"Griffin, wake the fuck up and turn your alarm off!"

              I rolled over, pulling a pillow over my head and ignoring my alarm. I heard the telltale snarl of "forfuck'ssake", and prepared myself for whatever object Hal was going to throw at my tired body.

              Sure enough, a hard object hit me in the back. I winced and sat up, picking up Hal's cell phone.

              "Your phone," I said. "You really threw your phone at me."

              "Turn your alarm off or I throw the whole damn bed at you next," he said, rubbing at his eyes.

              I shut my alarm off and threw the phone back at him. "Next time, I'm throwing it out the window."

              "Next time, I'm throwing you out the window," Hal said, catching his phone and setting it down on the windowsill. He jumped out of bed, and I watched in jealousy as he straightened up without his knees cracking.

              I got up, cracking half my body in the process, and fumbled around for a clean uniform and my shower stuff. Hal and I went to the bathroom, each claiming a shower stall and taking a quick shower before dressing, brushing our teeth, and heading back to the dorm.

              "Here," Hal said, tossing a breakfast bar my way. We generally ditched breakfast in favor of an extra half hour of sleep. "Better eat it or I'll shove it down your throat."

              "That's a choking hazard," I said, tearing the bar open and biting into it.

              We gathered our stuff and left the door. There were two Blues at the end of the hallway, watching kids leave to make sure no one was trying to skip.

              The dorms had trained volunteers called On Duty Residents, or ODRs. They were Blues who got extra credit and extra favoritism for monitoring the dorms and making sure all the rules were being followed. They reported to the Building Resident, an actual paid adult who should've been able to handle things without snobby teenagers snitching to them.

              The ODRs watched Hal and I approach. One of them reached out to stop me, but stopped just shy of grabbing me when Hal shot him a look.

              "What did Caroline Constance want with you?" he asked.

              "None of your business, Mason," I said. "Ask her yourself if you're dying to know."

              He did grab me now, throwing me up against the wall. "Listen here, you little shit. You're a Maroon now, and that means-"

              He yelped as Hal crushed a hand around the wrist holding me. Hal body slammed him into the wall and got his face close to Mason's.

              "Well, I'm listening," he said. "What was it you were going to say?"

              "Better call off your fucking attack dog, Griffin. Or we'll send him to Mr. Aubrey," the other ODR warned, too afraid to try to pry Hal off himself.

              "Oh, the Building Resident," Hal said. "I'm so terrified. Go on, Griff, call off your fucking attack dog."

              I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It's too early for this. Hal, let's just go. Finish up threatening him and let's go."

              "Touch either of us again, Mason. See what happens," Hal warned, slamming him into the wall once more before backing off.

              "Do you think they're getting suspicious?" I asked once we were outside and away from listening ears.

              "Who cares?" Hal said. "She's the Headmaster's kid. They can't stop her from coming to our room. Besides, would you want to be the one to tell Caroline no?"

              "Hell no," I said.

              "Ask stupid questions," he said.

              "I always do," I said.

              "Griffin!"

              Wyatt ran up to us, a little out of breath. "I was looking for you guys. I found out the new kid is a boy, but nothing else."

              "Congratulations on telling us what we already knew," Hal said. "Cookie or sticker, kid?"

              "Caroline," I said at Wyatt's confused look. "She didn't know much else, either."

              "Oh," Wyatt said, looking disappointed that he wasn't the one to give me the update.

              "What do you care? He's not in your class," Hal said. "He's not in ours, either. It's a new kid. Maroons get them all the time."

              "Hal, it's a new Blue in the middle of senior year," I said. "It's weird."

              "It's also not our business. Let the Blues have their new guy," Hal said.

              "Alright," I said, shrugging it off. "Let's just get to class."

              Hal stumbled into me as Cara caught up to us and shoved him with her shoulder. He caught his balance and shoved her right back with his, their form of a greeting.

              "Oh, hi, Wyatt," Cara said, noticing him. "Why are you walking with us? The Blues will get pissy about it."

              "I don't care," Wyatt said, trying to look tough.

              "You couldn't find Jordan, huh?" I said.

              He deflated. "No. I think he went to class early to hand in an assignment. I didn't want to walk alone."

              "So you chose to walk with the delinquents of high school society," Hal said. "Real genius."

              "Well...I know you guys! And you're not delinquents. Even if that's what the Blues say," Wyatt said.

              "How touching. There are tears in my eyes," Hal said. "Give him the Nobel Peace Prize, he has restored balance and friendship to the land."

              I elbowed Hal in the side. "Quit teasing him."

              "It's a good warm-up before we get to the underpaid overlords," Hal said.

              Wyatt scowled at him. "Screw you, Hal."

