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“Marius Pontmercy, you sly dog!” Courfeyrac all but shouted, stirring Marius from his thoughts of the cute new girl in his math class that he was absolutely terrified to approach.
He raised his eyebrows and watched his friend strut toward him, Combeferre walking behind him and seeming vaguely embarrassed. Courfeyrac often had that effect on people but in the best way possible.
“What did I do?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
Éponine, who was sitting beside him, laughed into their hand. They always seemed to have a better grasp at what was going on than Marius did.
Courfeyrac shoved his phone in Marius’ face. It was a picture of a bathroom stall that was covered in writing. It was a conversation between two people about him.
marius pontmercy is a dunce
I think he’s perfectly lovely! And I have a class with him and he doesn’t seem to be lacking in intelligence. He’s always helping the kid beside him with homework and such.
he’s literally the dumbest bitch on the planet
Don’t be so mean! He’s kind and caring. You are lucky you’ve even gotten the chance to encounter a man as lovely as he is. Unless you haven’t, in which case you have no right to be talking to him like this.
jesus christ why don’t you just marry the dunce???
Because we’re only in high school and he probably has no idea that I exist.
yeah. bc he’s a dunce. the boy literally cannot see what’s right in front of him. trust me. he’s never been able to do that.
You’re just being cruel now.
i’m all about facts my dude!!!
“Some boy has a crush on me?” he asked, though the handwriting seemed too neat to suit most boys in their school. “Which bathroom is this in? I have to tell him that although I’m honored, my heart belongs to another.”
Courfeyrac thwacked him on the back of the head. “No, you idiot. This was in the girl’s bathroom.”
“You were creeping around in the girl’s bathroom?” Éponine asked.
He turned toward her and put his hands on his hips. “For your information, Musichetta took this picture and sent it to Joly, who showed it to me during psych. I was not creeping, unless you count stealing Joly’s phone as soon as he said the words ‘Marius’ and ‘admirer’.”
“Do you recognize the handwriting?”Marius asked his friends.
“I recognize the handwriting of the person who called you a dunce,” Éponine offered. “But I mean it’s my writing so of course I recognize it.”
Courfeyrac audibly gasped. “You would betray your own best friend?”
“For about five cents,” they replied, deadpan. “Maybe even less.”
Marius frowned at this. Éponine had been his friend forever. Surely they didn’t truly dislike him.
They shook his arm. “Lighten up, dude. I only wrote it because I thought it was funny. I kept writing that shit because I thought fucking with the other person was equally if not even more funny.”
“Back to the point,” Courfeyrac said. “We need to find this girl. Homecoming is coming up and as the number one ladies’ man of the group it’s my duty to ensure you get a date, my dear Marius.”
“I thought you were more of an equal opportunity man,” Combeferre pointed out with a slight smile.
“Ferre, babe, I can be a ladies’ man and still be dedicated to my amazing boyfriend,” the curly-haired boy replied, pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.
“I’m going to throw up,” Éponine said with a roll of their eyes.
“I will find her,” Courfeyrac promised him. “If I have to talk to every single girl in this school, I’ll track this chick down.”
“It’s no use,” Éponine told him. “Marius is totally obsessed with that new girl. The blond one. I think she moved here from New England or something?”
“Cosette?” Combeferre asked.
Marius’ head snapped up. “You know her name?”
“I mean I don’t think that’s her real name but that’s what she goes by,” he replied. “If I recall correctly, her actual name began with an ‘E’ and seemed absolutely impossible to pronounce.”
Marius stared at his friend in awe. He had shared a class with her for two weeks but, due to an unfortunate case of the stomach flu, he had missed the first day of school and thus the teacher taking attendance as he mapped the seating chart. His math teacher wasn’t really one for learning his students’ names or caring about their participation, so he usually chose to take attendance by the chart rather than verbally.
“What?” Combeferre asked, giving him a strange look. “We’re in the same AP Lit class.”
“I owe you my life,” Marius told him. “You’ve taught me the name of my true love.”
Éponine snorted. “Marius, I swear to god, you’re the most dramatic bitch on the planet. I’m not exaggerating. Even more than Courfeyrac .”
“Well, I’ll tell you what,” Courfeyrac said, turning toward Marius. “You can work up the courage to ask out Cosette while I use my super sleuth skills to identify the author of this bathroom literature and if the girl of your dreams says no then you can ask out girl number two.”
“I can’t just swap out my heart for another!” Marius exclaimed. “That goes against my moral code and probably common decency.”
“It’s just a school dance, dude,” Courfeyrac pointed out. “Nobody is going to care about it in about a month and a half.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “If you think it’s a good idea, you can feel free to find this girl, but I’m not helping you.”
Courfeyrac grinned. “You’re going to regret saying that, but thank you.”
The thing was, Marius had absolutely no idea how to approach Cosette. Their seats were on opposite sides of the classroom and hers was just by the door, so it would be impossible to catch her after class without sprinting, which would make him look just about as desperate as he actually was.
Marius had to settle for pining from afar, focusing on the blond curls tumbling down her shoulders rather than the equations on the board.
“Hey, what’s the answer to number three on the homework?” Feuilly whispered from the seat beside him. “I didn’t have time to do the worksheet after work last night and I couldn’t figure this problem out during lunch.”
Marius wordlessly handed him his worksheet.
“Thanks, bro. You’re a lifesaver,” he mumbled, quickly copying Marius’ answers and handing the worksheet back to him.
“Feuilly, do you know Cosette?” he asked.
“As in the girl in this class?” he asked. “Like the one you haven’t stopped staring at since the first time you sat down in your seat?”
‘Is there another?” he replied.
“Yes, I know of Cosette,” Feuilly snorted.
“I need to talk to her,” Marius told him. “But I never seem to be able to find a convenient time to approach her.”
“Ask her to ABC this afternoon,” he suggested. “The two of you can chat while Enjolras is busy bickering with R.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean I’ve literally never spoken to her. I need a chance to do so, but I don’t know her schedule or anything, so I’ve found myself in a pool of lonely misery.”
