Chapter 1
Artwork: #01 ~16 Year Old Alvin
"Worst. Day. Ever." Simon muttered under his breath, shoving a trash can out of his way as he pushed a mop back and forth over the vinyl floor of the science hall. Amazing how gross college kids could be, tossing their half-finished soda cans at the trash can and leaving a sticky mess for the janitor – for him. How had he been brought so low in the span of a few hours? This morning had been so full of hope – his first day on the first semester of his higher education at Cedar Grove University, where he'd been granted early admittance and a full scholarship to pursue his first love: science. At least, that was what he thought that morning...
"May I see your financial papers?" The check-in worker asked as Simon worked his way down the line.
"Certainly." Simon had enthusiastically replied, simply pumped to get his college education started. Pulling out a blue folder from his backpack, he added, "I think you'll find everything in order there. I took the liberty of color-coding which funds came from which scholarships."
The clerk – a sour-looking middle-aged woman who appeared to have had a surgery or two attempting to preserve her youth – merely shot him an annoyed glance over the rim of her reading glasses as she took the folder from him and keyed in the numbers from it into a nearby laptop. After a few seconds she looked up expectantly and demanded, "And what form of payment will you be using to make up the difference?"
"The... d- the what!?" the bespectacled freshman inquired, taking the folder back from her and flipping through the papers he'd assembled. "I don't understand, I ran the calculations multiple times, these scholarships fully covered the expense of tuition..."
"Tuition, yes, but what about the other fees? Housing fees, - "
"Oh I already made other living arrangements."
" - meal fees, activity fees, processing fees, and oh, look, you're in the sciences... most of these charges are laboratory fees."
"Wait, there must be some sort of mistake! I - "
"Next!"
"No, wait! I - "
"Look, if you can't offer alternative payment for the difference, then you'll have to talk to a school counselor. For the sciences, that'd be room 521 of the Science C building. Next!"
"But!"
"Move it! In case you didn't notice, there are plenty of paying students waiting behind you."
Taking the folder back from the witch, Simon dejectedly left the check-in line and made his way towards one of the many red-shirted volunteers offering aid and direction to the overwhelmed and lost freshmen.
"Excuse me, could you direct me to the 'Science C' building?" he asked the short blond female – the closest of the red shirts - with more than just a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Of course! Don't worry, it's TOTALLY simple! You just exit these doors, take the path past the courtyard, taking the first right after the fountain. The path will lean to the right and you'll start going down some stairs. The first building at the top of the stairs is Science A, and the next at the bottom of the first flight of stairs is Science B, and the one after, Science C!" She responded, with a cheeriness that seemed to just rub Simon's misfortune in his face.
Despite his plummeting attitude, he felt duty-bound to maintain common courtesy, and so forced a smile as he replied, "Thank you for your help, miss."
The blond giggled a little – seriously, this chick was unnaturally cheerful – and responded, "Please, just call me Eleanor. 'Miss' just makes me think of Miss Gibbens" She said the name only as loud as just above a whisper with a nod of her head back at the sour clerk that had just handled Simon's financial folder.
Simon couldn't stifle a chuckle, and allowed himself a small moment of humor as he whispered back, "Haha, heavens no, far be it from me to ever insult even my worst enemy by comparing them to Miss Gibbens." The blond – that is, Eleanor.. he'd have to remember her name, as she could very well be his first friend in this dismal school – practically cackled with uncontrollable laughter as Simon took his leave to find the 'Science C' building.
He found it easily enough – Eleanor's directions had been excellent, precise, just the way he liked to receive his information – and just as easily found room 521. Unfortunately, he had to wait a while for an available counselor, and even more unfortunate, they couldn't do anything for him.
With a heavy heart and shattered dreams, Simon aimlessly made his way through the science halls, at a loss over what to do. The long and short of it was that he was penniless. He was completely dependent on scholarships to get here in the first place. How could he ever scrounge up the money to cover these unforeseen costs? As it was, Theo had already gotten himself another part-time job to help offset the other two's living expenses. Both Simon and Alvin had tried to dissuade him, but Theo had insisted that the chance for the two of them to go to college was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he felt privileged to support them in any way he could. It really was once in a lifetime... when they'd all been under the age of five – he three, Alvin four, and Theo just two – their parents had died tragically in a car accient, leaving the boys with no living relatives, for they had been immigrants, and um, not exactly... legal.
