"You are the best thing I've ever done," I told my daughter as I looked at her laying fast asleep in her bed after I got home from my last night class. I was tired and ready to pass out, but I still had a paper to write and I knew she needed some cookies made for her class party tomorrow. Being a full-time father, a full-time student and a working at the clinic was a lot for one man to do all on his own. When they tell you you shouldn't have sex until you're married, or until you're consenting adults at least, it really is wise advice. Lots of teenagers really don't know what they're getting themselves into. And a lot of them don't even get pregnant when they do have sex. Sharpay and I didn't know what we were getting into. I wasn't in love with Sharpay. But she was the most popular girl in school. I was the most popular guy in school. We had been dating since the end of our sophomore year. Everyone just expected us to be together. She said she loved me. I said the obligatory "me too," but I didn't mean it. We were together because of social obligation. And when she got pregnant half way through our senior year, I was tempted to tell her to abort the baby, even though I didn't believe in abortion. I wasn't going to marry her. I wasn't in love with her, and I was sure a part of her knew I didn't love her. Her parents tried to get me to marry her even though we were still in high school, but it wasn't going to happen. I was not going to marry her. I didn't know if it was because I wasn't in love with her or what, I just didn't want to marry her.

I didn't hate her though. Even though I didn't love her, I didn't hate her. We fucked. It wasn't as though we were just together because everyone expected us to be. I just wasn't in love with her. Sharpay's parents did everything they could to entice me to marry her, even though she kept telling them to stop. They paid for our apartment at U of A. They paid my tuition. But we still didn't get married. And on the day our baby girl was born, it was just the two of us at the hospital, the way we had planned it. I was a nervous wreck. I had never planned on being a parent. But I guess when you get drunk at a party and forget to use a condom with your girlfriend, you pay for it. I don't regret it now, but I sure as hell did back then. I'll never forget the day she was born though, even if I can't remember the night she was conceived. We arrived at the hospital almost a half hour after she came to me telling me her water broke. They had her in delivery and everything seemed to be flying by. I didn't know what was happening. They told her to push and she started pushing. I told her she was doing an amazing job and then I heard my baby girl star to cry. I never thought I could hear a more amazing sound in my life followed by a scarier sound. I didn't know what it was. That hospital machine beeping sound when someone is dead. They pulled me from the room and I was about ready to tear the attendants' arms off for laying their hands on me. I didn't know why they wouldn't let me see my baby. What was wrong with her? I was confused. But when the doctor came out, they told me my baby girl was perfect. Sharpay, however... was not. She had died giving birth to my daughter.

Sharpay died giving birth to my daughter. She had an aneurism and there was nothing they could do. Sex had nothing to do with her dying. Her having a baby had nothing to do with her dying. Her giving birth had nothing to do with her dying. She just died. I could sit around and blame myself for her dying, but in the end, she's just dead. And now I'm a single, twenty-four year old father working to make my daughter happy. And I think for the most part she is. She's the happiest little girl I'd ever seen. Not that I know many children. My little sister, probably the only other kid I know, but that's not saying much. Yeah, I have a little sister. That was a surprise just as much as me having a kid was to my parents. But at least my daughter has some one to grow up with. My mom liked having the two of them around and she was the one who took care of my daughter the most. I wish I had more time to spend with her, but with my job and classes, I spent all the time I could with her. But she knows I love her, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

I knew mom would have made the cookies for her if I would have told her, but I liked doing these things for my daughter, besides, I could write my paper for class while the cookies baked. The things you could accomplish while you multitasked. You learned to do those types of things as a parent. I didn't mind learning to do more than one thing at once. Who would? Sharpay never liked doing more than one thing at a time. If she ever had to do more than one thing, she would have screamed. I never could have spent the rest of my life with her. I knew sooner or later I would have had to marry her. I knew it would have been sooner rather than later too. It wouldn't have been fair to my baby girl. Life isn't fair to her as it is, not to have both of her parents in it. I never would have been in love with her, but I would have pretended for my daughter. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for her. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. Every time I looked down into her blue eyes that mirrored my own I could never say no to her. She wouldn't even have to ask me. I knew she'd want me to be married to her mommy and I'd do it. I knew Sharpay would want it and I would have done it. But Sharpay was gone now and there was no reason to think about the would have beens. It was just my daughter and me now.

