"There is no way," Beth stood on the porch the next morning with her arms crossed. Her mother stood beside her as Shawn pulled up in her father's old truck. "Not a chance."

Annette had been up all night with her three kids, all individually on a laptop or phone, trying to find affordable last minute plane tickets to Orlando; and the results had been less than satisfying. Her mom decided that if they wanted Beth out of the house they were going to have to send her on a bus or in a vehicle.

The kids decided vehicle – thinking that Beth would likely get on the wrong bus or get stolen. Beth didn't have a vehicle at the moment, but she had assumed that maybe Maggie was going to lend her car or Shawn would reluctantly give up his truck since they wanted her gone so badly. But they seemed to have other plans that they kept from her over breakfast.

"Why not?" Annette picked up one of the suitcases that was leaning against the side house near the door and walked up to the truck. "It's your own set of wheels and it's getting you to Florida."

"But Mom, that's Daddy's truck," Beth didn't like the idea of driving the truck, it was part of her dad. They wanted Beth out on the road trying to recover from her months of grief and there they were sticking her in Hershel's truck.

"Your father would have loved to see you driving this old thing, it was his baby before you came along. Plus, it's the most reliable thing we got," Annette tossed Beth's bag into the back and waited for her daughter to get her butt in gear.

"I'm pretty sure Dad's love for me and Maggie outweighed a truck too," Shawn opened the door and got out of the pickup. "Beth isn't thatimportant."

Maggie came out of the house then and grabbed the other bag on the porch, since Beth was remaining idle. "Shawn, if Daddy could have picked favorites we both know he'd have chosen this brat," Maggie shoved Beth teasingly closer to the stairs, trying to hint to her to move. Beth took the hint and walked over to join them at the truck.

Annette chuckled, "Okay kids...or should I say young adults?" They all made a face at her, telling her she definitely should not. "He loved every single one of you as such as he possibly could. Now…some may have been more than others but..."

Everyone went off in a chorus of laughs at Annette's joke. Beth liked seeing her sibling and mom smile and get along, but it made her a sadder than anything that her father wasn't there to see it too. Her thoughts must have shown on her face because the laughter didn't last long.

Shawn ran his fingers through his hair and gave Annette a look. "Beth should get on the road soon if she wants to get to the border by sundown and find a motel, Mom."

Annette wanted Beth to go to Florida, but it was hard for her to see the blonde leaving, she looked at Beth with shiny eyes and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. "Now you call as soon as you stop to fill your tank, try not to accidentally put diesel in it."

Beth hugged her mom back just as tight and sighed, "Mom, first of all, I'm not that dumb, second, I'll call you every morning too and keep you updated."

"I'm kidding. And good, I want to know my baby is safe". Beth tried to break the hug but Annette wouldn't let her.

"Okay," Beth strung out the last syllable and finally wriggled herself out of Annette's death grip.

"Get in the truck before the old lady starts bawling and changes her mind," Maggie threw the bag she was carrying into the back like Annette had and put her hands on her hips. "Get moving."

Beth nodded at Maggie and was just about to get in the pickup before she was taken off guard by her two siblings attacking her with a giant sandwich hug. Beth had hardly any air left in her lungs when they released her and Shawn and Maggie were both laughing like maniacs. Beth tried not to overthink and ruin the moment.

"Okay, now can I leave like you all wanted me to?" Beth smiled at her family and got in the truck, which had been rumbling softly since Shawn pulled up in it. Annette closed the door for her and knocked on the window to get her to roll it down. Beth cranked it down and her mom leaned against the door.

"One last thing before you go," Annette reached through the window and folded a large wad of cash in her daughter's hand. "In case you want to go to Disneyworld or something."

Beth was ready to object, but Annette just winked at her and walked away toward the house, Maggie and Shawn fell in line behind her. With no one left standing around the truck, Beth shifted into drive and pulled away from her home, honking the horn at her waving family on the porch in her rear-view mirror as she made her way down the driveway.

. . .

When Beth left, it had been just after eight o'clock, a little after sunrise, it was now quarter to twelve and the sun was high up in the sky, beating down on her. Every summer in Georgia was scorching hot, this summer was no different. In the morning you got a few hours of cooler air that could give you gooseflesh, but when those hours were over so was any hope of ever having a dry scalp again until sunset.

Beth had dressed for the cooler morning, meaning sweats and a long sleeve shirt, and was regretting it deeply. Even with the AC on full blast, Beth was dripping buckets. She had considered several times just pulling over and changing right on the side of the road if she didn't come to a gas station soon. But lucky for her, Beth saw a sign indicating there was a station fifteen kilometers away and she figured she could try to hold on until then.

It was the longest fifteen kilometers of her life and as soon as Beth pulled into the station she was out of the truck and digging through her bags in the cab for her summer clothing. She went in and asked the clerk for the key to the restroom around the back – which was disgusting – and changed quickly. She also pulled her hair up into a pony and off her neck, feeling immediately better.

When Beth came out of the bathroom she asked for forty on a pump and grabbed a chocolate bar. She was smart enough to grab the money Annette gave her and her purse before she left the truck unattended and paid with a fifty-dollar bill from the wad. Beth made a mental note to take the time to count how much money her mom gave her.

While she was filling the tank, Beth leaned against the bed of the truck and dialed her house number to check in with her mom like she promised. Maggie answered, promptly teasing Beth about how many times she probably had to pull over to check a map since she left and then handed the phone off to her mom.

The conversation was short and sweet. Annette told Beth she already missed her, asked her how the drive was going – which Beth replied with good – then she reminded Beth to call her at her next stop and said goodbye.

Beth hung up her cell phone and finished filling up the tank, thinking about how weird it was to have so much freedom. Her mom didn't talk to her on the phone for an hour like Beth thought she would and didn't really know how she felt about it. She'd been fine not leaving the farm and their town, but now that she was out, it was different. She was miles away from her father's grave, going to hang out with all her friends for two weeks and she was completely excited about it for the first time, there was no guilt.

Feeling like nothing was in her way, Beth put the pump back, started the pickup and drove on, blasting the music and the air conditioning.

. . .

Two hours later, there was a clanking noise that rang over Beth's Garth Brooks and she turned her music down to listen more closely. As she listened the sound became louder and louder. Beth was no mechanic, but she figured that hearing clanking from the engine was not ideal.

Beth had no idea what to do. There was the option of pulling over and attempting to try to call Shawn and try to have him guide her through roadside repairs, but it'd be a miracle to get service this far out on the highway. So she kept on driving, listening to clanking and furrowing her eyebrows.

Now there were one or two things standing in her way.