I walked up the front steps of Degrassi Communtiy School and groaned. I should've known this place was bad news, I had to wear this awful uniform and now I had to go through metal detectors. I could see my reflection in the windows on the doors, navy and tan just weren't my colors. I ran my hand through my long black hair and flipped it over one shoulder, then adjusted the strap of my shoulder bag. The line of people in front of me dwindled down and I let the school security look through my bag and wave their metal detector gadget over my arms and torso, then walked into the school for the first time. I was used to being the new girl but I usually had my ways of telling who was the right crowd to get into. Everyone here was wearing a uniform. I walked to the front office with my head hung, my black hair acting like a curtain between me and the rest of the students rushing on their way to class. I didn't dodge very well and ended up getting knocked around quite a bit. I slipped through the main office door and stood at the counter, waiting for the lady I assumed was the secretary to finish her phone call. I tapped my nails on the counter as I waited. She glanced at me and smiled, then held up a finger. "One moment dear." I just nodded my head. She continued to chatter for a few more minutes then hung up the phone and got up from her desk. "What can I help you with?" She asked, picking up a large stack of file folders and walking into another part of the office, I watched her walk away for a few seconds then shrugged and followed her into the next room. "Uh, I'm a new student. My name is Owl Thiessen." I winced when I said my name, my mother was on some major drugs when she named me, I usually had people call me by my last name, anything was better then Owl. "Oh yes, Principal Simpson told me there might be a new student coming in today." She dropped the stack of folders into a file cabinet and turned to look at me, narrowing her eyes a little like she was concentrating real hard to remember my face. She turned back the cabinet and ruffled through the folders, then held one up in the air over her head. "Here we are, Ms. Owl Thiessen." She brought the folder to eye view and flipped it open with a flick of her wrist. "Transfer from Southern California? You're a long way from Hollywood Ms. Thiessen." She looked at me from over her shoulder and raised her brows. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "My dad got a new job." I muttered, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. Most people assumed I was some kind of stuck up spoiled brat because I used to live in Hollywood. It's not as great as everyone thinks it is, a lot of homeless people, a lot of drunk people, and a lot of famous people who don't give a ****. The secretary smiled slightly and took my file back to the front desk, I rushed after her. "You'll need a photo ID.." She spoke out loud, even though she wasn't really speaking to me but more to herself. She shuffled some of the papers in the folder around and then slid one across the desk towards me, "This is your schedule of class," she reached under the counter and handed me a small stack of papers. "This has a school map, the school rules, emergency card, and a print out of hall passes, you only get five per month so use then wisely." I nodded and put my list of classes on top of the pile, reading over the subjects and then name of the teachers, I looked at the map and made a mental note of the best route to use to get to each class. I was so used to new places that I could pretty much get around without anyone's help. "Thanks." When I looked up at the lady she had a camera in hand, a bright flash nearly blinded me, but I had managed a quick side smile. She printed out a tiny copy of the picture she just took and stuck it to thick index card with the school logo and a barcode on it. She ordered me to write my full name and my homeroom number on the card, which I did, and then slipped it into a clear plastic card holder at the end of a Degrassi lanyard. She tossed it at me and I caught it in one hand and quickly put it over my head, it settled on my chest awkwardly. "Welcome to Degrassi Ms. Theissen." She smiled and turned away, leaving me alone. I sighed and walked out of the office and into the crowded hallway, the first bell must have rung without my realizing because everyone was in a hurry to get somewhere. I let stampede carry in the general direction of my first class. Ms. Dawes, English. I breakaway from the group with a few other students and slip through the doorway to my first class at a new school. A lot of students are already in their seats and I don't know whether they assigned or not, I see an older woman at the back of the class, who I assume is Ms. Dawes, and walk through the rows of desks to get to her. I clear my throat and she turns around to look at me. "Uh, I'm a new student. My name is Owl, Owl Thiessen." I hand her my schedule which she glances at and nods. "Yes, nice to meet you. Welcome to English." she waves her hand through the air motioning to the rest of the room. "Take a seat, anywhere is fine." I nod once and slip into a seat in the middle of the room. To far in the front you're labeled a teachers pet. To far in the back, you're a trouble