I leaned down, pressing my lips against the top of her head, whispering softly against her ear, "I love you, Tressa. Sleep well." Standing up, I left the door open just enough to let the light from the hall in slightly and walked down toward the kitchen. It was barely after eight o'clock and I knew I'd still be up until at least midnight before I was even walking into my bedroom. Flipping on the light in the kitchen, I pulled out the ingredients for the cookies and the bowl and stuff for mixing the cookies before turning on the radio. The volume was set low because the only time I ever listened to it was when Tress was fast asleep and I didn't want to wake her up anyway. I washed my hands and turned to the oven before going back to start mixing the cookies together. Chocolate chip with M&Ms. They were Tressa's favorite. I always made them for her when she had to take a treat to school. Once I had them mixed and on the tray and in the oven, I pulled out my laptop from my bag and sat down at the kitchen table, continuing my paper I had started writing earlier. It wasn't due until next week, but I was doing some on it here and there that way when I had to turn it in on Tuesday I'd feel comfortable with the work I had done on it. By the time the cookies were done and I'd written a few pages on my paper, it was just after midnight and I decided to call it a night. I put my laptop away and turned off the light. Peeking my head in on Tress, I smiled before crossing the hall into my bedroom, closing the door against the frame but not shutting it all the way. If Tressa ever needed me, I didn't want her freaking out with a door handle.

I changed into my pajama bottoms and tank top before climbing into bed. Tress went to school with Sophie, my litte sister at nine, and I had to be to work by nine also, so I dropped Tressa off at my parents' house at a quarter to before heading to the clinic. that's how our Weekdays worked. Our weekends were ours. I didn't work on the weekend and I didn't take classes either. Sometimes we spent time with Grandpa Jack and Grandma Lucy or Grandpa and Grandma Evans. Sometimes Uncle Ryan would fly in from New York, but for the most part, the weekends were just for Tress and me, and Tress liked to spend the weekends alone with me. Sometimes we'd go to the ABQ BioPark. Or we'd go down to Cliff's and ride the rides. The season didn't start until April, but we'd ride the family rides but she would ride the kiddieland rides and she couldn't go on some of the water rides, but she loved the place as much as I did. It didn't matter what we did, the two of us enjoyed what we did, even if we spent the entire day running around in our pajamas. We'd watch Saturday morning cartoons with cereal and she'd help me with dishes and then we'd have picnic in the middle of the living room floor for lunch and then we'd cook dinner together and pass out on my bed watching a Disney cartoon. Then we'd wake up Sunday morning and go to Starbucks for breakfast. She'd have a hot chocolate and a raspberry scone. It was something her mother would always order. I had told her that the first time she had picked it out and she got it and she got it every single time. I got my usual, coffee, black and a bowl of oatmeal with nuts. After breakfast, we'd take a walk through Roosevelt Park. We'd walk around for a while, and then she'd play on the play ground before having lunch down the street at the 66 Diner. We would both get their spaghetti and meatballs and two large glasses of milk. Of course it's not my mom's spaghetti, but on weekends when we spent time with Grandpa Jack and Grandma Lucy and Sophie, my mom would make dinner for us and those were nights when we'd get the really good meals.

I woke up the next morning with Tressa sitting on my stomach smiling down at me. "Good morning, Daddy." I looked up into my daughter's perfect blue eyes, smiling at her out of my still sleepy eyes. My alarm still hadn't gone off, so I knew it was still early in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet. "Morning, angel girl. What you doing up so early?" She laid down, resting her head on my chest. "I missed you, Daddy." Smiling, I ran my hand over her head, letting my fingers play with the ends of a lock of her hair. "I missed you too, Tress. Did you sleep well?" She nodded against my chest and I could hear her smile when she answered, "Yes, Daddy." She sat back up, looking down at me. "Did you make my cookies for my party?" I laughed up at her, nodding. "Yes, angel. I made your cookies. They're already to go. Should we get you dressed for school?" She jumped up off the bed and grabbed my hand, pulling me from the bed. "Come on, Daddy!" I dragged myself out of my bed, letting her pull me behind her out of the bed and out of my room across the hall, into her room. "What did you want to wear today?" She opened her closet and pulled out a pink dress with a white poodle on the skirt. "This one, Daddy." I shook my head. She was just like her mother. She may not be spoiled rotten like Sharpay was, I'd like to think I had taught her better, with the help of my parents, but things she ate, things she liked to wear, she was just liked her mother, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I liked her being girly like that. I actually loved having a girl. I really did. It probably would have been easier having a boy, but mom was a lot of help and with Sophie around everything just seemed to be really easy. I wouldn't have changed the past five years for anything.

