Disclaimer: I do not own any of the chipmunk characters or songs featured in this story.

Author's Note: First of all, thanks to all of you for the kind comments on the latest "Dear Brittany" chapter. I was feeling upset about a lack of reviews, but you were all very nice and encouraging. So, thank you! Now about this story... this is the first time during this whole story that I can honestly say I really like this chapter. I'm usually never 100% pleased by the chapters in this story, but I'm really proud of this. I hope you all enjoy it, even if it is pretty long (you can always read some of it and come back to it later if it's too long for you to read in one sitting). But it's a pretty easy read so it shouldn't take too long. I had fun writing it, so enjoy! Please review, I'd like to hear you're opinions about this chapter (which is by far my favorite so far!).


Friday June 14

11:39 am

Eleanor stood in front of the full length mirror in the hotel room and sighed. She just couldn't get over the fact that people thought she was fat. She never used to think her weight was an issue; she knew she wasn't small, but she never considered herself to be fat.

Eleanor turned to the side and looked closely at her stomach. So maybe it did stick out a little. But she didn't think look it looked that bad. Eleanor sucked in her tummy and looked again. Actually, that made a nice difference; she didn't look so...

"What are you doing?"

Eleanor gasped, startled by the voice. She turned toward the door and saw Brittany holding some hangers with dresses on them.

"I didn't see you there," Eleanor said, slightly embarrassed that her sister had just caught her posing in front of a mirror.

Brittany walked in the room. "You've been spending a lot of time looking in the mirror lately. Have you turned into a female version of Alvin Seville or something?"

Eleanor smiled. "No, that title would belong to you."

Brittany rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin. She was in such a good mood that she didn't even care that she had just been compared to Alvin.

"I'm so excited for the party tonight." Brittany laid the dresses out on the bed. "I unpacked some of our nice dresses from the RV. I haven't decided if I'm going to wear the short pink one or the long silver one."

Eleanor sighed. She hadn't thought about what outfit she was going to wear.

"Oh!" Brittany squealed suddenly, making Eleanor jump. "I almost forgot! I talked Dave into letting us go to the salon later to get ready for the party! Won't that be fun?"

"I guess." Eleanor wasn't really into "girly" stuff like salons, but she didn't have the heart to tell Brittany that. She hadn't seen Brittany that happy in a long time, and she wasn't about to bring her excitement down by complaining.

Jeanette came into the room, carrying more dresses. She was trying very hard not to trip; if she fell, then she would get dirty. And if she got dirty, the dresses would get dirty. Falling down was clearly not an option.

"What dress are you going to wear, Jeanette?" Brittany asked.

Jeanette shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really given it much thought."

"Really?" Brittany picked up a dress and looked it over. "It's all I've thought about since Dave told us we were going to the party."

Jeanette and Eleanor exchanged glances. Brittany, who usually tried so hard to be sophisticated, was actually acting a little… well, hyper. It was as if she had just chugged five cups of coffee and eaten a bag of candy.

"What?" Brittany said, noting her siblings' amused expressions. "Can't a girl be excited?"

Eleanor giggled. "Of course you can, Britt. It's just, well, you seem really excited."

"That's because I am really excited!" Brittany held up the sequined-covered pink dress to her body and twirled in front of the mirror. "Guess who's going to be there."

Jeanette and Eleanor shrugged. "Who?"

"Justin!" Brittany said happily. "Plus there will be celebrities and dancing and music and delicious food and beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes and…"

Brittany was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Girls?" It was Dave. "Meet me in the lobby in about ten minutes. I'm sure you don't want to be late for your appointment at the salon."

"Okay, Dave!" the Chipettes answered in unison.

Brittany walked over to the bed and picked up a pretty mint green dress. "You should wear this Ellie," she suggested.

Eleanor looked at the dress skeptically. She had worn it to a school dance last fall; it was a lovely dress, but what if it was too tight? She had gained a little weight since then.

"Don't you think it'll be a little small?" Eleanor asked.

Brittany looked carefully at the dress. "No, it'll fit. You just wore it a few months ago." She shoved the dress into her sister's arms. "Try it on. Now for Jeanette…" Brittany studied her taller sister.

"I think I'm just going to wear my navy blue dress," Jeanette said.

Brittany made a face. "The one with the buttons? Jeanette, that makes you look like a secretary." Jeanette watched as her sister sort through the dresses on the bed. She pulled up a satin lavender dress. "What about this one?"

