The Decade
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"Enjolras! Enjolras, put me down right now, or I swear to God I will-" Eponine demands of her best friend, growing dizzy.
"Or you swear to God you will what?" Enjolras teases back, knowing that she is very serious at this moment for she only ever uses his last name when she is angry or serious or both.
"Or I will spit in your face," She states, giggling. Perhaps she is not so serious after all. He places the girl he was spinning around down gently and takes a step back just in case she is about to throw up or whack him.
"There you go, my dear. All safe and sound, back on the ground."
Eponine just mumbles incoherently as she attempts to stumble her way back to the end of the year bonfire that Marius has every year. Not that he's currently in the general vicinity of the bonfire, nope, he is currently off sucking face with his girlfriend who knows where. Probably getting naked or something.
The thought makes her sick. Or maybe she's still really dizzy. It's getting harder and harder for her to distinguish her feelings towards Marius because she's started having these feelings for Enjolras and they've really muddled up her sense of direction.
"Stop trying to be cute," She calls back to him and is rewarded by hearing his laughter as he catches up with her.
"I'm not trying, I was born this way."
She squints up at him and mutters something incoherently, "I need another drink."
Which she gets. In fact, she drinks two more after that one before losing all sense of herself.
"Gabey, Gabe, why don't you drink?" Eponine questions.
If she were sober she would know the answer. She would remember that he hates the taste of alcohol, that he gets wasted after one drink anyway and that if he has more than one, his entire memory gets wiped. However, Eponine is wasted and she doesn't really have the ability to form thoughts at the moment.
"Someone has to make sure you get home safe," He replies in an even tone.
"Oh." She takes a moment to think before clambering onto his lap. Everyone else is somewhere far away, hooking up in the bushes and the guest bedrooms in Marius' house and maybe getting more beer. She doesn't really know or care, "I guess that's a good reason."
Enjolras picks Eponine up and deposits her onto the sand beside him, "Thank you."
"But," She states, drawing the word out and flopping onto her back, "I'm not going anywhere so you don't have to watch me!"
"I still don't want to." He tells her patiently, he knows how she can get once drunk. He's seriously considering hauling her up on his shoulder and carrying her safely to bed where she can't hurt herself or others at this point.
She's just about to fight with him once again, he can tell by the look in her eyes and the way her jaw is set but he is literally saved by the bell when her phone chimes. She gives him a 'this is not over' look and answers it, facing slightly away from him.
He can't gather much of what is being said over the phone because Eponine is answering in single words and the other person is too quiet for him to hear, "Who was it?" He asks when she finally gets off of the phone because her body is now tense and she seems more sober, the teasing glint has faded from her eyes.
"Nobody." She says and he can see her forcing herself to return to normal.
He knows it wasn't nobody but he also knows that she isn't going to tell him unless he can get some sort of leverage on her. Some way for her to tell him what's going on because he's worried now and the only way she wouldn't tell him is if it were something really serious that she doesn't want him to get involved with because of his 'knight in shining armor complex' as she calls it.
He pulls her close to him and whispers, "Tell me and I'll drink a beer," He has a feeling that he is going to regret this later.
"Lies." She hisses as she cuddles into his embrace.
He just chuckles and chugs down a can. They have the space to themselves, everyone else is who knows where. No one will know if he's had just one beer. This is Eponine and he is worried about her. He would do anything for her.
She looks at him, shocked. Obviously she hadn't expected that, "Talk." He states, the word slightly slurred. He really sucks at holding his liquor. Belatedly he realizes that he should have faked chugging that beer. Eponine probably wouldn't have noticed.
She sighs before answering, "Montparnasse has been looking for me. He was just by the house. It was 'Zel who called me, by the way."
Enjolras' grip on her tightens and his face forms a frown, "I hate him."
"He hates you too."
"I would kill him for you, 'Ponine," He tells her, eager like a puppy but deadly serious at the same time.
"I know," She says with a soft smile on her face, "But that, my dear, is manslaughter and something I would never let you do."
He stands up, and pulls her up too, "Come on," He tugs her arm and pulls her towards the front of the house.
"Where are we going, Gabe?"
"That's my secret."
He opens the car door for her, a gentleman even when drunk.
"Gabe, we're both drunk," The phone call really did help her get sober. Kind of.
"Don't worry, I've only had one drink."
Something inside of her tells her not to let him drive anyway, but she can't think of a good enough reason as to why, she is still not sober enough to remember that her Gabriel cannot hold his liquor.
"Fine," She says, before leaning over and kissing him on the lips.
"What was that for?" He asks, shocked. He's been in love with his best friend for the longest time and never once has she shown the slightest hint that she is into him romantically.