“You owe me big time because I’m about to owe someone else big time,” Feuilly said, pulling out his phone and sending a message. “Actually, maybe we should take out the common denominator and you can just owe Parnasse.”
“ Montparnasse?! ” he hissed. “Feuilly, what did you do? How do you know him? He’s not good company to keep.”
“He’s the weed man,” Feuilly replied. “Doesn’t everyone know that?”
“I didn’t know you smoked weed,” Marius replied incredulously.
“Only on days off.”
Their teacher gave them a pointed look and they shut up, but the silence only lasted a moment because, but a second later, the fire alarm was blaring.
“Go,” Feuilly ordered him. “Talk to her.”
He raced out of the classroom, weaving through his classmates to catch up with Cosette. When he reached her, he walked in a more casual manner.
“Oh, hello,” he greeted, as if he were surprised to see her and this hadn’t been planned. “We’re in the same math class, but I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Marius Pontmercy. I sit near the back.”
She smiled and Marius’ heart grew tenfold in his chest. “I’m Cosette from up by the door.”
He didn’t really know what to say, so what came out was. “I’m surprised that they’d have a fire drill so early in the year. I don’t even know where I’m supposed to go yet. I know it’s with my seventh-hour teacher, but I don’t think she ever told us the meeting place.”
“Me neither,” she said with a small laugh. “Maybe it’s not a drill. My old school often had plumbing problems that set it off.”
“Well, if neither of us knows where to go, I think we should stick together until further instructions are given,” he suggested.
Cosette nodded. “I’d much like that. I’m new here and I still don’t have many friends.”
“You have one more now,” Marius promised her. Friendship may not have been his final intention, but even if he couldn’t be with her, having Cosette as a friend would be a tremendous blessing in itself.
After they got to the football field, which was a mess of students confused as to where they were supposed to be, Marius grabbed her hands and turned her toward him. “Are you busy this afternoon? I have a club meeting and you’re free to join if you’re available and willing.”
“Unfortunately, I have to help my Papa with something after school,” she told him. “But perhaps tomorrow?”
“We don’t have a meeting tomorrow,” he said with a frown.
She laughed. “No, I mean we should hang out after school. We can study for Friday’s math quiz together at my place if you’d like.”
He grinned and nodded. “That sounds lovely.”
They exchanged numbers for further planning and Marius tried to mask his excitement. He was going to get a chance to spend some time with Cosette and, better yet, it would only be the two of them.
The thought of Cosette’s bright smile and the possibilities for the following day plagued Marius’ thoughts for the rest of the afternoon, making it difficult to concentrate on his studies and, well, anything for that matter.
Cosette was beautiful and kind and perfect. Marius hardly thought himself worthy of getting to spend time with her, but he was glad for it nonetheless.
“Marius, wake up,” Enjolras said sternly, slapping his hand down on the desk in front of him. “You can’t change the world if your head is in the damn clouds.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s just, there’s this girl.”
“The bathroom girl? asked Bossuet.
“No, it’s probably his soulmate that he’s never spoken to,” Éponine supplied. “She’s blond and conventionally attractive and I’m pretty sure that’s literally all he knows about her.”
“Look, you can worry about this girl after the meeting,” Enjolras told him. “We have a protest on Saturday and I need all hands on deck while we make sure everything is in order.”
“If you’d have seen her, you would understand how I’m feeling right now,” he sighed dreamily. “She’s beautiful and I finally had the privilege of speaking with her today and she’s wonderfully sweet and-”
“And we still have a big protest on Saturday,” Enjolras said with an air of finality. Arguing with him now would only cause unnecessary conflict.
“Let the man be in love, Apollo,” Grantaire, a known lover of creating unnecessary conflict with Enjolras, interjected. “Just because you wouldn’t know a human emotion if it bit you on the ass doesn’t mean Marius isn’t allowed to feel.”
Enjolras stomped over to Grantaire and they started arguing just like they always did. Marius tuned them out after a few moments. It was pointless to listen in when it practically a weekly tradition for them.
Courfeyrac sighed from right behind Marius, which made him jump, as he wasn’t aware that the boy was there. “I wish they’d just make out and release some of that tension already.”
“What?” Marius asked.
“Oh, Marius, to be innocent, pure, and completely oblivious,” Courfeyrac said with a light shake of his head. “Forget it. We have more important things to discuss. I’m making some progress in finding your admirer. I’ve already crossed a quarter of the girls in our class off of my list.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’m hanging out with Cosette tomorrow afternoon at her place,” Marius told him. “It’s not a date, but it certainly is a big step.”
“I’m still curious!” Courfeyrac exclaimed. “This is new drama, Marius. It’s my lifeblood. One can only meddle with Enjolras and Grantaire for so long before he starts to get nearly as annoyed as the two of them always seem to be.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Keep looking. It will do you no good, though. I’ve found the one for me and she didn’t even know I existed until today. Now it’s time to win her heart just as she has captured mine.”
Jehan gave him a weird look. “Marius, you’re a bit of a sap. And that’s coming from me, a world-renowned sap.”
“My heart is singing so I must sing with it,” Marius told him.
Nearby, Éponine rolled their eyes.
Tuesday passed agonizingly slowly as he waited for the school day to end so that he could go to Cosette’s. They were to meet at the flagpole fifteen minutes after school had ended and he was going to drive to her house, as she didn’t have a car of her own.
Unfortunately, he was ambushed by Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta on the way to their meeting point.
“Guess where I just was?” Musichetta asked.
“8th period?” Marius guessed. She was a good student and he would hardly expect her to be skipping class.
“The bathroom,” Bossuet answered for her. “She refuses to go pee during class so she always goes before lunch and after 8th period.”
Musichetta glared at him. “Do you really need to tell all of our friends my bathroom habits? I swear, between the two of you they know far more personal information than they need to.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Joly replied.
She raised an eyebrow. “Then tell me, love, why did Courfeyrac know I was on my period last week?”
