The showers were a decent enough size, the water was pretty warm, and the water pressure wasn't the worst thing in the world. But I still missed having my own shower in my own bathroom at my own home.

                I turned the water off and wrapped a towel around my waist, leaving the shower. I brushed my teeth and limped back down to my room, keeping close to the wall in case my leg gave out. It was punishing me for my valiant stairs attempt yesterday.

                I could walk without my cane, but not well and not for long. Even now, my leg dragged behind me, begging me to take my weight off of it.

                I made it back to the room and sat down, trying to let my leg rest. Jordan was gone, meaning he was probably showering in one of the other stalls in the bathroom.

                After resting for a minute, I got up and yanked my closet open. I pulled out the uniform and got dressed, turning to look at myself in the mirror.

                White button up shirt, blue vest, dark tie, and dark slacks. I officially looked like a nerd.

                I fixed my hair and packed up my bag, hoping to escape the room before Jordan got back. I'd hidden away from my room for as long as possible last night, but Jordan had still managed to strike up conversation when I got back, trying to get to know me.

                But the universe was completely against me so the door to our room swung open before I was done packing my bag. Jordan came in, dressed in just his slacks with a towel hanging around his neck.

                "Oh, I'll get dressed and we can walk to class together!" he said, noticing me.

                "What a way to start the day," I said dryly.

                He either missed my annoyance or ignored it. He pulled on his shirt and vest, slinging his bag over his shoulder once he had his shoes on.

                The two of us left the room together, heading out of the dorm building and starting off down the path towards the academic building. Kids walked all around us, talking and trying to wake themselves up as they made their way to class.

                "Do you want to sit with me and my friends during lunch? I can save you a seat," Jordan offered.

                "No. There's only so much human interaction I can take in a day," I said.

                Jordan laughed like I was joking. "Well, I'll save you a seat anyways. I know the first week here can be a little overwhelming."

                That wasn't exactly my problem, but okay, whatever made him shut up. The two of us entered the academic building and made our way to Mr. Townsend's class, taking our seats.

                Mr. Townsend entered the room a few minutes later, setting his things down on his desk. He turned to face us.

                "Students," he said, and the class quieted down to listen to him. "It seems the Maroon students are acting up again. Please, remember to do your duty and keep them in line. If you see them with young Blue students, be sure to step in. We don't need them corrupting young kids with bright futures."

                The students in class nodded eagerly. Mr. Townsend smiled in satisfaction and started his lesson.

                What the hell was that all about?

                I thought about that white haired kid and Isaac. Was he talking about them, or was that just a coincidence? I didn't think it was against the rules here for Blues and Maroons to be friends, regardless of age. Why would the teachers care?

                My next two classes started with eerily similar speeches that only seemed to get the students more excited. By lunch time, kids were talking excitedly in the halls about how out of control the Maroons were getting and how the Blues had a duty to stop their bad behavior.

                I hid myself away at a corner table during lunch, reluctantly taking the elevator up to the dining area. I put my headphones on so I wouldn't have to listen to any more talk about Blues versus Maroons.

                Unfortunately, the escape only lasted during lunch. My last three classes of the day had those same speeches and more eagerness from the students. By the time class let out for the day, I was ready to be away from all of these crazy ass kids.

                "Kai," my teacher called.

                Dammit.

                "Yea?" I asked, not going up to his desk. Jordan was standing there, waiting.

                "Mr. Constance would like to see you. Jordan will take you to his office," the teacher said.

                Jordan came up to me as my mood sank. What the hell had I done wrong?

                "The headmaster?" I asked as we left the room together.

                Jordan shook his head. "Mr. Constance is Headmaster Constance's son. He'll take over the Academy when Headmaster Constance retires. For now, he just works under him and helps manage the Academy."

                "Why does he need to see me?" I asked.

                Jordan shrugged. "Headmaster Constance is a busy man, so Mr. Constance makes it his job to meet with new students."

                Lucky me. I followed Jordan down the path and into a building. He led me down the halls until we reached an office.

                "He's really nice," Jordan assured. "You've got nothing to worry about it."

                With that, he knocked on the door to the office. He opened the door and stepped aside to let me in.

                I limped into the office and Jordan shut the door, trapping me alone with this unfamiliar man. He sat at a desk, smiling politely at me.

                "Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.

                I sat down and eyed the man. He was surprisingly young, probably late 20s. He had an air of power about him that made me uncomfortable despite the smile on his face.

                He held his hand out to me. "I'm Adam Constance."

                I shook his hand, hating the firm grip he had. "I'm Kai. Kai Humphrey."

                He dropped my hand. There were several files spread out on his desk, and he set them outside, taking out one and flipping it open. A picture of me was at the top of it.

                "How are you adjusting to the campus and your classes, Kai?" he asked.

                "School's school," I said with a shrug.

                "If you need any accommodations made, please don't hesitate to let us know. Your teachers have been instructed to excuse you if you're late on a day with poor weather. We know the paths can get slippery, and we'd hate for you to injure yourself," he said.

                I glared. "I can make it to class on time. If the weather sucks, I'll head out early."

                "Certainly." He flipped a page in my file. "The health center has your records, so if you need any medication, they'll get that for you."

