young hearts (les mis au)

|| guys and dolls

pov: enjolras

it was clear that marius was out to ruin my life, even if he was unaware. he's always been there when i least wanted to be, and now that i finally gathered some courage, he's there, tampering that as well. i kind of wanted to hurt him, but, you know, i can't really do that.

i can remember one time in sixth grade, and i had a crush on this girl in my science class named lacey lafayette. i asked her if she would be my girlfriend, but she told me, "sorry, i'm dating marius pontmercy."

my pain has since numbed, considering she moved north the next year, but now he's ruining my chances with another girl. another girl.

if this didn't end soon, marius would be hearing from me.

-

i entered english the next morning, exhausted from a long night of homework, clutching my binder tightly. i put all of my things down next to éponine and slump into my chair.

éponine leans over to me. this morning, there's something new to her. but not in a good way. she smells musty, metallic... like she fought a war by herself without a weapon. but i don't mention anything to her. after all, she doesn't look like she's phased by it.

"we have our first drama class today, enj," she grins. for once, she appears enthusiastic. "i've never had this sort of opportunity before! i'm so excited!" éponine clutches my wrist tightly, shaking it up and down. "we just have to make it through english..."

i shrug. "i can wait. we have that test today."

her face turns as red as a tomato. "a test? i didn't study!" she shrieks quietly. "not that i had- i mean..." éponine turns away, mortified.

i put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "it's no big deal. we have time before class starts. and fantine always goes over the material before. trust me, you can at least make a B, i know you well enough to affirm that."

"psh, yeah right." she turns back around and rolls her eyes.

"you're being stubborn." my face is stoic, and her ability not to change her opinion has no affect on me. none.

she shrugs, grabbing a pencil from a black pouch and pulling out a piece of notebook paper. "sorry, enj. i'm just stressed." she scribbled around nervously.

"i noticed," i say flatly.

éponine's brown eyes pierce me with bitterness, bright against the darkness of her irises. it's actually pretty, and i have to fight the urge to be infected by her beautiful- er, mockery.

the door opens, and fantine walks in with a stack of papers and notebooks. éponine shoves the piece of paper into her desk carelessly, and my eyes float to the teacher.

time drones on, and i listen intently to what she says. after all, i could use a little reminder before the test.

"being hungry enough to eat a horse is a hyperbole, isn't it? what is a hyperbole- gabriel?" she looks at me with her watery brown eyes, expecting a response.

i answer with, "a dramatic exaggeration." it's brief, just how i like answers in class.

éponine, i discern, is staring at me, making me quite uncomfortable. i choose to ignore her.

fantine hands out the tests, and in no time, i hand mine it.

half an hour minutes later, éponine is still on the fourth question.

-

the bell rings, and the eleventh graders flood the halls, doing what they can to reach class before they're tardy.

éponine follows me to the theater, where we sit awkwardly until more people and eventually, madame hucheloup, enters the room. most of my friends are here. they prefer theater to their normal classes, as does cosette. of course. she's probably only here to get with marius though.

"i wonder what this year's play is," she says, curling one of her ringlets around her finger. "i'll probably get the lead. daddy paid for singing lessons and he told me i sounded like beyoncé." cosette then giggles.

i begin laughing, and éponine shoots me a dirty look, obviously surprised by my sudden outburst. i quickly apologize.

"i bet you sound amazing, babe," marius says to the blonde girl beside of him.

éponine looks disgusted and wounded by his behavior. "i hate her."

"who?"

"cosette. that pretty face won't get her anywhere."

i snicker. we high-five, and her touch tingles on my skin. i rub my hand on my jeans.

madame begins speaking to us. "hood morning, class. i am madame hucheloup, as you know. and this is the theater class."

we nod as she speaks. she's extraordinarily strict, so we listen carefully.

"this year, we will be performing one show. one that will blow the past shows out of the park!" she beams.

cosette raises her hand. "madame? is it a musical?"

madame nods her head, clasping her hands. "yes, in fact."

"what is it we're doing?" grantaire asks like an idiot.

"it's a romance story. a beautiful illustrated classic called... guys and dolls."

i raises my eyebrow. éponine looks puzzled.

"it's a theater classic. and it's very exciting to perform. i remember when i played miss adelaide... such an exciting show!"

we glance around. everyone shrugs.

"auditions will be tomorrow morning, no pressure."

no pressure? she needs to learn a little bit about the stress of high school.

-

Hey! I hope you've enjoyed this!

(Edited from Moonrise Kingdom to Guys and Dolls :P)

'till next time, guys. :)

x. eppy