Summary: Enjolras never really got the typical highschool experience, but he feels a sudden rush of kinship with those kids who stuttered over their words when they spoke to their crushes.

If Enjolras were a more dramatic man he would fling himself down into his seat. It's not that they always talk about schooling, but the right to education has been one of Les Amis primary concerns since their group was only Enjolras and Combeferre. It's the only issue that they all have had personal experience with, schooling, and so it comes up often. And he and Grantaire have been having the same argument about it since they met.

Enjolras is not against arguing - debate, after all, is a healthy and essential part of the construction of an informed opinion - but he objects to pointless arguments for the sake of being contrary and undermining legitimate discussion with pessimism. It's a waste of time, rehashing the same old speech at Grantaire when there are more important things going on, people who don't have the choice to get in, let alone the luxury of choosing to get out and he hates that Grantaire keeps bringing it up and derailing their conversation, drawing the attention back to him. Enjolras also hates that he lets him, that Grantaire's apathy gets so under his skin and distracts him from what needs to be talked about.

Because he is not as dramatic as Courfeyrac likes to tell people, he sits down carefully, although he glares at Grantaire as he does so. Grantaire isn't looking at him, staring down instead at the table. Joly is watching him, though, and he mouths "sorry" to Enjolras even as he pats Grantaire on the back. He is his best friend, after all.

It's the sixth or so time Enjolras and Grantaire have had the same argument, and Enjolras can no longer deny that at least a part of it stems from a disappointment in himself - as much as his expulsions were in defiance of an uninspired education system, he can't help but regret that he never finished, even if he doesn't regret the reasons why he didn't. Combeferre has been encouraging Enjolras to take up night school ever since the first lycée turned him away, and he decides that there is probably some wisdom in that.

When he gets back to Courfeyrac's house, he enrols himself in some classes.

-00000-

The school is located on the other side of town; not too far to walk if he had the time, but not practical if he wants to return to wherever he's staying the night without waking the people kind enough to take him in. Due to an unfortunate habit of getting distracted and lost in his own head (and likely his record works against him too), Enjolras doesn't have a driver's licence, and so he needs someone to drive him to and from his classes. Combeferre, Courfeyrac and Joly all have their own cars, but they also all have school to go to themselves, and while they offer to give him lifts Enjolras will not have them spending their time on him.

Instead, Grantaire takes him to his first night class. He's not sure what he expected of the drive, but it is not the near-silence of the car, interrupted only by several aborted attempts at singing by Grantaire. Truthfully, Enjolras does not mind the quiet. When he speaks people are drawn to him like magnets, opening up at his words like flowers to the sun. It's what he wants, what he's always wanted, for people to listen to him, but he is just has happy to sit in silence and listen to the world go on around him. Grantaire however, Enjolras knows, has never been comfortable with quiet. He tells stories at the Musain after their meetings that have them all in stitches, but he rarely speaks of anything consequential, which Enjolras assumes is why he is not talking now, and he is thankful.

He's not nervous about going back to schooling per say, but he is on edge about it nevertheless. He knows himself well enough to realise that he's looking for a fight - remembrances of blinkered institutions flashing through his head, institutions that deemed him unteachable and so not worth their time, telling him to sit down and just accept the way things are - and he wouldn't care where that fight came from and Grantaire is really the only person around. He hates feeling this way, so off balance and struggling to keep control. He shouldn't. He should be better than this; logical and calm, passionate in his ideas, but measured in his actions. He has watched recordings of great speakers and leaders who changed the world, and their words are fiery anger and fury but when they step away from the podium they are impeccable. Enjolras knows he shouldn't wear his emotions so openly, and he hates that he does, hates that others can see how he's going to react, hates the feeling that one wrong word could set him on fire and burn him up too bright and too fast. He's working on it.

But Grantaire doesn't do anything to draw attention to himself, and they pull up out front of the school without talking to each other. Enjolras says his thanks, and slips out of the car.

-00000-

It's not the beginning of the school year, so Enjolras assumes the boy standing on the steps of the building and stating at the car ring is waiting to give him an introduction. At first glance he appears older than Enjolras (although everyone Enjolras' age looks older than him); around the same height, but broader. The cuffs of his jeans are fraying and despite the fact that it is night, there are flecks of paint on his hands and arms and shirt, as if he has not had time to shower or change before coming here.

The man's name, when Enjolras introduces himself, is Feuilly. He is older than Enjolras, although no older than Grantaire or Joly, and he is quite possibly the most interesting man Enjolras has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Orphaned at eight, he fell out of the school system after the initial few years, although not for any personal choice; constantly pushed around to different foster homes for being 'difficult', he simply did not spend enough time in one place to maintain a coherent academic record. Like Enjolras, he continued to read anything educational he could get his hands on after leaving formal education, although unlike him Feuilly had had to scrounge around for the same kinds of books Enjolras could borrow from Combeferre and Courfeyrac. He spent as much time as possible in the library, and when he was old enough to get his first part time job - and then the second and third he worked concurrently - he started putting away all the money he could; either to buy text books, or to eventually attend the school they are both currently enrolled at.

Enjolras finds him fascinating and inspiring. Self-made and self-educated, all the while being shuffled around orphanages and foster homes for a tendency to start arguments. Feuilly was the kind of kid that Les Amis wanted to help, the kind that was failed by the system. And he is also the kind that didn't let that stop him, who worked all the harder for it. Who wants to make sure that no one else has to struggle with the same things he did. He is the kind of man that Enjolras wants to be. The kind of man that he looks up to.

It takes a good minute of them speaking for Enjolras to realise that he never let got of Feuilly's hand after that initial handshake, and then another five before the two of them think of moving inside. Enjolras thinks that he could keep talking to Feuilly forever.

-00000-

Enjolras turns to make sure Grantaire left safely just before he and Feuilly are about to go into the school. He hadn't even heard Grantaire get out of the car after they parked, wrapped up in his own thoughts as he was, nor did he notice him standing at the bottom of the steps staring at his feet as he talked with Feuilly. But he does now.

Enjolras calls down to him. "Is there anything you needed, Grantaire?"

Grantaire startles a little at being addressed and looks up at him, eyes filled with a profound sadness. Enjolras wants to reach out and comfort him, walk back down the stairs and hug Grantaire back to the easy, carefree look he wears at the Musain, but he is trying to make himself less obviously emotional. He has to start somewhere, right?

Before he can make a decision either way, Grantaire just shakes his head silently, and his gaze unfocusses somewhere over Enjolras' shoulder. Enjolras grimaces slightly, but if Grantaire wont tell him what's bothering him, there isn't a lot he can do.

"If you'd like to sleep I can always find another way home." Enjolras suggests, and Grantaire shakes his head again.

"I'll be here." He croaks out, and his voice sounds choked and Enjolras has no idea what he can do to help. He's perfectly fine at conversation as long as people give him verbal cues, but he has trouble picking up on anything more subtle because of his difficulty with faces, and he often doesn't recognise emotional needs without someone pointing them out to him. It's why he is so open with Combeferre and Courfeyrac. But Grantaire only turns and walks back to his car without explanation and Enjolras is left to stare after him until he feels Feuilly's hand on his shoulder.