A/N: Thanks for being patient everyone! Like I mentioned, I had a really hard time coming up with a decent ending… and I won't lie, I'm not very pleased with it. But I really struggled. So I hope you aren't too disappointed in it. I did my best. Oh, and I kind of mislead you when I said it's the "end." There will be one more chapter after this, but things start to wrap up here. Enjoy.

"There he is," Eleanor said, nodding toward the chubby pale boy in the corner of the gym. The grease from his hair reflected the bright lights, making his hair look various shades of pink and purple. He had a goofy grin on his pimply face and was staring into space. He looked completely out of it, almost as if he was under the influence of something.

Alvin picked up the speed when Eleanor identified him (Alvin wasn't sure who Charles was). When Charles saw Alvin and Eleanor approaching him, his faraway smile was quickly replaced with a look of uneasiness. He began to shuffle away, but Alvin firmly grabbed his chunky arm.

"Not so fast," Alvin said, pulling Charles closer to him. "We need to talk."

Charles glanced nervously around the crowded room. "Oh, uh, hi Alvin," he said in his slightly nasally voice. "W-what's up?"

Alvin ignored Charles as he dragged him to the nearby equipment closet. Alvin glanced around the gym before opening the door and pushing Charles inside. Luckily most of the chaperones were involved in breaking up a small scuffle between two sophomore boys to notice that the equipment room was being occupied. Alvin surveyed the area once more before motioning Eleanor inside.

Wow, Eleanor thought. Our school really needs to lock their doors.

Alvin quietly closed the door once the three of them were inside. He flipped on the light switch, but only one bulb worked. The dim light shined right above Charles as if he was in an interrogation room.

"What is this all about?" Charles asked, sitting on a tall stack of the folded wrestling mats. He managed to keep his voice calm, but he looked as if he just got kidnapped by bank robbers.

"Don't play dumb with us," Alvin said. "You know we didn't bring you here to have a tea party."

Charles squirmed. "Uh, look, if you don't mind, I sort of want to get back to the dance…"

"To do what?" Alvin asked with a laugh. "It's not like anyone will dance with you."

"Alvin!" Eleanor gasped. She couldn't believe what a Brittany-like thing he had just said. But Alvin glanced at her, throwing her a look that said to trust him.

"Well, I guess you did talk to one girl tonight," Alvin went on. "Word on the street is that you've been talking to Brittany Miller." He raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?"

Charles sat up a little straighter, obviously pleased to hear that people had actually seen him interacting with Brittany. "Yes," he said. "It's true."

"Really?" Alvin folded his arms across his chest. "I find that kind of strange."

"Y-you do?" Charles adjusted his glasses with trembling hands.

"Well, yeah," Alvin said. "I mean, this is Brittany Miller we're talking about. She's one of the prettiest, most popular girls at school. Why would someone like Brittany Miller talk to you?" Alvin suddenly moved closer to Charles, making the thin boy flinch. "A nerd. A geek. A nobody."

"Alvin," Eleanor warned, not liking where this was going. It reminded her of when Brittany couldn't believe that Alvin had kissed someone as "lame" as Eleanor. "Is this really necessary?"

"The only reason why Brittany would talk to a loser like you," Alvin went on, ignoring Eleanor, "is if she wants something." Alvin looked closely at Charles. "So what is it, Anderson? What does Brittany want from you?"

Charles took a deep breath. "She just wanted to talk," he said, but not very convincingly.

"Charles," Eleanor decided it was time she stepped in. "We don't want any trouble. We just think that Brittany has something against me, and you're involved in it."

"We know you're involved in it," Alvin corrected, staring at Charles with angry, unforgiving eyes.

"Sorry," Charles said, looking at his scuffed dress shoes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Eleanor and Alvin exchanged glances, wondering how long this impromptu game of Good Cop, Bad Cop was going to last. Even though Eleanor did find it kind of hot the way Alvin was taking charge and being aggressive. However, this made her wonder if Alvin had been watching too many crime shows on CBS.

