Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Note: Okay...First off I have to thank ya'll. Your overwhelming support for not only me and my writing but also for the victims of Katrina just amazes me. That's why I feel so bad for having to say this...This chapter doesn't contain any Brucas, Naley, or Jeyton :( It is basically just a filler to get to the good stuff. I was actually going to wait and post it when I had the rest but I felt like I had been making ya'll wait too long...Hopefully I will get the good stuff up soon, but until then I hope you all forgive me!

"Hey, do you want to rent a movie or something?" Peyton asked the question to Haley's reflection in the mirror as she straightened her hair.

Haley, who was sorting through some of Peyton's old art, nodded distractedly.

"Sure, what do you want to rent?"

Peyton shrugged as she turned off the iron and jumped onto her bed, sending the pages flying.

"Peyton! I had just gotten those all organized!" Peyton laughed and rolled her eyes at Haley's "pouty" face.

"No really! They were all sorted out into categories. Watch..." Haley picked up one pile which had managed to stay intact, "This is the 'No one gets me' pile, and those," she pointed to the mess on the ground, "were the 'I love Jake, I might love Lucas, I can't make up my mind,' and the 'Peyton's hidden advice' piles!" Haley finished with an exasperated sigh.

"The 'Peyton's hidden advice pile'"? Haley nodded her head as if it was obvious.

"You know, all the drawings that you make with hidden meanings." Peyton's eyes widened and her eye brows arched down signaling Haley to try again.

Rolling her head in frustration, Haley bent over the side of the bed shuffled through the papers until she finally found the one she was looking for. "Like this one," Haley held up a drawing labeled "They are not you."

"This got Lucas to the game that night."

When Peyton's face turned to shock Haley cocked her head.

"Oh come on, I was his only friend. Like he wasn't going to tell me!"

Both girls laughed as they nodded in agreement. They were happy just to be hanging out with each other, no drama.

"So, what do you want to rent?" Peyton asked over her shoulder as she grabbed her car keys.

"Um...I don't know! Something funny..."

"Deal!"

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"Hey man, I got this." Nathan slapped down a ten as Jake nodded thankfully. "Okay, I'll get a table."

Jake sat down in a small corner booth. They has loaded, actually stuffed, Jake's bike in the trunk and after driving around for a while they had finally found an open diner. Nathan still hadn't told Jake about everything that had happened, he didn't think it would be wise to being driving when he went into flashback mode.

Nathan soon joined him and groaned as he slid into the booth. "God, everything is just so messed up."

Jake let out a sarcastic laugh as he stirred some cream into his coffee. "You don't have to tell me twice."

Nathan took a long sip of his coffee, trying not to think to much about the awful taste, and prepared himself.

"Hey man, there is something I have to tell you..." He paused trying to find a place to start, "It's about Lucas."

Jake looked up from his stirring to look at Nathan. He noticed that he looked incredibly tired, and he knew that it wasn't just from lack of sleep.

"He has HCM, like Dan, but he didn't tell anyone." Nathan's eyes darkened as he remembered that one person knew, "Well Dan knew, that's why Lucas was living with him. Dan was paying for his medication."

Jake sat silently, waiting for Nathan to continue.

"But Dan must have found out that Lucas had been spying on him, so from what I can conclude he stopped paying for it." Nathan slammed his fist on the table, causing a couple people to turn and look. "I just wish I could have been there for him." Nathan looked out the window. It had started raining again.

"Nathan...what happened?" Nathan turned back to Jake, realizing that he hadn't finished the story.

"Well it's kind of hard to explain. Peyton had to fill me in. Right before Brooke left Lucas told her that he loved her, but she left anyway. But then, she decided to come back for him not knowing that he had already gone chasing after her. I'm not sure exactly what happened, all I know is that he collapsed in the San Diego airport. He is in the hospital there. Brooke is there with him and Karen should probably be there soon."

Jake took in a deep breath as he digested the information. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. He wasn't sure if he could handle all of this at once.

Then, as if having an after though Nathan added, "Haley is back."

Jake nodded, as if nothing would surprise him anymore, and took another sip of his mostly cream coffee.

After a long period of silence, Jake finally had something to say.

"I can't keep running. We can't keep running. We need to face our fears, our problems, and our hearts...Not to sound to Dr. Phil."

Nathan let out a sad laugh and grabbed his keys. "So...ready to go back to Tree Hill?"

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