FRIDAY

BRITTANY'S POV

Dear diary,

I wish I didn't have to go to school today. I feel sick. I don't know what to do about the whole Simon thing. I'm not even sure if my crush on him will last. What if I'm setting him up to get his heart broken? I just want to lay in bed and relax, but I can't skip school because I have my principal's assistant duties AND cheer practice.

Wait, have I remembered to eat breakfast? Urrrrgh. I guess I'll go have some applesauce or something. Why can't I get Simon out of my head so I can focus on more important things!?

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Why did I go to school? The entire day was awkward. Simon avoided me and I don't blame him. I asked him about how he was feeling and he said he's "still thinking." Then, I asked how much time the thinking would take and he said he didn't know…and that he was late for science class.

Word got around that I asked Simon out, because I wasn't exactly discreet about it thanks to Eleanor. People started asking me if I was serious about it and telling me how dating a star basketball player would look great for my social status. Now I'm even more confused because I don't know if I really like Simon or if I was subconsciously using him to upgrade my social status. I HATE being forced to think of psychology topics. I wish I never had to listen to Jeanette babble on and on about it.

I didn't have anyone to talk this through with. I was still mad at Eleanor for messing everything up. Jeanette was busy with something, but wouldn't tell me what. I think she was working on an art project. She's not good at hiding things. I don't even need to read her diary to know what's going on with her. Which is good, because I shouldn't be reading any diaries except my own.

After school, I had cheer practice and things went fine. I managed to get out of my own head for a while. My moves weren't perfect. They were just okay. I'm tired and sick, so "just okay" will have to be good enough. One of my teammates asked me if I needed to see the nurse. The rest made jokes about how shaky and uncoordinated I was compared to my usual self. I got the last laugh when I "accidentally" shoved everyone making fun of me and made them fall and get grass stains on their outfits.

Back at home, I turned on the TV and tried to find something decent to watch to keep my mind from coming back to my difficult decision. WHY DOES EVERY SINGLE TV SHOW OR MOVIE HAVE A ROMANCE PLOT OR SUBPLOT!? All it did was make me think even more about Simon.

Suppose we were official. How would that change things? Would we be alright chained together by the red string of fate? Would it be a happily ever after? Oh, don't be stupid, me. Happily ever after doesn't exist. The world isn't like a movie.

I can't drag Simon into dating me until I have a grip on what I actually like him for. So far, all I can think of is his athleticism and coolness that I never used to notice. But, if we did date, maybe I would find something else? A deeper connection?

Stop thinking about him. I have to stop. He's going to reject me. I already know it. Or he's going to agree and only last one date before he calls me superficial and breaks my heart just like his worthless and pathetic brother. I don't know what's worse. The second probably. I wonder if there's a love potion in his lab that can make him as head over heels for me as I am for him. Maybe there's a potion that could eliminate my crush on him and return everything to normal.

Urgh! I have to stop thinking! I am driving myself crazy. My stomach is in knots and my hands are shaking and I'm in too deep now to back out. Someone is going to get hurt. It's up to Simon whether it's going to be one of us or both of us.

Thank goodness it's Friday. I have a whole weekend to work on relieving the tension before I go back to school and face it all again. No set plans this weekend either. It'll be bliss.

JEANETTE'S POV

Dear, Diana,

Brittany looked very ill when she got up today. Eleanor told me there's nothing wrong with her, but I am inclined to disagree. I texted Theodore and asked if he could fill me in on what happened at the roller rink yesterday. I didn't hear back from him, so I decided to press on with the day.

After nibbling some bagels with vegan cream cheese, I fed Pippi some mouse treats I bought at the pet store. "Wish me luck, Pippi." I said. She knew I was going to try and help Alvin come up with a winning science fair project today. She told me I would be amazing.

I walked to school and enjoyed the crisp air. My nose got a bit sniffly. It's a good thing I stocked up on tissues. On the walk, I met a cheerful little robin and wished him a lovely day. I also picked up a snail that was trying to climb someone's mailbox and pointed her in a safer direction.

