The CBB :: View topic - Jo's side of the story

#1: Jo's side of the story Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:10 pm

A vague idea I had was crystallised by Pat's fantastic Eustacia and Stacie drabbles - so here it is. Many thanks to Pat for inspiration and betaing.

I suppose I should have noticed, but, to be honest, I was too wrapped up in my own problems to spare any thought for her. You see, Madge had told me I was to be head girl after Mary left, and I really didn’t want to be.

I’d never thought or expected it, and until they sprang it on me I was still expecting to go to Belsornia at the end of the school year to be Veta’s lady-in-waiting. So even when I heard Mary and Deira would be leaving before the end of the year I had never imagined I would be made head girl. If I had thought about it I would have expected it to have been Marie – and she would have been excellent. So I was completely flabbergasted when Madge and Jem told me I was to stay and to be head girl until the end of the following year. And I really didn’t want to be. Apart from the whole having-to-grow up part of it, there was no avoiding the possibility people would say I’d been chosen because I was Madge’s sister. I couldn’t blame them – I felt myself that had something to do with it. I know she had been careful not to treat me preferentially to anyone else, but that didn’t stop other people from seeing me differently because I was her sister. Sometimes it was an awful lot to live up to.

And now being head girl would mean even more to live up to.

I didn’t want it. I wanted to be able to enjoy my last year at school, to have fun, not to have to take on responsibility. But deep down I knew there was no way I’d get away from it, and I decided that I would enjoy my last term of freedom.

So I didn’t take much notice of the new girls. There was no reason I should pay them any more attention than any of the other prefects did, after all. So although I knew Eustacia had recently lost her parents and was coming to the school because she didn’t fit in at the Trevanion’s I thought little more of it. I had my own friends and my own worries, and assumed she would soon settle down, much as most other new girls did. As far as I could see, there was really no need for me to pay her special attention.

And, although she irritated me when I did come across her, that might have been all if she hadn’t forced herself on my notice by stealing the library key from my desk and having the cheek to read one of the staff books.

Obviously I should never have laughed at her when she announced her intention to pay us out when we punished her by refusing her access to the library. But I wasn’t the only one, and she really sounded so melodramatic and silly, I couldn’t help it, although I regretted it afterwards – annoying as she was, I didn’t mean to be cruel.

Looking back, I think it was from that moment that things really changed between us. Before then I had just been one of the prefects to her, but as I had been the one to pronounce punishment she focused her dislike on me. She had just been a slightly awkward new girl to me, but her attitude that she had the right to do what she wanted in the library, regardless of rules, riled me, and she continued to wind me up over the next few days, commenting that Gredel should be left to die at home rather than treated at the San for example. And the way she always insisted on calling me ‘Josephine’!!! So I can’t say I was pleased that the school council resulted in me being picked to make an approach to her about the Chaletian. I know was the editor, but it seemed extra responsibilities were starting to be piled on me already. I knew the others were relieved that it was me and not them. As it turned out, it was a mistake for me to talk to her, because she obviously hated me more than anyone else, and nothing I said to her would help.

The best course seemed to be to try to ignore her as much as possible and treat her with civility when I had to. And for what it’s worth, I tried my hardest, and it wasn’t easy – for some reason it often seemed to be me that was the one dealing with her – for example trying to persuade her to wear breeches for the snow fight – couldn’t someone else have done that? I was even more fed up then, when Madge told me I was going to have to spend half-term with her. It was disappointing enough not to go to the Sonnalpe as I’d expected, without having the brief holiday spoilt by her hostility. What’s more, Madge told me that as the only prefect there I should make an effort to be friends with her and not be unkind and selfish. I had tried so hard not to be, and then when Madge followed it up with a warning about rushing off doing silly things as if I’d fallen into the lake for my own pleasure rather than trying to save someone’s life the previous term, I felt even more hard-done by, even though Madge apologised for the comment, it had still been made. I somehow seemed to be to blame for the feud Eustacia was involved in between the fourth and fifth as well, which was absurd!

I knew I couldn’t get out of being head girl the following term, but they could have at least let me enjoy myself until then. Why couldn’t Anne or Louise have been asked to be friendlier to Eustacia – they were nearer her age and weren’t the target of her loathing like I was. And there would two of them, which might have been easier too. But of course being Madge’s sister I had to agree to do my best.

