For as long as Katherine could remember, she used her wit as her ultimate secret weapon. She was a lot smarter than others gave her credit for, but that made it all the easier to manipulate them.

Sneaking out with JJ sounded like a horrible idea on the surface. Not for the fact that getting caught with a Pogue was practically social suicide, because Katherine couldn't possibly care less about that, but because JJ was the embodiment of trouble. However, looking in, it was a brilliant idea. She wanted in on the stupid little treasure hunt and she knew that her key in was through the Maybank boy.

A coy grin spread on her lips as she followed him through the window. She quietly slid it shut behind her. "Where to," she hummed looking up at him. The light from the full moon was the only way she was able to see the surprise written across his face.

JJ had known of Katherine for the better part of his life. From the outside looking in, she seemed to be like all of the stuck up asshole Kooks that resided on Figure Eight. Hanging out with her had never appealed to him. He was certain that aside from her smokin' hot body, that she had nothing more that would interest him. But then he met her.

He could try to convince himself that sticking around her was strictly covert op to get more information on the gold, but, while that was partially true, it wasn't exactly the full truth. "My bikes right up the street." He nodded his head in the direction and led her away from the large house. Katherine peaked an eyebrow at the mention of a bike, but she didn't protest.

They rounded the block, coming across a red dirt bike with various stickers sitting against a curb. "You're serious," she deadpanned, watching him closely as he mounted the bike. "No way in hell I'm getting on that thing."

JJ looked over at her with a smirk and she knew he was about to say something to piss her off. "Scared, Angel?" If the condescending tone in his voice wasn't what annoyed her enough, the use of that stupid nickname sure was.

"Fuck off," she muttered, internally battling herself. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She shook her head in utter disbelief, before climbing on the back of the dirt bike. "Slow, JJ." She wrapped her arms around his torso, having no choice but to breath in the scent of saltwater that JJ smelled of. It was almost comforting—if she wasn't on the back of a death machine.

Under different circumstances he would've gassed it immediately, but the real and true fear in her voice made him decide against it.

Despite his rather slow speed, Katherine still had a death grip around his torso and her face buried in his back. The only recreational vehicle she'd ever been on, aside from a boat, was a jet-ski and that felt nothing like this.

JJ hit one of the holes in the road that became more prominent the deeper they got into the cut and a small squeal interrupted her previous silence. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly, as though he was the only thing keeping her atop the bike.

"We're almost there," he assured her. He attempted to be more mindful when it came to the imperfections of the road.

Katherine had absolutely no idea where JJ was taking her. Her eyes were squeezed together so tightly it was almost dizzying. She was sure JJ could feel the fast paced thudding of her heart against his back, but she couldn't possibly care less.

There was a small part of her brain that was attacking her silently, telling her that she wasn't cut out for adventure and that she would be far better off walking back to her sheltered life where the only risk she took was switching tanning lotions when hers was sold out.

She forced that part of her brain quiet. She refused to continue to listen to what everyone else truly thought of her—that the only thing extraordinary about her was the amount of money she had. Money was power, but it wasn't everything.

The irony wasn't lost on Katherine that, if she really were to join into the literal treasure hunt with the Pogues, that it was all about the money for them.

Katherine Scott had spent the last sixteen years of her life playing by the rules. Sticking to the status quo and walking the perfectly painted white line laid out for her since before she was born, by her father. Katherine wasn't selfish, though, she was grateful for everything she'd ever gotten, but she had to find her own meaning for life, because being the Kook Queen could not possibly be the end all be all, for her.

She took in a shaky breath and released it, before opening a single eye to take in the trees that they were whirring past. Slowly, she opened them both and looked on either side of them. A breathy laugh fell from her lips and the noise surprised JJ, causing him to look back at her, his balance never faltering. "You okay?"

His eyes stayed planted on her just long enough to see her nod, wearing a wide grin. Even with her newfound confidence, her hands remained gripping the excess fabric of JJ's shirt.

JJ turned down a more desolate road that Katherine had likely never been down in her life. They drove down to the end of the dead-end road until they passed a shack that Katherine could barely see because it was pitch black both outside and inside.

Katherine's excitement dwindled into concern, but she didn't dare show it. "Is this the part when you kill me and dump me in the in the marsh?" She chuckled dryly.

JJ came to a halt just before the dock and flipped the engine off. "That sounds like a lot of work," he chided, but he knew where the question was really stemming from. "This is the Chateau—John B's house."

That made Katherine relax significantly. JJ climbed off of the bike first, before turning to help Katherine, who, if it had been light outside, would've slapped his hand away in protest, but she gladly accepted given the circumstances.

He gripped her hand softly and pulled her around a hole in the ground that was all too familiar to him. "You've got to watch where you step here. I broke my ankle in that hole when I was ten," he chuckled. He helped her onto the dock and let her hand fall back down to her side. "Sorry about the rough ride."

