Chapter 18

General POV

Whitey watched closely as the boys ran up and down the gym doing suicides. They'd been at it for a bit while the other players started to come out of the locker room. The start of training camp was a fun time for the players and coaches. It gave every one an opportunity to start fresh and re establish your position on the team.

Last season had ended in a heartbreaking defeat, but everyone knew that it made this season all the more special. They' d been down the hard road. They knew what it took; now they just needed to push further.

Both Lucas and Nathan walked out, seeing some of their older teammates already warming up. Across on the bleachers they saw Haley sitting in the bleaches waving towards them.

They tried to explain earlier that it'd be a pretty boring first day, but she insisted. The girls were busy with cheerleading tryouts so she had decided to support her boys.

Besides, Haley had no tutoring or work, so she wasn't sure where to go.

As they started to warm up, some of the remaining guys from the room hit the floor, some they'd never seen before.

"Hey," Tim jogged over, already sweating a little. He eyed the newest recruits. "Going to be a good year this one. I can feel it."

"Lets hope," Nathan said, quickly firing off a shot into the basket.

"Hey yo Luke!" A voice called out.

The three turned to see Skills and Mouth walk out onto the court. Mouth dressed in his typical broadcast gear, while Skills looked ready to play.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, a little surprised.

Skills shrugged, catching an errand ball. "I thought why not? College around the corner, might be a good way to get a full ride. Besides, you guys need some flash to your game. Thankfully I'm here."

Lucas smiled happily, giving Skills a fist bump. "Other teams won't no what hit em."

It was good to see another familiar face. The better the boys knew their teammates, the better the chemistry they had on the court. It was nice to maybe fill a spot with someone they knew, and thankfully, not only did they know Skills, but he was a great player to boot.

"All right lets jump right too it," Whitey shouted, signaling all the boys over. "When I call your number, head over to your zone and listen to instructions. Will move on every 30 minutes, and see where you guys stack up afterwards. Lets go!"

The boys found themselves separated early on. Skills and Nathan had headed to the gym, Tim was working on defense, and Lucas was just starting to run the offence on a 3 on 3 match.

It felt good to be back on the court and as he said a few hellos to hit older teammates, he lined up against someone he didn't recognize.

"Hey man," Lucas greeted, checking the ball towards him. "You ready?"

"Hell yeah," The guy answered, a cocky grin stretched across his face.

Back in the fitness room, Skills and Nathan slowly started to get into the rhythm of working out. Nathan hated to admit it, but he'd taken a few too many days off the last couple of weeks, so his body wasn't as prepared as it should have been.

Skills on the other hand felt great. Maybe it was the rush of possibly joining the team, or he was just in shape, but he pushed harder then most. Others had an in, he still had to show something and get his foot in the door.

"You're making me look bad," Nathan joked, pushing himself a little harder on the bench press.

Skills spotted him. "Wait till we hit that court. Show you guys how to play ball for real."

"Will see about that," Nathan laughed, finishing his set.

Haley POV

She'd been close to leaving, after watching the first 10 minutes and being completely bored. It was strange cause Haley had grown up watching Lucas play so often. Yet seeing this, she'd wished she'd gone home.

Or watch the cheerleading tryouts at least.

Seeing Whitey yell and blow his whistle wasn't exactly thrilling for her, but she couldn't leave. The boys had warned her but she said she'd be fine. So here she sat, regretting every second of it.

"Hey."

She looked up from her phone to see Jack at the bottom of the bleachers with a duffle bag.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Haley asked, surprised to see him here. Last she heard, Jack didn't play basketball. "You're not here to tryout are you?"

He shook his head. "No. Actually wanted to work out but its kind off limits at the moment. Teams training or something."

Haley nodded, remembering Whitey's instructions. "Yeah Nathan's in their right now. But come up here, and watch Luke play. I'm a little bored if you hadn't noticed."

Making his way up, Jack popped a seat next to her. "Actually there's another reason I'm here?"

