Thank you my beautiful souls for your encouragement and reviews. Without you I wouldn't continue.

…

The internal clock within awoke her. Before the lids of her eyes opened, she smiled. Celeste. Six years.

Six years old. As all mothers say it seems like only yesterday that she was born. Only yesterday that she rolled over for the first time, or crawled. The first step she ever took right on the floor of her bedroom, when she first wrote her name and the first time she said, "Mommy." She could recall every single one of those milestones as if they'd happened that very morning.

She smiled again and opened her eyes, letting the fresh haziness be replaced with bliss. How much she loved being a mom, through the good and the bad.

Teething, that was a rough time. And when she would get sick, which made the nights the longest and hardest. When her parents would be gone and she didn't know how to make the baby stop crying and she was all alone.

When she told her "No," for the first time, and watching the confused little girl process it.

But those were little things. Those could never compare to the best things.

There was never a moment where she pictured herself in a different life without Celeste. How could she? The moment she first laid eyes on her it was settled that nothing else would ever be more important. It was as if she'd been waiting for her practically her whole life.

Six years old, and she was the most beautiful little girl that Sharpay had ever saw. From her catching blue eyes that were so bright and full of life, to her sandy blonde hair, which seemed to be darker than it used to…the curls. The natural waves just like her mother's. Every old woman that passed them in the mall just stopped and awed over Sharpay's princess.

"Those blue, blue eyes…" they'd say, every single one of them. And Sharpay just beamed with pride and thanked them, when Celeste was too shy to speak, clinging silently to her mother's side.

Sharpay smiled to herself with her eyes still closed. Her bed felt so empty these days with Celeste now in her pink princess bed in the next room over. She yawned as she sat up.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she dazedly found herself recanting the last six years. So many laughs, so many tears.

Not wasting another minute, she got out of bed and excitement began to build as she hurried to the kitchen. On her way she passed Celeste's door, she peeked inside.

"Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet angel…" she whispered to the sleeping princess, who would be starting kindergarten this year. The girl who could already write her name and read Green Eggs & Ham. The girl who loved pink and glitter, just like her mommy.

Pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes with extra chocolate chips and sprinkles. And whipped cream, lots of it! It was their dirty little secret, and it was an exceptional treat.

Celeste…six years old… The day they brought her home from the hospital, she was wearing a soft white blouse with sequins in a block pattern across the chest. It was so cute, and she couldn't forget the little black and white bow that accented the upper corner. Her heart almost stopped when she saw the pale turquoise leggings…and the smallest pair of white socks, which also had the bows.

Time was such a strange thing to her sometimes, because when she would watch Celeste sleep, she never saw her growing or getting older. It just seemed to happen when she wasn't looking, and she was always looking. She would try to watch her daughter age but she never could notice a difference in the day before.

"Stop getting bigger," she wanted to plead. Celeste was so perfect and beautiful, and so sweet…she never wanted her to change. She wanted for her to just stay little forever.

"911, where is your emergency?" It was a woman, her voice relatively calm and soft. Sharpay looked around dazedly, only adrenaline keeping her sucked into reality.

Her address, what was it? Her eyes squeezed tightly as she clawed at her memory trying to recover the familiar numbers.

"1410 East Eaglegate, it's a gated community. The security code is 72354," she announced suddenly, retrieving the location from nowhere.

She brought her knees closer to her chest, stroking the baby's stomach softly with her index finger. She made it back to the bathroom before the blood could soak into any more of her carpet. The woman asked her another question but Sharpay was having such a hard time concentrating.

"What?" she asked in shock. Even with the baby resting on her knees, there was still a blurry, dream-like quality in her vision.

"Are you okay?" Sharpay wiped a tear that was sliding down her cheek,

"I had a baby and I'm really afraid."

"What's your name?"

"Sharpay," she whispered.

"Sharpay, it's going to be okay, make sure you keep the baby warm. Are you at your house?" The lady's voice didn't reveal any despair or immediate concern. She was just gentle.

"Yes," Sharpay confirmed.

"Is anybody there with you?"

"No," she whispered as if her parents were going to overhear.

"Dispatchers are on their way, okay?" she said, her voice keeping that same soft, patient tone.

"Okay."

"Did you cut the umbilical cord?"

"Um," she thought for a moment looking down, "no."

"Okay, just stay right there. I don't want you to move, an ambulance is on its way. How long ago did you deliver?"

"Maybe a couple of minutes ago?"

There was a long pause and Sharpay was able to take a few deep breaths, in an attempt to regain a steady heartbeat. She heard the lady say a few more words but it was hard to concentrate.

"If you feel the need to push again it's the afterbirth, don't panic, that's normal. I'm going to stay on the phone with you until the paramedics get there, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," she exhaled.