"Charles," Eleanor tried again, trying to sound as nice as she could. "This is blackmail we're talking about. I know you know what will happen to me if that picture gets leaked. Please… just tell us what happened. Maybe we can work out some kind of deal."

Charles frowned. "Why would I want to help you?" he asked, no longer sounding like a meek nerd. "You're the slut who stole Brittany's boyfriend."

Before Eleanor had time to react, Alvin picked up Charles from the wrestling mat, slammed him against the wall, and grabbed him by his collar. Charles's face looked even paler than it usually did, and his eyes were wide with fear.

"What did you just say?" Alvin demanded.

Charles opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He was paralyzed in fear.

Eleanor's heart pounded. Half of her was still reeling from the suddenness of Alvin's actions, while the other half was so flattered that Alvin might punch a guy in the face for calling her a slut.

"You have two choices," Alvin said calmly as he tightened his grip on Charles's collar. Eleanor swore she heard Charles whimper. "You cut out this smartass routine and tell us what's going on with you and Brittany, or I can just rearrange your face right now. What'll it be?"

"I'll talk," Charles said quickly.

Alvin raised his eyebrows. "And you'll tell us everything. If I find out you lied, I'll punch you so hard that your ancestors are gonna hurt."

Charles nodded frantically. "You got it!"

"Good." Alvin dropped Charles, sending him straight to the floor. He wheezed for air as his complexion slowly returned to normal.

Alvin glanced at Eleanor. "Too harsh?" he asked.

"Not at all," Eleanor replied. Charles deserved that. She was tired of being called a slut these last few days. And it looked as if the little punk was finally going to talk. Maybe they could finally get to the bottom of this.

"Okay Charles," Alvin said, being all-business once again. He leaned against the wall and watched as Charles finally began to catch his breath. "Go on."

Charles looked up at Alvin, no longer pretending to me smug. "Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

Alvin frowned. "What is this, a fairy tale?"

"Please do, Charles," Eleanor said, sitting in a metal fold-up chair. "Don't leave anything out."

"Okay." Charles took a deep breath. "It all started on Wednesday, in Chemistry lab…"

I was looking through new pictures on my digital camera. We still had a few minutes until class started, and I was bored. So I went through the pictures; most of them were taken on Saturday night during Missy Snootson's party. I wasn't officially invited, but when I arrived, everyone was either too drunk or too busy making out to care. My friends and I just took some random photos, mostly just documenting the fact that we were present. Obviously guys like us don't get invited to very many cool parties, so it was kind of a big deal for us.

Suddenly, I looked up and there she was: Brittany Miller. I know it's corny, but every time I see her, I swear time slows down. She gracefully made her way into the classroom, her soft hair flowing behind her, her eyes an amazing shade of blue, and her pink sundress fitting her body perfectly. I've had a thing for her for years, but I was pretty sure she just knew me as The Boy with the Bad Skin. She barely knew I existed.

Brittany sat next to me (because she has to; we have assigned seats in that class). I figured she was just going to ignore me as usual, but she didn't. She asked what I was doing.

My mouth went dry. It was so unexpected! Brittany Miller, the prettiest girl in school, was talking to me! She was actually interested in what I was doing!

"Are you deaf?" Brittany asked, getting irritated. "I asked what you were looking at."

"Just pictures," I answered, my voice cracking a little. God, how embarrassing.

Brittany leaned a little closer toward my camera. She smelled like vanilla perfume; how intoxicating.

"That looks like Missy's house," Brittany observed, nodding toward the tiny screen.

"It is," I said. "It's from Missy's party last weekend."

Brittany laughed. I knew it was a mocking laugh, but her smile still lit up the room.

"You were at Missy's?" Brittany asked. "People must have been really wasted to let you in."

"I guess so," I said, forcing a laugh. I knew I was being pathetic, but I wanted this conversation to last as long as possible.

"Can I see them?" Brittany suddenly asked.

"See what?" I asked, not thinking clearly.

"The pictures," Brittany said, rolling her eyes. "Duh."

"Oh," I said. I handed her the camera. "Of course. Here."

