Hey guys, thank you all so much for the reviews. There are only a couple of chapters left in this story, and I hope you'll like this next one. For those of you waiting on an update for "Mine Again," I will be working on it soon. I've been switching off on stories lately and trying to get ahead on IY. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

Chapter 37

"You are in the biggest trouble ever, Tutor Girl!"

Haley blanched at the high-pitched, angry voice behind her. She really did not want to do this now. Her mind was on overload, and she was completely worn out.

"What did I do now?" Haley was surprised to see that Brooke wasn't alone. Peyton, Jake, and Tim were also with her.

"You hung up on me two days ago and have yet to return any of my phone calls. And seeing as though Lucas is avoiding me and Nathan isn't in school today, that leaves you. We all know something weird is going on, and we demand an answer."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Demand?"

"What she means is that we're all really worried," Peyton clarified. "It's obvious something big is going on between you, Lucas, and Nathan that you're not telling us. We're not blind."

"We just want to know the truth," Jake added.

Tim nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can help."

Haley ran a hand over her face and exhaled loudly. She wasn't sure what to do. But staring into the very concerned and confused faces of her friends, Haley knew that the secrecy had probably gone on long enough.

"Okay, look, there is something. But—"

"Haley!" Shelley shouted, coming toward her.

"Oh, come on," Brooke groaned to herself in supreme annoyance. "Not now."

"I can't tell you anything now anyway," Haley quickly whispered. "This really isn't the place."

"After school, then?" Peyton asked.

"Sure. Fine. After school," Haley confirmed. "At the River Court."

"We'll be there," Jake promised.

"Haley!"

Haley slammed her locker door shut. "Ugh, I have to go." She was in a bad enough mood already. The last person she felt like seeing this morning was Shelley.

"I'm so glad I found you."

"Yeah, who would've guessed I was actually at my locker," she muttered sarcastically.

"Well, someone is grumpy this morning," Shelley commented—although it did little to curb her current enthusiasm.

"What is it Shelley? Class is going to start soon."

"Everyone is buying their prom tickets, and we're trying to organize our table."

"And?"

"And we need to know who you're bringing."

"I don't even know if I'm going."

"You can't not go. It's senior prom."

Haley shrugged. "I don't have a date. What's the point?" Even if she and Nathan weren't in the middle of a fight at the moment, there's no way they could go together.

It was then that Haley was reminded that today was Monday. Dan's deadline for Nathan had expired. Brooke had mentioned that Nathan wasn't in school today. Haley felt her stomach clench at the thought of what that could mean. Did Nathan decide to go to Duke? Did he decide not to? What did that mean for him? For them?

"That's perfect!" Shelley beamed, dragging Haley out of her distressed thoughts.

Haley frowned. "It is?"

"Yes. Chase doesn't have a date either."

"I'm not going with Chase," she blurted out, without thinking.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Haley trailed off, trying to come up with a legitimate reason. "I'm not interested in him like that."

"So? That doesn't mean that you guys still can't go together," Shelley stated. "Although, you never know. You might just change your mind about him. I'm sure you guys will have a lot of fun, and Chase is a great guy."

"I know he is," Haley replied. "But…" She debated whether to say this or not. She knew Shelley wasn't going to like it.

"But what?" Shelley prompted.

"If I do go to prom, I was actually planning on sitting with my other friends."

"What?"

Haley inwardly cringed at Shelley's shocked, yet edgy tone. "Well, I've known my best friend Lucas forever. And Brooke, Peyton, and I are really close. I can't not sit with them."

They were her true friends. There was no way that Haley was going to ditch them to keep up the Clean Teen farce. Despite Haley's skepticism that she was even going, she knew that senior prom would be even worse if she wasn't with them. If she couldn't go with Nathan, then at least she'd have her friends.

"What about the Clean Teens, Haley? You're part of the group. What, are you just going to abandon us?"

"I'm not abandoning you. If I do end up going, it's not like we won't see each other there," Haley reasoned.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Shelley, it's not that big a deal," she retorted, getting annoyed herself.

"Of course it is. It's senior prom!"

Haley glanced at her watch. "Look, can we talk about this later? Class starts in, like, three minutes."

"Will Nathan be sitting with them?" Shelley demanded before Haley could fully get away.

"What?"

"You heard me. Will Nathan be sitting with those so-called friends of yours?"

"Firstly, they are my friends. And second, I don't know. Not that it matters," Haley added.

"I think it does. I wasn't going to say anything about this, because I know how touchy you get. But I saw you and Nathan hugging at the championship game."

"So? It was just an innocent hug."

"Not from where I was sitting. You didn't exactly look like you were all that repelled by him. In fact, you both appeared a little too cozy, in my opinion," she declared. "You know you shouldn't be near him."