A few quiet moments passed again. The baby that lay on her knees suddenly became heavier.

"Are you okay?" the lady asked with a touch of comfort.

"I'm fine now."

"Boy or girl?"

Sharpay's ragged eyes fell down, the instant glance of the daughter she gave birth to…

"A girl."

"She seems okay and everything? She's pink and she's cried?"

"Yes."

She just wanted to go to sleep. Even adrenaline and panic weren't enough to keep her alert. Everything was becoming very fuzzy to Sharpay, almost like she wasn't in her own body. This person sitting here in silence, she didn't recognize her.

There was a short silence and then the woman continued.

"Is there a lot of blood, or just a little bit?"

There was blood. Lots of it, so much blood…everywhere. All over the bathroom floor; it was seeping into the cracks of every crevice. The carpet in her bedroom, it would probably need to be stripped completely and replaced. She had never seen so much blood before in her life.

"There's a lot," she said nervously. Maybe that was why she was beginning to feel so lightheaded. She had to use every ounce of willpower to keep her eyes open.

"Sharpay?"

She took a deep breath and held the baby tighter, lowering her voice.

"I didn't tell anyone, I'm only seventeen," she confessed very embarrassed.

Her eyes turned to the identical ones that stared back into hers. She felt something that she'd never felt before looking into that tiny face, her lips quivered and her eyes closed letting streams of water fall from them tenderly, so distracted by such unfamiliar feelings she barely heard the front door being broke down. She barely heard the loud footsteps coming up the stairs, the voices getting closer.

"Hello, hello?" she heard a voice shout outside of the door.

"Here..." she feebly managed to call out, "in here..."

The door flung opened but she almost didn't even notice what was happening, the man bending down, shining a light in her eyes, talking to her…she was so unresponsive; blank.

All she saw were confusing colors.

"Everything is going to be okay," the man said as he and another man lifted her up onto a stretcher. They threw a warm blanket over her naked body. She could hear him talking on her phone with the lady, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Someone turned the volume down. Her eardrums…

Her hazy eyes scanned her surroundings, they were carrying her down the steps, and…her chest, it was empty. There was no baby asleep on her. There was no nose snuggled into the valley of her breasts. Her eyes searched frantically for the baby. The baby. She tried to talk but her mouth wouldn't move, only the smallest sound would be able to choke its way out of her throat. Her eyes were hurting too much to hold them open a second longer. She gave up.

"No, love her…safe place…" she whispered as the light of her world began to die, the darkness enveloping her before a drop of rain outside could reach her worn face.

…

Her eyelids slowly opened to a dark room; the lights were turned off, but she knew exactly where she was, and the curtains were drawn, but sunlight seemed to make its way through the cracks. She started to sit up, her body so stiff and when she sat up straight she felt the pull in her groins, cringing at the soreness. Sitting up in her bed, with a backless gown, she was anyone but who she desired to be. Everything about what she was feeling right now didn't seem real. It just couldn't be.

She was mortified to be in that room with a plastic bracelet on her wrist, no makeup, no hairbrush, and the terrible smell of hospital stained into her hair. The absolute worst thing however, was the unclean, sticky sweat left on her body. Her desire for a shower was intense.

Looking at the wall, listening to the voices outside of her door she didn't know what to do. She wondered if she should call for somebody, if she should try to go back to sleep, if she should just wait for someone to come to her. She lied back down, trying to ignore the one thing that she couldn't ignore. And when Sharpay thought about what had happened, tears grew in her eyes until they became heavy enough to fall on their own, and there was no stopping them.

The tears ran down the side of her face and rolled onto the sheets silently. The knot in her throat began to go away as she finally let herself go.

It hurt so much. The fear, and the humiliation. It was so painful.

"Hi Sharpay," a woman appeared from behind the curtain in scrubs.

She covered her face with her hands and took a moment to collect herself.

"Do you want to sit up? Need another pillow?"

Sharpay shook her head, "I-just," she choked. She couldn't even put her thoughts into words, there was just a horrible need to cry right now.

The nurse nodded her head, "You had a long night."

Her hands fumbled with each other, "Is it…can I see the baby?"

The nurse's eyes widened and her smile extended, "Of course you can see her, I'll be right back," she said as she left the room. When the door shut Sharpay felt the tension in her body slowly start to ease. Her nerves grew into anticipation. Waiting for the lady to return, to come back with something she wanted more than anything in the world.

Minutes passed and she was becoming more anxious by the second, she was just about to get out of the bed when her door opened slowly. A little plastic basket was pushed across the room to Sharpay's bed.

The nurse picked up the sleeping baby, and Sharpay held out her arms as the nurse placed her inside. Sharpay looked into the face of her child. She was the most beautiful, the most perfect thing she'd ever seen. She felt herself start to lose control again.

