"Cosette, I need to talk to you..." Éponine said severely.
Cosette, along with her best friend from University, Musichetta, turned around to face Éponine, a petite brunette that was the total opposite of herself. Clad in skinny jeans, converse shoes and a red and black, v-necked t-shirt that depicted a phrase Cosette didn't acknowledge, Éponine contrasted with the blonde girl who wore a baby blue preppy dress and high heels. Musichetta looked at her as though she was insignificant and Cosette smiled, trying to appear friendly but not being able to hide her discomfort.
"Yes, Éponine?" Cosette answered.
"Alone," she cleared out while openly staring at Musichetta disdainfully.
"I'll leave then. I'll be in H&M if you need me," she said looking worriedly at her friend and then purposely bumping shoulders with Éponine, who hissed in return.
"Your friend loves me," she said with irony.
"Oh, she's not used to you, but if you meet her, you'll be friends in a little while," Cosette answered with a wide smile.
"So...what do you want?" she continued after a minute of uncomfortable silence. They stood up in the middle of the mall while everyone around them moved busily.
"Perhaps we could go somewhere more discreet?" Éponine asked.
"Le Café Musain?" Cosette proposed.
"Are you kidding me? Enjolras will probably be there!" Éponine exclaimed.
"Ah, so you want to talk to me about my boyfriend..." she stated doubtfully.
"Yes, I'm worried about him," Éponine answered.
Éponine and Enjolras were best friends since high school. Now in university they even lived together in a house with Grantaire and Combeferre. There was nothing between them, no estrange chemistry when their fingers touched or blushing when their eyes met. At least, that's what Éponine thought when he proposed that she moved with them to cut prices and make it easier for her, who was struggling with maintaining her scholarship in Emerson College, which she had dedicated heart and soul to get.
The first year was very easy for her. She got used to having Courfeyrac, another one of their friends, as a guest in their sofa quite often and seeing that Grantaire didn't cause himself any harm after his drunken nights. She accustomed to Combeferre's rather unusual times of studying and sleeping and the constant visit of all their amis. When they all got used to go for her advice, she finally felt like she had a proper family.
One day, Enjolras arrived home with a girl holding his hand. It was Cosette, his new girlfriend, who all of their amis found beautiful but sort of insufrible. Then, Éponine realized certain details she actually really valued in Enjolras, when he stopped doing them. He no longer hugged her, brought her movies to watch, books to discuss, he wouldn't remember her with anything during his day, help her with her schoolwork or ask her for help. He didn't invite her to have a dinner on saturdays in "non dates" plans. He wouldn't sit down and enjoy music with her or bring her a cookie from Le Café Musain whenever he was reminded of her. He wouldn't even discuss about the state of the country with her; he had Cosette for all that. She was there to hear him complain about schoolwork, to help him barricade himself in his room whenever their friend's music was too loud and he needed to study, to accompany him as he read a book and to sing to him when he needed to relax. She tried that Enjolras' lack of attention didn't harm her. After all, she wasn't in love with him...or at least that's what she tried to think.
The walked to a little ice cream parlor in the mall and sat down on a corner. Cosette could guess what Éponine was going to tell her but still tried to play dumb and simply try to avoid the conversation as much as possible.
"The last time I talked to Enjolras, he was fine," Cosette said.
"And...when was that Cosette? A week ago? For being his girlfriend you really seem to be uninterested about what's happening in his life!" Éponine said irritably.
"What happened? Is he okay?" Cosette asked.
"He flunked a class Cosette...it's the first time IN HIS LIFETIME that something like this happens to him. If I had to guess it's due to how worried he is..." Éponine roared.
"Is he worried? What about?" Cosette asked innocently.
"I don't want to point out anything but he's been very worried about your relationship," Éponine said and Cosette rolled her eyes meanly, showing clearly that she was not used to do that kind of gestures. Éponine raised her eyebrow.
"Our relationship is in a perfect state. Thanks for worrying. That's it," Cosette said in a rush and stood up but Éponine took her wrist and made her sit down.
"Forget about this Missy. Sit down," Éponine demanded.
"What? You've got nothing to say about my relationship with Enjolras. Unless you're particularly interested in us breaking..." she said, trying to add a little suspicion in her voice, which completely irritated Éponine.
"The jealous girlfriend role doesn't fit you," Éponine snarled, "Now you're going to tell me, what's going on?"
"Nothing's going on," she said innocently.
"Cosette, he just talks to me about how you fight every day and let me tell you...the topics you fight about are so unimportant that I don't think Enjolras would ever start them...I mean, he wouldn't fight about you not having time to accompany him to buy a book...or that you don't respect his "sleeping time". Seriously, why do you do it? It almost seems like you want to fight with him..." Éponine answered, recovering her composure a little. Cosette sighed.