Joly and Bossuet shared a look and then looked at their girlfriend sheepishly.
“I’ve really got to go. I need to meet a friend,” Marius told them.
“Your admirer has written something again,” Musichetta told him. “I hear Courfeyrac is tracking her down for you, so I thought you’d like to know.”
She handed him her phone and sure enough, there was another message written under Éponine’s messy scrawl which read,
Marius Pontmercy is a prince.
“That’s lovely, however, my heart beats for another,” he told his friends. “Besides, I would surely disappoint this girl, whoever she may be. I’m already trying my best not to disappoint Cosette.”
Bossuet patted his arm. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, dude. Any girl would be lucky to have you.”
“Well, I’m off to meet Cosette now,” Marius said, nervously shifting his weight from left to right. “You should probably show Courfeyrac. It may aid his search. I need to focus my energy on not screwing up while studying with Cosette.”
“It’ll be fine,” Bossuet assured him. “I mean you’ve had girlfriends before. You’ll be-”
He was cut off by Musichetta elbowing him in the stomach, seemingly hard as he keeled over a bit, gasping for breath.
“Even if you haven’t had a girlfriend before, it will be okay,” she said. “You’re quite a charming guy, even if you cannot see it yourself.”
“You haven’t had a girlfriend before?!” Bossuet exclaimed. “I’m sorry, man. I thought you said something about dating once or twice but you know my memory is shit.”
“I dated Courfeyrac for three and a half days once,” he informed him. “Evidently, it didn’t really work out. I don’t want to mess things up again with Cosette. I was lucky that Courfeyrac didn’t abandon me as a friend.”
To be fair, his relationship with Courfeyrac was during middle school, and things hardly lasted when you were 13 years old. They ended up breaking up quickly because Marius absolutely could not read the other boy’s body language and, when he had tried to hold his hand, Marius shook it instead. It was horribly embarrassing, but a sign to both of them that friendship was the best option.
“It’s going to be fine,” Musichetta said again. “Now go! Before you’re late.”
He said his goodbyes and rushed off toward the flagpole, where Cosette was waiting, fiddling with her phone. When she saw him, she grinned and slid it into her pocket.
“I was beginning to think you stood me up,” she said. “Which would have been a bit awkward seeing as the busses have already left.”
Marius clutched his hand to his heart. “Cosette, I would never! A lovely human being such as you doesn’t deserve to be left out in the cold.”
It was like 75 degrees out, but that was beside the point. Cosette seemed to appreciate Marius taking that poetic liberty because she just smiled wider and followed him back to his car.
“This is nice,” she commented as she climbed in the passenger seat. “I’m almost afraid of ruining the seat with my Target jeans.”
Marius laughed nervously. Was his car too much? He couldn’t really control the fact that he had an expensive car, though. His grandfather had purchased it for him for his 16th birthday. It was not as though he had asked for something so obscenely expensive.
“Maybe it’s better that you do ruin the seat,” he replied, with his grandfather in mind. “I don’t need all this fancy stuff. Not while there are people starving on the streets. Unfortunately, my grandfather sees it differently and prefers to boast his wealth and buy things that are unnecessarily frivolous.”
“I mean there’s not much you can do about those starving on the streets. We’re only teenagers,” she replied. “We can’t even vote and, even if we could, politicians make it incredibly difficult for young people to vote, what with confusing absentee ballot systems that work against university students and the like.”
“We can always try to make a difference,” Marius said. “The children are the future, but not if we can’t work towards changing the present.”
Cosette nodded. “That’s true, but most of our generation has taken to retweeting as a form of political activism and I can’t imagine that has a drastic effect on national politics.” She paused to point to a street up ahead. “Go left here, then go five blocks, then turn left again. My house will be the fourth on the right.”
He nodded and turned the car. “I agree that social media does little but raise awareness. I guess I’m just more concerned with this because I’m trying to do more. The club I invited you to yesterday, we are focused on activism. We’re even attending a protest downtown this Saturday.”
“What are you protesting?” she asked.
“Our governer’s transphobic rhetoric and unjust bathroom laws,” Marius replied. “My best friend, who’s a member of the club, is nonbinary, and most of us are members of the LGBT community, so it’s a very important issue to us.”
“Can I come?” Cosette asked.
“Definitely,” Marius replied, unable to conceal his smile. “We could always use more people.”
He pulled into her driveway and they got out, slinging their backpacks over their shoulders and heading inside.
“Cosette?” called a man’s voice from another room.
“Hi, Papa!” she called back. “I’ve brought a friend over. We’re going to go study for our math quiz in the garden.”
A man, probably in the latter end of middle-aged but still fairly muscular emerged from the kitchen. Marius froze up. That was Cosette’s dad?
“I’m Marius,” he said, voice barely more coherent than a squeak. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
The man grinned and firmly shook his hand. “No need for formalities. My name is Jean Valjean, but you can simply call me Valjean.”
Cosette pulled on his arm. “Let’s go, Marius. Derivatives aren’t going to study themselves!”
Marius didn’t even know what a derivative was, which showed how little he had been paying attention in class.
Studying only lasted about fifteen minutes. Marius supposed there was only so much that could be learned in the first two weeks of classes.
“So,” Cosette began, playing with a loose thread on her skirt, “you’re friends with that short, curly-haired boy, right? I think he’s Vietnamese?”
“Courfeyrac?” Marius asked. Of course she’d ask about Courfeyrac. Everyone liked Courfeyrac. He was far more attractive and interesting than Marius. Of course, he was taken, so maybe he still had a chance.
She nodded. “Have you heard he’s been harassing half of the girls in our class?”
Marius sighed. “He’s trying to do me a favor that I never asked for. Apparently, some girl has been writing undeserved praises of me on a bathroom stall and he found out and is now determined to track her down so that I can have a date to homecoming.”
“Oh?” Cosette replied. “So you don’t really want him to be doing this?”
