My alarm went off, scaring the shit out of me. I smacked my phone until it stopped screaming at me and sat up, rubbing my eyes.

I had trouble adjusting to unfamiliar rooms, so last night had involved a lot of tossing and turning. I looked over and saw that Leo was already up and digging around for clothes.

He noticed me and gave a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to his closet in search of clothes. I tossed my covers off and jumped out of bed, momentarily forgetting the height and wincing as my feet hit the ground.

I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and slipped my feet into sandals before leaving the room. The bathroom was a few doors down from our room, and still pretty quiet. There were two other guys in there sleepily brushing their teeth and I joined them, glad we were all too tired for conversations. Bathroom introductions were always uncomfortable.

When I was done brushing my teeth, I left the bathroom and nearly ran right into Siggy and some other guy in a blue vest. The other guy shoved me back roughly.

"Watch where you're going," he said, glaring.

"Uh...sorry," I said, confused. Siggy watched in boredom.

"Drop it, Cam. We have shittier people to deal with than some half-awake suck-up," Siggy said.

"Don't run into me again," the guy, Cam, snarled at me. He turned away and nodded at Siggy. "Let's go, Sig. Make sure everyone is out of their rooms on time. And watch Leo. Little bitch skipped class again yesterday and the guards never found him."

"I'll go give him a warning. I'll make sure he's out in time," Siggy said, and the two continued on down the hallway. Siggy didn't bother to look at me.

I hurried down the hall and slipped past the two as they stopped in a doorway, banging on the door. I went into my room, where Leo was now dressed in his uniform.

"What the hell is up with that Siggy kid?" I asked, and quickly explained what had just happened.

"Oh, that. Sig can't let the Blues know he's friends with us. If they know, he'll get in trouble. They might even suspect that he's talking to his brother still. Just go along with it, pretend you hate the guy, or pretend you don't know him. I don't care. Just don't get Sig in trouble. He's not someone you want as enemy," Leo said, shrugging.

Our door flung open, scaring both of us. Siggy and Cam stood in the doorway, Sig looking like he couldn't care less about us and Cam looking both angry and smug.

"You both better be out of the dorms in time for class. Especially you." Cam pointed at Leo. "Your teachers will have a special lesson for you."

"I keep waiting for the day someone murders you for pounding on the doors so early in the morning. I can't wait to piss all over your grave," Leo said.

"Tuck your shirt in. You look like the worthless trash you are. No one wants to see it," Siggy said.

Leo looked down at his messily untucked shirt. "It's a fashion statement. You should try it sometime. You should also try a haircut."

"I'm truly insulted. Just get to class," Siggy said, leaving the doorway. Cam glared at us before slamming our door shut with more force than was necessary.

"What the hell," I said.

"Get dressed or they'll give you hell," Leo said, grabbing his bag.

I quickly changed into the uniform. I felt uncomfortable in the dark slacks and white button up, but it was even worse once I pulled on the maroon sweater vest that marked me as one of the bad kids. I was officially the kind of person my mother warned me about.

I grabbed my bag and followed Leo out of the dorm. Kids were starting to file out of their rooms, looking tired and miserable. Siggy was at the end of the hallway with his arms crossed, eyes sweeping over kids as they filed past him to get to the stairs. I looked around and spotted Cam at the other end of the hallway, snapping at kids to hurry up and get out of the building.

"They do this a lot. They do headcounts to make sure everyone leaves the dorm to get to class. Sometimes they have meetings and don't do it, though," Leo explained.

"Hey," Mikayla said, stepping up next to Leo. "Get rid of the stuff?"

"Hidden away safely," Leo said.

He had disappeared quietly in the middle of the night, but I hadn't questioned it. I was pretty sure I didn't want to know what he was doing. If he was burying a body for Kaz, I didn't want to get tossed into the grave as well.

Pete and Kaz joined us, Kaz looking wide awake and put together. Pete, on the other hand, looked groggy and like he'd barely managed to dress himself.

"Kaz," Pete said, voice slurred with exhaustion.

Kaz held his hand out. Pete pulled off his messenger bag and handed it to Kaz. Kaz dug through it and pulled out an orange bottle of pills, pressing them into Pete's hands. Pete nodded and took his bag back, settling it on his shoulder and pulling out a water bottle. He took one of the pills, chasing it with a gulp of water. He tossed the bottle back into his bag and rubbed his eyes.

