I woke up early the next morning with my leg in so much pain that I had to bury my face against my pillow to hide my whimpers. After a few minutes of trying to stretch it out a little, I got out of bed and leaned heavily on my cane as I gathered my shower stuff.

                I went down to the showers and washed myself, legging the warm water ease my leg a bit. I slumped against the wall of the shower, turning the temperature up, wishing I could burn the whole damn leg.

                I closed my eyes, running my hands through my wet hair, feeling my anger crashing through every inch of my body. My body would never be the same. My leg would never work right. Sometimes I wonder if it would've been better if they'd just amputated the damn thing.

                Opening my eyes, I glared down at my leg, at the scars decorating it, at the off angle it settled at. I slowly curled my toes, hating the way they twitched in the process.

                Tears welled in my eyes and I wasn't sure if the water rolling down my cheeks was from me or the shower.

                I shut the water off and grabbed my towel, wiping my face off, swallowing my frustration. I would always be Kai the cripple. Kai the poor boy. Kai the tragedy. Kai who lost his future.

                I wrapped the towel around my waist and left the shower, going into my room and getting dressed. Jordan was up, digging through his closet for his shower things.

                "You were gone all night," he said, standing up.

                "Well, mom, if you want to know, I was in the library so I could avoid you," I snapped. "Should I ask you for permission next time? Text you hourly updates?"

                He pursed his lips and left the room without another word. I pulled my shoes on, slung my bag over my shoulder, and left the dorm building.

                The trip to the academic building was slow. I had to keep stopping to rest my leg, afraid it would give out and I would fall. I didn't need that added embarrassment on top of everything else that had gone horribly wrong at the Academy.

                By the time I reached the academic building, I gave in and went to Mr. Townsend's class early. If I sat down on the benches in the hallway, I didn't think I'd ever want to get up again.

                Mr. Townsend looked up as I came in. He was typing on his laptop, but he stopped as I took my seat.

                "I'm not helping you with anything, so don't even bother asking," I said, stretching my leg out and leaning my cane against my desk.

                His phone vibrated on his desk and he answered it. "Hello? This isn't a very good time, Emmett. I'm at work. My class starts soon." He was silent for a moment as he listened. "I have a meeting after work. Call your brother. He can help you." He leaned back in his chair. "Well, then you can just figure it out yourself. I'm busy with work, so either you call Beckett or you remain clueless. I have to go."

                He hung up his phone and set it back on his desk, typing at his laptop. He looked up at me after a minute.

                "That was my son," he said.

                "Good for you," I said.

                "My boys are both stubborn," he said. "They were students here." His expression darkened a bit. "I highly urge you to befriend the Blue students. The Maroons are nothing but trouble. I see you're having some problems here, but it'll be much easier if you just make friends with your own classmates."

                "My classmates kind of suck," I said. "But thanks for the unnecessary advice."

                Mr. Townsend just gave a light shrug and returned to whatever he was doing on his laptop. Students began to trickle in as it got closer to class time, but they all ignored me and took their seats, talking to each other.

                The classroom was almost full when the phone rang. Mr. Townsend got up and answered it, leaving the room, the cord trailing him around the doorframe.

                He came back into the room a minute later and hung up the phone. He faced me and I resisted the urge to scream. Couldn't I catch a damn break here?

                "Mr. Constance wants to see you in his office, Kai," Mr. Townsend said. "He said to make sure you know that you're not in any trouble."

                I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder. "Great. I get to go talk to that creepy ass dude. What a way to start my morning."

                Mr. Townsend stepped out of my way so I could leave the room. I left the academic building and started on the path towards the building Mr. Constance was in.

                Shit, right, the Ryan thing. I forgot Mr. Kean had emailed Mr. Constance about Ryan attacking me in the library.

                I reached the building and went inside, trying to remember which way Mr. Constance's office was. The security noticed me and offered a smile.

                "Hello, can I help you?" she asked.

                "Where's Mr. Constance's office?" I asked.

                "Down that hallway there, take a right at the end," she said, pointing.

                I mumbled out a thanks and followed her directions. I gave a knock on the door before letting myself into the office.

