If anything could be said about René Grantaire's heart, was that it belonged to her brother Ryan and her guitar. But when Ryan died, he had been hit by a drunk driver in a car accident, her heart shattered. She still loved her guitar, music was her only solace, but the ache in her chest could only be filled with alcohol. Or so she said. She knew she had a drinking problem, but would never admit it. So alcohol and music were her life. Oh, and Eponine. Eponine Thernadier, her godfather-appointed 'life counselor', which basically made her René's best friend. Eponine kept her safe when she went out drinking, drove her around whenever she needed it as René never could figure out driving to save her life, shopped for her, and made sure René took her medication. Not only a functioning alcoholic, René was an epileptic. The drinking occasionally helped the seizures, more often than not, it induced them. But René managed. She had too. Ryan had made her promise before he went off to college, and then died.

"Come on, R, get up." Eponine's voice roused René from much-needed slumber. "First day of college. Don't want to be late."

René groaned and put her head under her pillow.

"R, I will drag you out. You know I will." Eponine threatened.

René just moaned again.

"All right." Eponine grabbed René's ankles and yanked her out of bed, like she'd done many times before.

René glared at her through bloodshot eyes, due to the ever constant hangover she had, and climbed back into bed.

"It's ten in the morning. Go away. My first class doesn't start till noon." She groaned.

"Yes, but Jean is in the kitchen. I made breakfast. With bacon. You don't want your godfather to wait and steal all the bacon. I want some too. Now get up." Eponine ordered.

"Bacon?" René's ears perked up, a sure sign she was interested.

Eponine knew it was the only way to get her friend up and going. She had about ten pounds of bacon in the freezers. René dressed and then trudged into the kitchen in her dorm room where her godfather, Jean Valjean, who 'just happened' to be the accommodations manager of their dorm floor, was waiting. Half of what Eponine made was missing.

"Jean." René glowered, snatching some food before the rest of it disappeared.

"Good morning, René. Eponine." Jean greeted them easily.

"What's so good about it?" René complained.

"First day of college." Jean tried.

"Whoop de do." René grumbled.

"Taire, please do try this year. You are incredibly smart, dear. And the classes you have will only show it." Valjean pressed.

"Whatever." René shrugged, making the coffee Irish, using the whiskey she always kept in her flask, which was on her at all times. Jean glared at her. "It helps. The pills only keep them at bay for so long. The alcohol helps."

Jean nodded, sighing. It proved how strong Eponine and Rene's friendship was that Eponine didn't say how too much alcohol induced the seizures. Jean was her godfather but René kept him at arm's distance. The only person she'd ever let in was Eponine.

"So how does Cosette like her apartment?" Eponine tried.

Cosette was Jean's adopted daughter, René's god sister. Cosette was two years older than René and Eponine and had just moved into an on campus apartment with her boyfriend Marius Pontmercy. Jean had not been happy, but because Cosette was happy Jean plastered a smile on his face. Cosette, René and Eponine were Jean's life.

"She's enjoying the freedom. And I made quite sure Marius understood that under no circumstances was he to enter her room." Jean had the tiniest smirk on his face.

"You bastard. I'm proud." René smirked.

"Language." Jean chastised.

"French." She responded cheekily.

"Cute." Jean said in a clipped tone.

"That's me. Okay, stop stealing my breakfast. I want some." René chased a laughing Jean out of her room and went back to the kitchen.

"He's right you know." Eponine shrugged.

"About what?" René asked angrily.

"You should try. I mean, just because you don't care about school doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Ryan would want you to try." Eponine said.

"You didn't know my brother so stay out of it! He didn't care about what classes I took, or if I got A's or B's or even if- if…" René screamed, stood then gasped and collapsed to the floor, shaking intensely.

Eponine ran to her room, grabbed a pillow and put it under René's head. She gently stroked her friend's arms as the seizure died down. Eponine cursed herself. René's brother was still a very sensitive subject to the teen, and more often than not it ended the same way. She checked her watch, the one Jean had bought so Eponine could time René's seizures in case of emergency. Ten seconds. René panted as Eponine helped her sit up. As always, René was exhausted. Even after only ten seconds, a minor seizure, her brain could barely function correctly. René's mouth moved, but no words came out. However, Eponine knew exactly what her friend wanted. Eponine picked her friend up and put her in bed, covers and all. It seems she needed to talk to René's first professor, Larmarque.

As the first class didn't start until noon, Eponine figured Larmarque would still be in his office. Luckily, he was. Eponine knocked and opened the door at the 'Come in'.

"Hello, Professor." Eponine said.

"Are you a student of mine?" Larmarque asked.

"No but I'm here on behalf of a student who is." Eponine started.

"If your boyfriend wants to join my class, tell him to wait and see if he can get on the wait list." Larmarque recited.

"I'm not here for that. I'm here about René Grantaire." Eponine clarified. "She's an epileptic."

"Ah, yes, I remember the memo from Disabilities. What about her?" Larmarque asked.

"She had a seizure this morning, too much emotion often brings them on, and she won't be able to make it this morning. Granted it was just a minor one, but she needs rest." Eponine explained.

"I understand. I will save a seat for her." Larmarque nodded.

"Thank you, sir." Eponine smiled.

"Should I save one for you as well?" Larmarque asked.

"No need, sir. One of her accommodations is I sit at her feet. I'd rather you'd not ask why." Eponine clarified.

"Will she be in tomorrow?" Larmarque questioned.

"More than likely. She's quite good at bouncing back. Is there anything I can bring her? Handouts, syllabus, anything like that?" Eponine asked.