"For being my best friend. For chugging that beer even though you don't like drinking. For taking care of me. For being you. Now drive," She commands with a smile and another peck on the lips, "And maybe because I really wanted to kiss you," She adds as an afterthought.
He laughs, a full on hearty laugh, before leaning over and kissing her back, "'Ponine, you alone are enough to get any man drunk."
With those words, Enjolras yanks the car into reverse and becomes reckless for one of the few times in his life.
He hears Eponine, squeal and laugh. This only makes him want to go faster, and soon they're on an abandoned street going eight miles an hour, windows rolled down, and neither of them have ever felt so free.
He looks over to her and sees her smile at him, hair whipping everywhere and bursting out in another fit of laughter, for a brief moment, before everything turns black.
Eponine wakes up in pain and she has no idea where she is. Slowly she looks up and around, and realizes that she's in Enjolras' car but that it's dark and her air bag is inflated and blocking her view of what's in front of her.
Fear grips her and her heart drops to her stomach, all of a sudden, she's afraid of looking to her left, but she does it anyway. Enjolras is covered in blood, he's unconscious and, God, she doesn't even know if he's alive. She's too afraid to check.
"Gabe," She whispers his name, waiting for a response, she reaches out and touches his face. Why is there so much blood? Her hand hovers over his mouth and she feels his breath on her palm and she relaxes for a second before anxiety grips her. Quickly, she exits the car and fumbles for her phone. She needs an ambulance for him and she needs it now.
Eponine has no idea how she manages to call the dispatcher and explain what happened, apparently they've managed to hit a tree.
She's heard stories of people wrapping their cars around trees. How is she fine? Why is she fine? This is her fault. She's the reason he was drinking, the reason he got in this stupid car and oh God what if she's managed to kill her best friend.
She should be the one who is unconscious and maybe alive in the car right now. Enjolras should be the one out here talking to this stupid dispatcher lady whose high-pitched voice is doing everything but keeping her calm right now.
By the time the paramedics get there, she has managed to work herself into a full blown panic attack and refuses treatment until they've loaded Enjolras up onto an ambulance and have started heading to the hospital.
She has been sitting in the waiting area for who knows how long and she's refused treatment three times now. She has makeup all over her face along with blood. At this point she's not sure how much of it is hers and how much of it belongs to the boy she loves.
"Eponine," Combeferre is staring at her like he doesn't even know who she is, they've all been huddled around each other, ignoring her. They seem to be avoiding her. They probably blame her for this. It's not like they're wrong. Her suspicions are confirmed when 'Ferre says, "He's not going to remember this tomorrow. Just go." He gives the command with a firm voice before he sighs and rubs his hand against his face, tired, "And don't come back, alright? Stay away."
"For how long?" Her voice squeaks and she's just so scared. What if Gabe never wakes up again? What if she's killed him? Paralyzed him? What if he blames her for this?
Her thoughts are churning in her mind, crashing against each other and bouncing around up there and she feels like she's going to do something stupid soon if someone doesn't reassure her.
"For forever."
He's not looking at her, but the words are spoken like steel and she tries not to break down right there.
Forever is a long time without him.
"Okay." She whispers because she knows it's for the best. Combeferre is never wrong.
She is just a broken girl with a broken life. Gabe tried to fix her and he ended up broken.
She turns to leave but someone is blocking her way.
It is R.
"Gra-" she cannot even finish saying his name, the look in his eye is murderous.
"What were you thinking?" He shouts at her, raising his arms in a sweeping motion, "How could you let him drink? You know how he gets when he's drunk! You know!"
Grantaire looks like he's about to cry and she has nothing to say, her mouth is just hanging open and in that moment he looks like he's going to hit her.
"I'm sorry," She whispers, flinching back and away from him.
"You're sorry?" His voice is mean and hard and bitter and sarcastic and all the things he's never been to her before, "He could die tonight and you're sorry? Get out of my sight Eponine. Go away. Never come back. Never look for him. It's just dumb luck that he can barely remember anything after one beer let alone however many you let him have. God, he probably has a concussion! You're so stupid." Grantaire's voice cracks and he starts crying, "You're so stupid. I love him, you know? I'm not perfect but neither are you. I don't know why he chose you over me. You've nearly killed him! I may be flat out drunk all the time but I would never let him drink!"
Eponine whispers another sorry and she hugs herself as she quickly drags herself away from the hospital, waving off a nurse as she rushes to help her, maybe to stop her forehead from bleeding.
She just wants to be in there with them. To hold Gabe's hand and tell him everything will be okay. She wants to see his blue eyes and his smile and hear his voice.
But these are things she will never be able to do again.
She closes her eyes and lets the memories of earlier that night wash over her.
