Hey guys! It's been so long! Sorry about lack of updates, but things have been crazy lately. With this chapter, I didn't have much time to proof-read and to make it sound better, seeing as it's Christmas. And in my house, Christmas equals chaos. On another note, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Why so soon? Why did the world hate him so that it was already here? Why did it have to be Monday?! Monday, the day he's been dreading all weekend. The day he was convinced was going to cause certain death. He was so nervous about ditching, not that he hadn't before, but he knew he didn't need additional stress from Dave.
Everyone knew he hated Monday's, he always has, but instead of hating them because of the long, boring days, he hated them because of the torture they cause.
He wished he could just crawl under the covers and never move, but it was already too late for that. He was already sitting in his classroom, nervously twiddling his fingers in his lap. His eyes were glued to the door, occasionally scanning the rest of the room. He heard voices in the background slowly raising, but he didn't think anything of it. I mean, why would he, everyone was talking.
"Alvin!" He snapped his eyes to his blue-clad brother, who was staring back at him with an unreadable expression.
"What is it?" He snarled, not even noticing the rest of the conversation among all the chipmunks fall silent. The tardy bell blasted throughout the school, echoing in the halls as people's hands flew over their ears. He felt a wave of peace rush through him as he let out relieved sigh. A few people cast him a weird look, but he didn't care. Maybe Spike wasn't going to show up today.
"Okay class, today I will bore you with yet another history lesson." She stated in her usual monotone way. Everyone, excluding Simon and Jeanette, let out a groan. Miss Smith droned on, sending half of the class to sleep, which was nothing out of the usual. That's how things were, normal, until about halfway through class.
Someone pounded on the door as everyone's attention quickly turned to the door. The door flung open, revealing Spike, who was wearing a smirk on his face as he entered the classroom. Alvin's breath hitched as his peace quickly turned to chaos.
"Spike, what a surprise." Miss Smith said dully. Spike walked in and stalked his way to the back, shoving Alvin with his foot. Seeing as he was caught off-guard, Alvin toppled out of his seat. He felt his eyes sting in pain and embarrassment as he picked himself off the ground. He slid back into his seat and sighed, knowing he couldn't do a thing about Spike. He looked at both of his brothers, who were staring back at him. Yup, he couldn't do a thing.
"So, Spike, what took you so long?" Miss Smith asked him, already preparing herself to give up her afternoon.
"No reason. Just didn't feel like coming." He explained, plopping himself and his backpack in his seat.
"Well, detention." She told him, surprising no one. They already knew that was coming. As the class went on, Alvin's thoughts went haywire. His hands became clammy as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He felt like pulling his hair out, but you couldn't tell by looking at him. He appeared to be normal, calm even.
Everything about his predicament bothered him. How he was never safe, how his brothers were never truly safe, and, something that was really making him think, was how he just let this guy do this. Harass him, tear down his reputation and confidence, make him want to die every morning he wakes up in an aching pain.
"Don't fight back, you deserve this!"
"They don't care about you. They never did!"
"You think your worth something. That's so cute."
"Maybe I should just do everyone a favor and kill you, but where's the fun in that?"
"I'll kill you if you tell!"
"Tonight was a fraction of what I can do. If you tell anyone you'll find out everything I can do. And trust me, it isn't pretty."
Spike's voice rang in his head, constantly reminding him the last few days. The last few, agonizing days. He rest his elbows on the desk, clenching his fists and bringing his to the sides of his skull. With any hesitation, he starting desperately pounding his head, trying to get Spike's taunting voice out of his head. He tried a little harder, pounding the sides of his head harder, but found himself unsuccessful.
"Alvin!" He instantly stopped pounding his head and looking up, finding himself staring into the eyes of a very annoyed, but confused looking, Miss Smith.
"Yes, Miss Smith?" He addressed her, feeling his cheeks heat up as he noticed everyone's eyes were on him.
"What ended in 1986?" She questioned him, entirely aware of the fact he wasn't paying any attention. He wracked his brain for an answer before he smirked, knowing his answer.
"Easy," He started, receiving curious looks from everyone, "1985." A few snickers were heard from the back of the classroom. Alvin smirked to himself.
"Why do I even try with you?" She mumbled before turning back around. Alvin smirked once more, content with his answer. His phone buzzed in his pocket as he slowly reached for it, hoping Miss Smith hadn't heard it.
