When We Were Young

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

By mid day I have managed to grab myself a decent amount of food, but I still can't shake that blonde haired boy out of my mind. Why was he carrying flowers with my name on them? Surely it was a mistake. I must have read that tag wrong.

"Ep, why are you still carrying those?"

I look down at the bouquet of flowers balancing itself under my arm, between the baguette of bread and the apple. I can feel my cheeks getting redder. I instinctively look to the ground.

"I... I just... What if he wants them back? If I see him, I'll just-"

"Want them back?" Montparnasse starts to laugh. "Yeah, right."

He grabs them and yanks them out. The apple falls to the ground.

"'Parnasse!" I snap.

I reach out to grab the flowers back, but he pulls them away, out of reach.

"What's up with you? They're just flowers."

"I..." I don't know if I can tell him. "I just want them, okay?"

"Whatever."

He throws them back at me before bending down to grab the fallen apple.

"Flowers against apple?" he asks with a smirk.

"Like I have a choice."

Before I have time to end my sentence, he's already taking a bite. Exactly what I've been saying.

"You're unbelievable," I tell him.

"But you love me."

He starts running away and I can't help but sigh.

"Yeah, 'Parnasse," I say out loud. "Something like that."

I look back down at the flowers in my hand. I don't know what they mean and I don't know what I'm feeling, I just know that something is changing within me. And it feels better.

"Mademoiselle Eponine!" I hear a voice call out.

I turn to my right and see Marius running towards me. Oh, no. Not another problem. I immediately hide the flowers behind my back as he arrives next to me.

"How's it going?" he asks me, all smiles.

Little he knows...

"I'm... good," I manage to answer.

"So how's that reading coming along?"

I snap my head quickly in Montparnasse's direction. He's circling back, but he's still out of earshot. I lower my voice in precaution.

"There's something I have to tell you."

He opens his mouth to respond, but Montparnasse is already back next to me.

"Something wrong here?" he says.

I roll my eyes.

"We're just talking, 'Parnasse."

"Yeah," Marius continues. "Just wanted to know how Eponine was coming along."

I tense. Oh, no. Marius, what did you do?

"Coming along with what?" Montparnasse asks, now really curious.

I try to warn Marius with a stare, but he isn't looking at me.

"I'm teaching her how to read!" he admits triumphantly.

My eyes instantly look to the ground. Montparnasse slowly turns towards me. I can feel his eyes burning through my body.

"You... He... What?!"

"'Parnasse," I start.

"That's where you've been? With your student friends?"

"You don't understand..."

"Oh, no, I think I get it now."

"He burned it," I suddenly let out.

I catch Marius stumbling back from the corner of my eye.

"What?" Marius lets out.

"The book," I admit. "My papa found out I was learning to read and he... He burned the book."

And that's when Montparnasse says something I never thought he would.

"I think I finally understand why he does those kinds of things to you."

My jaw drops.

"You don't mean that," I say, tears starting to form in my eyes. "Take it back."

"It's because you keep hurting us," he lets out. "The ones who've always been here for you, you don't want anything to do with us." He takes a breath. "I've always been here, Ep. Always! Can you not see that? But the moment that boy arrives, suddenly I'm tossed into second place."

"That is not what this is."

"I'm sorry I can't read, Ep! I'm sorry I can't show you the seven wonders of the world. I'm sorry I wasn't born in the bourgeoisie! But guess what? You're just like me, like us. And your papa is just trying to remind you that you are one of us, not one of them!"

Montparnasse then turns around and starts marching away.

"He hit me!" I yell. "Did you know that? He hit his own daughter! That's how I got my black eye, and my bruised rib, and my swollen cheek. So that's right, walk away like the coward you are and leave me alone. You're just like him, 'Parnasse! And you're going to end up just like him!"

For a moment he just stays in place, but quickly picks up the pace and heads back to the village. I suddenly realize what's happening. Yes, we fight, Montparnasse and I. But he never left before. This is the first time he actually leaves me without things being sorted out.

"This is just a usual fight, right?" I call after him. "We'll be okay tomorrow?"

But he doesn't turn around and just keeps walking away. The tears that were threatening to fall finally do. I hear Marius clear his throat.

"I, umm... I said something wrong, right?"

I throw Enjolras's bouquet of flowers angrily into Marius's arms.

"I'm not one of you!" I yell in his face. "Stop trying to make me!"

With one swift motion I grab his hat and start running away.

"Hey!" I hear him call out. "What are you doing?"

I'm just being the street scum everyone wants me to be.

"Eponine!"

Sorry, Marius. You're talking to the Jondrette Girl now.