It was nearly four hours before we were led into the common room, every kid in the dorm squeezing together. Several kids had bandages, bruises, and cuts. Everyone was silent, watching Mr. Hanson, the man in charge of our dorm building.

                "I've spoken with the Constance family," he said once we were all gathered in the room. "This incident is an ugly representation of this Academy, and we are ashamed of every single student who engaged in that violence."

                Some Blues hung their heads or looked away in guilt. Mr. Hanson let that silence hang over us for a few moments before continuing.

                "The Constance family will be launching an investigation into this incident, and the fire alarm incident. There's no proof the two are connected, but if there is a connection, the Constance family will find it. Headmaster Constance will handle addressing today's incident with your parents and guardians. They'll be setting up counselors for you to talk with if you feel you need it. Security will be tighter around campus to prevent this from happening again. Anyone trying to start a fight will be harshly dealt with, regardless of vest color," Mr. Hanson said.

                "We're the ones who are supposed to keep the Maroons under control!" a girl near the front said angrily.

                "Headmaster Constance will handle the Maroons," Mr. Hanson said. "He doesn't want any more students injured. You are all here in Blue vests because you follow the rules. So keep following the rules. Now, return to your rooms. The staff may need to speak with a few of you. All campus activities are cancelled today, and students are to remain in their dorms. The Academy will bring dinner to you. Any information you have regarding this incident should be reported to either myself or the campus security."

                He dismissed us and we went back to our rooms. I was surprised to see Jordan as I entered my room.

                He had a bandage on his forehead, his cheek was swollen, and there was a cut just under his chin. He looked over at me as I entered.

                "Are you okay? I saw you fall," he said, sitting at his desk.

                "Maroons knocked my cane out of my hand," I said. Well, at least he thought it was an accident and not me intentionally trying to get them off of Jin.

                "Those damn Maroons," he said in annoyance.

                "Mr. Constance couldn't get it under control," I said.

                I saw the doubt on Jordan's face, though he tried to shrug it off. "It was a messy situation."

                "Leon handled it," I said. "Some really tired kid got the situation under control, but the actual man in charge couldn't."

                "Mr. Constance will get to the bottom of what happened," Jordan said, though there wasn't much confidence in his voice.

                Good. If even a loyal pawn like Jordan was doubting Mr. Constance, it meant our plan had worked.

                I was a little groggy from my nap, but my pain meds were still working so at least my leg wasn't killing me. I picked up a book, put on Jin's CD, and let my mind wander into the pages to kill time.

                A security guard came to get Jordan after an hour. I kept waiting for someone to come get me for questioning, but it never happened.

                Jordan returned after a while and the two of us didn't speak. As it got later, we went down to the lobby, where dinner was being served.

                I spent most of the night reading, trying not to worry about Jin. He had his friends to help him through the aftermath of this. Besides, no Blues could get to him with everyone being shut into their dorm buildings for the night.

                As it got later, I showered and crawled into bed, taking my pain meds again before letting myself slip off to sleep. Tomorrow, we'd return to classes and see just what had changed around the Academy.

                                                                                                ***

                I gathered my stuff, shoving notebooks into my bag. A guard had returned it to me as they picked up from the chaos yesterday. It had been abandoned in the classroom when the fire alarm went off, but they checked the notebooks for my name to get it back to me.

                My leg was sore, but the pain meds helped a lot. Jordan and I left the dorm building together, walking the path with the other students.

                Blues and Maroons kept a distance from each other as we walked. Security guards were posted around the campus, keeping a careful eye on the students for any hint of trouble.

                We reached the academic building without incident. Jordan and I took our seats in Mr. Townsend's class, and I tried to keep calm. I hadn't seen Jin or his friends on our walk here, but that wasn't uncommon. I had to stop worrying. Jin would be fine. He could handle himself.

                Mr. Townsend stepped towards us as class started. "I am truly disgusted by what I saw yesterday out of all of you. I have two sons, and that sort of violence is exactly what landed them in Maroon classes. All you've accomplished by starting a riot on campus is made everyone even angrier at each other. This sort of incident never happened under Headmaster Constance's policies. I think Mr. Constance's methods need to be evaluated, and I think all of you need to think long and hard about what happened yesterday. Someone could've been seriously injured. The Academy is lucky that all injuries were minor."

