A/N: I distinctly remember Derek once saying in season 5 that he was adopted, but I don't recall any further mentions of his adoption. I took the liberty of exploring that idea in more depth, with usage of some OCs that may not be canon compliant.
Derek often finds himself unsure of how to feel about family history projects, especially the ones where you have to trace back your family tree as far as possible and make a presentation about your findings. Usually, he had these assignments in history class to prove that everyone has history and that history can come alive outside of textbooks.
On the one hand, although Derek wouldn't admit it, he likes learning all the interesting things about people's families. He likes knowing about the quirks that shaped their experiences and existence up until today. Gathering information about people's background would be creepy and probably stalkerish on its own, but these presentations painted explaining and even learning the little details as something worth encouraging. It was strange to Derek that the student would earn a better grade for including interesting anecdotal evidence of their lives. Derek thinks this because it seems as if teachers are skeptical that students even have lives outside of Degrassi.
On the other hand, he has to explain his life as an adopted child. He feels as if has to constantly reassure the entire world that the parents who raised him treat him well. His adoption isn't a big deal, really! Nobody usually seems to care about his family outside of the classroom, anyway. The second he enters the classroom is when he's treated like an entirely different entity. Derek can't even fathom why. His theory is that people simply aren't informed about adoption. Instead of learning about the facts to dispel the myths they've created in their minds, they act like adoption's something that only happens in fiction.
"My adopted dad's name is Richard Haig, he's a pretty sporty guy with a photographic memory. That's why I always got in so much trouble as a kid, he always remembered everything," Derek laughs, but nobody else does. There goes trying to ease the tension in the room. Derek clears his throat, and then he keeps talking about his family tree. Even though the confusion barely registers in his peers' faces, Derek can't help but notice the subtle discomfort at the word adoptive. The unspoken sense of anxiety attached to the word confuses Derek. He keeps his calm and stops himself before he can overanalyze the emotions of his peers. Besides, it's not like it's his problem to deal with other people's anxiety over his family life. How he was raised isn't anyone else's business.
"He's the owner of a small, family-run restaurant," Derek adds, knowing that adding Dad's job would make a cute anecdote. He wasn't a fan of talking in front of people if he didn't have to. He goes on to briefly describe Dad's background-Dad has a brother Asher, a sister Marie, and nieces and nephews and parents and grandparents.
"My adopted mom is Joan Worthing, she's a pre-school teacher." Like with Dad, Derek goes into detail about Mom's background: Mom has two sisters Andrea and Diane, divorced parents who remarried but had kids from a prior marriage and more nephews than nieces and grandparents and the occasional confusion of step-relatives. Derek went on to say: "You guys probably met my older sister Michaela. She graduates Degrassi this year, and took part in the hockey team." People, specifically some girls he vaguely knows and some of the guys who played hockey, bounce their heads at the mention of Michaela, as if approving of the fact that Derek's related to Michaela. He takes a deep breath because he feels like he's accomplished the most difficult task in his life.
"I have one last part of my family that I need to explain: my biological one. I'm adopted." People nod to acknowledge that they understand the information; they seem less uncomfortable then they were when he first mentioned his adoption at all. He's pretty sure he sounds redundant by outright admitting that he was adopted after he called his parents his adoptive ones. "My birth mom had me young, and raised me until I was two. My birth dad was around, but pretty infrequently. I don't know much about him, to be honest. My mom decided, after a lot of thought, that I needed a better life than she could give me."
He thanks his mom-his birth one-because, without her, Derek wouldn't be where he is now. Sometimes, he feels guilty for making the distinction between his mothers, because they both had something to do with his life but in vastly different ways. Just because one mom gave birth to him and a second one raised him doesn't mean that either woman was less valuable as a parent.
But every so often, for brief moments, he wonders about his birth mom. What is she like? Did she ever go to college or get married or start a family that she could take care of? Does she have a job and hobbies that motivate her and foods she always eats without fail? Is she still living Canada and has she ever traveled outside of Canada? Derek's heart flutters at the possibilities. His daydreams are the best he'll ever get for now.
"So my parents-the ones that raised me, Joan and Richard-adopted me because they wanted more children but couldn't due to complications. And here I am, giving you my presentation." He falls silent, unsure of how to wrap up his presentation. Endings evaded him, so he hastily added: "That's my presentation. Let's hope I get an A!" Nobody laughs, half because they feel the same way about wanting to get a good grade and half because people probably stopped paying attention halfway through. Derek expects that because he would've done the same thing. He scurries to his seat. Almost immediately, the bell rang. He is all too grateful for the dismissal of class.
As he leaves class, Derek realizes how much he appreciates his family. They're the people who love him and respect him and treat him well. Sure, they're not biologically his and they sure as hell aren't perfect, but what matters is that they help him through when he fucks up and they love him despite his missteps.