing in pain.

                "I don't care to get involved in Blue affairs. But this is just a pathetic child throwing a tantrum, and I'm trying to read," Jin said, tossing the cane on the floor next to me. "This is a library. Shut up and let me read in peace."

                "You worthless fucking addict," Ryan snarled.

                Jin shrugged. "Hey, we all have our vices."

                Ryan got back to his feet and slammed Jin up against the wall, fists knotted in his maroon vest. "We'll crush you and your Maroon group."

                "You're being overdramatic," Jin said, gripping his wrists and prying them off, twisting his body out of Ryan's grip. He ducked low, avoiding the punch Ryan threw, and darted away from the wall.

                "Hey!"

                Lev ran into the room, looking angry. "Get out before I get someone to throw you out."

                Ryan barked a laugh. "Go get someone. They'll just toss you scum out." He tapped his vest. "You're not shit at Constance Academy."

                Jin was standing between me and Ryan, but I saw the way his eyes darted between Ryan and the other Blue, making sure neither of them were going to attack any of us. I had managed myself into a sitting position, but I couldn't get up without a struggle and I didn't want to give Ryan and his friend the satisfaction of watching that.

                "Whatever, they're not worth it, Ryan," his friend said. "Let's get out of here."

                "This isn't over," Ryan said, glaring at Jin before following his friend out of the room.

                "Jin, are you okay?" Lev asked once the door had shut.

                "I'm not the one on the ground," Jin said.

                He bent down and helped me up. He let me hook an arm around his shoulders, putting a hand on my back so I wouldn't fall over. Once I was up, he handed me my cane.

                "Are you okay, Kai?" Lev asked, and he looked genuinely worried.

                "I'm fine," I grumbled. My leg was okay, but my dignity wasn't in very good shape.

                Jin chewed on his straw. "Most of them don't get violent so early. Ryan just got a taste of superiority and became a glutton for it."

                "I hate this Academy," Lev said, shaking his head. "Headmaster Constance should stop his son from letting this go on. Someone's going to get hurt."

                "Headmaster Constance doesn't care," Jin said. "He'll retire soon, and it'll be his son's problem. Mr. Constance knows how to work a crowd. Feed them power so they do your bidding, but control them with fear so they don't go too far. Give them an incentive and a position of power, they go crazy just how he wants them to."

                "They attacked a disabled kid who's one of theirs!" Lev said angrily, gesturing to me.

                "It's easy to go after the weak," Jin said, but there was nothing condescending in his voice. "He's new here. No friends, limited physical ability, and with them all ganging up together, no one will believe him over all of them. He's the perfect target."

                "I'm standing right here," I said impatiently.

                "Hardly," Jin said, wincing and sighing when I whacked him with my cane.

                "They're going to keep going after you if you don't help them," Lev said to me, running a hand through his hair.

                "Wow, thanks, I hadn't noticed," I said dryly.

                "You have three choices," Jin said, slumping against the wall. "One, you can give in and do what they want. They'll use you, but you'll be too valuable for them to hurt. Two, you keep being stubborn. They'll get worse and worse towards you, and the Maroons will steer clear of you."

                "These are all such lovely choices so far," I said. "And just what is three?"

                "I doubt you'll like three much. Three is you join us," he said.

                I don't know who gave him a more shocked look; me or Lev.

                "Join us?" Lev said, voice choked.

                "Join you?" I said, incredulous.

                Jin nodded, pushing the brim of his hat up so we could see his eyes. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

                "You don't actually have any expressions," I said impatiently.

                "See? You fit in already," Jin said.

                "Hold on, hold on," Lev said. "This is a bad idea and you know it, Jin. Isaac is one thing. He's protected. But Kai isn't. They'll toss him in with the Maroons if they find out he's with us."

                "So? He's not having much luck as a Blue," Jin said.

                "I can speak for myself," I said, whacking him with my cane again. "I want to be left alone here."

                "Well that's not an option." I stared at him in surprise. There was a hard edge to his words now. "They don't let you be alone here. You're either a bully or you're bullied. Or, you stand up the best you can on your legs and you fight back."

                "Jin," Lev said, and he suddenly looked tired. "This isn't Kai's fight."

                "He's wearing a vest. That makes it his fight," Jin said. "Ryan isn't the only one who will take it too far. Mr. Constance is in their ears again. He wants to take us down."

                "What's so special about you guys?" I asked.

                "Headmaster Constance's kingdom started to slowly come down a decade ago when a group of rebellious Maroon students decided to fight back against the Academy's abuse," Jin said. "One of them was an 11 year old who kept up the rebellion right up until he graduated. Piece by piece, brick by brick, they tore down Constance's authority until the Maroons were finally starting to head in the direction of fair treatment. Adam Constance doesn't like that. He doesn't want that. We're a threat to him, because we're one of the very few groups he hasn't been able to crush yet. He's afraid rebellious students will tear down his authority, too."

                I sat down in my chair. "This is insane."

                "Jin, you're saying too much," Lev said nervously.

                "I'm not saying anything he won't find out eventually," Jin said. "There were two largely successful groups of rebellious students here. But they didn't have an end goal. They were just trying to keep the hopes of the other students strong so they could make it through the abuse here. We have a goal."

                "Jin!" Lev said, shooting him a look.

                "And what's your goal?" I asked, knowing Jin would ignore Lev.

                Jin met my eyes. "To crush Adam Constance."

                I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Okay, okay, wait. You and, what, four other kids are trying to take down the future headmaster of the Academy? Yea, good luck with that plan."

                "The worst thing that happens is that we fail," Jin said. "Like you've been saying all along; we'll graduate and it won't be our problem anymore. But if we can end the abuse here, or at least make things better, then why wouldn't we?"

                "I don't want any part in this," I said, grabbing my notebook off the ground.

                "You don't have a choice anymore. If you side with them, they'll protect you. If you side with us..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged.

                Lev shot him a look. "If you side with us, we'll protect you. Jin's not very good at expressing kindness."

                "He's not very good at expressing anything," I said.

                "Well, he's not wrong," Jin said.

                "Huh, I could side with the entire blue vest side of the Academy, or five kids in way over their heads," I said thoughtfully. "Decisions, decisions."

                "Five kids who don't abuse people," Lev said. He paused. "Okay, four kids who don't abuse people. Karson's a bit of an ass," he amended.

                "Your life, your choice. But staying neutral won't work and you can't switch sides here." Jin went over to the desk he had been at and shoved the book in his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and headed for the door.

                Lev shot me a nervous look before hurrying after Jin. The two of them left the room together and I slumped back against the chair.

                This was such a bizarre situation. Could Mr. Constance really have that much of an influence that he got the students to act violently against each other?

                But...

                It did make sense. Jin was right; if he went after the ambitious and influential students and bribed them with promises of his influence and connections, they would convince their friends. It would trickle through the students, turning them against the Maroons. Even the ones who didn't care about the rewards Mr. Constance was promising would get swept up in the hype of it all. Plus, they'd be afraid of the same fate I was currently enduring, so they'd go along with it, or at least stay quiet about it. And Mr. Constance controlled them with the threat of making them the next target, stripping away their power and leaving them helpless in a Maroon vest.

                I looked down at the blue vest I was wearing, running my fingers over the fabric. I knew what choice was the easiest. I knew that both choices were bad, but I also knew which was the better of two evils.

                I gripped my cane tightly. Jin was right; neither side would let me stay in neutral territory. And even as my mind tried to be rational about the situation, I already knew which side I was going to pick.