"I don't know," Jeanette said, adjusting her glasses. She didn't even remember buying that dress. "It's kind of short."

"So? You've got the legs to pull it off," Brittany insisted. She smiled slyly. "Besides, you want to look good for Simon, don't you?"

Jeanette's eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink. "W-what does Simon have to do with anything?"

"Oh please, Jeanette." Brittany rolled her eyes. "It's obvious that you like him."

Jeanette opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"It's not a big deal," Brittany said, rummaging through her jewelry box. "The only one who doesn't know is Simon. Oh, these earrings will go great with the dress!" Brittany held up some sparkly purple earrings to Jeanette.

"Everyone knows?" Jeanette groaned.

"Probably," Brittany said. "You always stare at him with a goofy look on your face."

Jeanette sighed. Okay, so maybe she sort of did like Simon. They had been spending a lot of time together lately; she had known Simon for years, yet they had never hung out as much as they had been that month. Jeanette liked being in Simon's company; they always had good conversation, and she could talk to him about things that would usually bore Brittany and Eleanor, like classic literature and famous scientists.

"I guess I do like him," Jeanette admitted. "A little," she quickly added.

"Do you think he likes you?" Eleanor asked.

"Oh, I don't think so," Jeanette said, even though she hadn't really thought of the possibility that Simon might like her back.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Brittany said. "You know how the Seville boys are. They don't know how to express their feelings when it comes to love."

"So does that mean you think that Alvin used to like you but couldn't admit it?" Eleanor couldn't help but ask.

"How should I know?" Brittany scoffed. "And could you guys please stop bringing up Alvin as a love interest? That was years ago." Brittany held up the earrings to Jeanette's ears. "Oh, Jeanette, you have to wear these with the dress!"

"Fine," Jeanette said. "I'll wear them."

Brittany kept digging through her box. "And now for you Ellie, I was thinking you'd like to stick to the classic pearl necklace and earrings."

"I always wear the pearls," Eleanor pointed out.

Brittany looked curiously at her sister. "I thought you liked pearls."

"I do," Eleanor said. "I just want to wear something a little flashier tonight."

"Flashier?" Brittany raised her perfectly shaped brows.

"Yeah," Eleanor said as she dug through the jewelry box and found emerald colored hoops. "What about these? These look fun."

Brittany shrugged. "I guess. But they don't really match your-"

"Pearls are boring," Eleanor interrupted. "I don't want to look boring tonight." Eleanor took the earrings and also pulled out a gold necklace with large, sparkly green jewel as the charm.

Brittany smiled, pleasantly surprised with her sister's boldness. "Whatever you say, Eleanor."

"We should probably meet Dave now," Jeanette suggested.

The girls gathered up their things and headed downstairs toward the lobby. A very excited, pink-clad Chipette proudly lead the way.

***

7:29 pm

"Where are they?" Alvin nervously paced around the hotel lobby. The party started at eight and the Chipmunks were still at the hotel waiting on Dave to pick up the girls from the salon.

Dave had left to get the girls nearly a half hour ago; the salon was only about five minutes away. All three Chipmunks were starting to get a little impatient, especially Alvin.

"I don't understand why it takes them seven hours to get ready for a party," Alvin said to his brothers. "It only took us, what, an hour maybe? And we look fine."

"Yeah," Theodore said. "But we don't have to put on make-up and do our hair and put on dresses and do our nails and…"

"Well that still shouldn't take seven hours!" Alvin spat.

Simon sighed. He wasn't really looking forward to the party. He didn't like dressing up in stiff suits and putting on hair gel. He felt uncomfortable being around large groups of people, especially people he didn't know. Simon probably would have politely declined the invitation if it weren't for the fact that it was a charity event.

The boys looked out the clear revolving doors and saw a white limousine pull up. It was a little dark outside, and the Chipmunks were surprised when they could make out the shadows of Dave and the Chipettes stepping out of the glamorous looking vehicle. The Chipettes walked in the lobby, and the Chipmunks were a little taken aback when they saw them.

All three girls looked absolutely beautiful.

Jeanette's shiny lavender dress looked a little out of character for her; it was a much skimpier style than Jeanette usually was associated with, yet it made her look lovely and really emphasized her long, slender legs. Her glossy dark hair was in a neatly styled up-do and her plum colored make-up was perfectly applied to her pretty face.

Eleanor's flaxen hair was in wild curls that tumbled down her back. Eleanor rarely wore her hair down, so the new hair-do (combined with her expertly made-up face) made her almost unrecognizable. Her pale green dress hugged her curves, making her look sultry, much different than the sporty, sweet Eleanor everyone was used to.