Not that I'm happy that Sharpay is dead. I don't want her dead, but things were good as they are. I loved my daughter and I loved life the way we lived it. I looked forward to life after I got through college. I won't be playing ball for the Redhawks anymore, but basketball season only lasted a few months and I wasn't going to be in school much longer thankfully. Two more years. I loved playing ball and it helped fund my way through school. I wasn't taking money from Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I had moved out of the apartment they had bought for Sharpay and me not long after Tress was born. I wasn't going to live off them or what they had done for us. They did enough for Tressa, and I wasn't going to stop them from doing things for their granddaughter. They could spoil her all they wanted, as long as she didn't let it go to her head. And she didn't. I kept her grounded well enough with the help of my parents and Ryan didn't let her become spoiled either. Ryan and I had become as close as we could get with him living in New York. Tress loved when her Uncle Ry would visit, usually over the weekends, which was good, which meant I could spend time with him too. He and I didn't spend a lot of time together when we were in high school. Sharpay was selfish and had to have me all to herself. She never liked to hang out with a lot of other people. It was usually just her and me. Which was probably why we were always having sex. Not that I really minded. Fucking her was probably the only times with her I actually forgot that we weren't a big joke. Our daughter did come from one of our many indiscretions. I wouldn't have changed anything that happened between Sharpay and me. My daughter was the best thing I ever did and I wouldn't change anything concerning Tressa.

I helped her pull her arms through her dress as I heard my alarm go off in my bedroom. "Get some socks out of your drawer. Daddy needs to go take a shower," I told her as I zipped up the zipper, making sure not to get her hair caught in it. "Daddy, can we do my hair in braids today?" I hung my head as I stood up to walk out the door, nodding. "Yes, angel girl. We can do your hair in braids today." She squealed and I walked out of the door shaking my head. That squeal was one of the things that had annoyed me the most about Sharpay, but coming from my daughters little mouth brought a smile the size of Texas to my mouth. Funny how things that annoyed me the most about Sharpay I loved the most about my daughter. I quickly turned off the alarm that was beginning to weigh like a jackhammer into my brain and tossed my pajamas onto my bed before tossing my boxers into the dirty clothes hamper and into the shower. Letting the hot water drench over my body, I took a quick shower before getting out and grabbing my towel and walking out into my bedroom and over to the dresser. Pulling out a pair of jeans and a Langford clinic shirt for work and a pair of boxers before tossing them on the bed and drying myself off. I laid the towel on the bed and dried myself off before getting dressed and pulling on my socks and tennis shoes and heading back into Tressa's room where she was brushing her hair. "Pink bows daddy?" I shook my head, sitting down on her bed behind her. "Yes, angel girl. Pink bows." She jumped up in front of me handing me a comb, two elastics and the pink bows to wrap around the elastics. I was glad mom had taught me how to do this. I knew how much Tress loved having her hair played with and made pretty, and I wouldn't pass up any time with her in the mornings or at night after I picked her up from my parents' place.

"Daddy, tell me about Mommy," she asked me, curling her legs up underneath her poodle dress. I took a deep breath, parting her hair down the middle of her head, laying half of it over her shoulder. "What would you like to know, baby girl?" She always liked to know something different. "Mommy liked to sing, right?" I nodded. "She did." Tress started playing with the ribbons in her little fingers. "What was her favorite song, Daddy?" I just knew she was going to get me to sing, and there was no way I was going to sing anything Sharpay would have sang while she was on stage, so I had to think of something that we would have listened to together, something she had said she had liked when it was just the two of us. "Well, you want to know what song she used to say was our song, your daddy and your mommy's song?" She looked up at me, pulling every strand I had started to braid out of my hands and it took everything I had not to start laughing. "YESSSSS, Daddy! Can you sing it to me?" I pulled her up onto my lap, hugging her to me, kissing the side of her head. "I've got it on my .mp3 player in my room. IF you really want me to sing, I'll sing WITH the song on my .mp3 player. It's a duet. I can't really sing it by myself. Maybe you can learn the words and I'll sing it with you, if you'd like?" She turned around on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Daddy, I love you. I love you! I love you!" She hopped up off my lap, taking the elastics and ribbons with her. "Get the comb, Daddy! You can do my hair while you sing! COME ON!" She ran out of her bedroom and across the hall toward my room as I followed behind.