                "Good, then I can deal it and make some extra cash here," I grumbled.

                Mr. Constance kept the smile on his face. "A sense of humor is a good thing to have, Kai."

                "So can I go now?" I asked.

                "Actually, I do have some business to discuss with you," he said, flipping a few more pages. "Did your parents inform you about the Peer Program here on campus?"

                "Nope," I said.

                "Well, the Peer Program is a special program where we put students in small groups with a teacher assigned to them. The groups meet after classes as the teacher sees fit and work on assignments and social skills. The small size allows the teachers to work with students individually and keep an eye on everyone," he explained.

                "Thanks for the info. Not interested," I said.

                "Your parents have signed you up for this program," he said, which had my mouth dropping open in shock. "They said you weren't doing schoolwork or socializing at your old school. So, they've opted to put you in the Peer Program."

                "Well take me out of it," I snapped.

                "I cannot do that, unfortunately. Once your parents have signed you up, the only way out of the program is for them to either take you out of it or for you to improve enough that the teacher in charge feels you're ready to be dismissed from the program," he said.

                "And if I skip this program?" I said.

                "We'll assign you an escort. And if you keep skipping, you'll be sent to Headmaster Constance, who will most likely hold a meeting between you and your parents. We'd hate for that to happen," he said, but I thought I detected a bit of threat under that pleasant façade. "It's an excellent program and has helped many students."

                I glared harder but didn't say anything. Mr. Constance seemed pleased at my silence.

                "Now, the group you've been put into unfortunately only has one other Blue student. But as soon as there's an opening in another group, we'll move you to that one," he said, pulling a paper out of my file and looking it over. "You're currently assigned into Mr. Kean's group." He held the paper out to me. "This has his name and the room number you'll be meeting in on it. Groups meet after class, but Mr. Kean will be lenient with late arrivals if you had to run to your room to grab work."

                "Wait, one other Blue student?" I asked, snatching the paper from him. "The rest are Maroon students?"

                He nodded. "Yes, but Mr. Kean will have a firm grasp of the class. The Maroon students of the Academy are under much stricter rules than the Blue students. And, as I said, we'll move you when an opening becomes available. This is just a temporary placement to get you started."

                I crumpled up the paper and dropped it into my bag. I stood up, grabbing my cane.

                "Awesome. Bye," I said.

                "Your first day of the Peer Program will be tomorrow, Kai. Please don't be late." His smile grew. "It was nice to meet you."

                "Glad it was nice for one of us," I said and left the room, shutting the office door with more force than necessary.

                How the hell could my parents do this without even talking to me about it? I didn't need to be in some stupid Peer Program to do my work and make friends. Especially not if my only options were going to be talk to the one Blue kid or the several Maroon kids who would probably murder me and sell my organs on the black market.

                I left the building and made my way back to my dorm. I threw the door open and Jordan looked up at me.

                "Hey," he greeted. "How did it go with Mr. Constance?"

                "What do you know about the Peer Program?" I asked, tossing my schoolbag away from me.

                "Oh, are you in that? I had a friend in the program when he slacked on his work. He ended up liking it a lot. He said the Maroons in the group are annoying, but they try to keep more Blues than Maroons in the group," Jordan said. "The teachers who are part of the program are really helpful too."

                "I didn't even know this was a thing," I said, dropping into my chair.

                "It's new. When Mr. Constance started working under Headmaster Constance, he started making changes here. Headmaster Constance had gotten relaxed with the Maroons, so they were starting to cause more problems. Mr. Constance wanted to put a stop to that, so he started new programs and policies. The Peer Program was one of them," Jordan explained.

                "This is so stupid!" I said in frustration.

                "Hey, don't worry about it. It'll be fine. Besides, if you start working hard, they'll let you out of the program!" Jordan said.

                "I shouldn't be in this stupid program. I don't need to be in it," I said.

                Jordan bit his lip. "Well...you are a little antisocial, Kai."

                "Forcing me to be around people isn't going to make me social!" I said, glaring at him.

                Jordan shrugged helplessly. "I think you should give it a chance. Keep an open mind and a good attitude about it. You might end up liking the program."

                "Wow, thanks mom," I said.

                I turned away from him and put my headphones on so he wouldn't bother me anymore. I wanted to call my parents and scream at them, but I knew that no matter how much of a fit I threw, they wouldn't take me out of this program.

                I opened my laptop and looked up the program, wanting to know just what they'd gotten me into. I found a small description of the Peer Program and scanned through it, growing more and more annoyed with every word I read.

                Apparently, the program was for kids who didn't do their work, didn't socialize, needed to be watched outside of class, or had minor behavioral problems. The groups had anywhere from three to seven students so the teacher in charge could work with the students individually. The teacher in charge of the group set the schedule of the group based on the students.

                The program was apparently a success, but I couldn't tell if that was true or if the Academy's website was just trying to praise its own work. Jordan was right though; the program was still fairly new, one of the first things Mr. Constance had established when he started working under his father at the Academy.

                Fine. Maybe my parents could force me into this shitty program, but they sure as hell couldn't make me put any effort into it. I would suffer through it until I managed to get out of it.