And of course there was Brittany, wearing mile-high heels and wearing diamond jewelry from head to toe. Her strapless light pink dress was covered in sequins, making it sparkle with every move she made. It wrapped her body perfectly, making her look like a model. Her brown hair was pin-straight and looked super sleek. Her unique rose colored make-up brought out the pretty pink tones in her complexion, making her look even more stunning.

Alvin knew that all three Chipettes looked great, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Brittany. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, something that had never happened before; she literally took his breath away. As hard as he tried to look away, he just couldn't stop staring. He loved how her dress fit her, he liked how her cool her hair looked, and he kept looking at her glossy pink lips. He had a sudden urge to kiss them.

Brittany didn't see Alvin staring at her (she was too busy twirling around, showing off for everyone in the lobby) but Simon took notice. He nudged his brother gently.

"Alvin," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Alvin muttered. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth hung open; it was as if he were in a trance.

Simon rolled his eyes. When no one was looking, he hit Alvin (not too hard though) in the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Alvin rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"You were beginning to drool," Simon answered.

Alvin frowned and wiped his chin, just to make sure Simon was only kidding.

"I feel a little sick," Alvin muttered quietly.

Simon chuckled. "You were overwhelmed by Brittany," he explained.

Alvin snapped out of his bizarre Brittany admiration. "What are you talking about? I was not! I was just… amazed that she didn't look better after seven hours of primping!"

"I think you were amazed that seven hours of primping paid off so nicely," Simon said.

Alvin rolled his eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Simon just shrugged and walked up to Jeanette.

"You look great, Jeanette," Simon said with a sincere smile. Jeanette's glamorous purple dress looked more like something Brittany would wear, but Simon thought it looked spectacular on Jeanette nevertheless.

"Thank you," Jeanette said. She had never spent so much time in a beauty parlor before; she spent much less time getting made up for concerts than some party. But Brittany insisted that the Chipettes had to look their best, and they needed everything about them to be perfect. "You and your brothers look very nice," Jeanette said. She meant it too; the Chipmunks looked quite handsome in their nice suits.

"Thanks," Simon said. "But I don't think we could look as nice as you and your sisters do. Not even if we spent seven hours getting ready too."

Jeanette laughed.

"Is that limo for us, Dave?" Theodore asked his father. He loved riding in limos.

"I realized that I had a little extra money from our concerts to spend, so I rented a limo for us to ride to the party," Dave said with a smile. "I figured you all deserved a real star treatment tonight."

A happy chorus of "thank yous" came from the Chipmunks and Chipettes.

"Well you kids deserve it," Dave said. "Now we should get going before we're late!"

Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor made their way out of the lobby and into the limo, each one having different feeling and expectations about the party ahead of them.

***

8:07 pm

Brittany excitedly glanced out the window as the long, sleek vehicle slowly made its way to the red carpet area.

For as long as she could remember, Brittany had dreamed about strolling down a red carpet; fans calling her name, begging for her autograph, the paparazzi snapping pictures of her, saying, "Love ya, Britt!" Brittany could hardly contain her excitement as the limo rolled to a stop.

Alvin was looking out the window too. "Where is everyone?" he asked. There were only about thirty people behind the velvet ropes, unlike the hundreds that were on TV. And there were only a few people with cameras there.

"It's not exactly an A-lister event," Dave admitted. "I mean, you may some people you recognize but don't expect someone like Will Smith to be there."

Alvin was a little disappointed, but Brittany felt relieved. Without huge stars there, she would stand out more.

As soon as the limo door opened, Alvin and Brittany both dove for the door, eager to be the first one out of the car. They got there at the same time, getting stuck in the doorway.

"Alvin!" Brittany hissed. "Let me go first!"

"No way!" Alvin retorted, trying to make his way through.

Dave, who had exited the limo from the other side, gave his son a stern look.

"Alvin," he said in a warning tone, "be polite and let Brittany out first."

Alvin frowned. He stopped pushing forward and let Brittany squeeze out of the car first.

With a confident smile and a flip of her shiny hair, Brittany strutted down the long red carpet. She heard clicks of cameras and found herself surrounded by bright white flashes.

"Brittany!" she heard a paparazzi member yell. "Over here!"

Brittany struck a pose with her hand on her hip and showed off one of her dazzling smiles.

The other five chipmunks stood by the limousine, which was pulling away.

