This story was created during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes. Without the hard work of these incredible unions, the world of High School Musical The Musical The Series wouldn't exist. For more information about how you can help with the ongoing strikes, please refer to the link you can find on my profile.
Pre-Chapter Authors Note: The following songs are used throughout the course of this chapter:
Legends Never Die - Against The Current
With that, please enjoy.
"Your singing is amazing. I need to learn how to get more on your level."
"Well your dancing is through the roof and I need to get on your level of excellence there, so I guess we're even then."
I never thought I would be interacting with somebody not named Nini this soon after coming to East High, but here I am, interacting with somebody not named Nini. Gina has been the biggest help. Like Nini told me, she has that outsider perspective that I need, and overall, she's just a really fun person to be around.
"So you were telling me something about how you've had trouble in the past making friends. Why is that?" I asked Gina, not entirely believing that story, based on the fun times that the two of us have been having.
"Because of my mom's job, I've moved around a ton the last few years. I haven't been able to stay in the same place for too long, so I can't really keep connections with people." Gina replies.
I could then tell tears were building up inside of Gina's eyes. That bothered her to say, I could just tell. I could tell that she wants to stay in one place, at least for long enough, to make friends, just like I want to do here at East High. In a way, the two of us were the same, and I wanted to make that incredibly clear to Gina.
"So I see we feel the same way when it comes to trying to make new friends in a new environment." I remarked.
"You too?" Gina asks.
"Me too. I've had trouble for years making friends. I was fortunate enough to build a fantastic group of friends through the Atlanta youth theatre group. I still talk to them now, but I want friends I can meet face to face, so on that front, right now, I'm back to square one." I replied.
"Well, you have me now, and we can be outsiders together." Gina says, with a great big smile.
"That would be nice." I said in response, excited to get to know Gina a lot more.
"I'm sure. Now, let's get to school for the day, and get ready for homecoming and all that." Gina says.
"Oh, that'll be fun, I guess…" I stated, sounding slightly unsure of myself, which Gina could tell immediately.
"Have you ever been to a homecoming dance before?" Gina asks.
"No." I replied.
"Do you have a dress for tonight?" Gina asks.
"I probably have some nice dresses, but I haven't even looked yet, because I didn't even know that it was tonight." I replied, embarrassed.
"Hey, it's ok. Perhaps I can help you find a dress and everything after school and before the dance tonight. We'll make you look your best." Gina reassures me.
"Thanks Gina." I said.
"It's no problem. Like I said, us outsiders have to stick together, right? We'll tackle whatever is thrown at us, together." Gina says.
And with that, we're now at school, and right now, I'm on cloud nine. I got my best friend Nini, I know Gina now, and although it's a background role, I have a singing and dancing role in High School Musical The Musical. I've wanted to be in this specific musical since I was a kid, and now I have the chance to become a part of this, and go to my first-ever homecoming dance, with Gina helping me with my glamor, but first, there was just one small problem that needed to be addressed, as I get a phone call to help deal with something with a certain somebody…
"Do you need me for sure?"
"Yeah."
"Did she really just flush it down?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Alright, I'm coming."
"Thank you Em."
"Of course Kourt."
What just happened, you may be asking yourself? Well, Nini just flushed her homecoming dress down the toilet. Or at least, that's what she tried to do. I didn't entirely understand the reasoning why (perhaps she's still hurt over what happened with EJ and all that Kourt told me about), but when Kourtney called me and asked me to come into the girls bathroom to try and address whatever issues were going on with Nini. Sure enough, despite the fact that Kourtney had already talked to her about having a girl's night out, I still needed to come do my thing. I had experience doing this, considering after Nini and Ricky broke up, at Kourtney's request, I flew from Atlanta to Salt Lake City to comfort her. That was a truly dark moment where I had never seen Nini in such a sadder state, but I handled it well, and I am going to handle this situation the exact same way.
"Em, hey." Nini says, almost unable to look me straight in the eyes.