                A security guard knocked on the door and Mr. Townsend shot us a look before heading over to the man. The guard whispered something to him and Mr. Townsend nodded.

                "Kai," he said, gesturing at me to get up.

                I gathered my stuff and followed the guard out of the room, hardly surprised. They probably wanted to question me about anything I overheard in the Peer Program.

                The security guard didn't say anything to me as he led me to the building Mr. Constance's office was in. But he surprised me as he led me over to the elevator.

                "You're going to headmaster Constance," he said. "I'll meet you up there."

                I got in the elevator and took it up to the floor I needed. The security guard was just walking over as I stepped out of the elevator.

                He took me to Headmaster Constance's room and knocked on the door before opening it. He gestured at me to go in, shutting the door once I was in the office.

                "Have a seat, Kai," Headmaster Constance said.

                I sat down across from his desk. "What do you want? I told Jordan everything I overheard in the Peer Program."

                "That's not what I'm interested in. You see, I already have proof of Jin's and Amelia's involvement, and it won't take me long to get proof of Karson's and Lev's involvement. I've been looking into those four students very carefully while Mr. Constance struggled to control them," he said.

                "So why am I here?" I said.

                Constance held up three fingers. "In all my time here, there have been countless groups of rebellious students, but only three left any impact. Jin Amano and his friends are now on that list, but the two groups before them had something in common. Something that helped them become so successful at their schemes. I've noticed that the other groups who have tried lacked this very important addition to their group."

                "I have no idea where you're going with this, so if you could quit being cryptic and just get to the point, that'd be great," I said.

                "The first group who caused an impact at this Academy was run by Maroons ten years ago. A smart-mouthed little thief and his friends," Constance said. "But we later discovered that they only got away with the things they did because they were aided by a Blue student. A boy named Joseph who was assigned to their dorm building. He'd let them sneak out, warn them about any room checks, and slip information to them. He'd cover for them so they could get away with their schemes."

                "What does that have to do with anything?" I said. "Okay, so some kids and their friend pulled some shit ten years ago."

                "Four years ago the second group reached their peak. A small group of Maroons who got away with a surprising amount. I thought it was because the leader of their little group had connections at the Academy, but I later found out they were aided by a Blue. My own son, in fact. Leon covered for them, kept one of their identities secret, and aided them in the end," Constance said. "Do you see the pattern?"

                My heart was beating far too fast. "Yea, but I have no idea what it has to do with me."

                "I got thinking to myself, how could they have possibly pulled off all that they have without the aid of a Blue student? I'm no fool. I'm well aware Isaac Ruvolo has been helping them. But even Isaac has his limits. No, they needed someone else." Constance folded his hands over his desk. "You were supplying information, but I spoke to my son and the students he had helping him. It was a little too convenient. They went from avoiding trouble to getting their plans caught constantly. Yet, they were still pulling off schemes."

                "So they tricked me," I said. "I'm not that surprised. I wasn't trying very hard here, you know."

                He tapped a stack of papers on his desk. "I asked all the teachers to make a list of students who were out of their classrooms when the fire alarm went off. There were quite a few Maroons absent at the time. Almost too many, like they were covering for someone." His eyes flashed dangerously. "But I didn't pay much attention to them. You see, Kai, there were only a handful of Blues out of their classrooms, and you were one of them."

                "I was stretching my leg," I said in annoyance. "I'd been leaving the past few days around the same time to stretch it out."

                "Consistent," he said. "But I spoke with Leon after the incident, and he said he didn't notice the fights breaking out because he was speaking with a student at the time. And, what a coincidence, the student that kept Leon's attention from the crowd was none other than Kai Humphrey."

                "So you think I was part of this?" I said, letting out a disbelieving laugh. Oh, shit, I was in so much trouble.

                "Jin admitted to starting the fights in the crowd. Amelia has been sending me information she shouldn't have access to," Constance said. "I'm certain Isaac was aware of what was going to happen. But the three of them could not pull this off without help. And you'd be the perfect accomplice. You're in their Peer Program group, so it'd be easy for you to work with them on their plans. And your roommate is a student who reports to Mr. Constance, so you'd have access to information they wouldn't want the Maroons knowing."

