A teenage girl, with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, purple leather jacket, and purple headphones, is seen in front of a microphone and laptop. Currently, she's singing her heart out on a new cover for a new YouTube venture that she's trying out. The song she's singing? Well, I think it'll come to mind rather quickly.
"It's the start of somethin' new / It feels so right to be here with you, oh / And now, lookin' in your eyes / I feel in my heart / That it's the start of somethin' new / It feels so right to be here with you, oh / And now, lookin' in your eyes / I feel in my heart (Feel in my heart) / The start of somethin' new (The start of somethin' new) / The start of somethin' new"
As she shuts off her recording, she speaks, to give an introduction.
"Hey, I'm Emma Wood. I'm a singer, songwriter (or at least I'm trying to be a songwriter), and a musical fanatic. Hamilton, Glenda, and, as you just heard, the DCOM musicals. My all-time favorite? The High School Musical trilogy. I love the story, I love the soundtrack, and I love everything in-between. Music and musicals are a big part of my life. They give me something to look forward to, and most important of all, they help to distract me from the miserable things going on in my life right now."
This was about a week ago. I was at the end of the table. My parents, Julia & Brad Wood, were having a massive argument, again. I still didn't fully understand what was going on. They had several arguments like this for weeks before this, about various topics. Today, however, it was about me. Both were accusing the other of not being there for me when I was needed most. At this point, I got up and left the table. What made the situation worse is that they never even noticed I left. I was so irritated and upset, that I cried myself to sleep that night.
Now, here we are today. As I finish recording my cover of Start Of Something New from the first High School Musical movie, my mom comes into the room, to deliver some heartbreaking news.
"Hey mom, what's up?" I asked.
"Sweetie, have you noticed the fights that me and your father have been having lately?" My mother, Julia Wood, asks me, with pain in her voice at having to even ask the question in the first place.
"It's kind of hard not to notice, if we're being honest." I replied, looking away from her for a brief moment, almost in disbelief at everything that had happened.
"I know, and we're sorry for that, and we're both very sorry with how much we've been ignoring you. That's not fair to you, and it's not fair that we haven't been completing our parental responsibilities." My mother says, clearly distraught by how poorly they have been treating me.
"That's great and all mom, but what are you trying to say to me right now? You both have been ignoring me for such a long period of time. Why the change of tune now?" I asked in confusion.
"Well sweetie, I came to tell you that, your father and I are getting a divorce. We filed the paperwork this morning, and we're heading out this afternoon to get it finalized. We feel that's going to best for the two of us, and for you, going forward." My mother replies, getting straight to the point and not going beyond that.
I knew that this day would come, but still. It hurt me to see that my parents were separating, even if they as of late haven't been treating me as well as they should be. I live by the motto of treat others the way you want to be treated, and that's what I've been trying to do, but it hasn't work and probably will never work. Still, it hurt me that my parents were in that state of mind. I was on the brink of crying. Even though I expected it, there was a part of me that was in a state of shock this was happening. I couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry sweetie. Once it's finalized, you can choose who you want to live with it. For now, stay here and watch the house while we're gone." Was all that my mother could say, as she proceeds to walk out the bedroom door.
"Sounds good." Was I could say in response.
With that, my mom was gone. Off she and my dad were to getting divorced. Again, I had been expecting this for weeks. Things between them weren't well, at all. They had been ignoring each other nearly all-day, every day for weeks. They had mostly been ignoring me for weeks. It wasn't smooth sailing. Nowhere even close to that. Nonetheless, I was saddened to see their marriage dissolve. It didn't make me feel that great, that was for sure. However, I was given a blessing to take my minds off the new, when my good friend, Nina Salazar-Roberts, called me over Facetime to give her good news of the day.
Let's explain this one. How did we end up meeting? Me and Nina Salazar-Roberts, or Nini as she's known (to think we call her Nini all because of Ricky having trouble saying Nina when the two of them had first met), met at a random park in Utah about 3 years ago, the night before I was going to pay a visit and take a tourist tour of East High. She saw me sitting alone, and asked if I could sit with her. I said yes, and then from there, we got to know each other. I found out she was a theater kid, she found out I too was a theater kid, and we both love musicals. So yeah, we hit it off and we hit it off well. Even though she lived in Utah, and I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, we talked over Facetime as often as we could. We sung together, laughed together, and so much more. It was great, especially considering the fact that I have had a horrible track record in terms of making friends. Whether it's just because of my shy personality, or my autism diagnosis, or something else entirely. I had a lot of troubles, and Nini made it easy, and now here we are. Anyway, with all of that out of the way, I answered Nini's Facetime call, and she couldn't have been more excited.
"Hey Em!" Nini says, with a great deal of excitement.
"Well someone's excited about something." I remarked.
"I'm auditioning for the role of Gabriella in High School Musical: The Musical here at East High!" Nini exclaims.
We then both squealed in excitement. I couldn't even believe it. East High is finally putting on a production of High School Musical: The Musical. I was so excited for Nini and for everyone there, and I obviously wasn't even an East High Student! That's a testament to my appreciation for Nini, and my love for High School Musical.
"This is amazing." I said, in shock and in amazement that it was finally happening.
"It definitely is." Nini says in response.
