"Okay, is everybody here?" asked Courfeyrac, "We're about to hit the water."
"Where's Javert?" Éponine asked. She crossed her fingers hoping that he wouldn't be joining them. No sooner had she spoke when Javert emerged from the changing room wearing a life jacket, a rubber ducky ring, and about six pairs of water wings. Courfeyrac and many others failed to suppress a laugh.
"NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES." Javert muttered.
"To do list:" teased Courfeyrac, "Teach Javert how to swim."
"Do we have to use hooks to catch the fish?" Jehan asked worriedly.
"Relax Jehan," Courfeyrac said, "It's a catch and release lake."
"But don't the hooks hurt the fish?"
"Just trust me on this one, okay Jehan." Courfeyrac responded as they all climbed into his boat.
"So, how do you cast?" asked Grantaire.
"You mean that you've never been fishing before?!" Courfeyrac gasped, nearly dropping his pole.
"No" Grantaire blushed slightly.
"Enjolras! Teach him!" Courfeyrac ordered. Enjolras looked hesitant and Courfeyrac added "My boat, my rules"
Grantaire smiled widely and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Courfeyrac.
"Anytime" he winked back.
"So," Enjolras was saying, "Hold the pole with your right hand and the reel with our left. Now, put the pole behind you and flick your wrist forward. Yes, but you have to hold the string with your finger and pull up the medal piece. Yup, now put it all together."
Grantaire cast about three inches.
"Okay, let's try this again…"
Meanwhile, Marius was teaching Cosette to fish.
"No, like this sweetie pie. Yes! Now you've got it honey!"
Éponine was watching angrily.
"Oh, I've got one!" Cosette squealed. She reeled in a little Sunny.
"That's right sweetiekins!" Marius beamed.
She reeled it in close to your face. Its tail slapped her right in the face.
She shrieked, dropping her pole in the water. A look of triumph came over Éponine's face.
"Javert," Valjean said, "How can you enjoy yourself if you can't move your arms? The water wings are making them stick straight out."
"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY JUDGEMENT?! I MUST TO ARREST YOU!"
"Javert, how would you like it if I took out this phone, took pictures of you, and e-mailed them to the Prefect?" Valjean asked. Javert turned red.
"JUST THIS ONCE"
"And the cool wind blows…"
"Jehan, are you reciting poetry to fish?" asked Courfeyrac.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" he responded shooting daggers at him.
"You know that they can't understand you, right?"
"Maybe they'll hear the soothing tone of my voice and know not to be afraid." Jehan responded. Courfeyrac face palmed.
"Jehan, Jehan, what are we going to do with you?" Courfeyrac said. Jehan reached into the water to pick one of the lily pad flowers.
"R, you got to release it above your head." Enjolras corrected.
"Do you want to use a pushbutton reel? They're easier." Courfeyrac asked. Grantaire glared at him, but accepted the pole.
"Press the button and release it above your head." Enjolras instructed. "Yeah, that's right." He took his own pole and cast it into the water.
"I got one!" Grantaire shouted.
"No R," Enjolras sighed, "You just got me." He pulled up his line to show where they were tangled.
"You mean I have you?" Grantaire smirked.
"Uh, yeah, I guess… WAIT! WHAT?" Enjolras stammered.
"Little people know
That when it's fish we fight
We may look like beginners
'Till we get a bite
And when we catch more fish
Then you had ever sought
If you still think we're armatures
Look what we've caught
And remember what I've told you
Ain't that food for thought"
Gavroche was pulling in fish after fish.
"HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!" Grantaire asked with wide eyes. Gavroche grinned.
"Have you tried singing to them?"
"What? No!"
Courfeyrac went over and ruffled the boy's hair.
Joly and Bossuet were at the far end of the boat.
"With my luck, the boat will probably tip over, but it'll be fun." Bossuet said. He proceeded to cast into the lily pads and had to cut his line.
"Oh well." He smiled.
"I got one!" said Joly. He reeled in a decent sized perch.
"Kiss the fish!" Bossuet urged.
"No! Salmonella!"
"Glad I'm not a fish" Bossuet grinned as Joly laid a light kiss on his cheek.
The Patron-Minette had taken advantage of the opportunity. When somebody was distracted by a fish, the quickly picked their pockets.
"Okay, what have we gotten so far?" asked Thénardier.
"Three pocket watches, 300 frances, and a set of false teeth." Montparnesse answered. Thénardier looked at him questionably.
"The false teeth were Mabeuf's." he added. This trip was working out very well for them.
Enjolras guided Grantaire's hand on the reel. He was telling Grantaire how to improve his cast, but Grantaire wasn't listening. He was just excited from being in such close proximity to his crush. All of a sudden, he grabbed Enjolras by the shirt and kissed him hard. Both boys dropped their fishing poles into the boat. Everybody on the boat stared at them openmouthed. When they pulled away, their faces were beat red. Slowly, they started to grin.
"You know," Grantaire stated, "I'm starting to enjoy fishing more than I expected."
"Poles in everybody! We have water skies! Who wants to go first? Gavroche?" Courfeyrac shouted.
"Of course!" the boy responded enthusiastically, reeling in his line. And so the day went.