I arrived with plenty of time to spare and stood by Alvin's locker, waiting for him. He showed up looking like he was thrown into a dumpster. I'm guessing he had a rough night. I was bursting with excitement to tell him my ideas, but he shut me down immediately.

It hurt a lot. I could tell maybe it was too early for him to think about this stuff. I asked him if we could talk more at lunch. He told me he would be booked at lunch, but we could talk in his comic club that meets up most fridays.

Unfortunately, that meant I had to spend the rest of the day waiting for the chance to discuss my ideas. I was pretty antsy. I knew I was the answer to Alvin's problem. I had to be. He already said Simon, Theo, and Dave either couldn't help him or didn't have the time.

I'm filling you up with more and more doodles now, Diana. I'm sure if anyone were to try and read you, they wouldn't be able to find all the words. I guess that serves as a nice security measure. I don't have a lock like Brittany and Eleanor. I used to, but I misplaced it. Maybe it's under my bed.

Between classes, I got a chance to talk to Theodore, through text. He quickly filled me in on everything I missed yesterday and…my head is spinning. Did Brittany really say she has a crush on Simon? I thought she wanted me to date him. She kept saying that it was best for the whole world if I dated Simon instead of Alvin. Perhaps this means she has changed her tune and gotten some well needed character development. I hope so.

I spent my lunch period finishing my homework so that I wouldn't have any to worry about over the weekend. I'm very curious what fun surprises the weekend will offer. Maybe I can take a nice road trip with my sisters.

I very much enjoy road trips. They're often relaxing. I can put in my headphones and look out the window to enjoy the scenery. Sometimes, we play fun car games like the license plate alphabet game. We should take nice weekend trips more often. Or go camping!

I stopped by the art room to talk to Theo in person since I know he's been spending time there working on a top secret project. When I got there, he was already gone to his next class and this rude girl named Sabrina told me to "beat it." I don't know what she was expecting me to beat. Maybe it's another expression.

The comic book club welcomed me with open arms after school. I don't go there all the time, but I think they all know my name and face by now. They also know that I have a very distinct writing style and they compliment it quite a bit. It makes me feel so safe and protected from those nasty internet trolls that rip apart my stories.

I finally got the chance to talk to Alvin about the possibility of me helping him come up with a science fair idea. To my surprise, he respectfully declined my offer. He could tell I was hurt and confused, so at least he explained why he turned it down.

He said that working with me on a project idea would be a dream. Unfortunately, everyone would assume that he forced me or tricked me into doing all the work for him. He said the only way he could accept my help is if we kept it a secret. "I'm uncomfortable with secrets." I told him honestly. "I know you are." He told me. "Which is why I gotta do this on my own."

I wish he didn't always assume people would only assume the worst of him. I can tell it's causing him a lot of unneeded anxiety. He did trick Theo and I into helping him a few times in the past, but it's different now. He's different.

When I got back to the treehouse, the weather had warmed up a lot. I was able to squeeze in some gardening and check on my ant friends in the anthills. I love California weather. I gave my ant friends some crumbs and watched them carry the crumbs away to their home.

I'm still disappointed about not being able to help Alvin. Maybe he'll change his tune and realize that together we could make something incredible. Or maybe he'll finally come up with something on his own that's ten times better than my ideas.

It's time to wind down for the night now, Diana. I look forward to telling you all about my weekend. I have a feeling something extraordinary will happen.

ELEANOR'S POV

So, I totally wrecked Brittany's life. She's being more of a drama queen about it than I was expecting, but I understand why. I dunno if she slept last night. She's got dark circles so big that she looks like a zombie. Jeanette's worried that Britt caught the flu that's been going around, but I told her that Britt's fine.

Britt will be fine, right? I mean, Simon's fine….and his life got totally flipped around. Alvin's…..alive. Oh no! Maybe Britt's NOT gonna be fine. I gotta tell her I'm sorry. I never meant for the prank to get out of hand.

