"Press, I already told you once today…I can't come down to the river court, my parents want me home for dinner, and anyways…didn't I already tell you that my dad isn't your biggest fan"

"Who cares about dinner with your family, we need our leading cheerleader with us"

"Well your going to have to find someone else to throw pom-poms around and do a dance for you, cause the only place I'll be cheering is in my room…if I'm not home in time for dinner" Tierney opened her car door and threw her bags in, when Press pulled her aside.

"At least give your boyfriend a good bye kiss" Press leaned in, and kissed Tierney hard on her lips. He was always sort of messy when it came to them kissing, but it was so perfect at the same time. He grabbed her jeans, and strung his fingers between her belt loops pulling her even closer to him.

"Ok, Press…I got to go"

"Don't forget there's a game tomorrow night"

"How could I? Basketball is all you talk about"

"It's my life, I love it, and my parents want me to play"

"You do everything your parents tell you to?"

"Do you? Better hurry home…you'll be late for dinner"

Tierney pulled in the driveway of their house, careful not to hit any of the stray toys in the driveway. Their house was like a Toys R Us having a Christmas sale, her mom always made sure that her kids knew they were loved, even if it meant buying them everything that they asked for. Tierney opened the front door, and didn't step two feet inside before she tripped on a fire truck and had to kick a few barbies out of the way to make a path. Nick and Camryn, were already sitting at the table eating their spaghetti with her parents on either side of them. Nick and Cammie both wore bibs, and Nick had his action figures lying on the table next to him. Tierney was clearly the oldest of the three kids in their house, and she had clearly also been a mistake. Not that her parents would admit it, but being that she was born when her mom and dad were only 18, she had kind of figured it out over the years. Nick and Cammie were their "normal" children, the ones that they had after they had "settled down". Not that they had made any mistakes raising Tierney, they were already married when she was born and she had turned out okay…and there was no doubt about it that they were completely in love. She looked at the clock to see how late for dinner she really was, and then back at her parents, who were talking and laughing together. Her dad broke away from his conversation with her mom to look up at her.

"Nice of you to join us for dinner Tierney"

She threw her bag down and took a seat between Nick and her mom, "Well, I'm here aren't I?"

Her mom turned and looked at her dad "Yeah, she's here isn't she?" and started laughing "Nick, don't throw spaghetti at your sister"

"I'll just forget dinner tonight, I need to go change my shirt now anyways" Tierney grabbed a bucket of Ben and Jerry's out of the freezer with a spoon and ran up to her bedroom.

Her dad called after her "Are you going to go running with me later?"

"Sure thing dad" she called back.

Tierney picked up her phone and dialed Kendall, her best friend and relative…cousin in fact.

"Hello?" her uncle answered the phone

"Hey, it's your favorite niece!"

"Oh, I didn't know Camryn could use the phone now?"

Tierney laughed "Noooo"

"I know, how's it going Tierney, we're setting up your bedroom right now…you and Kendall talk so much, we figured you should just move in, it will save us a lot on our phone bill"

"haha, very funny…is she there?"

"Actually she just went down to the river court, something about a game there tonight?"

"Yeah, I was supposed to go, but I haven't been home for dinner all week, so my dad decided he wanted me home tonight"

"Tell your dad not to be so hard on you," he laughed. I was a joke actually, Tierney's parents probably couldn't be more lenient with her, and sometimes that scared them and her. The only thing her dad had a problem with was her boyfriend, Press Baker, which most people thought was weird that he hadn't taken better to Press, because after all they had a lot in common, especially basketball. Press was the captain of the Tree Hill Ravens and her dad had been at one time too, but Tierney knew that it was only because he was afraid of his little girl growing up.

"Thanks" Tierney hung up the phone and rolled her eyes, falling back on to her bed. She pulled on some shorts, changed her t-shirt, and put on her running shoes, then ran down the stairs into the kitchen. She put the Ben & Jerry's back in the freezer, and ran out of the house calling out "Better catch up dad".

She was happy as soon as her feet hit the pavement. She started running with all her energy down the street and let out everything on the road, everything was the road's now, and nothing was hers. Her dad quickly caught up with her, and she slowed down, pacing herself. She loved running with her dad more than anything; it seemed when it was just the two of them, side-by-side they actually connected. Any other time, it was completely clear to the rest of the world whose daughter she was, her mother's. She was a spitting image of her mother, and she was even a Raven's cheerleader just like she had been. They loved all the same things, and spent a lot of time together. But, with each pound of her feet hitting the road, more and more of her dad came out in her. If you looked hard enough, he was there, and she might have been more like her dad than her mom. Running was their communication, a language her mom and his wife would never understand between them, and sometimes…they didn't have to speak at all.

They reached the river court where her friends were playing basketball, and she slowed her pace down more, signaling to her dad that she wanted to stop. He slowed beside her and looked around, " I see they've made this a co-ed game since I've been down here last", her dad laughed at Kendall's attempt to not be the ditzy cheerleader she was and try to play with the guys. Press looked over and saw Tierney, running up to give her a hug and kiss her on the cheek.

"How are you, Mr. Scott?" he asked

"I'm good Press, you?"

"I'm great, I'm at the river court playing basketball…what more could I ask for?" and with that one comment, her dad saw his younger days in Press, maybe that's what he didn't like him…he knew how he was when he was younger. "There's a big game tomorrow Mr. Scott, you coming?"

He started up his slow run again down the road, and turned to yell behind him, "I'll be there".

Author's note: So can you guys who Tierney's parents are…or Kendall's?