"She certainly seems to be enjoying herself," Simon observed.

"Brittany has been practicing her red carpet walk ever since she was in diapers," Eleanor said. "This is a huge deal for her."

"Well it's a big deal for me too," Alvin said, even though he had walked down the scarlet carpet a few times in his career. "C'mon guys, it's our turn."

Alvin led the way, waving to the crowd.

Gradually the cameras stopped flashing at Brittany and began focusing on something behind her. Brittany turned to see her siblings and the Chipmunks strolling down the carpet. She had been so focused on the moment that she had forgotten they were even there.

Suddenly Brittany found herself face-to-face with a microphone.

"Hi Brittany," a good-looking man wearing a tux boomed. "Mind if we ask a few questions?"

"Not at all," Brittany said with a smile. A man holding a large video camera approached them. The interviewer looked at the camera until the cameraman said they were rolling.

"Hello everyone, I'm James Hartland and I'm here with Brittany Miller of the Chipettes," James said enthusiastically.

Brittany gave an elegant wave to the camera.

"Brittany," James said, "we understand that you've just kicked off a tour across America with the Chipmunks. How has that been going?"

"Wonderful!" Brittany said. "I'm having the best time."

James asked a few more questions, mostly about the tour.

"One last question, Brittany," James said with a smile. "A lot of fans suspect that you and Alvin Seville are in a romantic relationship. Can you confirm or deny it?"

Brittany held back an angry glare. Why did people always have to bring up Alvin when she was having fun? It was beyond irritating!

But Brittany smiled sweetly into the camera and said, "Alvin and I have a professional relationship. We've never dated and we never will."

"Thanks for your time Brittany," James said. "Have a great time inside!"

"Thank you," Brittany replied.

The camera stopped rolling and James shook Brittany's hand.

"Thanks for the interview," James said. "You were great. It'll be up on our website by tomorrow if you want to check it out."

James told Brittany the website name and went off to interview someone else.

She couldn't believe it; she had just been interviewed. And she did a good job!

Between all the picture taking and interviews, it took a while for the Chipmunks and Chipettes to make their way toward the end of the carpet. The red carpet led to a large, exquisite hotel ballroom where the party was. People in expensive-looking outfits clothing were dancing to the music and chatting.

Theodore spotted the huge buffet table right away. "Ellie, look!" he said, pointing the table out to his girlfriend. "I'll bet that food is delicious! These events always get the best chefs." Theodore hurried toward the gourmet food.

Eleanor reluctantly followed him. She was feeling hungry; the girls didn't get to eat lunch because they were at the beauty salon all afternoon. Maybe she could have a salad or something; she didn't want to feel bloated from eating too much. Her dress already felt pretty tight.

Brittany gasped as she spotted a raven-haired girl a few feet away from them wearing a glittery gold dress.

"Jeanette!" Brittany said, grabbing her sister. "Look who it is!"

"Huh?" Jeanette was confused. "Who?"

Brittany sighed impatiently. "The girl with the dark hair, the one in the gold dress, that's Destiny Walters from The Bay!"

"What's The Bay?" Simon asked.

"It's a reality show about a bunch of spoiled rich kids who live near some bay," Alvin explained in a bored tone.

"It happens to be one of my favorite shows," Brittany said, glaring at Alvin. "I'm going to go introduce myself."

Alvin's eyes widened. "But Destiny Walters is one of the meanest girls on the show."

"So?" Brittany shrugged and started walking over to Destiny. "She's on TV, so I want to meet her."

"This will go over well," Alvin said sarcastically to Simon and Jeanette.

Destiny was talking to some blond girl Brittany didn't recognize and was holding hands with a handsome guy. Brittany had seen the guy on The Bay a few times but couldn't remember his name.

"Hi," Brittany said. Destiny, the guy, and the blond girl stopped talking and looked at Brittany. "I'm Brittany Miller, from the Chipettes."

Destiny tilted her head to the side. "What are you?"

Brittany stood up a little straighter. "I'm a chipmunk. I love The Bay. I watch it all the time."

Destiny smirked. "Uh, thanks I guess."

There was an uncomfortable silence within the group. Brittany felt humiliated.

"Well," she said, "nice to meet you." Brittany hurried away as she heard Destiny and her friends laughing behind her. She stood next to Jeanette, Simon and Alvin.

Alvin, who had witness the whole thing, said in his cocky voice, "Rule number one of red carpet parties: Don't let people think you're some dorky fan. You're supposed to be a star, remember? If they think you're some no-name they'll walk all over you."