I did not need this extra problem. I already have a near impossible case to solve weighing on my shoulders. I'm supposed to meet Cole after school today and continue sleuthing. Part of me doesn't really want to. I almost froze to death the last time I investigated.

Maybe I'm not meant to solve this case after all. Maybe no one will ever bag the thief and they'll just run amok thwarting security systems and making me doubt my skills as a detective. Cole isn't exactly a brilliant partner. I haven't made much headway. Really, continuing the case seems ridiculous at this point.

Why did I force myself to go after something as dumb as a thief who only steals green beans anyway? What a freakin' joke. Oh crud. The bell just rang and I need to stop writing before I get in trouble. If Miss. Smith reads my journal aloud to the class, I may have to fake my own death and leave town. Though I guess that would serve me right after what I did to Britt. We could both skip town together and be wanderers.

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You'll never guess where I just came from. The grocery store! Again! Why? Because I seem to have no self control or self preservation skills lately. Just kidding. The real reason was because Cole, bless his annoying little heart, convinced me not to give up on the case.

He said that while the world needs detectives to solve the big and exciting cases, it needs the ones to solve the little overlooked cases just as much. It hit me hard because I'm little and overlooked a lot. The green bean caper may be a silly case, but it is still a problem impacting the town in a subtle way.

The grocery store is on track to just stop selling green beans to force the thief to move on or steal something else. But, if they stop selling green beans, Theodore won't be able to get the right green beans for his project unless he shops at the grocery store on the other side of town.

Sure, it doesn't sound like it matters that much, but that's a long walk and it'll tire Theo out and….Okay, okay, I will level with you, journal. I'm stubborn and I wanna solve this case. That's it. Nothing more to it. And Cole's gonna help me!

He wasn't a ton of help today, but at least I didn't wind up in a freezer again, so we are making progress. He and I ran through all the security tapes, watching for anyone who could be snatching the green beans. I pointed out that there seemed to be no footage from the cameras closest to where the green beans were kept. Turns out, they were all broken. Disabled. Fried.

Then, I decided to check the camera footage from the aisle closest to the broken cameras and see if I noticed anyone acting strange, or recognized anyone at all. Cheesy appeared on the camera, picking out grapes and tasting them without buying. Bingo. I had my next suspect.

Meanwhile, Cole fumbled around trying to work the tape player and I had to wonder how this nut got a job as a security guard in the first place. Like I said, aside from convincing me to not give up on the case, he was not much help.

I'm back home now and plotting how I'm gonna capture Cheesy and shake the truth out of him…in a nice and somehow legal way. Things sure are complicated. Finally, finally, I am making headway on this case. Cheesy better not be another dead end. I don't know how much more I can take!

THEODORE'S POV

Dear, Diary,

Today, I made some apple cinnamon oatmeal for my brothers and I. I expected Alvin and Simon to be really mad at each other this morning, but they weren't. I dunno what's worse, seeing them fight or seeing them clearly holding back a big amount of stored up rage. It was really uncomfortable.

Dave could sense it was uncomfortable too. I talked to him about it right before he dropped us off at school. He said that when Alvin and Simon are ready to talk, he hopes someone would be around to help them be civil about it. I said that I wish it could be me, but they said I wouldn't understand. That's when Dave told me that even though I had never been in the situation they were in, I could still provide helpful input.

I do agree with that, I guess. But if I'm gonna get in the middle of a brotherly rage battle, I'm gonna need a protective suit made of bubble wrap. I think there's a box of it still in the basement.

Anyway, school went okay. I noticed Eleanor was acting very shady for some reason. She's probably plotting to play another joke on someone. I want to talk her out of it, but she's like talking to a brick wall when she's like this. I hope she catches the green bean thief soon so that she'll feel accomplished and be less mean to others. I think her frustration with the case is coming out in those pranks.

Simon vented to me a little about how he thinks Alvin could be right about the popularity giving him a big head. (He's always had a big head, if you ask me.) He says he can't tell Alvin because Alvin will tease him about it until the end of time. I wish he would tell Alvin. I don't know how to stop the popularity from making him act all weird. All I can do is try and influence better choices and wind up ignored.