I wasn't sure why Brittany was so interested in seeing those pictures. I heard that she had gotten pretty messed up that night, so I figured that she just wanted to see what had happened at that party, since she was probably too drunk to remember anything.

I watched as she scrolled through the pictures. Sometimes she would let out an amused laugh or roll her eyes at someone. She went through them pretty quickly, but she stopped to look at one a little longer than the others.

"That's weird," she said quietly to herself. I leaned over to see what she was looking at, but she pulled the camera away when she saw that I got too close. "Do you mind?" she snapped, even though it was my camera.

"Sorry," I said, feeling flustered. But I did manage to see what Brittany had looking at; it was a picture of you, Eleanor, holding a can of beer. I didn't really notice that picture until then.

Anyway, Brittany scrolled through a few more pictures, announced she was done, and handed my camera back to me. And that was that. The only other things she said to me the rest of the class period was, "You're standing on my foot, Stupid!" and "What's the answer to number seven?"

I didn't really think much more of it, until yesterday morning when she came up to me when I was getting my books out of my locker for first period. My friends stood there in awe, amazed that she had voluntarily came up to our little group.

"Would you guys get lost?" Brittany asked them. She pointed at me. "I need to talk to him alone."

My friends snickered, but they did what Brittany told them. She looked uncharacteristically frazzled.

I was going to ask her what was wrong when she yanked me into a nearby empty classroom.

"Look," she said. "You have something I want."

I was incredibly confused, but somehow delighted. "I do?"

"I need one of those pictures I saw on your camera yesterday," Brittany explained. She no longer sounded bossy and condescending; she sounded desperate.

"What for?" I asked.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "That's none of your business. I just need it."

I know I should have been grateful that Brittany was even talking to me, let alone asking me a favor, but for some reason, I felt oddly confident.

"It's my picture," I said. "So it is my business."

Brittany let out a huffy breath. "Just give me the picture, Geek."

"Not if you speak to me like that," I said. This was great. For once, I was in control; and it felt good. "Why do you need my pictures?"

Brittany quickly explained her plan to me: She needed the picture to blackmail Eleanor. She didn't really tell me what she was blackmailing Eleanor for. She mentioned that she seduced Alvin behind her back, but I still wasn't sure how the blackmail would be used.

"So can I have the picture now?" Brittany asked, losing patience.

"Sure," I said. But I wasn't ready for this control to end. "As long as you dance with me at the Homecoming Dance tomorrow night."

Brittany's jaw dropped. "What?"

It took some negotiating, but Brittany eventually agreed to my deal. She asked me to quickly print her out one picture of Eleanor for the time being, and she told me she'd let me know when/if she needed more copies to be made.

"So earlier today Brittany tells me that I should bring my memory card because she had a feeling that I would need to upload the photo on a computer tonight to e-mail everyone," Charles went on. "Then I went home and got ready for the dance. And now I'm sitting in a closet that smells like rubber balls with people who have every reason to beat me up."

Eleanor glanced at Alvin, wondering if he would get a chuckle out of Charles saying "rubber balls."

But he didn't. Instead, Alvin just stared.

"Wow," he said. "That was very… detailed."

"You said not to leave anything out," Charles grumbled.

"We did," Alvin said with a nod.

"And we appreciate it," Eleanor added, even though she could have done without the part about how Charles was smitten with Brittany, who had been nothing but mean to him since middle school.

"Great," Charles said with a sigh. "Now, if we're done here, I'd like to go out and get the dance I've been promised…"

"Hold on there, Chuck," Alvin said firmly. "We have it on good authority that you were talking to Brittany a few minutes ago. What were you talking about?"

"She wanted the memory card," Charles said.

Eleanor's heart beat sped up. "Did you give it to her?"

Charles shrugged. "Of course."

Alvin picked Charles up and slammed him against the wall for a second time that night.

"Why didn't you tell us that in the first place?" Alvin asked angrily.

"You didn't ask," Charles said.

"What part of tell us everything didn't you understand?" Alvin demanded, shoving Charles harder against the wall.

"I was getting to it!" Charles tried to convince Alvin.

"I warned you not to be a smartass," Alvin reminded him.