"Alvin! For the last time, no texting in the classroom!" Alvin flinched but pulled out his phone nonetheless. Expecting it to be a text from one of his friends, he didn't bother reading the contact.
'That answer was so stupid! Can you get any dumber?' His smirk dropped to the floor as he stared at the text for a few more seconds.
"I totally agree." He declared, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He smiled once more as he did so; he wasn't going let a single comment bother him.
The dismissal bell rang, allowing everyone to roam free for the next seven minutes. Alvin slowly packed his things, reluctantly making his way out of the classroom, not even noticing, or caring about, the worried looks he was getting from his friends and siblings.
When Alvin reached the hallway, he broke into a run as he raced to his locker. He flung open his locker and grabbed his things for his next two classes. He slammed his locker shut, attempting to get back to the classroom without any run-ins with anyone, but he quickly found himself being stopped by the one person he wanted to avoid. Spike.
He was expecting the usual pin-against-the-wall routine, but was surprised when he only got a piece of notebook paper shoved into his hand. He stared at the notebook paper in his hand, completing whether or not he should read it or not. He knew he should be uncrumpling the paper and reading its contents, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He stuffed it into his pocket, making a mental note to throw it away later.
He let out a small groan as he dragged himself back to the classroom. Lost in thoughts, he didn't realize he was heading straight towards someone. He didn't notice them until he rammed straight into them, falling backwards in the process. He attempted to ignore the pain that shot up his back and ran through the rest of his body, clenching his eyes and fists, but found himself letting out a small groan.
He opened his eyes to find his brothers peering over him, reaching down to help him up. He sat up and noticed that Jeanette and Eleanor were doing the same thing as his brothers, except with Brittany. Brittany! He quickly hopped up, his vision slightly blurred as he stumbled a bit, and took a step back.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, attempting to clear his vision. It worked as he opened his eyes, his vision crystal clear once more. He reverted his eyes back to his brothers, meeting the mixed emotions of everyone in his group.
He noticed Brittany take a few steps towards him, her nostrils flared, as he prepared himself for the rant that was sure to come over 'wrinkling her skirt.' Despite the fact not much was going to happen, his mind went into panic mode as his hands flew in front of him for defense. Everyone, including Brittany, paused, confused about his reaction.
"Are you guys okay?" Jeanette asked them, eyeing Alvin closely.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Brittany answered, reaching to grab her stuff off the floor. Alvin didn't say anything, but he mimicked her action as he started picking his stuff off the floor.
"Alvin?"
"Fine." He answered, picking his last book off of the floor. He was feeling quite vulnerable, just hanging around in the open, so he pushed past them.
"Alvin, where are you going?" Simon asked him, his sapphire-blue eyes that matched Alvin's filled with concern.
"The classroom. Where else?" He questioned, still walking towards the classroom.
"Alvin, wait!" He heard someone call. He ignored them and continued walked, hastily opening the door and entering the room once more. A wave of relief washed over him as his untensed his muscles. He strode over to his desk as sat down, feeling something in his pocket. His eyebrows pulled together as he pulled the ball of paper out of his pocket. He stared at the paper for a few seconds before his eyes shot up and towards the trashcan. He aimed the ball of paper, careful to get the perfect angle. He threw it, pumping his fist in the air when it went it. Perfect shot.
His gang entered the classroom, the bell ringing as soon as he sat down. Alvin, suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen Spike come through the door, scanned the area for his attacker. Realizing Spike was late, he smiled to himself. At least he gets a small break.
"Okay class, pull out your homework from Friday." Everyone did so, including Alvin. Turns out homework makes an excellent distraction.
"You actually did your homework?" Miss Smith asked him skeptically. Everyone's eyes fell on him. His eyes widened at the newfound attention as his face became a light pink color. He wasn't even sure why he hated the attention so much, but he did. He always felt like they were staring him down, looking straight past his façade.
"Um…yeah." He stammered, slightly nervous. His just wished people would avert their eyes to something else, anything else.
"Well then, how about you do problem one on the board." She demanded. He would've retaliated, and he really did want to, but he knew that would draw in even more attention. He let out a groan as he grabbed his paper and started heading up to the board, ignoring the look everyone was sending him. He walked up to the board, his arm shaking slightly with nerves as he reached for the chalky writing tool.
"That answer was so stupid! Can you get any dumber?"
Spike's voice rang in his head as he lowered the chalk slightly. It wasn't that he was offended, he just feared the comments he'd get if he got this wrong. He couldn't get this wrong. Despite the fact Spike still hadn't shown up, he had a gut feeling that Spike would find out either way.
