"Move your books, Jo! I need someplace to sit." Amy complained as they got in the car.
"The books are in my seat, stupid. Sit in the other seat." Jo rolled her eyes, not yet in the car.
"Please don't start fighting already. We're not even on the road yet." Meg sighed softly, getting in the front passenger seat. Marmee was driving, of course. Jo got in the car and they started on their way. It would be eight or so hours from Concord to Washington, D.C. Jo was the most excited. While none of the girls had been out of Massachusetts before, Jo was the one who most wanted to travel. The other three saw it as a fun trip. Jo saw it as an enlightening experience that would change her life forever. But, as the saying goes, getting there is half the battle.
Ten minutes into the drive, they were already for it to be over with. When it came to road trips, Jo was a talker. It wasn't that she got bored quickly, it's just that having conversations with people was how she entertained herself. Beth eagerly talked to her, but there were times when they ran out of things to say. So, Jo would turn to someone else to talk to. Meg was talking to Marmee, so that left Amy.
At that moment, Amy was sketching a picture of Meg sitting in the front seat. Jo looked over at her.
"So... What's new?" She asked.
"I'm drawing." Amy replied, not looking up.
"What are you drawing?" Jo persisted.
"I'm drawing Meg. Can you please do something else while I work on this? I need to concentrate." She sighed, hoping her sister would take the hint. Meg turned around briefly to say something.
"Thank you for drawing me, Amy. I'm sure it'll be beautiful." She smiled. Then she turned to Jo and gave her a look that read, Don't you dare start something.
Jo raised her eyebrows innocently as if to say, Who? Me? She sighed and picked up her journal, starting to write. After a moment, she paused.
"What do you think, Beth? Is this a good enough plot twist?" She said, showing her sister her journal. Beth nodded and grinned.
"It's wonderful!" She smiled. Before long, the two were talking happily. They pointed out the window at things, talking about interesting license plates on cars. Amy sighed in annoyance.
"Jo, what did I say about distracting me? This picture doesn't even look like Meg anymore!" She said.
"You said to do something else, so I did!"
"I meant something other than talking loudly."
"Then you should be more specific!"
"I was specific!"
Soon enough, the two were arguing. Amy started tickling Jo to fight her off. Then, Jo accidentally kicked Amy's leg. Meg turned around again to scold them.
"You both need to stop! We still have six and a half more hours. You can't be arguing like that the whole time! That's why Beth is sitting between you, that way you can't kill each other." She told them.
"You're not Marmee, you can't tell us what to do." Jo pointed out.
"I know, but Marmee's driving and she can't be distracted. Besides, the fact that I have to talk to you about it is ridiculous. Jo, you're fifteen. You should be old enough to stop picking fights with her all the time." Meg reminded her. A few minutes later, they stopped at a gas station. While they were stopped, Meg and Jo switched seats in hopes that it would make the arguing end. After a few hours, Jo went back to her original seat next to Beth. About six hours into the trip, the girls started to fall asleep. Soon, just Jo and Marmee were awake.
Jo stared out the window, watching the sunset. "Bethie, look..." She whispered, thinking her sister was awake. When she turned around, she saw that Beth was asleep, starting to lean towards her. Jo shifted her position a little bit and gently pulled her sister closer. At least Beth would be comfortable for a little while.
When Marmee glanced at them in the rearview mirror, she saw Beth sleeping comfortable and Jo doing all she could to keep her comfortable. She smiled softly to herself before returning her gaze to the road.
Years Later
Beth had passed away a few months ago, and the family was still grieving as if it had happened yesterday. That was normal, of course, but they all agreed they needed to get out and do something. It was decided that they would go on another road trip, similar to how they had once done.
The trip started off very different from how the first one had. Amy was quiet and reserved. Jo said nothing for quite a while. She sat quietly, absorbed in whatever she was writing. No one was in the mood for talking. There was an occasional soft sigh, but barely anyone spoke. The day of driving passed uneventfully.
Late that evening, the sun was setting, much like it had when they had gone on their first road trip. Jo was staring out the window, watching the colors stretch across the sky. There was a moment where the light hit the clouds in such a way that they turned a gorgeous pink-orange. She was paying such attention to the colors that she forgot for a minute that Beth wasn't with them.
"Bethie..." She said softly, still looking out the window. "Bethie, look! The sunset is so lovely..." She heard no response. The only reaction she got was a confused look from Meg. Jo turned to get Beth's attention... Except that Beth was gone. As she saw the seat next to her occupied by Amy and not Beth, her smile disappeared. She choked back a sob. She sighed softly and leaned her head against the window, not speaking. She said nothing for a long time.
Sometime later, she felt someone leaning against her. She looked over and saw Amy, starting to fall asleep, leaning against her like Beth used to. Amy looked up at her.
"It was a lovely sunset, Jo... I'm sure Beth would have loved it." Amy said softly, then yawned and closed her eyes.
Jo smiled slightly to herself. She shifted her position so Amy could be more comfortable. Yes, Beth was gone and it was terrible. But Jo could still be a big sister. She could still take care of her family, just like she always did. Things would never be the same, that was true. But as long as she never forgot Beth, it would be okay, one way or another.