"well that was fun."
--☆--☆--☆--
"First I almost get strangled by kooks, and now I'm on the hook for thirty grand," JJ said as he ranted to John B who had mysteriously disappeared for an entire day. "We should just dip."
"Where do you wanna go? Hm?" John B asked his best friend who was covered with new cuts and bruises after spending some time in a jail cell.
"Yucatan."
"Yucatan," John B scoffed.
"No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."
"You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?"
"You didn't see the photos," JJ said defensively, referring to the pictures of the recently murdered square groupers that had been chasing the group of pogues.
"Think about it. They're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there," John B said, a little too excitedly.
"Have you lost your mind?" JJ shouted angrily as he shoved his best friend backwards. "One hundred years, man. One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded!" JJ yelled, his voice loud amongst the quiet trees. "And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it? When will you get it in your thick skull? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"
John B suddenly shoved JJ backwards, his words angering him. "I can't give up, JJ! The last time I saw that dude, we got in an argument, and then he took all of our rent money and dipped for this Royal Merchant, " John B clenched his jaw as he stepped away from JJ. "And then I told him he was a shit father, and you know how the rest of the story goes."
JJ sighed quietly, "Dude, that wasn't your fault."
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is, JJ!" John B shouted. "Do you not understand that? I can't give up on the hunt, man. I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that?" John B desperately needed someone to understand why this treasure hunt meant so much to him. It wasn't for the money or the glory, it was for his father, he needed to finish what Big John couldn't. "Look, I've got a plan. You comin' or what?"
"What's your plan?" JJ asked him.
John B smiled before walking over to his backpack pulling out the files he and Sarah had found at Chapel Hill. "This letter, it's a decoy," John B said, holding up one of the photocopies.
"Decoy?"
"It's a fake," John B explained, ignoring how JJ pretended that he knew what decoy meant. "Sarah said then when she moved in her family gave most of the stuff to the archives," He continued. "However the woman said about a week ago a man came in and checked out some of the documents. The letter left behind looks real but someone swapped it out."
"So now we have to find out who took it?"
"No. No, I already know who did it."
"Who?" JJ asked, wishing that John B would just cut to the chase.
"Carter Rhodes," John B answered. "I remember seeing some old looking documents in his office when he fired me. Plus Addison, his wife, her family funds the archives. They literally sign these people's checks. Why would they narc?"
"Wait Rhodes? You mean to tell me that Emerson is involved in this?" JJ asked, his stomach twisting when he said her name.
"Well her dad is," John B shrugged. "He took some of the items that belonged to Denmark Tanny, including the original undoctored letter."
"Okay and?"
"Well one of us needs to go get it," John B said as he raised his eyebrows looking at his best friend.
Even though JJ was desperate to see Emerson again after their awkward parting he needed to keep up the facade that he hated her. "No. No, no. You do it."
"I can't. Her dad fired me and wouldn't let within ten feet of the house," John B reminded him.
"But dude it's Midsummers tonight, there's no way I'll be able to sneak into her dad's office. And I'm already in trouble with Peterkin- If I get caught-"
"You won't get caught."
"Fine, but owe me."
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
Even with Midsummers only a couple hours away Emerson Rhodes couldn't find any motivation to get ready for what is supposed to be the party of the year. She laid out in her hammock trying to savor the last moments of peace before all the chaos began.
Her whole family were on an emergency mission to fix Hayden and Carter's suit after a coloring and size mixup. Addison of course had to go in order to oversee everything and make sure that no more mistakes were made. Emerson was honestly glad to have them gone, it gave her a minute to think without a million things getting in her way.
And of course the main topic running through her mind was a certain blond pogue who she had kissed. Emerson still couldn't wrap her head around it. JJ had kissed her and she kissed him back. And the worst part was she enjoyed the kiss.
She didn't know what to do. She is supposed to be Rafe Cameron's date to the party of the year in less than 5 hours, but all she could think about was JJ.
"Psst," Emerson's eyebrows furrowed as she lifted her head from the hammock. Confusion took over as she looked around for the source of the whisper but found nothing. "Psst."
"Hello?" She called out as she fully sat up in the hammock. Emerson looked all around her yard but didn't see anything. Everything was in its spot just like it always was. Until she noticed that a bush at the edge of her yard had suddenly grown blond hair.
She smiled to herself as she watched JJ lift his head up slowly only to freeze when his eyes locked with hers. She laughed, seeing a nervous look on his face.