Katherine shook her head, walking closely beside him. "No, i-it was actually really fun," she admitted. Once she opened her eyes and got past the fear of falling off, it was almost exhilarating.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, almost unsure if he'd heard her correctly. "Really?" She nodded. He cracked a smile, but hid it by turning to walk over to the lantern that sat on the dock and pulled a match out of his pocket and lit it.

Katherine walked towards him and sat down on the edge of the pier, letting her toes graze the water. "It's quiet out here," she thought aloud. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets chirping. If the beach wasn't already her favorite place to decompress, this could have definitely been.

JJ sat next to her--his leg brushing against hers. Thanks to the light from the lantern, he could finally see her again. "Don't worry, it'll be loud soon enough." He pulled a pre rolled joint from his pocket, grinning. Katherine rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh at the awful joke. "C'mon, that was a good one," he whined.

"What if John B sees us out here?" She ignored his pleas for her to acknowledge his joke.

JJ shrugged his shoulders. "So what?" He looked down at her, taking in her surprised expression. "You worried about being seen with me?"

She narrowed her eyes. "If I was, I wouldn't be here," she retorted. "I just figured..." she trailed off.

"Figured...?" He urged her to continue, craning his neck slightly, so he could see her face.

"I know Kie hates me," she scoffed, clenching her jaw slightly. "She'd be pissed if she knew we were hanging out...or whatever."

A grin toyed at JJ's lips at her words. "'Or whatever'," he hummed. "That's so endearing." She nudged him with her shoulder, keeping her same solemn expression. "I'm not worried about what Kie thinks. She does what she wants and so can I." His tone was unintentionally cold.

There was something on JJ's face that Katherine couldn't quite decode, but she decided not to push him on it. "You gonna light that thing or what, Maybank?"

JJ's lips quirked upwards again and he retrieved the lighter from the same pocket he'd had the joint in. He flicked the lighter, allowing the flame to encase the end. "You ever smoked before?" He asked around the joint in his mouth. The question sent a wave of heat flooding to her cheeks, as she shook her head. His eyebrow peaked upwards, curiously. "This should be fun," he chuckled. He inhaled a deep breath and brought his hands down from his lips, before releasing a puff of smoke. "So you put your mouth on the end and take a breath in, then another breath in to make it hit your lungs."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at the instructions. "I know how it works," she retorted, grinning playfully. She'd been around enough stoners in her life to know the basics. She'd just never been brave enough to actually try it. "Just...how do I hold it."

A breathy laugh fell from JJ's lips. "Here, like this," he murmured, placing the joint between the tips of her fingers carefully. "Now right against your lips and—slowly." He warned, but she had already taken far too big a hit and was soon sputtering, fighting past the burning in her lungs that were screaming of oxygen. JJ couldn't help but laugh at her, which made Katherine narrow her watering eyes.

"Fucking shit," she choked out, finally taking a steady breath. "My chest is on fire."

"It'll go away," JJ continued to laugh. He grabbed the joint back from her outstretched hand and took another hit. "Just not so hard next time."

Katherine leaned forward and watched the way he skillfully took in a breath and held it for a couple of heartbeats, before another cloud of smoke slipped past his lips. He took one more hit before handing it back to her.

Her second hit was significantly smaller. Her head was already growing fuzzy—an unfamiliar, yet welcomed feeling—though she wasn't sure if it was from the weed, or the coughing fit. She inhaled the smoke, before breathing out a puff of smoke, with much less coughing than before.

She passed the joint back to him and laid back on the wooden deck, as she looked up at the stars that were dancing around the sky. "I never apologized," she murmured so low that he barely heard her.

With the joint between his lips, he laid beside her. "What, for being a cock block at the boneyard?" He scoffed turning his head towards her.

Katherine turned her head to meet his gaze and rolled her eyes. Their shoulders were brushing, but she didn't mind. She was careful not to move much, fearful that she'd lose the contact if he noticed. "Absolutely not," she retorted. "She didn't seem like your type."

His lips curved upwards into a smirk, before he took another hit. "So, what's my type, Angel," he hummed the question, blowing smoke into the air above them.

She was quick to avert her gaze, looking up into the sky. She shrugged her shoulders, her stomach knotted. "I-I don't know...Kie?"

JJ choked on what smoke was left in his lungs, but he was quick to rebound. He propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her, his eyelids already drooping and a smirk planted on his face. "Katherine Scott, jealous?"

Katherine looked at him, wide-eyed. "JJ Maybank, insane?" She couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter that might have offended JJ, if it weren't for her hand resting on his. She sat up on her elbow to be eye level with him. She took the joint from between his fingers, but before she took a hit, JJ let his eyes trail her face, which only made his throat run dry—especially since she had her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. "There's something you should know about me, JJ." Her voice was a low, sultry hum. She took the blunt between her lips and took a breath in. "If I want something..." she tilted her head and moved closer to his and blew a straight shot of smoke through his slightly parted lips. The action sent chills down his spine. "I take it." She turned back towards the water, leaving him to rest there stunned.

JJ blinked rapidly for a heartbeat, trying to make sure that whatever had just happened was not just a figment of his imagination.

