As Marius and Cosette grew closer, Marius and Eponine grew farther and farther apart. It's not that they had suddenly stopped being best friends, they just... well, it was hard to explain. Enjolras noticed it in the course of their first full week of school. It was like Eponine was jealous of Cosette Valjean. Whatever her attitude towards Marius and his new crush were, Enjolras had to pity his poor friend.

So, he took it to himself to become Eponine's new best friend- or at least until Marius and Cosette broke up or Eponine decided to grow up a bit and let them be together. It wasn't that they weren't good friends before, but it was Enjolras who had started to give her rides home from school and sometimes go get ice cream after. If he had football practice, she would obediently wait for him in the library until it was over.

It was sort of a win-win. Marius had started giving Cosette rides home, even when he had football practice, she conveniently had some sort of after-school activity that ended around the same time. Enjolras, unlike Eponine, was happy for the couple and hopefully his best friend would get the courage to ask her out. He figured car rides home alone would help speed things up without him and Eponine hanging around.

The next Tuesday, officially marking a week of being in school, Enjolras decided to drive through McDonald's on the way home, he didn't have practice and definitely deserved a coke. Eponine was in an okay mood, but she hadn't been her usual, sarcastic-but-caring self since the school year began.

They had been silent in the car, mostly, and he didn't really mind. Enjolras tilted his head to check on Eponine. It really wasn't like her to be quiet.

"Ponine... are you crying?" Enjolras questioned, his voice concerned, as he noticed a few small tears trickling down her face.

"J-just keep driving," she stuttered out, a flash of anger in her voice.

Of course he was concerned, but Enjolras wanted to just go home. He wasn't good with handling people that were emotional- particularly, crying girls.

"No, I have to stop," he said, trying his best to make his voice sound sensitive. Hastily, Enjolras pulled into the McDonald's parking lot and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked, her no response. "Come on, Eponine, you can tell me anything."

"No I can't! You would laugh at me if I told you!" she sobbed, while Enjolras awkwardly rubbed her back.

Honestly, it was weird to watch Eponine Thenardier cry. She just wasn't a crier, she was strong. Eponine never showed her emotions. Despite the fact she was friends with two teenage boys that easily dwarfed her, she was the rock of their friendship.

If something was making her cry, the world was either ending or something was terribly, indescribably wrong. Enjolras never could have guessed she would feel so strongly for their best friend.

"Is this about Marius?" he questioned as gently as he could. Eponine looked up from her crying.

"Is it that obvious?" she said, her voice cracking.

"Actually, no. Not really, not until recently. I never would have figured it out if he hadn't started liking Cosette, I can tell you're jealous. You're losing him," he told her, trying to sound as caring as he could. She still cried. He sighed, this wasn't working.

"He wasn't mine to lose!" she countered, "Why would I even think there was ever a chance for us... Whatever. I was too afraid to talk about my feelings, and now he's gone."

"Oh, Ponine..." Enjolras said, letting her sad story dissolve, wishing her awful life would go away. She didn't deserve her parents, her house that was falling apart or being ignored by Marius. "I wish there was something I could do to help you. Maybe one day, when Cosette's a thing in the past..."

"He will never feel this way!" she sobbed, her voice failing her.

His heart was actually breaking. Enjolras could feel the pain in his chest. Eponine was falling to pieces in his own, worn-down car. Over Marius?

"Eponine, you're... Eponine! What are you doing?" he hadn't meant to say his thoughts aloud, but she looked up from her tears with confusion.

"Huh?"

"I just... Eponine, you can't act like this. My bravest friend is broken beyond compare because of a boy, that doesn't make sense. You're so strong, it's hurting me to have to see you like this," Enjolras surprised himself with his own words.

She let out what looked like a small smile. "I'm your bravest friend?"

"By far. There'll be other boys. I promise," Enjolras continued, his stomach going back to normal as she sat up straight.

"I just, don't make fun of me, Enjolras, but I thought he was going to save me," she lamented, leaning back in the seat and encouraging him to order to sodas they originally planned on ordering.

"From what?"

"My parents, my life. I thought we were going to go to the same college and we would live together and fall in love and he was going to punch my father somewhere down the road." Enjolras chuckled at the mental picture. Thenardier definitely deserved it. She smiled, thinking of the fantasy of her and Marius. "I imagine it all the time."

"Since when?" he asked, trying to guess when her crush had developed."Last year?"

"Fifth grade," she answered simply.

"Oh," was his reply. She nodded sadly. Enjolras could feel nothing but pity, his friend was in a terrible situation.

They talked as they drank their sodas, he tried desperately to keep her mind off of things. It was clear that Eponine was still far from anywhere near okay, but she was keeping up an indifferent face for his sake. Eventually, he drove her home and Enjolras wanted nothing more to help her as she walked back to her ugly house, waving goodbye.

He sighed, and he had a good two hour's worth of homework that night. Could his day get any worse?

It was hard for Enjolras to process; Marius and Eponine? They would never be a couple. That was one thing he was nearly positive of. If in all the years he had known them never had seriously considered them being together, there was no compatibility.

Poor Eponine.

When he arrived home, a voice greeted him, but it turned out not to be his parents. It was actually his best friend- or at least one of them- Matt Grantaire, a high school graduate who never really found his way to college and instead found his way to alcohol.

He had been a model student during his high school years and met a freshmen Enjolras when he was a sophomore. They were both members of every club possible and had their names on the Distinguished Honors list of Mackintosh High School.

In fact, when Enjolras met Grantaire, the older boy had become somewhat of an idol to him. He even started calling himself Enjolras instead of Ricky, because everyone called Grantaire Grantaire, and not Matt.

It was during junior year (Grantaire's senior year) when Enjolras's idol quickly fell down a dark path of girls, beer and partying. His grades suffered and he was rejected from every school he applied to. Grantaire had lost most of his preppy, role model friends in exchange of people who probably did drugs. Enjolras was the only one who stood by him.

The roles then had since reversed. It was Grantaire who had started to look up to Enjolras, perhaps in memory of his triumphant high school days. Maybe he missed his old life, maybe he didn't at all. Whatever his feelings were, Grantaire still managed to offer Enjolras some of his beer after all of the misery he had gone through his senior year.

Enjolras sat down at his table, staring at the drink his friend held. "I think I'll pass."

Grantaire shrugged, putting his dirty boots on the kitchen table and leaning back on his chair. Inwardly, it made Enjolras cringe, but he didn't nag his friend about it.

"How'd you get into my house? My parents aren't home."

'It's really obvious you keep a spare key under the mat," was the simple answer.

Enjolras managed to suppress his tiredness with Grantaire. He missed his best friend, how could one person change so drastically in the course of a year?

Still, it was nice to talk to someone not dramatically crying and Enjolras enjoyed the company. Eventually, he allowed Grantaire to convince him to drink some of the Captain Morgan he had brought as he explained Eponine's situation.

"You know, everyone laughs because I'm not that into relationships, but I think it can cause more bad than good, especially when you're in high school," Grantaire commented, with a sudden burst of philosophical thinking.

Enjolras had to admit, it was the first intelligent comment he had heard from his friend in months.

So, I love Grantaire, in case you can't tell and I really hope I didn't miss him completely while I was writing. Thanks for reading!