He brought the chalk to the board, feeling everyone's eyes burning holes into the back of his head. He slowly started transmitting the information from his paper to the board, praying as he did so.
He wrote his final answer on the board and circled it after a quick check. He basically threw the chalk back into the tray as he hurried back to his seat. He stared at his desk, wishing that people would just stop staring at him.
He hoped it was the right answer, but there was a little tug in the back of his mind saying otherwise, saying that he flunked it. As Miss Smith examined his answer and opened her mouth to speak, he mentally prepared himself for the letdown. And the comments.
"Good job, Alvin." Miss Smith told him, nodding her head at him in approval. She started continuing the lesson, which quickly got everyone's attention away from him. He put his arms on the desk and rested his head in them, but could still feel someone's eyes on him. He looked towards his brothers, who were still doing their work, then to the girls. Jeanette and Eleanor were paying attention, occasionally casting a glance his way, but Brittany's eyes were glued to him as she examined him.
His shifted, slightly uncomfortable. She took notice, but didn't say anything as she turned her attention towards Miss Smith, a look of confusion and bewilderment on her face. He finally allowed his mind to wander, seeing as he didn't care about anything being taught. After a few minutes, his thoughts starting going to where Spike might be. He let out a groan as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. He slowly sat up as his thoughts started surrounding the one thought.
Why did he let this kid have so much power over him? Why couldn't he just march into that principal's office and report it?
He lowered his head once more as he came up with his answer. He didn't want to die. He didn't want his brothers to get hurt.
Twenty more minutes had past and class was going by like normal, half the class snoozing, the other half hastily taking notes. Yup, everything was normal.
"Can anyone tell me- "Miss Smith was caught off by the door flinging opened and smacking into the wall, putting a small dent in it. Spike entered the room, fuming, with…...a smirk? He glared at Alvin, fire in his eyes. Alvin resisted the urged to cringe under the murderous glare. He couldn't do that in front of everyone. No, that would give him away. So he took it, even glaring right back, knowing he was now deep in the doghouse.
Since he already had detention, Miss Smith didn't bother with him and let out a sigh. Spike made his way to the back, ignoring Alvin on his way, which Alvin was both thankful for and anxious about.
Alvin was exhausted from the night before, and it was definitely showing. He had tossed and turned throughout the entire night, waking up more tired than when he went to rest. His eyes slowly started to shut, so he rests his in on his arms and let them. Finally pushing his worries to the back of his mind, he allowed himself to sleep.
He jolted away and shot up in his seat. He looked around, noticing everyone piling out of the classroom. He didn't move, seeing as he already grabbed his things in advance. Feeling fatigued and lethargic, he looked towards the clock, deciding to see how long he was asleep for. It was only second period?!
He rested his arms in a crisscross pattern on his desk and rested his head in them. He found himself staring towards the hallway, which, quite frankly, seemed like a death wish now. He wished he never had to leave the security of the classroom. The only place he isn't hunted.
Alvin cringed, thinking back to how Spike looked at him when he returned to the classroom. The cold, menacing look that could pierce your soul. He wanted to find a way to stop this, but even attempting would surely end in death. A slow, painful death.
He ignored everything around him as a peaceful bliss came over him. His eyelids felt like weights as they closed once more. His worries started to fade, along with his consciousness. He had almost engulfed himself in the land of the dark when the bell boomed throughout the school, startling him as he shot up once more.
He looked around, noticing everyone was in the room this time, including Spike.
Not interesting happened that class period. Everything and everyone was normal, including Alvin. The Alvin that annoyed Miss Smith to the brink of her sanity daily was back, which gave everyone very mixed emotions. His phone was vibrating the entire time, but he didn't pay any attention to it, knowing it would bring his good mood down once more.
When the bell finally rang, everyone piled out of the classroom and swarmed the halls, all heading to different places. Chatter could be heard throughout the halls; gossip, school, hobbies, you name it. Alvin rushed to his locker, quickly pouring his supplies in his locker, which resulted in a sloppy jumble of things in his locker. He slammed his locker door shut, producing an echo throughout the halls. His stomach growled, reminding him that he had skipped breakfast.
He tried to wait for his brothers patiently, but that was quickly thrown out the door as an annoyed groan escaped his lips.
"Can you guys move a little quicker?! I'm getting hungry!" He exclaimed, his stomach growling once more, emphasizing his point.