Brittany let out a huffy breath. She hated to admit it, but Alvin had a good point. She just wished he would have mentioned that before.

"Hey Brittany!"

Brittany turned around to see Justin, Milo, and Doug standing behind her. She immediately felt happier after seeing Justin. She gave him a huge hug and they complimented each other on how great they looked.

Alvin rolled his eyes and whispered to Simon, "Why don't they just go off and get married already?"

Simon couldn't help but notice the jealousy in his brother's voice.

Doug and Justin both wore nice suits and looked well-groomed. Milo looked the same as he usually did; long, oily hair under a dirty hat along with jeans and a t-shirt. He was however wearing a dark blue blazer over his shirt. It was the only thing about his attire that suggested that he actually cared about the event.

The band and the chipmunks made some small talk (except for Alvin, who excused himself from the group) for a few minutes until Milo and Doug left.

"He didn't make much of an effort to look presentable," Brittany scoffed, obviously referring to Milo.

Justin shrugged. "He isn't interesting in this party." Justin gestured toward the ballroom floor.

Brittany wasn't sure what Justin was talking about. "What do you mean this party? Is there another party or something?"

Justin laughed and said, "Let's just say for every G-rated party there's bound to be a rated-R party nearby."

Brittany still wasn't sure what he meant, but decided not to question it any further. She didn't really care what dirty old Milo did at the party; tonight was all about her.

"Let's dance," Brittany said, pulling Justin toward the dance floor.

Simon and Jeanette looked at each other and shrugged. It was just the two of them now.

"I don't suppose you want to meet some celebrities?" Simon said.

Jeanette gave Simon a little smile. "Not really."

Simon noticed on the other side of the room was a large glass door that led to the outdoors. "It's a warm night," he said. "Would you like to step outside with me? It's probably a lot less stuffy out there."

"I'd like that," Jeanette replied. She wasn't too much of a party person anyway. She'd much rather hang out with Simon.

The party carried along for quite some time. Brittany danced with Justin a lot and as the evening went on, she felt more comfortable mingling with people more famous than her. Dave was right; it was not A-list party. But she did see some people that she recognized, like the girls from that new show on MTV, a few sports stars, and the cute guy on a made-for-TV movie she had recently seen.

Theodore spent much of his time piling delicious foods on his plate at the buffet table. Eleanor ate some of the food (it was too good to pass up) but not quite as much as she would usually eat. Alvin danced with any girl who was content dancing with a Chipmunk (which turned out to be quite a few). Dave recognized a lot of people and spent most of his time talking to them. Simon and Jeanette sat on a large bench outside, not far from the open doors. It was quite private; not many people came outdoors, only to smoke a cigarette or talk on their cell phone. And the weather was perfect; not too hot, not too cold.

After Alvin finished dancing with a pretty brunette girl, he went to get something to drink from the refreshments table. Brittany was standing there, along with Justin and a few people Alvin had never seen before. He was behind Brittany, so she couldn't see him. As he got his drink, he listened in on what they were talking about.

"So there's a little bonus party in room 508," one of the guys said softly, obviously trying to keep his voice down.

"I've heard about it," another guy confirmed. "It sounds pretty wild."

"Bonus party?" Brittany wondered out loud.

Justin nodded. "Yeah. Most of the time during hotel parties there are real parties going on in other parts of the hotel."

"They come in handy when the main party starts to get boring," a thin girl with curly brown hair said. "There are too many adults here, so it's not like we can get away with doing anything fun."

Brittany nodded. So that's what Justin meant by a rated-R party.

The teen who had originally suggested the party looked at Justin and Brittany. "We're going to head up there right now. Are you guys coming?"

Brittany glanced at a large, diamond encrusted clock on the wall. It read 11:45. She knew Dave wouldn't want her going to this party, and she wasn't sure when they'd be leaving; it was almost midnight, so she'd figured they'd be going soon.

"I think we'll pass," Brittany said. "It's getting late and we have a show to do tomorrow."

"It's only a quarter till twelve, Britt," Justin said. "Maybe we could just check it out for a minute or two."

Brittany bit her bottom lip, which tasted her vanilla-strawberry flavored lip gloss. She knew everyone would think she was a loser if she didn't go to the party, and the last thing she wanted was for these cool people to think she was a boring, babyish girl who didn't like wild parties.

"What the hell?" Brittany said with a smile. "Let's go."

Brittany and the small crowd made their way out of the ballroom and into the long hallway.