              "Oh, his balls just dropped. Someone write that in the baby book, quick," Hal said.

              "Screw you," Wyatt repeated with a huff. "I'm going to my building for class. I'll see you at lunch."

              "Yea, see you. Good luck winning a sass-off with Hal," I said, giving him a short wave.

              We entered the academic building and started for our classroom. There was a group of Maroons standing outside one of the classrooms, whispering in excitement.

              "Welp, there's my first period," Cara said with a sigh.

              "Not a part of the debauchery?" I said.

              "You know I can't get in any more major trouble. My parents won't let me go to soccer camp if I do. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the show," Cara said, giving a punch to Hal's shoulder. "Catch you guys at lunch. I'll fill you in on whatever torture they dished out to our teachers this time."

              She disappeared into the crowd of Maroons and we kept walking to our first period. We took our seats, our room much calmer than the commotion outside.

              Some rotations had more problematic students than others. Ours was full of kids who swore and threatened the teachers plenty, but it wasn't very common for actual fights or rebellion to take place. In other rotations, some students actively went after their teachers, in one form or another.

              It was pretty dull, actually. I almost wished I was in one of those rotations, even if it meant getting smacked around a lot more.

              The abuse at the Academy wasn't necessarily a secret, but it was carefully hidden from the public eye so the school wouldn't get in trouble. Maroons who tried to tell about the abusive nature of their teachers and peers were generally written off as overdramatic liars who just wanted out of the Academy. The Blues helped hold up the image of the Academy as a strict but harmless school.

              Our teacher entered the room and shut the door on the noise outside. She started up class, and I found myself growing more miserable as the day progressed. More lessons I'd already learned mixed in with cheap jabs at me.

              It was Mr. Shafer who finally confirmed my fears from last night.

              "Griffin," he said loudly, catching my attention from where I'd been staring out of the window.

              "Present," I said.

              "Physically, yes. Mentally, you're obviously not, because that's the third time I've called your name," he said.

              "In my defense, I listen to music really, really loud with headphones on," I said.

              "Or maybe you're thinking about your old rotation. They got a new student today, didn't they? I bet they put him in your old seat," he said.

              "I kept it nice and warm for him," I said.

              "How's it feel, knowing you'll be replaced and forgotten? The high and mighty Griffin Flynn, tossed aside to be one of the forgettable nothings he so loved to taunt," Mr. Shafer said.

              "Sir, no offense, but I won't remember you or any of these people three years from now. Possibly three weeks," I said. "Well, maybe Hal."

              "You better remember Hal," Hal said.

              "Yea, okay, I'll remember Hal. The rest? Nope, not concerned. Let this new guy take my place," I said.

              But he was right. I'd be forgotten as time went on. They'd have their fun getting revenge on me, and then they'd be done with me. I'd be just another Maroon to shove out of the way.

              "How sad. I hear you still sit with your Blue friends in lunch. I imagine that won't last much longer with the new student. You're beneath all of them now," Mr. Shafer said coldly.

              "Your neck can be beneath my foot if you don't shut your mouth," Hal offered.

              "All that will be left is your little guard dog there, until he winds up in prison," Mr. Shafer said.

              "Imagine gloating about how one of the kids you abuse is going to end up in prison instead of you, the abuser," Hal said in surprise. "Griff, someone finally has a bigger ego than you."

              Mr. Shafer picked up a water bottle off someone's desk and smacked it down on Hal's fingers, crushing them against the desk.

              "Sell her it tonight!" Hal hissed, yanking his reddened fingers away. He used his uninjured hand to smack the water bottle away from Mr. Shafer, and it hit a boy in the shoulder before rolling to the ground. "Fuck you, you probably deserved that. And fuck you, Shafer."

              "You have no shield anymore, Waymire," Mr. Shafer said, voice low and dangerous as he glared between Hal and I. "Griffin can't protect you from consequences anymore. And you surely can't protect him."

              "Oh, just watch me," Hal said, starting to stand up.

              I reached over and pushed at his shoulder. "Just sit. It's not worth it, Hal. You'll just have to spend more time with him in detention."

              "Oh, for fuck's sake. Let me have some fun once in a while," Hal said, but sat back down. "Can you actually teach something for once?"

              Mr. Shafer shot us both a cool look before heading back up to the front of the room. When the period ended, we left the room, and I was eager to get through our next class and get to lunch already.

              But Hal caught my arm and yanked me aside. "You know he's just full of it, right? It's not like they dragged in some new kid to replace you."

              "Hal, it's fine," I lied. "I don't care. Let them run their mouths."

              But there was a hard look in Hal's eyes. "Fuck him. Fuck all of them. We won't let them forget us."