The perfect day with the perfect guy.
He probably wouldn't even remember those kisses.
Numb, she walks halfway home before she starts crying. Before she really breaks down.
She clears her stuff away and leaves the very next morning. She will stay with Montparnasse for the summer while she works things out.
He will let her stay, for a price.
She tells her siblings that she is going away for a while, but she will come back for them. She promises. She swears.
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
Combeferre rubs his eyes, tiredly, as he watches Eponine leave. They're all broken but this is the best course of action he can think of.
"Does anyone know where Pontmercy is?"
There is a collective murmuring of "No." and "Haven't seen him."
Of course that idiot isn't here. He's probably still with Cosette. He probably ignored every single call and text he received. Which is really stupid. If his phone is constantly buzzing doesn't the thought that something is obviously wrong enter his brain? Why is he such a thick moron?
In the corner Jehan is rubbing R's back and whispering soothing words to him, probably trying to calm him down.
He sits down next to 'Fey, "I'm going to tell him that Eponine's gone. That there's nothing he can do to get her to come back."
"Combeferre," Courf starts, "don't you think you're being too tough on them? Enjolras is going to need his 'Ponine."
"He doesn't, she makes him do stupid things, Courf. This isn't the first time he's gotten hurt because of her."
"I know that. We all know that but he needs her like R needs the drink or like how some people need their drugs. She's his poison of choice."
"He's better off without her. Help me think of a decent lie."
"Okay," 'Fey says, resigned and soon everyone is in on the plan, although, most don't agree with it.
Gavroche holds his breath as Courfeyrac and Combeferre reach the end of their tale. He wants them to tell him they're just kidding. That it's not true, that it didn't really happen that way and they're just pulling his leg.
They don't.
"You... How could you do that?" Despite how much he tries, his voice breaks on the last word, "They were young and stupid and, God, do you have any idea of the stupid things you guys have done? They're so much worse! Courfeyrac, you and Joly almost pushed Jehan off a building while you were drunk! Combeferre, you recorded the whole thing! You're such hypocrites!"
Combeferre sighs, "It's not something we're proud of, okay? It was after a long night of drinking and we were all hung over. Not to mention, we were all a little over protective of Enjolras back then. He always just seemed so vulnerable, you know? There was this golden rule. No drinking for him. Ever. You were to set your own life down to save his. It was stupid and childish but we were scared and needed someone to blame. Eponine was there, she was convenient."
"She was your sacrificial goat." Gavroche states, disgusted.
"A few days later, we wanted to take it back but she was like a ghost, we didn't see her for the rest of the summer, we were all so focused on helping Enjolras. Not even Marius saw her that summer. The next year, when Jehan said he saw her on campus we almost went and apologized right there."
"But we were proud and the damage had already been done and Enjolras was slowly piecing himself together without her. We didn't want to shatter him again."
Gavroche just pushes the plastic chair he is sitting on back, and stands up, "Those weren't your decisions to make," He says, simply, his teeth grinding together as he turns around and walks out of the hospital.
Eponine closes her eyes, she doesn't want to hear this, she didn't want to hear the things she'd done when she was scared. She'd known the consequences, accepted them even though it had killed her.
She has blocked this for almost ten years, and she has a good reason. Who would want to remember almost killing their best friend?
She doesn't want to hear the bitter tone of voice he uses.
"How could you leave me? How could you listen to them?"
She doesn't answer him, instead she asks a question of her own, looking down at her feet rather than looking at him, "When did you remember?"
"When I heard you laugh. It was the last thing I heard before we crashed. Your smile was the last thing I saw."
"Well it only took you ten years, but congratulations, you've finally managed to recall a drunken night," Her words are bitter too but she's trying to make this whole awkward situation lighter, she really is. She just doesn't know how.
"Well, better late than never," he goes along with it and they share a small, strained, smile.
"I-" she starts, she wants to apologize but she does not know how. She wants to continue the conversation but she does not know what to say so she just stops.
He seems to be experiencing a similar dilemma, "I say the past is in the past. I don't blame you for what happened, 'Ponine. We were both being stupid that night. Can we just move on? Pretend like nothing happened?"
"It's been ten years," She whispers, "A lot has happened. We can't just move onward like we're still best friends, like we still know everything about each other."
Like that night never happened
"Can't we?"
Sorry it took me so long to post this, but I was really busy last week. I got lost in the sea of finals, projects and evil teachers who don't understand that school is almost over, then I got sick and I posted something that was eating away at me instead. But hey, better late than never, right?
I don't really like how this chapter turned out, I had a slightly different idea in mind, but let me know what you think and if I answered your questions.
Thanks for the follows/faves/reviews and don't be afraid to review again!