(Simon's POV)
Apparently, since Dave believed that Alvin was causing too many problems for both bands, not just ours, he's decided to split up both of our bands temporarily so that Alvin couldn't possibly get on all of our nerves at once, and the feeling was mutual since Alvin couldn't stand me in the slightest since Jeanette came to me after their breakup...
Well, until I talked to him about it. He did forgive me, though, but he just didn't want me to steal another of his girlfriends. I told him Jeanette was the only one for me.
Theodore had asked me what I wanted to do while the band was taking a break, and to be perfectly honest, I told him I didn't know.
In reply, Theodore told me that Brittany was applying for a modeling job and that Alvin decided to get back into sports. He and Eleanor were going to get back into cooking, so they signed up for a contest that could take them to Washington, DC for the finals. Theodore also told me that Jeanette wanted to form another band, but there were no other chipmunks in town that were interested...
Well, except for me, but I figured she knew that I wanted to join, especially since she called me to meet her at "The Junction", one of the only adolescent-friendly nightclubs in the district.
How could I say no?
It only took me a few minutes after I asked Dave to borrow the car. (Being sixteen has its perks.) When I arrived, I found Jeanette in the lounge area, her acoustic guitar beside her.
"So, do you have any ideas on what our first cover could be?" she asked.
"Cover?" I replied. "I thought we were going to write our own stuff."
"Well, yeah, once we get more people. Plus, this is the only place within a ten-mile radius that hosts an open mic night, and I think we'd more comfortable just doing cover songs for right now."
I couldn't help but agree. "I suppose you're right, Jeanette. We just need to get more comfortable on stage before we go any further."
"Hey," I heard a familiar say from behind me. "What the hell are you two doing in this neck of the woods?"
"Correction, Phelan," I stated. "City, not woods."
"Smartass... Anyways, what are you guys doing here? You guys never go to this place!"
Jeanette sighed. "We're trying to come up with more members for our new band."
Phelan looked surprised. "You guys broke up?"
I nodded along with Jeanette.
"Damn it! There goes my summer concert pass for the year."
"Well, I wanted to form another band," Jeanette had re-iterated, "but the only person I've got with me so far is Si."
I stood there for a second. Since when did she start calling me Si? My kiss last night was only a spur-of-the-moment thing.
Did it mean something to her, too? Does she love me back?
"Well, I have some experience with a guitar," Phelan replied. "I'd love to be part of the band."
I sighed. "That's great," I told him, "but three people isn't really enough for our experience level."
Phelan sat next to Jeanette. "The good news is: I know a couple of people who would probably be willing to help us out. A few other regulars play here every night, and two of the girls talk about you every time I see them during a break... Maybe, if we somehow attract their attention and hold a little contest tonight, we could fill up the band faster than you think."
"Sounds great," Jeanette said. "Let's do it!"
"Wait," I interrupted. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Do all of these bands have a chipmunk in it?"
Phelan laughed. "That's all they're made up of: chipmunks."
I stood up. "I'll go attract the attention."
Before I could even walk to the stage, a duo made their way onstage. The two girls looked oddly familiar, and I could definitely tell that Jeanette and Phelan had somehow noticed it as well.
After a second, I figured it out. One – no, both – of the girls were related to me. The blonde with the Evanescence t-shirt and jeans on was Tori, my cousin from the east coast. The chipmunk with black hair and wearing a blouse, denim skirt and brown cowboy boots was Ally, my sister.
Tori went up to one of the microphones. "As you can see, my voice is a little coarse," she said roughly, "so I'd like someone else to sing my part. Some other instruments would be nice as well." She made her way over to the piano on stage.
I motioned Phelan to bring his drums on stage and did the same to Jeanette, her guitar in hand. We snuck backstage the back way as Tori played the beginning of the song on the piano and Ally started singing the song – alone.
There's nothing I can say to you
Nothing I could ever do
To make you see
What you mean to me
Jeanette was ready to go, but I held out my hand, telling her to wait as we watched Ally continue, tears rolling down her face:
All the pain, the tears I cry
Still, you never said goodbye
And now I know
How far you'd go
I walked on stage next to Ally, putting my left hand on her shoulder and grabbing the other microphone so I could help her out by singing the next part for her:
I know I let you down
But it's not like that now
This time, I'll never let you go
She joined me for the chorus as Phelan and Jeanette started up on their instruments:
I will be all that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life, I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay
I took over for Ally, since it seemed that she wasn't willing to join in again:
I thought that I had everything
I didn't know what life could bring
But now, I see, honestly
You're the one thing I got right
The only one I let inside
Now I can breathe
'Cause you're here with me
And if I let you down
I'll turn it all around
Ally joined back in:
'Cause I would never let you go
I will be all that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life, I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay
I let Ally sing the next part:
'Cause without you I can't sleep
I'm not gonna ever, ever let you leave
You're all I've got, you're all I want, yeah
I joined in for the rest of the song:
And without you I don't know what I'd do
I could never ever live a day without you
Here with me, do you see?
You're all I need
And I will be all that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life, I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay
I will be all that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life, I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay
"Are you okay?" I asked Ally, making sure I hadn't done anything to upset her.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm just fine," she replied.
Just then, as the five of us were about to get off-stage, the person I had least expected burst through the door of the nightclub, a shotgun pointed in our direction.
"You little rats are mine," Ian growled.
Phelan had 'panic' written all over his face. "Tori, Ally and I will fend him off," he said. "You and Jeanette better get out of here. This isn't your war, Simon: it's ours."
I wondered for a second exactly what he meant when he said it was 'their war'. Did he have something against me that I didn't know about? And how did he know Ally and Tori? And what did they have against Ian?
"Come on, Simon," Jeanette said, interrupting my thoughts. "We better get out of here."
Following her advice, I walked out the back of the club and hid with Jeanette, but before we could get any further, he found us.
Ian held his handgun to Jeanette's chest. "You're dead, princess," he said.
My heart began to beat faster as I suddenly thought about if Ian shot her right then and there. I made a gut decision.
"Ian," I said, "I have a proposition for you."
He put his gun back in his pocket. "I'm listening."
Jeanette was giving me this terrified look on her face before I continued: "If you want the both of us dead, shoot her, but if you only want one of us dead, let the victim be me… and if it's me, you only get one shot."
Ian just stood there, a little surprised.
"What? Are you scared of your own strength, Ian?"
"No," he briskly replied. "Any preferences if I were just to shoot you?"
I only turned to him with two words coming out of my mouth: "Point blank."
Jeanette ran over to me. "Please, Simon… Don't do this."
Wanting one last intimate moment with her, I asked Ian for one last moment with her.
I took her around the corner of the building. "Listen, Jeanette… If you were really my friend, you would let me do this…" Tears were coming out of my eyes as I continued. "I know this might be the end, but I just want to let you know something before I die… I love you, Jeanette. I always have, and even if I don't make it, I always will."
She hugged me as tight as she could. "I love you, too," she replied, "even if this means I can't ever see you again…"
"Alright, rat," Ian said. "Time's up." He had his gun pointed at my chest.
"Jeanette," I replied, "run."
She fled from the scene, and that was the last time I saw Jeanette before I was shot…
… And killed.