Alvin's Point of View
"What on Earth just happened?" I questioned as me and Simon continued to stare at the door mesmerized by the ghostly feeling with the feint scent of Brittany's favorite fruity perfume. I thought I'd be able to help Simon with anything that he needed; how to act like me, how I could fix the mistakes I made with the machine, even how to get Dave off his back, but two minutes with Brittany and it felt like all hope was lost. How could I let Simon kiss her without her throwing up? That was supposed to be my kiss, not his.
"Still think I should go to the dance?" Simon said, like he could read my mind. I wanted to tell him no, but I couldn't let him ditch Brittany, not now, not after all of her expectations. She expected a kiss. She wanted a kiss. I would let her get her kiss, no matter how painful it was.
"I don't think you have a choice." I replied and he sighed.
"I guess I don't," He whined, "With her attitude, with her attitude, she'll probably drag me the entire way there." It's true that Brittany was a little… forceful, but how was that not at all appealing to him? If he couldn't at least act like he was having a good time with her, then we'd both be dead; I'd kill him, and Brittany would kill me. What about girls made Simon so cranky and shy? Sure, he was always a little grumpy, but how come he gave me the toughest challenge in the world: making him fun? How could I possibly do that when he wouldn't give anything fun a chance?
Simon, still in shock from Brittany's last words, walked over to his machine and picked up the remote, unharmed and probably the only part of the machine that was fully functional. I was certain I knew what he was thinking -that seemed to happen a lot ever since the switch- he wanted us and everything else to be back to normal as much as I did. He wanted to be able to work his own brainy way and slowly get nowhere with Jeanette his own dorky way. I wanted to be my smooth self getting him in trouble my own accidental way and to get everywhere with Brittany in my own charming body. We've been brothers all our lives and yet we could barely make it a day in the others shoes without getting sent to a psychologist or ending the world and our separate reputations.
"I guess we start first thing in the morning." He stated and dropped the remote to the ground. I watched it fall, the light wasn't shining "Ready for use" like the first time I saw it. The way he dropped it… I couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or angry; the blank expression on his face was like the one I always got in math class, unknowing and uncaring.
"Agreed," I nodded, "but Si?" He turned to me, "your first lesson: relax." He rolled his eyes and hopped out of the room and I followed. Time for bed. According to Dave, we were sick, and sick munks went to bed early. Ha, Simon's lessons were going to be easy! Look at me, I can totally be responsible.
"Okay, guys, get plenty of rest." Dave said, covering me and my brothers with a small blanket.
"Yes, Dave." We all said and watched the chipettes climb the stairs. Brittany practically skipped up them, Eleanor right behind her. Jeanette slumped over and hopped up each one without paying attention as to whether she tripped or not.
"Goodnight!" I shouted and Jeanette looked back with a weak smile. I nudged Simon and he shouted the same, followed by Theodore. The three chipettes looked back and said goodnight back. Dave turned out the lights and followed the chipettes upstairs to tuck them in. We were growing up, but that was something any of us would never get tired of.
"Simon?" Theodore's voice rasped in my ear and I drowsily peeked one eye open. He was referring to me, wasn't he? Now?! It couldn't have been any later than two in the morning. "Simon, I-I had a nightmare…" I popped my other eye open, no doubt that was Theodore. Even through Simon's blurred vision and the darkness of the room I could make out my youngest brother's light fur, green pajama shirt, and… thickness. I couldn't ignore my baby brother, he'd just had a nightmare, not mention he'd already seen me open my eyes.
"What about?" I asked, feigning any actual interest.
"I-I dreamt that you and Alvin would be sick forever, and that you'd never get better and always act so…"
"Crazy?" I finished his sentence for him and he nodded timidly, "Theo, I know what you're feeling -really I do- I've had that dream for the past couple of days, and I am tired of it. But me and Simon are perfectly fine. We aren't sick, and we aren't loco. We're just two chipmunks that have reached a really stressful time in their lives."
"I think Dave talked about that once," He replied, "Remember? 'I know you guys are curious'-"
"No no!" I quickly interrupted, "Not that, it's just been busy." I yawned and prayed that Theodore was out of fears and questions for the night.