She climbed up on the bed, tucking her legs up under her dress, laying the elastics and ribbons on the bed. "Come on, Daddy, SING!" I chuckled, walking over to my desk, picking up my .mp3 player and cycling through to the Usher folder. I selected the song and plugged it into the pod, turning it up. I never knew WHY Sharpay wanted this to be our song, probably just because she really liked Usher or because she thought he was hot or something, I don't know, but she wanted this to be our song. And she was always calling me her boo too, so I just let her have it. I didn't like arguing with her either. Arguing always ended with her crying, and that was something I didn't like from her or Tress. It was annoying from Sharpay and from Tressa, my heart just wanted to break in to pieces. I avoided making either of them cry at all expenses. "There's always that one person that will always have your heart," I knew the moment I started singing this song, Tress was going to think that I was in love with her mommy and would always be. I wasn't ever going to tell her differently, so there wasn't any harm in it. She should believe her parents were in love. I kinda looked at it like Santa. A little lie parents told children to make them happy. It wouldn't hurt her any. "You never see it coming cuz you're blinded from the start. Know that you're that one for me. It's clear for everyone to see. Oh, baby... You will always be my boo! Oh!" I started dancing toward Tressa and she started giggling. "It's the only way we know how to rock! Oh!" I crawled up on the bed in front of my daughter picking her up and sitting her on my lap. "It's the only way we know how to rock!" I repeated myself, getting into the music dancing on the bed with my daughter.

"Do you remember, girl, I was the one who gave you your first kiss?" I kissed Tress quickly and she giggled, I saw the red filling her cheeks as she blushed, her shoulders picking up as she hung her head down slightly. "Cuz I remember, girl, who said 'Put your lips like this.' Even before all the fame and people screaming your name, girl, I was there, and you were my baby." Tressa smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck, listening as I continued to sing along with the song I probably hadn't listened to in months at least, maybe years. "It started when we were younger, you were mine. Now another brothers taken over but it's still in your eyes. Even though we used to argue, its alright. It's alright, girl, that's ok. I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but you will always be ok." And Alicia Keys started singing and I pulled Tress closer to me. "Your mommy did have a really pretty voice. Prettier than Alicia Keys." She looked up at me from where she sat on my lap. "Who's Alicia Keys?" I laughed. "The girl singing with the guy on this song." She nodded, asking, "What's his name?" I laughed again, or still. "Usher." She crinkled her nose, shaking her head. "That's a silly name, Daddy!" I continued to laugh and she looked over my shoulder and then back at me. "Usher is singing, Daddy. SING!" I laughed more, trying to stop laughing as I continued singing. "...were mine. Still in your eyes. It's alright. I know we haven't seen each other in a while. When we were younger. Is it in your eyes. It's alright now. I know we haven't seen each other. You will always be myyyyy. Ooooh. My oh! My oh! My oh! My oh! My booooo! My Ooooooh! My boooo! You were mine. It's alright. I don't know about y'all, but I know about us, and uh, it's the only way we know how to rock! I don't know about y'all, but I know about us, and uh, it's the only way we know how to rock! It started when we were young girl!" The music faded out and another Usher song, one from a few years back started playing.