The boys spent their entire childhood moving from foster house to foster house, never staying in one place for too long, probably due to Alvin's, erm, excessive attention-getting antics. Usually the story went something like this: arrive at a new foster home, get slightly attached, find out the caregivers are getting overwhelmed with Alvin's 'high maintenance', get an offer to stay with the guardians on the condition that Alvin goes elsewhere for 'special needs treatment', refuse since you all vowed not to get separated, repeat. With Theo turning eighteen this past spring, they were now all officially adults and out of the system, with part time jobs, a tiny shared studio apartment, and no hope for their lives ever improving.
That is, until luck finally decided to turn their way and smile upon them. The boys had all maintained a good relationship with their alma mater high school, and as a result spent their off-shift times volunteering at the school. Simon helped keep the laboratories in working order and set out equipment for the upcoming classes, and as a result, the professors wrote letters of recommendation to a prominent science professor at Cedar Grove, resulting in early admission and a 'full' scholarship. Alvin had always been a favorite of the coaches at the high school, and was often called in to fill in after the star quarterback of the football team wound up with a broken leg. It just so happened that one of the big games he subbed for had a scout in attendance, and soon after Alvin was offered late admission, a full football scholarship, and a position in the first line of players for Cedar Grove's football team.
Simon sighed, shaking his fist in the air as a 'screw you' to Lady Luck, who'd waved these perfect opportunities in their faces, just to take them away. He wondered if Alvin had found out about all these hidden fees yet... What about Theo? He'd be absolutely devastated when he heard about all this. Imagining the look on his youngest brother's face firmed his resolve. No, he wasn't going to let it end this easily. He'd come too far to just give up. Feeling a burst of confidence and inspiration, he strode off to find another red shirt volunteer to tell him where he could find Professor Hudson's office. If Professor Hudson had managed to secure all those scholarships for Simon, maybe he could pull a few more strings...
On his way back to the welcome center, a red blur slammed into him. "ALVIN!" He cried, not even needing to see the face on the speeding skateboarder to know who it was. "Watch where you're going, will you!?"
"Oh lighten up, will you?" Alvin pleaded breathlessly as he dismounted from his board and kicked it up into his hand. "It's our first day! You should be PUMPED! Don't be such a stick in the mud."
Perhaps Alvin hadn't yet made it through check-in... how else he could be so cheerful despite their poor fortune? "Um, Alvin... did you make it through check-in yet?"
"Ugh, stop baby-ing me, Simon! I'm an adult, and older than you; I can take care of myself."
"Oi, just answer the question, Al."
"Yes, oh Grumpy One, I got that out of the way first thing for once, so I could get to exploring the campus and all its - " he paused to wink at a cute redhead that was passing by, " - treasures."
"And you... didn't have any problems?" Simon pressed, incredulous.
"Uh, no, of course not. Why would I?"
"They didn't try to charge you for things like 'activity' fees?"
"Noooo... why are you asking? What's up?"
"Let me see your check-in papers." Simon demanded, hardly waiting for his elder brother to slide his backpack off his shoulder. After a cursory glance, it was quite clear what was going on. "I see how it is... now that's just wrong. How can this place call themselves an 'Institution for Higher Learning' when they prioritize funds to sponsor jocks, but can't even cover the expenses and invest in the truly promising minds of the future!?"
"You mean your scholarship didn't cover everything? Wow, sucks for you."
"Thanks for the support, Alvin."
"Whoah, chill, I was just joking... I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, why don't you talk to a counselor?"
"I did! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Professor Hudson."
"You're excused." Alvin wasted no time in responding, his eye catching a group of cheerleaders heading towards the cafeteria, "Catch ya later!"
And this is how it ended... with Simon working as a 'sanitation engineer' for the science buildings. Oh, Professor Hudson came through with his string pulling, but unfortunately, this was the best he could do. In exchange for his services, his 'activity' – what did that even mean!? - fees would be waived, and Hudson was able to pull an additional small scholarship to cover the laboratory fees. At least he wouldn't have to disappoint Theo or pass up this opportunity to live out his dreams, but the fact that Alvin got away without any of this just wasn't fair. Brimming with frustration, Simon shoved the mop back into the water bucket, accidentally sending up a spray of water with the force of it.
"Eek!" a feminine voice cried, making Simon cringe. Great, now he'd accidentally splashed an innocent bystander.
