A/N: This idea has been in my head for a while, and I decided to finally write it! I hope everyone enjoys because this will be a long fic!

Song title is Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.


"Have a great first day of school, Mari," a woman said to her twelve year old daughter in the car as her daughter unbuckled herself.

"I will Mama!" Marisol Lewis replied excitedly as she grabbed her sparkly pink bookbag and got out of the car. She waved her mother goodbye as the woman drove off.

Today was her first day of seventh grade and she couldn't be more happier. She was finally in middle school! Her goal was to be the most popular girl in her grade and to have a cute boyfriend by her side. Marisol walked along the sidewalk towards the school when she saw her best friend, Katie Matlin, by the school steps. "Katie-kins!" She greeted excitedly as she ran up to her friend.

"Marebear!" Katie greeted back warmly as they embraced. Her and Katie had been best friends since kindergarten, and Marisol considered her her sister at this point. They couldn't be anymore different as Katie was more interested in soccer and politics than lip gloss and boys, but they understood each other more than anyone else. "How was your trip to Jamaica?" Katie asked her as they walked into Degrassi together. The halls were packed with students, old and new.

"Ah-maz-ing! I got to see the family members I usually don't see!" Marisol answered as she approached her new locker. "We got to go snorkeling and I got to go climbing at Dunn River Falls. What did you do while I was gone?"

"Well I spent my whole summer at soccer camp as you already know, I hope I make the junior varsity team," Katie replied as she opened the locker next to Marisol's. They had specifically requested each other's lockers to be next to each other. Katie really didn't want her locker to be anywhere else. Since they became friends, they were attached at the hip and did everything together.

"I hope I'm old enough to be on the Spirit Squad," Marisol said. She had been cheerleading since she was a toddler, and she had been on her grade school's gymnastics team so she was definitely skilled enough to try out for the squad.

"I still don't get how you love cheerleading so much when it's a sexist sport," Katie replied with a frown on her face. "It's nothing but bimbos in flimsy skirts jumping and twirling around for boys' pleasure."

"Well I don't do cheerleading for boys, Katie. I do it because it's fun and it's more than just twirling or jumping," Marisol argued. This wasn't the first nor last time they will have this argument. Katie could be so judgy sometimes.

"Whatever you say, Mare. I personally wouldn't degrade myself like that," Katie said. In her mind, cheerleading wasn't even a valid sport.

"That's good for you, Katie-kins," Marisol replied with a sigh as she got her books out for their home room period. She was never going to get through to her friend on this topic. "So let's discuss the most important thing: boys."

"What about them?" Her best friend asked back with a raised eyebrow.

"What am I going to have to do to get a boyfriend this year?" Marisol elaborated. Since she was very little, she dreamed of having a prince like in the fairy tales. Her ideal prince was romantic, charming, kind, smart, and brave.

"You don't need a boyfriend, boys are stupid," Katie answered gruffly. "You should focus on your academics so you can be an honor student like me."

"Sounds boring," Marisol rejected dryly as she looked around for cute boys her age. Her eyes locked on one specifically as he walked past them. "He would be an interesting one," she said as Katie followed her gaze.

He was a white boy that looked to be their age with curly light brown hair and piercing green eyes. He was dressed in red and black and was carrying around a skull-shaped backpack.

"Him? He looks like a weirdo," Katie replied with narrowed eyes.

Normally, she would agree but there was something about him that piped her interest.

Nonetheless, she decided to lie for now.

"Hmm, he does. I should look somewhere else," Marisol agreed as they entered their home room class.


Eli Goldsworthy didn't know what to think as he entered his homeroom class. He had just moved here from Calgary, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to make friends yet. He didn't really have any at his old school because other kids saw him as "weird". "Normal" kids don't dress in black and red, and have parents named Bullfrog and Cece.

He took a seat at the back of the classroom, and already other kids were staring at him. He stared back. He wasn't about to be intimidated.