"Memory pad," Leo said.

"Fuck you. All my pill bottles look the same," Pete said, punching Leo with surprising force.

Leo winced and shifted closer to me. "I'll mock you in a half hour, Petey. :Let your meds kick in a bit."

Pete made an obscene gesture at him and turned to talk to Kaz. We filed past Siggy, none of the kids around me even sparing him a glance. His eyes swept over us as though we'd never met.

Once we were out of the dorm building, we started across campus towards the building we had class in. Kids were walking all around campus, lost in their own conversations.

"So, plan to grown a spine today?" Kaz asked, shifting to walk next to me.

"I have a spine and it's perfectly functional," I said.

"Is that why you're an ass kisser?"

"I'll be an ass kicker if you don't stop talking to me."

Kaz laughed. "Oh, that's cute. You think you can scare me."

"Kaz could kick your ass in his sleep. Any of us could," Pete said impatiently.

"Enough about the newbie. Leo, give me your math homework," Mikayla said.

"I don't get paid enough for this," Leo said, but dug in his bag and handed a notebook to Mikayla. "Don't get caught."

"I'm not stupid," she said, whacking him with the notebook.

"You're all crazy," I grumbled.

"Ask for our help and it's yours. Good luck surviving day two," Kaz said, moving away from me and catching Pete's attention to talk to him again.

I ended up falling into step behind them. Kaz and Pete were talking and Leo and Mikayla were having an intense debate about comic books.

We entered the building and went to our first class, everyone taking their seats. When it was time for class to start, Mr. Sternberg came into the room. His eyes locked on Leo and his lip curled in disgust.

"Leopold," he said.

Leo winced. "Okay, I know I skipped, but using that name is punishment enough. Congratulations, I'm fixed."

"Stand up," Mr. Sternberg commanded.

Leo met Kaz's eyes and they both gave a little nod. Leo stood up, head held high, looking fierce despite his small size. Mr. Sternberg grabbed something from behind his desk and stood up with it.

My eyes widened at the sight of the paddle in his hands. I looked around for signs of anyone trying to stop this, but everyone sat with their hands clasped together on their desks, watching Mr. Sternberg with knowing eyes.

Mr. Sternberg moved towards Leo, who showed no trace of fear. He locked eyes with Mr. Sternberg and grinned.

"Nothing you do is worse than calling me Leopold, Sternberg," he said.

Mr. Sternberg pulled the paddle back and cracked it forward. I winced in sympathy pain as it collided with the back of Leo's knees.

Leo grabbed at the desk around him as he fell forward. He steeled himself and shakily got back to his feet, using his desk as support.

"I've had worse," he said.

"Skip my class again and I will break your knees," Mr. Sternberg hissed, shoving Leo so that he fell back down.

Mr. Sternberg stormed up to the front of the class and the paddle disappeared behind his desk. Leo pulled himself back into his seat, keeping his legs straight out in front of him. The spot he'd been hit in was alarmingly red.

While Mr. Sternberg's back was turned, Kaz and Leo shared a look. Kaz nodded towards the door and Leo got a glint in his eyes that made him look alive and excited despite having just been abused by a teacher.

The class passed by in silence aside from Mr. Sternberg droning on and on. Kids kept watching Kaz, but Kaz ignored them and did nothing.

When we were finally released from Mr. Sternberg's class, I watched as Leo limped his way out of the room. I hurried to get the hell out of there, seeing how Leo and Kaz had met up in the hallway. They had their heads bent together, talking to each other in low voices. They both grinned a little and walked to the next class as if nothing had happened.

I entered the room and took my seat. Leo had adjusted his legs into a more comfortable position at his seat, and Mikayla was sitting on his desk talking to him.

"Still want to suck up to these teachers, newbie?" Cara asked as she passed by me.

I glared at her. "I want to stay out of trouble. I like my legs, thank you very much."

She shrugged and moved to her desk. Mr. Miller entered the room and everyone scurried to their seats. His eyes landed on Leo and he snatched a ruler off of his desk, stalking over towards Leo.

"You," he hissed, snapping the ruler down on Leo's desk. "You are nothing but a waste of space. You are a shame to your family. I won't be surprised when you end up dead or in jail before you reach 25."