"You know what, Shelley? Whatever. Believe what you want. I don't care anymore. I don't have to justify myself to you all of the time," she bit out.

"As a Clean Teen, you took an oath to—"

"I remember. You don't have to repeat it."

"Then you'll do well to follow it."

Haley bit down on her bottom lip, hard. She was practically seething inside, fighting back the urge to tell Shelley what she really thought of her. Haley was seriously reaching the end of her rope with all of this.

"I have class," was all Haley could manage to say.

Shelley turned and smiled over her shoulder. "I'll put you down on the seating chart."

Haley's eyes narrowed at her retreating figure. Oh, yes, she'd definitely had enough.

Nathan entered the school later that afternoon. It was kind of pointless seeing as though he'd missed the entire day. But he wasn't there to see his teachers or collect his books. There was only one person on his mind: Haley. He finally had some good news for her. For them. In fact, it wasn't even good. It was great.

After opening the safe the previous night, Nathan was at last able to get his hands on that ledger. But that wasn't all. Nathan wasn't sure if it was fate or just sheer luck because right underneath the ledger, he'd managed to find his drug test results from last year. Nathan had done a double take at the sight. It was the single document that Dan had been loitering over him all year. It's what had given him all of the power and control.

Nathan had felt relief flood him once he picked it up. This was Dan's bargaining chip, and now he wouldn't be able to have it anymore. Nathan couldn't help but smile at how everything, in an instant, had changed. This was his salvation. His freedom. He could finally have his life back.

With the ledger and drug test in hand, Nathan went straight from the dealership to his mom's house. She'd been dressed in her pajamas and half asleep when she answered the door. But as soon as she saw him, Deb gave him her full attention. At first she was concerned. She didn't understand why he was on her doorstep so late at night.

But after letting him inside, they made their way to the living room. Nathan then proceeded to tell his mother everything that had been going on the last several months. Initially, she'd been shocked. But as Nathan continued his story and told her the things Dan had been putting him through, she instantly became infuriated. He'd seen his mother mad before, but never that irate. Of course she was angry at him, too, for not telling her at first. Nathan knew, though, that she understood his secrecy on some level.

Afterward, Deb demanded that he give her the ledger and the drug test. She said that they would go to the police in the morning. There was absolutely no way that Dan would be getting away with everything he'd done.

The ledger she placed in their family safe before going to bed. The drug test, however, had ended up in the paper shredder. While all of that was going on, Nathan could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket. He knew without a doubt that it was his dad. He'd probably figured out that he wasn't home and was calling to find out where he was. Nathan shut his phone off after the tenth call. Tomorrow, Nathan's whereabouts would be the least of his problems.

And they were. Like planned, Nathan and his mom went to the police. Just before, though, they'd stopped by Lucas's house. Lucas had already left, but Karen was home. Nathan told her that he had to get something that Lucas had been holding for him. He found the spot where Lucas hid Dan's forged documents before quickly returning to the car. They were, once again, off to the police station after that.

When they got there, it took a little over an hour before they could talk to someone. Nathan, with a little input from Deb, recounted their story. They were there for hours giving statements and clarifying facts. It was just an hour before Nathan arrived at the school that the cops finally went to the dealership. His mom went with them and, despite her protests, had allowed Nathan to go, too. After all of the hard work he'd done and hell his father had put him through, Nathan wanted to see Dan get what he deserved.

At first Dan was his usual smooth, cool, calm, and collected self in front of the police. That was until they explained what they were arresting him for. The mention of the ledger and documents made his face turn white. Of course Dan denied it. But at that point, it was too late. The evidence was already stacked against him. His stunned expression as the police put the handcuffs on him and recited his rights quickly turned to one of outrage. And as he looked to Deb and Nathan, that outrage quickly transformed into just rage itself.

Everyone in the building, both employees and customers, stared, flabbergasted, as Dan Scott was led out of the dealership. He didn't go quietly. There was a lot of yelling. But eventually, he was put in the back of a squad car and was gone. It was only then that Nathan felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. It really was over.

He couldn't wait to tell Haley. After they left the dealership, Nathan had his mom drive him straight to the school. And here he was now—standing in the hallway by Haley's locker, waiting for the final bell to ring.

Nathan checked his watch. One more minute, he thought excitedly. It felt like forever, but the bell finally rang.

The hallway filled up fast as everyone left their classes and walked to their lockers, eager to go home. It was another couple of minutes before Nathan spotted Haley coming down the hallway. Her hair was slightly askew and she looked tired, but she was still beautiful. He figured that she must still be reeling from their huge fight the other night. Not to mention worried about what today would bring for him and their relationship.

Nathan noticed Haley pause for a second when she saw him. She frowned but continued forward.

"Hey," he greeted her quietly.

