The weeks passed, and the play was building. With the help of Alvin, Simon, and the chipettes, especially Eleanor, Theodore's confidence increased, making him into a wonderful Marius. Jeanette was having some difficulty playing Eponine, tripping over her robes and at times breaking props. Alvin and Brittany kept complaining about the deaths of their character, Brittany more then Alvin. The complaints piled upon Mr. Rochelle for days, until, at last, he caved in and gave them different parts. Now, they were to play the parts of Mr. and Mrs. Thenadier, very much to both of their dismays. But, all in all, the play was coming along greatly, and they were very happy.
That is, they would be, if Chase didn't pester them. Everyday, Chase would pester and bother them. First off, it was just shoving them and pushing them. Then, it was sabotaging their parts, or ruining their costumes. Besides the classic stealing their things, one of which Alvin's cap, which he never returned, it has exculpated to actually physical harm. Everyday, one of the chipmunks or chipettes would come home from school with a bruise, cut lip, or bleeding nose. But yesterday was the worst.
"I said HAND IT OVER" demanded Chase, holding Jeanette by her throat, pressing her against the lockers. Chase was in a especially evil mood, forcing Jeanette to give him everything she has, including the clothes off her back. "Please, stop, you're hurting me" coughed Jeanette, trying to regain her breath. Chase rose Jeanette higher up, coming face to face with her. All Jeanette could see were Chase's cold grey eyes, everything else blacking out. Suddenly, Chase released his grip, dropping Jeanette hard to the floor. Gasping for breath, Jeanette filled her lungs with precious oxygen, something her body was screaming for. Soon, her vision came back to her, and saw something that truly surprised her. Simon, with anger in his eyes, has leapt onto the back of Chase, trying to pull him to the floor. "Leave, her, ALONE" he demanded, before being slammed into a nearby wall. "Man" said Chase, popping his knuckles "you and your girlfriend are in for it now." "She's not my girlfriend" said Simon, adjusting his glasses. "Shut up" shouted Chase, punching Simon in the stomach. Jeanette wanted to act, she needed to act, she should act, but she was far too scared.
Suddenly, a loud whistle shot through the halls. "Hey, Chase" shouted Alvin. Chase turned, seeing Alvin, Brittany, Eleanor, and Theodore heading his way. "Well well" chuckles Chase "the whole rat pack's here." Eleanor stepped forward, standing practically inches from him. "First off, we are not rats, we're chipmunks." "Second" continued Brittany, helping Jeanette to her feet "if you mess with our sister, you mess with all the chipettes." "Third" continued Alvin, pulling up Simon "chipmunks look out for each other." Chase ignored them, walking over to Theodore, huddled where he stood. "And what about you" asked Chase, centimeters from his face. At that point, Theodore fainted. "Leave him alone" said Simon, standing with his siblings. Simon knew the psychology of bullies, and knew that a bully would never fight when outnumbered. They had him.
Unfortunately, the next thing he knew, his father figure Dave was driving the three of them to the doctor. "You know, I can accept a lot of things, but starting a fight is not one of them" said Dave sternly. Alvin, sporting a pair of black eyes, spoke up first. "But Dave, you don't get it, this guy isn't human, he's a…" "That's enough Alvin" growled Dave. "Sorry" Alvin squeaked, sinking into his seat. Dave sighed, not really sure what to say. When he received a phone call from the school, he expected Alvin to be up to trouble again. What he didn't expect is to hear that all three of his sons started a fight with a senior of the school. The three were just freshmen, and way in over their heads. What really threw him off guard was to hear that it was Simon who started it, not the predictable Alvin. "Simon, I just want to know one thing: why did you start that fight" asked Dave hoping to clear something up. "For the hundredth time, I DIDN'T START IT" roared Simon. "He's right Dave" said Theodore, rubbing the bandaged spot on his forehead "he did it so save Jeanette." "Theodore, stop rubbing your bandages, you'll bleed more" said Dave. "Sorry" said Theodore. "Okay" started Dave, trying to makes sense of what he just heard "one last time, and I expect the truth from all of you, tell me what happened."
"It was all Chase's fault" cried Brittany nasally. Having two wads of tissue paper up her nostrils may have stopped her nose from bleeding, but it was hard for her to talk. "He threatened Jeanette, scared Theodore half to death, and then beat the living daylights out of us" chorused Eleanor. "Is this true, Jeanette" asked Ms. Miller, practically racing towards the hospital. Jeanette stayed silent, but nodded, trying to keep from talking. "Jeanette, you can talk now, we won't be mad" reassured Ms. Miller, turning her sight from the road to the girl in the middle seat. "MS. MILLER" screamed the trio, trying to put her attention back on the road. Ms. Miller's eyes were back on the road, and just in time to avoid an oncoming semi-truck. "Whew, that was a close one. Okay, Jeanette, sweetie, we won't judge you or anything, we just want the truth." Jeanette sighed. "Chase came over to me, demanding everything I had. When I said I don't have anything, he turned violent."
"Then he practically went crazy, pushing Jeanette into the lockers" said Alvin, emphasizing the "crazy" part. "Alvin, I don't need any help explaining" said Simon, rubbing the cast holding his now broken arm. "Simon, leave your arm alone" said Dave as they walked into the hospital. "Yes Dave" said Simon, leaving his arm be. "Anyway, I just came out from lunch and was making my way to the library. That's when I saw Chase shove Jeanette into the lockers, threatening her. In all honesty Dave, I don't really know what came over me. Seeing Jeanette like that, something just snapped." "Somehow" said Dave "I highly doubt that."
"But it's the truth" said Eleanor, nearly tripping on her bandaged leg. "Okay, okay, whatever you say" said Ms. Miller as they waited for the doctor. "But why didn't Simon just tell a teacher, or the principal?" "I, I don't know" said Jeanette, placing her index fingers together and blushing. "I bet I know why" said Brittany, making kissing noises. "Brittany" scolded Ms. Miller, "don't embarrass your sister like that." "I was just kidding" said Brittany.
"We honestly tried to help him" said Alvin, impatiently pacing back and forth. "By getting in the fight to" asked Dave skeptically. "No! By helping him stand his ground" corrected Alvin. "We're sorry Dave" began Theodore "but we couldn't let him hurt the chipettes." "I can understand that, but you could have done something a little bit smarter, like talk to a teacher. Boys, promise me something: next time Chase bothers you, just tell a teacher, okay?" "Yes Dave" chorused the three chipmunks. The three walked over to where the chipettes were, allowing their respected guardians to talk about what just happened today. For what seemed like hours, the six remained silent, until Simon broke it. "He was limping" was all he said. At first, only Jeanette seemed to understand what he meant by that. "Okay, we'll bite" said Alvin, until Brittany interrupted "what's so important about Chase limping?" "He wasn't limping last week, but so far this week, his left leg had a limp in it." "Maybe he tripped" said Theodore "he says he plays football." "He lied" said Eleanor "I've seen the football team, and he's not in it." "So what if he's limping" questioned Alvin. "Didn't you notice that he becomes more violent whenever he seems to have some harm on him" asked Jeanette. At first, the four didn't notice, but, as they thought back, it did seem to fit. Whenever Chase had some sort of sever harm: a black eye, a busted lip, missing teeth, or a strong limp, he became very violent. "So" asked Alvin and Brittany. "So" began Simon "obviously something is making him more violent, and we're going to figure out what it is."