What is Love?

Chapter 7

The car ride was silent for most of the way back to Enjolras's house, but Éponine could barely contain her excitement. She felt a smile tugging in the corner of her mouth every few minutes and she did her best to suppress it, but Enjolras noticed and cleared his throat.

"Ok, what's up Éponine? What are you so giddy about?" he asked with a smirk, flickering his eye to her before turning them back to the road.

She shook her head, "Nothing" she said as convincingly as she could.

"Éponine?" He pestered.

She turned in her seat to face him, "No-thing" she said with emphasis.

Enjolras shook his head, "It's Marius, isn't it?"

"Umm, well I-no of course not" she stuttered.

"Really Éponine? You didn't think I noticed something was going on between you two?" he asked annoyed, "I'm your best friend I know these things".

Éponine sighed, "I'm sorry Enjolras, it's just I know how much you don't like him so I didn't want you to get mad. But I really like him Enj, he seems like a cool guy" she said clutching Marius's number in her hand.

Enjolras shook his head, "I don't know Ép, something about him just doesn't feel right to me".

Éponine sighed, "What, what doesn't seem right to you?"

"Oh I don't know Éponine, the way he dresses, the way he looks at you like you're a piece of meat-"

"He does not-" Éponine began.

"Yeah he does. When you're not looking he looks at you like you're his next victim, his next meal and I don't like it. I can also tell he's lying about why he transferred. There's no way his parents would just stop paying for private school on his last year of high school. There's something more to it".

Éponine opened her mouth to respond but she closed it and turned away from Enjolras. She clenched her jaw and stared out the window she was not going to have this fight with Enjolras.

Enjolras remained quiet too, his eyes fixated on the road. The tension was high and Éponine felt ready to snap. Her eyes began to water but she wouldn't let herself cry.

As they pulled into the driveway Enjolras turned off the car and turned to Éponine. He went to take her hand gently but Éponine pulled it out of his grasp and pushed her car door open.

She stormed out of the car leaving

Enjolras scrambling behind her. "Éponine, Ép please. I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to yell, I-"

She whirled in him, "You what? You just don't open up to people easily? Don't even try Enjolras, you've already used that excuse once. Is this how you felt when you first met me? That everything I told you was a lie? Or that I looked at people weirdly?"

"No Éponine, I didn't-"

"Just stop Enjolras. You're just scared. Scared that if Marius and I get closer that he will take me away from you. Scared that I might actually have another friend that's not you. Yeah well you're not going to be my only friend, and Marius needs one so you can just back off!" Éponine screamed. She looked at the surprise in Enjolras's face, and it looked like her was going to say something. She felt the tears forming, she couldn't stay. She slammed the door of the house open and ran up to her room. She ran inside and closed the door, locking it behind her. As soon as she pushed the lock in a sob escaped get body. She slid down the door and leaned her head against the door. She heard Enjolras and his mother talking in muffled voices. She didn't try to listen in, she knew they were talking about her. Why would Enjolras do that? She knew he didn't like Marius, but maybe she took it a step too far. Enjolras would always be her best friend, no one could replace him, but the look in his eyes when she called him scared surprised her. He looked like she had just given away his greatest secret, like he had been found out.

She shook her head and dried her eyes. She needed to calm down, she was overreacting. She stood up and walked over to her bed. She sat down and opened her hands above her knees. To her surprise the paper with Marius's number fell out onto her lap. Her heart soared. She quickly pulled out her phone and typed in the number. Then she stared at the screen. What was she supposed to say? Hi? Hey? What's up? She didn't want to sound overly excited, she typed in "Hey it's Éponine" and stared at it for a minute.

Then she heard a knock on the door, "Eponine? Can I come in?" Enjolras asked.

"One second" she called to him. She hastily pressed the send button and hid her phone under her pillow. She climbed out of bed and walked to the door. She unlocked it and opened it to see Enjolras, smiling sadly at her, on the other side. She didn't say anything, but she wrapped her arms around him.

He quickly returned the hug, squeezing her tightly into his chest. "I'm sorry, Ép" he said simply. She knew that he still held firmly to his opinions on Marius, but he was sorry for the way he acted.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said those things. I took it too far" she said sadly.

He pulled away and smiled, It's fine Éponine. Everyone says things that they don't mean in the heat of the moment. Are you ok?"

She knew what he meant, is she mentally ok. She nodded even though her head still felt a little cloudy and she saw him nod back.

"Ok I have to go, I'll see you later" he said before hugging her one more time and leaving her room.

She watched him go down the hall and into his room before closing her door again. She ran over to her bed and found her phone. The screen lit up with one new message. She stomach flipped and she opened it. It was from Marius. "Hey 'Ponine! What's up? ;)" Her mind cleared and se smiled widely. Maybe what Enjolras said was true but maybe it wasn't. Marius was a nice guy and she would prove it to him.