#simplisticsaunders

**Important for all**

JT Yorke was dead far before his time. Murdered as the result of a cowardly act of gang violence, he was forced to roam the mortal world in spirit, with a lifetime’s worth of unfinished business weighing down his conscience. Depending on the day, his pseudo-existence could be tolerable or absolute torture, with the benefits of being able to watch his friends greatly outweighed by his lack of physical presence. JT couldn’t help but think that as he watched his friends go through the trials and share the experiences of early adulthood, he should have been there with them, and it would have been true if he had any say in the matter. Instead, he found himself wandering the familiar street of suburban Toronto, feeling particular nostalgic on this particular morning in May. It would have been his birthday soon.

Aside from his own home, Degrassi Community School was one of the places where he felt most safe. That was except for the last few months of his life, where Lakehurst bullies lurked at the perimeters, making him dread every day. The rivalry between the two schools had long since dissipated now, as Lakehurst had burned down not long after he died and the two cohorts eventually learned to coexist. Degrassi had become more like the school he remembered. A few early students were making their way through the building’s main doors, and JT decided to follow. Perhaps he’d pay his memorial garden a visit, he thought, or see how Mr Simpson was doing as the school’s principal.

He stepped into the building and the students around him quickly walked forward. The school looked slightly different to what he remembered, but it felt the same. He saw a couple of students gathered around what used to be his locker. A young-looking girl was leaning against the door of his old ninth grade home room. JT proceeded to pass these students by, but stopped when one particular boy caught his attention. He was short in stature, or at least shorter than him, and had medium brown hair which swept across his forehead. JT took note of the boy’s rather prominent eyebrows, but not as much as the lost expression on his face. He couldn’t make sure for certain, but it seemed like he had been spotted. This seemed like an exciting prospect to JT, as it was only very rarely when a living person could acknowledge his presence, let alone actually communicate with him. Deciding to test his suspicion, JT slowly raised a hand and waved the other boy over.