I spent lunch in the art room munching on a slice of cafeteria pizza, which isn't nearly as good as the real thing. My mosaic made of green beans is turning out really cute looking. I've decided to make it a portrait of my family and friends. I originally wanted to do Eleanor only, but the art teacher said it wasn't big enough. It is HUGE now! I can't work on it unless I'm in the art room because it's too big to carry.

Sabrina, another person from art class, showed up to deliver me 3 more bags of green beans. I paid her for them like I usually do. Eleanor's case popped back into my thoughts. Could Sabrina be connected to the case? I usually don't follow people around, but I needed to know.

When I left school, I snuck around behind Sabrina as she met up with a group of her friends. She showed them the money. "He doesn't ask questions." She said. "He just pays me and I continue swiping him more stupid beans. What a gullible sap!"

I was furious. Sabrina WAS the green bean thief. I hadn't realized it earlier, but she wasn't paying for the beans she had been delivering me. Which meant, my project was the entire reason Eleanor had this frustrating case to solve.

I went home to find Simon and Dave playing basketball together in the backyard. Alvin was watching them and pushing back more rage. I couldn't tell Dave about my problem. Simon needed him more than I did. I couldn't tell Alvin either. He had enough on his mind with the science fair less than two weeks away.

I thought about what to tell Eleanor while I decided what to make for dinner. So many decisions. If I tell Eleanor, will I get in trouble for being gullible? What if she thinks I knew all along and I was trying to trick her? What if Officer Dangus locks me up because Sabrina convinces everyone I'm a bad person?

Should I pretend I still don't know? That's not very ethical. And what should I make for dinner? I definitely don't want green beans, that's for sure. I decided to try this new recipe for cranberry walnut bread and pair it with some cream of broccoli soup. Everyone liked it.

I'm gonna think more about whether or not to tell Eleanor that Sabrina and I are the green bean thieves tomorrow. I don't want to rush this decision and make everyone upset. I also don't want Eleanor to continue to be frustrated with the case. I'm really unsure what to do. Where do I go from here?

Uhhh, in happier news, I named my fish plushie Fredrick and I love him very much. He is squishy and cuddling him helps take the pains away.

SIMON'S POV

This Journal is Property of Simon Oliver Seville

DO NOT TOUCH: ESPECIALLY YOU, ALVIN!

After taking time to ponder over the news I received yesterday, I still have no idea what to do about Brittany. I mean, Brittany? Liking me? As a boyfriend? It's not like we have romantic chemistry. She's always been a good friend, sure. Am I prepared to take the next step with her? Absolutely not.

I guess that settles it. I have to tell her we can't be a couple. She doesn't take rejection well. I have a better idea. I will take so agonizingly long to make a decision that she will get impatient and give up on me. Phew. That takes care of that.

Alvin watched me with angry eyes from across the table this morning. I can't tell what he's thinking. Maybe he's upset Brittany likes me better than him. That doesn't make any sense. He's got Jeanette. Maybe he's upset I got more attention at the roller rink than him. That seems far more likely.

I decided to glare back at him, I don't know why. I guess because I wanted to show him he couldn't intimidate me. Our brotherly rivalry has grown more complex over the years. We've still got a deep bond and a lot in common though.

The school day started off uneventful. I minded my own business and ignored Brittany's pleading faces. I was able to tell her that I needed more time to weigh the pros and cons of a relationship. Everything seemed fine until 3rd hour.

During 3rd hour, I got texts from my teammates again. Gregory told me that they were planning to leave the school and go into town for lunch. Now, that is strictly forbidden. No one is allowed off campus for lunch, not even if their parents forgot to pack them lunch and they just want to run home and pack it themselves. (It's happened to me before.)

This was not a good sign and it only got worse from there. You see, like the idiot I was slowly becoming, I met up with my teammates and helped them sneak off campus for lunch. This was strike two. The fire alarm was strike one. I had to face the facts. Maybe Alvin wasn't so crazy when he said they're a bad influence on me.

