His eyes turn to me. The hazel is practically mocking, and even though I don't react, there's no way he doesn't notice the way my face warms when he stares at me a beat too long.
Jo would kill me. It's enough to get it from Amy, but me too? God.
_...
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"I can't believe you didn't tell us before now," Meg huffs, a worried crease between her brow. Her hands have a slight tremor to them as she folds the few dresses that I have, as well as other garments.
"Auntie sprung it on me," I swear, rummaging anxiously through my drawer for Hamlet.
'God, where is it?'
"I really wish she wouldn't have," Meg continues, and sighs. "this isn't nearly enough clothes for seven months in Europe. We could've gone shopping—"
"We couldn't have," I interrupt briskly, and stop my rummaging (I've decided it must be lost, and there's no hope to find it in this house) to face her. Her brown eyes are sorrowful, and I know she's only voicing the small worries because the bigger ones she won't speak aloud. "I have plenty of clothes. More than enough, in fact."
Meg opens her mouth to protest but my bedroom door opens, Jo leading Beth and Amy inside, a large pile of assorted objects in her arms. I watch, wide eyed, as my year younger sister puffs air loudly and then dumps the entire pile onto my bed, wiping her arm across her forehead after.
"Christ," Jo pants, and sticks her hands on her hips.
Everyone's quiet for a moment before I speak.
"What is...all of that?" I whisper, a little nervous to ask.
Jo casts me a sharp look.
"I would've had time to organize if someone would've informed her dear Womb Sharers that she was about to ditch them and go to an entire other continent." She bites out. "They're my favorite books. And also a few poems I wrote since I know you like poetry, and, well, I'm a great poet." She pauses, the quiet in the room swelling, and then adds, "Just in case you get bored."
She won't meet my eye, but this is one of the nicest gestures Jo has ever given me. We might have our differences and squabble a lot, but at the end of the day, she's still my sister.
