Review Responses: Thanks to all who left reviews! Below are some responses...

Archer300 -Thanks for your continued support! It's so nice to know I've got a consistence reader that's still sticking with the story! :)

H. F. MunkMadness - Likewise. My pen name was a nickname I got in middle school. What's the H and F stand for in your pen name? Glad you're enjoying the story so far!

ShadowyRainy - Your wish is my command! I had hoped to get this posted a little sooner, but it's still pretty close to your request. :)

Guest (The Italian one!) - Thank you so much for clarifying the bit of Italian I used. You are very right in saying that my use of it was very American. I wanted to express the phrase that has been adopted as American slang, but had to look up how to represent it in text form, since it's one of those words that you always hear, but never write. And since it looked nothing like it was pronounced, I put it in the reference section so that people would know what I was talking about. I struggled greatly for words on how to describe it, but since I was tired I made a hasty and poor attempt to do so. My apologies. I went back and updated the spelling and reference section to be a little clearer on the origins of the word in use, and hope that it makes sense not only to American readers, but any international readers who stumble across it... So again, thank you for your help in making that possible. Also, I had no trouble understanding your English, so please leave more reviews, I'd love to hear from you! :)

Chapter 3

Artwork: #03 Pop Star Brittany

"Say hey, I'll be gone today, but I'll be back around the way!" Alvin sang to himself as he climbed the steps to the studio loft apartment he shared with his brothers. He hadn't realized the song Britt was singing was so contagious, but now he couldn't get it out of his head, nor the image of Britt herself. Definitely the highlight of his evening. Not that hanging with Jason and Mike had been bad... Aside from their freshman prank, they seemed pretty cool, and after they left the music hall, they took him to meet some more upperclassmen, showed him around the dorm hall where all the jocks got to live, and even shot a few hoops with him before they all decided to call it a night. Even so, his favorite part had definitely been going to the music hall. He did always have a strong passion for music, maybe he'd just forgotten how much he liked it since he was so caught up in sports. That must be it... He must've gotten a little lost in his thoughts, for he suddenly realized he was at his doorway, but couldn't remember when he got there. Opening it and stepping in, he hung his red hoodie on his hook and began to untie his sneakers.

"And what took you so long to get home?" Simon demanded from his perch on the couch, apparently still sour about his scholarship not being as inclusive as Alvin's, judging by the tone in his voice.

"I told you we had that kick-off dinner, Si."

"Aaaand dinner takes six hours?"

"Okay, so me and a few of the guys hung out for a bit after the dinner. It's important to make new friends; we'll be here awhile."

"Hm... so let me ask you, what's more important? Leaving on time so you can keep your promise to your brother, or blowing him off so you can hang with some people you just met?"

"Oh shoot, that was today!?"

"Uh, yes, Alvin, get yourself a personal planner if you can't keep track of time on your own."

"I have one; his name is I-Think-I'm-Smarter-Than-You-Simon."

"I'm SERIOUS, Alvin! When are you going to grow up and start acting like an adult!?"

"Watch it, Si... Or do we need to take this outside?"

"G-guys, please stop!" Theodore interrupted, tentatively approaching his brothers, "It's okay, I don't mind."

Alvin's taut expression relaxed a little at Theo's plea, though his mounting anger had far from abated. For Theodore's sake, however, he decided to let it ebb away, taking a few second to breathe deep and let the tension subside. "I'm sorry, Theo. I completely forgot that I was supposed to pick you up from work today since Simon started his new job."

"That's alright. I managed to find Simon and just waited for him to finish so he could take me home instead."

"He waited for THREE HOURS, Alvin..." Simon hissed, his anger still not appeased.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry; It won't happen again! Hey, tell you what, Theo, I'll visit you on your lunch break tomorrow, treat you to something nice, okay?"

"Really!?" Theo asked, eyes lighting right up.

"Sure thing, anything you like, my treat."

"Thank you, Alvin!" Theo cried, rushing at Alvin and wrapping him in a hug.

Alvin just gave his little brother an affectionate noogie before they each went about their business to get ready for bed, for they all had to get an early start tomorrow.