"Oh hey..." He said standing up and putting his hand behind his neck.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice soft and the smile still present on her face. She stood up from the hammock and walked towards JJ, but when she got closer the smile on her face fell.
JJ glanced down, knowing what she was looking at. The bruises weren't there when she saw him yesterday. It would be impossible for her to not notice the bruises, but JJ wished she didn't have to see them.
"Oh my god, JJ," her voice was barely above a whisper when she saw brand new bruises scattered across her face. "What happened?"
"Ah nothing," He said, trying to laugh it off.
Emerson reached her hand forward to touch his cheek. Just before her hand reached him she stopped, it was almost as if she was reminded of the fact that he was a pogue. JJ noticed this, he noticed everything she did, and even though it annoyed the hell out of him he forced himself to take a step back so Emerson could lower her hand.
"Who did it?"
"Nobody. It doesn't matter," He told her.
"Was it Shoupe?" Emerson asked him, with genuine concern on her face.
"No, it wasn't Shoupe," He responded but Emerson seemed hellbent on finding out what happened.
"JJ-"
"Listen, the only reason I'm here is to get into your dad's office," He blurted out, immediately making Emerson's face twist in confusion. It was clear this was not what she was expecting him to say.
"You uh... why?" Was all she managed to get out.
"I can't tell you," He said. "It's for your own safety."
"Mm... no can do," She told him, even though she knew she could easily walk in since he was gone.
"Emerson please," He asked, clear desperation could be heard in voice. "I need to get in there. Your dad held onto something that is the key to everything."
"You tell me why you desperately need to go in and maybe I'll consider helping you," She told him.
JJ groaned knowing that if he told her he'd be going against every rule the pogues had. But on the other hand it was just Emerson. The girl he'd shared the most amazing kiss with and the girl he actually wanted to know more about.
He looked up at her, wondering if maybe she'd let him go in without an answer. Emerson just smiled at him, waiting for him to answer. "We're on a treasure hunt."
Emerson smiled as she began laughing softly. JJ crossed his arms unamused by her reaction. "You... you're serious?" Emerson realized as her laughing began to die down.
"Yes. We're looking for the Royal Merchant gold," JJ added.
"The Royal Merchant?" She questioned, shaking her head at JJ. "Like The Royal Merchant, The most famous ship in Outer Banks history?" She asked and JJ nodded. "Well what does that have to do with my dad?"
"He took something from the archives in Chapel Hill."
JJ watched as the playful expression on Emerson's face was replaced with a look of realization. She shook her head knowing that she'd seen the papers JJ was looking for a couple days ago. She just assumed it was something Carter was geeking out over, she never thought he'd actually steal them.
"Oh my god."
"What?"
"Come on," She said, taking JJ's hand and leading him into the house through the back door.
"Emerson, now is really not the time for that."
"You're such an idiot Maybank," She said then let go of his hand allowing him to follow a couple steps behind her as she continued walking towards Carter's office.
"Wait a minute, where is everyone?" He asked when he noticed the absence of kooks in the house.
"Midsummer's emergency," She explained as she opened the door. The office looked like it always did. It was kept perfectly clean for an exception of a couple papers laying on the desk. "Okay, this is his office.
JJ stood at the door, almost like he was worried about walking in. That and he realized he actually had no idea what he was looking for. "Now what?"
"Really JJ, you wanted to break into my dad's office and you don't even know what you're looking for."
"All John B said was that your dad stole a letter from the archives."
Emerson didn't realize how much those words would hurt her. She loved her dad more than anything else and hated hearing JJ calling him a thief. "Yeah I get it JJ."
"You okay?" JJ asked as he took a small step towards the kook.
"I'm fine," She told him, but it was obvious that she wasn't. "Let's just find this stupid letter," she said going to open one of the desk drawers. She sighed angrily when the only items inside were stationary so she closed it.
Knowing that the kook princess was upset JJ calmly walked over to the bookshelf and began looking through all the books. The silence in the room was killing JJ. He desperately wanted Emerson to say something but the only noise in the room was drawers opening and closing.
"So Midsummers..." JJ spoke as he glanced over his shoulder to look at Emerson. "You still going with Rafe?"
"Yeah. Why?" Emerson asked as she looked up at him. He shrugged awkwardly and turned back around to look at the bookshelf. A small smile formed on her face when she realized why he asked. "You jealous or somethin'?"
"What? No," he claimed, his voice unintentionally going up an octave. "Why would I ever be jealous of Rafe Cameron."