"I can send my TA to your dorm with such things." Larmarque answered. "Are you a nurse?"

"Not really. I've been trained to handle René's seizures. I've known René for years, and when her parents were murdered in her sophomore year of high school she wouldn't leave the house without me. She had seizures almost every day then. Eventually, her godfather moved me in with them and we've been inseparable ever since. I'm one of the few people she lets treat her." Eponine responded.

"If you don't mind me asking, why?" Larmarque pressed.

"I'm not quite sure. I went over to her house to try and get her to eat after her parent's death, not eating doesn't help the seizures, and she basically wouldn't let me leave. The only time I do is holidays which I spend with my family." Eponine said. "And when it comes to seizures, the medication she has helps and as long as I'm around, she should be fine."

"Are you a student at this university?" Larmarque asked.

"Technically, yes. However, all of my classes are me trailing René around making sure she's safe. You'll see me again. There's always something that can set her off and I have to be around when it happens." Eponine shrugged.

"There ever been a time you weren't around?" Larmarque asked.

"Yeah. René nearly died. Some idiot stuck his fingers down her throat and she nearly choked. Lucky the paramedics arrived when they did." Eponine spat.

Larmarque nodded and sent Eponine on her way. Eponine went straight back to the dorm and found René asleep on her bed. Eponine took off René's shoes and undid her belt. She wet a rag and dabbed it against her friend's forehead. Eponine undid her shirt buttons to help release the heat in René's body and turned on the fan. Eponine wiped her brow once more with the washcloth and gave her friend a light peck on the cheek. René smiled in sleep. Eponine froze, drinking in the moment. Only when the girl was asleep did this certain smile reappear. To the girl who wore it, it had been cracked the day her parents' were murdered. It had completely disappeared when her brother died. Eponine ran her hand through René's hair, got her a glass of water, some Tylenol and her epilepsy medication, and went to go make lunch.

She had just about finished peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, René's favorite after her seizures, when she heard a knock.

"I got it." An exhausted René padded to the door, now dressed in her pajamas.

"It's probably Larmarque's TA. He was very flexible about us missing class today." Eponine called after her.

René opened the door to see a Grecian God. Apollo himself stood in her hallway, dressed in a collared white shirt with a blood red jacket and jeans. His eyes were startlingly blue, and his blonde curly hair was tied back loosely with a black ribbon so that it seemed to be a halo. He smiled shyly at her and dug into the messenger bag he wore across his shoulder.

"I'm Enjolras. Larmarque's TA? He did tell you I was coming, right?" He asked, checking the sticky note he was using as a guide.

"Yea, yeah, sorry, I just wasn't expecting you so early. Come on in." René stuttered.

Enjolras nodded and René moved so he could.

"Would you like something?" Eponine asked, gesturing to the sandwiches.

"I couldn't." Enjolras shook his head.

"I can hear your stomach growling, don't lie." René glared at the newcomer and handed him a sandwich.

Enjolras's ears and cheeks turned pink. "I hadn't realized I was so hungry."

"Don't we all." René muttered and sat down with a groan.

"Did you take your pills?" Eponine asked.

"Yes, mother." René groaned.

Eponine shut the blinds and dimmed the lights. "Better?"

"You know the answer." René shrugged.

Eponine sighed and sat at the table as well. "Yes, Enjolras?"

"Uh, all right." Enjolras shook his head clear of cobwebs and started into the lecture of the class. It took about twenty minutes. It normally would've taken ten, but René kept interrupting, usually after taking swigs from her flask.

"You good?" René asked.

"That should cover it." Enjolras nodded.

"Thanks again for doing this. You must have a tight schedule to fit us into." Eponine smiled.

"I guess so. Thanks for the sandwich." Enjolras shrugged, tentatively smiling back.

"See you in class." Eponine said.

Enjolras turned back to look at René. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it.

"Goodbye." Enjolras said curtly and left.

"Talk about cute!" Eponine shrieked. René laughed bitterly.

"Hey, he was totally checking you out." Eponine laughed with her.

"Yeah, he wanted to know why I was too lazy to go to class and how I got Larmarque to save me a spot." René snorted.

"René." Eponine tried.

"Eponine." René sighed. "He's Apollo. He's not going to look at a drunken mortal like me. Don't bother."

Eponine sighed as René tore into her sandwiches. Once the food was cleared, René went back to bed and Eponine cleaned up.

"So there's this open mike night at the little Café that I noticed. Maybe you could go and do a couple songs." Eponine said, once René was back in the land of the living.

"Cool. Where is it?" René smiled a little.

"It's called the Café Musain." Eponine answered; glad her friend could get interested in something.

"I can check it out." René agreed.

"Cool." Eponine struggled to contain her excitement.

"Cool it Eponine. I just said I'd check it out." René growled.

"Ever the cynic, my dear friend." Eponine smiled sadly and René returned it.

"Hey, wait, isn't that the place where Cosette works?" René asked.

"She's how I noticed it." Eponine admitted, blushing.

René laughed. "Wait, is this some half-cocked scheme to get me out of the house? Or dorm, I guess?"

"You're the one that wants to make a living from performing." Eponine shot.

"Touché."

Hey guys! It's been a while since I last wrote anything. Quite honestly, I think this is terrible but Almost an Actress convinced me to put it up since I self-deprecate my writing. Also, if there is something undeniably wrong about the seizures and epilepsy please don't be offended. I'm not epileptic and I only know what I can find online. So if it's convenient for you guys, leave a review and tell me if you think I should continue this. Adieu, mon chers.