Chapter 3: All You Need Is Love

Two weeks later, Eleanor showed up at school on Thursday looking less than her usual self. She was rather pale and quite tired, and her eyes seemed to be losing their sparkle. Her back ached from having that corset keep her posture straight and her stomach hurt from being compressed for hours on end. Worse, she felt terribly hungry but didn't dare eat more than she was at the time, for Janice and her friends would be on her neck no end until she went back to their little plan. Of course, Janice, Tina, and Pansy ignored how tired and weak Eleanor looked and told her the next step in losing weight would be working out two hours a day on weekends.

That evening, the Chipmunks and Dave decided to come over the Chipettes' for a visit. When they came, Eleanor had finished another difficult workout session and was about to get herself back into that awful corset when she heard Brittany and Jeanette coming up the stairs. Eleanor was almost panicking, for she wouldn't be able to tie the corset fast enough before they were in the room and she couldn't hide it or she would risk giving herself away. It didn't matter, though, for Brittany opened the door and she and Jeanette saw it.

"Eleanor," Brittany gasped. "Have you been wearing a corset all this time?"

The poor child couldn't hold herself back anymore. Now she would have to tell Brittany and Jeanette the truth and then get chewed out by everyone.

"Yes," she moaned. "It is true!"

Eleanor fell on her knees and burst into tears. Then she said through her sobs, "I thought I was getting help to try losing a little weight, but I was told to wear this stupid corset even when I worked out! I was told to restrict my diet to green leaves and nuts! I even had to avoid accepting treats from Theodore!"

Brittany and Jeanette had never seen Eleanor so upset, and Brittany knelt to Eleanor's level and asked, "My dear, sweet baby sister, who did this to you?"

"It was Janice and her friends Tina and Pansy," Eleanor sniffled.

Brittany and Jeanette felt their jaws drop at Eleanor's confession, and Jeanette said, "Wait a minute. Do you mean Janice Effelston?"

"That girl's picked on Simon and Theodore as well!" fumed Brittany. "Just let me at her! I'll teach that snob to mess with my family!"

Jeanette placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder and said, "Janice can wait, Brittany. Eleanor's our priority right now."

With that, the two older Chipettes wrapped their arms around Eleanor and let her cry on their shoulders. They rocked her and patted her on the back to calm her down. After a minute, the three of them went downstairs to where the Chipmunks, Dave, and Miss Miller were waiting for them. Theodore almost ran to Eleanor when he saw how sad she was, and when Miss Miller asked what was wrong, the Chipettes explained everything.

A few moments later, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes were on the couch with Dave and Miss Miller. Eleanor was on her adoptive mother's lap with a warm blanket wrapped around her shoulders while Brittany and Jeanette held her hands. Alvin and Simon were sorry for Eleanor, but Theodore was giving her an empathetic look.

Eleanor had calmed down, but the hurt and guilt was still lingering. She said, "I'm sorry I kept this from you all. But I just wanted the teasing at school to stop."

"Well, we're glad you told us, Eleanor," insisted Dave.

"But I don't know what I'm going to do now," the blonde Chipette said. "If I stop wearing that corset and go back to doing what I normally do, Janice and her friends will force me back into this. And if I don't stop, I'll just make it worse."

The Chipmunks had to admit that Eleanor had a point, but they still wanted to help her. Then Jeanette said, "Eleanor, look at me. Do you think that I'm bad-looking?"

"Never, Jeanette," replied Eleanor. "I mean, with your bun hairstyle and your green eyes, you're beautiful in your own way."

"And I can hardly speak for my figure," Jeanette grinned.

Then Theodore approached her and said, "And I get bullied openly because I'm chubby, Eleanor. So I really know how you feel."

Eleanor understood that Theodore was trying to lift her spirits, but she said, "But I'm even more chubby than you, Theodore. And Pansy said I'll ruin my figure if I had any treats."

Then Theodore said something that really surprised Eleanor. He said to her, "Eleanor, I think you're just as beautiful outside as you are inside. You're sweet, gentle, and you're so lovable all over."

Eleanor couldn't deny that she felt a warmth in her heart, and she said, "You really think that, Theodore?"

"I have ever since we met," he answered. And then he hugged Eleanor and kissed her on the cheek.

Then Brittany said, "Besides, Jeanette and I think you're beautiful just the same, from your round little cheeks to your pretty little toes. And we think your chubby little belly is just so darn cute."

