A/N: I'm sorry if this is moving too slow for some of you. It's been 5 chapters and only like 2 days have passed in the story. I just can't bring myself to skip too much; but I'm hoping things pick up soon.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and I hope you continue to do so. Reviews are REALLY important to me, and I especially love when they're specific. So if you have a few minutes, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Ahh, Brittany thought blissfully. This is the life!

She stretched her legs out and wiggled her toes before burying them in the sand. The sun felt so warm on her face, and she knew she looked flawless in her oversized sunglasses and bright pink bikini she had bought at the mall on the last day of school last week.

She just loved summertime. The beach, the sun, and, of course, her delicious boyfriend Bart, who had just laid down next to her.

"Hey Brittany," he said with a smile. His teeth were so white that they practically glowed.

Brittany just smiled in response.

"Brittany?" Bart said again. But this time he sounded confused.

"What?" Brittany asked with a frown. What was wrong?

"Brittany!" This time Bart didn't even sound like himself. He sounded more like…

Brittany opened her eyes. Her fluffy beach towel was replaced with a hot leather seat. Her cute swimsuit had transformed into a wrinkled dress. Her sun-kissed face now felt sticky with dried tears and faded make-up. And the beach—that glorious beach!—had turned into a parking lot.

Alvin was staring at her like she was a crazy person.

"It's about time you woke up," he said, pointing to his wristwatch. It was almost noon. "You kept smiling and sighing and it was freaking me out."

Brittany groaned, wishing more than anything to return to her dream. It had felt so real. She could almost still hear the seagulls and smell the coconut-scented sunscreen in the air.

She shifted her weight and noticed a swishing sound. She saw that she was covered with Alvin's windbreaker, and vaguely remembered him putting it on her before she fell asleep. Brittany balled it up and handed it back to him.

"Uh, thanks," she said, feeling awkward when she recalled that random pang of happiness she got when Alvin put it on her.

Alvin shrugged. "You looked cold."

Brittany stretched out her legs and yawned.

"So where are we anyway?" she asked.

Alvin grinned, looking pleased with himself. Too pleased.

"We're in Kansas."

Brittany gaped at him. She didn't need to be a geography expert to know they were a long way from where they were last night.

"So you drove all night?" Brittany asked.

Alvin nodded. He was obviously proud of himself. "Sure did. We've been parked here for about an hour." His grin widened, and despite the dark circles under his eyes, he looked excited. "And I have some great news."

"What's that?" Brittany sighed. She had a feeling that Alvin's idea of "great news" didn't match her own.

"I found a place to sing tonight," he boasted. He pointed to the building across the street: The Lounge. According to the sign, tonight was amateur night.

"Wow, what a clever name for a lounge," Brittany muttered.

"Obviously I'm not an amateur," Alvin said quickly. "But it's not like I can pass this up, you know?"

"Uh huh," was Brittany's response. She was barely paying attention to him; she was trying to figure out how Alvin was functioning on almost no sleep. "So what are we supposed to do all day until this place opens? And it better involve a place with a shower."

"We passed a motel on the way here," he replied. "It's down the road. I'm going to get some rest before I have to perform, so you'll have to be quiet."

Brittany frowned. "So I'm just supposed to sit there while you sleep all afternoon? I don't think so."

"Not all of us got to sleep all night," Alvin reminded her as he turned the car on.

"We both could have slept last night if someone didn't have to run from the police!" Brittany fired back.

To her surprise, Alvin didn't say anything as they made their way out of the parking lot and on to the road. After a few seconds he sighed and said, "About what happened the other night…"

"Don't try to defend what you did!" Brittany snapped. "You could have gotten us killed! Or, more importantly, you could have gotten me killed!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Alvin blurted. He rolled his eyes. "Look, I thought about it when I was driving all night, and yeah, maybe I could have handled it differently. I didn't mean to make you freak out and cry."

Brittany just blinked. He was actually apologizing to her? She decided to blame it on his lack of sleep. He obviously wasn't thinking clearly.

"Well thanks for apologizing," she muttered. "And I wasn't crying, by the way."

"Yeah, right," Alvin said. He looked at her and gave her that famous cocky grin of his. "But you have to admit that it was pretty badass, right?"

Brittany just stared at him. "You can't be serious for one second, can you?"

"Guess not," he admitted.

Minutes later, they arrived at the motel, which was thankfully a little nicer than the one they had stayed at the night before. Brittany hurried into the bathroom to take a shower, and when she came out, Alvin was passed out on the bed. He hadn't even bothered changing out of his clothes or getting under the blankets.

Brittany got dressed and prepared to leave the room for a while. She was by no means an outdoors person, but she was craving some fresh air. The Chipette put her room key in her purse and made her way outside. It felt so nice to finally be alone. She definitely needed some quality time away from Alvin. She deserved it.