We didn't get caught and I felt guilty about it the rest of the day. The Subway Sub was delicious, but it wasn't worth the trouble I could have gotten in. The basketball players claimed that even if we got caught, the teachers would look the other way because nobody wants to suspend the entire basketball team.

I had too much power. It WAS going to my head. I wasn't immune to the pull of friendship with a bunch of people who thought the rules were beneath them. I decided that no matter what, Alvin could not find out about this. He would tease me for eternity.

And so, I turned to the next person who could help me. My other brother. My less obnoxious and rude brother. I confided in Theodore and, unfortunately, he told me he didn't know how to stop the peer pressure from warping my judgment. So that was that. I was on my own.

After school, I practiced basketball in the backyard with Dave. It felt nice getting my exercise there and not with the team. I had told my teammates that I think the sub gave me food poisoning, which was a lie. I'm lying, sneaking around, going to parties, eating junk food. At least I haven't started teasing the less popular kids yet. I hope that never happens.

I vented to Dave about what was going on, leaving out that I had, you know, actually done those things they pressured me to do. I told him that I was afraid of losing a place where I felt I fit in. Although, as the days passed, I fit in less and less. Dave suggested that I listen to my heart and do what I feel is right. I don't think Dave realizes that my heart doesn't know what's right or wrong for me anymore. I'm in over my head. There must be some way to keep my new friends without becoming a delinquent, or worse…a bully.

Before I could talk more to Dave, guess who decided to butt in and aggravate us both. Alvin was upset that Dave was paying more attention to me and then went on a rant that lasted approximately 1 hour. He claimed Dave was standing in the way of his success. Our father tried to handle things nicely, but eventually he just locked Alvin out of the house until Alvin calmed down.

When Alvin got back inside, he gave me an angry glare again. I briefly considered asking him if the lessons on how not to let popularity consume you were still on the table. I decided against it. It would probably only lead to another fight. I'm so tired of fighting.

I have to hold tight to my integrity and try and convince the basketball team not to abuse their power. Maybe I could be the person who influences them to be better rule abiding citizens.

Am I forgetting anything? Oh yes. Several people have tried to pressure me into making Brittany my girlfriend. At least I didn't give in to their demands. I sure hope the team doesn't pressure me about that. I may not be able to resist their demands and then I would be in a lot of trouble, more than I already am.

ALVIN 2.0'S POV

"I wish I could relax. I just can't stop my mind. I wish I could collapse, but my body's not that kind." - Pat Benatar "Anxiety"

Dear, glitter covered journal that holds my most hated and most treasured memories,

I am sore. So sore. My legs ache. My heart aches. My head aches. I know, I know, I complain way too much. I just don't understand why my life's on a downhill slide directly into a toilet! I looked at the calendar. The science fair is fast approaching and I need to have AN idea, it doesn't even have to be a winning idea, I just need AN idea that WORKS!

Meanwhile, Britt has decided she wants to date Simon and I know that if she dates Simon, he'll become Mr. Heartthrob and super popular. I don't know if I can handle that. In fact, pretty sure I can't. It's not my position to say anything about it though. It's between Britt and Si.

I had a nightmare last night that caused me to toss and turn for hours. I was presenting a science fair idea, but my brain wasn't nice enough to tell me what that idea was. It didn't matter anyway. Simon and Brittany both presented a collaborative project about the science of basketball and fashion modeling. They won the title the King and Queen of the Science Fair, because apparently in my nightmares science fair is like a prom. I dunno. I don't understand my nightmares that well.

The point is, I rolled out of bed looking like absolute garbage. Then, I tripped down the stairs because I tried to run down them with bruised legs. Dave didn't yell at me then, probably because he was saving his voice for later.

The first person I bumped into at school was Jeanette. She offered me several great ideas and I told her that I was not in the mood to think about the science fair and was pretty close to dropping it entirely. She got sad and begged me to find some time to discuss her ideas. I eventually agreed to talk with her after school during Vanessa's comic book club.