Alvin's eyebrows raised in amusement. So Little Miss Perfect was going to a hotel room party. Alvin imagined the annoyed look on Brittany's face if Alvin was to show up at the party. Then he had a thought: Why not show up to the party? It might be interesting, with all the alcohol and drugs there (not that Alvin would partake in any of those activities… he was smarter than that). But part of him wanted to go so that he could keep an eye on Brittany. Alvin had been to wild parties before and he knew that plenty of things could go wrong.

As Alvin drank his lemonade (which tasted fantastic) he spotted Dave in deep conversation with some old guy with a thick beard. They were standing on the other side of the large room; a perfect time for Alvin to leave without Dave noticing.

The Chipmunk casually strolled out of the room after he had finished his beverage. After walking down a few hallways, he stepped into an elevator and was about to press the button that would take him to the fifth floor when he heard someone yell, "Wait!"

Alvin looked up and saw about half a dozen men holding large cameras and notepads hurried toward the elevator Alvin was in. "Hold the elevator!"

Paparazzi! Alvin thought. Maybe they'll interview me and I'll be in a magazine! Before the elevator doors shut, Alvin pushed them back open.

When the paparazzi saw Alvin was holding the door, they slowed down and walked toward him.

"Man, I can't wait to get some shots at this party," a large man said while adjusting the flash on his camera.

"Tell me about," another man agreed. "Rising stars at a party with booze and drugs… it's a gold mine."

The overweight guy laughed and said, "One shot of them could be worth a pretty penny. And that shot is totally mine."

"No way," a bald guy said. "I'll be the one getting all the good shots. I've got to finance my divorce!"

The other guys laughed at the joke (at least Alvin assumed it was a joke) as they approached the elevator. It occurred to Alvin that if one of these guys got a picture of Brittany at the party, it could appear in a tabloid and ruin her career, or at least get her into huge trouble with Dave and Miss Miller.

Alvin just couldn't let that happen. Maybe a few months ago he wouldn't have cared about Brittany getting in trouble, but for some reason he didn't want Brittany to get hurt. Plus she'd be kicked out of the show, and he'd be the only one stuck without a partner for some important musical routines.

Alvin had to think fast, something he wasn't very good at. He studied the buttons on the elevator wall. He quickly pressed every button he could so that the paparazzi would have to go through a lot of floors until they got to the fifth. Hopefully that would buy him some time; he had to get Brittany out of there before the cameramen found her.

The men piled into the elevator and Alvin squeezed his way out. "You guys go ahead and take this one," he said. "I forgot my phone."

Alvin watched the elevator doors slowly close. After the door was shut, Alvin ran over to the other elevator which had just opened. Thankfully there was no one in it. He quickly pressed the 5 button and the doors closed.

"Why am I doing this anyway?" Alvin asked himself in the quiet, compressed space. "Brittany treats me like crap. I shouldn't care if she gets caught. Serves her right. But… she has been working really hard on her new routines. And without her, the Chipettes will be nothing."

Meanwhile, as Alvin talked to himself in the elevator, Brittany, Justin, and a small crowd of people were gathered in the corner of the large, crowded hotel room. The room smelled like beer and sweat, and the music was blaring so loud from the huge speakers that it was impossible to speak to anyone without shouting, but Brittany was having a great time.

"You know," an attractive guy named Derek said to her, "you're pretty cute… for a chipmunk, I mean."

Brittany put her hand on her hip. "I'm pretty cute for anyone," she said with a sassy smile.

Derek and his friends laughed. "I can't deny that," he said.

"You're pretty cool, you know that?" a girl named Rachael said, even though Brittany couldn't hear her through the deafening 50 Cent song blaring from the huge speakers.

"What did you say?!" Brittany shouted.

"I said that you're cool!!!" Rachael yelled.

"Oh!" Brittany yelled back. "Thanks!"

Justin wrapped his arm around Brittany's waist and held her closer to him. She felt so happy when she was with Justin. She felt as if she could take on the world.

"I'm going to get us something to drink," Justin said in Brittany's ear. "I'll be right back."

Brittany was about to ask what he was getting them to drink, but Justin was gone before she could say anything. She figured it was something with alcohol in it, since that was the only beverage she had seen anyone drinking since she arrived. But she was totally okay with it, even though she hated beer. She figured it wouldn't hurt her to loosen up a bit more.

"Here Brittany," she heard Derek say. He handed her a joint!

Brittany wasn't sure what to do… drinking was one thing, but marijuana? She wasn't sure she could do this one.