"I thought love was only true in fairy tales..." Alvin sang nearly subconsciously; he couldn't help it, he just sang whenever he was happy... Inevitably, his brothers would join in, singing harmony or beat-boxing; it was just something they did, it was part of their identity.

Right on cue, Theodore joined in on, "Meant for someone else, but not for me!"

Simon still looked a little put out, but Alvin and Theodore closed in on him as they neared the chorus, and that's when Simon's anger finally calmed. He couldn't resist any longer and joined in with a strong baritone, "Then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer!"

Alvin started swing-dancing with Theodore's teddy bear, or at least, did as best he could despite the cramped area of the apartment, "Not a trace of doubt in my mind! I'm in love!" Simon and Theodore backed him up with the 'oo's and 'aa's that accompanied that part of the song, and before long, all three of them had collapsed on the couch, cackling with laughter over their impromptu concert.

"Alright, Jeanette, your turn! Truth or dare?" Eleanor asked enthusiastically, and Jeanette took a few moments to mull over her decision. The evening had so far consisted of getting their injured sister back to her penthouse apartment, ordering far too much pizza and soda, playing a round of Jenga, and now several rounds of 'Truth or Dare', and the stakes were getting increasingly higher. Eleanor had just dared Brittany to touch the toilet brush, and it had taken a full twenty minutes to finally get her to do it, and another fifteen minutes assisting her in taking the full shower she insisted on taking after the completion of the dare. Now she was twisting her wet hair in her fingers, brow creased as she no doubt plotted far worse dares for Jeanette to complete.

Jeanette weighed her options carefully in an attempt to determine which one was less likely to cause her discomfort. Brittany suddenly giggled to herself, no doubt settling on the perfect dare. 'Truth' was looking more and more like the safer option at this point. "Ummmm truth...?" she declared tentatively, still apprehensive over what her sisters would put her through.

"Hmmm..." Brittany hummed. Jeanette had guessed right; Brittany's brainstorming had been focused on the dare option.

"Oh! I know!" Eleanor piped up, then whispered her idea into Brittany's ear, since it was technically her turn to be challenging Jeanette. Jeanette cringed inwardly as her sisters plotted her demise – or at least, a demise is what it felt like, even if it was just a game. Although she had to wonder what Eleanor had thought of. In general, Jeanette was a fairly open book, even though she kept to herself most of the time. She just wasn't in the habit of keeping secrets.

Giggling, her sisters turned back to her, finished with their secret pow-wow. In-between giggles, Brittany asked, "So, apparently you were positively beaming today, and we're not convinced that it was just because of school. I mean really, we all know you love your studies, but there wasn't even any lessons today! So spill!"

Jeanette gulped; maybe she should have gone for the dare. It's not that she had anything to hide, or even to explain... She didn't even have a logical explanation for why she had been so happy that afternoon. It's just that somehow, ever since she'd bumped into him, she couldn't help but feel a little happier whenever he crossed her mind, which for some reason was happening way more than it should.

"Er, I don't know... I just... think I m-might have met a new fr-friend..." She managed to say finally, trying her best not to stutter, but failing miserably. Why was she so nervous anyway? There was nothing wrong with making a new friend! It's just that... she didn't make new friends very easily, thus it wasn't very often that she had to report that to her sisters. Oddly enough, they never seemed to notice before when she made new friends, why was this one suddenly so evident to them?

"Friend, huh?" Brittany prodded, emphasizing the first word as if this were an interrogation – which is what it felt like anyway, honestly. "'Fess up, Jeanette, that's not the sort of smile you wear when you make a friend... a 'just' friend, anyway."

What was Brittany getting at? What else could someone she just met be?

"What's his name, Jeanette?" Eleanor asked, eyes sparkling and ears leaning in.

Huh? How did she know it was a boy? Ugh, this whole conversation was so confusing! And she was supposed to be the smart one! Why did it seem like her sisters knew something she didn't? Suddenly feeling rather embarrassed, but having no idea as to why, she was only able to whisper his name.

"What was that?" Brittany teased, cupping a hand about her ear to indicate she hadn't heard her.

"H-he said it was S-Simon."

"I knew it! Jeanette's got a crush!" Brittany roared in triumph.

