A/N: Well… I suck. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay. But it's finally here: Chapter 20! I can't believe I've actually written a story this long. It's crazy! But this will probably be the second to last chapter… yes, that's right; this story is starting to come to a close. So only expect one or two more chapters. I'm not too happy with how this particular chapter ends, but it was all I could come up with; it's sort of all over the place and inconsistent (laziness and writer's block do not mix). Oh well… it is what it is.

Oh, and apparently you're supposed to add images now. Well, you don't have to obviously, but my South Park icon seemed a bit out of place. I did not draw the image, Charles Williams did. All credit goes to him.

Happy Reading!

Saturday, August 2

7:34 AM

Oklahoma City

Hotel Dining Area

"Jeanette! Look Out!"

Jeanette opened her eyes and jerked her head back up. She realized that her hair had been dangerously close to being dipped in her pancake syrup… again.

"Oops," Jeanette yawned. "I must have dozed off."

Brittany laughed. "You think?"

Jeanette stared at her breakfast, wishing she had an appetite. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before; she couldn't stop thinking about how much Simon probably hated her now. Not that she blamed him. It was her fault for acting like such a crazy person at the party.

Simon was sitting a few tables away with Theodore, who had three full plates of food. Simon hadn't spoken to Jeanette, and Jeanette hadn't spoken to him either. She hadn't even looked at him; she couldn't risk looking like a fool again.

"Is everything okay, Jeanette?" Eleanor asked. Her voice was gentle, but Jeanette was so deep in thought that it made her flinch.

"I'm fine," Jeanette said, cutting a piece of pancake. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"We're all tired, Jeanette," Brittany said, stirring her yogurt. "But you're, like, barely alive."

Jeanette shrugged. She hoped Simon wasn't listening to them. Theodore was going on about how great the buffet was, so maybe Simon was focused on him instead.

"I hope you're not getting sick," Eleanor said. She pressed a hand on Jeanette's forehead. "Hmm. It doesn't feel like you have a fever."

Jeanette sighed. "I don't. Eleanor, I'm fine." She politely removed her sister's motherly hand. "I'm just tired. I'll be fine."

Jeanette stared at a piece of bacon on her plate, ignoring the curious glances her sisters were exchanging. Brittany was about to say something when someone rushed into the lobby.

Alvin was panting by the time he reached the Chipettes' table. He was holding what looked like a newspaper.

"What the—" Brittany started to say. She stopped when Alvin shoved the paper at her.

"Read it," he commanded.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "This better be good. I don't like reading this early in the morning."

"You'll like reading this," Alvin promised with a sly grin.

Brittany raised her eyebrows, looking intrigued. Jeanette watched her sister scan the paper, which she realized was the entertainment section from the local city newspaper. Brittany's blue eyes widened and a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Oh my God," Brittany said in disbelief. "No way!"

Jeanette was immediately curious. What was going on?

Eleanor leaned over and read as well. Her reaction was similar to Brittany's; big eyes and jaw dropping.

An evil little grin appeared on Brittany's face. "Well it's about time he got what was coming to him."

Jeanette suddenly felt wide awake. She instantly knew what Brittany was looking at.

"Check it out, Jeanette," Brittany said. She turned the paper around for Jeanette to see.

And there it was: NEW BOY TOY FOR DESTINY? Under the caption was a picture of Destiny and Justin. They were coming out of the room Jeanette saw them in the night before; their hair was messy, clothes wrinkled. Destiny looked flushed and pleased; Justin looked horrified.

Jeanette swallowed hard as she skimmed through the article. Destiny Walters has a new friend… The guitar player for Alvin and the Chipmunks… An unnamed source said they had been "together for hours."… the same source was the one who tipped us off about Miss Walter's fun.

Unnamed source? But hardly anyone had been in that section of the house. Just Jeanette and…

Jeanette looked at Simon. He wasn't even acknowledging their table; he just sat, eating his eggs and looking down at the business section of the newspaper.

Without thinking, Jeanette walked over to the silent chipmunk.

"Simon," she said when she got there, "can I talk to you for a minute?" She lowered her voice. "In private."

Simon slowly looked up from his reading. His expression was unreadable. "I suppose so," he said in an equally unreadable tone. He stood up and they walked away from their siblings, who were so engrossed in the Destiny/Justin article that they hadn't noticed Simon and Jeanette leaving.

"Simon," Jeanette said once they were out of ear shot, "did you hear about the article? The one about Justin and Destiny?"

Simon nodded. "Yes. I heard."

Jeanette took a deep breath. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't the unnamed source. I didn't tell anyone, I swear."

"I know you didn't tell, Jeanette," Simon said, looking right at her.

Jeanette blinked. Well, that was easy. "Oh. Um, good."

Simon nodded and stared at the floor. Something was off here; then Jeanette had a thought. A very strange thought.

