"I've had it!" I shouted as I slammed the door to the recording studio. "I'm sick and tired of your attitude towards the band, Alvin!"
"My attitude?" Alvin retorted. "You're the one who's throwing a fit!"
"Oh, so now you care about my feelings? Everything's always about YOU! What about me, Alvin? You care enough to give Theodore more credibility in the band, but you never let me have even one chance for one of those solo songs! You're always saying that we're the perfect team, but I guess it seems you're going back on your word...
"You don't need me. I'm just a worthless piece of crap to you...
"As of right now, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' is history, and I never want to see your rat face again...
"I'm done."
This rant left Theodore and Dave speechless, but it seemed that Alvin couldn't control his anger towards me.
Alvin gave me an uppercut punch and started beating me senseless. When the damage was done, I had bruises all over my body... and a new-found hate for my older brother.
"I hope you rot in hell," I managed to say under my breath, attempting to hide the tears. I packed everything I needed to get out of the house as fast as possible to get to school, and after taking one last glare at Alvin, I ran off.
My life is total crap.
Alvin, on the other hand, has his whole life completely figured out. He's the best athlete out of the three of us, and he's the most attractive out of us as well, with Theodore being in a close second.
Speaking of Theodore, it seems he's gotten better luck than I've been getting lately, too, and it seems to be that everywhere I go, somebody's talking about him or one of his recipes.
Both of my brothers are the talk of the town.
And what do I get?
NOTHING!
I'm turning sixteen tomorrow for God's sake! I mean, there's got to be something I'm good at (besides being smart – that everyone expects of me).
My mother once told me that everyone's life has a purpose…
Well, what's the purpose of my life? To be the only child of a famous rock band that absolutely no one notices except for when I'm with my brothers? I doubt it…
If it isn't to live in the shadow of the limelight for my brothers, then why do I feel like this?
And when I think about it, I always come to the same answer: I don't even know what to feel.
To tell you the truth, I don't even know who I am anymore.
I debated this very thought as I made my way home that cold December afternoon, and it had appeared that blizzard-like conditions were about to occur. However, there would be a different kind of storm when I went inside.
Everything was quiet when I walked into the house. My brother Theodore – who would turn fifteen tomorrow – was watching television, and my friend Eleanor – also almost fifteen years old – was cooking supper for Dave. He was working late again at the recording studio downtown. I had suddenly noticed that someone – three people, to be exact – were missing.
"Where are they?" I asked Theodore, standing in front of the television so he wouldn't be distracted.
"I don't know, Simon," he replied.
Suddenly, I heard a scream and some footsteps coming from the back porch. I instantly made my way to the porch, and as I opened up the glass double doors leading outside, I saw the two most horrifying things I had ever seen in my life up to that point.
My friend Jeanette was dressed in only a tank top and a pair of shorts, and her glasses were only a few feet away from where she had been chained, completely shattered and broken glass surrounding the detached rims. On the porch were Alvin and Brittany – both of whom were going on eighteen, each doing something I would've never expected – smoking cigarettes and drinking beer, just watching poor Jeanette suffer.
"Are you two nuts?" I exclaimed. "You've got the nerve to strip Jeanette almost to her underwear and watch her freeze to death?"
Without a word, Alvin and Brittany grabbed me by the arms and threw me next to Jeanette, chaining me to the other side of the tree.
Brittany suddenly threw a beer bottle at my head, knocking me out for at least a good two hours.
The next thing I knew, I tasted blood in my mouth, and Theodore was releasing me from the chains I had been attached to. Eleanor was also doing the same thing to Jeanette, who was red-faced, unconscious, and completely numb.
"Eleanor," I said, "when you're done unchaining her, put some warmer clothes on her for me. There's something we need to do."
"Well, what's that?" Theodore asked.
I sighed. "We're getting out of here."
"And how in holy hell are we supposed to do that?" Theodore snapped.
"Easy," I replied. "We pack up, and we just leave."