"Nini, what's going on? Why is Kourt telling me you were flushing your homecoming dress down the toilet?" I asked, surprised and bewildered that Nini would do such a thing.
"Because that's exactly what I was doing." Nini replies, as she's now looking away from me entirely.
"Is it about EJ? What's going on here?" I asked, concerned for my best friend and her current state of mind.
"I think it is EJ, yeah. He went behind my back in one of the worst ways possible. I guess I'm just trying to process that and figure out what road I'm going down next." Nini replies, as she looks right back at me again.
"Well hey, I'm here for you no matter what you choose to do here. Whether or not you're going to be with me for homecoming, or if you choose to come with me. I'm with you no matter what, and that will never change." I stated, staying loyal and true to my best friend.
"Wait, "whether you're not going to be with me for homecoming?" What do you mean? Are you going to homecoming?" Nini asks me in confusion.
"I mean what I mean Nini. I'm taking a chance on myself by going to the homecoming dance, and I'm not looking back on it." I replied, proudly.
"Well, look at you making your way in the world." Kourtney remarks in amazement.
"I'd say. I'm so proud of you Em. You're taking the major step in the world that I've been telling you to take for a long time now." Nini says, proud as ever for me and the steps that I'm willing to take.
"Thank you Nini. It'll be just odd going as, ya know, a single gal and all that…" I stated, almost in embarrassment at the idea I'd be going to the homecoming dance without a date to it.
"Don't be embarrassed about that Em. The point is you're taking a chance on yourself. You shouldn't worry about that. Just go on your own, be yourself, try and make some friends, and everything will be ok." Nini reassures me.
"I suppose you're right. It'll just be kind of a lot not having you there. You're normally there for me.." I stated.
"You need to take every chance you can to stand on your own and become your own person. Nini isn't going to always be here to help you." Kourtney remarks.
"Kourt's right. You need to learn as quickly as possible how to interact with people on your own." Nini adds.
"I guess that's true." I stated.
"Besides, you'll have Gina there with you, right?" Nini asks.
"Yeah. Speaking of her, she's been the best thing that I've ever needed. She's even offered to help me find a homecoming dress for tonight." I remarked.
"Well her attitude has changed in a hurry." Kourtney states.
"Maybe she hasn't changed on the inside, but on the outside right now, she's doing something nice for a new girl around the block like Emma, who for the time being at least feels like an outsider, so the two of them should be able to get along nicely." Nini remarks.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kourtney says.
"People aren't truly good or bad Kourt. They can be a mixture of both. People control their own destiny. It's up to them to make it happen through their words and actions." I stated, confidently.
"Damn, look at you being wise well beyond your years. You're gonna crush this Em!" Nini squeals in excitement.
"Learned from the best." I casually mentioned, respecting right then the work that Nini has done to help me.
"That you did." Nini states, smiling back at me.
"Now here's my question. What's your dress gonna be for the night?" Kourtney asks in excitement.
"Still working on that. I honestly forgot that Homecoming was tonight." I replied, embarrassed by the idea that I didn't have a dress yet.
"So you need a dress in a hurry then, huh?" Kourtney asks.
"Yeah. Gina said she would help me with that though, so I should be all set." I replied.
"And what were you planning on doing with your beautiful hair?" Nini asks in excitement.
"I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I might just fall back on what I've always felt comfortable with, in the slick back ponytail, but I'm not sure yet." I replied.
"Let me help with your styling!" Kourtney exclaims.
"You'd do that for me, even if you're not going?" I asked.
"Absolutely!" Kourtney exclaims.
"That says a lot about the loyalty you've been building, in your new friends." Nini remarks.
"I'm only friends with Kourt and Gina because of you. I need to find ways to make friends on my own time." I stated.
"Which is precisely why you need to go to homecoming!" Kourtney exclaims.
"That would be the perfect opportunity…" I remarked.
"Just be yourself and put yourself out there. It's as simple as that." Nini states.
"If only it were that easy." I remarked.
"Be yourself, and that's all that counts." Nini says, looking me directly in the eyes.