"What's wrong?" a dark haired guy named Paul asked. "Haven't you tried one?"

"Of course," Brittany lied. "I just, uh, was a little surprised that's all."

"Well don't be," Rachael said. "Everyone smokes weed at these parties."

Brittany looked at the expectant faces around her. She'd look like an idiot if she didn't smoke it at least one time. She slowly lifted the joint to her lips but paused when she heard a voice yell, "Brittany! Wait!"

Brittany turned her head and saw a familiar chipmunk pushing his way through the crowd to reach her.

"Alvin?" What was he doing here?

When Alvin reached Brittany, he swatted the joint out of Brittany's hand and grabbed her hand.

"We've got to get out of here," Alvin explained, his eyes wide with worry. Brittany was a little surprised by his expression; she had rarely seen Alvin ever look worried.

"What are you talking about?" Brittany snapped. "I just got here!"

Alvin pulled Brittany toward the door. "No time to explain!" he yelled through the loud music.

"Let me go!" Brittany screamed. She tried to wriggle free of Alvin's grip, but he held on tight. "Alvin! Why are you doing this? LET ME GO!"

Alvin rolled his eyes and ignored her. He dragged her through the big crowd, going as fast as he could, despite the fact that Brittany was resisting.

They finally made it out the door and Alvin began to pull Brittany down the long hallway against her will. Suddenly they heard loud, aggressive footsteps behind them. They turned around and saw the paparazzi Alvin had seen earlier storming into room 508.

"Say cheese!" one of them yelled obnoxiously.

Brittany quickly realized what was happening. She quickly slipped off her pink high heels and began to run with Alvin instead of being pulled by him. They kept running until they got to the end of the hall where there was a little room where the vending machines and ice machines were located.

The two chipmunks panted for a few moments, trying to catch their breath.

"D-do you think they saw us?" Brittany asked, gasping for air.

Alvin shook his head. "I don't think so."

Brittany took a deep breath and eventually felt her heartbeat return to normal.

"So… how did you know that they were coming?" Brittany quietly asked.

Alvin leaned against the vending machine and said, "Yeah. When I was getting in the elevator I heard them talking about busting rising stars at the party. So I pushed a bunch of buttons so they'd take a while and I took the other elevator."

"How did you know I was there?" Brittany asked.

"What is this?" Alvin asked. "Twenty questions?" Brittany didn't say anything. She looked like she really wanted to know how Alvin knew. "I heard you talking by the drink table earlier," Alvin admitted.

Normally Brittany would have been angry about Alvin eavesdropping, but for once she was glad he did. "I guess I owe you a thank you," she said.

"Yeah," Alvin said with a smirk. "I guess you do."

Brittany chose to ignore his snarky reply. "If they got a picture of me and I wound up in a tabloid for being at that party, my career would have been totally ruined." She looked Alvin in the eyes. "Thank you." The thank you was sincere too. She was extremely thankful for Alvin at that moment. He saved her from a life-destroying event.

Alvin looked into Brittany's eyes back for a split second, but quickly turned away, feeling a little awkward. "You're welcome."

The two remained silent for a minute. The only sound in the brightly lit room was the gently hum of the machines.

A high pitched chime pierced the silence. Brittany unzipped her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She had a text from Justin: Where r u???

Alvin didn't bother asking who it was. He knew it was that airhead boy-toy of hers.

Brittany quickly texted back: Not feeling well had to leave. Sry. Call u 2morrow. XOXO.

"We should probably go back to the party downstairs," Brittany said.

"Right," Alvin said. "Dave would kill me if he knew I went to that stupid party, even if it was just to get you out of there."

The two walked into the nearby elevator in silence. But something was bothering Alvin.

"So Brittany," he said. "I'm curious… did you smoke that joint you were holding?"

Brittany considered lying and telling Alvin she did smoke it just to boast that she had done something that he hadn't. But she was so grateful toward him that she decided he deserved her honesty. "No. I just held it for a minute."

"Good," Alvin said. For some reason he would feel uncomfortable if he knew Brittany had smoked marijuana. Just the thought of someone he had known since they were a little kid trying weed bothered him.

As Alvin and Brittany made their way downstairs, the party was winding down. The crowd was thinning and hotel staff gradually started bringing in large trash bags, ready to clean up the ballroom.