He shook his head. “I’ve already got someone in mind that I’d like to ask to homecoming,” he told her, purposely omitting the fact that she was the person he intended to ask, “so Courfeyrac’s search will do no good. He seems to think that this can be a backup plan, but if my intended says no, then I’d prefer to go alone or skip the dance entirely.”
“Yeah, I understand that,” she said, a bit more quietly. “Do you intend to ask your friend? The brown-haired one that you always seem to be hanging around with in the mornings?”
Cosette had noticed who he hung out with before classes?
Marius laughed. “I love Éponine, but they’re like a sibling to me. I can’t imagine asking anyone from Les Amis de l’ABC, which is our club. It hardly would seem right, though they seem to be getting together within the group at an alarming rate recently, so evidently, they disagree with that sentiment.”
“So who do you wish to ask then?” Cosette inquired. “Is it someone that I may know?”
He smiled, as to not give away his intentions. “Just the loveliest girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” Marius knew he had to change the subject or things would get very awkward very quickly. “What about you? Do you wish to ask or be asked by anyone?”
Cosette shrugged. “I don’t know many people here yet, but there is someone, but I know not if he sees me how I see him.”
“It’s the risk of romance,” he said with a sigh. So there was another guy in Cosette’s life. He chose not to lose hope quite yet. Perhaps if the man asked another or didn’t ask her at all, she would be willing to go with him instead.
“We should work on the homework,” Cosette suggested, and the two of them stopped talking of homecoming plans.
Marius let out a loud sigh as he sat down at his table during lunch.
“Are you sick or something?” Joly asked, scooting a few inches away from him. “I have a biology quiz tomorrow, so I can’t catch whatever it is.”
“Only an ailment of the heart,” he said, with another loud sigh.
“Heart conditions are quite serious, Marius. You really should get that checked out,” Bahorel told him with a smirk.
“So you’re moping over this girl?” Enjolras asked. “I swear, two days ago she had you bursting with excitement at every turn.”
“I’m pretty sure she has feelings for another guy,” he informed them miserably before laying his head on the table.
“You’re being dramatic,” Enjolras told him. “There’s more to life than if some girl is into you. Besides, feelings can change and pretty sure and absolutely certain are different things.”
Joly blinked for a moment. “Enjolras? Giving relationship advice? Being supportive?”
“I’m already texting R,” Bahorel said and, sure enough, his phone was already out and he was typing.
Enjolras just rolled his eyes and continued to eat his sandwich.
“Hello any and all gays,” Courfeyrac greeted, swiftly taking the seat next to Marius and throwing an arm over his shoulder. “How was your date, you pure bisexual treasure?”
“It wasn’t a date, we were only studying,” Marius groaned. “That is a fact of which I am all too painfully aware.”
“He’s moping for no good reason,” Enjolras answered for him. “Also, aren’t you supposed to be in Spanish right now?”
Courfeyrac waved him off. “Bathroom pass. I came here to interrogate the women of fifth-period lunch.”
“Courfeyrac, it’s no use,” Marius replied. “I love but one person and she says that she already has someone that she wants to ask her to homecoming. I’m fated to be alone for eternity.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having a backup plan!” Courfeyrac exclaimed. “Besides, keep talking to her. You still have a chance as long as she hasn’t outright rejected you.”
“Of course I won’t stop talking to her,” Marius replied. “Her presence drives the beating of my heart. Without her, I’d be lifeless.”
“Dude, you’ve known her for like two weeks and have had like two conversations with her,” Bahorel pointed out.
“And they’ve been some of the best weeks of my life,” he sighed. “Anyway, she said she may tag along on Saturday.”
Enjolras smiled at that. “Suddenly I’m starting to like this girl as well.”
Marius glared at him.
“I’m gay, Marius. Not like that,” Enjolras reminded him, rolling his eyes. “You know this. Anyway, I’d be thrilled to have her join us. Just make sure she’s at the train station at 7:15 sharp. If she’s late I doubt she’ll ever find us. The city is big and it’s going to be insane.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Marius promised.
“And you’ll be there too?” Enjolras asked. “No matter what?”
“I will,” he assured his friend.
Sure, Cosette was important to Marius, but he could never forget that his friends always came first, as they were the people who had always had his back.
Marius hadn’t expected to have a chance to speak to Cosette until the protest on Saturday, but she waited for him after their math class got out on Thursday.
“Which way are you going?” she asked as Marius approached with Feuilly close behind.
“French,” Marius replied.
“I’m going to Lit,” she said. “Would you like to walk part way together?”
He smiled. “Definitely.”
“I have to go that way,” Feuilly said, nodding in the other direction. It was a lie. He was in Marius’ French class, but still, he walked in the opposite direction of their class in order to allow Marius and Cosette some alone time. He was truly an amazing friend.
“Do you think that you’re ready for the quiz tomorrow?” Marius asked her. “I think that after Tuesday I’m really starting to understand what’s going on.”
“Me too,” she replied. “I’m glad we took the time to do that. It was helpful and it was fun. Perhaps we can do the same for the next quiz or something.”
“I would love that,” he told her. “But we should hang out before then. Who knows when the next quiz will be?”
“That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you,” Cosette told him, which made his heart flutter in his chest. “Are you going to the football game tomorrow?”
He shrugged. “I don’t usually go, as I know absolutely nothing about football, but if you wanted to, I’m sure we’d have a good time.”
“I don’t know anything about it either,” she admitted. “Maybe we could do something else? If you’re free, that is?”
“Like dinner?” he asked in a rush. “Or, I don’t know, bowling?”
“Dinner sounds nice,” she said with a smile. “You can pick the place. Pick me up at 7 tomorrow night?”
“Sounds perfect,” he said with a huge smile. This was a date, right? He was going on a date with Cosette.
She turned into a classroom and he nearly turned with her before realizing that he was only halfway to his own class.
They watched a movie in their French class that day, but Marius found himself unable to translate a single word of it, as his thoughts were filled with sparkling blue eyes and beautiful locks of golden hair.
“Marius!” Courfeyrac exclaimed, once again approaching the place Marius and Éponine sat before class, this time alone.