"Hey." She glanced around at the crowded and busy hallway. "What are you doing here, Nathan?"

"I needed to talk to you."

She shot another nervous look at the people surrounding them. "Now?"

Nathan smiled. "Yes, now."

"Let me get my things first and we can go—"

"We don't have to go anywhere."

"What?" Haley questioned in confusion.

He could feel people's eyes drifting to them. He knew the attention was making Haley more anxious by the second. "We don't have to go anywhere. We don't have to pretend anymore," he told her.

"What are you talking about? What did you do?" she asked cautiously.

"I went back to the dealership last night."

"You did?" She stared at him open-mouthed. "What happened?"

"I opened the safe."

"You didn't." Her voice was a mixture of wonder and disbelief.

He nodded and grinned. "I did. I got the ledger."

"Nathan…"

"And the drug test," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Her eyes widened in total bewilderment as her books slipped from her hands. She glanced between him and the books, flustered. "That was in there, too?"

"Yeah, it was."

"Oh my God. Did you take it?"

"Of course I took it." He smirked.

"And…?" she prodded, her voice holding the same excitement that he felt.

"I brought everything to my mom last night. I told her the whole story," Nathan explained. "We shredded the test and then this morning, we went to the police."

"What'd they say? What'd they do?" Her voice was eager, yet hesitant.

"They arrested my father about an hour ago."

Haley's jaw dropped open. "Not uh."

"Yup. He was handcuffed and thrown into the back of the squad car and everything."

"Oh my God. I'm…I'm…I can't believe it. That's so great." She put her hand quickly to her mouth and blushed. "Um, I mean, great that he was, uh, arrested. Well, not that your father being arrested is a good thing. But in his case, after everything he's done, I guess that is—"

Nathan chuckled in amusement as Haley tried to backtrack. He assumed that she was trying to not offend him. "Hales, it's fine. I know what you mean. And it is a good thing. Dan's hurt a lot of people. What goes around comes around."

"So, it's okay now. You're free, right?"

"Completely," Nathan declared with a huge grin. It disappeared from his face a moment later when he saw her eyes water. A tear slid down Haley's cheek. "Hales, why are you crying?"

She hastily wiped at her face. "Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm not crying because I'm sad or anything. I'm…I'm just so happy for you."

"Come here." He pulled Haley into his arms. She buried her head in his chest. His hold on her tightened, and he turned them slightly. Even more people were openly gawking at them. Most seemed to have forgotten it was the end of the school day. They'd rather stay and watch the show than leave.

"I was so worried about you." Her voice was muffled against his shirt.

"I know, but you don't have to be anymore. It's over, baby," he quietly soothed. "It's all over."

Haley tried desperately to get a hold of her emotions. Crying in the middle of a jam-packed hallway with all of their peers watching them wasn't exactly the kind of attention she wanted. She took deep breaths as Nathan's hands rubbed her back and ran through her hair. She wasn't prepared for this kind of reaction. Hell, she wasn't even prepared to learn that all of their drama with Dan was officially over. Haley had feared the worst all day.

"And I'm sorry about the other night," he apologized. "I didn't want to hear it, but you were right. I shouldn't have given up like that."

Haley pulled back to look at him. His hands came up to wipe away the moisture on her cheeks. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I just wanted what's best for you. You should be able to have whatever you want."

"I do," Nathan said, watching her intensely. "Believe me, I do."

"Wait," Haley halted him as he started to lean in. "What about…?" She nodded at the now exceedingly large group of people blatantly staring at them. You could practically hear a pin drop in the hallway it was so quiet.

Nathan gave her that confident smirk of his. "Let them watch." He then crashed his lips onto hers without a moment's hesitation. It only took about a second before the catcalls, applause, and whistling started.

Neither one paid any attention. They were too wrapped up in each other to care. Haley clung to Nathan as his mouth devoured hers. She couldn't believe they could be together like this out in the open again. It felt so surreal.

"What in the hell is going on here?" a high-pitched voice shrilled.

Instantly, the pair broke apart. Haley knew that that voice couldn't simply be ignored.

"Oh, hi, Shelley," Haley said in an innocent voice.

"Don't you 'hi, Shelley' me!" She wasn't alone. The rest of the Clean Teens were right behind her. They didn't appear all that happy either.

"Look—" Haley began in a calm voice.

"Oh, I'm looking," Shelley interrupted. "And I sure as hell don't like what I'm seeing."

"We were only kissing."

"Kissing. Is that what you call it? Because it looked like you two were practically having dry sex in the hallway!"

Haley felt her face flush as the people around them snickered. She didn't know whether she was more embarrassed or infuriated by Shelley's statement. "We were not!"

"Regardless, you're soiling the Clean Teen name." The blonde folded her arms. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I didn't soil anything. It's not against the rules to kiss someone."