"You know, Miller, you always have such encouraging words so early in the day," Leo said. He placed his hand on the desk. "Just get it over with. Your breath stinks and I can't handle a full rant about how I'm a disgrace. Break my hand and grab a mint."

Mr. Miller brought the ruler down on Leo's hand so hard that I flinched back. Leo ground his teeth together, wincing. Mr. Miller hit him once more before storming back to the front of the classroom. Leo cradled his injured hand and winced again as he brushed his fingers over it.

Kaz leaned over and clenched his injured hand into a fist, holding it out to Leo. Leo copied him and they bumped their fists together, Leo wincing as they made contact.

Mr. Miller spun to face the class and glared at us. "If anyone else gets any clever ideas to skip my class, you'll only make me angrier. I do not take lightly to skipping. You delinquents are here because no one else could deal with you. Constance Academy will mold you into something the world won't cringe to see."

"Ah yes, what a shame it would be if the world didn't accept me the way it accepts abusive teachers," Kaz said. "Can you hit Leo again? I'm trying to learn your technique. My parents will be so disappointed if I went in here a thief and came out as anything less than an abusive, bible thumping moron."

"God forbid I don't downgrade from a pill popper to a child abuser," Pete said, frowning.

"I'd hate it if I didn't learn the proper way to crush a kid's mind and soul. Get teaching, Miller," Mikayla said, gesturing at him.

"You three," he hissed, picking up his ruler. "Stand up."

Kaz, Pete, and Mikayla stood up, holding out their hands. Mr. Miller weaved his way through the desks to Pete, bringing the ruler down on each of his hands individually, the crack of ruler on skin echoing around the alarmingly quiet room. Pete, however, seemed untroubled by the impact.

Mr. Miller moved onto to Mikayla, repeating the process. Mikayla glared into his eyes and tensed up as the ruler met her skin, keeping a fierce expression. She sat down when he was done hitting her hands, keeping them flat on her desk for the class to see.

Mr. Miller moved to Kaz, lightly tapping the ruler against his palm as he eyed Kaz. "You, Casimir, need much more a lesson than the rest of these brats. You like to spark them into disobedience. I've deal with worse than you."

"I will be your worst nightmare," Kaz said, meeting Mr. Miller's eyes. He held his hands out. "Do your worst."

My eyes widened in horror as Mr. Miller slapped the ruler across Kaz's face with a sickening sound. Kaz's head snapped to the side, but his expression remained carefully composed.

Mr. Miller grabbed a handful of Kaz's hair and yanked him forward. "I will break you and send your parents home a boy who wouldn't dream of disobeying authority."

Kaz smirked. "Better find a different boy to send my parents."

Mr. Miller shoved Kaz backwards and went to the front of the room. He angrily began to write problems on the board as Kaz sat back down. There was a furious red mark on Kaz's face where he'd been struck, but he didn't bother with it. He just leaned back in his chair, looking amused.

The period consisted of Mr. Miller screaming textbook phrases at us like they were weapons. He snapped at anyone who so much as breathed too loud and kept his eyes on Kaz most of the time.

I was relieved when we were finally able to get the hell out of that class. I went to the next room and took my seat, watching as Pete came in by himself.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at his injured hands.

Pete pat his bag good naturedly. "Hydrocodone."

I stared at him. "Right. Of course. Who doesn't just carry hydrocodone around with them? Silly me."

Kaz came into the room, followed by Leo, Mikayla, and Cara. They came over to Pete and Kaz raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hit the hydros before class, Pete? Shouldn't take them with your other meds," Kaz said.

"My knee was killing me. It's a good thing, too. That hand shit could've hurt," Pete said, eyeing his injuries. "Want a pill?"

"Drugs aren't really my thing. Besides, hydros make sick," Kaz said, waving his hand in dismissal. He turned his attention to me. "O'Malley, we have a job for you tonight. Get your homework done early."

"Wait, what? Kaz!" Mikayla said.

"Shut up, Mika. Kaz knows what he's doing. I hope," Leo said.

"Doubt me and you'll regret it." Kaz tapped his finger on my desk. "Tonight, O'Malley. You're going to prove your worth."

"I don't have to prove anything to you," I said. "Besides, I like my hands. I'd rather not get them broken." Besides, I'd probably be needing them now that I didn't have a cute boy in my life anymore...

"You'll come with us tonight. Otherwise, I'll make sure Siggy takes care of you," Kaz said before moving to his seat.