Be yourself, and that's all that counts. Be yourself, and that's all that counts. Those words from Nini stuck in me, the entire day. Now, here I am, getting ready for my first big night. Nini's already out with Kourtney and Miss Jenn. It's just me in my room. Despite Kourtney and Gina's efforts to help with my style, I told them and Nini that I'm doing this 100% on my own, which they respected, and so, I got to work on my look for the evening. I got my brown hair tied back in my favorite signature slick back ponytail. I was in a nice dark purple dress that my mother had gifted me last year for Christmas that I had forgotten I had (I wonder why), with black tights, and a nice pair of purple high heels, accompanied with a nice purple carry-on purse, with cute little music note earrings. After I finished getting ready, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was somewhat surprised with how beautiful I looked. I never really focus on my looks, like other girls my age do. That said, I looked good on this night, and I was going to make the most of my opportunity. First things first, I had to get to homecoming, and before I did that, I walked downstairs, greeted by Nini's moms, Carol & Dana Salazar-Roberts, who were in awe at my sheer beauty.
"Look at you!" Carol exclaims.
"So beautiful." Diana remarks.
"I don't know about that. I don't think I look that good." I stated, playing off what Nini's moms were saying.
"I would disagree with every word in that sentence." Diana says.
"I agree with Momma D here. Don't be so hard on yourself. This is your big night." Carol says directly to me.
"I guess I do look that beautiful. I'm just not someone that focuses on looks all that often, so." I remarked.
"Well you nailed it!" Carol exclaims with excitement.
"Indeed. Now you better get going. There's a car outside waiting for you." Diana remarks.
"There is?" I asked in confusion.
I then opened the door and walked outside. As I closed the door behind me, I could see a certain individual stepping out of the passenger seat of the car, and I immediately could realize who was responsible for all of this.
"Look at you, looking all sexy and beautiful!" Gina exclaims, as she comes up to give me a hug.
"You clean up nice too." I remarked.
"Thank you. Are you ready to go?" Gina asks.
"I think so. Let's rock and roll." I replied.
As Gina gets in the front passenger seat, and I get in the back passenger seat, I immediately realize who's driving. Nini's ex-boyfriend, and a respected water-polo team captain. EJ Caswell.
"So, this is the girl who knocked Start Of Something New out of the park?" EJ asks Gina.
"Yep." Gina replies.
"Emma Wood. Pleased to meet you EJ." I said.
"You know me?" EJ asks.
"I'm best friends with Nini." I replied.
"Gotcha. So she spoke a lot about me then?" EJ asks.
"She did." I replied.
"Well, we may have our issues, but you seem friendly enough to be around." EJ remarks.
"I appreciate that." I said in response.
"So, Gina tells me this is your first-ever homecoming dance." EJ states.
"It is. Not sure what to expect." I remarked.
"Expect a lot of dancing, a lot of fun." EJ says.
"And maybe even a chance to do some karaoke!" Gina exclaims.
"Are you being serious?" I asked.
"There is an option for that at some point…" EJ remarks.
"You can't be serious…" I said, amazed and surprised at the idea I could be singing karaoke at my first-ever homecoming dance.
"You need to showcase your talents. You were born for it!" Gina squeals with excitement.
"You're positive?" I asked.
"Of course!" Gina exclaims.
Shortly thereafter, we arrived. I didn't know what to think. My nerves were shooting up through the roof. This is the biggest night of my life, no doubt about it, and I wasn't sure how things would go. I let Gina & EJ go up to the table first to put their names in, and then, I stepped up. At the table was the teacher running the East High Robotics Club, Mr. Mazzara.
"Ms, Emma Wood, is it?" Mr. Mazzara asks.
"That would be me." I replied.
"I hear you're new around East High's halls. Welcome." Mr. Mazzara says with a smile.
"Thank you very much. I hear from Nini that you're in charge of the Robotics Club." I stated.
"I am. You're an interested party?" Mr. Mazzara asks, curiously.
"I have given it a thought, given that this subject matter is of interest to me." I remarked.