Brittany and Jeanette immediately began tickling their youngest sister while the Chipmunks and Dave looked on with smiles. Eleanor giggled and then burst out laughing as her sisters tickled her, and then Theodore tickled Eleanor before wrapping her into a hug. Finally, Miss Miller swept Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor up in her arms.

After Dave and the boys had returned home, Miss Miller served a macaroni and cheese dinner for the Chipettes, and Eleanor was so happy she managed a second serving. When they were finished with their meal, Eleanor was feeling full to the point where Brittany and Jeanette let her loop her arms around their shoulders and they all went upstairs to relax. After the girls had their baths and were ready for bed, Miss Miller read them Cinderella, and when the old maid kissed them good night, Eleanor had a real smile on her face. Then as the sisters drifted off to sleep, Eleanor took Snow Bear in her arms and snuggled into her pillow. She had a feeling Friday was going to be a good day.

…

The next morning, Eleanor had a complete breakfast. However, she was told to put the corset on one last time. When she wondered why, Brittany and Jeanette explained that they had called the Chipmunks that morning and they were going to show Janice, Tina, and Pansy that Eleanor wasn't afraid to be herself.

When they were dropped off at school, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes found Janice and her friends by the lockers, and with an encouraging smile from Theodore, Eleanor simply approached with a confident smile. The three big girls noticed and Janice, "Well, someone's in a good mood. Think you can manage two hours of working out after all, Eleanor?"

"Save it, Janice," replied Eleanor. "I know that you simply concocted this big nonsense about helping me get in shape just so you could make me feel bad about myself."

Janice, Tina, and Pansy were all shocked, and then Tina groaned, "Fine. You got us there. We tried to make you feel bad because you're the chubbiest girl in third grade and you don't take effort to lose any of that weight."

Eleanor huffed and said, "First of all, I'm only the chubbiest chipmunk girl in third grade. And second, I do exercise. I can swim, play tennis, play soccer, and I jog. But I do like to eat and cook too. So I say if being heavier than my older sisters makes me unattractive, then make a fool of me every day."

Then Brittany and Jeanette came up beside her while the Chipmunks watched. Jeanette said, "You know, Janice, Brittany and I really don't appreciate you forcing our little sister to go through such agony just because she isn't up to your standards of beauty."

"We will be talking to Principal Talbot about this, but first, we have a little lesson in appreciation to teach," Brittany grinned. "My hair clippers, Jeanette, if you would."

The brunette Chipette handed Brittany her clippers and Eleanor raised the back of her shirt and vest. Then before Janice, Tina, and Pansy knew what was happening, Brittany cut the strings of the corset at the knot. Eleanor's belly bounced outward, and the corset flew off and hit Tina full in the face.

Eleanor adjusted herself and said, "It feels so good to be me again. Wouldn't you agree, Janice?"

Janice and her friends gaped at Eleanor and said, "Are you crazy?! You actually like being big?!"

Eleanor grinned and replied smartly, "The word is 'chubby'." She gave her belly a pat, making it shake, and Janice and her friends looked at each other with shocked expressions.

Alvin grinned and said, "Warning! Warning!"

Then at Alvin and Simon's encouragement, Theodore came to Eleanor and said to Janice and the others, "You should also know that my brothers and I are pretty mad about the way you've been treating my best friend. Besides, Eleanor is so much sweeter than you three."

Then he held Eleanor close and said sweetly, half to Eleanor and half to the big girls, "She's the loveliest little cupcake ever, the warmest cup of hot chocolate on a winter day, the most beautiful sugarplum full of love and laughter..."

Janice and her friends were now so shocked that Theodore found Eleanor attractive that their faces turned the color of badly cooked cabbage. Brittany and Jeanette were struggling to contain their giggles, Simon grinned for Theodore's gushing over Eleanor, and Alvin called, "Mayday! Mayday!"

Janice, Tina, and Pansy hurried away looking rather nauseous, and the Chipmunks cheered as Brittany and Jeanette hugged Eleanor. Then Alvin walked Brittany to class and Simon led Jeanette away on his arm. Theodore gave Eleanor another hug and said, "It's so good to have the real you back, Eleanor? Juice box?"

"Thank you, my adorable Teddy Bear," Eleanor cooed. "Will you walk me to class too?"

"Absolutely, my little lollipop," he replied.

Theodore and Eleanor walked to class hand in hand, and Eleanor was sure that today would be the best one yet.

A/N: Hope you all liked the ending of this story. And how about Eleanor standing to those three girls for bullying her? Feel free to tell me your opinions, and remember what Beauty and the Beast taught us: true beauty is found within.