Maybe it’s because I felt so aggrieved about all the unwanted responsibility being heaped on me that I blamed Eustacia for the accident that happened while we were away. I can see now that it wasn’t her fault, but at the time I resented her; because of her I seemed to be losing my chance of just enjoying school, and it was easy to blame her and let her take the brunt of my bitterness. Afterwards I was ashamed of myself. Especially when I realised she was so unhappy she had run away. I had just thought she was just angry and hating us, not desperately miserable.

But I also felt I was blamed unfairly for that. Miss Wilson told me it was because Eustacia was trying to impress me that she’d run away. And Miss Stewart told me I should have thought about how difficult it was for her with the sudden change in her life. I think that was a bit hypocritical really – it wasn’t until this moment that the staff seemed at all concerned about that, but they expected me to have put up with her attitude and arguments and to have realised how unhappy she was.

The worry about her though did make me think back and admit to myself that there were times where perhaps I could have done more, although I wasn’t the only one by a long chalk. But I resolved to make more of an effort, and was relieved when I saw her again that she was willing to meet me half-way, or even further.

She was actually a far better person than I. When there was the threat of Robin being seriously ill, I lapsed back into bitterness even though I knew logically it couldn’t be her fault at all, but some of my fear for Robin found an outlet in blaming her. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised how unfair I was, but she never held it against me. I would never have thought it at the beginning, but we actually ended up being good friends.

And I made a resolution that, from then on, no girl would be unhappy at the Chalet School and have no effort made to help her, if I, or anyone else, could do anything about it.

#2: Author: tiffinata, Location: melbourne, australia

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:28 pm

Wow!
Love this alternative view.

#3: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:57 pm

Thanks, Liz. This looks great. I'm already feeling sorry for Jo.

#4: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:13 pm

That was extremely good. I suppose the truth lay somewhere in the middle Rolling Eyes

as it usually does!

It's a pefect follow on to Pat's Eustacia and seems very plausible to me. Poor Jo AND Stacie.

#5: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:18 pm

That was brilliant, and it explains why Jo suddenly started taking an interest in the new girls and making them feel welcome

#6: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:27 pm

wonderful explanation Liz - very insightful and very believable. I really like your Jo in that (and that's saying somehting)

#7: Author: Josie, Location: London

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:03 am

Love this, Liz. Very Happy

#8: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:16 am

That really does explain such a lot. I feel so sorry for both Jo and Stacie. Thanks Liz Very Happy

#9: Author: MaryR, Location: Sale Cheshire

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:29 am

Brilliant, and rather moving, Liz.

A lovely take on a Jo who so often has her thoughtful moods in the books - despite getting carried away very often by her impetuous nature.

Thank you.

#10: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:39 am

Thanks Liz, this is wonderful

#11: Author: Róisín, Location: Galway, Eire

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:09 am

Thanks Liz that was very very insightful and good to read. Very Happy

#12: Author: joelle, Location: lancashire, england

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:00 pm

Thats really interesting thanks. It definately adds a different angle to the story. Would like to see more events from Joey`s perspective *subtle hint*

#13: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:59 pm

That was excellent Liz!

It makes a lot of sense, especially explaining Jo's later 'butting in'!

#14: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:01 pm

Really an interesting twist. I'd never really thought of Eustacia's impact on Jo, only vice versa.

Thanks, Liz!

#15: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 2:53 pm

Thank you Liz! It explains a lot! Very Happy

#16: Author: Amanda M, Location: Wakefield

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 6:02 pm

Thanks Liz Very Happy

#17: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:28 pm

Wonderful, Liz.

#18: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:12 pm

Thanks Liz, that is a good explanation for Joey's change of heart regarding new girls.

#19: Author: Joey, Location: Cambridge

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:56 am

That was super, Liz - I had always wondered, and now you have explained!

Thank you.

#20: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:36 am

Wow, that was excellent! A wonderful look at Joey, and as already mentioned, that explains a lot!

#21: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 12:21 pm

Thank you Liz, as has already been said, it explains so much.

#22: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 12:07 pm

Thank you Liz. A wonderful explanation.

#23: Author: Lucy, Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 8:48 am

Thanks Liz - this is great.

A very plausable explanation about Jo's continuing involvment with new girls.

I can imagine that she started out feeling this way and as she helped more and more people she became much more determined to be the one that new girls turned to.

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