Classes were a little more normal the next day. The assembly was scheduled to start fifteen minutes after the lunch period ended, and while I was nervous about that, at least our teachers weren't ranting about how awful the fight was.

                Security was still tight, with guards roaming the hallways and keeping a close eye on students when they switched classes. There were rumors flying around about the fight and the assembly.

                The popular theory was that the fight had driven Headmaster Constance over the edge, and he was going to announce his retirement. Blues, and even plenty of Maroons, were certain Mr. Constance was about to seize control of the Academy. Some people were even saying Headmaster Constance would step down before the end of this schoolyear.

                Even the teachers weren't sure what Headmaster Constance was planning to announce at the assembly. Whatever he was planning, he was keeping it a secret until the assembly.

                I was anxious for our punishments, but I doubted we'd get them today. Whatever our consequences were, I had a feeling the assembly would push them off until tomorrow at the earliest.

                Kids were restless all through the morning classes. Even the teachers had trouble focusing on their lessons, everyone curious to know what the assembly was about.

                By the time we were released for lunch, kids were too excited to stay quiet. They swapped theories, argued the pros and cons over which Constance man was better for the Academy, and talked about Adam's upcoming policies for next year and what they meant for the Academy.

                One thing I noticed, though, was the doubt they had when they talked about Mr. Constance's ability to handle the Maroons. By now, word had gotten out that Jin and his friends had orchestrated the riot, which left students putting some of the blame on Mr. Constance.

                I reached the dining hall and took the elevator up. I wasn't very hungry, but I grabbed food and took my usual lone table.

                I looked up in surprise as Jin and his friends came over, sitting down at my table. Jin sat next to me, not saying a word but letting his leg brushed against mine as he got settled in his chair.

                "What are you doing here?" I said.

                Jin shrugged. "Headmaster Constance already knows we worked together. It won't be long before that information slips to the Blues. Might as well quit sitting alone like a loser."

                "What about you?" I said to Isaac. "Aren't you banned from seeing the Maroons?"

                Isaac smiled cheerfully. "I'm Isaac Ruvolo. Who's going to stop me?"

                "Bratty little bastard," Karson said, shaking his head.

                "Hey, so what do you guys think the assembly is about?" Lev asked. "If Headmaster Constance steps down, we're screwed. This whole Academy is screwed. Headmaster Constance is bad, but his son is worse."

                "Isaac," Jin said.

                "Don't worry," Isaac said. "Even if Mr. Constance does take over, I'll give him...you know."

                "Hell?" Karson said.

                Isaac fidgeted with his fork. "That's a swear."

                "He's so cute," Amelia said, eyes wide. "Karson! Don't say swears around Isaac! Isaac, give Mr. Constance heck, kid."

                "What about our punishments?" I asked.

                "Amelia and I called our parents last night," Lev said. "Amelia's dad said he'll shove the headmaster in a blender before he lets someone separate us and let Amelia struggle."

                "My dad's always got my back," Amelia said, bumping her shoulder against Lev's.

                "So do I," Lev said, bumping his shoulder right back against hers.

                "I'll be fine. Constance can't do shit to me," Karson said.

                "So you called Aspen?" Jin said, wincing when Karson punched him.

                "You called your dad," Karson shot back. "That was the deal."

                "Hey, how did that go?" I asked Jin.

                "My father was surprised that the boy formerly known as his son was sober enough to hold a conversation," Jin said. "I don't see us bonding anytime soon, but I told him he can either deal with my alcohol coated past or keep crying about it and wasting his time."

                "Wow," I said dryly. "Very helpful, Jin."

                "Will you be okay, Kai?" Lev asked.

                "He'll be fine," Jin said. "I looked into it and if Kai's parents refuse, they can't force him to become a Maroon without sufficient evidence and a documented report of an incident serious enough to switch him."

                "Not that you care or anything," I said.

                "I don't care," he said. "I just like to be informed."

                I took his hand under the table. "Of course I get stuck with the real life vodka bottle."

                "I haven't had vodka since I was 16," Jin said.

                "You drank enough for a lifetime," Karson pointed out.

                "Shut up." Jin shoved his tray away from himself a little, though I saw the tremble of his hand.

                "Eat," Lev said, noticing as well. "This could be a long week once Headmaster Constance starts dealing out punishments. You need to eat, Jin."

                "For once, I agree with your friends," I said, yanking the tray back towards Jin. "Quit wrecking your health just to have some angsty emo aesthetic. I'm not catching you if you pass out again."

                He reached out to pick up his fork and I noticed his armband peeking out from his sleeve. I caught his arm and he glanced at me.

                "Either you want me to eat or you don't," he said. "Make up your mind and leave me alone."

                I pulled his sleeve up, looking from him to the armband. He slowly lowered his arm, pulling his hand away from mine.