“Yes?” he replied. He had been right in the middle of detailing his plans for the evening to Éponine.
“I’m stumped,” he admitted. “I swear, I’ve had nearly every girl in this school show me their handwriting and yet I haven’t been able to locate your admirer.”
“Courfeyrac admitting defeat?” Éponine asked. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“I am not admitting defeat,” he argued, even though he had literally just said he was stumped. “I’ve just hit a slump in the investigative process. I’ll get past it soon and then I’ll be right back on my way to finding his admirer.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Marius told him with a grin. “I have a date with Cosette tonight. Like a real, actual date. I’m taking her to dinner.”
“Marius, I’m proud of you and your newfound ability to get it,” Courfeyrac said, patting him on the top of the head. “I’m still going to track this girl down, if anything just because Éponine doesn’t think I can.”
“I never said that,” they replied, “but if it gets on your nerves then I definitely meant it.”
“Tell me about this date plan,” Courfeyrac requested. “Let’s see if it’s worthy of the Courfeyrac seal of approval.”
“Okay, so as I told ‘Ponine, I’m picking her up at her place at 7,” he began. “And then I think I’ll take her to the Musain, since it’s local and most people will be at the football game and thus it will be fairly empty.”
“That’s where you’re going for your big romantic date? To a cafe ?” Courfeyrac placed a hand on his shoulder. “Marius, my friend, let me tell you a thing about women. If you want to woo a girl, you don’t take her to the cheap cafe that like three of your friends work at. You take her to a real sit down restaurant.”
Éponine rolled their eyes. “Marius, literally don’t take any of Courfeyrac’s advice. Cosette will have a nice time no matter where you take her.”
Marius shook his head. “No. Courfeyrac is right. Cosette is special. I need to go all out, or she’ll never love me.”
“You’re being an idiot. Take her to the fucking Musain,” Éponine said.
Marius didn’t listen to them, instead turning toward Courfeyrac. “If you’re the expert on all of this, then where do you think I should take her?”
Courfeyrac thought for a moment. “There’s this steakhouse about half an hour south from here and like you’ll need to reserve a table asap, but it’ll be a really nice date. It’s super expensive, but we both know you’re rich as hell. I’ll text you the deets.”
“Marius, you were just telling me about how you were going to order her your favorite drink and tell her all of the things you love about this town,” Éponine reminded him. “She’s new here so I think that’s perfect and it’s definitely one hundred perfect more of a Marius type of date than some fancy restaurant.”
But was a Marius type of date really good enough for Cosette? She had said the other day that there was already somebody that she wished would ask her to homecoming. If he was going to get her to like him, he needed to show that he wasn’t afraid to do anything for her, even on the first date.
“This is the first date,” he reminded them. “Courf is right. I need to go all out. I can take her to the Musain next time. Besides, who knows dating better than Courfeyrac?”
“His thing works for him. That doesn’t mean it’ll work for you,” they attempted to reason.
“I don’t know what works for me,” he snapped. “And if this will make her happy, then this is what I want to do.”
Éponine sighed. “Fine. Go to your dumb fancy restaurant.”
Marius twiddled with his thumbs as he waited on Cosette’s front porch. He was wearing a suit and with the heat combined with his nerves, he was probably going to sweat right through it.
Of course, it was her dad who answered. “Hello, Marius. You’re looking quite nice.”
“Hello, sir- uh Valjean,” he stuttered. “Is Cosette here?”
He nodded. “She’s getting her shoes on. They’re up in her room because I don’t like having them by the door. Having some semblance of order is really important to me and I don’t know why. Maybe it was my 19 years in prison.”
Marius gulped. “I understand keeping an orderly home. It looks really nice.”
Valjean smiled. “I know I’m supposed to threaten you if you hurt her and such, but I think she can be scary enough on her own. You seem like a nice guy, Marius. Please don’t screw it up.”
“I don’t want to screw it up, sir,” he replied truthfully. “Cosette is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
“I like you, Marius,” he said. “Have her home by midnight.”
A moment later, Cosette came rushing down the stairs. She was beautiful, pale blue sundress bringing out her bright eyes. She had curled her hair and it fell onto her shoulders in shiny ringlets of gold.
“You look amazing,” he told here, a goofy smile on his face.
“You’re looking sharp as well,” she replied, waving goodbye to her father as she walked out of the house and shut the door behind her. “Where are we headed?”
“A steakhouse a bit south of here,” he told her. “Courfeyrac recommended it.”
“You know, I would have been fine with a place in town,” she told him. “You don’t have to drive all this way for me.”
“I want to drive there for you,” he replied.
“So, are you excited for the protest tomorrow?” she asked.
Marius nodded. “We’ve been preparing for it for a long time, so I hope it goes well. Enjolras is giving a speech on the behalf of the youth in our area.”
“That’s cool that your group has such an impact here,” she said. “What time do I have to be downtown?”
“We’re meeting at the train station here, actually. Be there at 7:15,” he told her. “Enjolras says don’t be a second late because if we get different trains it’s going to be really hard for you to find us among the chaos.”
“Got it,” she said with a nod. “I can’t wait to meet everyone. Your friends seem cool.”
The drive was long, but they didn’t run out of things to talk about. Cosette told him about how she and her father, who had apparently adopted her when she was a child, had moved from a small religious town in Vermont. Apparently, they had been homeless for a long time but a church in the town had provided them refuge while they got back on their feet. Even after they had built up enough wealth to have a home of their own, they remained in the town to help give back to the community that had given so much to them.
In turn, Marius told her about all of their friends and the club, choosing not to delve into his messy family life. Talking about the deaths of his parents was still pretty upsetting for him and talking about having to live with his grandfather was even more upsetting than that.
They arrived just in time for their reservation and were seated almost immediately. Marius noted that spotless white tablecloths and the pristine champagne glasses. Everyone around him was dressed to the nines.
“I’m beginning to feel underdressed,” Cosette said nervously as they sat down.
