Author's Note: The thing that really sets Degrassi apart is that the series is unafraid to cover important social issues that need to be addressed. However, I think that although some important issues have been repeated, such as teen pregnancy, there are others that are just as important that have not been touched at all.

My solution is to have three new kids at Degrassi, each with a very different, yet unexplored issue. Each chapter will focus on one character at a time, alternating in order. My hope is that you as the reader will as the story progresses be able to guess each of their secrets, and help follow them in their process of healing.

Allow me to introduce you to Kingston, Alice, and Odette...

I Can Learn

In the curious way that dogs sometimes looked like their owners, Kingston believed a person's vehicle was in direct proportion to their personality. His conversion van was suspiciously inconspicuous, always trying to blend in without ever actually succeeding. It was intriguing in the way that no one wanted to get close enough to decode its mystery. And although it had taken plenty of hits, it stayed as durable and determined as ever.

His favorite place in the world was on top of that van, staring down at the people below. It made him feel closer to God, the way a higher being looks down on its subjects, catching glimpses of their lives without ever noticing they are being watched. He caught snippets of conversation, movements, interactions, all without ever having to make eye contact with another person. It made him feel more prepared, knowing once he got down from his perch, who to befriend and who to avoid. And being the new kid on his first day of school, he needed any advantage he could possibly obtain.

"Hey!"

Kingston's moment of serenity was broken, as he felt someone knock harshly on his driver's side window. He shielded his eyes from the bright morning sun in order to look down at his intruder.

"Your piece of shit is parked in the fire lane!"

"Sorry about that ma'am." Abandoning his perch, he slid down the windshield of his van, smudging the back of his shirt with dust.

She crossed her arms and tilted her head, allowing her giant hoop earrings to slap against her cheeks almost comically. "Well you gonna move it, or just sit there?"

He flashed her what he hoped to be a winning smile, and dangled his keys near his face. "You might want to step back ma'am. I'd hate to accidentally run over your foot."

She rolled her eyes, turning to walk away. "Just move the damn vehicle!"

Of all the people Kingston chose to watch, he always liked the ones the best who called him out on it.

He pretended to check his dark, slicked-back hair in the mirror, all the while watching her as she walked away from him. More specifically, appreciating the way her jeans were too tight and the way their pockets framed her behind.

He pulled a comb from his pocket and ran it through his hair, still keeping her in the corner of his eye. She pulled a basketball player in a team jacket by the waist, pressing him to her, turning her head in both directions to make sure enough people were watching. Kingston smiled, knowing that she was not so different from him, the loner on top of his van and the girl striving for attention, both of them believing themselves to be kings in their own world.

It took a few turns of his key to get his, as she so accurately had put it, "piece of shit" running, at which point he put his stick shift in reverse. He kept his eyes on the review mirror and his foot almost completely floored on the accelerator. She stayed in his sight the entire time, as he swerved his steering wheel at the last possible moment, pulling his conversion van directly up next to her.

Half on the curb, half off, his car stayed perched at a precarious angle, casting a dark shadow over the girl and her friends. He had driven straight through the grass, leaving deep tracks in the mud left from yesterday's rain.

Unfortunately, Kingston's van had manual windows, so he stalled for a minute having to crank the driver's side one down. He secretly hoped it did not distract from his desired effect. He let one arm rest outside of the car as he smiled at her.

"I moved it!"

Before she and her friends had the chance to say anything back, he turned up his stereo for the whole parking lot to hear.

I wish we

Were stuck up in a tree

Then we'd know

That it's nicer below

I don't know any lullabies

I don't know how to make you mine

But I can learn

In lonely days long ago

I saw lovers put on a show

Well now its my turn