"I'm sorry, Simon," Theodore replied, "but I just can't do that to Dave. Besides, Ellie has no other place to stay after Miss Miller died. We have to stay."
Though Theodore brought up a good point about Eleanor without a home, I still stood my ground. "You might have to, Theodore, but I sure don't."
Making my way inside with Eleanor, Theodore, and a still unconscious Jeanette, I went upstairs to my bedroom and packed everything I could into a few suitcases. I had Eleanor do the same for Jeanette after she was put into some warmer clothes.
"Is Dave home?" I asked Theodore as I continued packing.
"Yeah, he's downstairs watching TV. Why?"
"Well… I just wanted to let him know I was leaving."
"He already knows, Simon… He heard us talking about it in the backyard, and as much as he regretted saying this to me, Dave said that it was best that Eleanor and I should leave as well." He handed me a spare silver key that Dave had given him. "You can take Alvin's car."
I solemnly shoved the key into my pants pocket, grabbing my luggage as I walked out into the hallway and down the back stairs. Theodore and Eleanor followed suit, Jeanette in tow, without another word.
Sitting at the kitchen table, a pen in my hand, I only wrote a set of select words addressed to Alvin and Brittany:
"I hope the two of you are happy with yourselves."
Placing the note next to Alvin and Brittany, I sat back down at the kitchen table, composing another note and hearing the words of Gary LeVox the entire time:
I've dealt with my ghosts
And I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once, I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame
Trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on
"Dave," I wrote, "I know it's been a rough couple of months, and I know that, unfortunately, Alvin and Brittany are being pains in your ass lately, but I know they're going to stop… eventually."
I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different, but they're always the same
They mean me no harm
But it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up
Where I don't belong
I'm movin' on
"Believe me when I say that you're not the only victim in this. We're all feeling it, especially me and Jeanette. The two of us have taken most of the physical abuse – well, mostly me, but that's beside the point. It's just that when they started hurting Jeanette like that – and without caring afterwards, might I add – I just couldn't take it anymore…"
I'm movin' on
At last, I can see
Life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees
But I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind
That those days are gone...
"I never wanted it to come to this, but they've left me with no other choice…
"But before I leave, I'm speaking for the four of us when I say we want to thank you for everything you've done for us… It hasn't gone unnoticed, and it never will…
"And if by some chance they want to apologize, I won't accept it. I'll be busy planning a new band with Jeanette and Phelan. I'll let you in on my future plans, along with Theodore and Eleanor."
I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should
But lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me
Somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on
"I guess this is goodbye… we'll miss you.
"Love,
"Simon"
I felt a tear roll down my eyes as I placed the note by Dave's side and grabbed my luggage.
I'm movin' on
Theodore and Eleanor were following me outside.
"Jeanette's in the car," Theodore informed me with a depressed look on his face.
I nodded and gave my younger brother a hug. "It'll be alright… I'll call you on your phone as soon as possible."
"Alright… we'll miss you, Simon."
Smiling and wiping tears from my eyes, I replied, "I'll miss you guys, too."
"We'll see you around," Eleanor said with a smile.
I smiled again, getting into the driver's seat of Alvin's Ford Fusion. "See you."
Silently, I watched as Theodore and Eleanor pulled out of the driveway in Brittany's Toyota Camry, waving goodbye.
As I pulled out of the driveway, I waved back and saw Dave sending me off.
"Good luck, Simon!" he shouted out to me.
"I'll see you soon, Dave!" I yelled back. "…I hope."
I'm movin' on
After reaching the end of the street and pulled out my cell phone, calling an old friend.
"Hey, Phelan, it's me," I said, leaving a message. "Listen, when you get this, I need you to meet me at that new hotel downtown. We need to talk.
"And whatever you do, do not contact or bring Alvin and Brittany. I don't want them anywhere near me."
I snapped my phone shut and pulled into the nearest hotel parking lot, hoping Phelan would get here soon.