Swimming

After unpacking the trucks and moving the boxes inside of her new colonial style house, Eponine explored the first floor of her new abode. The house was pretty big. It had two floors, the bottom, though, had been fixed up to be more open. Rooms seemed bigger and flowed in a nice way.

"Why don't you guys go swimming?" Leanne asked. "It's still early in the day! And I hear the pool is super fun here."

"Yeah, if you want to be a) a pervert of the swim team, b) a rich kid, or c) a wannabe-cool-kid," Azelma explained.

"It's true," agreed Eponine, "Whenever we went, people would judge us. The pool is pretty judgmental and full of those popular jocks." She plopped down on the white, leather couch.

"I didn't know pools had stereotypes… C'mon! You guys can't be antisocial this whole summer!" Exclaimed Leanne. She was setting up her pictures and signs around the house.

"Besides, I would much rather help you set up in here. We haven't even settled the plans for the rooms!" Eponine replied.

Gavroche popped his head out of the basement door. "Actually, I-um- kinda want to go," he smiled.

"Girls, take your brother to the pool. Please? I can set the house up, and I'll call you if I need help. How about that?" Leanne offered. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes, breathing hard, weak smile, and fatigue. She had been like that ever since the offer of her move, and Eponine was starting to get worried.

"Are you okay?" asked Eponine. She got up from the couch

"Yes, Ep, I'm fine. Thank you. Just a little more tired than usual. The new job has a lot of pressure on me," Leanne assured. "Now go and have fun! Don't take your summer for granted!" She waved them away and got back to work.

"Whale then," Azelma muttered. Following Eponine to the boxes containing their clothes.

"I hate when you say that," Eponine whispered.

(To the pool!)

Eponine walked behind her siblings, long shirt over her swimsuit and iPhone in her hand. The good part about their new house was that it was just a couple of blocks from the pool. Walking to the pool was pretty fun. All around them, there were beautiful willow trees shading the path, and little decorative lights lined it too.

As they neared the pool, Eponine started to feel self-conscious, but tried not to let it show. She never really liked the pool. There were always boys who eye you like you're a piece of meat, and girls, wearing those scantily clad suits which barely even looked like swim wear, who judge you on your image. Little kids ran around dropping their food, making the place messy. Tweens tried to appeal to those older than them, cannonballing, flipping, and showing off. The main problem, though, was bathing suits. She never felt comfortable in them. They were always so tight, conforming to your figure.

Like in every neighborhood pool, they asked for some sort of identification, and Eponine showed them her new pool card. They let her pass through, and Gavroche went straight to the pool, set his stuff on a table, and then jumped in. Eponine and Azelma put their stuff next to his. While Azelma went to rinse before going in, Eponine took her shirt off to uncover her red, but modest, bikini. She then looked around.

Different and better were the first two words that popped into Eponine's head. The pool was "L" shaped, with a small, circular, kiddie pool on the side. On the other side, an elevated wooded area had a volleyball net and sand. Picnic tables were scattered around it, every other one holding a couple of teens. The asphalt was clean, no stains what-so-ever splattered the sparkling surface. At the far back of the pool, a Ping-Pong table stood in the shade of a snack bar. The snack bar had a long queue in front. Two diving boards were being used by what Eponine assumed the diving team, and the swim lanes were full of the swim team. A small basketball hoop over one side of the pool was being used by Gavroche, who found a near-by basketball.

Eponine walked over to the edge of the pool, looking in, when suddenly Azelma came up from behind and pushed her. A life guard blew his whistle warning them, and Eponine shouted sorry back.

She glared at Azelma, "Nice. I'm pretty sure out first impression to the pool committee is wonderful and not at all trouble makers."

Azelma jumped in. "Relax, 'Ponine. They probably get that all the time."

Eponine rolled her eyes and joined Gavroche at the small hoop. She got back up on the cement and let her feet into the water, enjoying the occasional splash of the ball.

Eventually, the swim team caught her attention. They were on their fifth lap and didn't even slow down a bit. Then, one man, looking about her age, pushed himself out of the pool on the coach's command. His golden hair was stuck to his face, yet she could still see the curls that would've been there if his hair was dry. He was ripped, muscular arms and legs, and evident abs. His face was angelic, a strong jaw, perfect nose, and pink lips. She couldn't see his eyes, though, for they were covered by his goggles.

The coach directed him to the diving board and he followed. Eponine had to admit he was damn hot, supermodel hot, but she had a slight disliking for him already. He seemed arrogant, careless, and filthy rich. All the girls would sneak glances at him, and some just plain out stared. To the ones that stared, he seemed to have this fearful gaze, even with goggles on. As a distraction, Eponine decided to go back to the pool.

As she stood up, a small group of boys, also from the swim team, bumped into her.

"Woah, sorry," a freckled brunette man apologized, catching her before she hit the floor.

"Hands off! I'm fine," Eponine ordered. She resisted making contact until she got back up on her feet again.

She felt the hands leave her side. "Sorry. Just tryn'a- Eponine?"

Turning around, she saw that friendly face. "Marius!" They smiled and shared a hug.

A cough interrupted the small reunion. It belonged to a dark haired man, who looked undeniably cute.

"Marius, you never told me you had such a hot girlfriend," he scolded. Marius turned pink, blushing, while Eponine laughed, letting go of him.

"I'm not his girlfriend. Just a close friend," she explained.

"Mmmmhmm," another man, who looked a bit more grown up than the last, sounded. Everyone chuckled.