A girl with cat ears on her head walked up and sat down next to him. She had long brown hair in pigtails and was wearing a glittery rainbow tutu skirt. "Hi," she greeted somewhat shyly.

"Hey," he greeted back, not knowing what to make of her. The other kids were staring at her too, and some were snickering at her eccentric appearance.

"I'm Imogen, Imogen Moreno," she introduced herself as she held out her hand.

"Eli Goldsworthy," he introduced back as he shook her hand. He noticed that each of her fingernails were painted a different color.

"Are you new here? I've never seen you at our grade school," she asked.

"No, I just moved here," he replied.

"Great! Let's be friends! I don't think anyone else would want to be friends with us," she offered. Eli looked around the room. There were huddled whispers and smart remarks said by kids all around.

"Yeah, you're probably right."


Later that day at lunch, Marisol approached an eleventh grader, Paige Michalchuk, as she was getting food at the lunch line.

"Hi, are you Paige?" She asked as she got a chicken Caesar wrap and fries for herself along with an ice tea.

"Yeah, why?" The older girl asked as she picked up a sandwich. Marisol noticed that there was a certain stiffness in the girl's tone but decided not to think anything of it.

"I'm Marisol and heard you're the captain of the Spirit Squad and holding tryouts this year. I would like to try out because I'm a great fit for the team!" Marisol explained cheerfully.

"Um how old are you?" Paige asked while looking at her critically.

"12. I'm in the seventh grade!"

"We don't allow seventh and eighth graders on the team anymore. Sorry hun," Paige rejected before walking away without another word. Marisol stood there dejectedly for a few seconds before going back to her seat with Katie, who was only eating a sandwich and a bottle of water for lunch.

"How did it go?" Her friend asked.

"She rejected me," Marisol replied sadly.

"It's for the best. You don't need to be on a team like that any-"

"I'll start my own cheer squad," Marisol cut her off.

"Why? You can just join the gymnastics team, Marisol. That's a more empowering sport than cheerleading," Katie tried to convince her.

"I like doing gymnastics but it's not cheerleading, Katiekins. I can't fathom not doing cheer," Marisol argued. She loved everything about cheerleading: the uniforms, the bows, the competitions, and the sisterhood among the team.

"Well, how are you going to start a team? Ask Raditch?" Katie questioned.

"Yes. There's a club fair coming up soon and when I get approved, I'll promote it there," Marisol answered as she bit into her wrap.

She may have been too young for Spirit Squad but that was not going to stop her from doing cheer. She will be a cheerleader this year.


"Hey fatass, don't you think a burger and fries is too much for you?" An older student sneered as Mo Mashkour tried to eat his food, which was burgers, fries, a can of Pepsi, and a bag of chips.

"If anything, it's not enough for a guy like me. I have two stomachs," he joked in response, trying to play off as if he didn't care. It's how he got by in school previously. He continued to bite into his burger.

The older kid yanked the burger out of his mouth and threw it on the floor. He then grabbed him by his shirt. Other students stopped what they were doing to watch the show.

"You think being a little chucklefuck is going to get you by middle school? I don't like chucklefucks," the older kid snarled as he got in his face. Mo tried not to let his fear show.

"Everyone needs someone who makes them laugh," he replied in a cracked voice. The older kid started raising his fist.

Then another kid grabbed his fist.

"Hey man, why don't you go and fuck off from him already? I'm sure your gorilla breath is scaring him enough as it is," the other kid said. He was in his math class. Mo believed his name was Eli.

"Excuse me?" The older kid asked in rage as he turned around to face Eli, who was fearlessly staring at him.

"You heard me. Gorilla breath, pizza face, greasy hair, if I was you I would worry about being seen as one of the most unpleasant faces around the school instead of trying to bully seventh graders," Eli replied with a smirk. The older kid seethed as he looked between them.

