*A/N: Aww thank you to all those supportive people who left me such nice reviews in the last chapter. You're all amazing and reading your thoughts on my writing always makes me happy, no matter how short or long they may be. :3*
*And I know in the description it says 'ch 6 coming next month', so treat this as an early Christmas present!*
*I also want give a shoutout to all the members of the lovely AATC forum! If you love AATC and have some free time, go check it out, alvinnn net (insert a dot in between) where you'll meet lots of great people who love the chipmunks just as much as you do.*
"Alvin, I'm really sorry about the bear." Jeanette gave him a sorrowful look. "Please don't stay mad at me for it."
Alvin simply took a bite off of his hotdog, dismissing her completely. The two of them were sitting opposite to each other at a table just outside the arcade, eating snacks. Yes, he was still grumpy over her giving the teddy bear away, but that wasn't the main reason he was still bummed out.
"Look behind you, Jeanette." Alvin mindlessly pointed his finger at the karaoke section. A huge swarm of people have just gathered to watch the spectacle. "Whoever's singing there right now is getting some attention."
Jeanette sighed. "And I'm guessing you're jealous?"
Alvin gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes afar. He was going to do something about it, and there was nothing Jeanette could say to change his mind.
"Don't even think about it, Alvin."
"I can't just sit here and watch him steal my fans!" He banged furiously on the table, before standing up and stomping towards the crowd.
Jeanette rolled her eyes and took one last sip of her iced tea. There was no stopping Alvin now, and there was no choice left for her but to follow suit. She stood up from her spot and quickly caught up to him at the back of the crowd.
Being chipmunks, they easily pushed their way to the front, only to spot a handsome young man waving to his adoring crowd. He caught sight of Jeanette and gave her a flirtatious wink, much to the disgust of Alvin who instantly became jealous. The red-capped chipmunk shot the guy a dirty look and hopped onto the slightly leveled karaoke platform to confront him.
"You call that singing?" Alvin huffed. "I'll show you singing!"
"Oh, please." The guy simply rolled his eyes and scoffed at him. "Your squeaky little chipmunk voice will make these poor people's ears bleed!"
Alvin grinded his teeth and clenched his fists on his side. He bent his knees, preparing to attack, but instead he was left frozen by Jeanette, who blocked him and stood in between them.
"Excuse me?" Jeanette said in a low voice as she took a small step towards the guy. "My friend here wanted to know if he could have a turn after you."
"But of course," He bowed down gracefully, one hand on his chest. He tilted his head upwards and flashed his teeth confidently at her. "Anything for you, mademoiselle."
"Thank you." She gave him a coy smile before turning to frown at Alvin. "Do you always have to start a fight?"
Alvin folded his arms and turned slightly away from her as he watched the guy walk away and lean his back against a wall. His hands were in his pocket and his face was covered with an arrogant smile, eagerly waiting for Alvin to make a fool of himself.
"Anything for you mademoiselle." Alvin mocked under his breath in a high-pitched tone. He faced the karaoke monitor and tapped a few keys on the keyboard before picking up two microphones and handing one over to Jeanette. "Here, take this."
Jeanette blinked twice, wildly staring at the microphone. "What?"
"I said, take this." He reiterated, causually nudging the microphone into her hands. The music started blasting, and the crowd cheered excitedly, with their gaze firmly fixed on the two chipmunks on stage. Jeanette's legs felt wobbly all of a sudden, like a house of cards about to collapse. Her lips were trembling, her head felt light as a feather, and her sweaty palms could barely keep the microphone from sliding onto the floor.
She wasn't Brittany or Eleanor—performing on stage without decent practice had always been one of her worst nightmares.
Except this wasn't a nightmare—it was one hundred percent real.
Alvin took notice of her expression so he stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He gave her a light yet reassuring squeeze. "You're a good singer, Jeanette. Don't sweat it." He cupped his other hand on her chin and softly tilted her head upwards.
Their eyes meet, and he noticed her purple eyes were twinkling with hope despite her fears. "Besides, I think you'll like this song."
"What song is it?"
"Oh, you'll see." He gave her a cheeky grin before letting go of her and turning his body towards the chanting crowd. "Are y'all ready?" He yelled.
