Disclaimer: Alvin and the Chipmunks and all related characters and indicia are the property of Bagdasarian Productions, LLC. I own only the plot. Hope you find this beginning engaging.

Chapter 1: The Offer

Eleanor had been having trouble with the kids at school in recent weeks. While she wasn't the most popular of the Chipettes (that honor belonged to Brittany), she was getting more attention than Jeanette, and it wasn't in a positive way. Eleanor was often ridiculed because she was the chubbiest of her sisters, and her weight was often joked about behind her back. She wasn't bullied outright, but the snickers and rude comments always floated into her ears and it took a while for them to leave.

Today was just such a day. As the sisters went off to their individual classes at the start of the day, Eleanor entered her first period class and heard someone quietly call her "the not-so-little Chipette" in a mean way. Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the comment as her teacher began the lesson. She was so looking forward to having her favorite class with her older sisters and the Chipmunks for third period. Ms. Brown was the nicest teacher Eleanor knew, for she always made her students smile and was quick to administer justice.

"She would tell those bullies to stop teasing me for my weight," Eleanor said to herself.

Eventually, Eleanor got her wish. After some time in art class to take her mind off her troubles, Eleanor met her sisters Brittany and Jeanette, who happily escorted her to class. The Chipmunks were there, and Theodore gave her a warm smile and a quick wave as the Chipettes took their seats. The lesson progressed nicely as Ms. Brown taught the class about Shakespeare's comedies, and as usual, Simon and Jeanette were the most eager to answer questions. When class was over Theodore came to Eleanor and said, "Having a good day so far, Eleanor?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," replied Eleanor. Then she smiled at her friend and said, "Thank you, Theodore."

Then Theodore said, "Say, we're having movie night this weekend at our place. Would you like to come?"

Eleanor felt much better at that. She loved it when she and her sisters had movie night with the Chipmunks. Theodore prepared the snacks and sat with her throughout the film, Simon helped choose the movie, and Alvin worked with Brittany and Jeanette to decorate the room for the movie based on its genre.

She smiled and said, "I'd love to come over."

Theodore hugged her and said, "Great! I'll let Alvin and Simon know."

Eleanor waved goodbye as Theodore went to join his brothers at lunch. Brittany and Jeanette were already down there, so Eleanor hurried to meet them. Sadly, the school cafeteria was where Eleanor was teased the most. She loved to eat, but she was also athletic despite her chubby physique, yet her bullies practically denied it.

When she joined her sisters and the Chipmunks, Eleanor was glad to be in good company even though there were snickers at her from other kids while she enjoyed her turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on rye. The youngest Chipette did her best to ignore them and focused on how Alvin and Brittany were chatting happily together instead of arguing. Of course, she knew that to them, their arguments were more flirtatious than mean, but it was nice to see them getting along openly.

When lunch ended, Alvin and Simon walked Brittany and Jeanette to class while Theodore gave Eleanor another hug and headed to theatre class while she went to science. Fortunately, Jeanette would be there if she needed help. It would have been better if Eleanor had left earlier, for she happened to come across three fifth-grade girls: Janice, Tina, and Pansy. They were the most popular girls in the school next to the Chipettes, and they had a reputation for being snobbish and quite disagreeable. They looked at her and Janice said, "Hey, Eleanor."

Eleanor looked at Janice and her friends and replied shortly, "Hi, Janice. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I must be off to class."

"Wait a minute. Don't go just yet," said Tina hastily. "We just want to talk."

Eleanor gave a quizzical look and asked, "What about?"

Pansy answered, "Well, we've been hearing how a lot of kids in your own grade have been teasing you for being fa-"

Janice gave her friend a tap on the shoulder and a stern look, and Pansy quickly corrected herself. "On the wider side."

Eleanor groaned with exasperation and said, "And I suppose you're going to make fun of me too."

Janice quickly answered, "Actually, there's really nothing wrong with how you look."

Eleanor felt a sense of being complimented, for she had never heard Janice or her friends say something nice about anyone other than each other, and she said, "Thank you. I think."

"And you know, you are the cutest member of your sisters' band," added Janice. "I mean, your little blonde pigtails. Those pretty brown eyes, and your adorable little face. With a little work, you could be the most adorable little girl in school. Probably the loveliest of the Chipettes."

