Five - Misunderstanding

"Jo," Kate called on her way up to the attic. She found her sister exactly where she figured she would: hunched over her desk in the attic, scribbling away. The sight made her smile. "Jo, I know you're busy but I have a favour to ask of you. I was hoping you would help me with something," Kate requested. "It's writing related."

"Yes, what is it?" Jo didn't look up from where she was hastily scribbling upon the page - she was in the process of re-writing her destroyed novel, wanting to get everything down as close to what it had been as possible while it was still relatively fresh in her memory. Jo was very good about committing her writing to memory, and would be all the more diligent now that she knew for certain how vulnerable words on paper could be - especially in the hands of an angry and hurt younger sister.

"Philip is going on a trip to visit his family out of state, and I wanted to write him a farewell letter for him to read on his journey."

Now Jo looked up. "And you want me to help you?"

"Well written word is your specialty. I thought I could tell you what I want to say and you can help me word it in the best way."

"Okay... How long is he going for?"

"I'm not sure exactly. I don't think even he knows for certain. Amy won't be pleased - they'll have to get another temporary teacher at the schoolhouse."

Who cares what Amy thinks? Jo thought bitterly, but then she remembered the incident on the frozen pond, and shook all such and similar thoughts away. No, she may never forgive Amy for the loss of her beloved novel, but Amy was still her sister and Jo still loved her all the same.

"Very well. Well what would you like to say?" She hoped nothing too sappy and soppy.

"Well, I was thinking something along the lines of..."

"I value your friendship very much..."

"I have truly had a wonderful time together, and hope we can continue once you are home again..."

"You bring me such joy like I've never known before..."

Oh, goodness... Jo wrote it down all the same, though inside she was cringing.

"Do you think it's too much? Overdoing it?"

Yes. "I think it's just right."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief, as though she had been holding a breath and was finally gasping for air. "Oh, good. I'm glad. Thank you for your help, Jo, I truly appreciate it."

"Of course, Kate. I'm happy to help."

The March family was shocked to find Kate return home in tears after she went to go bid Philip goodbye.

She had gone to say one last farewell before he would leave to catch the train and it hadn't gone at all how she would have imagined.

"Why Miss Kate, that was very quick," remarked Hannah.

"Oh Hannah, it was awful!" the young woman wailed.

This drew the rest of the family into the entry hall.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

"Philip said he couldn't wait to read my letter, so he read it, soon after I dropped it off in fact. And he said if I had thought him so dull and boring then why did I lead him on to believe that we were friends? But I never said that. I never said anything like that. I-I, I don't understand how he ever could have gotten such a horrible idea such as that."

"What did you say in your letter?"

"How much I valued our friendship and how much I appreciate the time we've spent together. I only encouraged it, not shut it away like he is saying I did."

"Was there anything that he could have misinterpreted?" Marmee asked gently, trying to get to the bottom of this. Meg, Beth and Amy were all pondering as well.

"No," Kate cried. "It was all perfect clear - I was perfectly clear. Jo helped me write it and she said it was good. I-" She stopped suddenly and looked to the third-eldest March. "Jo."

Jo was squirming a little. "Yes Kate?"

"Jo?" Nothing this time. "Jo, what did you do?"

The writer had been unusually quiet since Kate had gotten home, and it wasn't a secret that she was no big fan of Philip - or any man the family associated with for that matter. Except for Laurie, of course.

"Did you tamper with my letter once I left?" Jo kept silent, but continued to squirm, more noticeably now. "Josephine March!" Kate knew how much her sister hated being called by her full name. And it did the trick.

"Okay fine, yes! I changed up your letter! To make him think you didn't like him."

"Oh." A hand covered Kate's mouth as she choked back another sob, falling back into the empty chair behind her.

"Jo! How could you?!" cried Amy.

"He hates me now," cried Kate.

"Oh now I'm sure that's not true," Marmee tried to comfort her.

"You should have seen the way he looked at me, Marmee."

"You're better off without him," Jo stated firmly.

"No Jo!" Kate leapt to her feet. "You think you know all but you don't! I love him! And because of you, he hates me! Now he's gone and he hates me!" With that, she rushed up the stairs.

"I knew she more than liked him!" cried Amy, but the attention was on Jo.

"Jo," sighed Marmee.

"I didn't know she would get so upset," the writer protested.

"But still, you shouldn't have gone meddling in their relationship."

Jo desperately looked from her mother to her three remaining sisters, but all wore the same expression: You made a grave mistake.

Jo raced out of the house, the crisp, late-winter air refreshing, but not enough so.

What have I done?

She hadn't thought her actions would have this kind of negative effect on Kate, but had hoped for quite the opposite.

Without another thought she took off across the street to the Laurence house.

"Laurie! I've made a mistake - a big mistake. I need your help."

Yikes! It seems Amy isn't the only sister who causes grief for the others!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)