"Um, one more thing, "He requested, "why did you call Alvin Simon?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, too tired for this. I thought back and recalled what I'd said before. "Me and Simon are perfectly fine." Aw, crud…
"Before, you-" He started, but I cut him off before he got even more suspicious.
"I don't remember that." I blinked.
"But I heard you say 'Simon' earlier." He insisted.
"No I didn't."
"Um, yes you-" I cut him off again.
"Nope. Nuh uh, no, no, no, no, and, let me think, no." He gave me a fearful look, then squinted, as if he was trying to study me. He took a step back on the recliner and all I could hear was Simon's soft snoring. "Theo, I think you're just tired. Go back to sleep."
"Okay…" He breathed slowly and shuffled a few inches away from me. Eyes closed, soft breathing, I finally got to sleep.
I just wish I could have slept in like any other day off from school. This time, I barely remembered falling asleep. The second I heard the hustle and bustle of everyone other than Simon and me getting ready for school, I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back into dreamland.
"Everyone ready to go?" Dave asked and everyone lined up at the door. "Alvin, Simon. You both going to be alright while I take them?" We nodded groggily and looked at the other chipmunks, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and (mostly) excited for school.
"Bye, guys, I hope you feel better." Eleanor said cheerfully and hopped out the door and toward the car.
"Bye, Alvie." Brittany winked and followed her sister.
"H-Hope you get better soon." Jeanette whispered, giving me a somewhat sympathetic look, and hopping out.
"I'll make you soup when I get home!" Theodore exclaimed and ran out, followed by Dave, who sent us to our room, telling us to rest in the Chipette's beds. Dave was wrong to trust that we would rest, he had no way of enforcing the rule unless he would come up and check on us. Otherwise, we had the opportunity for some acting lessons.
"Si, you're probably in a worse situation than I am; I'll train you first." I said. I wasn't trying to be suttle, he needed my help and I was more than willing to give it to him, "And since you're worried most about the dance, lets focus on how you are with girls." I explained this, knowing it would be a long lesson. I thought I saw him shiver and I guess it was understandable. Girls were NOT his thing; the most experience he had was "cute" flirting with Jeanette, but now he was me, and now he'd have to munk up his game. "Lets work on your dancing for, you know, the dance." I said, "More specifically, slow dance." He stood there with his blank expression.
"Slow dance?" He asked, "What's slow dancing?" I thought he was kidding, but with the expression practically glued on his face, I felt warm finally being able to explain something that he had no idea about. He was supposed to be the smart one, but now it was my time to shine. How could he have not have heard of slow dancing?!
"It's dancing in slow motion." I joked, but regretted it immediately. Despite me laughing at my own genius, his hard expression told me that he was taking me seriously. He started to move around, using some of the moves we'd used during previous performances, but slower. This was just sad, so sad I couldn't even laugh.
"How do I do the flip in slow motion?" He questioned and studied the ground with hiss eyes. That was too much.
"Uh, Si?" I said, "I was only kidding." His cheeks flushed and the embarrassment leaked out of him like a water bottle without a cap.
"Well then what's slow dancing?!" He squeaked, ending his awkward movements.
"Do I really have to show you?" I complained, thinking about how weird it would be. I mean, he was my brother, I wouldn't be able to even look him in the eyes.
"Would you please?" He uttered, "Wait, why do I even need to learn to slow dance? I thought I wasn't going to do anything with Brittany."
"It's a dance," I informed, "You don't really get a say." I stared at him, focused on his form and he groaned, accepting his fate. I accepted my own, having to be his teacher of what was sure to be an awkward experience.
"Just teach me how to slow dance." He mumbled. This was going to be more miserable than attending Simon's physics class.
"Okay, pretend I'm Brittany." I said.
"Why?"
"Because slow dancing is usually done with a boy and a girl." I answered.
"But why are you Brittany?"
"Because you need to learn the guy portion." Did he really have to make everything so complicated?
"Okay, you're Brittany."
"Good, now follow my lead. By the way, the guy usually takes the lead."
"Then why are you taking the lead?"
"To teach you."
"But you're Brittany."