She was in love. It was a moment later that the nurse broke her blissful trance.

"We called your parents."

Sharpay looked up, "What?"

"They're flying home right now to be with you. They told us to tell you that they're on their way."

New York, they had that investment meeting in New York City.

"Oh no…" she shook in terror. How could she face them after this? Her mother. How could she face her mother after this?

She hesitated but nodded slowly.

The nurse didn't respond as Sharpay closed her eyes and took deep breaths. There was no way she could get up and run away with the baby, although the thought was very much alive in her mind.

"You know, you're not in trouble."

Of course I am. She was in all kinds of trouble. She dreaded the thought of her parents coming and seeing her like this. How was she going to convince them that she herself, a child, was ready to be a mother and raise a child of her own? There was a reason, many reasons, why she kept her growing stomach covered discreetly as possible. It was still a mystery how no one managed to notice or even speculate.

An hour passed and Sharpay found herself inseparable from the child. She had memorized the way the little child's lips would open to the side when she yawned, how her eyes fluttered when she heard her mother's voice. She sang to her, she made her promises. And now she could never put her down, the nurse practically had to coax her from her mother once Sharpay could hardly stay awake, she was so tired.

"Just one more minute," she asked drowsily as the nurse pulled her out of Sharpay's arms, she laid the baby down in the basket, right next to Sharpay's bed. "See?" she smiled, "she's not going anywhere, but you've got to sleep. You just had a baby."

Sharpay turned to her side, facing the sleeping infant in the clear plastic basket adjacent to the bed. She began to study the child's features again but she didn't make it past the eyes, in a second she was out.

…

30,000 feet above the plains of New Mexico, a silent couple sat on the edge of their seats. The gentlemen tried to reach for his wife's hand only to for her to yank it away. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the last year flash before her eyes. Their birthday party, Sharpay refusing to wear the beautiful gown she bought her.

She wouldn't go swimming at the pool, she wouldn't go to Lava Springs at all. She wore the same clothes over and over and never expressed interest in the theatre.

It was so obvious something awful was wrong and she was too selfish to even ask what.

Darby thought that she had finally hit her teenage angst, she never thought it was this.

Although exhausted mentally and physically from the long flight, they made it to the hospital. They made it through the doors and demanded to see Sharpay.

They found the two of them asleep. The bassinette right next to the elevated bed, side by side.

"She's just a kid," Darby whispered after several blank moments. The impact of seeing her grandchild was not as emotional as she imagined. She was almost disconnected from the shock.

"How could I have missed this? What kind of mother am I?"

Vance pulled her next to him and he squeezed her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay."

"What about school?"

"She'll finish high school, and college. It's not impossible."

"I sure hope you're right," Darby said looking devastated at the pair of young lives before her. They would both have to sacrifice for each other in their own ways. Sharpay who never knew sacrifice, she would have to give almost everything up.

…

By the late afternoon Sharpay was still asleep. Darby sat in the cushioned chair next to the bed, watching her daughter sleep like she used to do when she was a baby. When she was a little girl. Even up until the last few years, she would always check on both of them and make sure they were covered and sound asleep. She tried to be a good mother. Apparently it wasn't good enough.

She could only imagine how much Sharpay's body had been put through, how scared she must've been. She was all alone that whole night. Her heart broke at the thought of her daughter in pain like that. She'd never seen Sharpay with such baggy eyes or her hair matted against her forehead from dried sweat.

She cursed herself. How did she let Sharpay get that far away? How could she as a mother, not pay that enough attention to her own child? How in the world did she not see her daughter go through nine months of pregnancy? How could she call herself a mother and not know what was happening to her child?

"How?" she whispered to herself.

…

Sharpay was in a shadowy room, she had no feeling in her body but she could sense it was cold. Suddenly the room lit up, white walls surrounded her as she lay on the floor, and her knees pulled into her chest.

She started to sit up but her hand flew out from under her, the floor was wet. Her hand slipped. She raised her hand to her face to see what was so wet. Her hand was red. And the feeling was thick. And it smelled like blood. Blood. And it was coming from in between her legs.

Slowly opening her legs apart she saw a dirty, wet, bloody rope coming from inside of her body.

The rope was bleeding, and the baby was gone. Not inside of her, and not with her. Not in that room. Her mouth opened to scream, but she couldn't. As if someone had snipped her vocal chords, that was what she felt. She started to squirm on the ground trying to get out of the awful thoughts that passed through her. That's when she felt something touching her forehead, but she didn't see anything. A muffled voice entered the nightmare, but no one was there. It scared her and she screamed even though she thought she couldn't. But she did. And that's what woke her up.

