CONTINUANCE - John B Routledge

010.

"𝐍𝐨 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? 𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰?" Emerson heard Kie shout. After finding the well in the Crain's house, Emerson went to The Wreck to help out. Emerson didn't know what all the yelling was about, so she rushed into the Chateau.

Emerson opened the door to find the Pogues and an extra person sitting on the same couch as John B. 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯.

When Emerson saw her, she felt her blood run cold. She didn't know if her and John B were macking or not, but she decided to keep her cool.

"Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share." JJ said, not evening acknowledging Emerson's presence. She didn't want to just stand by the door, so she went over to the couch JJ and Pope were sitting on. JJ opened his arms, and gave her a hug as she sat down next to him. He didn't know if Sarah and John B were macking, so he wanted to be there for Emerson, just in case.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote. This is our thing. A Pogue thing." Kie said, making Sarah glare at her. "I gotta say I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this." Pope spoke up.

"When are you not uncomfortable?" John B snapped. "Well, I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably." Pope said and Emerson couldn't help but giggle.

"It's true. Most relaxed I've ever seen him." JJ said, which made Emerson giggle even harder. "I ship it." she whispered, which made JJ and Pope smile at her. "That's cute, guys." John B said, annoyed.

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her." Kie said. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sarah glared at her. "Then leave." Kie simply responded.

"I told you." Sarah scoffed, looking at John B. "Told him what, exactly? That you're a liar?" Kie snapped. "No, that you're a shit-talking bitch, Kiara." Sarah firmly said.

JJ and Pope were betting money on the two girls, while Emerson laughed. She was amazed at how the boys could get that immature. While the two other girls kept arguing, John B was getting fed up. "Everybody shut up!" John B yelled. Surprisingly, everyone did shut up.

"Kie, you are my best friend, right?" John B asked. Kie made the 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 face. "And Sarah, you're a new friend I made that helped us get the map, and helped me with DCS. Without the map, we wouldn't have been able to find the gold, and I would've been in foster care." John B said, and Emerson sighed a breath of relief. She was afraid he was about to say the g word.

"She's your friend now? What was all that talk about you were just using her for information. Get a map, cut her loose." Kie said, and John B lowered his head. "You said you were using me?" Sarah said, hurt. "No." John B lied.

"Yeah, you did."

"Yes you did."

Emerson didn't speak a word throughout the whole conversation. She was more like growing a headache from it.

"Look, am I not allowed to make new friends? I didn't expect it. It just... it kinda happened. And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?" John B said, looking at Sarah. He then looked at Emerson, who had her fingers pressed against her temples.

"Oh! That's corny." Pope whispered, which made Emerson giggle. She looked over at JJ, who was trying to stiffle his laugh. 

"I thought there was nothing between you two. You lied to me. You lied to us!" Kie shouted. She was so frustrated with the fact John B didn't listen to her after she repeatedly told him she didn't want Sarah involved.

"There's nothing going on between me and Sarah! I have my eyes on one girl, and one girl only. Can't you see that?" John yelled, looking at Emerson. Emerson was still rubbing her fingers against her temples though, so she didn't catch John B looking at her. However, the others did, and they made sure to make fun of him later. Sarah knew there was something between the two, so looking at John B, who was looking at Emerson like she was his whole world, made Sarah smile.

"Look, cut the bullshit, John B. If she's in, I'm out." Kie spoke up after a minute of silence. "Kie, I'm not doing this. I can't!"

"You are gonna decide. I'm very interested, actually. Me or her?"

"Both." John B said, confidently.

JJ whistles. "Went for the Hail Mary."

Kie walked out the door and stormed out of the room. A couple seconds after that, Sarah left too, leaving the boys and Emerson on the porch.

"I'd just like to say, you handled that beautifully." JJ said standing up.

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John B, JJ, and Emerson were in the kitchen after Pope went after Kie to talk to her.

John B spread his arms out wide towards Emerson, asking for a hug. She chugged her beer, before hugging John B. Although she didn't see John B looking at her when he said he only had eyes for one girl that wasn't Sarah Cameron, she heard him. Which meant she didn't have to stress about the fact John B and Sarah were macking.  

She felt John B's tense body loosen up a bit, until she heard JJ making fake vomit sound. Emerson pulled out of the hug and smacked JJ on the head.

"I'm gonna go take a nap. You guys better fix the problem with the girls. Lock them in a room together for all I care." Emerson said, walking into John B's room. Right when she said the last sentence, John B came up with a plan to get the girls to make up, and smirked. 

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Emerson woke up to no one in the house. 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. She looked around the Chateau finding absolutely no one. She looked towards the dock to see a figure sitting down. She walked towards the dock to find out who it was, and just by the hair she could tell who it was. 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘉. 

"Hi." she whispered as she sat down next to him. "Hi." he responded.

The two sat on the dock in comfortable silence until Emerson spoke up. "Where are the others?"

"Well the girls are stuck on a boat together, and JJ and Pope are at Heyward's." he responded. "You put the girls on a boat together? Are you crazy? What if they kill each other?" Emerson rambled.

"I mean you said to lock the in a room together for all you care." 

"I said a room, not a boat. In a room, you could easily separate the fight, but a boat?" Emerson questioned, and John B looked at her. "Oops." he simply replied, staring at her emerald green eyes.

"Well, I mean, we are alone." John B smirked, as both him and Emerson leaned in. Right before their lips touched, Emerson pulled back. "Not so fast, pretty boy." she said. John B stared at her, confused. "I'm not kissing you again until you tell me what we are." she said, confused at where they stood.

John B sighed and decided to just tell her his feelings. "Look Em, in case it wasn't obvious enough, I like you. Like like, like you. Before I hopped into that police car and said I love you, I didn't mean it like when we normally say I love you to each other. I actually meant it in a romantic way. And as cheesy and sappy as that sounds, it's true. Emerson Marie Kennedy, I love you with my whole heart, and I don't know what I would do without you. So, would you like to be my girlfriend?" John B asked nervously. 

Emerson's smile went from ear to ear. "Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend. And I love you too." she smiled, as they finally locked lips. Emerson felt fireworks exploding in her stomach, and she couldn't believe her long-time crush just said everything he just said. 

Not only was he her best friend, but he was also now her lover and boyfriend.

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author's note: [word count: 1345]

boring chapter, i know.