maker. I unpack my spiral notebook and open to the first clean page, then uncap my pen with my teeth and start to doodle, I can hear other people walk into the room and greet each other but when I'm drawing I tend to tune people out. It's a gift. That's probably why I didn't hear him, or notice that he was trying to get my attention until he put his hand right over my paper. I blinked and looked down at his hand, which was pretty beautiful. His fingers were long and thin, and a nice shade of peach. His nails were short and were covered with black permanent marker, he was wearing a silver ring on his ring finger. I sighed softly and tore my eyes away from his bruised knuckles and turned my face upwards. "Sorry, what?" I asked, trying to appear blasé. His face was pretty much like his hands, peach framed by black hair. He was wearing black eyeliner which accented his dark green eyes. His full lips press into a hard line. "You're sitting in my seat." His gaze shifts from me to the girl sitting in the desk in front of mine, she's turned in her seat watching all of this unfold. She has red short hair, which is curly, it frames her childlike face perfectly. I can tell she's younger then me, maybe by a year or two. "I was told we don't have assigned seats. Ms. Dawes said I could sit wherever my little heart desires. I chose here, you'll have to find a new seat." I look from the boy to the girl a couple of times and then return to my doodle. The boy just hovers there with his arms crossed over his chest, his head blocking the light. I stop drawing again and look up at him. "I think you should go sit down, class is about to start." I smile sweetly at him, and even throw in a flirtatious wink, the guy may be annoying but that doesn't make him any less attractive. He rolls his eyes and takes the seat behind me, throwing his bag down on the desk a little bit to hard. What's his problem? It's just a desk. The girl in front of me hasn't turned around since this whole thing started, she looks past me at the boy and frowns. I clear my throat and her eyes land on my face for a split second, she blushes then turns her back on me.
The first half of my classes go by in a blur and before I know it it's lunchtime and I'm standing in line for my first meal at Degrassi. Most of the other students are seated with their friends at various tables, but without their street clothes it's hard to determine which clique is which. I grab my tray and walk through the line of crowded tables, finding one that's empty and making myself comfortable. I people watch for a few minutes, trying to find a group of people who might be new friend material and that's when I see the girl from my English class, and the boy is with her. I grab the apple off my tray and take a bite following them with my eyes, they sit down at a table where a few other people were waiting for them. They greet each other, the boy does some weird handshake with another. The girl gives another girl a hug. All this "girl" and "boy" business is giving me a real headache, I'd really like names to put to the faces so I get up, grab my tray and walk over to the table. Everyone falls silent when they notice that I'm approaching but I just ignore that and take a seat next to an unfamiliar face. "Hey." I mutter, taking another bite from my apple. The people at the table exchange glances then shrug. The red head smiles and offers me her hand. "Hello, I'm Clare." I shake her hand lightly and nod. "Nice to meet you." She elbows the guy from English in the ribs and clears her throat daintily. He sighs loudly and offers his hand to me too, "Eli." I take his hand in mine and shake it firmly, smashing his fingers together, he shakes back just a hard and I can feel my bones crack. I wince and pull my hand away, he lips curl into a sinister smirk. "My name is Owl." I mumble. The boy next to me, laughs slightly. "That's an interesting name." I turn to him and shrug. Eli and Clare smile at each other and raise their brows, I can't help but think there's some nonverbal communication going on. They boy next to me smiles and pats me on the back. "My name is Adam." I nod and return his smile, biting on my bottom lip. The rest of the time Adam, Clare, and Eli talk about English, comic books, movies, authors and weekend plans. It doesn't take me long to figure out that Clare and Eli are an item, and poor Adam is the third wheel. By the time the bell rings for the next class, Adam looks like he might die of boredom. I take my tray to the trash and turn to find Adam waiting for me. "Can I walk you to class Owl?" He asks shyly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Sure." I say with a shrug, slinging my bag over my shoulder. We walk out of the cafeteria and into the sea of bodies, Adam stays close to my side. I turn to glance at him every few seconds, he's staring straight ahead, looking very nervous. "So Owl, how are you liking Degrassi so far?" I laugh to myself, how cliché is it to ask a new student about her first day. "It's been really good actually, a lot different from California." I shrug and dodge someone's shoulder, making me press closer to Adam. He doesn't seem to mind. When we arrive at the door to my next class, Adam pats me on the back again. "It was great meeting you Owl, will