                "Do you have any actual proof? Or are you just delusional and spitting out your bullshit ideas at me?" I said.

                He smiled, and it was a chilling sight. He picked up his cell phone, texted something, and set it back down.

                "I've been at this a very long time," Constance said. "I've gotten very good at putting these schemes together and figuring out who was involved."

                The door to his office opened and a security guard led Jin inside. Jin glanced lazily at me as he sat down.

                The guard left the room, shutting the door. Jin gazed impassively at Headmaster Constance.

                "Now what do you want with me?" he asked.

                "Your file is fascinating, Jin," Constance said. "So many school suspensions for alcohol related issues. But until the alcohol, you were just another normal student. Good grades, quiet boy in high school, never caused any trouble."

                "Abusive behaviors tend to drive the quiet ones over the edge," Jin said. "Your son Adam certainly dragged the violence out of students yesterday."

                "Let me tell you what is going to happen to everyone, Jin. First, I'll contact your parents to tell them you were the mastermind behind this campus riot. I'll isolate you for the rest of the year so this doesn't happen again, switch you to a new schedule, and put you in detention for the rest of the year. I'll bring your parents in for a meeting with me to discuss your behavior and your future," Constance said.

                Jin shrugged. "That's fine."

                "Next, I'll punish Amelia for her involvement. I'll bring her father in for a meeting with him. I'll report that she is still hacking, and that Lev cannot keep her under control. It was under her father's request that the two of them were kept together during their time at the Academy, but I'll assign her a Blue student to keep an eye on her. She'll be moved to a new Peer Program group, and kept away from Lev and your friends," Constance said.

                "Have fun with the viruses she loads onto your computer when you tell her that," Jin said.

                "Then I'll get proof of Karson's and Lev's involvement. I'll switch Lev into new classes for a month, and contemplate pulling him up to the Blues. He'll be moved into a Blue dorm and kept from your group. He has no prior history of trouble before meeting you," Constance said.

                "Good for him. Now he can throw a punch without getting in trouble," Jin said.

                "I'll call in Karson's older brother and have a meeting with the two of them. Karson will also be isolated the rest of the year, as he is far too dangerous to be allowed around the others without supervision. He'll be switched into new classes and given detention separate from you," Constance said. "I'll also propose to his brother that their father may not be mentally well enough to care for Karson."

                "I hope you don't like your face, because Karson will break it the second he finds out about that plan," Jin said in disinterest.

                "Isaac will be carefully monitored by Blues and kept away from all of you. He'll be switched into a new Peer Program group," Constance said.

                "Not my problem," Jin said.

                Constance's eyes shifted to me. "And Kai? Kai will be switched into the Maroon classes. He'll still be rooming with Jordan due to his physical condition, however."

                "So basically you're going to put him in a Maroon vest but keep him with one of the angriest Blues," Jin said. "Well, good luck with that, Kai."

                Constance laughed. "You like to pretend that you don't care, Jin. But how will you react when you sit in this office with your parents, and I tell your father that you've failed him yet again? How will it feel to know this may finally be the time your mother gives up on you?"

                "Wow, no wonder your kid is so fucked up." The words left my mouth before I could stop myself, but I rolled with it. I'd already dug my grave; might as well dive right in. "Why would Jin's mom give up on him? He quit drinking and he quit smoking. He causes trouble at school, oh no. A teenager who rebels against the people that abuse him and his classmates, watch out everyone. Jin has so many problems I'd die of old age before I could list them all, but he's not a bad person. You're supposed to help kids, not manipulate their parents into giving up on them."

                "Kai," Jin said, no emotion in his voice. "Shut up."

                "No." I glared at him. "No, I'm not going to shut up, Jin. Because what you did on campus isn't wrong. It just proved how bad this place really is. And if Mr. Constance gets left in charge, it's only going to get worse." I turned my attention back to Headmaster Constance. "Yea, I pulled the damn fire alarm. Knock me into the Maroon classes. You won't stop anything. How long do you think it'll take before another group rises? Isaac has, what, seven or eight more years at this place? He'll pull something together. And if it's not him, it'll be someone else. You won't win until you change." I pointed at Jin. "You really think you can keep him isolated? Good fucking luck, asshole."

                Jin sighed. "Your anger and impulsiveness make me wish I still drank."

