She had the same memories of course, the old days in the ABC, where they would talk of such a wonderful future and Eponine would listen intently, Marius explaining the parts she didn't understand. But she had understood enough, the revolution of the last generation hadn't changed things enough. It had replaced one class of elitists with another and the poor were still poor. That was all that had happened and people like her were lost in the cracks. But with the students she felt like maybe she could be somebody. Maybe she mattered. And she knew they were kind, the way there were with Gavroche. He could have been an annoyance to them but they cared. They had all cared for the boy. Eponine hoped he was alright. He had been a good kid.
She smiled at how oblivious he was. Men were all the same really. "I thought you and she...or at least that you liked her." she said simply. There was no sense in hiding opinions, maybe if she'd ever told Marius of her feelings, properly told him before he met Cosette. Perhaps then... "And surely she is more company than me. You and her have the books in common. You're both smart. I thought you'd talk about smart things." she added with a smile.
But nowhere else he'd rather be... Lost in memories of the past...
"I miss them. Not just him. I miss them all. Good men, every one of them. And little Gavroche. I bet he's back there on the streets like he owns them. Owned them more than we ever did." she joked, anything to take her mind of the chairs. All the chairs, every one would have been filled with someone in her life, for better or worse. "I can see them if I close my eyes, the ABC, Marius, but I see others too, Cosette, Javert sometimes, running us off the streets, and then my family, the Gang. Maybe being here is better. Maybe being here is a start neither of us could have had back there.