It wasn't. Katherine was feeling a pretty heavy effect from JJ's cousin's specialty pot, but she'd never felt more free. She looked back down at JJ with what he would, in that moment, argue as the prettiest smile he'd ever seen. "Let's go swimming."

He peaked an eyebrow in interest, trying to keep his gaze on hers when she removed her T-shirt and revealed the same red bikini that he recalled her wearing as she sat in Rafe's lap on that shithead Topper's boat. Suddenly he remembered they were from completely different worlds.

Katherine had no intentions of taking no for an answer. She grabbed him by his hand and pulled him up, ignoring his protests. "What, are you scared?" She shimmied out of her skirt, surprised that he didn't stare as she did.

JJ scoffed at the accusation. His only response was pulling his shirt over his head, exposing his torso. Katherine's eyes fell to the shark tooth necklace he wore, but only for a moment. "We'll jump together," she hummed, cupping her hand in his. "One. Two...Three!" On three she released JJ's hand, letting him dive into the water alone. She couldn't help but erupt into giggles, gripping her sides, as he glowered up at her.

"Ha ha, very funny," he muttered, swimming back to the edge. "Now, help me out." He outstretched his hand for her to help him up over the edge.

Katherine eyed him suspiciously, but she was still far too amused to think much of it. She gripped his hand and started to pull him up, but he quickly counteracted the force, pulling her right over the edge. "JJ!" She screeched, just before she ducked below the water. When she stood up and saw JJ cackling, she could no longer stifle her own. "You are dead." She dove towards him and dunked his head underwater, but she quickly lost the upper hand against his strength.

JJ was able to easily toss her off of him, sending her crashing under the water again. This time, when she surfaced, she shoved a huge wave of water at him, knowing that she didn't stand a chance at close combat with him. She continued to shove water his way, as she took huge strides backwards. She was unable to see him clearly, as they were getting farther from the illumination of the lantern, until he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

Her laughter was nearly uncontrollable, as she rode the high that was a mix from her adrenaline and the pot she'd smoked. "Are you done," he laughed out, grinning down at the girl who seemed unable to cease her laughter.

Through her laughs, she nodded her head yes. His grip loosened, though his hands rested on her waist. Her laughter finally slowed, but her grin remained, as she allowed a hand to rest on his bicep. She hadn't laughed, nor smiled, so much in what felt like an eternity. For the first time in her life, Katherine Scott felt relaxed. Her head was less fuzzy than before, but when JJ brought his hand up to her face, her breathed hitched and the fuzziness returned.

JJ tucked a piece of her wet golden hair that had plastered itself against her face, behind her ear. Admittedly, he allowed his hand to graze longer than it should have, but the feeling of her skin under his touch was quickly growing addicting to him.

Katherine's eyes fluttered shut at his touch, reeling in the heat that radiated underneath it, despite his fingers being as cold as the water they were in.

For the briefest of moments, Katherine contemplated kissing him. Even the thought of their lips dancing around each other made her heart nearly leap out of his chest. She realized JJ must have been thinking about it too, because when she opened her eyes again, his eyes flickered up from where they'd looked down at her lips, just before his thumb trailed down her chin, grazing her bottom lip.

"JJ," she murmured, fighting to steady her voice. "I can't..." she trailed off.

This seemed to snap JJ out of his trance. He quickly dropped a hand to his side, allowing the other one to rub the back of his neck awkwardly as he took a step back. "No, I-I know, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I mean, why would you want to even think about—."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him. "It's not that I don't want to," she cut him off, making his jaw clamp shut. "Because...for whatever reason...I do want to. I've just got so much shit going on right now."

"Like with Rafe?" His question was genuine, no underlying condescending tone. She swallowed thickly and nodded, dropping her gaze. "Are you guys like...together?"

"No," she answered quickly. She didn't feel like she could explain herself without sounding like a horrible person. "It's complicated." She looked back up to meet his gaze and he could tell he didn't plan on letting it go and for whatever reason, she didn't like the idea of lying to him. "This probably makes me sound like a slut and a terrible person, but after I broke up with Todd I needed a distraction and I know Rafe really likes me and..." she trailed off and immediately dropped her gaze, embarrassed to hear herself say the words out loud.

JJ took a step back towards her, frowning at the way she spoke about herself. "You're not a slut," he objected defensively. "And you're not a terrible person. I'm sorry that I even made you feel like you had to talk about it. I just—you deserve better than all of that bullshit."

Katherine's heart lurched into her stomach and she felt like her lungs were filling with water and her chest grew tight. It was because she knew he was right—she deserved better than any of the bullshit that being the Kook Queen entailed. She truly believed there was no end in sight, but JJ provided a light at the end of the tunnel.

The only issue was that Katherine had the reverse Midas touch. Everything—and everyone—she touched, she destroyed. JJ's soul seemed too pure to be tainted by her inability to be properly cared about, so she did the only thing she knew to do.

"You're a good friend, JJ."

Authors Note.
               What a soft lil chapter for JJ and Kat. I'm obsessed, that is all🤭 please leave some comments & let me know what you think!