Éponine sat down at the bar in the Cafe Musain while Musichetta made her usual. The small juice bar was normally empty, save a few locals, which is what made it an ideal hang out for Les Amis. There were hardly any tourist and there was a hidden beach nearby, which they called Avae Bay*, that had great waves. Les Amis had a mix of surfing styles and Avae Bay was perfect for all of them.
Combeferre, Jehan, Bossuet, Cosette, Marius, and Joly were longboarders. They liked the smooth, calmness of riding bigger boards. There was a pleasant ease to it that was very relaxing. Bahorel, Courfeyrac, Feuilly, Grantaire, and Musichetta were the shortboarders of the group. They enjoyed the fast paced maneuvers that came with shortboarding.
Éponine, however, stopped surfing a year and a half ago. She was one of the best surfers in all of French Polynesia, long and short, but a mortal accident stripped her of that title. With the help of her friends she got back to swimming in the bay but she wouldn't dare surf anytime soon. Musichetta handed the Éponine her mango pineapple smoothie when Courfeyrac walked in.
"Hello ladies," the young charmer smiled.
"My, Musichetta, you're looking lovely today,"
"I've already got two boyfriends. I don't need another," she said swatting him away. "And flattery will get you no where,"
"Aw, please Chetta? The swells are supposed to be amazing today,"
"I'm not doing it. But bring him straight to the bay afterwards,"
"Why what's happening?" Éponine asked.
"Enjolras is coming home and Courf doesn't want to go to the airport to pick him up," Musichetta explained before disappearing into the back to find supplies.
"The waves are breaking at 7 feet! You expect me to miss out on 7 feet waves?!"
"Oh calm down. There'll be seven footers another day," Éponine nonchalantly sipped her smoothie.
"Then you can go pick him up, Ép,"
"Can't. I've never met the guy,"
"You haven't?"
"Remember? I met you guys right after Enjolras left for that trip thing. What was it called?"
"His awareness trip,"
"Raising awareness for marine life conservation for 2 and a half years?"
"He stopped in Moorea 6 months in. His mom got really sick, but she's a lot better now and she's been urging him to come back here and get on with his life,"
"He sounds like he tends to care a lot about people. Are you sure this is the same marble man you've told me about?"
Courf laughed. "Just wait until you meet him,"
Éponine nodded. "If that's a challenge, then I'll go with you to the airport,"
"Well at least this way I won't be the only one missing out on seven footers," Courfeyrac sighed as he headed towards the parking lot.
"Oh come on, now. There'll be other waves!" Éponine yelled as she ran to catch up with him.
The airport was flooded with blond hair and blue eyed tourists, which made it hard for Éponine to decipher which one was the fierce leader she heard so much about. She eventually gave up and let Courfeyrac scan the crowd. It took awhile but the two friends eventually spotted each other. Enjolras looked a lot different then Éponine imagined. All Courfeyrac said was that he was blond with blue eyes and a strong jaw. What they didn't mention was that he had thick blond curls with eyes blue like the ocean and a jaw so sharp it should be illegal. He also to had a good eight inches over Éponine's 5'4" frame.
"Enjolras!" Courfeyrac greeted. "How've you been?"
"I'm doing well. My moms gotten better and my sister is moving in with her just to make sure she's okay. And how've you been?"
"Great, except the fact that there are seven footers at Avae Bay right now,"
"Oh drop it already, Courf," Éponine cut in.
Enjolras blinked. "Hello. You must be Éponine. Courf has mentioned you a few times,"
"Yeah, he's said a few things about you also. It's nice to meet you,"
All three of them awkwardly stood there for a few seconds. Éponine and Enjolras had every right to be silent but Courfeyrac was so shocked at Éponine's uncharacteristic manners that he didn't know if it was worth it to get punched for cracking a joke at her. He decided against it and presumed it was just because she didn't know Enjolras well enough to act normally.
Courfeyrac cleared his throat. "We should probably get going. Everyone can't wait to see you,"
"Yeah that'd be a good idea," Enjolras said.
The trio walked to the car while Éponine and Enjolras argued over who would sit in back. Their argument ended when Courfeyrac tossed the keys to Éponine and told Enjolras to sit in front.
"So, you're from Moorea?" Éponine asked as she drove out of the parking lot.
"Yeah. I'm one-eighth Tahitian on my mothers side. The rest of me is french," Enjolras replied.
"Then how'd you find yourself on Tahiti Nui? You're almost 200 miles away from your hometown,"
"I went Université de la Polynésie Française a few years ago and I just sort of stayed here,"
"I can't blame you,"
"The swells here are pretty great,"
"Yeah. Do you surf?"
"I've been long boarding since I was boy. I'm not the best, but it's definitely fun. Are you from Tahiti-Nui?"
"I actually grew up in Tahiti-Iti in Teahupo'o. But when I was about 18 I moved here in Paea. I had to leave without my younger siblings. I'm waiting until I get a proper job to support them,"
"You're the oldest?"
"Of five. What about you, do you have any siblings?"
"Just the one. She's about 18; we've got a nine year age gap,"
"I have a similar age gap with second oldest. He's 15. What about your sister, what's she like?"
"She's a great surfer but she wants to be a zoologist. Her names Vaitea,"
"That's a pretty name. I knew a Vaitea when I was growing up. She was also a great surfer. Maybe it's in the name,"
"Do you surf? I mean growing up in one of the best surfing spots in the world you must have at least once,"
Éponine subconsciously slid her left hand towards the side of the steering wheel so Enjolras couldn't see her scar. "Not anymore,"
"Why not?"
