A/N: Today is May 24 in my country. I wasn't able to post this yesterday
because I went out of town for the whole day. Sorry, but here you go.
Enjoy!
Oh yeah and Rachael, if you're reading this, I hope part 2 is doing fine and you have read it.
- - - - -
Chapter 10: Me Against The World by Halo Friendlies
"Those who fear have already lost the battle."
- - - - -
Gavroche went out and sat in the right bench. Thenardier sat at the left bench and continued drinking. Soon, a lady walked in. She was wearing what a prostitute would wear. Thenardier recognized her instantly. This was Rebecca, Azelma's only friend and companion. Every night, she came at that time, fetching Azelma and Gavroche so they can go to the cabaret together.
Thenardier stood up. "Rebecca..."
Rebecca smiled at him. "Good evening monsieur Thenardier. Is Azelma ready to go?"
"She's not here." Thenardier replied.
"Where is she?' Rebecca asked.
"She went down town. You look very pretty tonight Rebecca. And, what a nice dress. Can you walk in that?' Thenardier circled around her like a vulture.
"Of course Monsieur Thenardier. How could I have arrived here?" Rebecca said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Good, because you promised to teach me how to dance." Thenardier pressed himself to her.
Rebecca looked at him curiously. "I did?"
"Yes, teach me now."
"No, there's no music. Go to the cabaret at around 8:00 PM. I'll teach you there."
"No I want here. NOW!" He said sternly.
"No, people would say we've gone insane. Stop it!" Rebecca tried to push him away but he had a really strong grip.
Azelma heard the yelling and hurried to the front yard. "Father! Stop it. What are you trying to do?"
Thenardier disentangles himself from Rebecca. He looked really embarrassed. "She was teaching me how to dance."
Rebecca ran to Azelma. She smoothed Rebecca's dress. "Funny it doesn't look like it." She glared at her father.
Thenardier looked at them. "I'm sorry Rebecca."
Azelma's face softened when she looked at Rebecca. "He's not really sorry Rebecca, but forgive him anyway. I'll be out in a minute." She started to walk in the house but stopped to look at her father icily.
"Stay away from her, father," She said coldly. Rebecca looked at Azelma curiously.
Rebecca paced back and forth at the front yard.
"Gavroche, get ready now," Azelma called him as she peeked from the window.
'Finally, something to do.' Rebecca thought as she walked to Gavroche. "You heard your sister, Gav. Get ready now," She said as she rubbed his shoulders.
"No." Gavroche said stubbornly.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
"I don't want to," He replied, but he hadn't lifted his cold stare into space.
"Why? What's wrong? Are you sick?" She asked and tried to feel his forehead.
Gavroche shoved her hand away. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone."
Rebecca sat beside him. "Then why won't you accompany Azelma?"
Gavroche rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to go with her?"
She rested her arm around Gavroche's shoulders. "Because your mother wants you to. She worries less when you're with Azelma."
Gavroche didn't remove his stare in space. "I've been going with Azelma since I was old enough to walk. I'm tired of it."
She looked at him. "Then it must be something else. Is it Nicolette?"
Finally, Gavroche lifted his stare from the pavement and stared coldly at Rebecca. "No."
"She's perfect girl for you. You're courting her, are you?" She asked with interest and concern.
"I don't court. I'm only a boy," He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She looked at him teasingly. "But you love her..."
"No!" Gavroche finally stood up but hadn't removed the cold stare from Rebecca.
"You're jealous of the men who dance with her." Rebecca stood up to argue with him.
"That's not true!" He was being defensive.
"Then why so defensive? Come with us to prove it." She said menacingly.
Gavroche covered his ears. This was too much. "STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU... YOU HARLOT!"
Rebecca stared at him coldly after his outburst. Did Gavroche just say that? The nerve! After a long pause, "You're horrible! I hate you!" She yelled and walked away. Azelma went out and caught her arm.
"Wait, Rebecca!" Azelma called.
Rebecca was about to burst into tears. "Azelma... I'll go ahead." She said quietly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Azelma asked.
"It's Gavroche. He..." She leaned closer. "... called me a harlot." She whispered and ran away.
Azelma stared after her. "Wait!" With anger, she turned to her brother and pulled his sleeve. "Why did you call her that Gavroche?!"
"I didn't call her anything." Gavroche glared.
Azelma clutched his shoulders. "Don't lie to me, she told me. Why did you call her that?"
"Because... Because she wouldn't leave me alone!" Gavroche replied.
Azelma shook him. "But why call her that? Why?"
"Because it's true! Because that's what she is!" Gavroche was being defensive... again.
Azelma shook him harder. "How do you know?!"
"Because I hear the young men talk about her! They always talk about her!" Gavroche yelled.
Azelma sunk her nails at his shoulders and spun him around. "You're a liar!"
"I'm not. Azelma, you're hurting me! Let go or I'll tell on you too!" Gavroche cried.
Azelma stopped and slapped him. "WHAT!? You think you can treat me as if I were Rebecca?" She continued to spin him around.
Gavroche: "AZELMA LET ME GO OR I'LL TELL ABOUT NICHOLAS!" Gavroche yelled. Azelma stopped at held his face rudely for him to look at her.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" She shook him really hard and sunk her nails at his shoulder blades.
"YOU WENT WITH NICHOLAS LAST NIGHT! I FOLLOWED YOU INTO A ROOM! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR A LONG TIME!" Gavroche cried.
Azelma threw him down to the ground and gave him a vicious kick. "Liar! Liar! Liar!"
