The sun was shining brightly into the dim room, light spreading slowly over the shadows.

I, however, was laying there in my bed, my eyes wide and distraught.

"Alvin..." Simon said shaking me but I remained still, "Earth to Alvin."

"Wha-?" I finally answered and Simon blinked his eyes surprised, looking at me confused.

"Did you not fall back to sleep last night?"

"Who needs sleep when reality is so much more interesting?"

Simon and Theodore glanced at each other after I said this, before Simon climbed onto my bed and knelt beside me, asking.

"Okay, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing!" I said sitting up like a jolt of lightning and blinking my sore eyes a few times, adding, "It's not like me and Brittany are fighting or anything."

"Oh..." Simon uttered, seeming a bit worried about my statement, "Are you two fight-"

"NO!" I yelled and jumped out of my bed, getting changed and ready to leave this awkward situation.

Simon frowned, his lips making a straight annoyed line, and he got off the bed after me. I pulled on my hoody and glanced at myself in the mirror, seeing red veins popping out around my eyes.

"I look TERRIBLE!" I yelped, running over to my reflection and really glaring into my sore eyes.

"Yes," Simon continued, about to leave out the door after Theodore, "No sleep would do that to a person."

"Grr..." I growled under my breath and picked up my school bag following my two siblings out the door.

As we climbed the steps Theodore kept beside me and asked innocently, "So... how are you and Brittany?"

"Perfect, PERFECT!" I exclaimed, gripping my bag's slings tighter around my hands before admitting hopelessly, "... not great."

"Oh," Theodore peeped, sounding scared and sad in himself, "I'd thought being fused to the one you love would be warm and fuzzy"

"WHO TOLD YOU I LOVE BRITTANY?" I screamed at him suddenly and Theodore squeaked back, tripping over his feet and tumbling down the stairs.

Simon was on the bottom step that Theodore had landed on, and his eyes went wide, helping our little brother up before glaring up at me.

"Alvin."

"He did it to HIMSELF!" I replied back, feeling hot under my collar from anxiety.

I hopped down to them before reaching the hallway floor and heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Alvin," Simon said my name again and I muttered to myself.

"Alvin, Alvin, Alvin! Why are people always angry when they say my name?"

"How's Brittany doing?" He continued to ask, hopping up on the stool next to mine as I poured myself a bowl of cereal.

I paused when he asked that, the flakes from the box still pouring into my bowl and actually filling it nearly to the brim. I looked at Simon for a few seconds, before lifting the box upwards again and adding.

"Who now?"

"Brittany..."

"Oh, I-" I added, twiddling my thumbs nervously as Dave came by and handed us the milk, "I don't know... sleeping?"

Simon frowned, once again one of his famous frowns.

"How're the gloves?"

"Huh?" I peeped, before looking down to the fused red gloves around my hands and upper arms, "Honestly, I forgot they were still on me."

"Alvin..." Simon replied, irritated by me and I rolled my eyes, replying just as angrily.

"Simon."

"Alvin." Dave said, pouring the milk into our bowls, "Don't talk to your brother like that."

"I-I!" I began, my words falling over each other, "I ONLY SAID HIS NAME!"

"See what I have to deal with all the time..."

We all froze when we heard Brittany's voice coming out of me.

"Ah, Brittany, good to see your still there."

"Where else would I be?"

"Nowhere..." Simon said back, his voice sounding a bit unsure, "I was just commenting."

"Yeah, okay..." She said and turned my eyes back to the food waiting to be devoured, "C'mon, we don't want to be late for school."

"Ah, the sanctuary of knowledge," Simon remarked and I rolled my own eyes this time, adding.

"Only you'd say something that nerdy."

"Respect my opinion."

"Why?" I barked back, and shoved my spoon in my mouth, angry at him, "You don't respect mine."

"Well maybe if you respected MY opinion, you and Brittany wouldn't be fused together right now."

"Well, news for YOU, SIMON. It's BRITTANY'S fault from the beginning! I was trying to protect your science fair experiment."

Simon's eyebrows crooked up, and he stared at me as if lost.

"What do you mean...? It was you who was down there?"

"No." I said coldly, and could feel Brittany becoming nervous in my body, "I was only down there to stop her from turning it ON!"

"Brittany..." Simon uttered, so lost and confused, "This is all... because of... you?"

I could feel a million of her thoughts zooming by in my mind, many of them upset, afraid and panicky.

"Brittany..?"

"I'm SO sorry, Simon." She said in near tearful words, and Simon slammed his feet to the ground, getting his bag and waiting at the front door.

"Simon...?" Brittany repeated and Simon just said.

"I knew I couldn't trust Alvin... but you? I respected you, Brittany."

"You don't respect me?" I asked Simon, my heart hurting at this realization.

"Trust has to be earned, Alvin." He told me with sad words and looked back up at us, closing his eyes in pain, "And Brittany... you just lost mine."

"Simon...?"

He pulled opened the little latch door of the front door and went outside. I quickly jumped to the ground after him and followed my brother outside, asking, "So what? Are you still going to build the machine that will unfuse us?"

Simon just stared at the ground, and I slowly took one small step closer to him. I placed my hand on his shoulder but he shoved me off, arguing, "Why should I? Knowing you two are just going to disrespect me again and again and again!"

I winced back at his rant and looked at him, hurting myself inside at his angry words.

"I'm sorry..." I said, Brittany said... our voices joining together and aching with our pain.

"You two are perfect for each other..." Simon muttered out before getting on the school bus that pulled up on the curb, "So maybe you should be together forever..."

My heart was literally crying out in agony at those cold angry words. I got on the bus too, sitting at the front and the Chipettes with Theodore climbed into the bus as well.

Jeanette sat beside me, Eleanor next to her and Theodore sat next to Simon.

What do we do, Alvin? Brittany asked me in my mind with her thoughts, I don't want to be stuck in you forever...

You won't, I assured her, glancing over at Simon to see he was leaning his head in his hand, his face glaring out into space ahead of him, I know Simon, he wouldn't leave us stuck like this... never.

Then... what will we do?

Wait, I replied, and held my hands together... the metal from the gloves clinking off each other, he'll fix this... he will.

And, if he doesn't?

If he doesn't, then... I thought back, almost afraid to tell her my decision. But I did, I had to.

I will.

I could feel Brittany panicking at my choice. But I didn't care. I was going to get us unfused, whether with Simon's help or not.

"I WILL." I said to the world. I closed my tired eyes in pain, "I will..."