"You're the one who kissed me in a jail cell," She smirked, lifting her hands up in surrender.
"That was just to get you to shut up," JJ told her. "Besides you're with Rafe, you should be glad it didn't mean anything to me."
Emerson scoffed as she looked up at JJ, "and you think that kiss meant something to me?"
"You're the one who pulled me closer," JJ reminded her causing Emerson to turn away from him, only making a smirk appear on his face. "In fact I think you want me to kiss you again."
"I do?" She questioned, still keeping her gaze off of him so he wouldn't see the blush forming on her cheeks.
"Yeah. Rafe is just your back up plan, you actually like me," He told her.
"Spending the night in a jail cell sure made you cocky," Emerson scoffed. She looked up at him, her eyes instantly meeting his. "And just for the record I do like Rafe, I always have."
"You keep telling yourself that, princess."
Emerson didn't reply as she went back to looking through her dad's desk. She had to stop doing this with him, she couldn't let her feelings get in her way again. If they did she could ruin everything. Her relationship with Rafe was just beginning, she can't let anything put it at risk.
"That's weird. This drawer, it's locked," She said looking over at JJ.
"What does that mean?"
"Well if I were to take a super important letter from the Chapel Hill archives I'd probably want to lock it somewhere safe," She explained and JJ nodded in agreement. "Do you see a key anywhere?"
"Uh..." JJ pulled out another book, accidentally knocking a hidden key in the process. "Found it," he said proudly. He tossed it over to Emerson and she then used it to unlock the drawer. JJ walked up behind her, watching as she opened the drawer.
Inside there were tons of files, most of them were for the clients Carter had once represented in court. Emerson flipped through the different files hoping she'd find one labeled Treasure Hunt, even though she knew it wouldn't be that easy.
"That one," JJ pointed over her shoulder, the two of them a little close to each other again.
Emerson didn't say anything as she picked up the only unlabeled file and opened it. There laying inside the file was a ton of information about the disappearance of the Royal Merchant. He had maps and papers from magazines, anything that might help someone find the buried treasure. Then they found it, the letter John B had been looking for and the translations from Gulluh to English. Emerson looked down at the papers, her heart breaking a little. She didn't want her dad to be a thief, but the proof was right here, in her hands.
"Here," Emerson said, handing the both papers to JJ. "You should photocopy it so he'll never know that we were looking for it," she told him, gesturing to the printer in the corner of the room.
"Yeah but if I took it I'd just be stealing from a thief," JJ shrugged.
"Don't call him a thief, he's not a thief."
JJ suddenly realized why she was upset earlier. Emerson loves her dad with all her heart. It's hard for her to think that he's a thief even if he is. She'd always want to see the good side in him because he has been there for her through everything. She was his little girl.
"Sorry," JJ apologized, "I didn't mean it like that."
"Just hurry up," was all she said, making him focus back on the printer. While the pages were being printed Emerson continued to look inside the now open drawer. Everything seemed normal until she noticed one large file with the name Rhodes on it. She pulled it out, finding everything from her birth certificate to Hayden's kindergarten diploma.
It wasn't until she reached the files that were about her mom that things got a little strange. There were pictures, a bunch of them, and they seemed to be taken from a distance since Addison was never looking at the camera. Then she found the picture of her mother kissing another man, someone that wasn't Carter Rhodes. Emerson felt a pang in her heart when she saw her mom being happy with another man, Addison was hardly ever happy at home.
When Emerson saw those texts on Addison's phone she spent hours trying to come up with another explanation. She'd do anything just to believe that her mom really was loyal to their family. But now Emerson knows that she wasn't the only one who knows about the affair, Carter knows too.
The sound of a knock on the front door forced Emerson to look up and her eyes widened as she and JJ looked at each other. Emerson quickly put all the files she had out back into the drawer as JJ returned the Royal Merchant research. She shut the drawer and locked it then tossed JJ the key so he could put it back in its hiding place.
"Shit," she whispered as she ran to the window to see who it was, "it's Rafe. He can't know you're here." JJ stood behind her, not knowing what to do. His bike was on the other side of the house, it would be very noticeable if he tried to get on it.
"Aw will he be jealous?" JJ cooed making Emerson roll her eyes.
"Emerson?" Rafe called out from the other side of the door.
"Shut up!" She whispered to JJ as she continued to look around the hallway. "Here, get in," she said, opening the coat closet.
"You're kidding," JJ whispered.