Noticing his tone, Haley looked at Jack seriously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," Jack said sheepishly. He was a little nervous to be honest. He never liked asking for help. "Lucas mentioned that you were a tutor and since…"

"Done."

It was amusing to see Jacks reaction. She thought eventually Jack would need some help, especially after seeing his schedule. If he needed help, she'd be there hand and ready.

"You sure?"

Haley smirked. "Wouldn't have offered otherwise."

"Thanks."

General POV

Whitey blew the whistle as the teams stopped.

It'd been a tough 30 minutes, Lucas thought as he walked towards the bench for some well needed water. His team had done pretty decent, a little sloppy, but that was to be expected after so long.

What really surprised him was how well the guy he was matched up against defended him. He'd stuck around the entire time, giving Lucas a real push. It was rare to see that much determination in a practice, let alone the first day.

Lucas spotted the defender, making his way over to him.

"Great defense man," Lucas said, giving the guy a clap on the back. "Names Lucas."

The guy smiled back, taking a quick sip of water. "Chase. And thanks. Although screwed up a couple times, you're a hell of a player."

The two shook hands as Lucas noted the others hitting the floor. "Well I'll see you around man."

"Yeah you too."

Nathan watched as his brother made his way over, a tired look on his face. It was funny to see that he wasn't the only one who was a little lazy the past couple weeks.

"He push you hard," Nathan teased.

"No harder then he'll push you," Lucas shot back with a smirk. "Good luck."

Skills and Nathan watched him head off the court before eyeing each other.

"Damn."

Hitting the field, the two didn't notice that Haley and Jack and slipped away after the whistle. Outside, the two walked casually, happy to get some fresh air.

"So how's everything?" Haley asked. "I mean it's been two weeks, almost. You liking things?"

The sun in his face, Jack smiled. "I am, surprisingly. I still miss New York sometimes, but this beats living in a car right."

Haley laughed. "I'd hope so."

It was strange how comfortable Jack was whenever he was with Haley. She just had this overall good person vibe that made anybody instantly at ease. It wasn't easy, but she flourished at it.

The reminder of someone from his past was nearly impossible not to see, Jack thought. He'd pondered it many times since the first time they met at the bar, and thought about it every day since he'd been in Tree Hill.

Sometimes it felt like he was walking in the past, and moments like that, he held onto too.

"You nervous about meeting Dan?" Haley asked after a bit. They'd made there way back inside the school.

"Not really," Jack said truthfully. He'd remembered what kind of person the guy was. "If what everyone says is true, he isn't much of a father. Can I really be excited to meet some one when you've heard how they treat the people you know."

"Yeah Dan's a tough nut to crack," Haley agreed. She couldn't remember the last time he was nice to anybody. With thoughts of Dan, Haley was reminded of someone else. "And what about your mom?"

Had anyone else asked, Jack would have closed off of talking any longer. He hated that he was this comfortable at times.

"I don't know. Hard to want to meet someone after they decided they didn't want you in their life."

Haley smiled sadly.

She felt stupid for asking such personal questions. Keith had said go easy, and here she was jumping into the deep end without a second to lose.

"I'm sorry," Haley apologized quickly.

"It's fine," He reassured her, as they stopped towards the main hall. "You wanna head back?"

"Not really," She admitted, laughing a little. Spotting a familiar sign, an idea formed in her head. "I got an idea. And you'll enjoy this."

The two made their way further into the school and into the auditorium that was holding the cheer tryouts. Haley laughed hearing Jack's subtle groan but shook it off, grabbing his hand, she dragged him deeper down the steps and towards the stage where a few girls stood.

Among them, Peyton and Brooke walked back and forth, doing their own thing. Peyton was pacing, looking about as happy as a kid did during timeout and Brooke, prepping everything on stage.

"So, who made the team?" Haley asked, startling a few of the girls. She recognized Theresa but the other two were strangers to her.