                "Kai, please take a seat," Mr. Constance said.

                I sat down across from his desk. There were files spread across his desk and he was typing something on a laptop. He finished whatever he was typing and faced me.

                "Mr. Kean informed me that there was an incident in the library," Mr. Constance said.

                "Shouldn't the headmaster handle this kind of stuff?" I said.

                Mr. Constance shook his head. "I'm looking into the matter. Our discussion here will determine whether Headmaster Constance gets involved or not."

                "Well, I'll tell you what happened and then I want to be left alone about it," I said.

                There was a knock on the door and Mr. Constance looked up. I glanced over my shoulder as the door opened, and felt my mood plummet. This just wasn't my day.

                Two Blues led Jin and Lev into the room. One of them roughly shoved Jin towards the chairs.

                "Now, now," Mr. Constance said, but he was smiling. "Jin, Lev, take a seat." He looked at the Blues. "Thank you, Brendon and Jane. That will be all."

                The two Blues left the room, shutting the door as they went. Jin and Lev sat down, Jin next to me and Lev on his other side.

                Mr. Constance pulled something up on his laptop. "Now, Mr. Kean said the two of you witnessed Kai being attacked in the library."

                "If I'd known I was going to get dragged to your office for stopping them from breaking his legs, I would've just left it alone," Jin said.

                "Kai, what exactly happened?" Mr. Constance asked, ignoring Jin.

                "Ryan, uh, I think his last name started with a V. Anyways, him and his friend whose name I don't even know because I've only been here for less than a week, came into the library and yanked me out of the chair. They were going to hit my bad leg and Jin stopped them," I said.

                "It was Ryan Valentine and Matthew Dalby," Lev said. "Mr. Constance, Jin stopped them from hurting Kai."

                "And Lev wasn't even in the fight. He's not very helpful," Jin said.

                "Why would Ryan and Matthew attack you, Kai?" Mr. Constance asked.

                "Because I wouldn't spy on some people for him or some stupid reason, I don't know," I said impatiently. "I pissed off the Blues so apparently that means they want to kick the shit out of me."

                "I'll bring them down and make sure this doesn't happen again," Mr. Constance said. "They'll be given detention."

                "So they'll sit in a classroom for an hour and do their homework and plot even more ways to kick Kai's ass," Jin said. "Some punishment."

                "Jin!" Lev hissed.

                Mr. Constance held up a hand to Lev. "No, let Jin speak his mind. What punishment would you suggest, Mr. Amano? Clearly you didn't even care enough to inform an adult that Kai had been attacked."

                "Because I knew I'd end up here," Jin said, gesturing to the office. "Besides, if he wanted someone to know he got attacked, he should've said something himself. His leg is bad but his mouth works just fine."

                "We didn't do anything wrong," Lev said. "Jin was just there to read and I was there to find books for a project. Jin stopped them from hurting Kai. I told Ryan and Matthew that I was going to get someone if they didn't leave, and they just said we'd get thrown out instead."

                "And they were right," Jin said. "If Lev got someone, they would've thrown us out of the library and Kai would be in the health center." Jin met Mr. Constance's eyes. "Your pawns are getting a little too violent, Constance. Might want to give them a reminder of what's at stake." Jin tapped his vest.

                Mr. Constance frowned. "Jin, I would've thought that you of all people would report any bullying. After the way your life was ruined by bullying, I didn't think you'd want anyone else to suffer that fate."

                Jin shrugged, face impassive. "If he wanted someone to know, he was perfectly capable of saying something himself."

                "The three of you are dismissed. Kai, I'll be sure to handle the two that gave you problems. I'm sorry you had to experience that. Jin, Lev, you better speak up in the future." His eyes lingered on Jin. "You of all people know that silence only hurts the victim, Mr. Amano."

                "Which is exactly why I don't stay silent." He tapped his Maroon vest again. "I'm sure I'll see you again, Constance."

                He got up and left the office with Lev trailing behind him. I stood up and hurried out, not wanting to be stuck in there with Mr. Constance.