"I'm just trying to help the woman I love!" Charles cried.

Alvin rolled his eyes.

Suddenly his cell phone vibrated, signaling he had a text. He used one hand to fish his phone out of his pants pocket and tossed it to Eleanor.

"What does it say?" he asked.

Eleanor read the text that was from Jeanette: Meet us in the downstairs computer lab ASAP. Hurry!

"We have to go to the computer lab," Eleanor said. "I don't know why, but Jeanette says it's urgent."

Alvin dropped Charles like a sack of potatoes. "Okay let's go." He noticed Charles scrambling toward the door. He grabbed him by the end of his blue and gray striped sweater. "Not so fast Pizza Face. You're coming with us."

Charles groaned as Alvin quietly opened the door. Once the coast was clear, the three of them hurried across the gym. Nobody really noticed them; the students were too busy grinding on each other to a 50 Cent song while the chaperones attempted to pull them apart.

Once they were out of the gym, they walked straight toward the computer lab. Miraculously, no adults had caught them.

When they reached the room, the door was closed but the lights were on. Eleanor cautiously opened the door. When she did, she immediately heard Brittany yelling, "LET GO OF ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Eleanor's eyes widened at what she saw. Brittany was on Simon's lap in a chair in the back of the room, being held tightly by the intelligent chipmunk. She kicked and flailed around, but Simon didn't release her. Eleanor had no idea he was so strong.

"Lemme go!" Brittany whined, squirming even more.

"Not until you give us the memory card," Jeanette said.

Brittany stopped moving and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Never," she said. Eleanor, Alvin, and Charles made their way toward the others, which caught Brittany's attention. She rolled her eyes when Charles timidly waved at her. "You told, didn't you?"

"No!" Charles cried. "I didn't! I swear!"

"He didn't tell us where you were, if that's what you're wondering," Alvin said. He nodded toward Simon, Theodore, and Jeanette. "They followed you here."

"Why are you in here, Brittany?" Eleanor asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Brittany rolled her eyes again. "I was about to upload your little party picture to e-mail to the school. Duh. You know that."

"Maybe we can work out some sort of deal," Eleanor tried again with the deal thing.

"Ha!" Brittany let out a humorless laugh. "A deal! Oh, that's rich."

"Just give us the memory card," Alvin ordered.

"As if!" Brittany looked at him as if he were crazy.

Alvin sighed. "This is ridiculous," he said. He looked at Simon. "Do you guys mind if Brittany and I talk? Just the two of us?"

Simon looked a little unconvinced. "Are you sure, Alvin?"

Alvin nodded. Simon released Brittany, who quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Just wait for us outside," Alvin whispered to Simon as the others filed out of the room. "In case she does something crazy."

"Of course," Simon agreed.

Eleanor knew she should go with Jeanette and the Chipmunks, but she couldn't bring herself to. She watched Brittany hike up the hem of her silver dress to show more leg. It became clear what Brittany was going to try to do during this one-on-one time with Alvin. It also explained why she didn't protest Alvin's offer.

Brittany frowned when she saw that Eleanor wasn't making an effort to leave.

"Are you deaf?" Brittany asked her sister rudely. "Alvin and I want to talk alone."

"Right," Eleanor said, pulling Alvin over to the opposite side of the room.

"Hey!" Brittany whined.

"Hang on," Eleanor called. She turned to Alvin, who looked puzzled. She lowered her voice so Brittany couldn't hear. "I know you want to talk to her, but I don't think that's going to get us anywhere."

"But Eleanor…"

"Let me talk to her," Eleanor suggested. "I know she won't like it, but she's just going to try to flirt with you the whole time."

"I'm waiting," Brittany reminded them, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Just let me try," Eleanor pleaded.

Alvin sighed but nodded. "Okay. Do you know what you're going to say?"

"Of course," Eleanor lied. She really wasn't quite sure what to say; but she had a few ideas.

"Alright," Alvin finally agreed. He turned his attention toward Brittany. "Sorry Brittany, but there's been a change of plans."

Brittany blinked. "What?"

Alvin ran toward the door. "See ya!"