"I like that song, Daddy!" My smile didn't fade as I held her against me, climbing off the bed, holding her as I walked over to turn off the .mp3 player. I didn't want my daughter listening to Love in This Club. It didn't seem appropriate for my five year old daughter to be listening to. "Hey, I liked that song too, Daddy!" She giggled, holding onto my neck. I laughed, walking back over to the bed. "Have you ever even heard that song before?" She shook her head as I sat her down with her on my lap after I sat back down. "No, but it sounded good!" I laughed more, picking up the comb again, parting her hair again, laying half of it over her shoulder again. "It's not a good song for a five year old." She crossed her feet together, letting them bounce slightly. "Daddy?" I turned her slightly on my lap, separating the strands of her hair to start braiding it. "Yes, angel girl?" She was quiet for a second before asking, "If it's not a good song for me, why is it a good song for you?" I took a slow breath, nodding my head. "That's a very good question. I guess it's really not, Tress. You're a very smart little girl." I kissed the top of her head and leaned closer to her. "Elastic?" She held one up for me. "Here you go, Daddy!" I took it from her. "Thank you!" I wrapped the elastic around her hair, leaning forward again. "Ribbon?" She held up one of the ribbons for me. "One pink ribbon." I smiled, taking the ribbon from her. "And thank you again." She giggled. "You're welcome, Daddy!" I tied the ribbon in a bow before turning her to face the other direction on my lap, starting to braid the other side of her hair. "Daddy?" She asked after I was halfway down the braid. "Yes, angel girl?" She bounced her legs a little more. "Did Mommy like her hair braided?" I nodded my head. "When Mommy was really young like you, she wore her hair braided a lot," I told her, remembering Sharpay Evans used to have her hair braided just like Tress did. "But when she was older, she kept her hair straight. She did like Daddy to play with it though." Something that I didn't like to do. I didn't mind running my fingers through my daughter's hair now though. In fact, there were several times I caught myself absentmindedly doing it when we'd be watching TV or she'd be laying on my bed with me when I'd be reading one of my textbooks. It put her to sleep sometimes. She really liked it, as much as Sharpay did, and I would do it for her if she'd ever asked, just liked I had for Sharpay, but I never grumbled for my baby girl. "Elastic?" She handed me an elastic and I wrapped it around the end of the braid. "Ribbon?" She handed me the ribbon. "Thank you, angel girl!" She giggled, turning to wrap her arms around my neck. "Thank you for braiding my hair, Daddy!" She hugged me tightly and then jumped off my lap, running out of the bedroom. "Breakfast time! I choose TOASTER WAFFLES." With as much time as we had to get to Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Jack's before I had to leave for work, I wasn't going to argue with her on this one. I would wait and take a cup of mom's coffee to go. That would be enough for me until I had time for lunch.

"Tressssss!" I heard Sophie's scream coming from the top of the stairs only seconds before we saw her are the bottom of them the moment we walked in the door and Tressa ran over to meet her aunt half way. "What am I, chop liver?" I asked her as the girls ran off toward the TV room? "No TV, girls!" Mom called out to them as I walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek. "Good morning, Mom." Sophie called back. "When my niece is around? Yes!" I shook my head, taking a coffee thermos out of the cupboard. "When isn't she around?" I called back to her. "Exactly." Mom and I both laughed between the two of us, not loud enough for the five-year-olds to hear us. "Seven forty as usual?" She asked, leaning against the counter as I poured the dark liquid into the thermos. I shook my head. "I don't have my usual last class for the evening. We have a test on Monday, so we're supposed to meet up with our study groups during class time. I'm going to come home early. So if you want to make a little extra dinner," I told her, smiling over at her, "I'd like to join the four of you." I knew that would make my mom's day. "Yes, I'll make extra. Should I make yours and Tressa's favorite? Spaghetti and meatballs?" I nodded, setting the coffee pot down. "That would be perfect, Mom, thanks." I twisted the lid onto the thermos, leaning over and giving her a hug before walking over to the TV room. "Hey, angel girl. Does your daddy get a hug before he walks out the door for the day?" She turned around and stood up on the couch opening her arms wide for me. I walked over, wrapping my arms around her tight as she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. "I love you, Tress." She kissed the side of my neck, still not letting me go. "I love you, Daddy! Come home to me safely!" I smiled, kissing the side of her head. "I will, baby girl." I kissed her again, taking a step back and she dropped her arms to her side. I rubbed the top of my sister's head and she pushed my hand aside. "Hey, I just brushed my hair, Troy!" I laughed. "Well, now you have to do it again!" She glared back at me, yelling, "Mooooom! Tell Troy to go to work!" I laughed, shaking my head as I walked back into the kitchen. "Mom, tell me to go to work." She laughed, shaking her head at me. "Troy, go to work!" I laughed some more. "Ok, Mom. See you for dinner." She laughed, shaking her head as I walked out the door.