"What!? N-no! I – He's just a new friend I've made, I couldn't possibly... H-he wouldn't th-think of me th-that way either!" The ever-logical sister tried to reason, but it seemed her siblings weren't even listening to her.

"What's he like?" Eleanor asked.

"What does he do?" Brittany demanded.

"He seems rather kind... I – I mean, I've only just met him, I don't know much about h-him."

"What's he look like?" Brittany prompted.

Jeanette was having such a hard time keeping up with the questions, let alone trying to process all the thoughts running through her mind that had been triggered by thinking of Simon. Really, none of it made any sense... her heart started racing the moment she brought to mind the image of Simon, recalling every detail of his handsome face... Wait, she thought he was handsome!? "Er, well, h-he's rather tall, lean, brown hair... and he's got the d-deepest blue eyes I've ever s-seen..."

"Waaaahhh he sounds just like your type!" Brittany cooed. Type? What type? Jeanette couldn't think of any particular 'type' of friends she usually had... At least, not when it came to physical traits. She usually befriended classmates, so of course they had academics in common, but beyond that... She'd never befriended someone sooo... nice to look at... No, there had been no previous friends that looked like Simon did, so 'type' made no sense... Unique was more like it - unique, stunning, and perfect.

"Aw, leave her alone, she's blushing!" Eleanor cut in. Jeanette hadn't even realized she'd begun to blush. She was so confused... Everything had made sense this morning, but one encounter and suddenly she found her mind thinking such illogical thoughts, particularly when her sisters suggested such preposterous scenarios...

"Well if we don't ask her questions, how will we know if he's good enough for our Jeanette!?" Brittany protested, completely serious, by the look on her face. Brittany was rather... tough when it came to the subject of men... Any moment now, she'd launch into her mini-speech...

"You know, Jeanette, you don't need a guy to make you happy; we are all strong women who can think for ourselves and don't need a man to make us feel special. So this 'Simon' fellow better be one special man who knows how to treat a girl right and realizes what a wonderful woman you are."

It's a speech that Brittany often recited - to her sisters, to reporters, and to herself. It wasn't a bad speech; in fact, it was rather inspiring for any woman to hear. Jeanette just wondered if Brittany used it as a scapegoat to avoid getting into a relationship herself. "I know, Brittany. As I said before, there's n-nothing between us... I only j-just met him and just became f-friends."

Jeanette was spared from further embarrassment and explanation when the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Eleanor exclaimed as she jumped up and dashed to answer it. "Hello, Brittany Miller's phone!" She greeted cheerily. "Oh hi, mom!"

Jeanette's eyes snapped to see Brittany's reaction. Brittany was pretty good at concealing her emotions, but she had gone completely rigid, as Jeanette expected. The bespectacled sister bit her lip apprehensively, fearing an all-out shouting match as Eleanor delivered the phone to her crippled sibling.

Brittany took a deep breath before answering, and despite Jeanette trying to avoid eavesdropping, it was hard to ignore...

"Yes, mom, I'm fine... No, I won't be coming home... I'll figure something out... I told you... No, Mom, listen... Mom, you aren't... you aren't listening... I said, I'll find something else out. You won't need to do anything, just do your normal thing."

Brittany was obviously quite annoyed during the whole conversation, and Jeanette could guess it was about Brittany's sprained ankle. Mom was no doubt trying to help, and Brittany was being all self-sufficient again. Ever since about two years ago, Brittany had been pushing their mother away, and it pained Jeanette to see Brittany trying to handle everything on her own. Then again, at least she hadn't pushed her sisters away too. When Brittany finally hung up the phone, Eleanor immediately moved to smooth things over. "Brittany, mom's just worried - "

"There's nothing to worry about, I'm fine." Brittany huffed.

"You're in a wheelchair for the next several days!" Eleanor cried.

"And my schedule's been pushed back to accommodate that."

"What about things like getting in and out of bed, and showers? You also should get out a bit; you can't stay cooped up that whole time!"

"I could probably get Ian to send over a nurse - "

"You'd let someone you don't know live in your house for a few days!?"

"Well what do you suggest I do? I am NOT letting her stay here!"

