Chapter Nine

About a month later…

Jeanette was beginning to have a hard time keeping her pregnancy a secret. Now that her craving started. She didn't like being pregnant at the time, but she also didn't want to cut off her prenatal care. All this and she still hasn't told Simon about it.

One day she was at home with her sisters and Alvin and Theodore. Simon was busy at one of his part time jobs.

Anyway, Jeanette was having lunch…again. And this time she had leftover spaghetti with yogurt. (wow) As she ate, Alvin and Theodore just stared in awe and disgust.

"What?" Jeanette asked looking up with her mouth full.

"Do you know what you're eating?" Alvin said. "Even Theodore wouldn't go that far. And he can eat." Both Theodore and Brittany elbowed him, and he got the message.

Jeanette just wiped her mouth and glared at him.

"Look, I'm in no damn mood for your crap right now, okay." she hissed. And thus the mood swing begin.

"Yikes, when did the lioness get here." Alvin teased.

"Shut up."

"All I did was ask one question. And now you're turning it like I offended you."

"Alvin, you did." Brittany nudged him again.

"Why?" Theodore asked this time.

"For a reason." Eleanor scolded.

"Well it better be a good one. Because, one, I know Jean wouldn't curse that much in a single sentence, and two, I actually took it."

"OH MY GOD! WILL SHUT THE HELL UP!" Jeanette screamed, almost knocking over her plate. Alvin jumped put of his seat and took a few steps back.

"Sheesh, what's your problem? Is it that time of the month?" Both Eleanor and Brittany's jaws dropped. Theodore just sunk into his seat. But Jean was furious.

"What? All I said was-"

CRASH

A glass cup flew across the table hitting the wall, almost hitting Alvin.

"What the hell!" he shielded his face in case she threw another object.

"You want to know what my problem is? A half nit-wit chipmunk is in my house!" she grabbed her plate this time. "Since you seem to know what I'm eating, have some." she hurled it to him, but thanks to his athletics, he was able to dodge.

"B-B-Brittany, a little help."

"Jeanette, just calm down." she stood up.

"Yeah, he only said that because he doesn't know." Eleanor tried helping too.

"Know what?" Alvin said behind a chair.

"Nothing YOU need to know." Brittany glared at him this time.

"Well, I had Jeanette yell at me, and had a cup and a plate thrown at me, so I deserve to know." He demanded.

"Alvin…" Theodore said. "Just leave it."

"No. If it almost cost me my face, I need to know!" he said more sternly. "What's your problem?"

"WELL YOU TRY BEING PREGNANT!…" Jeanette shouted and fell to her knees and cried her eyes out.

Alvin's face just dropped. He felt a wave of guilt, and anger, rush over him. And Theo, he just stood there too, mouth wide open.

"I think you guys should go now." Eleanor said.

"Y-Y-Yeah, c-c-c'mon Alvin." Theodore stuttered. But Alvin just stood there, frozen. After what seemed like a lifetime, he carefully walked over to Jeanette and knelt down.

"Do you know who the father is?" he whispered.

"Yes." was all she could make out between the sobs.

Alvin thought, 'how could she do this to Simon? I thought they were happy together, and here she is, pregnant, and probably for another guy.' He kept a raised brow on her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"How could you do this to Simon? He loves you." he was mad.

"Alvin…sniffle…Simon's the father."

Then that hit the boys harder than an atomic explosion. Theodore's legs felt weak and he leaned on the door frame. While Alvin went from kneeling to sitting on the floor.

"Are you sure? I know him, he wouldn't…" Alvin started.

"Yes, I'm sure. He was the only guy I did it with." Jeanette said as Brittany continued to comfort her.

"How?"

"At the beach house. That time we went out there."

Then they heard the door open. They could hear Miss Miller talking, but who was she talking to?

"And that's when I said…" she came to the dining room. She saw the girls and Alvin on the floor, and Theodore trying to support himself. Then she saw Jeanette crying into Brittany's shirt. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing. Just a little accident." Eleanor did her best to cover up.

But Miss Miller looked around the room. "And how did noodles end up on the wall?" she got more madder.

"We were…uh…playing a game." Alvin said.

Then, Dave came in.