"Simon," Jeanette said slowly. "How are you so sure that I wasn't the one who told the reporters about Justin?"

Simon looked up at her again. There was sadness in his blue-grey eyes. "Because I was the one who told them."

Jeanette's jaw dropped. "Y-you did? It was you?"

Simon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Jeanette realized that he looked just as tired as she felt. "Yes, it was me, and I feel pretty awful about it, so I'd appreciate if you tell anyone."

Jeanette couldn't help but stare. "But… why? I mean, you seemed so against it last night."

"I was," Simon confirmed. "I still am, actually. But I thought about what you said; about how much he hurt our siblings, how he wasn't a good person." Simon shrugged. "I guess I figured if this guy was bad enough to rile someone like you up, then he was worth taking down."

Jeanette was so confused; she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She almost kissed him, but stopped herself; she didn't want their first kiss to be over getting revenge on someone.

"I know this makes me a hypocrite," Simon said after a brief silence. "I'm sorry for judging you about this. I don't think what I did was right, but I do think that Justin deserved to be taught a lesson. I don't know if this was the right way to do it, but I forced myself to tell a reporter before I could change my mind."

Jeanette stared at her untied sneakers. Simon had gone against his morals for her, and Simon was the most by-the-book, consistent, level-headed person she knew. If he was willing to do all that for Jeanette… what did that mean exactly?

"You didn't have to do that," Jeanette said quietly.

"I know," Simon agreed. "And I probably shouldn't have. I have a feeling I'll regret this."

Jeanette cracked a smile. "Imagine if Alvin found out. You'd be his hero."

Simon sighed. "Yes, this was a very Alvin-like action."

"So you two really are related," Jeanette teased.

"I guess so," Simon said, giving her a small smile of his own. "However, don't count on Alvin reading science magazines any time soon."

Jeanette giggled. "Thank you Simon. You really didn't have to do that."

Simon nodded and said, "I did it for Brittany. And Alvin. And you and Eleanor." Simon gently grabbed her hand. "I didn't know he said things about you."

Jeanette blushed at his touch. "Yes, well, that's what Brittany said."

Simon offered her a sad smile. "I'm sorry if I offended you yesterday."

Jeanette shook her head. "No. I'm sorry for how I acted. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Well apparently neither was I," Simon said. "I can't believe I actually talked to reporters about… that."

Jeanette grinned and squeezed his hand. "You're a good friend, Simon; and a good brother."

"Likewise," Simon said. "Just substitute sister for brother. Oh, and I would appreciate if we just kept this between us."

"Of course," Jeanette said. "Although Alvin would be very proud."

"That's why we can't tell anyone," Simon told her. This earned another chuckle from Jeanette. "Let's go finish our meals. Dave will probably want us to leave soon."

Jeanette nodded in agreement. She started to pull her hand away, but Simon didn't let go. She felt herself smile as they made their way back to the table hand-in-hand.

Friday, August 6

6:49 PM

Phoenix, AZ

Brittany leaned into the mirror and inspected her hair again.

"Margie!" she called to the hairstylist. "I think I need a little more hairspray right—"

"You look fine, Brittany," Eleanor said for the hundredth time. "You've used so much hairspray that you've caused a hole in the ozone layer right above us."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me for trying to look good for the magazine people."

"Are they taking a photo?" Jeanette asked, genuinely curious. "I thought they were just going to interview us."

Brittany shrugged. "You can never be too prepared, Jeanette."

A writer from Teen People was planning on doing a short "backstage pass" thing tonight and Brittany was beyond excited. She lived for this sort of thing, even if she didn't get her picture taken.

There was a knock on the door and the girls called, "Come in!" It was Dave. He stuck his head in the room and grinned.

"Brittany," he said, "the woman from Teen People wants to have a word with you."

Brittany's heart practically exploded out of her chest, but she forced herself to play it cool. After all, she was Brittany Miller, a super star. She should be used to this sort of thing.

"Alright, I'm coming," she said breezily. After a quick peek in the mirror (Eleanor was right, she looked fine. Better than fine, really.), she followed Dave to the Chipmunk's dressing room.

Inside was Alvin sitting on the couch across from a pretty, apple-shaped woman Brittany didn't recognize. She was wore black pants, a navy blazer, and had curly dark hair. She grinned at Brittany when she entered the room.

"Brittany!" She stood and gave Brittany's hand a firm shake. "I'm Amy Bernstein. It's great to meet you!"

"Likewise," Brittany said with a calm smile. But on the inside she was freaking out. She wondered how many famous people Amy had interviewed.

Brittany sat on the couch beside Alvin, who looked ten times more relaxed than how she felt. He probably really was relaxed, not faking it like she was.