"And honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for them to do a musical of High School Musical, at the school where the movies were shot. Since it's a thing now, and you have the chance to audition for the female lead like you've been dreaming about, here's my free advice to you Nini. Reach for the stars, and keep your eyes on the prize. Break Free. You deserve every second of this oppourtunity. You know how much we both loved Gabriella when we watched the movie so many times together. You're gonna kill it." I stated, with as much excitement as I could express in that moment.
"Thanks. I just wish you could be out here for this, ya know? This is something you have wanted as long as, if not more, than I have." Nini remarks.
"Yeah, I know, and I totally would, but right now, it just isn't going to work out. I got too much going on, and I can't exactly take time off of high school to come out and support you at auditions. As much as I want to, I can't do that." I said, with sadness in my voice.
"The fact that you would at all is a testament to who you are as a person Em." Nini reassuress me.
"Thanks Nini. You have wanted this role for so long, and I'm happy for you, and I'll be supporting you in whatever way I am able to do from all the way out here in Atlanta, and working my butt off on my education, and this one other huge project I've been putting a lot of time into. I really want to be a part of this, and I want to be able to be there in person, so I can support you the best possible way I can. Unfortunately, that isn't going to be possible right now, but I'll do what I can to help you." I said, more sadness coming out of my voice.
I then turned away from the phone, and from Nini, for just a moment. She could tell almost immediately that something was bothering me, and based on the fact that I had been telling her about recent events, she could figure out exactly what was bothering me in that specific moment.
"They're getting a divorce, aren't they?" Nini asks, already knowing the answer but she wanted me to say it.
"My mom came in after I just got done recording a cover of Start of Something New and broke that news to me, yes." I replied.
It was then that, for the first time since finding out the news, that I started crying. Nini knows how much my parents meant to me. She knows how much I cared about them, so she knew how much pain I'm in during this moment.
"Em, I… I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Nini says, not entirely sure what to say to me.
"It's not your fault Nini. I knew that this day was going to come. They've been arguing with each other just about every day for god knows how long now. With that being said, however, it still didn't make things any better." I stated, on the brink of crying once again.
"I'd bet. I wish you could be here to take your mind off things." Nini says.
"As do I. That would be a great deal of help for me right now." I stated.
"Maybe you can come for the show in a few weeks. I bet that would help you a great deal. For now, just keep your head up high, and in the game. I know that, with time, something good will come about for you." Nini reassures me.
"Thanks Nini. Now go kill it at auditions. Bring out your inner Gabriella." I said with excitement, as I'm excited to see what Nini can do.
"I will. Talk to you soon." Nini says in response, as he hangs up the facetime call.
Nini is always the best. She helps to cheer me up when I'm in my worst states of mind. That is a testament to who she is as a person.
Banging at the door.
What on earth could that be? I guess I'll go see what's going on. I get to the door, I open the door, and there's a police officer at the door, with two more sitting in their cars right outside the driveway.
"I'm Officer Johnson of the Atlanta Police Department. That's officers Miller and Jackson. Ma'am, are you the daughter of Julia & Brad Wood?" Officer Johnson asks.
"I am, yes. My name is Emma Wood." I replied.
"Ms. Wood, we came here to inform you we will have to ask you to leave the house. Pack some things if you need to, but we'll have to ask you to leave." Officer Johnson states.
"Why's that? I live here." I stated, confused as to what was going on.
"Yes, you may live here. However, the house is under police investigation now. Your father just shot your mother outside of the station, which is on the way to the courthouse to meet with the clerk to formally send in their divorce papers, and then shot himself after he had repeatedly refused to comply with our commands." Officer Johnson states, as professionally as he can.
"So they're both dead now?" I asked, tears building up in my eyes, knowing that I probably already knew the answer the officer was going to give me.
"They are. We will take you to wherever you can stay in the meantime, but we will need to inspect the house for evidence, and we can't have you in the way. We'll give you the time you need." Officer Johnson replies.
"Thank you officer. I'll be back out in a little bit." I stated, making sure to not let my emotions out in front of the officer, out of fear of embarrassment.
As I began packing up my laptop, microphone, posters, clothes, and more [I knew I wasn't gonna live at this house on my own, too big, no way], I started crying. Both of my parents were about to get divorced, but they were still gonna be alive. That is until my dad decided to shoot both my mom and then himself. I'm not only an only child, but now I gotta figure out how to live on my own. What am I going to do…?
Music & Singing Start
"Here I am alone, and maybe I deserve it / And my friends, well, they're mostly non-existent / And that's on me / I had a cause to help but did I help it? / Or did I see myself in a way that wasn't true? / This is not my father's fairytale / And no, it's not my mother's fault I fail / So when my story finally comes to light / I need to make sure the story that they write / Says once upon a time this girl flies higher / Once upon a time she's trying to make things right / Once upon a tie that binds / I'm changing my heart / To change their minds / That's got to be my once upon a time / This once upon a time / Maybe I'll finally see my once upon a time / This time"
I then finished packing my stuff, and I was on my way out. When I stepped outside, I turned back to look at the house, for the final time. I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay here. Too big of a living space for one person. I knew that I was gonna need to figure something else out, and I knew I was going to need to figure something out, and I would need to figure something else out rather quickly, because I don't exactly have any family nearby. We'll just have to trust the process, and see where the world takes me.