"Where do you want these?" he asked carrying in shopping bags. "What's going on here?"

"Apparently, nothing." the old lady said with hands on her hips. "Now what is really going on?"

There was an awkward silence. But of course, Alvin had to break it.

"Dave, do you know what Simon did?"

"ALVIN! NOOOO!" they all shouted.

Dave dropped the bags to cover his ears. After it got settled and Theodore and Eleanor held Alvin down, Dave finally spoke up.

"No, I don't know. Why? What happened?"

"David. There's just some things that need to be explained courteously." Miss Miller began.

Two hours later…

"WHAT?"

"Now see, that was some what courteous." Miss Miller said.

"But…how…they…he…she…right now?" Dave tried to speak.

"Don't worry Dave, we were like that too." Theodore said motioning to himself and Alvin.

"But, I don't understand. I would expect this from Alvin…and Brittany…but Simon and Jeanette?"

"HEY!" Both Alvin and Brittany said in unison.

They heard sobs coming from Jeanette. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here." she put her face into her hands.

"Oh Jeanette. Don't worry, we're here for you." her sisters walked to her sides and comforted her as best they could.

"I'm sorry Jeanette. Its just, this is a lot of unexpected news." Dave said being sincere.

"I know what you mean." Miss Miller came in with coffee and hot cocoa. It was getting late and the sun was setting, and plus it was summer vacation.

"We, as parents, just want to know why?" Dave asked again.

All eyes went on Jeanette. She sat there, holding her stomach, hoping they wouldn't notice.

"Jeanette?" Miss Miller asked this time.

"Huh?"

"Why?" Dave asked again.

She took in a deep breath and let it out. "I don't know. It just happened."

"You don't know?" Alvin asked.

"I mean, it was us who always obeyed the rules, it was us who followed procedures, it was us who always were expected to do the right things." tears began forming in her eyes. "Everybody expected us to be so…so…perfect." she turned away at the last word and cried some tears, but it wasn't water works yet. She slowed her crying. "And I guess…we were free that night. We had no rules, no responsibilities, no one else. Just each other. And the moment we had to actually break some rules, we took it." she looked out the window and saw the colors of the sunset. "It was no Ms. Perfect or Simon the Science Scholar. It was just us teens having fun for once in our life." she began to smile.

"Aww…Jean." Britt said.

"Jeanette. No one expects you to be perfect. No one is." Miss Miller said sipping her coffee.

"Not even you Alvin." Dave spoke out.

"Speak for yourself." Alvin said and everybody, even Jeanette got a few chuckles out of it.

"Well, do you know what you're going to do?" Theodore asked.

Jeanette just stared out the window. "I think I'm going to keep it."

"Now Jeanette…" Dave started.

"I know it's a big responsibility, but I cant just terminate it." she got protective. Everyone was surprised to see her like this.

"I was going to say I'll make sure Simon does his part. He didn't even tell me." Dave finished.

"Yeah, about that…" Miss Miller cut in this time.

"SIMON DOESN'T KNOW?" all three men said.

"No. And you cant tell him. I have to." Jeanette said.

"But wont he the find out when you…you know…show." Alvin asked.

" I plan to tell him before it gets that far."

"But what about Alvin?" Theodore asked. Everyone looked at him suspiciously.

"What about me?" the red-clad chipmunk asked.

"Well, you cant keep a secret."

Alvin turned red. "I so can too."

"Don't worry, I'll keep him under control." Brittany said holding him in a arm lock.

Both Miss Miller and Dave looked at each other.

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing, so we'll let you tell him." Dave said. "It getting late. We should get going. Come on boys." They walked to the door.

"Are you going to be alright?" Theo asked Jeanette.

"I'll manage." she smiled and gave a little laugh.

"I just cant believe my nerdy brother beat me to it." Alvin said.

"Hey! There's no prize for second place. So don't even think about it." Dave scolded.

They left and Jeanette took the job of cleaning up the mess from lunch. When she was done she saw an envelope labeled to her. She picked it up and read the return address. Her eyes widened. She tore open that envelope like it was Christmas. Her eyes scanned the note inside like a computer and when she was done…

"YYEESSSS!" she shouted for joy.

