New chapter! :)) Unfortunately, I have no idea when the next one will be coming or how frequently I'll be able to update. This week I work at seven in the morning for nine hours twice and then after this weekend, school starts back up for me. I'm going into my junior year of high school and where I love it's one of the more crucial years because the marks this year are the ones colleges and universities will see first and accept you based on them. Now, I am a smart girl but that doesn't mean I don't have to focus on my school work at all. It always takes top priority which means my updates on this story and future ones will not be as close together.I just wanted to give you all a heads up on it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 11

Almost four weeks had passed since Nathan's collapse during the basketball game against Cove City. After about two weeks the town had finally stopped talking about what happened and accepted the fact that they would never know the real reason behind Nathan's collapse. Dan had done a good job at covering up the drug use and chalked his son's black out up to dehydration and exhaustion. Although it was quite close to the truth, those closest to him who knew the full story were aware that if the word got out that Nathan used performance enhancers then he would most likely lose his shot at playing college basketball.

Nathan and Haley's relationship was going as good as it could be. The couple spent almost every waking moment in each other's presence. They had remained drama free and thankfully, Rachel seemed to finally get the message that Haley wasn't going anywhere and backed off a little. Likewise, guys around school had finally stopped gawking at the petite blonde, realizing that she was off limits.

"Nathan, stop!" Haley laughed when he continued his tickling assault on her.

"Say it, Hales!"

"No!"

"Then I'm not gonna stop," he told her.

"Fine!" she said and Nathan briefly subsided. "Nathan Scott is the sexiest man on the planet. I'm so lucky he's my boyfriend," she recited the words he had told her to say.

Nathan smirked and put his hand over his heart. "That's the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me, Hales."

"Oh shut up," Haley said and playfully punched his bicep. Nathan was about to start his tickling back up again when Karen's voice halted him.

"Haley! There's someone at the door for you," she yelled from down stairs.

Haley looked confused. "Who would be at the door for me?"

Nathan shrugged unknowingly and took her hand in his. "Let's go find out."

When Haley reached the top of the stairs and looked down she smiled wide and dropped her boyfriend's hand. Instantly running down the stairs she squealed happily. "Jake!" she yelled and jumped into his open arms.

Jake picked up his best friend excitedly and swung her around in his arms. He put her back down on the ground after a few moments but kept his tight hold on her. "Hi, beautiful," he said with a dashing smile. "I missed you so much."

Haley hugged him even tighter and rested her head on his chest. Jake kissed the top of her head lovingly before finally pulling away. The duo then became of away of the audience they had garnered. Jake greeted both Karen and Keith with a smile before turning to the tall blonde. "Hey man, I'm Jake," he said and held out a hand.

Lucas took his hand and shook it firmly. "Lucas. I'm Haley's cousin."

Jake then turned his attention to Nathan who was standing a little father back than everyone else. "Which means you must be Nathan?" Jake asked and puffed his chest out slightly, but only Haley seemed to notice. Nathan nodded and stepped forward.

"Yeah, Haley's boyfriend," Nathan said uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what to think of this guy yet, but he knew he didn't like how affectionate he and Haley were with each other. Grudgingly, Nathan took Jake's hand and shook it as hard as he could. He noticed the amusement in Jake's eyes and found himself becoming increasingly territorial.

With official greetings behind them, Karen and Keith retired back to the den leaving Haley, Jake, Lucas, and Nathan standing together in the foyer.

"I still can't believe you're here! You weren't supposed to fly in until tomorrow evening."

"I know, but I couldn't wait to see my best friend. Besides, it's a weekend anyway so I'm not missing anything in California."

"Well, I have plans to hang out at Brooke's house with her so I'll leave you guys to catch up. It's really nice to finally meet you, Jake," Lucas said and shook the brunette's hand again.

"Yeah, likewise," Jake said politely.

"Are you finally gonna ask Brooke out tonight, Luke?" Haley teased and Lucas looked at her annoyed. "What? It's been like three weeks since you guys talked and confessed your feelings for each other. What are you waiting for?"

"I just want it to be the perfect moment. It'll come soon, I'm sure of it."

"Whatever you say. She's getting kind of anxious about it though, you know. She told me a few days ago that she doesn't get what you're waiting for. You can't keep a girl like Brooke waiting forever."

Looking slightly nervous, Lucas said one last good bye to the group and walked out the front door, leaving the remaining trio standing in an awkward silence.

"Why don't you take your bags up to my room, Jake? It's upstairs, the first door on the left."

Jake obliged and started up the staircase. When his form disappeared into Haley's bedroom she turned to look at her boyfriend wearily. "Do you think you could give Jake and I some alone time so we can catch up?"

"Yeah sure," Nathan said calmly. "I guess it's not a good idea to have your best friend and your boyfriend get to know each other better."

"Nathan, it's not like that. I just haven't seen Jake in over a month and I want a chance to catch up with him and show him around town by ourselves. Of course I want you two to get to know each other and be friends, but right now I just want my best friend all to myself."