"Well, I'll leave you three alone," Dave said with a wave. He left the room, and Brittany was a bit surprised that he didn't want to supervise to make sure Alvin didn't say anything stupid. Maybe Alvin convinced him that he'd behave; she made a mental note to ask him later.

Amy crossed her legs and smiled at them. "I wanted to interview the lead singers together," she explained. "Shall we get started?"

"Bring it on," Alvin said, leaning back in the couch cushions. If he wasn't so cute, Brittany would've thought he was being kind of obnoxious. But since they were sort-of-maybe dating, she just thought it added to his cocky charm.

Amy pressed a button on her tape recorder and began asking questions. The first few were pretty basic; she asked how long they'd been performing, how they liked singing with their brothers and sisters, and how much they had enjoyed the tour so far. It was pretty boring, but at least Brittany didn't stress herself out answering anything. It was pretty straight forward.

"So Brittany," Amy said after a while, "your dating life has been… well, a bit intriguing over the summer."

Brittany raised her eyebrows. "It has?"

"Yes," Amy said. "Nothing has been confirmed, but according to rumors, you dated your drummer Justin over the last few months."

"I did," Brittany said, figuring there was no point in lying. Readers probably would appreciate honesty, right? "I mean, we dated for a while, but things didn't work out."

"Oh," Amy sounded more curious than sympathetic. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"Well, it turned out he was just using me," Brittany said, clear as a bell. She had no problem telling the truth about that.

"Really?" Amy said, and Brittany was glad that she didn't ask her to go into detail. "I know it was rumored that the 'Boots Were Made for Walking' you unexpectedly sang a few weeks ago in concert was aimed at him. Is that true?"

"It's true," Brittany confirmed with a small grin.

"Talk about girl power," the interviewer said with a smile that looked almost proud.

"I guess so."

"Did you hear that he hooked up with Destiny Walters last weekend?"

Brittany nodded. "I did. But we aren't together anymore, so it's really none of my business." Yes, she was trying to take the mature route, but in reality, she wanted to kiss whoever had ratted Justin and Destiny out to the paparazzi.

"Well let's talk about something that is your business," Amy's voice was a bit mischievous and Brittany knew where this was headed. "Are you interested in anyone at the moment?"

Brittany couldn't help but glance at Alvin. He wasn't looking at her though.

"Yes, I'm interested in someone."

Amy looked excited. "Really? And he likes you back?"

Brittany looked at Alvin again, but he was staring straight ahead like he was deep in thought.

"Well, yeah, I assume he does."

"So who is this guy?" Amy leaned forward like a giggly, gossiping teenager.

Brittany hesitated. After a second of thinking, she decided that she would admit it was Alvin that she liked. After all, this interview was pretty honest so far, so why not be honest about this? Maybe admitting that she and Alvin were an item now would only help them; it would certainly please their fans…

"It's actually-"

Alvin started coughing violently, cutting Brittany off. Brittany was pretty sure she heard him sneak a "don't tell her about us" inside the cough.

"Oh, Alvin!" Amy's voice was full of concerned. "Are you alright? Should we get you some water?"

"No!" Alvin gradually stopped his fit. "I'm fine. Just a little cough."

Amy nodded, and turned back to Brittany. "So, you were just about to tell us about this boy you have feelings for."

"Uh, yeah," Brittany stammered, completely caught off guard. What the hell was that? Alvin didn't want her to tell Amy that she liked him? Why? Was he ashamed of her? Why was it such a big secret? WHAT THE HELL?

"I'm actually very close to this mystery guy who Brittany has a thing for," Alvin cut in. "He's sort of a private person though, and I don't think he wants everyone to know about them."

Brittany felt her jaw drop. What?

"Oh," was Amy's response. Her dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Is this true, Brittany?"

But Brittany couldn't speak. Her mouth had gone dry and her mind went blank. She was speechless, and this didn't happen often.

"It's true," Alvin confirmed confidently. "I think she feels bad that she was about to give the poor guy's identity away."

"I see," Amy said slowly, making it obvious that she didn't see. She continued. "So Alvin… is there a special girl in your life?"

Brittany faced him and glared. "Yeah, Alvin, is there a special girl?"

Alvin chuckled as if he hadn't just humiliated her. "Well, there are plenty of special girls out there, especially my fans."

Brittany almost gagged. His cockiness was no longer charming.

"But I'm not involved with anyone romantically. I'm still single. So call me, ladies."

What?

"So the great Alvin Seville is a single man?" Amy asked in surprise.

"Single and looking," Alvin said with a wink.

Brittany stared at the ground. She felt her heart break into a million pieces and willed herself not to cry. Usually this sort of thing would make her angry, not sad.

Amy asked a few more questions, but Alvin answered almost all of them while Brittany sat in silent shock.

He didn't like her… at least not in that way. But what about all the stuff he said? And he certainly seemed to like her. They'd been getting along better than ever. They'd kissed a few times. No, he hadn't exactly said out loud that they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but Brittany had been sure that there was something there.