I see you tomorrow? Or, Eli and Clare and I were going to hang out at The Dot after school. You should come along." I raise my brow, I'm not sure how I feel about this group of misfits, but hanging out with them would be better then going home to an empty new house. "Sure Adam, just one thing…what's The Dot?" Adam smirks "Meet me out front after school." Then he walks away. I try my best to focus on the rest of my classes but I feel like everything the teachers are teaching is repetitive and redundant. I find myself doodling most of the time and by the final bells I have ten pages filled with stick figure people and a really professional looking sketch of Adam. It's like his face is burned into my mind. I look my drawing over as I walk through the halls towards the front steps, it's then that I notice how beautiful Adam is, which isn't a way most guys liked to be described. I slip my notebook into my bag, walking out of the school and looking around for the misfits. I see them sitting by the school sign, and I walk quickly over to them. Clare is bending over to pull up her navy knee high socks, Eli is shedding his Degrassi cardigan and tugging on a black zip up sweatshirt, while Adam searches through his backpack for something. I clear my throat and they all look up to acknowledge my presence, each one giving me some form of a greeting. Clare waves and smiles, Eli grunts, and Adam nods his head towards me, his thin pale lips pulled into a tight smirk. "How was your first day?" Clare asked, brushing some of her red curly hair from her pale face, I can see a glint of silver from the top of her ear and make note of the cartilage piercing, something that just doesn't seem like her style. "It was good actually." I smile and slid my bag off my shoulder, resting it on the floor. "How about you?" I add, trying to keep the conversation going. "Oh, it's the same thing everyday." She shrugs and gets up, picking her bag from the ground and hanging it on her shoulder. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow?" She asks. Eli and Adam exchange a glance, then both raise their brows. "I thought we were hanging out at The Dot?" Eli frowns and Clare put her hand gently on her shoulder. "I have a ton of homework." She shrugs then turns to me and Adam. "But you guys have fun okay." She bends down and gives Eli a quick peck on the cheek then walks down the steps towards a car that must have been waiting for her. I watch her get in, give a small wave, and then the car drives away. Adam and Eli watch the car drive away for a few seconds longer then I do, then both turn to look at me. I'm not sure what to say, they both are just staring at me silently. "So I'm guessing you don't hang out with other girls?" I bite my lip and shrug, shuffling my feet against the sidewalk. "I could just go home." I pick up my bag and turn to go but then I feel a hand on my shoulder, I peek at it from the corner of my eye hoping to see the beautiful hand I'd seen at the beginning of the day but this hand is much paler and more feminine, I almost expect to turn and see Clare, but it's Adam. "I promised you we'd go to The Dot, and I'll do it whether Clare comes or not." He smiles and looks over his shoulder at Eli, "You coming?" Eli nods and stands up, grabbing his folder. "Let's take Morty." Eli suggests, leading us into the school parking lot. "I'm guessing Morty is a car?" I whisper to Adam, raising my eyebrows. Adam smirks, "Morty is so much more then a car. He's a hearse." And sure enough, Eli is unlocking the drivers side door of a big black hearse. The silver accents glistening in the sun, and the skull in the back window seems to be smiling at me. "Wow, this-this is awesome." I jog over to the hearse and put my hand on the hood, looking through the windshield at Eli, I give him a thumbs up, which he returns with a smirk. Adam opens the passenger door and waves me inside. "Oh no, I can sit in the back." Adam shakes his head. "It's alright." So I slid into the seat next to Eli, putting my bag down by my legs. Adam closes the door behind me and then gets into the back. He has to hold onto the back of our seats to keep from falling over while Eli drives, we don't talk much, mostly because we wouldn't be able to hear each other over the alexisonfire CD Eli is playing. I mouth the words to my reflection in the window, I meet Eli's eyes a couple of times. "Keep your eyes on the road buddy, I prefer to ride in hearses alive." He laughs, shakes his head and stares straight ahead at the road. When we get to our destination it's easy to see why The Dot is the hang out spot. It's pretty amazing. Little round tables, cheap drinks and snacks. This place was a highschooler's paradise. I order a milkshake and a side of fries, then go over to the table Eli and Adam are sitting at. "This place rocks." I say with a smile, I notice that they've left a chair empty between them but I'm not sure if it's there to give each other space or for me to sit in, I decide to sit on Adam's other side just to save myself some embarrassment. Adam smiles "I knew you'd love it." I watch as Eli and Adam exchange a look, and I recognize the feeling that I'm missing some more nonverbal communication, looks like this group of misfits was more tight nit then I'd realized.