Simon and Jeanette were sitting on a cool, marble bench outside by a large water fountain. They had been outdoors the whole evening, talking and joking. They weren't too far away from the doorway, so they could clearly hear the music playing from inside; whenever they heard a song they both recognized, they would sing together for fun. Usually Simon would feel foolish singing along to a song while he wasn't rehearsing or in a concert, but he felt comfortable goofing around with Jeanette.

Jeanette peeked in the room and noticed that there were only about fifty people still there. "The party must almost be over. There aren't that many people left."

Simon held his digital watch toward a lamp post. It was well past midnight and Simon knew that Dave would want them to get plenty of sleep for the show tomorrow.

"I guess we should be heading in," he said, feeling a wave of disappointment. He didn't want his wonderful time with Jeanette to end.

"I guess so," Jeanette agreed reluctantly. She looked down at her purple-painted toenails peeking through her open-toed wedges and sighed. She was having so much fun with Simon.

Even though they both agreed that they should leave, they didn't budge.

"You know," Simon said, "I didn't think I'd have as much fun at this party at I did."

Jeanette laughed and said, "Me too, even though we are being pretty anti-social sitting out here all night."

Simon shrugged. "I don't think anyone missed us," he said.

The pair was quiet for a moment, listening to an upbeat dance song come to a close. Then a new song started up. Jeanette recognized the soft music immediately.

"Oh!" she blurted. "I love this song!"

Simon listened carefully to the song, trying to figure out what it was. He realized it was I'll Be by Edwin McCain. He'd always thought the lyrics were a little cheesy, but he had to admit it was a gorgeous song.

"Would you like to dance?" Simon asked, surprising himself.

Jeanette looked at him and blinked rapidly, taken aback at what he had suggested.

"We can hear the music perfectly," Simon pointed out. "And we've been sitting all night. Maybe we should… get some exercise?" Simon knew he sounded ridiculous but he was nervous.

"Um, sure," Jeanette said, her heart pounding. "I'll dance with you."

They stood up and Jeanette awkwardly put her hands on Simon's shoulders as he held her waist.

At first it was obvious they were uncomfortable, but by the first chorus they relaxed. They gently swayed to the music, both smiling. Simon even dipped Jeanette down, making her giggle. She stepped on Simon's foot twice, but he just laughed about it and brushed it off, making her feel a lot less dorky about having two left feet.

"I'll be you're crying shoulder."

"I'll be love suicide."

"I'll be better when I'm older."

"I'll be the greatest fan of your life."

As the music slowed down, so did their dancing. Simon looked into Jeanette's teal colored eyes that he could clearly see even in the dim light. She looked stunning.

The music faded and the two slowly came to a stop. They still held on to one another, just looking into each other's eyes.

"I feel a little dizzy," Jeanette said in a quiet, raspy voice. "Maybe we should stop."

"We have stopped," Simon said, not taking his eyes off her.

"Oh."

Simon realized at that moment that Jeanette was no longer just his lab partner who he could make historical jokes with that no one else would understand. He realized she wasn't just the lanky, clumsy girl who lived in the house next door. She was much more than that.

He realized that he was falling for Jeanette Miller.

Simon wanted to kiss her. He knew it would be the perfect time. He gradually leaned forward but stopped. What if Jeanette didn't want to be kissed? What if she didn't feel the same way he felt about her? She would push him away and he would feel like a fool.

"We should go inside," Simon said softly. He gently backed away, breaking their hold.

Jeanette's heart was beating at an alarming rate and she felt light headed. For a moment, she thought for sure that Simon would kiss her. She would have let him; she wanted him to.

All Jeanette could do was nod at Simon's suggestion. She wasn't sure whether to feel joyful that she and Simon just danced to a beautiful romantic song or disappointed that it didn't go any further than dancing.

"There you two are!"

Simon and Jeanette turned to the opened doors. Dave was standing there.

"It's time to go kids," Dave said. He looked around the beautifully landscaped outdoors. "Were you two out here all night?"

"Yes," Simon said. "We had a good time."

Dave smiled. "Well I'm glad you had fun. Let's go get the others and head back to our hotel."

Simon and Jeanette followed Dave inside. They looked at each other at the same time and smiled shyly. They didn't know what to say to one another, but they both wondered the same thing: Does he/she like me back?

A/N: Yay, you made it through the whole thing! Told ya it was long! I just wanted to say that I didn't come up with the part when Alvin rescues Brittany on my own. There was a very similar plot about that on the TV show Make it or Break it (great show by the way, check it out on ABC family sometime!), so I borrowed it from that show. Everything else I thought up on my own. Anyway, I hope you all liked it!