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Chapter 9

"'Ponine, what's with the crazy smile on your face?"

The smile that Montparnasse was referring to was erased from her face the moment she heard his voice. Her dreamy expression turned instantly into one of anger and malice.

"Leave me alone, 'Parnasse," she snarled. She'd had a wonderful walk with Marius that had put her in a brilliant mood, and now Montparnasse was ruining it by existing.

"But I want to discuss the kiss from earlier."

Of course he would want to discuss the kiss. The kiss that had gotten her out of the inn to go to Marius' meeting, resulting in the lovely walk home.

"Well I don't. Goodnight, Parnasse," she snapped, stalking off towards the stairs, only to be stopped by Montparnasse grabbing her arm. "Let me go, 'Parnasse," she snarled, trying to yank her arm out of his grip. But he was too strong.

He pulled her back towards him. "Now just why would I do that, 'Ponine?" he asked her, smirking.

"You are despicable!" she yelled.

"You know you love me," he replied calmly, still smirking.

"Anything but!" she retorted, struggling in his grip, vainly attempting to free herself.

"Now, now 'Ponine, no need to fight me," Montparnasse told her. "It's just me after all."

"Parnasse-" she started, but before she could finish, his mouth had closed over hers. Her eyes widened in horror and fury, and she struggled to push him away. He was rough and tasted like alcohol, and she was entirely disgusted.

She hissed furiously as she finally managed to shove him away from her. "Just leave me alone, Montparnasse!" she told him angrily, her dark eyes blazing with fury.

"It's that boy, isn't it?" Montparnasse questioned her.

"What boy?" she replied quickly, mind shooting to Marius.

"That boy I've seen you walking with, that student!"

So. Montparnasse knew about Marius. Well, that was a problem.

"I- I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied, her head turning to the side, eyes flicking to the floor.

"What's his name? Marcus, Martin-"

"Marius," she said despite herself, gasping and raising her hand to cover her mouth, annoyed with herself for revealing it.

"Yes, Marius, that's it. So, you think you love him and that he loves you?" Montparnasse asked her. He was mocking her now, and that made her even angrier. Her hands balled up into fists.

"You think that maybe someday you'll marry him and live happily ever after?" Montparnasse asked her, taunting her. "Well, that's never going to happen, 'Ponine, because you're nothing to him-"

"Shut up!" she yelled, charging at him, hitting him with her fists. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

Montparnasse grabbed one of her wrists and stared down into her dark eyes. "In the end you'll just be left all alone, with no one but me."

"I hate you!" Eponine hissed before striking him with her knee, right where she knew it would hurt him the most, then racing off up the stairs to the room she shared with Azelma. She smiled as she heard his gasp of pain. Good. It served him right. He had made her suffer, so it was only right that he should suffer now.

She couldn't believe him! How dare he be so vile, cruel, and rude to her! But why should she deserve any better? He was right. She was basically nothing. She loathed Montparnasse more than ever then. He had shattered every scrap of happiness she had gained while out with Marius that night. She would never forgive him.

"Eponine, what's wrong?" Azelma asked, her voice muffled from the pillow that she was face-down on.

"'Parnasse." Eponine replied bitterly.

"Bastard. What did he do now?"

Eponine relayed the entire story as Azelma sat up to look at her.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him," Azelma commented.

"I should have."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"'Zelma, don't tell me you like the fiend!"

"Of course not, 'Ponine, but I like you and father'd have skinned you alive if you'd killed 'Parnasse."

"A valid point," Eponine agreed. With a sigh, she lay back on her bed. "A shame. The one flaw to a perfect plan that could have resulted in a 'Parnasse-free world."

"And what a lovely world it'd have been," Azelma agreed. "Well, 'night, 'Ponine."

"Good night, Azelma," Eponine said to her sister with a smile. But the second she turned away from her sister to face the wall, the smile faded. What if Montparnasse was right, and in the end she would be stuck alone with him? She couldn't bear the thought of a world where that was reality. That would be unbearable!

She loathed Montparnasse. She only put up with him because he was a prominent member of her father's gang. He was under the impression that he owned her, though, and that she would happily be his. But he was completely wrong, and nothing that she did ever seemed to make him understand that.

She was sick of Montparnasse. Sick of her parents. Sick of everything. She pulled off her hat and clutched it close to her chest. That cap from Marius was the one thing in the world that was truly special to her now. The only thing that brought her any joy. Gavroche had run off a few months ago, so she no longer had her little brother. And Azelma was likely to leave soon too. She could tell. But she couldn't leave. Unlike her siblings, she had allowed herself to get too involved with her father's gang. She had only done it because it was the only way to protect Azelma and Gavroche. But soon, Azelma, too, would be gone. Then she would be alone.

Montparnasse was right. Someday, in the end, she would be all alone, with no one but him. She shut her eyes tightly, trying not to cry. Her life was pointless. There was no meaning to it. She would live her meaningless life then die and be forgotten by everyone. But then again, who was there really to remember her? Would Marius and Joly even remember? Marius would, certainly, and perhaps Joly, but for how long?

She was nothing.