"Mom?"

Vanessa faintly heard her daughter's voice, followed by feeling herself being shaken. The pounding in her head followed, which only emitted a groan from the young mother.

"Are you sick?" Lia continued speaking, not remembering a time that she was the one waking her mother up. She was the most punctual person she knew.

Vanessa squinted her eyes open, only to be met with a partial view of her daughter over her.

"No, I'm not sick," Vanessa finally replied, half-convincingly. She knew she wasn't sick. Hungover? Absolutely, but she wasn't going to tell her daughter that.

She rose up in her bed, and looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She was already twenty minutes past her initial alarm.

"Shit," Vanessa mumbled under her breath, not having felt this hungover since the night after she found out she had passed the bar.

"Are you going to work today?" Lia smirked at her mom's disheveled state, knowing from enough movies and the empty wine bottle she saw in their recycling bin what was more than likely the cause of her mother's morning look.

"Yes, Lia," Vanessa forced a grin for her daughter before she managed to get out of bed and head straight towards her medicine chest in her adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She used the sink water to swallow the two tylenols and then took a look at herself in the mirror, grateful she at least didn't look as bad as she felt. Her mind wandered back to the kiss. She might have convinced herself it was a dream had it not been for the good night text Lin had texted her around 1:00 am. She didn't know what this meant for them and their relationship. She splashed some water on her face, and found a ponytail holder on her sink to get her hair out of her face. She had too many thoughts going through her head, but had the pressing countdown to get to her office before eight and send her daughter off to school.

"Did you eat anything?" Vanessa asked as she came out of her bathroom and slipped a robe on, only to find Lia sitting on her bed.

"Uh-huh," Lia answered her but was more distracted by the text she had just received from Lindsay saying they were outside. "I gotta head out. My ride's here!" She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing her bag.

"Did Lin call you a cab?" Vanessa followed behind her daughter as she left her bedroom. She knew if Lin was here he'd come up to get her. She was slightly disappointed that he hadn't.

"I spoke to him about my ride last night," Lia said with a smile, as she chose her words carefully, praying that her plan would continue to go off without any delays.

"Alright, love you," Vanessa was glad it seemed like time at the theatre and a good night's sleep had lifted Lia's mood. She headed straight towards the coffee pot to life hers, "Don't forget you have a dentist appointment after school. Lin's picking you up."

"Sounds good, love you too. Bye!" Lia managed to get out of the apartment without any more probing. She took a second on her stoop to check her makeup in her compact mirror, having spent a few more minutes than usual on it that morning.

She hurried over when she spotted the Black Range Rover Lindsay had texted they were in and got into the back passenger seat.

"Did you have to walk far?" Lindsay asked once they were on the road headed to Christine's house.

Lia shook her head, "Nope. Parking by my place is just nonexistent so I figured it would be easier to pick me up over here. Thanks again, Ayden."

"No problem, Em," Lia gave him a small smile, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

The conversation between the four, including Marissa, turned to the latest gossip of the school over the light sounds of the radio. Lia wasn't usually privy to the gossip, or really any conversations from her classmates, let alone upperclassmen. She felt almost like she was invading the conversation. However, she also didn't want to let her own insecurities get in the way of feeling like a normal teenager, especially when everything else in her life was so not normal. So she laughed when they did and commented when they looked towards her. Once Christine joined the group, the conversation switched to the plans for the weekend.

"I just don't think Austin Leacock is capable of throwing a good party," Christine commented as she put her mascara on losing the reflection of her phone, "I mean, the guy isn't even that known."

"Yeah, but his parents are loaded and he's been talking about this for weeks," Ayden chimed in, "There's no way he would risk his reputation and throw something together half-ass."

Lia had heard mumblings of talk around the party, but hadn't paid any mind to it.

"You wanna come?" Lindsay turned towards Lia, "Marissa's my in and you can be mine by association!" She giggled, "We'll probably be the only freshmen there!"

"She'll probably have to ask her mom first," Christine answered before Lia could get a word in, as the car chuckled.

"I don't actually," Lia snipped before she actually thought about what she was agreeing to, triggered by the snarky comment, "Count me in."

"Awesome!" Lindsay beamed and proceeded to go over the possible outfits choices they should wear as the rest of the car returned to their conversation. Lia held a smile, feeling as though she had gained some respect from her new group. She was also mentally freaking out about what she had just agreed to. If her mom didn't even agree to her driving in a car with the group, there was no way she was going to agree to her going to a party. She also knew it wouldn't be as easy as running it past Lin when she would, undoubtedly, be gone for several hours and out past her curfew. There was no way she was going to miss it though. Lia spent the rest of the ride doing mental gymnastics as she attempted to figure out how the hell she was going to pull this off all the while Lindsay went over the pros and cons of mini skirts.

She made it through another long day at Hunter and was glad to see Lin waiting out front for her. He hailed them a cab and they were off to her dental appointment. They told her she needed braces. The dentist asked to talk to her parent and Lin came in. He seemed thrown off to see Lin-Manuel Miranda.

"Ummm...hello..." he said, surprised. "Mr. Miranda?"