“Nonsense. You look absolutely beautiful,” he assured her.
“Are you sure that we should eat here?” she asked. “I mean, they don’t even list their prices on the menu. I don’t know if I can afford this place.”
“I’m paying,” he insisted. “I chose this place and I can pay for it. I have more than enough money.”
“I thought you said your money would be better spent on other things,” she reminded him. “Like you could have donated it to charity or something rather than on overpriced food.”
He didn’t really have a response to that. He wanted to treat her and have the perfect date, but he was afraid to outright tell her that on the first date.
Luckily, the waiter came by, a bottle of champagne in hand. “Hello, sir and ma’am,” he greeted. “May I offer you each a glass of our house champagne?”
“Sure-” he began at the same time Cosette said, “We’re underage.”
The server raised an eyebrow. “Could I get a coke?” Marius asked instead. He had wanted the alcohol to calm his nerves, but he supposed that he would be fine without it.
“And for you, Miss?” he asked Cosette.
“Just water, thanks,” she said with a smile.
Once the waiter was gone, she turned to Marius. “Sure? Marius, we’re 17 and you’re driving.”
“They don’t usually ID in places like this. They’re making too much money to care about the age of their patrons,” he told her. “And one glass isn’t going to put me over the limit.”
“Well, I don’t want to have to worry about getting in trouble,” she said. “Besides, if you’re underage, any alcohol in your system whatsoever can get you in huge trouble if you’re pulled over.”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” he assured her.
She folded her arms. “It is to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized.
“What should I get?” she asked, flipping the menu open. “Did Courfeyrac tell you what was good here?”
Marius shook his head. “I mean, it’s a steakhouse, so I suppose their steaks are probably decent. Also, I’ve seen quite a few waiters walk by with lobster, so that can’t be all that bad.”
“Maybe I’ll get a salad,” she mumbled. “Or pasta or something.”
“You can get something more expensive,” he insisted. “I’ve got it covered.”
“I just feel bad,” she said with a sigh. “Like I understand the sentiment of you wanting to pay and it’s fine but I don’t feel comfortable getting something so expensive on another person’s dime.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “I have the money.”
When the waiter came by to take their orders, Cosette got a salad while he got the lobster. He felt bad, but he didn’t really know what to do. Perhaps Éponine was right and he should have taken her to the Musain after all.
“Tell me about Enjolras,” Cosette requested as they waited for their food.
“You want to know about Enjolras?” Marius asked with an eyebrow raised. Everyone at school knew about Enjolras and most people stayed away from him, since he tended to get into fierce arguments and, well, he refused to lose them.
She nodded. “He’s your friend and he’s the leader of the club you invited me to. I’m curious.”
“Well, he’s not technically the leader. Each person in the club is equal. But I suppose he’s still the leader, but don’t tell him that,” he clarified. “He’s very vocal about his opinions and isn’t afraid to argue against those who disagree. He’s super charismatic and he really wants to change the world for the better and I guess the rest of us are by his side because we believe that he really can.”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” Cosette said with a small smile. “I hope his speech goes well. Maybe he’ll inspire me too and I’ll join the club officially.”
Was Enjolras the guy Cosette hoped would ask her to homecoming? If he was, Marius supposed that was a good thing since he would never be interested.
“Enjolras is also really gay,” Marius said in a rush.
“Okay?” she replied. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Marius shook his head. “Nothing. I thought- never mind.”
Cosette raised an eyebrow. “Did you think I was asking about him because I liked him?”
He shrugged. “I mean. I guess?”
“Marius, we’re literally on a date,” she reminded him. “I wouldn’t do that. Not to you. Not to anyone.”
“Oh,” he mumbled. This was shaping up to be a disaster.
At that moment, the waiter brought their food. The portions were smaller than he expected, but sometimes that happened with fancy restaurants like this.
As they ate, the conversation pretty much died out. Apparently, there wasn’t much to talk about when the evening already seemed to be in shambles.
“How is it?” he asked her eventually.
“It’s very good,” she replied. “Thank you, Marius. How’s your food?”
“Fantastic,” he said. “Sorry if this isn’t the date you expected.”
“It happens,” Cosette shrugged, not looking him in the eye. She was having a miserable time. She was never going to speak to him again.
“Do you want dessert after this?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “I think I just want to go home.”
Of course she did.
The waiter came by and Marius handed him his card without looking at the bill, ignoring the look Cosette gave him.
They left the restaurant in silence and climbed into the car.
“You know, I really don’t care if you’re rich,” she told him. “I liked you because of your personality. You don’t need to flaunt your wealth.”
“Courfeyrac said that this was a good place to take dates,” he said. “If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have gone with my original plan.”
“So Courfeyrac planned our date?” she asked. “What was your original plan?”
“I was going to take you to my favorite cafe in town and then tell you about all the best parts of living here,” he told her. “I know it sounds dumb and-”
“Marius,” she interrupted, “that sounds lovely. That’s the kind of date I wanted. Something from your heart, not something from your wallet.”
“I wanted to treat you to something special,” Marius explained.
“The other date would have been even more special because it’s more personal,” Cosette told him, turning to stare out the window.
“Maybe we can go there next time?” he suggested.
Cosette sighed. “I don’t know if there should be a next time.”
The rest of the ride passed by in silence.
Marius didn’t sleep a wink that night. He had finally found someone that he thought he could love, but by chasing it he ended up getting himself caught in a corner. In order to make things work between them, he should have stopped caring about what others thought. His own self-consciousness had gotten in his way. He knew that he had to apologize to Cosette for the terrible date, but he didn’t know if she’d want to hear from him.
His solution was to write her a note.
Dearest Cosette,
I suppose that you probably don’t wish to hear anything that I have to say right now. Last night was a disaster and that’s my fault and I’m terribly sorry about it. I wanted to make the date perfect and I didn’t trust that I could do that, so I allowed the opinions of another to drive our plans. I should have followed my heart and stuck with my original plan, which was something I genuinely think you would have enjoyed.