"What about you Brittany?" Amy's voice snapped her back to reality.

Brittany blinked. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell your fans?" Amy repeated politely.

Brittany swallowed. "Yeah, there is," she said, sitting up straight. "They should try their best to be honest with each other. Like, for example, if you shouldn't lead people on in relationships because someone always ends up hurt." She knew she was blabbing, but she still couldn't think clearly.

Amy nodded like she was some sort of therapist. "This is all coming from what happened with you and Justin isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah," Brittany muttered. She thought about telling Amy that it was Alvin she was actually talking about, but she didn't want to admit to liking Alvin anymore. She was ashamed to like him after what he had just done.

"Thank you so both so much for the interview," Amy said sweetly, oblivious to Brittany's pain. She turned off her recorder. "I think we got some great stuff."

"Glad to hear it," Alvin said. Brittany wanted to slap that stupid smirk right off his stupid face.

After shaking Amy's hand and flashing a big fake smile, Brittany left the room as if it was on fire. She stomped down the long hallway; with each step, her sadness was being replaced with red-hot anger.

He knew how Brittany felt about him. There was no way he didn't know how she felt about him. And he had just led her on to believe that he liked her back; it was Justin all over again.

"Brittany! Wait up!"

Brittany whipped around to see Alvin hurrying up the hall to catch up. Her head throbbed with annoyance.

"Don't talk to me," she said through clenched teeth.

"Whoa, calm down!" Alvin pleaded, putting him palms up in defense.

Brittany scowled. "Calm down? You want me to calm down?"

"Just hear me out—"

"Screw you!" Brittany spat before turning around. She was this close to using a word much nastier than "screw."

Alvin caught her arm. "I can't just go around saying that we're dating. What about my image? The girls need to think I'm available."

Brittany jerked her arm and hurried down the hall. Alvin's footsteps were right behind her.

"Oh come on, Brittany! You of all people should understand all that crap about image!"

Brittany came to an abrupt halt, causing Alvin to bump into her.

"You know what I think?" Brittany asked in a low, threatening voice. "I think this has nothing to do with your freaking image. You're just afraid to admit to anyone that you like me. You're just a scared little boy—"

Alvin snorted. "I'm anything but scared, babe."

Brittany put her hands on her hips. She could feel her face was hot with anger. "Okay, brave one. Then admit it. Admit you like me."

Alvin blinked a few times. "I… I don't… we're just—"

Brittany titled her head to the side and gave a mocking pout. "What's wrong, Alvin? Cat got your tongue?"

He narrowed his eyes. "We're just friends okay? I thought you knew that."

It felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach, but Brittany would be damned if she was going to let it show.

"That night in the RV," she said, trying (but failing) to keep her voice steady, "I asked why you stood up for me, and you said I already knew why…" She swallowed back a sob. "Well maybe I don't know why."

Alvin sighed. "Brittany, I—"

"And that night in the tent," Brittany blurted. "You know, at the beach in Florida? You made it seem like… you acted like you—"

"Liked you?" Alvin filled in the blanks.

Brittany nodded, forcing herself to remain calm. "Yeah. It sure seemed like you did."

Alvin ran a hand through his hair before taking a deep breath. After a few seconds in silence, he said, "That's because I did like you. I mean, I do like you."

Brittany couldn't help but allow herself tiny smile. "You do?"

Alvin shrugged and gave her a sideways grin. "Well, yeah."

But her smile faded fast. "So why did you just say we were only friends?"

She heard him swallow. He looked uncomfortable, which made her feel uncomfortable. What the hell was his problem?

Alvin took a deep breath. "Well, just because we like each other, I'm not sure if we should, you know, date."

Brittany blinked a few times. Maybe she'd heard him wrong.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know, Brittany," he said quietly. "I mean, chances are we'll probably tour together again someday. What if things don't… work out? Things will be weird."

Brittany wanted to be mad—she really did—but she couldn't help but laugh at that remark.

"Haven't we been over this before?" she asked playfully. "Things will always be weird between us, whether we date or not."

It was Alvin's turn to laugh. "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," Brittany said with a wink. But she studied his face and knew he still wasn't sure. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay. Well, I'll be the mature one here and say that I'm all for us announcing a relationship to the public. So I vote yes. What do you vote?"

Alvin's eyes shifted toward the floor. "Undecided."

At that moment, Brittany wanted nothing more than to scream at him and throw a temper tantrum that would make a two-year-old look sophisticated. But she reminded herself that she was the mature one, and instead took a long, calm breath and stood up straight.

"You have until tomorrow morning to give me an answer," Brittany hissed. "And you're lucky I'm giving you that long to decide."

And with that, Brittany spun on her heel and marched down the hallway.

Why so fickle, Alvin? Please review!