The teacher made the usual pause, the hesitation before saying her name, as if it was a joke. "Uh... Éponine Jondrette?"

"Here." She moaned, miserably. When they first moved to the area (to flee the police, of course) the name her father came up with was stupid. She didn't know her actual last name, for they moved when she was still quite young, but she knew that Jondrette was fake. And, of course it had to be the same fake last name as a book character, who also shared Éponine's first name.

Her Language Arts teachers always found it interesting, and her French teacher in eighth grade always made her read aloud in class because of it. Most of the time, though, she was alright. But her freshman year, there was an increased number of Les Mis 'fans' because of the upcoming movie. So more teachers made that frustrating pause.

She was still fuming over that when the bell rang and her classmates poured into the halls.

So far, her first day was terrible. She and Parnasse didn't have the same lunch class, so her stomach was completely empty by fourth period. She caught sight of Marius in the halls, and she blushed and looked down. He was with his friends, though, and took no notice of her.

Her flush soon turned angry. She wasn't mad at him, but instead at herself for leaving her heart unguarded so that she fell so pitifully into the hole of infatuation that she had no chance of getting out.

Across the hallway, she saw a senior obviously take a large gulp from a flask that was badly hidden by an empty bag of chips. Éponine walked right up to him and snatched it out of his hand.

"Hey!" He snapped, reaching for it. She pushed his hand away and took several large gulps of a burning fluid that tasted distinctly of vodka. She made a face as the alcohol ticked her brain, and she handed it back to him.

"Sorry, bad first day." She said, not really sorry at all, and the not-so-attractive guy laughed heartily.

"S' fine. Don't blame ya, really. Unrequited love is a bitch." He stuffed the bag into his locker and slammed the door.

"What-"

"Éponine, right? I may be drunk, but I'm not blind. Yeah, hon, you're pretty obvious. Everyone but Marius and Enjolras can see it." He gave her a drunk grin. "But it's alright, because the latter is mine."

"Enjolras... He's the one who seems in charge, right?" She asked, and the kid nodded. Then he stuck out a large hand. She took it with her small, bony one.

"Grantaire. Or R." He thought for a few seconds, and then added. "No'ne calls me R, 'cept myself. It's supp'sed to be a pun. Grand R, as in the cap'tal letter. My parents're... Yeah."

"Well, okay." Éponine gave an uneasy laugh. She WANTED friends, she really did, but she was scared of feeling. That sounds like a silly thing to be scared of, but she had gone so long with her heart under arrest that it was strange and new to have something there other than bitterness and unbearable pain.

She and Grantaire parted at the next fork, and he called over the crowd.

"You should c'me to the m'tings. You'd like 'em."

Thirty minutes and she still wasn't tired of it. He had a way of sitting in his chair that sent goosebumps up her arms and made her stony face crack into the slightest smile. He pushed his hips forward and slumped back in the chair, sinking into his seat. His arm rested on the window sill and his head was barely up in the cutest, sleepy position Éponine had ever seen anyone take.

She seated herself right behind him, knowing from Parnasse that this teacher made partners based on who was sitting in front of who. (He told her a story about his freshman year where an ugly, fat girl sat behind him and they had to be partners for everything.) There were four people in her row, and she and Marius were the last two.

The teacher was giving the necessary introduction to herself that all the teachers gave, and it had something to do with the time that she'd gone to France.

The class was honors French, second year. Since Éponine had a natural knack for French, she was in a sophomore class. Apparently Marius must have struggled the year before, for he was a junior among the rest of them.

She should have been paying attention, but instead she was focused on the pieces of his hair that brushed her desk. She wanted to touch his long, dark hair. She wanted to run her fingers through it and watch as he smiled at her because in this fantasy world, HE LOVED HER.

Again drawn back to reality, she sighed and looked out the window. A father and daughter walked across the street, her hand placed on his arm, and her perfect hair flowing behind her in the light wind. She had a flawless body and designer clothes that Éponine couldn't think about wearing in her wildest dreams. She was tall and slim, but lacked little in curves. Guys probably stared at her wherever she went, Éponine thought. She probably didn't have to buy make up just so that the bruises were less obvious. She had a father who loved her, who bothered to teach her things.

The girl disappeared behind a brush of leaves, and since her appearance didn't scream 'ditch school', Éponine knew that she must be homeschooled to be walking around with such ease at noon. She turned her attention back to Marius, who was looking fixedly at the spot where the girl disappeared. He had the most curious little crinkle above his nose, as if he was thinking very hard.

Several minutes later, as the class was preparing to hear the bell, the girl and her dad came back around the corner. When her face came into view, Éponine's jaw dropped. There was no denying the resemblance. She KNEW her. Somehow, their separate paths had diverged from the inn only to meet up again in a New York suburb.

She was so intently looking at her long-lost foster sister that she didn't notice Marius doing the same. If she had, the blow would be lessened when he turned around and asked her, "Do you know her?"

The statement itself was harmless, innocent. But the love that bursted in each syllable was the blade on the knife.

She snorted. "Why on earth would I know her?"

Marius shrugged. "I thought that she seems your age, and all girls know each other."

"Well, I don't." She snapped, suddenly wanting to see that Grantaire kid again, even if it was only to get a drink. "Besides, if I did know her, how would that help you?"

"You could tell me where to find her again."

The bell rung and Marius cast a long glance at the window before leaving Éponine alone in the back corner, her heart breaking.

"Cosette." She whispered, knowing perfectly well that he couldn't hear her. "Her name is Cosette."

A/N: Oohhhh! Cosette's in the house! Okay, so I will say that this is a VERY slow burn, but Enjolras is at least MENTIONED in every chapter. How do you think they'll come face-to-face?

and, I hate being that person who won't update without reviews, but I am. So please, two reviews on this chapter! All you lovely followers make me happy, but nothing matches up to that warm feeling you get when you receive a Review!