Jeanette pursed her lips, but reluctantly agreed to sing anyway. If she was going to learn to be more confident, there was no better lesson than to sing in front of an apprehensive crowd.
"This goes out to everyone, worldwide!" Alvin shouted through his microphone, his voice echoing all the way to the deepest ends of the arcade.
Jeanette's eyes widened as recognition dawned on her face. She knew exactly what the song was, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that Alvin had chosen this particular one for them to sing.
"Come on!" Alvin had already taken a few steps away from her, high-fiving the audience.
That was her cue—it was now or never. She held the mic close to her mouth, and took a deep breath.
*A/N: Here's the lyrics to Say Hey if you wanted to sing along or simply get a quick idea of who sings what, but otherwise just keep scrolling down because they're gonna be singing them anyway.*
Say Hey
(Alvin, Jeanette)
This goes out to everyone, worldwide. Come on!
I say hey, I'll be gone today (Baby I'll be gone)
But I'll be back all around the way (Around the way)
It seems like everywhere I go (Everywhere I go)
The more I see, the less I know
But I know one thing
That I love you (Baby yes I do)
I love you (I love you)
I love you (I love you)
I love you (I love you)
I've been a lot of places all around the way
I've seen a lot of joy and I've seen a lot of pain
But I don't want to write a love song for the world
No I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl
Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
Dancing in the night in the middle of June
My momma told me don't lose you oh
I say hey, I'll be gone today (I'll be gone today)
But I'll be back all around the way (But I'll be back around the way)
It seems like everywhere I go (Oh everywhere I go)
The more I see, the less I know
But I know (But I know)
One thing (Oh one thing)
That I love you (Yes I love you, I love you, I love you)
I love you (I love you)
I love you (I love you)
I love you (I love you)
"I say hey, I'll be gone today." Jeanette and Alvin sang in unison despite being on the opposite ends of the platform. Jeanette's mellow voice complemented Alvin's sharper tone.
"Baby I'll be gone." Alvin smiled at Jeanette who seemed to have calmed down a bit.
"But I'll be back all around the way." Jeanette sang solo, her gaze aimlessly wandering about.
"Around the way." Alvin held the last note, harmonising with Jeanette while she sang the remainder of the chorus by herself.
"It seems like everywhere I go." Jeanette's voice suddenly peaked.
"Everywhere I go-oh." Alvin sung.
"The more I see," Jeanette glanced at Alvin who was slowly approaching her. "The less I know." They sang together, but Alvin sang the word 'know' just a little bit higher and held it for longer, leaving Jeanette to sing the next part solo again.
"But I know, one thing, that I love you." Jeanette found herself heading for the centre where Alvin stood as well, proudly grinning at her. "Baby yes I do-o-o."
"I love you." Jeanette sang as she planted herself by Alvin's side.
"I love you!" Alvin sang after her, sharply turning his body towards her.
"I love you." Jeanette felt her body stiffen when Alvin put a hand on her waist.
"I love you!" He pulled her body closer, but their faces were still far apart. He softened his grip on her and gave her a big smile, trying to calm her down.
"I love you." Jeanette smiled back and felt her shoulders loosen a bit. She let out a small sigh of relief knowing her singing part was over, and that her vocals were flawless—all thanks to Alvin's encouragement.
"I love you." Alvin continued.
In the short pause they had between the chorus and the verse, they turned their backs away from each other and headed in opposite directions. Alvin went to woo the girls in the front row, while Jeanette watched him from a distance with a hand on her hip and a lopsided grin on her face.
"I've been a lot of places all around the way." He sang, causing the girls to squeal at the top of their lungs.
"I've seen a lot of joy and I've seen a lot of pain but I don't want to write a love song for the world."
"No I just want a write a song about a boy and a girl." He looked back at Jeanette and winked at her. They both approached each other and locked arms before Alvin started singing the next part.
"Rocking in the dance hall moving with you." They gazed at each other as they marched forwards, arms still interlocked.
"Dancing in the night in the middle of June." They leaped away from each other, arms fully extended. Their firm grip of each other's hand was the only thing that kept them linked.