"Didn't anyone teach you not to pry?" she snapped.
"Sorry," Enjolras dropped the subject and stared out the window.
Éponine continued to drive in silence while the boys talked about Enjolras' trip. Something about fish and acid and ocean. Éponine was too busy trying to get around afternoon traffic and crazy tourists to listen to their conversation.
By the time they got to the bay, it was almost sunset. Everyone rushed out of the water and ran to greet their friend with salt wet hugs. Soon, Enjolras was retelling the stories he told Courfeyrac in the car. Something about fish and acid and ocean. Éponine was once again occupied with her thoughts. She watched quietly as the sun dipped into the ocean.
It was kind to her once, the ocean. It let her feel like she was queen of the world when she caught a good wave. She owned almost every single wave she rode. The water seemed to obey her. Éponine had the brightest surfing career and was so close to becoming a pro-surfer, until the day of her accident. Everything seemed normal that day, bright sun and great swells. But the swells grew more and more until Éponine was pushed under. Waves came down on her like bricks and suddenly-
"Éponine," Jehan said, waking her from her terrifying daydream. "We were going to go find a place to eat dinner to celebrate Enjolras' return home,"
"We all eat out every single night," Bahorel said to his boyfriend. "If we keep doing this, I'll end up broke,"
"Same," Bossuet and Grantaire sighed simultaneously.
"Well if you guys don't want to eat out, I can make dinner," Éponine said. Everyone looked up with bright eyes.
It wasn't a secret that she was a great cook. In fact there was a month where Les Amis would randomly bring groceries to her house so she could make them dinner. This eventually stopped because Éponine had grown tired of cooking every single meal for 14 people.
"Really?" Feuilly asked.
"Yeah, I mean I haven't really cooked in awhile,"
"Wait, have you been eating properly?" Joly asked with shock.
"Does take away count?"
"Jesus, Éponine," he sighed.
"Well, it's settled then. We're making Ép cook," Musichetta smiled.
Now they aren't too sure how it started, but Éponine eventually threw manners out the window and she and Enjolras had a full on screaming match in the beginning of dinner while Les Amis sat quietly and waited for things to calm back down. Ok, maybe they did know how it started but, hell, neither of them gave up without a proper fight.
Everyone waited in Éponine's small house while she prepared a special dinner. No one knew what she was making but they were all excited for it. After about twenty minutes, she had asked Jehan to get enough plates and utensils for everyone while she finished up. Jehan was like another younger brother and she cared for him dearly.
"Ok everyone," Éponine announced from the kitchen. "Dinners ready,"
Les Amis walked in the kitchen, mouths watering at the smell of spices and coconut milk. Éponine's famous e'ia ota* was waiting on the kitchen table mixed in with cubes of cucumber, tomato, lime juice, and coconut milk as well as other secret ingredients. Les Amis stood in a line at her small kitchen table and piled food onto their plates with maru'uru'u* to their friend and headed back to the living room. Everyone had food on their plate except Enjolras who was leaning up against the cabinets.
"If you don't eat raw fish, I can throw it on the frying pan real quick, if you'd like," Éponine said when she noticed his empty plate.
"I don't eat fish at all," Enjolras replied flatly.
"Oh sorry, I forgot to ask if you were allergic to anything,"
"It's not that I'm allergic, it's that I try not to eat the thing I'm trying to protect. It's people like you who are putting fish in danger,"
"Excuse me? It sounded like you were disrespecting me and my cooking, Blondie. Did I not open my home to all twelve of you for your sake? Did I not spend money on expensive ingredients? Did I not put my time and effort into this? And, hell, this was very expensive,"
"Look. All I'm saying is that you aren't helping the cause,"
"You know who isn't helping the cause? All those people out there leaving trash on the beach and all those companies out there who are dumping their waste in the ocean. So if you think the enemy is in here, then you need to reevaluate your goals,"
"My goal is to save marine life and that means not eating the fish. Do you know how much the fish population has dropped and how much the acidity of the ocean has risen?"
"You've been telling everyone all day about the fish and acid and ocean! How could I not hear you? And besides, the islanders have been eating for centuries and the fish have been fine. It's those tourists that have been polluting the ocean with their trash. Now if you don't agree that that's a contributing factor to marine life danger, than you better get some teaching before you do the preaching,"
An ooh-ing noise could be heard from a few of the guys as Enjolras shut up.
Éponine exhaled and leaned back on the fridge across from the blushing young man. "So, since you aren't going to eat fish, I can make you something else for dinner. How does pineapple chicken sound?"
"That sounds nice," Enjolras said in an almost mumble. "Maru'uru'u,"
"No problem, Blondie. You can wait in the living room with the rest of Les Amis. I'll be done in a few minutes," Enjolras walked away with confusion.
If Éponine had just left the argument when she made her point, he would've just left her alone from that point onward. But she had offered to still do something nice for him which left him baffled. Was he supposed to stay mad at her for arguing with him or apologize and continue trying to be friends with her. All he knew was that this girl would be a challenge in the future.
A/N: didn't really get into surfing competition yet, but I'll get there next chapter :]
*Avae(ah-vah-eh): Tahitian word for moon
*e'ia ota(eh-ee-yah oh-tah): Tahitian dish similar to ceviche
*maru'uru'u(mah-roo-roo): Tahitian word for thanks