Brooke sighed in frustration. "We haven't started yet. Something's wrong with the stereo. Mouth's looking at it now."

"Thank god," Peyton whispered, making her way down the stage towards her newest audience members. "Better question is why are you here?"

Jack sighed, trying to answer that very same question. "Her idea."

"Clearly," Peyton laughed, turning to Haley. "So what'd he do? Is this some sort of punishment?"

"Punishment," Haley laughed, watching as a few more girls came out in their uniforms. "He should be thanking me. It's not everyday you get to watch pretty girls dance in front of you."

"So is this operation get Jack laid?" Peyton teased, seeing her housemate groan.

Haley clapped her hands excitedly. "That sounds like fun."

"This is what hell must feel like," Jack whispered, watching as the girls laughed at him.

Truth be told, he couldn't help but smile at the two. He'd been unfortunate growing up knowing how many people care about his wellbeing which wasn't very much. It was sad to admit, but it was the bitter truth.

So seeing how much they teased and joked around him made him second guess that. Everything he'd seen the people of Tree Hill do for him had been nothing short of amazing.

Lucas and Nathan had taken a chance on him. Keith had spoken to him everyday trying to make him feel welcome. The others who held deep bonds with his brothers did everything possible to make him feel part of it.

His life had been rough for the most part, but seeing Peyton and Haley bicker about girls for him, he knew that chapter of his life might finally come close to and end.

Peyton POV

The wind in the air wasn't enough to drown out the bickering Brooke had been doing since they'd left for home. Peyton sat tiredly in the passenger seat, wondering if her friend was mentally stable to be operating a car at the moment.

To say cheer tryouts had gone smoothly would be a bit of a stretch. The first half had been screwed up because of technical difficulties, but thankfully Mouth knew his was around in time to fix it.

Peyton wasn't all too concerned but she knew how important it was to Brooke so she did her best to help. Her friend was nearing levels of insanity from last time they had a cheer competition.

They weren't exactly close at the time, but either way, neither time was what you would call fun.

Things finally looked to be turning around until the girls started coming out for their auditions. It must have been great fun for Haley because 90% of the girls were making a complete fool of themselves.

Peyton wasn't sure what was worse, the dancing, or Haley's attempts at hiding her laughter. At one point a girl literally feel smack on her face, earning an actual outburst of giggles from their crowd.

There were times Peyton would even sneak a smile, but then turn to see Brookes face and that would end just as quick.

In fact the only two people who looked annoyed were Brooke and Jack, but for different reasons obviously.

Her best friend couldn't understand where all the talent was hiding. They were auditioning for 4 spots, not a whole team. It shouldn't have been this hard.

Thankfully, although asking Brooke she wouldn't be in a thankful mood, the talent they were looking for came towards the end with the very last girl.

Peyton had never seen her before, but the girl with read hair and confident smile introduced herself as Rachel.

Her mark began and the next two minutes were a little hard to describe. Her dancing, how best to put it, seemed like moves you'd pick up at a strip club. Even Haley had stopped laughing to mirror the shock on Peyton's and Brooke's face.

The day should have ended there, but Peyton picked up on something between her best friend and newest cheer addition.

Little had been spoken between the two, but Peyton noticed the alpha female looks they gave each other. Whoever this new girl was, she wasn't going to become easy friends with Brooke.

Even now, an hour after practice on their way home, the girl was still the focal point of the conversation.

"And it's Rachel," Brooke mimicked poorly. "I'm the captain, you don't give me attitude, I give you attitude."

"Yes ma'am," Peyton saluted, earning a glare from her friend. "Sorry."

"If I didn't need a spot," Brooke threatened, hating what she had to do next. "God I can't believe I have to say yes."

"She's good."

Brooke scoffed. "She dances like a stripper from Reno."

"I just think you don't like being challenged," Peyton teased.

"I should be used to it being friends with you," Brooke remarked, earning a light slap. "Hey."

"You asked for it." Peyton noticed her friend pull her car into her driveway. "Wait you're sleeping here?"