The rest came in.

"What happened?" Brittany asked looking around.

"I GOT IN! I GOT IN!" Jeanette screamed.

"In to what?"

"To Harvard. On a full scholarship!"

"Oh that's wonderful." Miss Miller said with enthusiasm.

"I wonder if Simon did too." Jeanette went on.

"Ah, ah, ah. Young lady, Don't be worrying about Simon yet. You have to worry about my grandchild first, school second, then Simon." Miss Miller lectured.

"I know. But It would be easier if we went to the same school."

Then her phone began to ring.

"Hello?…Oh hey Si…Uh-huh…I know…I got in…Harvard…and You?…Oh…Its okay…really…yeah…good night."

"What happened? He didn't get a scholarship?" Eleanor asked.

"He did. But to Princeton."

"Oh don't worry, its only going to be four years minimum." Miss Miller gave her hug. "But now, its time for bed."

They walked up to their rooms and got ready for bed. Jeanette laid down and couldn't help but smile. She was having a baby for the guy she loved, unplanned, and she got into a good university, on a full scholarship. What more could she ask for. Maybe Simon going to Harvard too, but life must go on. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Two months later…senior year…

Now Jeanette was really beginning to show. Her tummy stuck out, but not too much. She would look like someone who took a fancy for food. But Simon didn't mind. Oh yeah…she still hasn't told him yet.

One day after school, Jeanette and Simon were in the library. She tried so hard to tell him. But it wouldn't come out. At times she would bring up matters of 'reproduction' but it just wouldn't click in Simon's head.

Later that day, they strolled through the park and walked under a tree branch that was cradling baby birds. She would talk about how they were hatched, but still nothing clicked in Simon's head.

That night…

"I don't know how to tell him." she said laying back on the couch.

"Just tell him straight forward." Brittany said filing her nails.

"I think that's what you HAVE to do. You really are beginning to show Jeanette." Eleanor added.

"Oh okay. Hey Simon guess what. I'm almost four months pregnant. And guess who the father is. You. So that's why I'm getting fat." Jeanette said sarcastically. "Yeah like I'm going to do that."

"Well you have to tell him before you get fatter."

"Real smooth Brittany." Eleanor said.

"I know I have to." Jeanette said. "But what if he doesn't want a kid?"

"Come on. He's Simon. He likes kids."

"But what about the other kids at school. I cant go there if I'm pregnant." Jeanette said.

"Don't worry. We'll think of something."

In Jeanette's room…

She was looking through old Christmas cards. Then she found one of her and her sisters with their grandmother, Helen. She lived somewhere out in Massachusetts, in fact, in the Cambridge area, just where she was going to school.

"I got it!"

Towards the end of Christmas Break…

"Are you sure about this?" Miss Miller asked. "Helen can be…difficult at some times."

"Yes I'm sure and don't worry, I think Brittany's worst."

Helen was Miss Miller's sister, but the girls just called her grandma. Jeanette decided to live with her until she finished the remainder of high school and college there. She was ready to depart for the airport when the chipmunks ran up. Simon looked as if all the 'happy' was sucked out of him.

"We're going to miss you." Theodore said giving her a hug.

"I'll miss you guys too." she hugged Alvin and Theodore. Then there came Simon. Did I forget to mention she STILL hasn't told him yet.

"So this is it, huh. You're moving." he said sadly.

"Its only up till I finish college. I'll be back." she hugged him. He hugged her. "I think this is what I'm going to miss the most."

"And what's that?"

"Being in your arms." she sniffled.

"If you need anything, call. Don't hesitate." he said then started kissing her passionately.

"Come home. Promise?" he said.

"Promise." she said and gave him one last, long, kiss.

Then came the time for her to leave. She got in the car and as they drove away, she gave them one last wave goodbye. She was on her way to live with Helen, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to finish high school and start her term at Harvard. All without telling Simon he's a dad.

"That can wait." she thought.

But for how long?…

And thus ends the first story of an exciting saga. Look out for the sequel. I'd like to give a special thanks to AbigailSeville24, for providing the 'grandmother's' name and helping me write this story. Please review. And if you have ideas, I'd like know. Sorry for the wait.