Chapter 4:
"Ferre, there's a note with your name on it on the floor over here," Lucie said before asking, "Should I be concerned?"
"Hhmm?" Combeferre hummed still waking up, "Oh, it's probably from Enjolras; I'll read it later."
"Why would he slide it under the door? Why wouldn't he just text you?" she asked.
"That's kind of a long story," Combeferre started, "Our elementary schools both had a pen-pal program for third graders and Enjolras was my pen-pal. After the year was over, we gave each other our real addresses and continued writing back and forth. Once we were older we started sending emails and texts and stuff, but still wrote actual letters too. Then Facebook came along and we were friends there, but we'd never met in person, being that we lived a few states away from each other. Then one day I get a letter saying he's decided to come here for college, so I immediately send one back saying 'no way me too!' and we met here on the first day of freshman year."
"So he still slips little notes under your door?"
"Yep, and I doubt he'll stop any time soon."
While Lucie was in class that morning, Combeferre read the note, it just said, "Ferre, does Lucie have a boyfriend? Just wondering, and don't tell her about this letter-Enj."
Idiot, Combeferre thought to himself.
Later that day Lucie and Ferre were in their room. Lucie was bored pacing back and forth and all of a sudden she stopped.
She looked at Combeferre and said, "I've come to the conclusion that you're wrong about me and Enjolras."
"Is that so?" he asked.
"Yes, it is. Regardless of whether he likes me or not, and I don't think he does, it could never work out between us."
"Why not, Lucie, do you have a boyfriend or something?" Combeferre asked remembering Enjolras's letter.
"No, I don't have a boyfriend. I did once but he was an ass and I don't want to talk about him. I just can't imagine the screaming arguments that Enjolras and I would have; it would be terrible," she said.
"I'm sure it could work between you," Combeferre said.
"No, I'm too much of a hassle, no one would want to date me," she sighed, putting her head down.
"And who told you that, your ex?" Combeferre asked, "If he did, he's wrong, Lucie. Anyone would be lucky to date you."
"I told you I don't want to talk about Montparnasse," Lucie muttered.
"Alright," Combeferre said, assuming (correctly) that Montparnasse was the ex-boyfriend that Lucie hated, "I still think that you and Enj would work out though."
A few days later, Lucie was in the student lounge, alone when Enjolras walked over.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"I wish people would stop asking me that," she snapped back. She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"So at the risk of being yelled at again, what's wrong?" he asked again.
Lucie sighed, "I got a call from my grandfather today."
"What's so bad about that?" Enjolras asked.
"He's been trying to get me to switch my major since the summer. He doesn't think I'm using my full potential becoming a teacher," she explained, "He just doesn't understand. I don't want to be a teacher because I think it's going to be an easy job. I want to be a teacher because I want to teach history the right way."
"What's the right way?"
"Most history teachers in this country teach the 'America is a hero that has never done anything wrong' version of history, and it's false and it's wrong to teach history that way. I want to be the teacher that says, 'Yeah, Americans owned slaves, and Indian removal happened, and in world war two we put Japanese-Americans in internment camps, and the Vietnam War was not our best decision, and America was wrong in doing these things.' Because these kids can't grow up thinking that America can do no wrong or else we get nothing but racism and war in our future."
Enjolras was silent; he'd never heard someone go off on the education system like that before.
"Sorry," Lucie said, "rant over."
"No," Enjolras said quickly, "never apologize for ranting about history or anything else for that matter. If we don't rant about things, then nothing ever changes."
"Oh, that reminds me," Lucie grinned fishing her laptop out of her bag, "I bookmarked this page on Amazon. I found something that I think you'll like."
"What is it?" Enjolras asked.
"Well wait a minute and I'll show you," Lucie said, finding the bookmark, "Here it is; check this out!"
Enjolras looked at the screen. It was a t-shirt with Teddy Roosevelt on it that said, I don't always get shot while making a speech, but when I do I finish the damn speech! Enjolras laughed, "That is perfect!"
"That's not even the best part, the back says, 'Theodore Roosevelt: Original Badass,' which is the most accurate statement one could possibly make about T.R."
They both laughed, and after that began spending more time together, just talking about everything. They talked about history, of course, and music, and books, and even astronomy sometimes. They could only talk about astronomy for a few minutes, because neither of them knew enough about it to keep the conversation going.
Lucie walked into her math class a few days later, and went to take her usual seat (next to Bahorel).
As she walked into the room, she was greeted with a familiar voice, "Hey there, sweetheart."
Lucie jerked her head up from her book and was face to face with Montparnasse, "What are you doing here?"
"I transferred once I found out you were here," he said, "Why wouldn't I want to be in the same college as my girlfriend?"
"I'm not your girlfriend, Montparnasse," Lucie said.
"Why, of course you are!" he replied, "don't be stupid, Lucie."
"Leave me alone. We aren't a couple and nothing you say or do will ever change that," Lucie said before turning and walking to her desk.
As she sat down next to Bahorel, she began breathing more heavily, and felt like she could cry at any moment.
"What's up, Lucie?" Bahorel smiled.
Lucie jumped before realizing who was talking to her, "Oh, nothing much."
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Where are you going after class?" she asked him.
"Back to my room, why? Is everything OK?"
"No, but I need you to walk with me to Marius's room," she said, knowing that Bahorel looked intimidating, and that if she was alone that Montparnasse would follow her.
"Of course I'll walk with you, what's the matter?"
"I can't tell you right now, Bahorel," she explained.
"Just nod or shake your head," he said before asking quietly, "Is it that guy you were just talking to?"
Lucie nodded.
"Alright, then is he threatening you?"
Lucie shook her head and mouthed, "Not yet."
"Has he in the past?"
Lucie nodded.
"That's all I need to know for now," he whispered, "Listen, I'm going to take you right to mine and Feuilly's room and then send Feuilly to get Marius, OK?"
Lucie nodded again, "OK."
After class, Lucie and Bahorel were the first two out the door. As they walked to his room, Bahorel kept looking behind them, making sure that Montparnasse wasn't following them. When they got to the room, Feuilly was there doing his homework.
"Feuilly," Bahorel almost shouted, scaring him up from his book, "stop what you're doing."
"Why, Bahorel, what's wrong?" Feuilly asked.
"Lucie is here and she needs to talk to Marius, but she doesn't want to leave the room, go get Marius. I'll explain when you get back."
"What room number is Marius, Lucie?" Feuilly asked.
"Uuumm," Lucie thought for a minute, "He and Courf are in 315."
"I'll be right back," Feuilly said, running out the door.
"Alright," Bahorel told Lucie, "Spill."