Brooke nodded as the two got out. They noticed Jack pull in behind them, he'd left with them after Haley had gone home with Nathan.

"Yeah I figured we could hangout," Brooke explained as the two of them walked inside. She saw Jack take off upstairs before turning to her friend. "I'm too annoyed to go home anyways, I'd probably just end up fighting with my mom."

She'd wished her friend had told her that earlier, Peyton thought. "I'm sorry Brooke, but I'm going to meet up with Lucas to finish off the last little things for the party. You could come."

"Uh are you serious," Brooke moaned, following backwards on the couch. She looked over at the time and saw it was almost 8 o clock. "We've been working on that the whole week. And it's Friday, we should be having fun."

Peyton walked over to her friend and sat next to her on the couch. "Sorry kiddo, but we'll have plenty of time to party tomorrow. So come on, if you wanna hangout, come with me."

The thought of hanging with her best friend who cheated with her ex boyfriend gave Brooke a headache. "Yeah cause me you and Lucas hanging out will be such a blast."

She had a point. "Defintely weird. So what are you going to do?"

The two were interrupted as the heavy steps from the stairs signaled someone coming down. Peyton was caught off guard from the way Jack looked as he rounded the corner to spot the girls in the living room.

"You clean up well," Peyton teased.

He did look different compared to his usual self. A shirt underneath a black leather jacket with an actual pain of nice pants, Peyton wondered why he didn't dress like this normally.

"Thanks," Jack smiled nervously. He scratched the back of his head as he spoke. "You guys hanging out here?"

Peyton shook her head, gesturing to Brooke. "She is, I'm not. But where are you going? Hot date?"

Jack played with his keys, shaking his head. "Na I just wanted to go out for a bit, grab a drink. With school and everything, could use a break."

It made sense. Couldn't have been easy jumping into things for two weeks straight with no breaks after all things considering. A break was a great thing right now for Jack.

An idea came as Peyton looked over at Brooke innocently. "That sounds like a good idea. Brooke why don't you go too? You said you wanted to have a fun night."

If looks could kill, Peyton would be six feet in the ground. She knew her friend hated being put on the spot, but this was she'd kill two birds. Brooke could have fun, and she wouldn't feel bad leaving her alone.

"Uh….yeah sure," Jack said slowly, seeing the tense look from the girls. He wasn't sure what that was about. "I'll be in the car if you want to come. See ya Peyton."

"Bye Jack," Peyton waved. She turned to meet a pillow hit her face. "What the hell ."

"You what the hell!" Brooke shot back, getting up from her seat. "Why'd you do that?"

Peyton shrugged, getting up as well. "You were bored, I was leaving, figured you might have some fun. And P.S, maybe you could talk things over after you know what."

Her friend tossed her hands up in frustration. "We already talked about it Peyton. I don't need to relieve it again."

Brooke hadn't mentioned that. "When'd you talk?"

"Earlier, it doesn't matter. He said sorry, I said sorry, it's finished."

"So go have a drink with the guy," Peyton said, not seeing the big deal. "Worst case you guys go in and you leave him be and do your own thing. Jack wouldn't care."

"Now I have to go," Brooke whined, attempting to throw another pillow at her friend. "Damn you."

"Oh please," Peyton smiled. "I could think of worse people to spend a night with. The old Brooke Davis would have been all over that tonight. Admit it, Jack looks good tonight."

She could have sworn she saw smoke poor out her friend's ears. "You're unbelievable."

"And you're in denial."

"I don't get it," Brooke sighed. "Why are you so in on this? Even Haley. I can't go one day without you trying to hook us up."

"Simple," Peyton answered. "You're easy to tease. Seriously Brooke, we're not saying sleep with him, quite the opposite of that. Just go have a drink with the guy and get to know him."

"Fine," She surrendered. She didn't see the smirk her friend had on her face as she ran up stairs to get ready. "But you owe me!"