"Maybe not. But it is against the rules to be kissing someone like him."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haley fired back, getting angry.

"You know exactly what I mean. I told you to stay away from him."

"I can be with whoever I want. You don't own me, Shelley."

"You know the rules. You're not allowed to date anyone outside of the group."

"That's not in the manual."

"It doesn't have to be. Everyone knows that."

"Well, that rule sucks. And not only is it unfair, but it's completely unrealistic!" Haley argued.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Shelley exclaimed. "You took an oath, Haley. You're supposed to be one of us. As a Clean Teen, you have a responsibility to be honest and pure. You've completely betrayed that. How long has this been going on?

"Hales," Nathan murmured. "You don't have to—"

"It's fine, Nathan. I'm sick of lying." Haley returned her gaze to Shelley's. "You want honesty? Well, here it is. Nathan and I never broke up in the first place."

Confusion and shock passed over everyone's faces as they began whispering. Shelley, on the other hand, was seething.

"What?" she gritted out.

"We never broke up. We've been secretly dating this whole time. And while I won't divulge the reasons why seeing as though that's our business, I will say that I don't for a second regret it."

Shelley shook hear head in disappointment. "You know, I wanted to believe you. And when you told me nothing was going on, I took your word for it despite my suspicions. But this is unforgiveable," she declared. "It would be one thing if you felt a little remorse for your actions, but you clearly don't."

"I'm not asking for forgiveness. You can't help who you love, Shelley."

"It's called self-control."

"Just because I'm in love with someone who is not a Clean Teen does not mean that I don't have a handle on myself."

"Oh please," she scoffed. "You're dating Nathan Scott for crying out loud! You actually expect me to believe that you're still a virgin after all this time."

A few people laughed while others listened even more intently. Nathan rolled his eyes.

Haley, on the other hand, turned crimson. Although it wasn't something she wanted to announce, she couldn't let Shelley get away with bad mouthing her in front of the entire school. "Not that it's any of your damn business, but I am," she proudly declared. "I don't need some stupid shirt or self-righteous club to stay true to my convictions. And Nathan understands that. Maybe if you spent more time getting to know people rather than judging and condemning them, Clean Teens wouldn't have such a bad wrap."

"There's either right or wrong. There is no in between. I'm really disappointed in you, Haley," Shelley commented with a shake of her head. "You leave me with no choice. You're out of Clean Teens."

"That's completely fine by me. I'll take kissing Nathan over your crazy form of abstinence any day," she retorted with a cheeky smile. Haley had had enough. She was done trying to please Shelley. She knew who she was inside and that's all that mattered.

More snickers and laughter could be heard from the people surrounding them. Nathan just smirked. His girlfriend could be such a spitfire when she wanted to be.

"I'll also be needing that shirt back," Shelley informed her with a hard glare. "You no longer deserve to wear it."

Haley held her stare and lifted her chin in defiance. She so badly wanted to wipe that conceited look off of Shelley's face. Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline and confidence flow through her veins, Haley made a split-second decision. "Fine." She reached for the hem of her shirt before swiftly pulling it over her head.

Nathan's mouth, along with everyone else's, dropped open in absolute astonishment. "Haley…" he trailed off.

He couldn't help his eyes from honing in on her chest. She was wearing a silky white bra. Her cleavage was pushed up just enough. There was also the exposed skin of her creamy and toned stomached. His fingers itched to touch it. God, she looked hot. It was only when he realized that everyone else was seeing it, too, that his initial shock turned to outrage.

"Take it," Haley said and threw the shirt at an offended Shelley. Afterward, she bent down to pick up her messenger bag and books. "And FYI, being in a serious relationship with someone does not automatically mean you have to have sex. Maybe you should put that in your stupid manual."

She whipped around and took off down the hall. Nathan quickly followed after her, shooting daggers at every guy that was ogling his girlfriend. He finally caught up with her outside.

"Hales," he said, trying to get her attention. More people started to stare as they passed by. Nathan took his own shirt off and grabbed her arm to halt her. He helped her put it on as she stood frozen in place.

"I can't believe I just did that," Haley muttered, dazed, as she came down from her high. The enormity of her actions was beginning to set in. Had she actually just taken her shirt off in front of the entire school just to prove a point to Shelley?

"Me either," Nathan griped.

She ran a hand through her hair. "That was so insane…and yet oddly liberating."

"Whatever it was, don't do it again." He might just have to kill every guy in the school who saw her. The fantasies they were probably having at the moment from the display were enough to make Nathan's blood boil.

"We should go," Haley suggested. Nathan nodded in agreement. She clutched her books tightly against her chest as they walked. Haley sighed a second later. The whole school was probably talking about it by now. "I'm never going to live that one down."