Wincing as he turned to face the girl, he hastily spewed his apologies, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean - " He stopped mid-sentence, taking in the sight of the girl – nay, goddess – who stood before him, meeting his deep blue eyes with her striking violet ones. He may have kept a vast supply of knowledge available within the many neurons in his brain, but right now, the only ones that occurred to him right now were that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, he'd suddenly lost his ability to speak, his new favorite color was purple, and nothing else in the world mattered.
"Oh, no, t-that's alright. I wasn't looking where I was g-going." The perfect portrait of femininity assured him, wiping at the wet spot on her skirt.
"Oh, l-let me help y-you with that!" Simon exclaimed, suddenly snapping out of his stupor and regaining his ability to make words – albeit with the occasional stutter. His mouth wasn't the only thing struggling to function, he discovered, as he fumbled around his janitor caddy, unable to make his hands steady. He finally found a clean cloth and reached out to help the girl, but she instinctively shied away.
"That's okay, you d-don't have to... I can get it." she insisted, but as a result of her instinct to back up, she tripped over the trash can Simon had displaced, causing her to squeak in surprise.
Luckily, Simon had regained control of his hands, and in a display of coordination that surprised even himself, he caught hold of the lady's arm before she completely lost balance, but overcompensated and managed to draw her close – very close – to himself.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, blushing furiously as she found herself eye-to-eye with Simon.
"Oh my, I'm sorry, I-I guess I pulled a little too hard!" Simon cried, hastily letting go of her arm and taking a step back to give her breathing room. He mentally kicked himself for his newfound awkwardness – usually, he was completely cool and collected. It must be his new circumstances, being a janitor and all, that had resulted in his sudden lack of confidence, not to mention the girl's bewitching powers that seemed to disarm him with even the slightest glance. Sheepishly, he handed over the clean cloth, refusing to meet those dazzling eyes again and instead feigning interest in a tile on the floor. "Here." he said simply, not trusting himself with more than one word at a time.
"Th-thank you." she said, still stunned from the whole ordeal so far. She took a few moments to sop up the blotch on her skirt before handing it back.
Simon accepted it and wrung it out in the mop bucket, fully expecting the girl to continue on her way, but to his great delight, she spoke up once more, "Erm... so you work here?"
It took a second to form a response – his brain seemed to be working at half-speed ever since he gazed into her eyes – but he managed a, "Well, sorta... I'm actually a freshman here..." He hastened to add, "I-I just decided to work part time as well..." That wasn't completely a lie... he did have the decision to NOT work... it would've just meant that he wouldn't get to be a student either.
"Oh, really!? I'm a freshman too! W-what are you studying?" She asked excitedly, and Simon risked making eye contact again. Bad decision. Those fetching orbs were aglow with joy and anticipation as she waited for his answer, making it that much harder for him to form coherent sentences.
"I, uh, I'm not entirely settled on the matter yet. I'm torn between chemistry and robotics. I'm just enrolled as 'General Scientific Studies' until I decide."
"Really!? That's amazing!" If it was at all possible, those eyes were twinkling even brighter.
"What about you?"
"Forensic Sciences. But I want to minor in Criminal Justice... I-I know, everyone says I've watched too many criminal investigation sh-shows..." She seemed to catch herself getting too excited, and instinctively recoiled back into herself, hands drawn up to her face in an attempt to hide the blush that was forming on her porcelain cheeks. Goodness, she was adorable in pink. "S-speaking of which, I need to get to forensics orientation!" She exclaimed, eyes widening as she realized the time. Simon's heart skipped a beat – this girl was just too much cute for him to handle. He had to physically shake his head to bring his mind back to reality, just in time to call out before she was beyond hearing distance, "Wait, miss!" He cringed as the image of the sour 'Miss Gibbens' floated to the forefront of his mind. He'd have to adjust his vocabulary so he never use the term 'miss' again.
"Huh?" she called back, turning and stopping to hear what Simon had to say.
"Um..." He stalled, nearly forgetting how to speak again, but forcing himself to say the words he was dying to, even if he had to croak them out. "What's your name?"
"J-Jeanette." She replied, her blush deepening ever so slightly. "W-what's yours?"
He again paused unintentionally. Yes, Simon, the straight-A quantifiable genius just managed to forget his own name for a moment. "It's Si- Simon."
A small smile breaking across Jeanette's lips, she called out, "It was nice to meet you, Simon", as she ran off.
Simon sighed to himself, leaning on his mop, the dirty floors suddenly his new best friends, for they had afforded him the chance to meet the one called 'Jeanette'. "Best. Day. EVER."
