I think they were best friends , they were so alike :p

Hilarie and Chad by far!
But Hilarie and Joy used to be so close<3 I miss that!

and hil and shantel,

I saw an interview and it's cute how her face lights up when she talks about him

I read somewhere that she was there when Maria was born so.

In an interview, Joy said:
After nine years on the show, Joy tells us that she's gotten used to the come-and-go of various cast members, so James' absence wasn't as hard on her as Nathan's was on Haley. "It is kind of weird [that he's away]! I mean, James and I never really talked much. I love him to death, but we weren't two people that clicked and were like best friends," she says. "We have a mutual respect for each other and I would love to work with him again, but I don't feel the absence of a friend like I did with Chad when Chad left, or with Hilarie [Burton]. That's very different."
Therefore I vote Hilarie or Chad