Hi all! Thanks for the positive reviews on my first chapter!
I've been thinking about it, and I think I may make this into a longer story. Please let me know in the reviews how you would feel about that. Thanks!
Also, I would like you to know that after this update there will be a little bit of a break as I am going to try and write quite a lot of chapters in that time so I can post them a little more regularly after. Hope that's okay with you
Anyways, on with the story!
-Bryn
~~0~~
She climbed through the window of Gavroche's room as quick and quietly as she could, trying her hardest not to wake the twelve year old boy asleep on the mattress on the floor. He had surely been an accident, her parents hadn't wanted one kid, let alone two. She was glad he had been born, though. He was the one ray of sunshine in her life.
He woke quickly, though. The boy was a light sleeper, just like herself. They had good reasons, though. Living with the Thenardier's, you never knew when you would have to wake up quickly. Whether it was the police, or it was their own father after too much to drink, you had to be alert.
His bright blue eyes opened, his hands clutched at the thin blanket covering him from the cool of the night. Their dingy home had no heating, and even in the summer, it was quite cold.
They looked nothing like, actually. He had light blonde hair that fell down just to his shoulders, and the bluest eyes imaginable. He was growing fast, though. At twelve, he was almost taller than her. Eponine, however, had both of her parent's features. Dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and a taste for strong alcohol. She was fairly certain Gavroche was the mistake of some affair, and she was fairly certain that her father knew that as well. Eponine knew that was why her father despised him most of all.
And even though she and her mother had an anything but loving relationship, they agreed on the fact that they had to make sure that papa didn't hurt him. Not as much as he had hurt Eponine. He hadn't done anything too horrible to the younger boy, yet, but Eponine knew the day would come.
"Ep?" Gavroche whispered quietly. "What are you doing here?"
Eponine felt a stab of guilt as he asked the question. She was never there. He probably spent most of his time locked up in this bare room with nothing but the sketchbook Eponine had bought him for his tenth birthday. It was selfish, she knew, leaving him here while she spent most of her time away. But it wasn't like she could take him with her.
Eponine climbed in, and set her feet carefully on the ground. She closed the window slowly, as not to create any noise to wake their parents.
"I came back to see you" she whispered, sitting at the foot of his mattress.
"You haven't been back in almost a week" Gavroche said, his blue eyes blinking sleepily. "I thought, maybe, you wouldn't come back this time."
Eponine smiled a sad smile. "I'll always come back" she said, leaning against the cool, bare wall. "Don't you worry about me, ok? Have papa and mama been good?" she asked.
Gavroche nodded once. "It's been pretty quiet around here lately. Papa's been spending a hell of a'lotta time in the streets. Beggin'. Stealin'. The usual."
"Mama?"
Gavroche shrugged. "She's been sulky. The usual."
"Has she been feeding you?"
"Enough that I'm okay."
Eponine nodded. She always had to ask the important questions first. She leaned forward and opened her bag, pulling out something wrapped in newspaper. She had bought it with the leftover change from groceries. "Here," she said, holding out towards him. "I got you something."
Gavroche took it eagerly, and unwrapped the thinly wrapped gift. Inside was an army man action figure from one of the comic books Gavroche loved so desperately. Not that they could afford any, but he read them like a madman at the library. A grin spread across his face instantly. "Captain Walker" he said. He looked up at her. "Thanks, Ep."
She pulled out a package of trail mix, and a bottled water to put in the box in the closet. It was a safety box. For in case mama had one of her fits and refused to cook, and he needed something to eat.
The mattress sunk as she rested on the small mattress beside him. "Aren't you going to go back out?" Gavroche asked.
Eponine shook her head. "No" she said. "No, I'm going to stay tonight. I'll give mama the groceries in the morning. I'll probably head off sometime after that. But no, I think I'm going to stay tonight."
"Ok" Gavroche said, and rolled over to give her room. "I think I'm going to try and sleep now."
"Alright. Goodnight, buddy" she said.
"Goodnight, Ep."
She wasn't how sure she lay awake staring at the paint chipped ceiling, but it was long enough that Gavroche was deeply sleeping when she started to drift off herself. She woulddeal with everything in the morning. Deal with mama, and deal with the food, and make sure her little brother was okay. She would do it all in the morning.
