I Loved Her First, a high school musical fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

A/N: Okay, so I know I shouldn't be writing this considering that I have homework and tests to study for, and should probably be writing another one-shot for "For a Lifetime", but this came to me…Yesterday was the Father-Daughter dance at my school, and they played this song and the lyrics just hit me and I loved it. The lyrics are so simple but they still hit you pretty hard—I almost started crying right there on the dance floor with my dad.

So, here's a songfic to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland, about Troy and his daughter. I really hope you like it (and listen to the song—it's really touching).

Note: Bold italics are lyrics, italics are flashbacks.

P.S.—Troy's wife can be Sharpay, Gabriella, Kelsi, some random girl—it doesn't matter. I didn't write names or descriptions. I didn't feel that it was important.

I really really hope you like this.

I Loved Her First

Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world

Troy stood there on the side of the dance floor, almost in disbelief. He smiled as he saw his daughter dance with her new husband, her eyes twinkling happily and her white gown swaying with the music. Alisha was his first. His first child, his first daughter—the first person that Troy could ever love with entire being. And now, she was on the dance floor with her new love, her face bright and her smile brighter. And nothing could have made Troy happier.

I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way

"Daddy!"

Troy turned around at the sound of his 4-year-old daughter calling him. He bent down and scooped her up with a smile.

"Hey Leesh! What are you up to today?" Troy smiled at his daughter's giggle.

"Nooothing." She smiled sweetly.

"Are you sure?" Troy said as he held her in his arms. "Cause I think you are. Aren't you doing something with the little boy that lives across the street?" Troy laughed at the face Alisha made.

"Eww, no! I don't like boys," the little girl said with a crinkled nose.

"Hey! I'm a boy," Troy squeezed his daughter in a tighter embrace.

"Okay then, you'll always be the best boy that I'll ever know." She said simply.

"I'm number one?" Troy said with a smile.

"You're number one!" She wrapped her little arms around Troy's neck and squeezed, making his smile grow larger.

Troy knew that Alisha's husband would treat her well. Kyle was a good person, and knew that Alisha loved him with all her heart. And now as they held each other closely on the dance floor, Troy knew that it was the right time for him to give her away.

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it's still hard to give her away
I loved her first

He couldn't help but remember the day that she was born. It was sunny, just like her, and was one of the happiest days of his life.

"Congratulations, you two," the doctor said with a smile as she delivered their first child. "It's a baby girl."

Troy looked over to his wife and gave her a kiss. "I love you. You did it." His wife smiled softly, her eyes shining happily.

"Mr. Bolton?" A nurse made Troy turn around from where he was standing. "Would you like to hold your new daughter?"

Troy looked at the nurse with a blank expression before he nodded quickly. She gently placed the little baby into his arms. His breath caught as he smiled down on the little girl—his daughter. Her eyes opened, revealing sky blue eyes identical to his. He kissed her soft forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

How could that beautiful woman with you
Be the same freckled face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

She had grown before his eyes in ways that made Troy love her even more. It seemed like just yesterday where she was a little girl who loved to play outside in the sun, and was now a beautiful woman on the night of her wedding.

Troy walked to Alisha's room, ready to tuck her in like every other night.

"You ready for bed, Leesh baby?" He said as he walked in. His six-year-old sat up in her bed, waiting for her dad.

"Yup Daddy. Will you read me a story?" She asked anxiously.

"Which one?"

"Doesn't matter. As long as you read it." She said with a smile. Troy smiled too. She fell asleep about halfway through the story, but he continued on anyway—she had always wanted him to continue the story until he reached the "happily ever after". And he did, because that was what he wanted for her. Troy put the book away and pulled the blankets up to his sleeping daughter's chin.

"I love you Leesh," he whispered as he kissed her forehead as she slept peacefully.

He knew his little girl had grown up. From a little girl to a teenager to the woman she was now, she had grown up.

"Alisha, it's dinnertime and your mother and siblings and I are waiting for you!" Troy yelled out the window to where Alisha was sitting on the porch.

"OKAY, Dad, will you just give me a second of privacy??" Fourteen-year-old Alisha yelled back. Troy peeked his head outside the window to see what his daughter was up to. She stood beside a boy in her class named Kyle, and was smiling up at him. Troy froze as he saw her reach up and give the boy a kiss on the cheek before he walked away from the house. As Alisha walked back into the house, Troy stopped her.

"You're not the little girl I knew before, are you?" He said with a smile. Alisha just gave her dad a hug.

"I've grown up, Dad."

Alisha looked over from her spot on the dance floor and smiled at Troy. He smiled at the memory of the very first time she had done that.

"Troy, can you get her? I'm kind of busy," Troy's wife yelled from the kitchen as the cries of their baby daughter came from a room in the house. Troy entered the room as he saw his little girl awake from her nap.

"Hey babe, you're okay," He lifted her out of her crib and rested her head on his shoulder. She immediately stopped crying and held on to her father's shirt.

"I love you, you know that right?" Troy smiled down at her. With her head on his shoulder, she smiled back. And Troy's heart soared higher than the skies.

The song that was playing stopped, and Alisha walked up to Troy and gave him a hug.

"Can the bride receive a dance from her dad?" She asked, looking up at Troy, her arms still around him. Troy smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

The two headed to the dance floor as a slow song came on. Her soft hand slipped into his warm one, his hand on her back, her hand on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled as she rested her head on Troy's shoulder. Troy held her close as he remembered their many dances together in the past.

"Hi Daddy! Whatcha doin?" Five-year-old Alisha said as she walked up to her dad. Music was on in the background.

"Trying to learn how to dance cause Mommy and me have a special party tomorrow night," Troy replied with a smile.

"Oh." Alisha's face suddenly lit up. "Can I dance with you?"

Troy smiled. "I'd love that."

She walked up to her dad and stood in front of him. She put her hands in his and put her little feet on his big shoes. She smiled up at him and he held her close. They swayed to the music as Alisha hugged her dad close as she stood on his shoes, and Troy took little steps with his feet, both smiling as they danced together.

From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you

The two danced in silence, not needing to say anything. They could have danced there forever, father and daughter. But the song in the background stopped, and Alisha gave her dad a warm hug. They pulled away, and Troy saw the tears shining in Alisha's eyes as she smiled. He bent down and kissed her smooth forehead.

"I love you," Troy whispered. And she knew that she would always be his little girl.

I loved her first

A/N: Wow. Okay. I really hope I did the song justice…and I really hope you enjoyed reading this. I had so much fun writing this. I love this song (even though I just heard it yesterday) and I hope you loved this. Please review and thanks for reading!