                "Drop your damn act and stand up for your friends," I snapped.

                He sighed again, leaning back in his chair. "Why? They can handle themselves. I trust them to handle themselves."

                It wasn't much, but it was more than he normally gave. Jin watched the headmaster, waiting for him to reply to my outburst.

                "There are changes coming for this Academy," Headmaster Constance said at last. "Changes that won't protect you from punishment."

                "Hey, I'm out of here at the end of the year," Jin said. "Do what you want."

                "You know what, I think this Academy was good for Jin," I said. "He came here drunk and abused, and he quit drinking and found a way to help kids the way no one had ever helped him. So congratulations, you built the very thing you hate. You built a rebel."

                "Maybe your punishments need some adjustments, since you've kindly informed me they won't have the desired effect," Constance said. "I believe I'll have to sit down with my son and talk it over. You will not be getting out of this, boys."

                "Fascinating," Jin said. "Can I go now?"

                "You two are dismissed. Enjoy your last few days of freedom before your punishments come in," Headmaster Constance said.

                "Enjoy your last few years before your idiot kid gets this place slapped with lawsuits and shut down," Jin said, standing up.

                I grabbed my cane and followed Jin out of the office. He didn't say anything to me, and I got in the elevator.

                I waited outside until Jin showed up. We started down the path together.

                "Sometimes my temper gets the better of me," I grumbled.

                "No," Jin said in surprise. "It does? I hadn't even noticed."

                "Fuck off." I whacked him in the leg with my cane. "What do we do now?"

                "Come with me," he said, leading me down the path towards his dorm. "We're going to fuck up his plans before he can carry them out."

                Jin snuck us into his dorm building. With the increased security, I was worried about being caught. But we went in the side entrance, and Jin brought me up the stairs on his back so I wouldn't risk getting caught on my way to the elevator.

                He let me into his room, where Karson, Amelia, and Lev were gathered. Jin shut the door and locked it.

                "We were pulled out of class so the headmaster could question us," Jin said. "Isaac is under careful watch, but we managed to skip classes and come here. I knew we'd have to plan something once Headmaster Constance was done with us."

                "Does he know about Kai?" Lev asked anxiously.

                "Kai blurted it out just so he could righteously tell Constance to fuck off," Jin said.

                "My actual hero," Amelia said, eyes wide.

                Jin picked up a phone off Karson's desk and tossed it to him. Karson caught it and looked at Jin in confusion.

                "Call Aspen," Jin said.

                Rage flashed across Karson's face. "Fuck off, Jin."

                "If you don't, Headmaster Constance will. So you either call your brother and deal with it on your terms, or else Constance will make you deal with it on his terms," Jin said. "You need to call Aspen and I need to call my dad. If we make those methods useless to Constance, he'll be at a loss when it comes to our weaknesses. Aspen is yours and my dad is mine."

                "My brother abandoned my father to die," Karson snapped. "I'm not calling that piece of shit."

                "You were twelve," Jin said. "I'm sure there was a lot going on between them that they hid from you. Man up and deal with it, Karson. It's been five years." He turned to face Lev and Amelia. "And Amelia? You have got to learn to function without Lev around. He can't be by your side forever. Lev, quit babying her. You're not even trying to let her adjust on her own. It's fine to take it slow, but you're not even trying at all."

                Amelia winced and took a step closer to Lev. "But...I don't know how to talk to people. I always say the wrong thing when Lev isn't around."

                "Then go somewhere with us instead and we'll step in if we have to. But you being so reliant on Lev is your biggest problem," Jin said.

                "It's not her fault," Lev said defensively. "She had a hard time after her mom died."

                "We all have hard times," Jin said. "She can't rely on you forever and you know it."

                Jin winced as Karson's cell phone hit him in the head. Karson was glaring at him.

                "Where do you get off telling us what to do? What the fuck do you know, Jin? You fucked up your own family. You have no right to tell me to call my brother. My dad almost died because of Aspen. That's not something you just forgive," Karson snarled.

                Jin met his eyes with a cool look. "He was off his meds, Kar. You think that didn't have an impact on the relationship between him and your brother? You think Aspen wasn't struggling just as much? You were twelve. I'm sure there's a lot your dad and Aspen didn't tell you about that day. Besides, Headmaster Constance is going to call him in. So you pick how you face Aspen. At your will, or at Constance's will."