"You know what? I'm not going to waste my time beating your ass, hobbit," he snarled before walking away. Eli shrugged before sitting down next to him, and soon after a weird girl in a tutu quickly came out of nowhere and sat down at their table too.

Mo was amazed at Eli's bravery. "Thanks man," he told him in gratitude.

"No problem, I hate bullies," Eli replied. "You're Mo, right?"

"The one and only."

"Cool, I'm Eli. Looks like you need a friend."

"The more company, the better," Mo said with a smile. Then he turned his attention to the only girl at the table. "Who are you?"

"I'm Imogen, we have music class together!" She introduced cheerfully. Now that he thought about it, he did see her in their music class. He was confused as to why she was wearing cat ears like it was Halloween.

"What's with the get up?" He asked again. She had to know everyone was staring at her like she was the latest sideshow attraction.

"Oh I thought that since it was the first day of school, I should dress up," she explained as if her outfit was the normal kind of outfit girls would "dress up" in. "Do you like it?" Imogen asked him while playing with her cat ears. Eli looked at him expectantly.

Mo nodded as he didn't know what else to say. "Yeah, it's cool," he answered as he ate what was left of his food. He could feel everyone's eyes on the three of them.

It was clear that they were all going to be the school's outcasts. The fat kid, the goth kid, and the weirdo.


"So if you want to do a junior varsity cheer team, there has to be some restrictions," Principal Raditch began as he folded his hands on his desk, "Your team will not travel as much as the Spirit Squad so there won't be as many competitions. You and the other team members will have to maintain your grades above a C. You will have to do fundraisers to raise money for the team. And finally no one can be excluded from tryouts."

"Okay," Marisol agreed as she sat across from the principal. Some kids would be intimidated by being in the principal's office but she wasn't, mostly because she was more excited about starting her own cheer team.

"Like with the Spirit Squad, you would have to be on your best behavior at all games and events because you are representing the school. Would you be able to accept that?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"And this squad is about promoting school spirit and good exercise?"

"Yes."

"Then I suppose there's no reason I shouldn't allow another cheer squad," Raditch said with a warm smile as Marisol felt her heart soar. She could barely contain her squeal as she got up from her seat.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Raditch! I can't wait to start this squad!" Marisol said in gratitude as she happily shook his hand. They spent a few more minutes talking.

When she left the office, Katie was there waiting for her. "How did it go?"

"You're looking at the captain of Degrassi's Pep Squad!" Marisol announced proudly as she linked her arms with her best friend. "This will surely make me the most popular girl in middle school!"

"If this doesn't blow up in your face instead," Katie muttered to herself as they walked down the halls to their next class.


After school, Eli walked Imogen home.

"I'm so happy we're friends Eli, so happy!" She said as they walked through the neighborhood. Both of them were pushing along their bikes. Eli had a black one while she had a sparkly fuschia one.

"I am too," he replied. "Degrassi seems like a place where you're going to need all the friends you can get."

Imogen smiled at his reply. Eli was really cute and was so kind to her. He was the first friend she ever had and didn't seem to think she was a freak for her appearance.

When they stopped in front of her house, she turned to face him. "Do you want to come inside? My parents would probably really like you," she offered him. Eli looked down at his watch.

"I'm fine with that," he accepted as he parked his bike in front of the house. Imogen grabbed his hand and excitedly led him up the steps of her house. She got her keys out and opened up her front door.

Inside, both of her parents were sitting on couches from opposite ends of the room with serious looks on their faces.

"Um, what's going on?" She asked in confusion.

"Imogen, we have something to tell you," her mother said, and Imogen noticed that she was pointedly not looking at her father.

Eli shifted around awkwardly. "I'm going to go. See you around, Imogen," he said before quickly leaving. Imogen watched him leave and then turned back around to face her parents. "What?" She asked again, not liking where this was going.

"Your mother and I have been talking…," her father began, "And we both think it would be best if we got a divorce."

Imogen was completely taken aback by the statement.