"Well maybe if you hadn't slept in so late you would've had time to eat breakfast," Simon sassed, an agitated tone in his voice. Despite his irritation, it was nice to see his brother acting normal again. Well, as normal as Alvin gets.
Alvin's eyes darkened a shade, a scowl now on his lips. It only lasted a second before it disappeared like it never happened. They didn't know, he couldn't be angry. Simon was oblivious to his brief moment of anger, but Theodore wasn't as he tugged on Simon's shirt.
"What is it, Theodore?"
"Something happened to Alvin's eyes. They looked like they darkened a little…" Theodore trailed off, not quite sure how to react. Simon rolled his eyes and slammed his locker, opening his mouth to respond to his little brother.
Instead of a response, a small squeal came from Simon as Alvin continued to drag them down the hallway, completely abandoning the girls. He continued down the corridor, not even caring that Theodore was tripping over his own feet in a battle to stay caught up. His stomach was screaming, and he was finally going to shut it up.
He plopped down on the bench, Simon on his right, Theodore on his left. He flung his lunchbox open, hastily grabbing the first thing he saw. He brought the pear up to his lips, preparing himself to take a bite and fill the massive void in his stomach.
He heard people shuffling across him, but he paid no attention. He was about to take a bite when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He let out a sigh and put the juicy green fruit back in his lunchbox. He slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, his uneasiness on his face.
'Meet me in the front of the school.'
He frowned and gulped, looking as the curious and disappointed eyes of his friends. Disappointed?
He slammed his lunchbox shut, his stomach telling him to do otherwise.
"I gotta go!" He yelled as he hopped down from the table. His stomach yearned for him to go back, but he ignored it as he continued to run towards the front of the school.
"What's wrong with him?" Brittany asked, watching him pass the tree in the middle of the lunchroom. They were eating outside today due to the wonderful weather.
"We don't know," Simon answered, turning his attention away from his brother, who was now turning a corner and disappearing from their sight.
"I don't get it. He's been acting weird since Friday. I'm not sure what could cause him to act so strange. I mean, first, he goes super quiet, then he skips lunch, then comes late to class." Simon voiced, bewildered. Everyone turned towards him in confusion.
With Alvin, he stated everything that could possibly be going on with him. Everything. There have been times everyone has wished he would just keep his problems to himself, but everyone knew it was just who he was. But now, he's not saying anything, and it's really bothering them. Especially something that would cause him to act so weird. Something that seemed so major.
When he started acting normal again earlier, everyone was relieved. But when he received that text at lunch and he started acting jittery again, they all became anxious once more.
"He's also been coming home late every night since," Theodore added.
"Hey, did you guys ever figure out what the note was about?" Brittany asked, deep in thought.
"No, he refuses to say anything."
"Yeah, whenever we asked he turns around and walks away," Theodore stated, adding to what Simon said.
"Anything else we need to know?" Jeanette asked, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"He came home really angry on Friday. It was kinda scary," Theodore stated, shuddering as he imagined the murderous look in Alvin's eye once more. The girls tilted their heads in confusion. Alvin got detention often, but didn't usually come home angry. That was, unless Derek came along.
They discussed the topic a bit more, everyone pitching in everything they knew.
"Maybe it's just another one of his schemes. He sure loves those." Brittany stated, crossing her arms. Everyone was about to answer when the bell chimed, interrupting their conversation.
"Maybe he'll be in the classroom," Eleanor stated, a small questioning tone in her voice.
They all shrugged and made their way out of the classroom.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" He screamed back, feeling his anxiety skyrocket. He felt something make impact with his cheek, causing him to take a step back. Tears pricked his eyes as he scanned the area, making sure no one was around.
"How did you not know?" Spike asked him, his tone threatening.
"You didn't tell me!"
"I sent a note. And a text. Did you even read them?" Spike asked as Alvin winced. He was so busted.
"No. I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" He felt pain shoot through his nose as a crimson liquid came gushing out.
"You better not! If you do it again, I'll make sure you don't live to do so!" Alvin backed away, just to have Spike advance towards him. His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to breathe. Spike quickly grabbing him, his hands constricting Alvin's arms. Alvin shut his eyes and prepared himself for what was sure to follow. Only a couple seconds now.
Slam.
There it is. Usually he was fighting back or scream at his attacker, but this time he didn't. One, he couldn't draw attention to them or someone would find out. Two, he knew he was powerless here. So he just let it happen.