"Please call me Lin," he insisted. As Lin listened to his recommendations for orthodontists he couldn't help just loving being a dad. Little things like hearing the dentist's report he'd missed out on. He thanked the dentist and took the information sheet. They walked out and Lia started venting.

"Braces?!" She complained. "Can I please please get Invisalign? I don't want to be the freak with a famous dad AND metal in her mouth."

He chuckled as they walked. From what it seemed, he'd be pulling in good money from Hamilton for years to come. He could certainly finance his daughter's Invisalign.

"I would think so," he told her. "But we need to talk to your mom first."

"I know," she sing-songed.

"Are you making some friends?"

Lia saw a possible way in. At least she could get him on her side. "Yeah, there's a couple kids I ate lunch with. Lindsay and Ayden. They invited me over Friday to hang out."

"Sounds fun," he said. "Will their parents be home?"

Lia laughed. "You sound like such a dad right now."

Lin smiled. "Well I am!" He pointed out. "I need to look out for you now. I want to."

"Yes, his parents will be home," she said, though she really had no idea. They grabbed a cab and proceeded to make their way home. As they neared Brooklyn and Lin checked his phone, his heart dropped. The word was spreading that Vanessa was his baby mama and that he was just now finding out about his child. Mean words were being thrown around like selfish, bitch, and monster.

Vanessa hadn't arrived home yet. Lin dreaded it, wishing he could delete it all. They'd kissed for the first time last night and he was hoping they could continue. She was going to be so upset.

Lia had a ton of homework and wanted to remind her mother what a good child she was.

Vanessa arrived home, in a light happy mood. Work was going well for her and she was admittedly excited about what had transpired with Lin the night before. She'd been distracted most of the day, thinking about how good it felt to kiss him. Lin gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"Oh it was fine," she told him unzipping her boots. "I brought some work home but that's typical."

He nodded as she opened the cabinet and grabbed a fist full of cashews. She examined his face, noticing he looked concerned.

"What's wrong?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, I was on Twitter this afternoon..."

Vanessa groaned loudly as she chewed. "Ugghhh, are they at Lia again? Do we need to get lawyers involved?"

"No," he said, unlocking his phone. "They've been talking about you."

"Me?" She asked, confused.

Lin nodded. "They're starting to figure out I didn't know about Lia until recently. They've been villainizing you."

Vanessa gaped for a moment, then pulled out her phone. She rarely used Twitter but opened her account. She searched her name and saw the scathing posts

...how could she keep his own child from him...I bet she's coming out now for the money...what a selfish bitch...

She closed her eyes and tucked her phone away, not wanting to read any more. She supposed she had it coming. But they didn't know her.

"Well, I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion," she tried to brush it off. Granted, they hadn't been around each other long, but from what he remembered, she always put up a tough exterior. She was a lawyer, after all. If it really bothered her, she wasn't going to show it blatantly.

"Well they're wrong," he said. "You're a wonderful person. You made a mistake but now you've made things right."

She nodded, seeming unconvinced. As a perfectionist, she wasn't used to being wrong. Lin definitely had the moral high ground. It would be hard to defend her actions.

Meanwhile, Lia was texting with Christine about the party coming up. There was no way she could back out now. If she didn't show she'd look like a total baby. She set her phone down and went to her closet, opening it up. She sighed as she looked at her options. Her wardrobe was rather...plain and juvenile. She pulled a few pieces out, trying to find something that would be slightly cool.

After a few minutes, she gave up and collapsed on her bed. She needed some new clothes. Just then, Lin knocked on the door and came in. She sat up and smiled. It was still a bit surreal that he was in her life.

"Hey, kid," he told her, pulling out her chair.

"Hi Lin," she said. "Can I come to the theatre again with you tonight?"

Lin loved that she wanted to spend time with him. Most teenagers avoided their parents. "I'd love that but I don't think staying out til midnight often is a good idea."

"I can sleep in the dressing room," she offered.

"Highly unlikely you'd get any sleep," he said, knowing the energy of the theatre during show time. "Plus, I think your mom would like company tonight."

"Why?" She asked.

Lin pulled out his phone and showed her. "She's acting like it doesn't bother her but I think she's a bit upset."

"You should take her on a date," Lia blurted. "And take her to the show."

Lin thought for a moment. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

Lia beamed, sitting up a little straighter. He stood up and gave the top of her head a kiss. "Oh, Lin? Can I get a little money for lunch? And, um, school supplies?"

Lin pulled out his wallet. "Sure," he said. "Fifty okay?"

She nodded excitedly and accepted the money. She felt a little bad, but all teenagers asked their parents for money. They got an allowance. She had about twenty bucks tucked away so this should be enough for a great, more mature outfit.

Her mother came in a while later, more dressed up for the theatre. She looked...excited. Was she enjoying spending time with Lin?

"Get all your homework done and don't forget to turn out all the lights," she said, kissing her daughter's cheek.

"I will Mom," she groaned a little.

"Good," she said, smoothing at her hair. "How do I look?"

Lia grinned. "Beautiful."

"Thanks," Vanessa replied. "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied, opening her Chromebook. "Don't worry about your curfew. Have fun."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and laughed as she reached the door. "Don't wait up for me."

Lia smiled. "Don't worry. I won't."