Chapter ii. with a little help from my friends.

do you need anybody?

i need somebody to love

could it be anybody?

i just want someone to love

(with a little help from my friends)

It'd been a month since Éponine set foot in this new, strange land. Thankfully, she had gone to an international high school back home so she had had no trouble communicating here, and people were rather astounded at how fluent at English she was. Since Éponine had just passed her 18th birthday, it was unnecessary to get her a family host. Henry Lodge placed her at Princeton University, claiming the diverse and bustling environment would do her good, but she knew it was easier to put an eye on her here. It was near the end of the fall semester, and Éponine was given a single room in the international students hall, a privilege that apparently, many of the Americans envied.

"You'd register for classes next semester like a regular freshman, so you should start thinking about what you want to study." Said Lodge hastily while she was unpacking her small suitcase. "There's no reason for you to cease your education only because you moved here."

He stopped and looked around the modest room. There was a bed with a white pillow and boring beige linen, a desk with an attached bookshelf. The room smelled of Febreeze, and there was a yellow stain on the wall. Éponine looked up to him, and she knew he was waiting for her to speak.

"Thank you Mr. Lodge, I am deeply grateful." She spoke with a slightly throaty accent. "I shall do my best to settle in here."

She knew that was he wanted her to say.

"Don't cause any trouble."

"I won't." she shook her head. "Whom should I contact if I want to hear news about my parents?" she asked when he was halfway out the door.

"Frankly Éponine, I think you'd be better off not asking about it." He turned around and looked at her. "Let's just start a new life here, will you?"

At that moment she understood, that her duty here was to behave, to forget that her former life ever existed, keep quiet and lay low. She knew once she had departed, she couldn't return. Éponine hated that they expected her to obey them like a loyal puppy, but what else could she do? She did not have much choice.

Éponine was granted a job on campus with a pathetic salary just above minimum wage, but she was grateful she was economically independent. She worked in the basement of the science building in the chemistry stockroom. Every day she pushed the cart full of glassware with substances to the lab and cleaned them when the students were done. With her job she got an I.D. card, which she used to swipe into the dining hall. When dinner was over she retreated back into her room, full of books she had borrowed from the library to keep her mind occupied and not run wild with imaginary scenes of what might happen to her parents back home. She did not care too much about her father; it was mother she was worrying about. Days passed, and though she tried her hardest, no news about the erupting war was delivered anywhere. Éponine was alone without an ally, or a friend who could tell her what was going on. After a span of two weeks, she stopped trying, knowing there was nothing she could do.

One evening, Éponine just existed the basement when she noticed noises approaching her. She looked up and saw a blond student running towards her. Behind him were several other students, frantically running away from the men chasing them. When he landed on the ground where she was standing, he looked at her with pleading eyes. Without thinking, Éponine opened the basement door for him and together they ran inside along the narrow exit hall, laughing.

"Bet you five bucks it will hit the window." Courfeyrac said to Feuilly, positioning himself behind the golf ball. He took a swing and watched as the ball made a beautiful imaginary parabolic path into the air, as it fell down, down, down, down until there was a tinkling sound of broken glass, followed by a hoarse voice telling them they'd be in big trouble.

"Oh yeah?" Courfeyrac shouted into the air. "Come and get me."

Seconds later there was the distinctive sound of door opening and loud swearing.

"Oh shit!" cursed Courfeyrac, and away they ran. Courfeyrac took a cut across the lawn towards the science building and jumped down on the basement exit. Standing at the door was a small East Asian girl and she let him in without questioning. While the girl was regaining her breath, as she obviously wasn't used to running, Courfeyrac introduced himself.

"I'm Courfeyrac. What's your name?"

"Call me Éponine."

"Éponine, thank you so much. I was so sure he was gonna grill my ass."

"You're very welcome."

"What's with the accent, if you don't mind me asking? Where are you from?"

She hesitated for a bit, but answered anyway.

"Saigon, Vietnam. It's in the south." She added when she saw his jaw dropped.

"Holy shit. Isn't a war going on over there?"

"I wish there wasn't." Éponine whispered.

"So…so what are you doing here Éponine?"

"To be honest, I don't know." She shook her head. "I just got here three weeks ago because our president was assassinated and my mom said it wasn't safe there anymore."

He saw her face becoming more solemn and knew that he just touched upon a sensitive subject. Courfeyrac decided that he liked her, very much indeed, so he tried to cheer her up.

"Do you want to go get some beer with me and my guys?" He offered. "It's a Saturday night. I'll cover your drinks. Come on, you can't resist free beer."

Éponine was quiet, as though she was considering options. Courfeyrac watched her eyebrows furrow and patiently waited for an answer.

"It's not like I have other plans." She answered after a century of thinking. Courfeyrac grinned and took her hand, leading her away from the basement.

"Come on!"

"That. Was. Crazy." Éponine exhaled and fell on the couch in the lounge. Courfeyrac and his friends followed her, each fell asleep right away on their spot.

It had been the craziest night of her life. She went to a pub with Courfeyrac and his friends, drank beer, played billiards and watched him flirt with the waitress there. The pub was crowded, noisy and full of smoke but Éponine didn't mind as she was having so much fun. She had her first joint in the lounge of Courfeyrac's hall, which made her head spin and her stomach growl and joined him and his friends for a song as they tore down the hallways. Now she was lying on the couch, Courfeyrac dead asleep on the ground next to her.

"Éponine." He asked, his voice hoarse and sleepy. "I was thinking, since you don't have a family here, would you like to stay with me for winter break and celebrate Christmas with my family?"

"You just met me." She replied.

"Exactly." He smiled.

Éponine thought about what Lodge would say to her.

"I would love to." She smiled.

Enjolras threw his backpack on the table in the dining room. His mom poked her head from the kitchen.

"Enjolras, you have a letter. It's from Grantaire."

The word "Grantaire" was like a shot of caffeine to his droopy mind. Enjolras rushed to the kitchen and almost tore the letter away from his mother's hand. She smiled and turned back to chopping onions. She knew her youngest son was different, and that his relationship with Grantaire was far from pure platonic but she didn't care. As long as her children were happy, she was happy too.

"When does Courfeyrac get back from college?" Enjolras wandered into the kitchen after he was done reading the letter, obviously tremendously satisfied and cheerful. He picked up a piece of bread and began spreading butter on it.

"Tomorrow. He just called me last night, saying he'd bring back a girl for Christmas. One of his friends. Apparently she's Vietnamese. Can you believe that?"

"The shit that Courfeyrac does." Enjolras commented.

"Language." She gently scolded him. "I can't wait for Courf to get home. It's been really lonely and quiet without him here."

"Jeez, thanks mom. I feel really appreciated now."

She shot him a look. "Why don't you go upstairs and frame Grantaire's letter, put it up the wall like I know you would."

"Don't mind if I do." He kissed his mom's cheek and strolled out of the kitchen, humming a tune that she didn't recognize. Kids these days, she shook her head.