Read All About It

A shriek erupts from the hall and Azelma peers over the top of her book, eyebrows raised, half in curiosity and half in indignation at having been interrupted at a particularly suspenseful part of the chapter.

The door bursts open and Eponine barges in, brandishing a newspaper furiously in mid air.

"I am humiliated."

"What?"

"He put it as the headline. I was joking. Couldn't he tell I was joking? IDIOT."

She thrusts the paper at her sister, who straightens the pages lovingly before turning her attention to the front cover, where a large black and white photograph of a familiar surly face dominates the bottom half of the page. Tentatively, she reads the headline aloud.

"Girl, 17, Sees The Sea For The First Time."

Azelma lowers the newspaper and flashes her fuming sister a quizzical look.

"Ep, we live in a seaside town."

Eponine heaves a dramatic sigh and clasps her hands to her face, sinking down to the sofa.

"I know, and so does the rest of the country. I'm going to be a laughing stock. The postman already told me to try the outdoors sometime. And he was smirking as he said it, I could tell."

There is a pause, the only sound in the room coming from the ticking of the grandfather clock.

"Um, Ep? Why exactly..." Azelma trails off, uncertainly.

Eponine snaps upright in her seat.

"Because, he kept pestering me to say something interesting about the new beach huts and attractions they have along the pier, even though there were plenty of other people around he could have asked - I mean, it was the grand opening for god's sake, and - and I got exasperated and a little sarcastic."

"Well."

Azelma gives the newspaper a little shake, before dropping it to the floor beside her.

"We always knew the guy was sweet on you. I guess this is what you get for all those times he asked you out to the dance, and you laughed in his face. It's certainly what you get when you encourage him to become a journalist and then insult his work. I told you your sarcasm would come back to bite you on the ass one day."

Eponine responds with a heavy groan from behind her hands.

Two miles away in a little pub by the harbour, Enjolras receives a slap on the back from a cackling Grantaire.

"I can't believe you actually published it. Eponine's gonna be pissed."

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