Here's a heads up. This story mainly deals with child abuse and does not end very happily. And, the song "Alyssa Lies" by Jason Michael Carroll is part of the story, so don't skip over it because it plays a major role in the telling of this story. And, in the lyrics, what's in quotations is also what the characters are saying, so hopefully this'll help everyone understand it better.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything other than Liz.
Thirty-one year-old Troy Bolton watched as his seven-year-old daughter got off the bus and ran to his car. Noticing the horror-stricken look on her soft face, he became a bit worried.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! It's terrible!" she started, tears pouring down her face.
"Liz, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Troy asked and wiped what he could of her tears out of her soft brown eyes, which were now full of hurt and fear.
"I-it's Ally!" she cried.
My little girl met a new friend,
just the other day,
on the playground at school
between the tires and the swings
"The girl you met a week ago?" Troy questioned.
Liz nodded and Troy wrapped his strong arms around her.
"What happened?"
But she came home with tear-filled eyes,
and she said to me "Daddy, Alyssa lies"
Liz buried her head deeper into her father's well-tone chest and sobbed. Troy wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, but he wanted to be there for his daughter.
Well I just brushed it off at first,
'cause I didn't know how much my little girl had been hurt
or the things she had seen.
I wasn't ready when I said "You can tell me"
and she said...
"Alyssa lies to the classroom,
Alyssa lies everyday at school,
Alyssa lies to the teachers
as she tries to cover every bruise"
Troy was stunned by his daughter's answer. Out of everything he'd seen in his coaching career as East High's basketball coach for the past five years after his father's retirement, he had never dealt with child abuse before, nor was he aware it was going on this close to home.
"Daddy, it was terrible! Ally was picked up by her father, but she was two minutes late. He was mad…and…he, he…" Liz started sobbing harder into his chest and couldn't continue.
"What happened?" Troy asked softly as he gently rubbed her back to help calm her down.
"I-I can't say. I promised I wouldn't." she said.
"Look, Lizzie, if you tell me, we can help Alyssa." he explained.
Liz reluctantly nodded, "Her dad hits her…hard. I-I saw marks on her arms, a-and I don't think that's all."
"Troy, what should we do?" Gabriella asked him worriedly that nigh after he explained what their daughter told him. Liz was in her room, leaving her parents alone to talk.
"Honestly, Gabriella, I don't know." Troy answered sadly, " Right now, I just don't know…"
"Maybe we should talk to her about it." Gabriella suggested.
"I don't know if that's the best way to handle it right now." he said, "I'll go tuck her into bed and see if she's feeling any better."
Gabriella watched as Troy went inside their daughter's room. Ever since Liz was born she had Troy wrapped around her finger, just like her mother. She was definitely 'daddy's little girl'.
"Liz, honey, are you ok?" Troy asked quietly as he entered the room.
Liz sniffed and looked up at her father, "I'm fine, Daddy."
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Troy put his arm around her and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry about Alyssa. She'll be fine, I promise."
"How do you get that?" she asked him, scooting closer to him.
"I know because I'll take care of the situation personally." he assured her.
Liz smiled and kissed his cheek, "You're the best Daddy on Earth!"
Troy chuckled, "Yea? Well, you're the best daughter in the world."
"I love you, Daddy." Liz said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I love you too, Lizzie." he replied and kissed her forehead, wondering how in the world someone could be as heartless as to hurt an innocent child, especially their own child.
"I know." she said cockily.
Troy smirked, "You've been watching too many Full House reruns."
"I know." she said again.
Troy's smirk turned playful and he started tickling her, causing her to shriek.
"Daddy!" she cried in between laughter.
"Yes?"
"STOP!" she yelled, tears rolling down her face from laughing so hard.
"What is going on in here?" Gabriella asked from the door way.
"Nothing, baby, we're just having fun." Troy answered and stopped to give his daughter a break and so his wife wouldn't yell at him.
"Who's having fun? Me or you?" Liz questioned.
"Either way, Lizzie, honey, it's time for you to go to sleep, and now I have to 'thank' your father for getting you wound up." Gabriella said and kissed her daughter goodnight.
"Goodnight, Lizzie. I love you." Gabriella told her.
"Night, Mommy, love you too." Liz told her and kissed her cheek.
"Night, Liz." Troy said as they started to leave the room.
"Night, Daddy."
My little girl laid her head down that night to go to sleep.
As I stepped out the room, I heard her say a prayer so soft and sweet
"God bless my mom and my Dad
and my new friend, Alyssa
oh, I know she needs you bad
Because Alyssa lies to the classroom,
Alyssa lies everyday at school,
Alyssa lies to the teachers
as she tries to cover every bruise"
Troy lied next to Gabriella in their bed, unable to sleep as he thought back to everything that went on that day. He found it hard to believe that anyone could ever abuse his or her child. Being a parent himself, he couldn't ever imagine hurting his daughter, but he wondered how any father could ever do such a thing. It was more than just Alyssa, there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of young children out there being hurt everyday by their parents.
I had the worst night of sleep in years
as I tried to think of a way to calm her fears
I knew exactly what I had to do
but when we got to school on Monday I heard the news
Troy took Liz to school Monday morning. He now knew what he was going to do, but that's when he walked by three teachers talking, and he realized that he was too late…
My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad
"Daddy, what's going on? Did something happen?" Liz questioned her father worriedly.
the lump in my throat grew bigger
with every question that she asked
"Sweetheart, something happened…" Troy started and wiped a tear from his eye, "Alyssa won't be at school today."
Until I felt the tears run down my face
and I told her that Alyssa wouldn't be at school today
"'Cause she doesn't lie in the classroom
she doesn't lie anymore at school
Alyssa lies with Jesus
because there's nothin' anyone would do"
Liz looked up at Troy, a sad and confused expression on her face, "Why, Daddy?"
Troy knelt down so he was at eye level with Liz before explaining, "Remember your prayer last night? Well, God answered your prayer and now Alyssa's safe. No one can hurt her now."
Tears filled my eyes when my little girl asked me why
Alyssa lies
Oh, Daddy, oh, Daddy tell me why
Alyssa lies