School was interesting. Everyone was gossiping about Britt and Simon. Nobody seemed to care about me. I got pushed aside and stepped on and basically had the worst day ever. I wasn't even safe from the discussion at lunch. Kevin, Warren, and Cheesy asked me how I felt about the possibility of Simon dating Brittany and I yelled at them to shut up. I apologized after, but I still felt bad about it.

There's only so much a guy can endure before he snaps. I had about reached that point. My nerves were shot. My voice barely even sounded like my own. It was so worn out and extra raspy. Some random kid made a comment about how Simon should start singing the lead and I hurled a textbook directly at his face.

I got detention for that. And then I blew off detention because I had to meet Jeanette at the comic book club. It felt good. I know it'll come back to haunt me eventually, but right now…I don't really care. I am sick of being stuck in detention. Being a nerdy guy in detention is DANGEROUS anyway.

Comic book club was fun. Jeanette and I had a nice long talk and even though I hurt her feelings at first, I was able to clarify stuff. I explained that I can't take one of her ideas and use it as my project. Plus, if she helps me, everyone will just give her all the credit and assume I manipulated her. I have to complete my quest alone. I'm but a lone knight fighting a hoard of dragons.

Hey, new idea, maybe I could do my project on the science of anxiety. I've got plenty of that. Nah. I feel like that would be a downer. The domino thing or rollercoaster thing would have BEEN AWESOME had Dave not said "no, Alvin." I'll keep thinking. It's like the only thing I'm good at now. Thinking.

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I am writing this from the pirate ship treehouse in our backyard because Dave says I can't come back inside until I calm down. He literally locked the doors and the windows. He might leave me out here all night.

Here's what happened. I came home from school, bursting with energy and excited to have a chance to ask Dave for advice and assistance on my science project. I had brainstormed for a long time and concluded that if Dave helped me, he would see that I wasn't manipulating him into all the work. It would work out similar to Jeanette's idea, but with my dad instead of Jeanette.

You can probably guess how that went. I saw Dave playing basketball in the backyard with Simon when I got home, so I decided to give them their father son time. Was I jealous? Yep. I figured that they would be finished before it was super late.

I grabbed my game controller and played a cool alien invasion game as I waited…and waited…and waited…and waited some more. Theo eventually called us for dinner and then before I could even ask, Simon told Dave he needed to talk some more after dinner.

I could feel my temperature rising. I could feel the anger and frustration coursing through my body. I let Dave and Simon have another half hour of time to discuss whatever they were talking about and then I let Dave have it.

Everything I wanted to say to him came pouring out like a leaky faucet. I told him that he was standing in the way of my success. I yelled that the science fair project would be in the bag by now if he was a better dad. I told him that his expectations are too high and that I was through putting up with his half arsed attempts at being a parent.

And that is why he pushed me out the door and told me I can't come back inside until I calm down. I got punished for telling the truth.

Okay, so, 2.0 brain says I didn't get punished for telling the truth, I got punished for the way I told it. I offended my dad because deep down he knows I'm right. 2.0 brain also says I probably interfered with important stuff Simon was talking about. I feel bad about that. But, it's like I said before. Sometimes people just snap. I can only take so much abuse, intentional or unintentional, doesn't matter.

I'm gonna have to apologize to Dave and Simon, but I hope that Dave is also a big enough man to apologize to me.

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Dave has apologized and I have apologized and everything is alright. Turns out, Simon asked him yesterday to play basketball and talk about stuff. I hadn't asked him so he had no clue I wanted to. It's first come, first serve. He said he'll help me with a project this weekend. It'll be boring and lame, but hey, at least I won't have to drop the science fair after all. Silver lining?

Urgh. This is not what I had in mind. I'm so sick of having my wings clipped because everyone is so afraid I'll blow up the school. How can I prove that I'm a great inventor if nobody lets me do anything complicated!? It isn't faaair.