A/N: I like to put a few details out up front at the beginning of my stories, just so everyone's clear on what to expect. That way, if you don't like what you hear here, then you won't waste time reading more chapters than you want to.
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the rights to Alvin & the Chipmunks, The Chipettes, or any other characters, media, songs, or other references used in the story. I'll try to keep a track of references at the end of each chapter for things like when I quote a certain song.
Rating: Rated T mostly to be on the safe side, but here's the breakdown of what you can expect to see / not see:
- Language: I strive to keep my stories curse-word free, as is socially acceptable in the U.S.A. I don't claim to have any knowledge of any other country's lingo and what words they may find offensive, so if I happen to stumble across one, I apologize. In cases where I feel dramatic emphasis is needed, I'll sometimes invent an 'explicative' that I could imagine the character using. For instance, if Theodore ever got frustrated enough to express himself in colorful words, I imagine the worst he could say would be along the lines of "Oh fudge muffin!"
- Religion: In the spirit of 'staying in character', I do not believe the chipmunk characters to be all that religious, and will thus not be incorporating that into the story. If by chance the need arises, they'd fall under the American stereotype: having some amount of faith in Christianity. I don't expect the need to arise in this story, but if you're offended by God, Jesus, Mother Mary, 10 commandment morality, or prayer, you are welcome to avoid this story to stay on the safe side.
- Violence: I'm a fan of slap-stick comedy, so there may well be some of that in the story, as well as the possibility for injury, minor fighting, and frightening situations. I will not, however, go into any gory details or put in random violence for the heck of it. If there is physical harm done to the characters, it will not be without purpose - be that purpose for plot progression or comic relief (in the case of slapstick and rough housing among brothers)
- Sexuality: There will be no sex in this story, nor scenes that 'lead up to' sex, nor any innuendo that sex occurs. There may be, however, mild sexual humor - these are college boys we're getting into the minds of here... However no jokes will be explicit, you'd have to be paying attention and looking for the double / implied meaning.
Alternate Universe / Timeline Setting: This story is set in the modern day, in a world where the chipmunks are actually human, are college age, and Alvin and his brothers haven't yet debuted. They also have grown up orphans, there was no Dave Seville in the picture, sadly. They also haven't yet met the Chipettes (who of course are also human) yet - but as you can see that's just now changing. I did enjoy the cartoon show when I was child, but it's been a loooong time since I've seen them, so I won't be pulling more than just the occasional inspiration or detail from it. As far as keeping characters in character, my main model is the CGI films, adjusted for this alternate universe / timeline and an older age.
Characters: Since FF only allows 4 characters associated with a story, I didn't have room to include Theodore and Eleanor, even though they are indeed main characters in the story. I will primarily be focusing on Alvin and Brittany, secondly on Simon and Jeanette, and thirdly on Theodore and Eleanor. I know, so typical... but in my defense, most of the original Chipmunk media spent about the same percentage of focus... in the original series, Simon and Theodore were no more than backup singers while Alvin and Dave did all the talking! And for the record, Simon and Jeanette are actually my favorite characters, following in order: Theodore, Alvin, Eleanor, and Brittany. It's just that the character flaws in Alvin and Brittany afford for more character development, hence more story time.
POVs: The point of view will change whenever the story warrants it; whenever I feel a certain character's thoughts need to be heard. This may mean that a different character gets POVs for certain whole chapters, maybe even a few times in a row, or maybe just a section or two of a particular chapter - there is no rhyme or reason or regular 'cycling through' of the character POVs.
Story Art: I will be changing the story art for this story with each chapter that's posted, each one depicting one or more of the characters as they might look in their teenage / college years, in human form, of course. I really wanted to illustrate with visuals since we've never seen the chipmunks in human form. Currently, I'm using digital 'doll' makers, as I don't have the skill or the time to make them myself at the quality level I want. I'm primarily using Azalea's Doll Maker website to generate the artwork. I will be posting all current and past artwork in a DeviantArt collection, linked below. If by chance any fanart for the story comes to my attention, I'll be sure to include it in the collection.
Story Art Link: digipukamon DOT deviantart DOT com SLASH gallery SLASH 52045446 SLASH AATC-Chapter-Art
Reviews: Please leave a review, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to point out any spelling / grammatical errors you find and leave constructive criticism! Any general comments on the story are welcome as well! Personally, I'd be thrilled if the first time you come across the story, you add a review with even as little as your pen name / alias, just so I have somewhat of a 'guestbook' for this story.
Thanks for reading!
