Enjolras set up posters all over campus: a new political club, first meeting this Friday. He was a bit nervous: he was a freshman and had just created this club, which wasn't even officially sanctioned by his university. He hadn't really enjoyed the clubs that he saw on campus, so he had taken it upon himself to make this club – and, really, make friends. So he really, really, really needed this to go well.
Nervously, Enjolras tapped his fingers on the table as he waited for people to show up. They were meeting outside, just on the fields, which Enjolras knew would be free. But it was especially unhelpful when Enjolras kept looking at his watch and counted as the minutes went past four, when he had asked people to come. Maybe they were just late? Or maybe no one wanted to come. Who was Enjolras kidding? No one wanted to come to a stupid club about politics; politics was boring and no one cared about it. He sighed and was about to stand up when he heard someone shout.
"Excuse me!" a lanky boy of about 6' called, pushing his glasses up. "Hey, are you the one who's here for the political club? L'ABC, it was called?"
"Yeah!" Enjolras said excitedly. "I'm the one who put up the posters. What's your name?"
"Jean," the boy said. "What's yours?"
Enjolras grinned crookedly. "That's a good name," he commented. "I'm called Jean, too."
Jean smiled. "Well, I can see how this might get confusing," he said. "Is anyone else coming, do you know?"
"Not sure," Enjolras replied. "I think – oh, look, here comes a few now, I think."
Both of them turned around to see a group of three boys heading their way. One of them evidently seemed to know Jean, because he waved at Jean very enthusiastically. "Do you know him?" Enjolras asked curiously.
"Nope," Jean said. "I've seen him around, though. He just seems to be friendly to everyone."
"I can see that," Enjolras said as the boy waved at him, too.
The group of boys came up. The outgoing boy said, "I'm assuming this is L'ABC meeting?"
"Yes, it is," Enjolras said. "I'm Jean, it's nice to meet you."
"Hey, high five!" the boy exclaimed. "That's my name, too!"
"Wait, are you serious?" Jean, the 6' one with glasses said. "Jean is my name, too."
"Matter of fact, I'm called Jean," one of the other boys in the exuberant boy's group said.
Enjolras looked at the group of five for a moment in dumbfounded silence. After a minute of awkward silence, he finally managed to find his voice. "Are… are we all called Jean?"
"My name is Marius," one boy with freckles and curly brown hair piped up.
"Thank goodness," Enjolras said. "Well, if there are any more coming, I guess we can just-"
About four more boys came up to the group. "Hi, I'm here for the meeting of L'ABC?" one of them said.
"All of us are, I think," another one said, looking to the other two for confirmation.
"Perfect," Enjolras said, slightly disconcerted by the five Jeans but otherwise happy that his meeting was turning out to be a success. "Let's – let's sit in a circle and introduce ourselves, shall we?"
"This will be fun!" the exuberant Jean said, winking at the 6' Jean.
"I'll start," Enjolras offered. "My name is Jean, and I was the one who put up all the posters. I'm-"
"Your name is Jean?" a rather dirty-looking boy who was slightly unshaven and unkempt said. "So's mine."
"And mine," about eight others echoed.
Enjolras looked around the group, completely thrown off. "I guess we'll have to incorporate last names," he said hesitantly. "I'm Jean Enjolras, and I'm a freshman here."
"I'm Jean Combeferre," said the 6' Jean. "I'm also a freshman."
"I'm Jean Courfeyrac," said the exuberant Jean. "I'm a freshman as well. Wouldn't that be funny if all of us were freshman, too?"
"I'm going to ruin that, I'm afraid," another Jean said. "I'm Jean Feuilly, and I'm a junior here."
"I'm Jean Prouvaire, and I'm a sophomore."
"Jean Bahorel. I'm a senior."
"Jean Bossuet. And yes, I am a freshman, and yes, I realise I'm bald but that's not something I can really help, okay?"
The corners of Enjolras's mouth twitched. "None of us were going to hold it against you."
"He was," Jean Bossuet said, pointing an accusatory finger at Jean Courfeyrac.
Jean Courfeyrac shrugged. "I was admiring my gorgeous hair. I wasn't going to comment on how you don't have any."
"Moving on," Enjolras said, nodding to the next boy, the unkempt one.
"I'm Jean Grantaire," he said. "I'm a freshman and I'm really only here because I saw you putting up the posters and I thought you were hot."
Enjolras blushed. "Surely that's not the only reason," he said hopefully.
"Well, no," Jean Grantaire said. "I'm also here because I wanted to hear you speak, as well, to see if you were still as pretty when you talked. I have yet to decide that."
Clearing his throat and blushing slightly, Enjolras looked at the next boy and nodded to him.
"I'm Marius Pontmercy," the boy said. "Sorry to break the chain of Jeans, but I guess someone had to be different."
"Thank God, someone we can actually call by his first name," Jean Courfeyrac said, grinning. "He's my roommate, so I get to call him whatever I want, though."
Marius smiled awkwardly and looked at his feet.
"I'm Jean Joly," the last boy in the circle said. "My parents were going for alliteration. I'm a sophomore here."
"Okay," Enjolras said, feeling very awkward. "So… so all of us are called Jean except for one." He looked at Marius, then said, "I guess you can just count yourself lucky, Marius."
From that moment on, no one ever mentioned first names again.