The Chipette walked up the street a few blocks, occasionally stopping to look inside a shop window. It didn't take her long to decide that this town was a dud. There was nothing in any of the clothing stores that caught Brittany's eye.

After a while, she passed an ice cream truck on the side of the road. There were two little girls ordering chocolate cones; one was a short, smiley blonde, the other a willowy brunette with glasses. Brittany was instantly reminded of Eleanor and Jeanette, and it dawned on her that she had promised to call home in the note she had written before she left. She was sure they missed her terribly by now; who wouldn't?

It didn't take her long to find a payphone. She put some coins inside and dialed her home phone number. She hoped Jeanette answered; it would be a lot easier explaining things to her.

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut as the phone rang.

Please be Jeanette, please be Jeanette, please be Jeanette…

"Hello?"

Damn it! It was her blonder, much bolder sibling.

"Hello?" Eleanor repeated. "Is anyone there?"

Brittany cleared her throat. She could do this.

"Um, yeah," she said casually. "It's me."

Silence.

"Brittany?" Eleanor said in awe after a few long seconds ticked by.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Oh my God!" Eleanor screeched. Brittany cringed and held the phone away from her ear. "Are you okay? Where are you? What are you—"

"Relax!" Brittany snapped. "I'm fine! God, take a pill!"

"Take a pill?" Eleanor repeated angrily. "Well excuse me for worrying about my sister after she runs away without warning!"

"I prefer the term 'left town'," Brittany said. "Run away" sounded so juvenile, as if she was a pet or a small child.

"I don't really care what you call it!" Eleanor yelled. "We've been really worried about you, Brittany!" She paused, and then blew out a long sigh. "Is this about Bart? We found out what happened with you two and Missy the other night."

Brittany gripped the phone even harder.

Great, she thought. So that means everyone is talking about it.

"I'm really sorry about what happened, Britt." There was obviously a "but" coming. Brittany could feel it. "But I wish you would have just talked to me or Jeanette about it before just running off."

"I did what I had to do," Brittany said confidentially. "I just needed a change of scenery."

"Fine," Eleanor sighed, seemingly too exhausted to push the issue any further… for now. "So where are you?"

Brittany chewed her lower lip. She thought about how Alvin had a high speed chase with a police officer last night to avoid having Dave find out where he was.

"I can't tell you where I am," Brittany slowly decided.

"What? Why not?"

"I just can't! But don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."

Eleanor sighed yet again. "Okay, well at least answer me this: Is Alvin with you?"

"He is," she confirmed. There was no use in denying that. Brittany was sure that everyone had figured that out by now. She just hoped they didn't get the wrong idea. It's not like they had planned this or anything; it's not like they were friends or, even worse, lovers who wanted to go on some bizarre romantic adventure or anything. Brittany almost gagged simply at the thought.

"Okay, good," Eleanor said before Brittany could tell her that running off with Alvin was strictly business, nothing more. "That's what we thought. I need you to stay on the line when we get Dave."

Brittany gasped as she listened to Eleanor telling someone (probably Jeanette) to get Alvin's father. "Wait! You can't!"

"Brittany," Eleanor said firmly, "Dave asked us to get him if you or Alvin called us. He's been worried sick. Alvin didn't leave him a note or anything; he thought something really bad could have happened to him."

Brittany frowned. Alvin didn't even leave a note?

"Well nothing bad happened," Brittany said quickly. She couldn't talk to Dave! She needed to keep Alvin's trust; and besides, if Dave knew where they were, this whole thing would be over and she'd have to go back home and be miserable for the next three months. "Trust me, Eleanor; He's his usual cocky, annoying self! He's fine!"

"I believe you," Eleanor said. "But Dave will want to talk to you."

"I can't talk to him!" Brittany cried.

"Why not?" her sister asked, obviously annoyed.

Brittany stomped her foot like a toddler. "I just can't, okay?"

"He's on his way over," Eleanor said, ignoring her protest. "Just talk to him for a few minutes. You have to Brittany; he's a mess."

"I can't, Ellie!"

"Yes you can!" her sister countered.

"Look," Brittany said, after taking a deep breath. "Just tell Dave that Alvin and I are safe and that we're doing just fine. He doesn't need to worry. No one does. I have to go."

"Brittany Miller!" Eleanor sounded more like a mom than ever. "Don't you dare hang up this phone!"

"And people say I'm the drama queen in the family," Brittany sighed. "Bye, sis!"

She slammed the phone back into its cradle before she could change her mind. She tried to ignore that little twinge of guilt starting in the pit of her stomach.