- - - - -
A/N: I know what you're going to say. Azelma needs to chill... Send in your reviews. I love reading them!
Oh yeah and Rachael, if you're reading this, I hope part 2 is doing fine and you have read it.
- - - - -
Chapter 10: Me Against The World by Halo Friendlies
"Those who fear have already lost the battle."
- - - - -
Gavroche went out and sat in the right bench. Thenardier sat at the left bench and continued drinking. Soon, a lady walked in. She was wearing what a prostitute would wear. Thenardier recognized her instantly. This was Rebecca, Azelma's only friend and companion. Every night, she came at that time, fetching Azelma and Gavroche so they can go to the cabaret together.
Thenardier stood up. "Rebecca..."
Rebecca smiled at him. "Good evening monsieur Thenardier. Is Azelma ready to go?"
"She's not here." Thenardier replied.
"Where is she?' Rebecca asked.
"She went down town. You look very pretty tonight Rebecca. And, what a nice dress. Can you walk in that?' Thenardier circled around her like a vulture.
"Of course Monsieur Thenardier. How could I have arrived here?" Rebecca said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Good, because you promised to teach me how to dance." Thenardier pressed himself to her.
Rebecca looked at him curiously. "I did?"
"Yes, teach me now."
"No, there's no music. Go to the cabaret at around 8:00 PM. I'll teach you there."
"No I want here. NOW!" He said sternly.
"No, people would say we've gone insane. Stop it!" Rebecca tried to push him away but he had a really strong grip.
Azelma heard the yelling and hurried to the front yard. "Father! Stop it. What are you trying to do?"
Thenardier disentangles himself from Rebecca. He looked really embarrassed. "She was teaching me how to dance."
Rebecca ran to Azelma. She smoothed Rebecca's dress. "Funny it doesn't look like it." She glared at her father.
Thenardier looked at them. "I'm sorry Rebecca."
Azelma's face softened when she looked at Rebecca. "He's not really sorry Rebecca, but forgive him anyway. I'll be out in a minute." She started to walk in the house but stopped to look at her father icily.
"Stay away from her, father," She said coldly. Rebecca looked at Azelma curiously.
Rebecca paced back and forth at the front yard.
"Gavroche, get ready now," Azelma called him as she peeked from the window.
'Finally, something to do.' Rebecca thought as she walked to Gavroche. "You heard your sister, Gav. Get ready now," She said as she rubbed his shoulders.
"No." Gavroche said stubbornly.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
"I don't want to," He replied, but he hadn't lifted his cold stare into space.
"Why? What's wrong? Are you sick?" She asked and tried to feel his forehead.
Gavroche shoved her hand away. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone."
Rebecca sat beside him. "Then why won't you accompany Azelma?"
Gavroche rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to go with her?"
She rested her arm around Gavroche's shoulders. "Because your mother wants you to. She worries less when you're with Azelma."
Gavroche didn't remove his stare in space. "I've been going with Azelma since I was old enough to walk. I'm tired of it."
She looked at him. "Then it must be something else. Is it Nicolette?"
Finally, Gavroche lifted his stare from the pavement and stared coldly at Rebecca. "No."
"She's perfect girl for you. You're courting her, are you?" She asked with interest and concern.
"I don't court. I'm only a boy," He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She looked at him teasingly. "But you love her..."
"No!" Gavroche finally stood up but hadn't removed the cold stare from Rebecca.
"You're jealous of the men who dance with her." Rebecca stood up to argue with him.
"That's not true!" He was being defensive.
"Then why so defensive? Come with us to prove it." She said menacingly.
Gavroche covered his ears. This was too much. "STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU... YOU HARLOT!"
Rebecca stared at him coldly after his outburst. Did Gavroche just say that? The nerve! After a long pause, "You're horrible! I hate you!" She yelled and walked away. Azelma went out and caught her arm.
"Wait, Rebecca!" Azelma called.
Rebecca was about to burst into tears. "Azelma... I'll go ahead." She said quietly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Azelma asked.
"It's Gavroche. He..." She leaned closer. "... called me a harlot." She whispered and ran away.
Azelma stared after her. "Wait!" With anger, she turned to her brother and pulled his sleeve. "Why did you call her that Gavroche?!"
"I didn't call her anything." Gavroche glared.
Azelma clutched his shoulders. "Don't lie to me, she told me. Why did you call her that?"
"Because... Because she wouldn't leave me alone!" Gavroche replied.
Azelma shook him. "But why call her that? Why?"
"Because it's true! Because that's what she is!" Gavroche was being defensive... again.
Azelma shook him harder. "How do you know?!"
"Because I hear the young men talk about her! They always talk about her!" Gavroche yelled.
Azelma sunk her nails at his shoulders and spun him around. "You're a liar!"
"I'm not. Azelma, you're hurting me! Let go or I'll tell on you too!" Gavroche cried.
Azelma stopped and slapped him. "WHAT!? You think you can treat me as if I were Rebecca?" She continued to spin him around.
Gavroche: "AZELMA LET ME GO OR I'LL TELL ABOUT NICHOLAS!" Gavroche yelled. Azelma stopped at held his face rudely for him to look at her.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" She shook him really hard and sunk her nails at his shoulder blades.
"YOU WENT WITH NICHOLAS LAST NIGHT! I FOLLOWED YOU INTO A ROOM! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR A LONG TIME!" Gavroche cried.
Azelma threw him down to the ground and gave him a vicious kick. "Liar! Liar! Liar!"
- - - - -
A/N: I know what you're going to say. Azelma needs to chill... Send in your reviews. I love reading them!