"Whatever," Nathan shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I'll see you tomorrow at school, I guess," he said and turned and walked stoically out the front door. Haley watched in surprise, completely caught off guard by her boyfriend leaving like that. She couldn't help but notice that her normally over affectionate boy failed to even give her a quick peck on the cheek before he left.

She didn't let it bother her for long though, remembering that Jake was upstairs in her room waiting for her. She excitedly jogged up the stairs and into the bedroom. Jake raised his eyebrows when he saw her enter the room alone. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"He has a name you know. It's Nathan and he went home so that we could spend some time together alone."

"How nice of him," Jake said sardonically and Haley glared at him.

"It's one thing for you to hate him when you were in California and had yet to meet him, but now that you're here you have to give him a chance. All I'm asking is that you make an effort to be nice to him and get to know him before you leave."

"Fine, I'll make an effort," Jake conceded and smiled brightly at his friend. "Now, what do you say to giving me the Tree Hill grand tour?"

"I say that sounds perfect," Haley said and took his hand in order to pull him up from her bed. After a few failed attempts to move his lying form Jake stood up on his own and wrapped an arm around her. After checking in with Karen and Keith and letting them know their plans Haley and Jake headed out the door and started walking in the direction of downtown Tree Hill.

"So, where are we heading first?"

"The Riverwalk. It's my favourite place in the town," Haley smiled at him.

"Any particular reason why it's your favourite?" Jake asked with a cocked brow.

Haley smiled even wider. "It's a special place for Nathan and I. We spend about an hour on the docks every morning when I tutor him. It's kinda where we got to really know each other."

"A dumb jock? Wow, can't say you've ever dated one of those before," Jake said once again using heavy sarcasm.

"What did I say to you a couple minutes ago? Don't be so quick to judge Nathan when you don't even know anything about him. If you're going to act like this the entire time you're here you might as well go back home, Jake. I'm not going to stand for you being rude and hating on my boyfriend," Haley said angrily.

"Okay, I'm sorry! I don't want to start fighting with you after being in town for less than half an hour."

"Then don't say things that you know will upset me."

"I know, Hales. The idea of you having a boyfriend just doesn't sit well with me. It never has. Need I remind you how your last relationship ended and all the problems it caused between us when you were with Damien?"

Haley stiffened at the mention of her murderer ex boyfriend. "What happened between us when I was with Damien is not going to happen again, Jake. Nathan isn't like that and I'm not about to lose my best friend over a guy for the second time. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Of course I do, Haley. When it comes to you I'm always worried about something. You are my best friend and I care about you too much not to worry about you."

Haley smiled at him. "I love you, Jake, but sometimes you have to stop being so protective and let me live my life."

"I'm trying to," Jake assured her and took in his surroundings as they stopped walking. "I can see why this is your favourite place in town. It really is something else."

"I know. It's even more special early in the morning when not as many people are walking up and down the boardwalk. That's Karen's Cafe over there on the corner, I've been spending a lot of time there lately. It helps that I eat for free because my aunt owns it," Haley said while pointing to the quaint cafe a little ways away from them.

"Come on. Let's walk along the river a bit," Jake said a cocked his head in the direction of the wooden planks. When they had made their way over and began walking along the fast flowing Cape Fear the duo fell into a familiar comfortable silence.

"So, how are things back in Wasatch without me?"

"Dull and lonely," Jake admitted sadly. "It's not the same being there without you. I hang out with the guys more but even that isn't the same without you there cheering me on during our basketball games."

"I know it sucks, Jakey. At least we've only got six months left of school before graduation and then we can spend the summer together before going off to college in the fall," she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, I can't wait to spend two whole months with you. How are things going for you here?"

"They're okay. I still think about mom and dad every day but it's getting a bit easier for me now. I've made friends but obviously none of them are you. Luke and I have gotten really close in the past month and a half; I don't know what I would do without him sometimes. Karen and Keith have been really great to me, too. I like Tree Hill and it's finally starting to feel a little bit like home. I could never forget about California though."

"I'm glad to hear you're happy here. That's all that I want for you."

"I know, Jake. Don't forget to be happy too, you know," Haley reminded him and he smiled down at her.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"I am happy," Haley told him.

"Good," Jake said with a smile and stopped walking when he noticed Haley had halted. "Why are we stopping...?"

"We've reached our second stop of the tour."

Jake cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "An old warehouse?"

"No, this is Tric. It's the all ages club that my aunt and Nathan's mom own. I've only actually been inside it when it was open once and it was packed. It's a cool place to hang out a night though. I know I had lots of fun at the Halloween party they had here a few weeks ago."

"It looks... nice," Jake said.

Haley laughed. "Well, what do you expect from a small town like Tree Hill? Come on, let's keep going. Aside from Tree Hill high we only have one other place to go on our tour."

"Where's that?"

"You'll see. I think you're really gonna like this place though."

After walking for a little while, Jake and Haley crossed and a white pedestrian bridge and arrived on the other side of the Cape Fear at an old paved basketball court. "Wow, you're right. I do like it here."