She shot up in bed struggling to catch her breath, tears falling rapidly from her eyes, crying louder than in her dream. She felt her mother holding her, rubbing her back, rocking her back and forth.

"Shh..." she heard her mother lulling softly.

Sharpay's eyes feverishly searched around the room, the basket was gone, her baby was gone, she pushed her mother away, breaking their embrace, beginning to uncover herself, inching her way out of the bed.

"Where's the baby?" she said in a panic.

"She's okay, she's okay…" her mother said.

"Where is the baby?"

"The nurse took her back about half an ago. It's okay." Sharpay's struggle began to ease.

"Let me go…" but Darby held her back and laid her back down, she stroked her cheek, "Sharpay it's going to be okay," she said smoothing tears from her worn face, "it's going to be okay."

Sharpay shook her head, "Mom, I'm so sorry…" she sobbed.

"I know, it's okay," the woman hushed continuing to calm her down.

"I'm more sorry than anything," Darby said to Sharpay's surprise, "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that alone. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't come to me."

In her mother's defense, she wanted to tell her every time they said good night. The strain of her hidden secret was so heavy, and it only got worse with each passing second. She felt like a bug in a spider web. Hearing her mother's pleas now made her feel even more guilty, which was the point all along. She didn't want to devastate the woman, she didn't want to change the life that her parents made for their children. Her mom…she loved her, she didn't want to disappoint her anymore than she had disappointed herself.

Sharpay rose up from her bed and threw her arms around her mother. They held each other and cried together. It was long overdue. Sharpay held on to her mother's shoulders and when the tears continued to fall she didn't wipe them away, she wouldn't let go.

There was a throbbing in her throat, would they even let her keep it?

"You're not going to make me give it away are you?" she sobbed sadly.

Darby squeezed her tighter, "I would never ask you to do that."

Sharpay's lips quivered, words could not begin to describe her unbelief, and her joy…she could feel the tightness leaving her body.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," she said again. Her parents always made it seem so easy, she'd only been a mother for a day and she was already messing everything up.

"I'm so, so, so, so sorry."

She would be saying this for the rest of her life. For the rest of her life she would be apologizing to her daughter. To everyone that got pulled into this. No one asked for any of it, she did this to them all. And unfortunately, she had a lot of coming clean to do. To more than just her family, to the other family whose lives were being affected without them even knowing it. Something awful told her that they wouldn't be as understanding. Something told her that she could never prepare for the storm that was coming. And all she could do was apologize until her words meant nothing anymore.

Her whole entire life since they were little kids, she only wanted one thing. Him. From his electrifying blue eyes to his gorgeous brown side swept bangs, straight and smooth. From year to year she watched the muscles in his arms expand, and the gap in his two front teeth grow together.

The stinging memory of his hands all over her taut body. The moment when she questioned the reality of the situation. Was he finally hers? Could she finally go home with him after all of these years?

He was her dream, all her life, the one thing she couldn't have. Money meant nothing to him, her beautiful blonde hair and designer clothes meant nothing. He didn't want her. He never wanted her. He wanted love. He wanted basketball. And the last thing he wanted to give her was a chance.

The one summer night that changed their lives, it was the most caustic thing she had ever experienced. Two emotional teenagers, complete privacy, and a whole lot of alcohol. And when it was all over, she knew that everything she had ever wanted and dreamed of with him, was wasted.

She slid a single flower into a vase on the table. The pancakes were stacked neatly on a plate and the table for the two of them was set.

"It's my birthday, today." The voice of a very happy, yet very sleepy six year-old made Sharpay's head turn at the perfect timing.

"Happy birthday, Angel," Sharpay said gently walking towards the little one that called her "Mommy."

"Did you sleep good?" she asked picking her up and kissing her over and over.

"No," she sighed, "I want to sleep with you tonight."

"Oh yeah?" Sharpay smiled as she put the girl in a chair at the table right next to hers.

"Do I get to see my Nana and Papa today?" she asked lunging quickly for the pancakes. Sharpay swatted her hands away and picked up two smaller pancakes herself, laying them gently on the six year-old's plate.

"Nana and Papa are going to come over tonight and we're going to all go out to Cheddar's." She grabbed the can of whipped cream and made a huge swirl of it for Celeste. "And Uncle Ryan's coming!" she finished.

"Uncle Ryan! I haven't seen him since I was two!"

"You've seen him since you were two, how could you remember when you were two, crazy girl?"

"We have a picture of all of us at my birthday party and I look at it all the time."

"Well you've seen him since then just not as much because he lives in New York."

Celeste was in the process of devouring the delicious treat that she showed no attention to the conversation her mother and herself were previously exchanging. Sharpay smiled at the whipped cream smeared on her face, so sticky.

"And," she said pausing to swallow her last bite, "I want to see my daddy today."

...

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