This intrigued and surprised Eleanor. Janice and her friends weren't exactly the helpful sort, so this could be a new first for them. And she thought it would be nice to go without being taunted and teased at school, so Eleanor said, "Well, I would like to lose a little weight."

Janice, Tina, and Pansy grinned at each other, then returned their attention to Eleanor. Then Janice said, "And on top of that, your little friend Theodore would love to see the girl of his affection with a slim build. It would knock his socks off."

Looking good for Theodore was something Eleanor liked, and so she said, "So what do you have in mind?"

"You'll have to meet us after school to find out," grinned Tina. "Don't you worry, darling. Everything will be fine."

With that, Eleanor thanked the three older girls for their offer and went on her way. Little did she know that Janice, Tina, and Pansy had no real intention to help her look good. They had a plan to drive the bullying point where it would hurt most.

…

When school was officially over, Eleanor headed home ahead of Brittany and Jeanette. While her sisters and Miss Miller were out, she met Janice and her friends and asked about their plan to "help" her lose some weight. The three girls had Eleanor wrap a small corset around her stomach. The little Chipette groaned from the sheer pressure and gasped, "It's too tight. I-I can't breathe!"

To the youngest Chipette's surprise, the three older girls were smiling, and Janice said, "You look absolutely lovely, Eleanor. Now let's see you turn."

Eleanor did, but the constriction around her stomach made it rather difficult. Moreover, the corset made her waist look thinner, but her face and legs still looked the same. She looked cartoonishly shaped.

"Well, you've pulled off looking thinner," Tina chuckled. "Now for the plan to help you make it a reality."

With that, she handed Eleanor a sheet of paper that detailed an exercise program that would take an hour for every day of the week. Eleanor was starting to get worried. Was this really what she had to do to get a bit thinner? The corset was tough enough, but the workout made it sound harder.

Pansy noticed the look on her face and said, "Not thinking of avoiding our help, are you?"

"She's right, Eleanor," grinned Janice. "Theodore will love to see you looking more like your sister Brittany, and you'll need to lose your tum if you want to know for sure."

Eleanor was thoroughly convinced by that. She knew that at school, most of the kids (as well as Alvin) found Brittany the most attractive of her sisters, and Jeanette was considered rather good-looking because she was lean. Eleanor took a breath and said, "All right. I'll try this new routine."

Then Janice added, "Good. And by the way, you'll need to wear the corset while you do it, unless you want that belly of yours getting in the way."

Feeling that she had no choice, Eleanor agreed. She did her homework, and then began the grueling exercise Janice and her friends had given her. For the next hour, Eleanor lifted small weights, tried sit-ups and push-ups, and did various stretching exercises. The poor Chipette could feel her middle being compressed as she stretched as that corset was forcing her to stay straight as well. But despite the new soreness, she was convinced that this was necessary for her health. And when she took a break after thirty minutes of working out, she tried not to go to the kitchen for a treat as her reward. She only had a glass of water and then resumed exercising.

The Chipettes: Hey there, Georgy girl
Swingin' down the street so fancy-free
Nobody you meet could ever see
The loneliness
Inside you

Hey there, Georgy girl
Why do all the boys just pass you by?
Could it be you just don't try or is it the clothes you wear?

You're always window shopping but never stopping to buy
So shed those dowdy feathers and fly a little bit

Hey there, Georgy girl
There's another Georgy deep inside
Bring out all the love you hide, and oh, what a change there'd be
The world would see a new Georgy girl

When Brittany and Jeanette came home, they found Eleanor curled up on the couch with a book. She greeted them warmly, but she didn't feel happy or fit after following Janice's advice. On the contrary, she had a hollow feeling in her stomach. Eleanor didn't know why Janice and her friends were making her work so hard just to get in shape and part of her thought that Janice, Pansy, and Tina weren't really helping her. But she kept quiet about it and did her best to smile at dinner and for the rest of the evening. Sadly, the situation was about to get worse.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this start to the story, and you'll have a lot of heartstrings pulled for Eleanor when Chapter 2 comes around.

Song: Georgy Girl- The Seekers

If anyone's curious, I'm writing this story because I think that there's a lot more to beauty than just the outward appearance. This story is one that goes out to you all. Pleasant reading.