"Guys, this is my friend, Eponine," Marius said, recovering. A couple of eyes bulged to the familiar and unique name.

"Eponine?" the first boy asked.

"Um… Yeah…." Eponine agreed. Why are they so surprised that my name is Eponine?

"Yeah. Her name is Eponine. Eponine, this is Courfeyrac, Grantaire, Joly, and Bahorel," informed Marius.

Eponine kept her face cool and nodded, but in her mind, "HOLY SHIT! WHAT?!" ran through.

A splash came from the pool, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Sorry, Ep. I was…" Gavroche began, "Marius!" He ran over to the boy, avoiding any lifeguard's attention.

"Gavroche! Look at you! Three years ago, you were a little man-" Marius was interrupted by Gavroche.

"I ain't little," Gavroche muttered.

Marius laughed, "No, you weren't. Hey, I gotta go back to swim practice, but maybe we can meet up later? I can bring 'Chetta. And you can explain what you're doing here."

She laughed, "Of course! Alright, bye." She waved at him and followed Gavroche to the pool.

"Marius still treats me like kid," Gavroche complained, shooting the ball into the basket.

"He's just like that, but I know you're grown up," Eponine declared.

He just smiled in response, and he dropped the ball and swam with her for a bit. They played Marco polo, until Courfeyrac and Grantaire joined them in the pool.

"The nachos here are amazing," Courfeyrac tempted. He caught Eponine glancing at the swim team and back at him with a worried expression. He chuckled, "Don't worry, Grantaire here and I aren't part of the relays, and so we're off."

Grantaire smirked, "You been here before?"

Gavroche looked at Eponine. She reached out for him, "No, we're new here. We moved from Upstate." She offered a smile, and Grantaire smiled back.

"Hey, Taire, get Gavroche a snack, my treat," Courfeyrac smiled.

"Can I go please?" Gavroche pleaded.

Eponine sighed and nodded. They got out of the pool, Grantaire took a couple of bucks from Courfeyrac's pant pocket. Eponine kept treading the water as Courfeyrac approached her.

"I know you remember me Thenardier," he said seriously.

"I'm not a Thenardier anymore," She replied stubbornly.

"Okay," He threw his hands up. "But you cut the Amis in a way that will take forever to be fixed."

"Well, I'm sorry that my parents were arrested Courf!"

"What?"

"That's why I had to leave. Did you think I wanted to leave you all? You, Grantaire, Joly, Bahorel, Combeferre, and… Enjolras? I loved you all! You were my first friends!"

He swam over to her and held her, bringing her over to the side of the pool. She was being too expressive that treading the water wasn't going to keep her up.

"I came home with Gav and Zel, and the first thing I saw was cops. They were swarming our house. My parents were led away to jail. You know why. I went in, and I was under custody of Leanne Goodman, my aunt. We moved to Uptown, and she wanted us to leave our old lives, for safety purposes. Lately, she got a job in this town, and we had to move back, so, POOF! Here I am!"

"So, you didn't leave because we were annoying or something?" He chuckled.

Rolling her eyes, she hit him. "No. I'm not that inconsiderate!"

"Yeesh! It was a joke!"

"I'm not laughing!"

"I can make you!" Gavroche said, coming back from the snack bar and jumping into the pool.

Grantaire laughed, setting down the nachos on their table, and jumping in after him.

"Hey!" Azelma said popping out of nowhere.

"Ah! Azelma!" Courfeyrac mock bowed.

"Haha. You gonna help 'Ponine before she drowns because of the two boys tickling her?" Azelma questioned. He turned around.

"Shit. Hey! Get on my shoulders!" Courfeyrac said, pulling her from them.

"Ohhh! It's on!" Grantaire laughed, pulling Gavroche on his shoulders.

"For Narnia!" Eponine giggled. A full out chicken fight started. Eponine hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

As she was wrestling Gavroche, she asked for a favor, "Can you guys not tell Enjolras? I feel like I should break it to him."

"Eponine and Enjolras!" Gavroche taunted. She pushed him off of Grantaire, and he splashed into the water.

They all laughed when he resurfaced, wet and still surprised.

"As you wish," Grantaire sang.

"Where is Enjolras?" Gavroche asked.

Courfeyrac looked around. "He's right-"

The tall blonde man Eponine saw earlier appeared, blocking the sun. His curls bounced, still dripping a bit. His goggles were off and his ocean blue eyes looked like he found her unusual. He was stone faced. An image of a young, happy sixth grade boy flashed before her eyes.

"Enjolras!" Grantaire smiled.

He glanced at Eponine, his expression not changing. "C'mon, get out. We have to help out at the café." And with that, Enjolras walked towards the bathroom.

A/N: OH MY GOSH! I WENT TO A CONSERT AND HEARD LEA SALONGA SING A MASH-UP OF I DREAMED A DREAM AND ON MY OWN! AND SHE SANG A WHOLE NEW WORLD WITH DARREN CRISS! IT WAS THIS CONCERT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE TYPHOON YOLANDA VICTIMS! Happy summer! Well, at least for me. I know some of you may still be in school, but you're almost there! You can do it! I hope you likes this chapter. Sorry about the delay, I couldn't get the chapter to be the way I wanted it. Please, give me advice, comments, reviews! Thank you for reading my story. I'm still working on my writing so… I hope you guys understand if you see any mistakes. I'll update as soon as I can. I'm going to be traveling soon, so it might take a while. Again, Happy summer!