Brittany's jaw dropped. "Alvin!" She hurried to catch up to Alvin, but the door was nearly slammed in her face. Brittany let out a frustrated yell and stomped her silver heel on the ground. She whipped around to face Eleanor.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Brittany asked, her eyes full of hate.

"I think we should talk," Eleanor said.

Brittany sat in a nearby computer chair and folded her arms across her ample chest. "Whatever you say isn't going to change my mind."

"I know," Eleanor said calmly. She hesitated before she spoke again, but she decided it was the right thing to say. "That's why I'm giving up."

"Because whatever you say, I'm just going to…" Brittany paused as she realized what Eleanor had just said. "Wait. What?"

"I said I'm giving up," Eleanor repeated. "You win. I'm going to let you upload the photo."

Brittany was speechless. She just stared ahead at her sister.

"What are you waiting for?" Eleanor asked. "Go on and send the picture to the school."

Brittany shook her head in disbelief. "Y-you're okay with it?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Not really. But I can't just let you control me with blackmail the rest of high school. So go ahead and share the picture with everyone, Brittany. I mean, sure, this means you won't have anything on me anymore, so I'll get to date Alvin. But you'll ruin my reputation and soccer career, so I guess you'll still benefit from it."

Brittany opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. It was obvious that she hadn't thought out the blackmail thing all the way through.

"What's wrong, Brittany?" Eleanor asked. "This is what you wanted, right? To humiliate me and get me kicked off the soccer team? I thought you'd be more excited about this." Eleanor pretended to be confused and then have a thought dawn on her. "Oh! Maybe you're upset because you realize that your little game of cat and mouse is over. You thought that I cared too much about soccer to let you leak the picture. You thought I was completely under control; you didn't think I'd just let you send it." Eleanor leaned closer to her sister. "But face it, Brittany. The minute you send out that picture, you'll have nothing on me and you lose Alvin. I mean, technically you already lost him anyway, given the fact that you…"

"Stop it!" Brittany yelled, making Eleanor jump. "Just stop it!"

Eleanor watched as Brittany buried her face into her hands. When she looked up, her blue eyes were shiny with tears.

"I don't care about getting you kicked off the stupid soccer team!" Brittany cried. "I just wanted Alvin back!"

Eleanor put her hands on her hips. "You didn't want him back when you were smooching up some guy during third period on Monday."

Tears fell from Brittany's eyes and slid down her cheek. "I was mad, okay?" she shouted. "Alvin and I were fighting and I… I don't know, I just wanted to get even I guess." She sniffled. "Besides, it's not like he's never kissed another girl behind my back before."

Eleanor wondered if Brittany was talking about her or some other girl he had hooked up with when he and Brittany were dating. She decided not to think about it too much; they needed to stay on topic.

"I've loved Alvin since I was eight," Brittany went on. "I can't lose him to someone else. Especially you."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Why? Because I'm not pretty enough for him?"

"No," Brittany sobbed. "Because you're my sister."

Eleanor let that sink in for a moment. She knew Brittany was a massive bitch, but she had a point. Eleanor tried to imagine Alvin dumping her for Jeanette or Brittany; not a pretty sight.

"I'm sorry, Brittany," Eleanor said softly. She sat down next to her crying sister. "I understand why you're upset, I really do. But I can't help how I feel about Alvin."

"I know," Brittany said, covering her nose. Eleanor guessed that snot was coming out of it, so she handed her sister a tissue from a nearby Kleenex box, which she accepted. "I didn't care that you had a dumb crush on him. I figured I'd have nothing to worry about, that Alvin would be too interested in me to care about you. I just don't understand why he would leave me for…"

"It's because you're mean, Brittany," Eleanor blurted. She had wanted to say that to her sister for years. "You're mean to him. You're mean to Jeanette, you're mean to Simon and Theodore, and you're mean to me. You're mean to basically everyone. That's why people don't like you."

Brittany narrowed her eyes. "If I'm so disliked, then why was I voted Homecoming Princess?"

Eleanor shrugged. "From what I gather, it's because you look the part. And that is an exact quote."