"Simon… Don't make me kill you." I was getting really annoyed. Was this what he was like in class whenever he learned something new? Poor teachers. "Now follow my freaking lead." He nodded, shrugging his shoulders, but looked disgusted when I moved his hands on my waist and wrapped my arms around his neck. Being the taller one in this situation only made this more uncomfortable. I regretted agreeing to teach him this.
"I'm not enjoying this, Alvin." Simon whined.
"Oh yeah, cause I'm doing this because I love the thrill." I said sarcastically, "We both just have to suck it up."
"Fine…" He grumbled.
"Now slow dancing is basically just rocking back and forth." I began doing so with my brother and he seemed to catch on pretty quickly.
"How is this a dance?" He asked.
"I have no idea." I admitted, "I just know girls find it romantic."
"A baby could do this." He belittled.
"Well you could always spice things up a bit with a twirl or a dip." I explained, unwrapping my arms and taking his hand and twirling him under my arm and bringing him back, dipping him so his face hung upside-down staring at the empty doorway. "Now you try." We switched to our first position and he took my hand, awkwardly twirling me under his arm and back for a dip.
"What exactly are you guys doing?" Dave questioned us as he stood through the doorway. If it wasn't awkward before, it was awkward now.
"Uh… Nothing?" I said and Simon dropped me, "Oof!"
"You're just dreaming, Dave." Simon said hopefully.
"I hope so…" Dave muttered and walked away, holding his head.
"Okay," I coughed, "I think you have the dancing down, except for the drop at the end, believe me you do not want to do that to Brittany. At the end, rather than dropping your partner, you could give her a kiss."
"Excuse me?!" He yelled, crossing his arms.
"Brittany did say you two would be kissing." His eyes went wide with fear.
"Oh no! No no no no no!" He was practically screaming the word out and he held up his hands as if to protect himself, "I am not kissing her!"
"Why not?" I cried. She wanted a kiss.
"We clearly have two completely different views: I don't want you anywhere near Jeanette because you're not me, but you seem to want me to fill in for you for whatever reason. I am willing to go to a dance with Brittany, but I am NOT going to kiss her!"
"Oh come on!" I pleaded, "I'm doing what you ask, can't you just do this for me?"
"Can't I just pretend I'm actually sick?"
"No!" I said, "She wouldn't care and frankly, neither would I."
"But, Alvin-" He tried to say, but I stopped him.
"Please? It'd mean a lot to me AND Brittany." I begged, "If you can find a way to dodge it without hurting her, than be my guest, but if not, then I need you kiss her." I stared into his eyes, not caring about how desperate I sounded, I needed to be able to count on him.
"O-Okay…" He sighed, "But nothing more than a peck!" Oh sure, he knew what a peck was -barely counting as a kiss- but he didn't know about slow dancing.
"Okay, fine." I agreed, "Do you need any practice?"
"With what?"
"Kissing."
"Excuse me?!" He sounded repulsed. Hurtful, bro.
"Well not to toot my own horn," I boasted, "but I am a pretty good kisser."
"No I don't need any practice!" He replied, pushing me away, "Anything else I need to know in order to be you?" I thought about myself and all of my qualities: good with girls, check! Next up: have fun.
"You need to learn how to truly have fun." I explained, "And with that, you'll also learn how to handle getting into trouble." He swallowed as if he knew what I had planned next.
"You mean…?" He started, but couldn't bring himself to finish.
"That's right, bro," I said, "You and I are gonna sneak out." I smiled evilly as the thought entered my head, "Just like we did to get the formula, except this time we'll do something fun."
"I don't have a choice, do I?" He asked and I shook my head.
"You have the makings of an evil mastermind," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulder, "All we gotta do is unleash it."
"Uh… Yeah, not going to happen," He said, "But if I have to sneak out again, I will if I must." He breathed deeply, "But first," He walked over to the closet and pulled out a thick book, "your turn to start acting like me." He tossed me the book and I stared at the cover which read, "The Basics of Chemistry." He took another book from the closet and threw it my way. This one read, "The Beginner's Guide to Engineering." "I'm going to need you to learn the basics if you're going to act like me AND help with the transmitter." He stated. I was touched by his trust in me, but that warm feeling quickly went away as reality set in. I had to read two five hundred page books that practically crushed me with their weight.
"This is not going to be fun." I thought, flipping through the chemistry book, "Dang it… No pictures."