"Come see me after school one day, or even after homecoming tonight. I'll get you registered and up to speed no problem." Mr. Mazzara says.
"That sounds nice." I remarked.
"Now, is it just you tonight? You're not going with anyone?" Mr. Mazzara asks.
"Nope. Just me, and honestly, that's all I really need." I replied.
"Actually, she's not alone." A male voice says.
I then turned around, and much to my surprise, it was Ricky, coming up with Big Red.
"Mr. Bowen." Mr. Mazzara says in surprise.
"I'm taking her to Homecoming." Ricky says.
"Very well then. Have a nice time." Mr. Mazzara says with a smile.
The three of us then walked in, with me still being left extremely surprised that Ricky stepped up for me at that very moment.
"Surprised?" Ricky asks, almost sarcastically.
"Very." I replied.
"When I heard you were coming and taking that step forward but you were coming alone, I thought it would be nice to help you out, make you feel welcomed." Ricky says.
"Well aren't you all charming and kind." I remarked.
"Ricky's been telling me so much about you." Big Red revealed.
"Is that so?" I asked Ricky.
"Only the good things." Ricky replies.
"If you're sure…" I said.
"You ready to go inside?" Ricky asks.
"Let's do it." I replied.
We then walked inside and found our places to sit for the evening. The vibe is just incredible. I didn't really know what to say. It's so amazing. It's everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more.
"Pretty cool, right?" Ricky asks.
"Understatement of the century…" Was all that I could say.
"And you're positive that you've never been to an event like this before? You've never been to a dance like this, at all?" Ricky asks.
"What do you think I did, lie to you? No, I haven't been to anything like this before, but this is amazing!" I exclaimed.
It was then that I realized that there was, in fact, a karaoke area off to the side, next to the DJ area. My eyes were fixated on it from the second that I laid eyes on it. Ricky could tell almost immediately where my headspace was at.
"If you want to go for it, go for it." Ricky states, bluntly.
"I can, now?" I asked.
"Why can't you?" Big Red asks, almost like a rhetorical question.
"Fair enough I suppose." I replied.
I then decided to go take my shot. I went up to the DJ, I told him what song I was gonna sing, he introduces me to the crowd (to some surprising cheers and claps might I add), and then, I closed my eyes, just for a moment, and I pictured in my head something Nini would say to me to calm me down when I'm nervous (because, let's face it, yes I'm taking this initiative, but I'm still nervous as hell).
"Be strong Em. Never lose sight of who you are. If you can do that, there's nothing that can stop you."
Yeah, that was the best that I could think of, but it helped, and I was incredibly grateful that I could think of Nini in that light, which leads into the song that I picked for the night, because honestly, in a way, it describes how I feel about Nini, and even though she wasn't there, I knew people would have their phones out and record it, and I knew in that regard she couldn't miss what I had coming. With that, I picked up the mic, I took a deep breath, and threw everything that I had into that one performance.
"Me (singing): Legends never die / when the world is callin' me / I can hear them screaming out their names / Legends never die, they all become a part of me / Every time I bleed for reaching greatness / Relentless I'll survive"
"Me (singing): I've never lost hope / When everything's cold and the fighting's near / It's deep in my bones / I'll run into smoke when the fire is fierce / Oh, I'll pick myself up 'cause"
"Me (singing): Legends never die / when the world is calling me / I can hear them screamin' out their names / Legends never die, they become a part of me / Every time I bleed for reaching greatness / Legends never die"
"Me (singing): When the world is callin' out my name / Begging me to fight"
"Me (singing): Pick myself up once more / Pick myself up 'cause"
"Me (singing): Legends never die / when the world is calling me / I can hear them screamin' out their names / Legends never die, they become a part of me / Every time I bleed for reaching greatness / Legends never die"
I closed my eyes, and I took another breath in, and I could hear the excitement and the applause from everyone present. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I chose to do that just then, but all I know for sure is that I'm excited and grateful that I did it. However, as soon as I opened my eyes, and I was focused back on reality, I watched as Gina dumped a cup of juice all over EJ, and then stormed off. What the hell did he do to make her angry? I'm completely confused as to what just transpired, as I walk over to help EJ try to clean up a little bit, and figure out what the hell just happened…
"What the hell was all that about?" I asked.