                "It's anticlimactic," he said.

                "Why does that not surprise me?" I said.

                But I still wanted to know. He reached out and slowly pulled an armband off, revealing smooth skin on his arm. No scars or cuts like I'd been expecting.

                The others were watching carefully, quietly. Karson was the only one who seemed disinterested, probably having seen Jin without his armbands before.

                Jin pulled off his remaining armband and I felt guilt. I'd been expecting him to have self-inflicted injuries. But Jin had drowned his demons in alcohol, not blades.

                There was a cluster of scars on his arm, too messy to be self-inflicted. Jin traced his fingers over them, his face as impassive as always.

                "I got drunk, surprise," he said. "I was angry, I guess. I don't really remember. I threw the bottle and it shattered on my wall. I stumbled over my own feet with the grace of a drunk kid and landed on the shards. Sliced my arm up good. I just wear the bands because I hated seeing my dad staring. Became a habit. Told you it was anticlimactic."

                "I bet you all thought he slit his own wrists," Karson said in amusement. "Jin's edgy as hell, but he never did that shit."

                Jin started to pull his armbands back on before hesitating. He shrugged and dropped them into his bag, rolling his sleeves back down.

                "Why would he slit his wrists?" Isaac said in confusion.

                "Something about pain and being alive, I don't know. Go read a young adult novel, they usually romanticize it until sound poetic," Karson said.

                "Karson! That's terrible," Lev said, shooting him a look. "People really hurt themselves like that."

                "Hey, Lev, buddy, you're talking to the guy whose dad is overflowing with medication for his depression," Karson said. "I'm well aware people do that. But Jin's not one of them."

                "Enough," Jin said. "All of you, shut up. We have other things to deal with. If Mr. Constance is taking over, we'll need to plan something quickly. I've heard rumors of the policies he's planning to push through next year. They'll give Blues total control of the campus and lockdown Maroons. This place will be a prison for Maroons."

                "It'll take me time to build up another group," Isaac said, frowning. "It'll be really hard if Mr. Constance gets his policies in place next year. A lot of them have the Maroons under watch."

                "We can figure out a plan after the announcement. We need to know exactly what we're up against and how much time we have," Jin said.

                "We don't have long. We'll get our punishments soon enough," I said.

                "I'm aware," Jin said. "It'll be fine. We still have our phones. Even if they get our parents to agree to our phones being confiscated for the year, we can still find ways to meet or communicate. Amelia can figure something out electronically, and I'll handle physically."

                "Oh, I'm sure you'd love to find a physical way to communicate with Kai," Karson said, snickering.

                Amelia smacked him in the arm. "Stop it! Isaac is right there, you dirty boy!"

                Karson laughed, rubbing his arm. "What are you smacking me for? It's just a joke. I've been Jin's roommate for a while; trust me, the guy's not getting laid anytime soon."

                "Stop treating me like a baby!" Isaac said with a pout. "I know about sex. Bastard, remember?"

                I felt my own face heating up as they talked. "I hate all of you. I like eating alone better."

                Besides, I doubted I could even bring myself to have sex. With my bad leg, I'd be...well, hell, I'd be embarrassed.

                Jin sighed and slumped back in his chair, but he took my hand in his under the table again. His thumb traced light circles over my skin and I squeezed his hand. Neither of us were ready for that step, and that was okay.

                As Karson and Amelia began to argue about their language around Isaac, I ate my lunch, forcing Jin to eat his, too. The lunch period passed by slowly, the air growing thicker and thicker with tension as it got closer to the time of the assembly.

                When lunch finally let out, we all left the dining hall and walked in a small group towards where the assembly was being held. Since it was the whole Academy attending, it was being held in a gymnasium to fit everyone.

                Jin and his friends led me there, having gone for an Academy-wide assembly before. We reached the gym, where plenty of seats had been set up. Blues and Maroons were mostly separated, but I ignored that and followed Jin and his friends until we found enough chairs so we could sit together.

                There was a raised stage in the front of the gym, where several people sat in chairs. I recognized Mr. Constance, who sat next to a girl with similar features. Leon sat on the other side of the girl, dressed neatly and watching with a tired yet observant expression.

                "Oh, isn't that the Constance girl!" Amelia said.

                "That's Caroline Constance," Jin said with a nod. "I've only seen her on campus once or twice. This isn't good. Headmaster Constance might really be handing the Academy over to Mr. Constance."

                "Great, so we're fucked," I grumbled.

                "We'll figure something out," Jin assured.

                The gym was restless. Kids fidgeted in their seats, the white noise of conversation growing louder and louder as more kids filed in. Teachers sat on the bleachers, talking quietly amongst themselves. There were plenty of adults in the bleachers I didn't recognize, probably other staff members. Security guards were spread throughout the gym, keeping a watchful eye on everything and making sure no fights broke out.