Though it is far too late, I now am putting my heart on the table. There is no more reason to worry about what others think of me when you are already lost. From the very moment I my eyes fell upon you on the second day of Calculus, I have been enamored by your beauty and kindness. When I said there was a girl I wished to ask to homecoming, I was speaking of you. I’ll admit that I am not very experienced in the area of romance. I’ve only dated one person before and I’m unsure as to whether my relationship with him can truly count. With you, I wanted to forge something better. Something that would last.
I’m sure you don’t like me any longer and I doubt you’ve even read to this point in the letter, but if you have, I want you to know I don’t expect anything from you, but if you are willing, I would greatly enjoy the pleasure of being your friend.
Best,
Your Marius.
He sealed the letter in an envelope and got his things together for the protest. He would drop it off at her house prior to meeting his friends at the train station.
Marius grabbed his keys so he could leave, but found himself face to face with his grandfather.
“Where are you going so early in the morning?” he asked.
“I’m delivering something and then I’m headed downtown with my friends,” he answered truthfully.
“Delivering what?” his grandfather inquired.
“A letter,” he replied. “It’s for someone I care about.”
“A boy?” he asked with a scowl on his face. He had known about his prior short-lived relationship, but he hadn’t been all too pleased by it.
“A girl,” Marius clarified. “But that doesn’t make my attraction to men any lesser.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” his grandfather said, seemingly almost pleased. Marius really wished that he wasn’t. If he didn’t support him being with men then he didn’t deserve to be happy about Marius’ attraction to a woman.
“I’ve got to go,” Marius said, reaching for the door handle.
“You know, I really don’t think you should be hanging around with those boys and going to their dumb protests,” his grandfather said, even though Marius hadn’t asked. “It’s going to get you in trouble someday and I’m going to have to pull you out.”
“I don’t want your help,” he snapped, walking out the door and toward his car. The support of a bigoted old man was not the support he needed in his life.
Marius arrived at the train station at 7:10, shortly after placing the letter in between Cosette’s front door and the screen. He hoped that she would actually read it and find it in her to be friends with him.
He parked his car and walked to where his friends were waiting.
“Oh thank god!” Enjolras exclaimed when he approached. “Where were you? I thought you weren’t going to make it!”
“You said 7:15,” he pointed out. “It’s 7:15 now.”
“Enjolras believes that five minutes early is three hours late,” Grantaire said. “I’m sure he was here unbearably early.”
Enjolras spun around to face him. “I only got here at like 6:45. Stop being so dramatic. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be on time, not that you would know anything about that seeing as you’re consistently late to meetings.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” he pointed out. “I even beat Marius.”
“Where’s Cosette?” Courfeyrac asked, leaving Enjolras and Grantaire to their typical arguing match.
Marius’ face fell. He didn’t want to relive the events of last night, but Courfeyrac was sure to want each and every terrible detail.
Luckily, Éponine, always tuned into the emotions of their friends, walked over and gripped his arm. “It doesn’t matter,” they told the group. “Marius is here. That’s what matters, right? Cosette isn’t even a member of the club.”
Courfeyrac opened his mouth, but Éponine glared at him and he shut it again. Marius was grateful for them. Éponine had been Marius’ best friend for years and he knew that he could always count on them to help him out when he needed it.
The train came and they boarded, sitting in the same area so they could discuss their plans for the day. Enjolras was giving his speech at ten and they would spend the rest of the day marching with the other protesters, only stopping for lunch. They planned on catching a 5:00 train back so they didn’t get stranded downtown when they started decreasing the frequency of the trains back to the suburbs.
By the time they got to the city, the train was pretty crowded, which Marius thought was a good sign. It seemed that most people were participating in the protest and the more people on their side trying to make a difference, the better.
They marched for a while since they had time to kill upon arrival and it was pretty chill. The protest hadn’t reached it’s full capacity yet, but it would probably get busier as the day continued on.
When it was time for Enjolras to speak, they made their way to the park in which the stage was set up. As always, he spoke beautifully, thoughts of change sprouting in the minds of all the supporters that could hear. Marius hoped that it would inspire people to actually vote and communicate with their politicians. Enjolras was a very persuasive speaker and, if anyone could convince people to take action, it was him.
Thoughts of Cosette had left Marius’ mind. Now he was focused on creating change in society. No matter how great his feelings for her may be, there was always a greater cause, just as Enjolras had told him time and time again.
Les Amis cheered once Enjolras rejoined him, each of them complimenting him on his amazing speech. Everything seemed to be going well.
Until it wasn’t.
Marius was speaking with Musichetta and Combeferre about possible things the club could do in the future when he heard a slur being shouted by someone nearby, followed by a sickening crunch.
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and it seemed that his friends had somehow gotten in a fight with counter-protesters and, well, Marius had nothing else to do, so he joined in, pushing back the bigots and trying to get them to leave his friends alone.
And that’s how Marius and four of his closest friends found themselves in a jail cell on that sunny afternoon.
“I swear, I’m always one of the ones who gets caught,” Bossuet complained.
“How many times have you been in jail?” Marius asked, a bit alarmed. Sure, his friends had gotten in arguments before, but they rarely escalated like this one did and Marius certainly had never gotten caught.
“I meant in general, but this is my second time,” Bossuet replied. “The first time was a misunderstanding.”
“What about the rest of you?” he asked the rest of his friends that had got taken in.
“Surprisingly, never,” Grantaire told him, while Bahorel just shook his head.
“Three times,” Enjolras mumbled.
“Excuse me?” Grantaire said. “Apollo, I didn’t know you were such a bad boy.”
Enjolras just rolled his eyes in response, seemingly too tired for any more arguing.
Apparently, it had been Enjolras who threw the first punch that afternoon, but he had done it to defend Éponine’s honor, so Marius was glad to be in jail alongside him. Well, not glad to be in jail, but it could have been worse.
An officer walked into the cell. “Bossuet Lesgle?”
“That’s me,” Bossuet answered, holding his hand up.