"Y-you can't keep blaming her for what happened..." Jeanette spoke up, hoping to break up the argument between Eleanor and Brittany, and perhaps get to the root cause – Brittany's aversion to their mother. The glare Brittany gave her in response didn't seem to indicate that Jeanette's attempt had been successful.

Thankfully, Eleanor was just as ready as Jeanette to end this argument and offered, "Well, if not mom... how about me? School doesn't start for me until next week... I could move in and help you get around the house..."

"That would be perfect!" Brittany exclaimed, spirits noticeably rising.

"What about your job?" Jeanette asked, not happy to rain on their parade, but someone had to be the voice of reason.

"Well, that'll only be during the day. I can still help Brittany out at night and in the mornings, when she needs it most."

"Well, a-alright... But if you need help during the day, Brittany, you should really consider calling mom up... All she wants to do is help."

"She can't help!" Brittany snapped, anger suddenly returning full force. "Not after what she did!"

"Brittany..." Eleanor soothed, "You can't stay mad forever... And you can't keep blaming her for what happened. Sooner or later, you're going to have to let it go, for your own good."

"You know what!? I think it's time for bed." Brittany declared with finality, officially ending their activities for the night. Her tone of voice made it very clear that she didn't want to speak any further on the matter, so the younger girls silently went about preparing for bed, hoping and praying that Brittany would be more open to discussion in the morning.

A/N: Ooo, sorry to end on such a sour note! What happened two years ago that's got Brittany so uptight? Too bad their bed time stands in such a stark contrast to the boys' happy one... On a sidenote, I hope this chapter was readable... I found that writing in Jeanette's point of view was such a challenge! She's so soft-spoken, and so contemplative, that there was a lot less dialogue to write, and much more thought dialogue, which can be very easy to let it get too wordy, hard to read, and dull / boring. So I hope that didn't deter anyone... and I do hope to improve in writing for Jeanette, as sometimes having that pensive inner dialogue can really convey the deeper meaning in a story... it's just so very hard to write...

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! (At least, those of you who in the U.S. who celebrate it! I'm honored to find out that my story isn't just being read by Americans (Not that you American readers aren't equally awesome!), it's just the fact that there are actually more than a couple people reading it... people who live so far away from where I do... it just blows my mind. So here's my official shout out to all of you: you rock! Thanks for reading my story! I'm very thankful for each and every one of you, and to all who follow, favorite, and/or review this story!

References:
- "I thought love was only true in fairy tales...", "Meant for someone else, but not for me", "Then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer!", "Not a trace of doubt in my mind! I'm in love!": Snippets from "I'm a Believer", originally performed by The Monkees, but probably better known to most readers by the Smashmouth rendition, used in the Shrek movie. The version I used here (not that it matters, since the lyrics are the same), was The Monkees version, as there are more parts for harmonization, in the classic style of The Chipmunks music, especially because they're originally a 60's band, and the song is originally from the 60's. Why did I choose this song? To indicate that Alvin, Simon, and Theodore have subconsciously fallen in love at first sight of course! So even with all that's gone on during Alvin and Simon's first day at college, they're still pretty darn happy they got to meet a memorable pretty face that day.
- Theodore's Teddy Bear : an allusion to Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, and how the Teddy Bear first got its name. Why? Because they share the name "Theodore" and Theodore is just so cute, of course he'd have a teddy bear!
- Jenga: A game where a tower of wooden blocks is formed, and each player takes turns removing a wooden block from farther down the tower to the top of the tower while avoiding a collapse. A common game at sleepovers and game nights, at least, for us children of the 90's.
- Truth or Dare: A classic sleep-over / party game where players take turns selecting to either complete a dare, or divulge a truthful answer to a highly personal question. Such a great tool for fanfiction stories, 'cause how else could you back your characters into a corner so easily?

Story Artwork: digipukamon DOT deviantart DOT com SLASH gallery SLASH 52045446 SLASH AATC-Chapter-Art

Thanks for reading!

Tumblr
For updates on this and other stories, behind-the-scenes, Q&A, and general fangirling, check out my tumblr: zepuka DOT tumblr DOT com