                Jin and Lev were waiting for me in the hallway. Jin had pulled half a straw out of his bag and started chewing on it.

                "Bully victim?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Did they dye your hair? I'd be traumatized too."

                He ran a hand through his white hair. "I did that myself."

                "Poor decision on your part," I said.

                "Not my poorest decision," he said, dropping his hand to his side.

                "How's your leg, Kai?" Lev asked.

                "Permanently crippled," I said. "Also in agonizing pain because I had to catch a dumbass."

                "I didn't ask to be caught," Jin said. "But that's not the point. Play it up today. Look angry, look desperate, look sad. I don't care. Just make the Blues think you're starting to crack under their social pressure."

                "Looking angry is my specialty," I said, gesturing to my face. "Resting Bitch Face champion."

                "We'll get you to the elevator during lunch. Just be ready and don't make it obvious that we're helping you," Jin said and started walking away.

                "You get used to him, I swear," Lev said with a sigh before hurrying to catch up to Jin.

                I took my time heading back to class, making it there just for the end of Mr. Townsend's class. I did what Jin told me to and played up my bitch face. I hung my head when they isolated me in our second class and glared at Jordan all through our third class.

                When it was time for lunch, I made my way to the dining hall, nervous. How did Jin plan to get the others away from the elevator?

                Sure enough, it was blocked off when I reached it. The Blues paid me no mind as they talked and laughed together, tightly blocking off my access to the elevator.

                I spotted Jin as he and Karson entered the dining hall together. Karson was talking to Jin, but Jin ignored him.

                As they neared the elevator, Jin let out an annoyed sigh. "Shut up, Karson."

                "Oh, someone's in a mood," Karson said, slinging an arm around Jin's shoulders.

                "You're not wrong." Jin shoved Karson roughly.

                Karson stumbled and hit one of the Blues guarding the elevator. Karson shoved the Blue and pouted over at Jin.

                "You asshole," the Blue snapped, reaching to hit Karson.

                Karson jumped out of the way, grinning. "Oh, someone thinks he's a tough guy, huh? Think again." He punched the Blue in the face and darted away. The Blues took off, angrily yelling after him.

                I limped into the elevator, catching Jin's eye as the door slid shut. He gave me a slight nod before heading off towards the stairs.

                I left the elevator and got my food, taking a table by myself. I put my headphones on and let my music drown out the chatter of the dining hall. If those Blues had started a fight with Karson, it hadn't lasted long. I didn't hear anyone chanting about it or see a crowd growing.

                When lunch ended, I went back to class and kept playing up how angry I was. It wasn't that hard since my mood was already bad from how much pain my leg was in. Maybe I would have to stop by the health center and pick up pills for the pain.

                When class ended, I hurried away before Jordan or his friends could bother me. I went down to the Peer Program and let myself inside.

                I sat down, rubbing my leg. Lev watched me, frowning.

                "Sorry about last night. If I was closer, I could've caught him instead," he said.

                "I have shitty luck," I grumbled. "So he really just chose to dye his own hair that color? He looks stupid."

                Lev shrugged uncomfortably. "I've never asked him about it. None of us have. His hair has been like that since he got here."

                "Aren't you all bully victims?" I said.

                "I think Mr. Constance was talking about Jin's time before the Academy." Lev shrugged again, glancing at the door. "Jin doesn't really talk about his life outside of the Academy."

                The door opened and Lev snapped his mouth shut. But it was just Amelia and Isaac coming in, and Lev relaxed.

                "But I don't understand," Isaac was saying with a frown. "Wouldn't that weight be too much?"

                "Not if you used lighter materials to build it," Amelia said. She pat his head and he pouted. "Someday you'll understand!"

                "I'm not a kid," he said, swatting her hands away.

                "Boy, do I have some bad news for you, Isaac," Jin said, entering the room.

                Isaac's pout deepened. "I'm nine!"

                "That qualifies as a kid," Karson said. "No amount of your fake dad's money is going to make you an adult."

                Isaac's pout dissolved and he laughed. "That's funny, Karson! You're talking like you know what it's like to have parents!"

                Jin grabbed Karson's arm before he could go after Isaac. "Punt him over a fence later, Kar."