"It's complicated…" EJ replies.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked in confusion.
"You should probably go talk to her." EJ says, completely ignoring the question that I asked him.
"Why me?" I asked.
"You've grown on her, and she's grown on you from the looks of it. Go talk to her." EJ requests.
"Alright, but I don't know what difference that'll make." I remarked.
I walk off to find Gina, and I find her in the hallway right outside the main room being used for Homecoming. Good lord she doesn't look too happy right now…
"Hey!" I called out to Gina, as she was walking away.
Gina stopped, and turned back to see who was calling to her, and she was very much surprised to see me.
"What are you doing out here? You should be enjoying the fun." Gina remarks, not trying to make eye contact with me.
"Well it's not fun for me if my friend isn't enjoying it." I stated.
"Friend?" Gina asks, almost in shock, and amazement.
I could tell that my words affected Gina, in a positive light. For so long she had been moving around, never being able to stay in the same place for too long, and was never able to stay in the same place long enough to make some actual friends. Who knows if that would happen again, but until that day comes, now that I've gotten to know Gina extremely well, I'll stick by her, through the thick and thin, just like all good friends would. At the end of the day, that's the person that I strive to be, and I will make sure that she knows that.
"I said what I meant, and I meant what I said." I replied, confidently.
"You would consider me on that level?" Gina asks.
"After everything we've done in our short time knowing each other. After all the advice you've given me. You're more than just a friend to me. You're my new best friend. I want to help you. I want to be there, like any good friend would." I said, looking her right in the eyes.
Tears started building up in Gina's eyes, and then, she hugged me, tighter than anyone has ever hugged me before. I didn't mind it, because this felt just as good for me as it did for her. It didn't feel like it was ever going to end, and to be honest, I didn't mind if it never ended. Until, it did end.
"You're the nicest anyone outside my family has ever been to me." Gina remarks.
"I'm glad. You deserve the love. You deserve the respect." I stated, confidently.
"Even when I was scheming with EJ about getting the leads?" Gina asks, almost in embarrassment.
That's why Gina dumped the juice on EJ in the main room. It all makes sense now. Nonetheless, even if that's what Gina was doing, I refuse to dump her or do anything like that after that revelation. Sure this is how people perceive her and this, if it got out, would totally seem like something she would do based on what they know about her, but I know a lot more about her than a lot of people do, and I sympathize with her.
"Even when that happened. Sure, if people found out about it, they would totally see that as something you would do, but I know you a lot better than they do, at least right now. You're a good person. You have a heart inside all that mess. You just need to be more open to it, and you'll be a lot better off in the long run, and I'll help you learn how to be more open to your heart.." I reassured her.
"You will?" Gina asks.
"Of course! Are you kidding me? Loyalty is something that I always display to everyone. You have been so unbelievably helpful to me, so in my mind it's only fair to do the same for you. I'll help you open up, and then maybe it'll help me open up to others and be a better friend and person." I replied.
"Thank you Emma. You have no idea how much that means to me." Gina says, on the brink of tears of joy.
"Of course Gina, and by the way, as your best friend now, you get to use my nickname." I stated.
"And what's that?" Gina asks.
"My friends call me Em." I replied.
"That's your nickname?" Gina asks, almost mockingly, but in a positive way.
"Well what do you want my nickname to be? It's the only thing I got. Plus, I seem to recall yours being Gi, so it's not much better in comparison to yours." I replied.
"Fair enough, Em." Gina says.
After that, we went back and had fun at homecoming, and then I spent the night with her, getting to know her even more than I already do. This is one of the best times I have ever had with anyone, and I'm glad that Gina has been so incredibly helpful. So far there's been absolutely zero drama and I've been making tons of friends while also showing off my talent. However, the drama has to be coming, right? You can't have theatre kids without a little drama every now and again, right…?