“Time to go. Your mother is here,” the officer said.
He stood up with a groan. “Why couldn’t it have been my dad? I’m going to be grounded until the end of time.”
“Is he complaining about getting out of jail?” Grantaire asked, amusement on his face.
“If he’s leaving now I’m sure we’ll be going soon,” Enjolras said. “I’m getting hungry.”
Sure enough, Enjolras was the next to go, soon followed by Grantaire. Marius kept waiting and waiting.
His grandfather never came.
Marius woke up to a police officer shaking his shoulder.
“Hey, kid,” she said softly. “It’s time for you to go home.”
He stood up on wobbly knees and followed her out to the front of the station where a man was waiting for him, but it wasn’t his grandfather.
It was Cosette’s dad.
“I’m going to need you to put your address into the GPS app,” he said, handing Marius his phone as they walked across the dark parking lot to his car.
“Thank you for picking me up, sir, though I don’t know how you knew or why you would do it,” he said quietly. “I really am grateful.”
“You don’t need to call me sir,” Valjean reminded him. “Cosette received your letter and couldn’t get ahold of you, but she eventually was able to contact one of your friends and he explained what happened and that he didn’t know when you’d be out because of you’re complicated family life.”
Marius winced. “If Courfeyrac was the one to tell you, he may have been exaggerating a bit.”
“He said your grandfather was a bigoted asshole who probably would let you rot in the cell until your required release after 24 hours and then that you would be too prideful to call him for a ride,” Valjean told him. “From where I’m sitting that seems to be the case.”
“He doesn’t approve of the goals of our club,” Marius said with a sigh. “And he thinks that I should be above protesting on the streets anyway.”
“To answer your other question, as in my reason for picking you up, I know how it feels to be punished unjustly,” he explained. “I told you that I spent 19 years in prison, but I didn’t tell you why. I stole some stuff when I was young. My sister’s son was sick and they needed food and medicine. I had to provide for them and my job wasn’t quite doing it. I got caught and they ended up having to care for themselves anyway. I shouldn’t have felt the need to steal anyway. Anyone should have the right to be alive. Cosette told me about the various causes that your club tackles and I support what you’re doing. I guess that’s why I wanted to make sure you got home safely tonight.”
“Does Cosette know?” he asked.
“She knows what happened today, but she doesn’t know that I came to get you,” Valjean said. “There are no conditions to me helping you out, but I do have a friendly suggestion.”
Marius gulped. Valjean was probably going to tell him to steer clear from Cosette forever. He didn’t blame him. He was a mess and probably a bad influence and she just deserved so much better.
“Talk to her,” Valjean said eventually.
He blinked. “Huh?”
“I think the two of you would be a nice fit,” he told him, “whether it be as friends or something more. Even if your first date evidently did upset her. You need to talk things out, though. You can’t just wait until they get fixed or write a letter and hope all the problems will magically go away. Sometimes you’re going to need to talk through things.”
“Thank you, Valjean,” Marius said with a nod. “I’ll talk to her the next chance I get.”
Valjean then turned up the music and they rode back in silence, Marius nodding off after just a few minutes. It was late and it had been a long day. And tomorrow he would talk to Cosette.
After a long night’s sleep and a refreshing shower, Marius made plans to meet with Cosette at her house that afternoon with strict instructions to go around back and meet her in the garden. When he arrived, the gate inside was locked. He texted her to announce his arrival and a moment later he heard the back door open as she ran to the other side of the gate. She was wearing sweatpants and a ratty old t-shirt, but she still looked beautiful.
“Good afternoon, Cosette,” he greeted.
She said nothing, but instead handed him an envelope of her own, similar to the one he had left for her the day before but addressed to him instead. He opened the envelope and began to read the letter, which had very familiar handwriting.
Marius,
I think the both of us know that Friday was a disaster. After reflecting upon what happened, I see that I may have overreacted. The date wasn’t a good date, but I went into it with somewhat of a scared attitude. Besides, you cannot judge a person by a singular date, especially someone that you think you could really care for.
I really like you. I have since I arrived. I think I built up an idealized version of you in my head, but you’re just as human as I am and it’s only natural that you would be nervous and insecure as well. When we had that conversation about homecoming, I thought there was already a girl that you knew well that you were hoping to take to homecoming. I wanted you to ask me more than anything, but I thought it to be nearly hopeless.
My feelings for you were real and big, but I didn’t do much about them other than defend you on a bathroom stall that I thought you would never see. Although it may have come after a singular bad experience, you had the courage to open your heart to me and tell me how you truly felt. I am now opening my heart up as well to tell you that the feelings are very, very returned. I want to be friends with you, Marius, but I also want to be more. I sincerely hope that we can have that other date some time. I’d love to experience all of the things you love with you as well as eventually share the things that I love with you.
You never officially asked me to homecoming, but your letter made it quite clear to me that you would like to go with me and to that, I say but one thing:
Marius Pontmercy, I would absolutely love to go to homecoming with you.
I hope this letter can act as a catalyst to a new beginning of the relationship between us that is just starting to bud.
Yours,
Cosette
When Marius closed the letter, he gaped at her for a moment. “You’re my bathroom admirer?”
She blushed and shrugged a little. “Somebody had to defend your honor, though I’m starting to see that maybe you are a bit of a dunce after all. It’s okay. I'm one too.”
Marius smiled. “I want to be with you, Cosette, but I think we have a lot of talking to do beyond the letters before we make things completely official.”
“I agree,” Cosette said with a nod. “But can the talking perhaps wait another day? I just want to be with you for a moment or two before we have to talk seriously.”
He nodded toward the gate. “Will you let me in?”
Cosette grinned. “Always, my Marius.”
She opened the gate and he closed the gap between them, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back with equal ferocity.
They stood there for a while, each cherishing the other’s embrace, and Marius smiled. He and Cosette had feelings for one another and, even though they still had a really long way to go, this was the beginning of something lovely.
And Marius couldn’t wait to tell Courfeyrac that he had unmasked his admirer all on his own.