"Just get in!" Emerson said, shoving him into the closet just before she opened the front door. "Hey," she smiled, trying to make it seem like she didn't have a pogue in the closet.
"Hey... were you just talking to someone?" Rafe asked as he looked around the seemingly empty house.
"Uh yeah, I was on the phone with uh... Hayden. He and Dad needed to fix their-" Emerson was cut off by Rafe pulling her into him and planting a kiss on her. Even though she knew she should've she didn't kiss him back. She was still mad about what happened at the movie.
Rafe pulled away when Emerson didn't kiss him back. He knew she was mad at him, he could see it in her eyes. Emerson can't be mad at him, not now, not ever. She was his ticket into Ward's good graces.
Despite his hatred for giving apologies, Rafe let out a sigh, knowing what he had to say. "I'm sorry about what happened at the movies," He told her. The look in his eyes showed true sincerity and he really did look like felt bad about it. "I never should've yelled at you the way I did."
Emerson nodded her head, acknowledging his words. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I forgive you," She told him. Emerson didn't realize it yet but this wouldn't be the last time she said those three words to Rafe. It didn't seem like it in the moment but this was then things started going wrong between them, their first real argument.
The sound of a muffled scoff caught her attention instantly and before Rafe could question the source of the noise Emerson pulled him into another kiss. They moved slowly at first, taking in the moment. Neither of them acknowledged how forced the kiss felt. All that mattered was they still had each other.
Rafe'shands moved to her waist as he backed her up into the closet door. He had one of his arms above her head, keeping her trapped in the kiss. But she kept up the act. She pulled him closer to him, giving him the satisfaction he wanted. But when she heard movement inside the closet she suddenly remembered where JJ was hiding. She knew that JJ was listening from inside the closet and was probably very eager to get out even if it would result in him getting a black eye.
"You have to go," Emerson said softly, a little breathless from the kiss.
"How come? I could stay and we could go upstairs."
"We can't. I have to get ready," she said with a quiet laugh. "I wanna look good tonight."
"You always look good," He told her as he leaned back in to kiss her. Emerson accepted the kiss but once again all she could think about was the boy she had hiding in her coat closet. "I do have big plans for tonight," He said cockily as he pulled away from the kiss.
Emerson let out a shy giggle, which sounded convincing enough for Rafe to believe it was real. "I look forward to it," She told him as Rafe moved closer to the front door.
"See ya," He called out as she waved from the doorway.
The second the front door was closed and locked Emerson heard the closet door open, letting out a very annoyed JJ. "Well that was fun," he said sarcastically. "You know I really love listening to you and Rafe make out," he practically spat.
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Not kiss him," JJ said in a duh tone. "God. You are good Rhodes, I'll give you that. Every time I start thinking you're different you just go prove me wrong."
Emerson rolled her eyes not wanting to get into the same argument again. They seemed to keep going around in circles but nothing was actually happening. "JJ..."
"Do you like me?" JJ blurted out and by the look on his face he seemed to be surprised by his own question.
"Are we in middle school? Should I check the yes or no box to decide if we're going to hold hands at lunch?" She asked him.
"Just answer the question Emerson."
"My answer doesn't matter JJ," Emerson told him. "We could never be together.All we ever do is argue and if anyone found out my family would be ruined."
"Emerson, when will you get it through that thick skull of yours that I don't care what happens if people find out," JJ almost yelled as he stepped towards the kook princess.
Even though the words made her heart melt there was no way she and JJ could become a couple. They'd tear each other to shreds if the kooks didn't beat them to it.
"JJ, I can't," she said softly. "My entire life has been leading up to today. It's not just some stupid party. I have to walk in there and convince everyone on this island that I am madly in love with Rafe Cameron."
"Who cares?" JJ asked making her scoff.
"You don't understand."
"What don't I understand?"
Emerson shook her head, knowing she couldn't tell JJ the truth. He can't know about the secrets she's keeping for her mom, no one can know. She was protecting her mom by being with Rafe, that's all that mattered. "I already told you that Rafe is the guy I want to be with, not you."
"Bullshit," JJ told her and his words surprised the kook. "You want me, and I want you. The only problem is that you can't seem to admit it."
Emerson scoffed once again, she never was good at accepting the truth. Especially when the truth went against everything she had been preparing for.
"I'm going to be with Rafe, JJ. That's the only thing that matters. Not what you want or even what I want. What happened in the jail cell was a mistake, nothing more."
(edited 2/28/2023)