Fluorescent lights. Unfamiliar, scratchy clothing. A beeping monitor. A dripping IV.
Goddammit.
Enjolras groaned and tried to lift his arm.
"Oh my god, Enjolras! Enjolras, sweetie, are you alright? Try not to move too much, okay? You took a really hard hit." An all too familiar voice chimed beside him, as his mother fussed frantically over him, checking all his bandages and the IV in his arm.
His mother.
Last night's events flooded his memory.
"Hey Enjy, here's the latest stuff on the streets." A girl he was sure he hadn't invited whispered in his ear, tucking a small bag of bright aqua and white pills in his hand. "It's called Vertigo. And it'll take you to places you've never been before."
"Are you on it?" he asked.
"If I was, I wouldn't be wearing this much, believe me." She replied, tracing her finger along his neck.
"Uhh… sure. Yeah, I'll just pop upstairs and put this stuff in my room. Don't want anyone catching us with it." Enjolras answered, wondering how she got past security.
He didn't see it coming.
"Mom?" Enjolras asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "Mom, what in the hell are you doing?"
"Enjolras, it's not what you think, sweetie, it really isn't—"
"How could you? At my 18th birthday party? Seriously, mom?" his voice cracked, betraying him.
"Enjolras—"
"No. You know I…I can't, I can't even look at you anymore." He turned around, blinking, and walked as fast as he could back to the party, leaving his mother standing helplessly in the hallway.
He looked down at the pills in his hand.
"Get the hell away from me. Get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you."
"Honey, I—"
"Now." He gritted through his teeth. She blinked tears, nodded and left.
"Bit harsh there, bud." His friend leaning against the wall commented.
"Don't." Enjolras closed his eyes. "Last night. How bad was it?"
"Well I, for one, still say that I hold the record for dumbest act, seeing as I sang Hit Me Baby One More Time and I Just Need Somebody to Love while playing baseball strip naked with some lovely ladies…but you cut it pretty close. You up and left your own birthday party, got high, and drove your birthday present into a tree." Grantaire replied, leaning away from the wall and coming over to Enjolras's bedside. "It grieves me to say that your sweet ride didn't make it."
"I don't give a shit about the damn car."
"Is that so? You begged your mum for weeks on end for it. You called it your baby. You—"
"Alright, I get it, I get it." Enjolras turned away from Grantaire.
"Ah, ah. There's more, my friend. And I'm afraid it isn't great news."
"I totaled my beautiful car and fucked up my 18th birthday party. What could be worse?"
"Dangerous words." Grantaire wagged his finger. "See, you were driving under influence of drugs, so…"
"Ah, shit." Enjolras covered his face with his hands. "Shit."
"The judge wanted to make an example of you and show the world that just because you have money, doesn't mean you escape the law. Your trial was scheduled in 5 days."
"Was?"
"Nevertheless, strings were pulled." Grantaire shrugged. "You've got 2 years of probation and 500 hours of community service at a legal office in the Glades."
"You're funny."
"Would you rather go to jail?"
There was a pause. Enjolras sighed. "No."
"Good, because you've got a much better deal here. Just…watch out, alright man? The Glades is still the Glades."
"Yeah."
"Alright, Enjolras, can you pull out everything dated after 2009 from this pile?" Cosette asked, handing him the stack of papers.
Day ten of his community service.
Things had been going alright, seeing as Enjolras was now working for his brother's ex-girlfriend, whose father, Inspector Javert, hated their family but still pulled the strings to help Enjolras. Cosette was a regular modern Snow White, and Enjolras couldn't see why Oliver had left her. No chance to ask him now, though.
He looked up as he finished with the filtering assignment to see Cosette smiling at him.
"What?"
"Lunch. Come on, I know a good vendor. And I'm guessing you've never eaten anything from a street vendor."
"Mm, God, who knew street meat could taste so good?"
"I had a feeling you needed a break from the office." Cosette smiled. "Hank was my first client. I kept his son from going to jail for a mugging he didn't commit."
"And how did that not score you free hotdogs for life?"
Cosette laughed.
"C.N.R.I gives low income people access to the legal system, without them, Hank's son would have gone to prison forever."
"I could have gone to prison, too." Enjolras protested. He fiddled with his cellphone and tucked it into his front pocket.
"He couldn't afford a dream team of super lawyers."
"So I'm supposed to feel lucky because I have a rich family?"
"No. You are lucky. And hopefully C.N.R.I will show you that."
Enjolras looked at Cosette.
Someone bumped roughly into Enjolras. The weight in his back and front pockets lifted.
"Hey!" He yelled after the lithe red figure. He and Cosette sprinted after the thief, cornering him to a tall fence. A dead end.
"Give us the wallet, and we won't press any charges." Cosette panted.
The hooded thief turned.
Enjolras's jaw dropped. "You're a girl." he said incredulously.
"Woman." She replied, a smirk played on her lips but barely reached her chocolate eyes.
Enjolras blinked.
The thief leapt onto the wall and ricocheted over the top of the fence and onto the other side. She glanced back at Enjolras and Cosette to make sure they didn't follow suit.
Her chocolate eyes met his one last time.
And then she was gone. Melted back into the shadows of the Glades.
"Yeah, you're right. I really do feel lucky." Enjolras muttered. Something glinted in the light, catching his eye. He walked up to the fence and saw a necklace, with a silver bird hanging along the thin chain. "Hey, she dropped this."
"Must've snagged on the fence as she jumped over. You can use it to track her."
"Yes, she wears a red hoodie, she's a brunette, brown eyes, yup. Uh huh. Thank you so much." Enjolras spoke into the phone as he scribbled on the notepad in front of him.
Éponine Thénardier.
He circled it. He would find her.
A/N: Inspired by a new favourite TV series of mine, Arrow! Inspired, though. Might turn out differently. Please review! Thanks :)