BAD HABITS || OUTER BANKS

01: she's a kook ✩

The pogues all watched as the car came to a stop, the girl in the driver's seat turning it off. Despite being less than twenty feet away from them, she didn't seem to notice the prying eyes of the three pogues on her. They all watched as the door to the convertible opened and Emerson Rhodes got out.

Emerson Rhodes wasn't any different than the rest of the kooks. If anything she was more kooky than the others, not that she realized. Emerson had the kind of family who'd appear on the cover of Today's Parents Outer Banks edition, if it was a thing. She was the perfect kook. Her hair was always perfectly done, her clothes were always styled to each occasion, everything she did was perfectly planned. Everything Emerson did was for her family and her reputation.

"Oh this'll be good," Pope whispered to himself, sitting up slightly to get a better view of the scene in front of him.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Kiara spat, not bothering to try and lower her voice as Emerson closed her car door.

The kook lifted her sunglasses allowing them to sit comfortably on her head. JJ couldn't help but smile when he saw it was her. He loved messing with the kooks, it was one of his favorite past times. While Kiara who still stood beside JJ wanted to hurl at the sight of her. Just before Emerson could reach the pogues Kiara stormed off, walking down to the dock.

"Nice to see you too Kiara," Emerson called out, making JJ snicker when Kiara lifted up her middle finger as she continued to walk away.

"Hey princess," JJ waved, , catching Emerson's attention.

Her eyes met his as she shook her head at the nickname he used for her. She put on a fake smile as she stood a little bit taller. JJ wasn't surprised by this reaction, typical kook.

"I'm not here for you JJ," she shot back, making the boy dramatically reach to put his hand over his heart.

"Oh, Emerson, you hurt me," He said dramatically, making the kook roll her eyes at him. He took a few steps closer to her, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, lucky for him both Kiara and Pope seemed to have moved on from the kook's presence.

"JJ..." she said her tone giving off some kind of warning.

Everyone in Outer Banks knew that JJ was a flirt. He'd try to hook up with any innocent girl that just happened to walk by him. Kook, pogue, tourons, it didn't matter. Now Emerson wasn't much different, only the reputation she built for herself was completely by accident and a result from heartbreak. But that reputation existed nonetheless, and it made her interactions with JJ that much more entertaining.

"Emerson," He smirked, taking another step closer.

"Is John B here?" She asked, taking a small step away from him.

JJ took another step closer, ignoring her previous question. "Come on princess, live a little. Show me that dark side you're so famous for," he teased.

"My dark side?" She questioned with a small laugh.

"Every kook princess must have a dark side," JJ told her, now standing directly in front of her. "And I've already seen some of it-"

"Shut up," She whispered sternly. Suddenly glad there was no one around to witness this conversation. "I'm better now JJ. I think it's time you forget what happened."

"Oh come on, that version of you was fun," JJ smirked as he took another step closer to the Rhodes girl. "We had a lot of fun."

"Just tell me where John B is," Emerson said, desperately wanting to move onto a new topic.

"I'm right here," John B announced, making the two, now flustered, teens turn in his direction. He held a beer in his hand with both his eyebrows raised at the very strange conversation he accidentally became a witness of. "What's uh... what's up?" He asked, confusion still heard in his voice as he looked between the kook and the pogue.