And slowly, after such an agonizing night, she fell asleep.
~~0~~
Gavroche was still asleep when she woke up. It must've been eight, or eight thirty, but it was earlier than mama usually was up. That's why she was a bit surprised when she heard moving in the other room. She got up from the mattress, and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, before realizing that she was still wearing the clothes that Enjolras had lent her, and he still had her phone.
She cursed under her breath, so not to wake Gavroche.
She padded quietly into the kitchen-slash-living room-slash-office-slash-criminal party room to see her mother sprawled across the couch in an ill-fitting dress and much too heavy makeup. Her eyes moved from the newspaper in front of her, too look at Eponine.
"Oh," she said, her eyes dead. "It's you."
Eponine placed the grocery bag on the counter. "I got some bread and milk and beans. I think it'll last you the week."
Her mother didn't say anything in return, but turned back to her newspaper. She coughed as she drew in a breath of her cigarette.
She placed half of her making on the kitchen table. "And here's your weeks share. Do with it what you will. Maybe get Gav a haircut. Or do something nice."
Her mother made a grunting noise, as if to say okay, but they both knew exactly where the money would go to. It would go into their mother's pocket, and buy a weeks' worth of wine that she would drain in one night.
She changed out of Enjolras' clothes into a pair of worn out jeans, a large sweater and a pair of boots she had owned since she was about fifteen. She needed to give them back, and she needed to get her goddamned phone. She thought about where he would most likely be at nine o'clock in the morning.
Most likely, he would be at the café with the rest of the amis drinking far too much coffee and talking far too much about patriotism or whatever the hell they always went on about.
However much she didn't want to go, and didn't want to have to confront him about anything that had happened the night before, at all, she needed that phone and she needed to see the rest of the amis. They got worried if they didn't see her after a few days.
She walked back into the living room, and to their door. "I'm going out" she said, not looking her mother in the face. "Be good to Gav."
Her mother's voice was raspy. "I'll try."
~~0~~
They didn't live far from downtown, or at least, the hip downtown that the café was located. It was about a twenty minute walk from her part of town into the hub of the downtown area. She had always enjoyed downtown. The busy streets and the crowds of people were far better than the lonely places she would spend at during days at end of jobs from her father. And she enjoyed seeing her friends, too. They were all very different then her. Rich, educated and employed. But they were good to her. And she was good to them. So it worked.
She was looking forward to seeing R, as well. He was the best of them all in her opinion, but most would say otherwise. They didn't like how he was outspoken, and they didn't like the way he drank. But Eponine enjoyed the man much more than the other amis. He was the only one who really seemed to understand her.
Eponine pushed open the door of the café, and a wind chime greeted her, a tinkle dancing through the air. It smelled strongly of coffee bean, and was warmer than the cool autumn air that tickled the back of her neck. She saw Musichetta behind the counter having a chat with Joly, and the rest of the amis were located in the right corner of the small shop. Marius and Courf sat at the head of the table, while the rest of the group seemed immersed in what they were saying. As Eponine neared, she almost groaned. It was always about politics.
Politics. What a bore.
Combeferre was the first to greet her. "Hey, 'Ponine!" he said, smiling widely. He beckoned at the empty chair in between him and Marius. "Come and have a seat!"
She smiled politely at him. "Sure," she replied. Her eyes then caught a sprawl of gold across the room in front of the restrooms. Enjolras sat alone at a table immersed in one of his many novels. It was her chance to give him back his clothes without too many questions, so she took it.
"Sure," she said, "just let me use the washroom first."
Combeferre nodded twice, distracted by whatever the two beside him were talking about.
Eponine walked across the café, and placed the plastic bags with the clothes on the table in front of him. "Here" she said, awkwardly. He looked up from his novel at the bag, then at her.
"Thanks," he replied, then reached to pull something from his pocket. Her phone. He held it out for her to take. She took it quickly, unsure of what to say next. She looked over her shoulder and peered at the amis who all seemed to be laughing at some sort of funny joke Courf had said.
"You should come and sit with the rest of us" she said, "I mean, you're sort of awkward all alone here by yourself."
He looked back down at his book. "Maybe" he said, then shrugged. "I don't know. Marius and I are in somewhat of a…disagreement, at the moment."
She raised an eyebrow. "What did he do this time?"