                The time seemed to pass agonizingly slow, but then Headmaster Constance entered the room. He strode up to the stage, the gym falling quiet as he approached the podium set up there. He adjusted the microphone and stared out at the crowd until the gym was silent.

                "Thank you all for gathering here today on such short notice. I apologize for the class cancellations we've had recently, but I assure you that your teachers will catch you up and make sure you're prepared for your end of the year exams," Constance said. "Now, I've received plenty of questions about the fight the other day. We've been heavily investigating the incident, and while we are still gathering details, we've found the people responsible. They will be dealt with, I assure you. I've sent home a letter to your parents and guardians explaining the incident and the steps we plan to take to avoid anything similar in the future."

                Jin shifted slightly, enough that his leg touched mine without being too obvious. I kept my eyes on Constance, but it did feel good to know this wasn't something I had to face alone. Jin would figure something out, no matter what Constance tried to do to us.

                "This incident made me reevaluate the Academy and the future of the Academy," Constance said. "Constance Academy was founded and run by my family. I didn't want to retire until my son Adam Constance was prepared to handle the Academy without me, and he has been learning under me for three years now."

                Mr. Constance straightened up in his chair a little, looking smug. I might've imagined it, but I could've sworn his sister rolled her eyes.

                "However," Constance continued, "In my evaluation of the Academy, I've come to a decision. The tensions between the Blue students and the Maroon students has clearly gotten out of control, and only been growing worse in the past three years. Therefore, I approached my two younger children, Caroline and Leon. After discussing it with them, I've made the decision to stay on for three more years as headmaster here."

                Mr. Constance's smug face fell. He looked at his siblings, who kept their faces composed as they watched their father.

                "I've made this decision so that I can train them to take over," Constance said, and Adam's eyes went wide. "Caroline Constance and Leon Constance will inherit the Academy when I retire, as the new headmistress and headmaster. They will not be able to pass new policies without both agreeing on the terms. They will work to ease tensions between Blues and Maroons, and find more effective ways in helping the Maroons reform themselves. Adam Constance will be retrained and assigned as the Academy's treasurer. He'll be responsible for the Academy's funds, including overseeing tuition costs, field trip costs, and classroom expenses amongst other things."

                Headmaster Constance stepped aside and nodded at his children. Leon and Caroline stood up together, ignoring their dumbstruck brother as they approached the podium.

                "Leon and I have spoken extensively with our father," Caroline said. "We plan to change things at the Academy to make it a more productive experience for everyone. We'll be reviewing old policies and changing them as we see fit. We'll be implementing new policies that we feel will benefit both Blues and Maroons. The Maroons' program will also be revaluated and changed in ways we strongly believe will help them."

                "Caroline and I will work hard to treat everyone fairly. Fair doesn't always mean equal, but every student is here for their own reasons, and we're going to step up with that in mind," Leon said. "The fight the other day proved that students feel things need to change, and we hope to bring a positive change that everyone can get behind. As former students of this Academy, we understand what life is like only for the Blues. But I've spent the past four years of my life talking to and getting the opinions of Maroons, and with my sister's help, we'll make this an Academy Maroons can be proud to be students of."

                They stepped back from the podium and several people began to clap, whether out of politeness or actual joy, I wasn't sure. But soon, the gym was erupting with the sound of it, Maroons letting out triumphant yells.

                "Are you...are you smiling?" I said in disbelief, looking up at Jin.

                "Shut up," he said, but he couldn't wipe the genuine smile off his face.

                I put my hand on his scarred arm. "You did it, Jin. You did it."

                "We did it," he corrected, looking at his clapping and cheering friends. "We made a difference. We saw a wrong and we made it right." He looked down at my hand on his arm. "It was your idea that finally did it, Kai. Thank you."

                I didn't even care about punishments or the future of the Academy. I didn't care about the crowd around us or the echoing claps and cheers. In that moment, Jin Amano was giving an honest smile for the first time since I'd met him, and his blue eyes were full of well-deserved pride.

                I kissed him before I could even think about it. I wanted to drink in his smile, feel the curve of his lips. He put his hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer as he kissed me back. That fire in him still burned bright, but it burned under control.

                These kids who had been so broken, who had fought so hard, who had won. They had been the ones to finally change Constance Academy, and I had been a part of it.

                Even crippled and physically useless, my idea for a riot had given them what they needed to hit the Academy with the biggest blow of all. They'd torn down Mr. Constance before he could even rise, and now the Maroons stood a fighting chance at the Academy.

                The rest of the assembly was a blur. The Constance family, except for Adam, spoke about the future of the Academy. Caroline and Leon spoke a little about policies they were thinking about. Leon graduated college this year, so he'd start by interning during Constance Academy's summer school program, and then take up his training when classes started in the fall. Caroline would start training immediately, and Adam would be removed from his current position and reassigned by the end of the week to start his training under his new title.

