((I guess I was in a writing mood tonight. This is so long that I donât know if it qualifies as a drabble anymore. Sorry about that :( ))
âAnd so in closing, I believe weâre ready to take things to the next level.â
Enjolras stepped back from the lectern as a smattering of applause - some enthusiastic, the rest a bit half-hearted - filled the back room of the CafĂ© Musain. Joly clapped hard for his friend, but in his heart he knew they were still far from ready to be as active as Enjolras had just suggested. He turned to share a knowing look with Jehan when suddenlyâŠ
âI disagree!â The voice rang through the room and hung in the subsequent silence. Everyone looked around the room, looking for the source of the incursion.
Joly felt movement next to him on the bench and suddenly knew what was going on. Jehan was subtly trying to calm the girl on his other side. Joly had met her several times before. Sheâd seemed like a very pleasant girl. She spoke her mind too, which Joly liked about her. What is her name? he thought. Emilie? HĂ©lĂšne? Elena? Yes, that was it! Elena!
As Joly came to this realization, Elena managed to slip out of Jehanâs gentle grasp and rose to her feet. âI disagree,â she repeated in a clear, calm voice.
Enjolrasâs eyes narrowed dangerously. âYou disagree?â he repeated, as though he hadnât heard her correctly.
Combeferre, seated nearest the lectern as he usually was, abruptly stood up and stammered, âUm, Enjolras, I think there might be some sort of misunderstanding here. You see-â
âFerre, thereâs no misunderstanding. I think I get what Enjolras is saying perfectly,â Elena said, offering a small smile to the bespectacled lad. âI just happen to disagree with what heâs saying.â
âOh dear,â Combeferre mumbled, turning to face Enjolras in hopes of calming him before his passion got the better of him. It was too late.
Joly saw Enjolras rubbing his temples with his forefingers and knew he was about to explode. The silence in the room was unbearable. Behind him, he heard Ăponine trying to frantically shoo Gavroche out of earshot. Earshot. Shots. Were his shots fully up to date? It had been a while since heâd had a tetanus booster. He should probably-
âMight I ask why you disagree, Elena?â Enjolras asked, clearly trying to keep under control. Joly silently applauded his reserve, though he strongly suspected that despite Enjolrasâs entreaties for equality for all, he was only remaining this calm because Elena was a woman.
âLook around you Enjolras. I think Les Amis are making great strides, and youâre headed in the right direction. But are you truly ready to mobilize yet? You donât have any flyers, you donât have signs, you donât have a permit to protest, and Iâve only seen at most twenty people at any of your meetings. You have all the makings of a grassroots political group, but you need more people. Rome wasnât built in a day, you know.â
Everyone cringed when they heard Elena mention Rome, as they knew it was one of Enjolrasâs buzz words. Sure enough, the dam broke immediately.
âThatâs just wonderful Elena,â Enjolras spat. âWe know there is a necessity for more people. And weâve been trying, with varying degrees of success. You know that. When you havenât been at meetings, Jehan has, and I know he passes the information along to you. You are a member of this group as well, and as a member you are just as capable as bringing in new members as anyone else. So, since youâve been so kind as to volunteer to run our membership drive, I expect to see plenty of new faces at our next meeting.â he then took his seat, intensity radiating from his body.
Elena stood, transfixed for a moment, then slowly took her seat again. As Combeferre adjourned the meeting, Jehan waved his hand in front of her face, but she seemed to not notice him. Around them, the members of Les Amis de lâABC had risen to their feet and had begun migrating towards the door.
Jehan turned to Joly and whispered, âHe really did it this time. Iâve never seen her speechless. Iâm going to try to calm him down. Would you please keep an eye on her?â
Joly nodded, and Jehan walked over to the table at the front of the room, where Combeferre was speaking with Enjolras. Ferre seemed rather animated, and Joly suspected it had to do with Elena as well. He watched as Jehan joined the discussion, and then he turned to Elena. âUm, are you alright?â he mumbled.
She sat there, unmoving. Joly worried she was going into shock, and began considering treating her when he noticed a single tear streaming down her face. Touched, he asked again, âElena, are you alright?â
She slowly turned to look at him. âNo,â she sniffed. âI⊠I didnât mean to upset him. But you know as well as I do that weâre just not ready to take to the streets in protest. Weâre just not big enough. I was⊠Iâm only trying to help, thatâs all.â
More tears were threatening to fall now, and Joly couldnât help it. She reminded him so much of Musichetta, how Chetta was always willing to speak her mind if something was bothering her. And he knew Elena was right. Before he fully understood what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. The voice in the back of his mind screamed at him about the hygiene issues involved in hugging strange people, but he managed to suppress them. After all, he and Jehan were close friends, and she seemed to be rather close to Jehan, so he didnât really have that much to fear, did he?
After a few minutes, he unraveled himself from her and placed his hands on her shoulders. âEverything will be alright, I promise. You know how Enjolras can be.â He gave her one of his awkward half-smiles, trying to be reassuring.
To his relief, she laughed softly. Her makeup was starting to run with the tears, so he offered her his handkerchief. She smiled as she took it and carefully dabbed at her face. âThank you Joly. That means a lot to me.â
âItâs really no problem,â he replied. âI just donât like when people are sad.â
He looked up to see Enjolras approaching. The golden-haired boy sat down next to Elena and said, âIâd like to apologize for my outburst. You are right about our numbers, and I let my pride get the best of me. Iâm sorry.â
She laughed again and said, âNo, itâs alright Enjolras. Iâm sorry I was so blunt with you. Letâs just put this behind us.â
âI agree,â laughed Enjolras. He patted her on the back, then stood up and walked back to the front of the room. Joly looked back and forth between the two, happy that everything had been resolved.Â
Jehan reappeared. âElena, is everything alright now?â he asked. When she smiled and nodded, he grinned. âExcellent. Do you mind if we head home now?â
She laughed again. âYes, of course,â she replied. Before she rose from her seat, she gave Joly a quick hug. âThank you again Joly,â she said, smiling. She then got up and walked out of the cafĂ© with Jehan.
Joly sat there smiling. He suddenly remembered that he and Bossuet had some cleaning to do at the apartment, so he quickly stood up, grabbed the older man by the collar, and dragged him out the café door.