AN: Thanks so much for the reviews: chelle2911, jeyton4ever, Paty (wow your review made me so happy. I'm really glad you're reading and liking this story), Nathanlvr, and JmQt831.

Chapter 17

When Haley pulled away from their short, sweet kiss, he just pulled her back in, needing more. All the drama that was going on was all worth these little moments he got with Haley, and he wanted to take advantage of them. Nathan pulled away for a second.

"Maybe we should take this to the back seat?" Nathan suggested. They were still in the car and it was pretty uncomfortable trying to be close but not really being able to. Haley nodded and got out on her side and Nathan got out on his. They got to the back seats and Haley looked at Nathan shyly. He smirked and captured her lips again.

The kiss grew more intense as Haley put her hands on the back of him neck and pulling him closer. She fell backwards and he was not on top of her. He parted her lips with his and their tongues collided putting them in a completely different world. A world with no Jared, no a thousand dollar fine, no parents that disown their daughter. There was just him and her. It was their own world. Their own little corner of the universe.

After a while of simply making out, Nathan's mind started to cloud up. Haley was mesmerizing him, and he wanted her so bad. Since his mind was completely unusable now, he thought with his body. And his body just wanted Haley's. And it's not like Haley didn't want Nathan just as much. She just didn't know if she was ready. Nathan started tugging at the hem of Haley's shirt, which brought her back to the real world for a second and she pulled away slightly.

"Nathan-" Haley said.

"God, I'm sorry, Hales. I wasn't thinking." Nathan interrupted. He knew that she wasn't the type to just have sex in the back-seat of a beat-up car. And Nathan didn't want that for her. She deserved better.

"No, Nathan it's ok. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be so uptight about this. I mean we did already have sex." Haley said. She was really confused. She didn't feel ready. But how could she not be ready for sex, if she had already had sex? I mean, she was drunk, so her mind wasn't exactly there, when it happened. But she didn't regret it. But for some reason she just reached a point with Nathan, where she just couldn't go any further, at least not yet.

Nathan didn't know what to say to that. It was true. But he could understand if she needed some time before they had sex again. He had told her countless time that it wasn't about sex with him, he could wait if that's what she wanted. "Hales, it's ok. I understand. Just 'cause we had sex before, doesn't mean that you're ready to.. you know... continue...?" Nathan stumbled with his words. This wasn't exactly coming out right.

"That sounds about right," Haley said. "I promise, Nathan, one day, I will be fine with it, and ready to have sex with you again. One day soon."

"Ok, Haley, but I don't want you to feel rushed or something," Nathan said sweetly, taking her in his arms again. "It's not about sex with me."

"I know, Thank you." was all Haley said. She reached up and gave him a slow lingering kiss.

xXxXxXx

"Hey mom," Nathan said as him a Haley came into the house.

"Hi, Mrs. Scott," Haley said.

Deb looked tired, and sad. She sighed heavily, making Haley and Nathan think something was really wrong.

"I was just eating dinner, peacefully, when I got a call." She paused. "From the police department." She finished.

Nathan sighed, he had almost forgotten about that whole dilemma. He had sort of wished he could have told his mother before the police got to her, but

alas, they beat him once again.

"Mom, I'm sorry. It was completely innocent. We didn't do anything wrong..." Nathan said.

"You trespassed in the Tree Hill Arena, when you were still on parole! What were you thinking Nathan?" His mother said. The look of pure disappointment was clearly written all over her face, and it tore Nathan's heart apart.

"Mrs. Scott, it was partly my fault too. I was there, and I could have stopped-" Haley started but wasn't able to finish.

"No, Haley, it wasn't your fault at all." Nathan said to Haley, and then back to his mom. "It was my idea, but I had no idea that it was that frowned upon. And even so, who would call the cops just because of that, you know?"

"Jared Gabriel, yes I know, the police men told me about that. But do you really blame him? Or do you forget that not so long ago, you threw a rock through his window?" Deb said. Nathan sighed and looked down at his shoes.

"Mom, I'll figure out a solution. I can come up with the money, you don't need to help me." Nathan said, not so sure of himself, but wanting to sound convincing.

"How? Nathan it's a lot of money. Luckily, I was able to convince to police men that you really are a decent person, and what happened was purely innocent, so they said that they would make and exception and lower the fine that would normally be about 800 dollars, to only 600." Deb said. "How we're going to come up with 600 dollars within a week, is beyond me..." She added.

"Mom, thank you so much for talking to those cops. But I don't want you to worry about this. I'll figure it out, I promise," Nathan said. Deb sighed.

"You better," She said.

xXxXxXx

"Nathan I have an idea," Haley said when him and her were alone in his room. Nathan looked at her and gestured for her to go on. "OK, you might not like it, but hear me out, ok? Just listen to it first." Haley said cautiously.