"I did the right thing," she told herself. "If I would have talked to Dave, I could have given us away without even knowing it, and then I'd have to spend all summer hearing about how Bart cheated on me with that little tramp!" She took a deep breath. "They know we're okay, and that's all that matters. That's all they really wanted to know, right? They're probably just happy that I called in the first place. And it's not like I could—"

Brittany paused. She felt someone's eyes watching her. She looked down to see the two little girls she had seen earlier staring at her with wide eyes. Their ice cream was running down their cones and on to their hands as the gaped at the Chipette who was just talking to herself.

"Take a picture!" Brittany snapped before storming off. "It'll last longer."

After spending the rest of the afternoon trying to convince herself that she had done the right thing, she headed back to the motel after a quick dinner at some buffet. When she walked in, Alvin was combing his hair in the mirror.

Brittany studied her companion as she stood by the door. Alvin was wearing black trousers and a crisp linen shirt. He must have just gotten out of the shower; Brittany could smell soap and a hint of cologne from the other side of the room. His eyes were bright and full of excitement, just like when they were kids. He actually looked sort of… cute.

"Do you want my autograph or something?" Alvin's reflection smirked at her.

"As if," Brittany snarled, trying her best to look disgusted. It wasn't hard, considering that she had just thought Alvin looked cute. Ick. "Then I'd just have something else to remind me of you."

"Who wouldn't want that?" Alvin asked.

"A lot more people than you'd think," Brittany answered. She looked at the clock. She supposed she ought to get ready to go to The Lounge. She wasn't going because she wanted to see Alvin sing; she wanted to go because it would give her a chance to dress up and go somewhere. Maybe she'd find some cute guys to flirt with to get her mind off of Bart.

"So what did you do all day?" Alvin fluffed up his hair in the mirror like a girl in the high school bathroom would.

Brittany pursed her lips. Should she tell him that she called home? It's not like she told anyone where they were or anything.

But Alvin was unpredictable. He might be furious that she had called. And as much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't care what Alvin thought, she knew she couldn't lose his trust. He was her ride; her ticket out of town. She wasn't about to throw that away. Not after everything she had gone through.

"I didn't really do anything," Brittany finally said. She started going through her suitcase to pick out an outfit. "There's nothing to do around here."

"I'm sure that I would have found something fun to do," Alvin boasted.

"Maybe something illegal," Brittany deadpanned. She grinned when she pulled out her favorite little black dress. Perfect!

"Breaking the rules to have some fun isn't a bad thing," the cocky Chipmunks told her.

Brittany stared at him in disbelief. "Do you hear yourself? You sound like a 10-year-old!"

"And you sound like a 40-year-old," Alvin replied without missing a beat. "So I guess we balance each other out."

"Whatever," Brittany huffed.

"There you go with the 'whatever' again," he smirked.

"There you go with being annoying again."

His smirk only got smugger. "You know you like me."

"Whatev—" She paused. That was close. "You wish," she spat before slamming the bathroom door to get ready, doing her best to ignore his laughing on the other side of the door. She most certainly did not like that selfish, arrogant, rude jerk.

…

About an hour later, they found themselves in the crowded parking lot next to The Lounge. Brittany looked and felt beautiful in her short black dress that hugged every curve perfectly. Her caramel-colored hair had been swept into a pretty French twist, and she loved the delicate clicking sound her heels made when she walked. She admired her reflection in her compact mirror. She grinned at her smoky eyes and cherry colored lips. Brittany was the definition of class tonight.

"Would you stop staring at yourself?" Alvin asked impatiently.

"It's hard not to admire perfection," was her airy response.

"Right," Alvin agreed. "Which is why I'm wondering why you're looking at yourself instead of me."

Brittany just rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let him bring her down tonight. She was way too good for that.

"You have to be over 21 to get into this place," Alvin announced, holding up a fake I.D. with his photo on it. He smirked. "So I guess you're screwed."

"Wow, Alvin," Brittany cooed, her sweet voice dripping with sarcasm. "How nice of you to tell me that after I had gotten all dressed up and everything!"

Alvin shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind."

What an asshole, Brittany thought.

Fortunately, she didn't need to worry. She unzipped her clutched, and pulled out a fake I.D. of her own.

"Good thing I came prepared." She practically shoved the card in Alvin's face.

Alvin blinked. "Wow. Little Miss Perfect has a fake I.D. Who would have thought?"

Brittany flashed a haughty smile.

"Is that why you didn't bring any money on this trip?" Alvin wondered. "You spent it all on this I.D.?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You'll be lucky if I don't boo you while you're onstage tonight."

Alvin just grinned. "I won't hear those boos over the roaring applause from the crowd, so I'm not worried."

They made their way to the front door. She heard Alvin take a deep breath beside her.

"This is it," he said excitedly.

"Yeah," was Brittany's equally excited response. But she wasn't happy for the same reasons Alvin was. She was just happy to be dressed up and knowing that there was potential to actually have some fun tonight. What Alvin did on stage was none of her concern. Tonight was all about her. "This is it."