Jeanette twirled closer to him, embracing herself in his arm until she eventually fell into his clasp. They stole quick glances at each other before Alvin helped her up. He pulled her close to him, gently clutching her waist.
"My momma told me don't lose you, oh." Jeanette's cheeks were flushed pink.
Alvin didn't sing the last line in the verse. Instead, he stared directly into Jeanette's eyes and whispered, "Better than Simon?" He plastered a sly grin on his face while Jeanette let out a small giggle.
They both stand side by side again, facing and waving at the crowd, preparing to sing the chorus.
Neither of them noticed that their hands had woven together.
"I say hey," Alvin kept singing 'hey' until Jeanette had finished the rest of the line. "I'll be gone today."
"But I'll be back all around the way." Jeanette sang as Alvin twirled her around, their fingertips barely touching above them. Alvin then continued, "But I'll be back around the way."
"It seems like everywhere I go." Jeanette laid a hand on Alvin's shoulder while he placed his hand on her hip. They danced around in a circle a few times before stretching their arms away from each other again.
"Oh everywhere I go." Alvin sung.
"The more I see, the less I know." Jeanette leaped into Alvin who threw his microphone to the ground. He lifted her up high in the air and spun around several times before cautiously setting her down. Jeanette handed Alvin her micrphone and bent backwards. As his arm cradled her back, further assisting her balance, she subtly picked up the one he threw earlier.
"But I know," They held hands as they stood side by side to face the audience, who were cheering much more uncontrollably than they had been before. "But I know!"
"One thing," Jeanette sang while Alvin stuck his tongue out in the direction of the guy who had sang before them. The guy rolled his eyes and angrily marched away in defeat. "One thing!"
"That I love you." Jeanette looked at Alvin out of the corner of her eye and gave him a smile.
"Yes I love you, I love you, I love you." Alvin teasingly circled around her, holding their hands up to her face for her to clearly see. Jeanette gasped, only realising now that they had been holding hands the entire time. She blushed as her eyes nervously traced Alvin's footsteps.
"I love you." Jeanette sang.
"I love you!" Alvin dropped his microphone and sang into Jeanette's. He stood centimetres in front her, wrapping both his arms on her waist.
"I love you." Jeanette lifted an eyebrow, unsure of how to respond. They were so close to each other that her hands were squeezed between her and Alvin. The only thing separating them was the microphone that she held.
"I love you-ou-ou-ou!" Alvin carolled, leaning in even closer.
"I love you." Jeanette suddenly felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She didn't understand why she felt this way, but she smiled at him anyway.
The microphone fell from her grasp and crashed to the floor.
"I love you." Alvin could only manage a whisper, trying to catch his breath after holding the note for so long.
As the song came to an end, there was not an inch of space between them anymore—their foreheads rested gently on the other's, and Jeanette had unknowingly enclosed Alvin's neck with her arms.
Alvin felt a strong urge to kiss her right then. He closed his eyes, and just as he was about to lean in, he thought better of it and swiftly looked away.
He let out a small cough, released her from his grip, and slowly pulled away. They stood in silence beside each other, and wandered their eyes into the crowd. The audience was cheering and chanting vigorously, some even asking for autographs!
Alvin slid an arm around Jeanette's waist and gave it a small shake, much to Jeanette's surprise who squealed and leaped on the spot.
"Relax, Jen." He whispered, neither of them facing the other. Their eyes were fixed on their adoring audience. "You did great."
"Thanks," Jeanette couldn't help but smile and heave a sigh of relief. "You did too."
Alvin bowed down and Jeanette did a little curtsy for the roaring crowd. The people clapped non-stop, some chanted their names while some whistled, satisfying Alvin's desire for attention.
"Thank you, thank you!" Alvin waved his other hand up in the air. "You're all too kind! By the way, I'll be signing autographs for 5 dollars each over at that table over there. Don't snooze or you lose!"
*A/N: Nope, this is not a filler chapter whatsoever. Yes it was cute and all, but this is actually pretty important in the progression of conflict in the story, which won't happen til chapter 8 ahahah. Anyone wanna guess what's gonna happen next? Leave it in the review section, and maybe hit that favourite and follow button too. Good night! I'm off to bed for now. :D*