                "You people have so many issues," I said.

                "You? Learn to control your mouth," Jin said. "It'll be a pain in the ass if I have to worry about covering for you all the time."

                "Oh, fuck off," I said in annoyance.

                "We face our fears before Constance can use them against us," Jin said to his friends. "We don't have much time. He could bring these punishments down as soon as tomorrow. Lev, Amelia, call your parents. Make sure they fight to keep you two together so Amelia has more time. But from now on, Lev, you have got to let her handle herself in public."

                "Does Constance know you're fucking the crip?" Karson said.

                "Constance doesn't know about us," Jin said. "Best to keep it that way until we know what he has planned. I'll worry about that."

                "And yet you'll still claim you don't care," I said.

                "I don't care," Jin said, but the faintest tug of his lips gave him away.

                "Amelia and I should go call our parents," Lev said, putting his hand on her shoulder and shooting her a concerned look.

                "We'll be fine," Amelia said. "My dad won't let anyone separate us. And I'll try to learn how to...you know...do the whole social thing, I guess. Oh, I'm so nervous! What do people even talk about to strangers?!"

                "Let's go. We can worry about that later," Lev said, leading her out of the room.

                "I'm out. I don't want to deal with you two shooting those hate-fucking signals to each other," Karson said, but I noticed that he picked his cell phone up before he left the room.

                "He'll do it," Jin said.

                "And you'll call your dad?" I said.

                He was silent a moment before nodding. "Yea, I guess I will. I'll have to deal with him sooner or later."

                "And after you call him, swear you'll go get something to eat," I said, shooting a look at his shaky hands.

                He looked down at them. "I haven't eaten today. I guess I should grab something."

                "If you pass out, I'm going to let Karson draw on your face," I said.

                "A bigger threat than anything Constance could ever manage," he said.

                He came over to me, eyeing my leg. "Does it still hurt?"

                "No, I've been taking my pain meds," I said. "I'll be fine. How are you?"

                "Still standing." He reached out, lightly tracing his fingers on my vest. "Even if he carries through with those threats he made, we'll fight it. We'll go down fighting here."

                "My mom is going to be so pissed I'm dating a rebel," I said.

                He pulled me close and kissed me. I hooked an arm around his neck, drawing him closer to myself. I was worried for both of us, but Jin was right. We'd fight, no matter what Headmaster Constance did to us.

                "You should call your dad," I mumbled against his lips.

                He nodded and stepped back from me, taking his phone out and dialing. He held it up to his ear, leaning against his bed.

                "Mom, it's me," he said. "I'm fine. Shut up, I'm fine. Put dad on." There was silence on the other end and then a voice said something. "Dad. You know, your husband, my father. Put him on the phone."

                Jin glanced at me and shooed me out of the room impatiently. I went over, kissed his cheek, and left the room.

                I took the elevator down and carefully made my way out of the dorm, heading back to my own dorm. I knew I should call my own parents and warn them about my impending punishment, but I just felt too mentally drained to deal with it right now.

                So instead, I pulled out a book, settled myself against my bed, and read. I lost track of time, snapped out of my reading only when the door opened and Jordan came in.

                "Oh, hey Kai," he greeted. "You never came back to class."

                "No, I didn't," I agreed. "Good observational skills. Nothing gets by you, Jordan."

                He ignored that. "Did you hear the announcement?"

                "Announcement?" I said, sitting up. "What announcement?"

                "We're having an Academy-wide assembly tomorrow afternoon," Jordan said. "Afternoon classes are cancelled. Headmaster Constance is going to address yesterday's incident and make some big announcements about the Academy. No one is really sure what he's going to say, not even Mr. Constance. But we think Headmaster Constance is finally going to retire and hand the school over to Mr. Constance."

                My heart was beating a little faster now. Jordan sat down, looking pleased at the idea of Mr. Constance getting the Academy.

                But if that happened, if Headmaster Constance really stepped down now and handed the Academy to Mr. Constance, then everything we had done was in vain. And Mr. Constance was a lot more ruthless than his father. He'd make sure that all of us were permanently beaten down. And if he ever discovered my relationship with Jin, he'd ruin that, too.