              "Trust me, I doubt they'll ever forget you. I bet Shafer has a picture of you on a dart board," I said.

              "That'd be epic. I'd be honored to be such an asshole that a teacher throws darts at a picture of me," Hal said.

              "Come on, let's get to class," I said, relieved I'd successfully swerved the conversation away for the moment.

              Still, Shafer had a point. With a new Blue, it meant they'd be teaching him the social structure here. That meant reminding all the Blues that the Maroons were beneath them.

              It meant reminding kids like Jordan and Wyatt not to waste their time with us.

              I shook those thoughts from my head. Jordan and Wyatt wouldn't forget us. They wouldn't.

              The next period wasn't much better, but a girl on her phone drew the teacher's attention and rescued me from more rants about being a forgettable nothing and being replaced by the new kid.

              I was relieved when we were let out for lunch. Hal and I followed the paths down to the dining hall and I let Hal pull us past the crowd to get up the stairs and swipe our way in.

              "I miss the soup already. Why is it only once a damn week?" Hal said miserably as we loaded up our trays. He was moping about the soup, but I could see him watching what I put on my tray, so I filled it with plenty of lighter foods.

              We made our way to our usual table and sat down. The others weren't here yet, which wasn't surprising since they didn't have Hal to bully them through the crowds.

              I picked at my lunch, my appetite barely there. Even when I felt hungry lately, I filled up pretty fast. But I had to force food down. If I lost weight, Hal would notice. The last thing I needed was for him to start force-feeding me.

              I scanned the crowds and caught sight of Jordan. I furrowed my brow, wondering if that was the new kid he was talking with.

              The boy wasn't familiar to me, which was a pretty big give-away. But Jordan was saying something and gesturing over to where the trays were, and from the trays to one of the food stations. The kid smiled a little and said something, which Jordan shook his head at with an apologetic smile of his own. He said something and the two parted ways.

              Jordan appeared at our table a few minutes later with Cara at his side, both of them with trays in hand. They sat down, and I wondered if there was a casual way to bring up what I'd seen before deciding I didn't actually care about subtlety.

              "Was that the new kid?" I asked.

              "That was Evan, yes," Jordan said. "He was asking about what was good here."

              "The soup," Hal said.

              "Yes, Hal, the soup," Jordan said.

              "Don't mock me," Hal said. "I can snap your spine like a glowstick, pal."

              "I don't doubt it. Anyways, he asked if I wanted to sit with him, but I said I was sitting with you guys. I figured it's best not to drag him into the whole Blue and Maroon war on his first day," Jordan said.

              "He'll side with the Blues. They'll make sure of it," Hal said.

              "What?" Wyatt asked, joining our table. "Make sure of what?"

              "Make sure nosey kids don't butt into conversations they weren't apart of," Hal said.

              "New kid," Jordan informed Wyatt. "I didn't let him sit with us because I didn't want to throw him into the whole social punishment thing."

              "Oh," Wyatt said. Then, "Wait, he wanted to sit with us?"

              "With me," Jordan said.

              "How modest," Hal said.

              "I'm sure everyone is dying to sit with you, Hal. You're so charming," Cara said.

              "He sat next to me in class," Jordan said. "I answered some questions he had, and we talked a little."

              I used to sit next to Jordan in class. So the new kid really had taken my spot.

              "What's he like?" Wyatt asked.

              "We didn't talk all that much. Besides, I think he was a little overwhelmed by everything. You know how it is with transfer students," Jordan said.

              "Our transfers are pretty much prey until they establish a place in the Maroons," Cara said.

              "Okay, well, no. That's not exactly what our transfers deal with," Jordan said.

              "Oh, sorry, I forgot what it was like to be a Blue transfer. Probably had something to do with the fact I never was one," Cara said in surprise. "Stupid me!"

              "I want to meet him," Wyatt said as Jordan shot Cara an exasperated look. "Can I meet him, Jordan?"

              "You can do whatever you want," Jordan said.

              "I think he's trying to get you to introduce him," Cara said.

              "Thank you, I hadn't noticed that myself. Stupid me," Jordan said dryly.

              "Sassy you," Cara said. "Dial it back a bit."

              While they argued with each other, I watched the cafeteria and noticed the subtle changes. The Blues passing our table whispered to each other, giving us dirty looks. I noticed them doing similar things to other mingled groups.

              Every once in a while, a rare transfer like this shook things up and set the Blues and the Maroons even more at odds. The Blues wanted to keep the status quo, because it put them on top. The Maroons wanted to topple it, because they were sick of being looked down on. There was always tension, but a simple incident like a senior transfer into the Blues could be enough to bring that tension right to the surface.

              This was going to be an interesting few weeks while it all played out.