"OK," Nathan said, getting scared at what she was going to suggest.

"Ok, well... Yes, my parents did kind of disown me. But I know them, and I know that they were sad when I moved out, and I know that they love me. I'm sure that if I just went and asked them, they would definitely help us out." Haley said. She saw that Nathan was about to say something, so she quickly continued. "They have a lot of money, Nate. Six hundred dollars isn't that much for them."

"Hales, I know how you feel about your parents. I know how I feel about your parents. I know how your parents feel about me. It's pretty much mutual hatred all around. They wouldn't help me. I'm sure it hurts you to know this, but deep down you know it's true, they would rather see me behind bars than give me six hundred dollars."

"But maybe if I-" Haley started.

Nathan just shook his head. It would never work. Her parents would never agree, and they both knew that.

"Yeah, you're right." Haley said desperately.

"But I love you for trying to help." Nathan said kissing Haley lovingly on the forehead. "We'll think of something, don't worry..." Nathan said.

"Well, we need to think of something quick, we only have a week." Haley said. "OK, with my salary for this week, minus all the payments for necessities, I might be able to get a hundred dollars. And I'm guessing same goes for you?" Nathan nodded. "So we only need to come up with four hundred dollars. I saw we brainstorm. Here," She said giving him a piece of paper and a pencil, and taking some for herself, "We'll make a list of ideas for fundraisers, or whatever it takes to get money. Then we'll compare our lists and find the best solution." She said.

Nathan smiled. "There's the tutor attitude I fell in love with," He joked. Haley laughed. And they started brainstorming...

xXxXxXx

Haley was still working on her list, and Nathan was kissing her neck. "Nathan, come on, you can't be done yet." Haley said.

"Hales, it's been half an hour. How long is that list gonna be?" He said glancing at her list. His eyes grew wider as he saw that there was almost no blank space on her paper. "How did you come up with so much?" He asked.

Haley glanced at his paper and saw a total of three lines written on there. "Nathan, you could only come up with three ideas?" She said, but she wasn't so sure if he was even paying attention anymore. He was kissing her all over her face and neck. He kissed her cheek, forehead, nose, and finally reached her lips and kissed them in a searing kiss.

"Nathan, kissing isn't going to get us four hundred dollars..." Haley said trying to be the bigger person, but not being able to resist as Nathan deepened the kiss. Then all of a sudden he pulled back and practically jumped up. He was smiling ear to ear.

"That's it!" He said.

"What? What's it?" Haley asked confused, he was acting like a five-year-old. But in a sexy sort of way.

"Hales, you are the most gorgeous girl at school, and let's face it, you've become quite popular lately." He said only confusing Haley more. Where was he going with this? "And you know, I'm not bad looking, right?"

Haley laughed. "Well I don't know. I mean you're not so bad looking. Not if I you know, kind of tilt my head like this" She said tilting her head to the side, "And If I kind of squint..." She said squinting her eyes. "There, no now you're not bad looking at all." She joked.

"Ha-ha, no Hales, I'm serious. If we're both popular and good-looking, and I mean this is High School, everyone is out for the hot popular person. And damn, I know that we're both such great kissers and all," He said as if it were just some normal trait. Like 'Oh hi, I'm Haley, I'm pretty smart, I like to sing, and I'm a great kisser'.

"Nathan, would you please get to the point. You're not making sense at all," She said laughing at how excited he seemed.

"Let's hold a kissing booth." He said.

"A kissing booth? You mean like a booth were you sell coffee, except instead of coffee, you sell a kiss?" Haley asked, totally weirded out by this idea.

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Look, Haley it'll be a hit. Some people here are super rich, they would definitely not mind paying ten bucks to kiss one of us. I mean to get four hundred dollars we'll only need to kiss like..." He paused trying to do the math, but Haley beat him to it.

"Twenty people each," Haley said quickly. This did seem like a pretty fun idea. One of the things that last year, she would have watched from afar thinking 'I wonder what it would be like to do that?' But it was weird to think of kissing twenty different guys in a row that weren't Nathan. She didn't even know if she had kissed Nathan twenty times yet. She tried to count but then Nathan started talking.

"Yeah, only twenty. Come on, Hales. You know I'm not crazy about the idea of twenty other guys kissing you, but it'll be only for raising money, it would only take one afternoon at school, and it'd be pretty simple and easy. Then we'll pay the fine and everything will be back." Nathan said.

Haley sighed and thought about it for a long time. She finally caved, still having little doubts in her mind. But she figured what the hell? "Ok." Haley said.

"OK?" Nathan repeated.

"Yeah, ok, sure. But those twenty girls that you kiss better not be better kissers than me." Haley said smirking. Nathan put his arms around her.

"Not possible," He whispered sweetly and they shared a sweet, sensual good-night kiss before going to sleep.

xXxXxXx