With a smile on her face, Haley led her best friend over to the wooden picnic table at the side of the court. Jake looked around the quiet area and took it all in. The hidden court really was peaceful. "The guys come here all the time and play for fun and the girls and I all sit and watch. I like it here, it reminds me of watching you and guys play basketball against each other at your house in California."

Jake smiled. "My backyard court doesn't even begin to compare to this place."

"Yeah," Haley agreed softly and stood up. Walking over to a bush, she pulled out a worn looking basketball and bounced it goofily with both her hands. "Get up and play with me! Unless you're afraid I'll beat you," she teased.

"You're kidding right? James, you know you could never beat me at my own game," Jake said as he ran towards her and stole the ball from her mid-bounce. He kept running to the net and jumped up, slamming it though the metal hoop.

"Alright, so now that you've proven you're all macho, can we play?" Haley joked and picked up the ball that had rolled onto the grass.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humour. What are we playing, horse?"

"You bet your ass we are," Haley responded and chucked the ball granny style from the free throw line. She watched it circle around the net before falling in.

Jake rolled his eyes. "You would start with the shot you know I can never make. New rule starting now, no using granny style. It's not even a real way to shoot!"

Haley smirked. "Upset that you aren't as gifted at this game as I am? Now stop your whining and take the shot!"

Jake huffed in mock annoyance and grabbed the ball from her. He stood in Haley's previous spot and swung the ball back and forth underneath his legs. After repeating the action several times, Jake closed one eye and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. He heard Haley chuckling under her breath but he chose to ignore her. Swinging the ball one last time Jake let it go and watched it hit the back board of the net. Much to his chagrin the basketball bounced off it and fell away from the net, not even coming close to going through the hoop.

Haley immediately busted out laughing. "That was quite impressive. But I believe that miserable fail gives you an 'H'."

"Shut up!" Jake exclaimed and made a move to chase after her slowly retreating form. Haley screamed and picked up her pace. Unfortunately for her, Jake ran much faster a caught her within moments. He threw her small form over his shoulder and tickled her sides.

"Jake, stop!" Haley laughed while pounding on his back. He conceded and stopped tickling her only to start spinning them both as fast as he could."If you don't stop right now I'm going to throw up all over you!"

Jake immediately halted his movements and set Haley back down onto her feet. Haley smirked at him and picked up the ball once again. "You really are the most gullible person I've ever met."

Jake stuck his tongue out at the petite girl. "Shut up and take your next shot."

Haley laughed and turned to shoot. For the next twenty minutes the duo went back and forth taking their shots, some of them going in and some of them falling short.

"So, that would be an 'E' for you, right? And then that would mean you're a horse?" Haley asked jokingly.

Jake was still a bit in shock. Some of the shots she had made in the game were complete flukes and despite playing on a basketball team, he still lost. Haley had only ever beaten him at this game once and it was when they were twelve and he let her win. Haley couldn't hold in her laughter during their walk back to her house.

When they entered her house, Jake was still trying to grasp his loss. The pair walked into the kitchen and Karen greeted them with a smile. "Hi kids, how was your day together?"

"It was great," Haley said. "I still can't believe my best friend is here with me though."

Karen nodded. "Well, Keith, Lucas, and Brooke are already at the table and dinner is going to be ready in just a minute so you two can go in and take a seat as well."

When they walked into the dining room Jake and Haley sat down next to each other. "Hey guys. Jake, this is my girlfriend, Brooke," Lucas introduced them with a broad smile.

Jake introduced himself and Haley's eyes bugged out of her head. "No way! You guys are finally dating?"

"Yeah!" Brooke exclaimed excitedly. "He was so nervous when he asked too. It was so cute," she finished and kissed her boyfriend lovingly on the cheek as he blushed softly. Keith chuckled at his son's embarrassment but remained quiet otherwise.

Karen walked into the room and set the food on the table. Everyone immediately began helping themselves and eating the delicious meal.

"Are you sure you don't need any help cleaning up, Aunt Karen?" Haley asked after everyone had finished eating.

"No, I'm fine Haley. You and Jake go do what you guys want."

Haley accepted her aunt's response and led Jake up to her bedroom. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I have to get up for school tomorrow so I think I'm about ready for bed."

Jake chuckled. "You never were very good at staying up late. I know how you feel though; it's been a long day for me travelling and everything."

Walking over to her pyjama drawer Haley pulled out something to wear to bed. Jake unzipped his suitcase and pulled out something to wear as well. The pair turned their backs to each other and changed before getting into Haley's bed a snuggling up to each other, just like they always had when they had a sleep over and shared a bed.

"Are your aunt and uncle okay with us sharing a bed?" Jake asked apprehensively.

Haley shrugged slightly. "I don't see why they wouldn't be. They know I have a boyfriend and nothing is ever going to happen between us. You're like my brother," she said grossed out.

Jake laughed. "I see your point. Good night Hales, I love you," he said and squeezed her tightly.

"I love you too, Jakey," Haley replied and moved closer to him.

Jake and Haley both feel asleep with a smile on their faces, happy to finally be back in each other's presence; even if it would only last for a week.