"Enjolras is much like you...let's accept it, you have so much in common!" she said.
"That's why I care about him...we spent a very good time together, we're very close friends. And still that's another excuse for fighting with him. You told him he spent too much time with me..." she reproached.
"Well...it's true..." she said with indifference.
"Listen to me blondie, YOUR boyfriend asked me, his BEST FRIEND, to serenade you. He even gave me the song. And it's a beautiful song. You know what? I'm going to do it, sing the damned song to you in his behalf, although I'm sure you won't understand it or appreciate it. That's how much he loves you but you're a preppy princess and if he's not like a lost puppy behind you, you don't think it's love," Éponine said.
"Don't say that!" Cosette defended herself in a weak voice.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" Éponine asked.
"You won't tell anybody right?" Cosette asked with tears in her eyes.
"It depends..." she answered.
"I met a guy, alright? Actually...Enjolras introduced him to me. It was actually love at first sight! He's so different to Enjolras...I mean you should see him Éponine. He's handsome, but totally different to Enjolras. And he's not desperately trying to find a hidden meaning to everything. He likes politics but he's not always ranting about it. He's tender and cute. We've been dating for two months and I think I'm actually in love Éponine," she said dreamily and Éponine looked at her alarmed.
"Why did you accept dating Enjolras if you don't see him the way he does? More importantly, why do you keep feeding his feelings? You're pathetic!" Éponine spat.
"I did find Enjolras attractive when he first asked me to date him...and when he asked me to be his girlfriend...I don't know...my father was there and my father loves Enjolras because he's intelligent and has a future. People stared and Enjolras smiled, expecting an answer. There was so much pressure in me! Besides...it's not like I didn't like him...I actually felt I loved him. But then the magic broke...and Marius appeared and he's a beau," she said.
"What's his name again?" Éponine asked shocked.
"Marius. Marius Pontmercy," she said.
"So...you're cheating on Enjolras with the stepbrother he can't stand. Brava!" she said ironically.
"What?" Cosette asked, her eyes wide open.
"What you heard. Marius' dad moved in with Enjolras' mom like two or three years ago...and they cannot stand each other. They don't acknowledge each other as "real" stepbrothers," Éponine explained.
"That's why he introduced Marius to me as a friend?" Cosette asked.
"I don't know...maybe. He introduced him to me as the insufrible idiot who's father ruined his family," Éponine said.
"Oh Éponine please don't tell him anything," Cosette pleaded.
"Why would I help you?" Éponine asked curtly.
"Because...if you don't...I'll tell him you love him," Cosette menaced, making Éponine laugh coldly.
"First, you wouldn't be capable of doing so. Second, it wouldn't matter because that's not true. You've got much more to loose than I do," Éponine said.
"I've seen how you look at him, Éponine, you really like him and everyone knows that," Cosette said.
"Really? And do you think he'll believe you? You who have been cheating on him?" Éponine asked raising her eyebrow.
"Please Nina..." she said.
"Don't call me that," she replied coldly. The nickname reminded her of a very dark moment of her life.
"Well 'Ponina," she tried again.
"That nickname's reserved for friends and clearly you aren't one," Éponine said severely, making Cosette look away.
"Please don't tell him...I never meant to harm him...please," Cosette tried, making Éponine sigh heavily.
Maybe it was the way she loved to help those in need or the fact that she didn't want to make Enjolras upset, but Éponine felt she couldn't tell him. She cursed weakness and her heart ached for a while.
"Cosette...you'll tell him and tell him now," Éponine said.
"I'll search for a way to make it less painful for him," Cosette promised enthusiastically while standing up and hugging Éponine, who frowned and stood up.
"I'm sorry Cosette, but I can't share your enthusiasm," she said turning around to leave. Finding herself face to face with Enjolras, who was being pushed to the ice cream parlor by Grantaire. His frustrated frown turned into a smile as soon as he saw Cosette behind Éponine. He moved forward and said hello to Éponine before kissing Cosette, who kissed him back rather reluctantly.
"What's wrong?" he asked looking at Éponine worriedly.
"Nothing love," Cosette answered with a smile on her face as she hugged him.
"Good to know. I've got so much to tell you!" he said hugging her back.
Éponine looked at Enjolras and Cosette with an unavoidable frown.
"I have to go..." Éponine said, more to herself than to anybody else. Grantaire, who was looking from afar, hugged the girl and took her out of the ice cream parlor as Enjolras and Cosette sat down and talked lively.
This is a complicated love triangle...and I'm loving all the ideas I'm getting! :) I hope you like it.