                Adam Constance sat silently in his seat, looking furious and betrayed. The looks he shot his family made me glad I wasn't on the receiving end of them.

                When the assembly was dismissed, crowds of kids filed out of the gym. Jin stumbled back as Amelia threw her arms around him.

                "You did it!" she cried. "You did it, you did it, you did it! Lev thought you were crazy the first time you told us one of your schemes, but I knew you wouldn't give up until you beat this place!"

                Isaac joined in the hug. "Jin, you did it! You got Adam removed!"

                Karson slapped Jin on the back. "See the things you accomplish when you sober your dumbass up?"

                "I'm so damn proud right now," Lev said, and threw himself into their hug.

                Jin seemed unsure of what to do, so he awkwardly tried to struggle out of the hug. The others laughed and got off of him, beaming smiles at him.

                "Jin Amano?"

                We turned to face Leon Constance. Three men stood next to him, two his age and one a little older.

                "My father told me you and your friends were behind the riot," Leon said. "He said you confessed to it."

                "We wanted to tear down your brother," Jin said. "Mission accomplished."

                "You'll still be facing punishment for that. Headmaster Constance will be taking you to his office tomorrow to discuss that," Leon said. But then he gave a tired, patiently exasperated smile. "I never thought I'd be in charge of the Academy. But it'll be nice to make a difference."

                "You'll make a good difference. I believe in you, cute Constance!" Amelia said, and Lev looked like it took all his willpower not to slap his hand over her mouth.

                "Cute Constance?" the guy next to Leon said. "Accurate. Should I be jealous?"

                Leon rolled his eyes. "Jin, I wanted you and your friends to meet these three. Without them, I doubt your efforts would have had the impact they did. This is my boyfriend, Brennan Kipling, and Beckett Townsend. Four years ago, they helped push through massive changes at the Academy, especially in terms of treatment for the Maroons."

                "Hey, I'm Brennan. I date the cute Constance," he said, grinning a little.

                "Yea, hey," the other guy their age said. He was playing with a yo-yo, and I raised an eyebrow.

                "You're Mr. Townsend's kid," I said.

                He eyed my vest. "My dad's your teacher? Sucks to be you, kid."

                Leon sighed. "Beckett."

                "Sorry, Prince. Continue," Beckett said.

                "Their efforts wouldn't have happened without the influence of this man," Leon said, gesturing to the older man, who grinned and shrugged. "This is Kaz Warrick. Ten years ago, he and his friends, including an 11 year old Beckett, landed the first effective blow against Constance Academy."

                "I'm old now," he said, running a hand through his undercut. "I'm going to be a married man, settled down with a job and no rebellion in my heart."

                Brennan snorted. "You stole my fucking shoes off my feet earlier."

                "Well, some things never change," Kaz said, tossing a wallet to Brennan. He faced our group, and his smile was surprisingly proud. "Good job. Jin, right? You and your friends here may have finally ended the abuse at Constance Academy. I hope you're proud of yourselves. You deserve to be."

                Jin looked away. "Shut up. It wasn't a big deal."

                "He reminds me of someone," Brennan said, wincing when Beckett whacked him with the yo-yo.

                "We'll let you and your friends go now. You will be punished tomorrow, but for tonight, please just enjoy this. This is a victory on your part," Leon said, smiling. "I love this Academy, and I'll be proud to make it a place others can love, too. Even the Maroons."

                Leon led the other men away from us. I reached out, taking Jin's hand in mine. Hey, no use trying to hide it now. I sort of gave him a passionate kiss in front of the crowd.

                "I'm surprised you didn't faint out of sheer shock," Karson said.

                "Shut up. I only faint when I don't eat enough for a few days," Jin said.

                "Hey, it could be our last night together, yea? Let's get pizza and wings from the market. We can blast Jin's shitty music all night and celebrate tearing down that prick Adam," Karson said, grinning.

                "Butter and garlic wings!" Amelia said. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Um, can I order the food? I want to practice, you know, the social interaction thing. Lev usually orders for me."

                "I'll pay!" Isaac said. "My dad put a lot of money on my account."

                "The perks of having the rich bastard with us," Karson said.

                Jin was fighting to keep himself impassive, but I saw that hint of a smile on his face. "All of you shut up. Let's go get pizza."

                He looked at me and I kissed his cheek. We both had a long way to go in recovering, but today had finally started us on a new path. Jin had fought and won against abuse with his friends, and I had learned I could still be useful despite my crippled leg.

                "You better eat," I said to him. "We got you to smile, now we're going to get you to quit having low blood sugar."

                "I'm starving," he said. "Let's go already."

                The six of us left the gym together, triumphant. Whatever tomorrow brought, today was a victory none of us would forget.