                "So what exactly did you do last night?" I asked as Jin and Karson took their seats.

                "Mr. Langley was in a group email with several teachers, including Mr. Kean, and Mr. Constance. They were discussing Maroon punishments and specific incidents and how they'd handled them," Jin said. "Amelia hacked that conversation and saved the whole batch of emails. We picked a few of the incriminating ones and sent them to Headmaster Constance."

                "And what does that accomplish?" I said, still not understanding.

                "Headmaster Constance is said to be very careful about what he puts in emails," Amelia said, excited. "I'd love to hack his emails and see them. But we heard he's careful about physical evidence of the Academy's abuse."

                "What it does is show him that for as smart as Adam Constance is, he slips up," Jin said. "Adam grew up in a more technologically advanced world than his father. He's used to emailing and texting and all of that. He doesn't always think about how even deleting those messages doesn't really get rid of them. We remind Headmaster Constance about this and hope he pushes back his retirement by another year or two, just in case we can't take down Adam before we graduate."

                "And having the incriminating emails can come into play later," Karson said, grinning. "We're going to take Adam down or die trying."

                "Stop being so dramatic," Jin said, smacking him in the back of the head. "But yes, the more dirt we can get against Adam, the easier it'll be to take him down."

                "So you want the headmaster to stay the headmaster?" I said. I felt like I was just getting more confused.

                "Headmaster Constance is a shitty man," Jin said. "But he's also a father, and his youngest son finally got to him. He's been taking it easier on the Maroons. If we can't stop Adam, we want Headmaster Constance in control for as long as possible."

                The door opened and we shut up about it. Mr. Kean came in and set his things down on the teacher's desk. Jin and Isaac set their lists on their desks and he looked them over.

                We all got to work, Mr. Kean mostly moving between Amelia and Isaac and trying to help them. Jin's words kept going through my head as I tried to piece this all together.

                So their goal was to either take down Adam Constance, or else keep the lesser of two evils in charge? Still, they were just a group of kids. What could they possibly do about the abuse here? If no one had stopped it by now, I doubted they'd be the ones to do it. Surely others had tried.

                The Peer Program passed painfully slow. I managed to finish my work, and sat drawing on the back of my notebook as Mr. Kean finished helping Amelia with something.

                "Alright, we'll dismiss for today," Mr. Kean said, checking the time. "Isaac, don't forget your science textbook tomorrow."

                "Okay, Mr. Kean!" Isaac said brightly.

                Mr. Kean gathered his things and left the room. Jin got up and came over to me. He looked a little less shaky than usual, so his friends probably had him eating today.

                "Hey, what happened to you in the dining hall?" I asked, glancing at Karson. "God, I hope they pushed you down the stairs."

                "Rude!" Karson said, scowling. "I risked myself so your crippled ass could get lunch. And for your information, a security guard caught me and kicked me out of the dining hall."

                "You had money for the market. You were fine," Jin said.

                "Heartless," Karson said. "You're all heartless. I make heroic sacrifices for you and get no recognition."

                "Shut up." Jin turned his attention back to me. "Go back to your room. Tell Jordan you're siding with them. Tell him you heard us mention something about going to the computer lab tonight. You don't know if it means anything, but it's all we let drop."

                "Then the games begin," Karson said, his grin coming back.

                "The Blues will leave you alone, the Maroons won't go near you, and you'll help us stop the abuse here," Jin said. "But we're not like them. You can drop us whenever you feel like it."

                "I give it a week," Karson said.

                "I didn't ask for your input," Jin said, elbowing him roughly.

                "So is Kai working with us? Oh, this will be like having a secret agent!" Amelia said, eyes gleaming. "I've always wanted to do something like this. Maybe we can even-"

                Lev clapped a hand over her mouth. "That's enough out of you."

                "I'm leaving," Jin said, heading towards the door.

                The others followed after him. I got up and pulled my bag over my shoulders, taking a deep breath. Alright, this was just to get through the schoolyear. Once things had settled down, I'd get out of this crazy situation and get through the year. I just had to endure it for a few weeks.