Enjolras let out a quiet chuckle. "He was being himself, mostly. Idiotic and self-centred."
Eponine's lip curled up in a small smile. "Well, if you change your mind, there's always a seat with R and I."
He said thank you, and went back to his book, as she walked over to R, who sat at the opposite end of the table, across from Courf and Marius. He wore his signature grey beanie and black and green flannel jacket. He grinned as Eponine neared.
"How's my dazzling girl doing today?" he asked, as she pulled up a chair to sit beside him.
"Well, my brother's not dead. So that's good."
R was the only one, well, besides Enjolras now, that actually really knew anything about her home life. He was a good person to talk to as well, because he didn't try to make it better, he just listened.
"That is good. How' Gav doing anyway?" he offered Eponine a sip of his coffee. She took it before replying.
"Good" she said, "I mean, I think he's doing well. Better than usual, at least. He's looking a little better fed. Mom's been making him stuff, at least."
"I miss the munchkin" he said, "You should bring him around again."
Eponine shrugged. "Maybe. He's got school, though he doesn't make it most days."
Musichetta cut off their conversation, as she yelled across the room at Courf. "Hey, Bedhead!" she called, "Come get your damn coffee. It's been sitting here for five minutes, and I'm not going to make you a new one once it gets cold and you whine."
Courf rolled his eyes, but stood up to go get the coffee and everyone at the table chuckled. Eponine enjoyed the warm, fuzzy, kind feeling this café and her friends brought and wished that she could have it all the time. She leaned her head onto R's shoulder. He patted it.
They listened to Marius and Courf argue colourfully at a new bill that had been passed, and Eponine still felt her heart leap slightly anytime Marius would look in her direction. She hated herself for this. Because, she knew she couldn't have him. She had accepted it a long time ago. But a part of herself still wanted to be with him so badly. She wanted him to be the one to make everything alright, but it seemed that it would never be the case. And Cosette was a nice girl, and she knew they were happy together.
It somehow made it better. But it somehow made it worse.
But she'd had far more worse things to deal with lately than Marius's pretty face, including the blonde statue across the room, with his face stuck in a book.
She was still quite unsure of where they stood. Their conversation had been civil, but she still felt like he wanted to say something else. Something more. And she still wanted to apologize about her ridiculous behavior, but she didn't know how. They needed to talk, but she didn't know how they were going to do it.
And she still couldn't get over the fact of how much she had enjoyed kissing him. She was convinced it had been the alcohol and desperation, but…but no but. No but.
She shook the thought out of her head, and turned to look at Marius as he spoke.
"Tomorrow night is good for everyone?" he asked.
"Pardon?" Eponine asked. "I missed that."
"Tomorrow night at Rouge et Noir? We're all going out for drinks. Are you in?"
Eponine nodded. "I'm in."
R nudged her. "I can pick you up at eight near the Gas n' Go?" he asked, referring to the run-down gas station across the street from her house.
"Thanks" she said, casting him a small smile.
"Hey, Blondie!" R shouted across the room, and Enjolras looked up at him with a scowl. "Do you need a ride tomorrow?"
"I do own my own car, I'll have you know…"
Grantaire waved him off. "I'll need you to drive my car home, anyways" he said, and Enjolras mumbled in hesitant agreement. It was true. Enjolras was their designated driver, and Grantaire was their designated drunk. He would need someone to drive him home.
Grantaire looked back at her. "You need a ride home? I sort of want to see Gav, anyway."
"Sure" she replied, and pulled her bag over her shoulder.
They said goodbye to the rest of the group, and headed outside to R's 1996 Corolla. She was grateful for his friendship. And his transportation, to be honest, but was also glad at how much he bonded with Gavroche. The little guy needed as many friends as he could get.
She could only hope that her mother would be in a good mood, or as good as she could get, when R was over.
She could only hope that her father wasn't there at all.
~~0~~
Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, but I promise that the next ones will be longer. I just wanted to give you a little bit more before I go on a writing binge.
Anyways, I know there wasn't a lot of Enjolras/ Eponine interaction in this chapter, but I PROMISE you that there will be more next chapter and the chapter after that.
Again, please review and tell me If you would like this story to be a little longer than I anticipated :)
Thanks for reading!
-Bryn