"What's going on tonight?" I asked Leo.

Leo shrugged. "You'll find out tonight. My advice? Don't fight against Kaz. That's a war you can't win."

A boy walked by and grabbed Leo's shirt, yanking him close. "Leo, you fucking asshole!"

Leo smirked. "Mad you didn't get to skip?"

"Mad you riled the teachers up at us over it. Fucking ass," the kid snapped, punching Leo in the chest. He released Leo and moved on to the back of the classroom, looking angry.

My little gay ass did not belong in a place of violence like this.

R.I.P. me, say good things at my funeral and donate my video games to charity.

I looked at Leo and furrowed my brow as he adjusted his vest. He slipped a piece of paper out of it and tucked it away in his shoe.

"Did that kid just hit you to leave you a note?" I asked in confusion.

Leo grinned. "See, you're not as dumb as Kaz thought."

"Wow, what a compliment," I said. "Who is that kid? Why couldn't he just hand it to you?"

"That's Rogan Siggeir," he said, waiting for my reaction when it clicked.

I looked at the kid, who had darker skin and dark hair. He looked ready to burst with anger driven energy, talking to the kid at the desk next to him.

"That's Siggy's brother?" I asked in disbelief, picturing the pale skinned, blond kid from this morning.

"They're both adopted," Leo said. "But yea, that's his brother. Basically, I'm the note passer for the two. Sig rewards me by letting me sneak out whenever I want."

I glanced at Rogan again. The kid looked like he should be afraid Donald Trump would deport him and make him build a wall on the border to keep him from getting back in. Siggy, on the other hand, looked like his skin had never known sunlight.

"Don't stare at Rogan. He's a trigger happy guy. He'll punch first and figure out who he hit later," Leo said, snapping to get my attention.

"There is a place where I belong in this world but this is not it," I groaned.

"Kaz will help you fit in, especially if you prove yourself tonight. Besides," Leo grinned, "it's going to be fun. Trust me."

Oh, yea, sure, I'll just trust a thief and his breaking and entering loving friend. What could possibly go wrong with that solid plan?

"Is anyone going to tell me what we're doing?" I asked. "If you don't tell me, I won't go."

"Oh, you'll go. Otherwise Kaz will have Siggy tell Cam that you stole his necklace. Cam will beat your ass to a pulp. His grandfather gave him that necklace and he only takes it off when he goes to shower," Leo said. "Stealing it means not only did you take his most prized possession, but you broke into his room to do it."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you guys seriously threatening me to go god knows where tonight to do god knows what?!"

Leo nodded, looking unconcerned about the whole situation. "Don't worry so much. Live a little, Killian."

"Yea, O'Malley. Live a little."

I jumped and glared at Kaz over my shoulder. He was smirking as he pulled something out of his pocket, flashing it at me. It was a necklace, a gold chain with a handcrafted charm on the end of it.

"I'm sure Cam's already looking for this. Snatched it while he was showering this morning," he said. "Be a shame if you didn't come with us tonight. Siggy might let it slip that he saw you sneaking into Cam's room."

"I don't know which is more horrendous, your undercut or your personality," I said.

"Probably my personality," Kaz said, running a hand through his hair. "Regardless, you're coming with us tonight. Congratulations, your first week at Conversion Academy and I'm already blackmailing you."

Mr. Sudlow chose that moment to barge into the classroom, out of breath and snapping at kids to get to their seats so we could start the lesson. The necklace had disappeared from Kaz's hands, but the smirk was still on his face.

"See you tonight, O'Malley," he said before casually making his way to his seat.

Great, just great. So tonight, Kaz and his stupid haircut would take me off to become a criminal or something. Yea parents, great idea sticking me in a school of delinquents just because of my sexuality. This is really working out in your favor, mom and dad. Killian's in prison? Well, as long as he's not gay!

I miserably forced my attention of Mr. Sudlow's aggressive teaching method, trying to wipe thoughts of tonight from my mind. On the brightside, at least they weren't calling me newbie anymore. Sigh. Life of crime, here I come.

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A.N.- Okay sorry guys chapters are going to be delayed because I managed to get hit in the head and writing gives me headaches, so I can only do a few paragraphs at a time (luckily I was 4 pages into this chapter before I got hurt). Please just be patient. I'm loving the feedback I get on this story, so feel free to keep commenting what you think about everything!