Journey of Jo & Jess

Different Plans

Jo's POV

Jess and I got in a kind of routine while here in California. We wake up and eat breakfast, and then leave when Jimmy goes off to work.

We sit on the beach and read, then wander around the boardwalk, and then go back to the house for lunch.

After lunch Jess and I go do something with Lily. Sasha doesn't like that we're alone with her, but she doesn't fight it because Jimmy encourages it and Lily likes it.

After our talk I thought she likes me, but I've come to find I'm tolerated more than anything. She doesn't seem to like Jess at all.

I feel like I'm suffocating everytime I'm in that house. I know Jess feels the same way. Jess has actually been acting pretty well, but Sasha snips at him for stupid things and then he gets mad.

He's yelled at her a few times, which gets Jimmy involved. I think she's doing it to get rid of us. Maybe she thinks Jess will finally snap and we'll leave.

Today is our sixth day in California. Luke agreed that our week trip didn't include our commute, so we were due to head back tomorrow.

Jess and I agreed to cut it short and head back early, but I've been thinking the last couple of days and I have a different idea.

--

After dinner Jess and I wait for everyone to be asleep before we sneak out and head back towards The Inferno.

We sit at a table and I watch the water while Jess attempts to use the lights to read his book.

Jess' POV

I have always been the one to do crazy and stupid things. Jo was the one who really thought through things. That's not saying she didn't also do crazy and stupid things.

That girl has managed to pull off quite a few of her own schemes over the years. But one thing she always did was think long and hard before she would reveal her plan.

So no matter what, no matter how crazy, I always knew that when she'd blurt out whatever random idea was in her head, she had actually already put a lot of thought into it, and had a plan in the works.

We were sitting at a table. The same table next to The Inferno we had sat and read at our first day here.

It was actually closed right now, and has been for a few hours. It's been dark now, and Jimmy was at home.

Jo and I made the decision to leave, go back home. We would be leaving in the morning... Jimmy didn't know that.

"What if we don't go home?"

I look up from my book, the words of which I can just barely make out. She's not looking at me. She's looking out towards the ocean.

"What?"

She looks at me.

"What if we don't go back?"

"And what? Stay here? Because Jimmy seems so happy to have us around."

"No, not stay here. We just don't go back... yet."

I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table.

"And where would we go?" I question.

She smirks a bit.

"Wherever."

I return her smirk.

"And what would we do?"

"Whatever," she replies, cocking her head a bit, and giving me a small shrug.

"I'm sorry, who are you, and what have you done with my logical thinking twin sister?"

"It's just-" she lets out a sigh.

She also rests her arms on the table.

"We have a whole summer to do something whatever the hell we want. I don't know, think of this as our senior trip. The last hurrah before we start college, and have to, you know, start adulting."

My eyes switch from her eyes and her wildly moving arms as she talks.

"Where did this come from?"

"You've always wanted to travel, and now you've got the shot. We travel around, slowly making our way East, and before school starts, with plenty of time, we're back in Connecticut."

"What about Luke?"

"We'll call Luke."

"What about Rory?" I ask.

"She's off on her own adventure in Europe."

"How will we get around?"

"Same way we got here, just with several stops, and some walking in between."

Does she have an answer for every question?

"You really what to do this?" I question.

"Don't you?" she questions back.

"That's not what I asked."

"Yes. I want to do something wild, before I become a boring Yale student, and suffocate under a pile of notes and over priced textbooks," she replies.

"Alright. Where to first?" I ask.

Jo's POV

We go back to the house and collect all of our stuff.

"We're going to have to lighten our load," Jess says.

"We can leave our books with Lily. You know we'll just buy more along the way," I reply.

I also left her our cell numbers, the diner's number and address, so she can call and write. I hope she keeps in touch. She's a cool kid.

\\AN// -- All grammar, punctuation, and spelling corrections are helpful, encouraged, and greatly appreciated. 

Thank you 

-- Izzy