Brittany shook her head, but it was obvious that she was buying what Eleanor was saying.

The sisters sat in silence for a few moments, both deep in thought. Eleanor wished she would let Brittany carry on with the picture yesterday; then she could actually enjoy the dance with Alvin. But she figured doing this was better late than never.

"I really do love him," Brittany said suddenly, making Eleanor look at her. "It may seem like I don't, but I do. I don't know why I act like I do sometimes… I just do."

Eleanor nodded. Somehow, she really did believe that Brittany loved Alvin. She had just forgotten how to show it.

"I can't get over the fact that he…" Brittany paused. She tried to speak more, but Eleanor could tell that she had a lump in her throat. "That he… doesn't… l-like me back."

Eleanor couldn't believe it, but she actually felt sorry for her sister. After all the cruel, hateful things Brittany had done and said to her in the last few days, she still felt sympathy for her.

But she knew why she felt bad for Brittany. It was because she knew how it felt to know the person you like doesn't like you back.

Eleanor took Brittany's hands in hers. "Brittany," she said, her voice full of warmth. "I know you're upset about this, but there are hundreds of guys in the school who would love to go out with you. You're pretty and fun and one of the coolest girls in school. It's not like you'll be alone for long."

Brittany looked at Eleanor with sad eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being so nice to me," Brittany said, although she sounded grateful. "I've been so horrible to you lately. Why are you saying such nice things?"

Eleanor grinned. "Because," she said, "you're my sister and I love you."

The corners of Brittany's mouth turned up slightly. Eleanor had a feeling that it had been a while since anyone had told Brittany they loved her. It was as if the ice around Brittany's heart had melted with those simple three words.

Eleanor looked closely at her sister; her eye make-up had run down her face, her up-do was about to come undone, and her dress was wrinkled; but for some reason, Eleanor thought it was the most beautiful Brittany had looked all night.

Brittany reached down and pulled something out of her high heel. It was the memory card.

"Here," Brittany said, handing the tiny card over to Brittany. "This isn't worth it."

Eleanor squeezed the card in her palm and exhaled. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Thank you," Eleanor said.

Brittany just nodded, dabbing her eyes with the tissue.

"So," Eleanor said. "Are we okay?"

Brittany hesitated before nodding. "Yeah," she said with a weak smile. "I guess we are."

"Good," Eleanor said with a smile. She and her sister stood up to leave. "Oh, and Brittany?"

"Yeah?"

"What you just did is way cooler than being Homecoming Princess," Eleanor said.

Brittany grinned, but rolled her eyes. "Let's not get too sappy here," she said. Her smile never left her face, but her eyes were serious. "I'm sorry, Ellie. For everything."

"Thanks Britt," Eleanor said, her heart swelling in her chest. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, there's a half hour left until the dance is over. We might as well go out there and enjoy it while we can."

Brittany scoffed and looked Eleanor up and down. "You're actually willing to go back out there in that get-up?"

Eleanor smirked. "I wouldn't worry about me, Brittany. I believe you still owe a dance with someone."

Brittany groaned. "If there really are hundreds of boys that want to date me, why do I get stuck with Charles Anderson of all people?"

"Just lucky I guess," Eleanor said with a shrug, causing them both to giggle. She couldn't remember the last time she and Brittany had shared a laugh; she realized how much she had missed it.

"Let's get out of here," Brittany said, heading for the door.

"Sounds good to me," Eleanor agreed. She turned to her sister. "I'm glad we worked this out, Brittany."

Brittany gave her a crooked grin. "Me too. I was running out of ideas to tear you and Alvin apart!"

Eleanor frowned. "Wait, what?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding, Ellie. Sort of." She gave her sister a playful wink. "Now let's get out there and dance! Right after I fix my make-up in the bathroom," she added.

Eleanor smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy, so at ease.

As soon as the sisters walked out of the computer lab, Eleanor knew it was going to be a new chapter of her life; and she couldn't wait to get it started.

Sorry if you were expecting a "smack down" or whatever… but I figured Eleanor would use her kindness to resolve this rather than any fighting. Please review! There's only one more chapter left!