He felt himself drop as he hit the ground, landing awkwardly on his kneecap. He ignored the pain that seared up his leg and just sat there. He knew he couldn't run, seeing as that didn't go so well last time. He let out a defeated sigh as he felt pain shoot up his side, then his stomach, then his shin. He really wished Spike would just get bored already, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
Spike continued for a few more minutes, determined to get something out of Alvin. Something more than a sigh. Eventually he gave up, knowing that lunch was almost over.
Next time, go harder on Alvin. He mentally noted as he stared his victim down like a vulture on a dead carcass.
"Don't tell anyone, twerp." Spike command before walking away, presumably to wash the blood off his hands. Alvin sat there for a few more minutes, staring into space as he brought his knees to his chest and buried his head in them. He heard the bell ring, but it was distant as he continued to revel in his thoughts.
He was humiliated. Something he never thought he could be. He was always confident, not bother to be embarrassed or upset about how something went down, so this was new to him. He almost wished he could just run back home and refuse to come out until he could go off to college.
Pushing the idea out of his head, he stood up, quickly retracting his left leg. He leaned against the wall, his face slightly pale, his usually lively eyes bloodshot. He lowered his leg once more, flinching slightly but quickly putting it back down. Pain shot through his leg with every step he took, but he ignored it as he continued walking into the tall, dreaded building.
Realizing how late he was, he attempted to run to the classroom. About halfway through he had to stop, his leg about to give out under pressure. So he slowed to a speed walk, praying that the teacher didn't ask where he was. He arrived at the classroom door and reached to turn the knob when he noticed something in the glass of the door.
He still had blood coating his face.
He quickly turned around and darted away, this time ignoring his knee. He ran to the bathroom, using all his willpower to get through the increasing pain spreading throughout his body. When he entered the bathroom, he slammed the door shut behind him, hoping that no one else was in the bathroom. After a few seconds, he collapsed against the wall in exhaustion and agony.
He sat there for a few minutes, panting for longer than he usually would. His head pounded as a few tears squeezed past his defenses.
Why am I so weak, he thought, anyone else could take this and be fine, but me? No. Here I am, sitting in a corner of a bathroom and being a huge baby.
He dragged himself back up, using the wall for support. He stayed there for a few seconds, taking in the stale, but peaceful, air of the restrooms. He made his way to the sinks, turning on the cold water. He cupped his hands and placed them in the water, watching the refreshing liquid fill up in his hands.
He splashed his face, the cooling sensation calming his senses. He scrubbed his face, trying to get the dry blood from under his nose. It took a couple minutes of hard scrubbing, but he eventually did it. He grabbed a couple paper towels, seeing as one was never enough, and started patting at his face.
He threw the towels away, his face still damp. He turned to leave, but caught a glance of himself in the mirror. He had a bruise forming around his nose, but that could be easily passed off as running into something. His face was pale and his eyes were still bloodshot and puffy, making Alvin frown. His face wore a scowl and his eyes were missing their mischievous glint.
He let out a sigh and hopped down, letting out a yelp of pain when he hit the ground. He clutched his knee in agony before putting it back down. He let out another sigh before groaning and opening the door to the bathroom. He quickly transitioned to a sprint, not wanting to be any later than he was.
He quickly arrived at the door to the classroom. He hesitantly reached for the doorknob before he paused. He quickly reached for his hat and tilted it down, covering his face. He opened the door to the classroom and quickly looked down, closing the door behind him with his foot.
He dashed to his seat, feeling everyone's eyes on him. Especially Spike's.
"Alvin, what a surprise." Miss Smith stated in a dull tone, just as she did with Spike earlier in the day. Alvin didn't bother to say anything, but tried to come up with an excuse. No matter how hard he tried to find an excuse, he couldn't focus enough to do so.
"So, Alvin, where were you?" She asked, knowing she was about to give out another detention.
No response.
"Alvin, where were you?" She repeated in a more impatient tone.
"Nowhere. I was nowhere." He responded, resting his head on his arms.
"Well, detention." She told him. No surprise to anyone. Alvin groaned, but didn't say anything. Suddenly, his breath hitched as he remembered something. Something rather important.
Spike got detention too.
So, how'd I do. I think I did okay. It was a little rushed, but I was trying to make sure I didn't spend 2,000 words per class period because, quite frankly, that'd be really boring. Ignoring my poor chapter, I hope you enjoyed and are having a very merry christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Peace Out.