Victor Hugo High: Chapter 1

Eponine Thenardier paced quickly out of her parent's miniscule, untidy shack as soon as her hair was in a ponytail and an old, lacy tee shirt was pulled over her bathing suit top. She sighed in relief that Mum and Dad hadn't been awake yet to force her to do the usual bar rounds. This was the last day of summer, and she was spending it with her friends. Even though she was always the odd one out, being that everyone there was male and on the Victor Hugo High football team, it was better than spending the day being hit on by drunks at her parents' inn. Plus, she only hung out with them because her best friend, Marius, wanted to. (It also didn't hurt that Marius would get to see her in a bathing suit for the first time since anything was worth showing, because they were going with his membership to the country club.)

Eponine sighed and ran a tube of ChapStick across her dry lips and walked to the usual curb in the middle of no where that she usually met Marius. Since the third grade, he would find her there, hiding from whatever was bothering her, usually her parents. They eventually just assumed that they would meet each other there.

The curb was old and overgrown with wild grass and flowers, but it was significant. On the up side, there was a beautiful antique park bench to rest on, and the scene altogether was like a hipster photograph. If she was being totally honest, Eponine would have found a much better meeting spot by now, if it weren't for the fact that the two of them had almost-almost! kissed on that very same park bench when they were fourteen. The thought made her angry with herself as she jerked herself back to the present.

The horn of a silver Porsche honked at her as Marius, Enj, and Arthur smiled and waved her over. Eponine grinned and hopped in the passenger seat.

"So," she addressed Marius. "Off to grab some breakfast first, or going straight to the pool?"

"Aw, man, Ponine, I meant to text you. Arthur here," he looked back at him disapprovingly, "sort of got us all banned from the club. You know- underage drinking. We were thinking about going bowling instead?"

Eponine managed to grimace as she slipped a shawl over her now-inappropriate lacy tank. "Oh, all right. Sure," she replied unconvincingly. "But Arthur Grantaire, if you ever ruin a swimming opportunity for me again, I'll pummel you."

The boys all chuckled a bit, as if she were joking.