Alvin's Point of View
My heart sank along with the body that disappeared before my eyes. Everything happened in just a split second and now Brittany was panicking; wave upon small wave splashed out of the hole in the iced lake as she suppressed the urge to sink, to go under and eventually drown. I wasn't sure if she was a good swimmer or not or if her coat was pulling her down, but either way she was losing this fight against the current. I was too petrified to do anything, I could see, I couldn't feel. It was like being in a dark tunnel with only a dim light at the end that couldn't be made out. Brittany was the light, but I was still inside, unable to tell which way was which. The only sounds that filled my ears were Brittany's chokes as water tried to make it's way into her body and the ringing of the snap the ice made before she fell. She tried to get herself away from the threat of drowning, but slamming her arms up and down was doing her no good. I couldn't move, no matter how much I tried, paralyzed with the nightmarish thought of never seeing her again… Alive. I couldn't live with that; I couldn't live knowing that this whole thing was my fault. If I wasn't so selfishly caught up in my image, hoping I could look like the munk she deserved, she wouldn't be in trouble and I could actually act like the right guy for her.
"Alvin!" Simon yelled, snapping me out of my trance, "Help!" He and the others were carrying the large stick he'd found and were trying to balance the tip in the water for Brittany to grab while hopefully not letting the stick sink with her.
"I don't think she can reach!" Eleanor shouted.
"Hold on," Simon said, "Brittany, if you can hear me, grab the stick!" The four of them were slipping and I knew I had to react fast. Brittany's chokes were only getting worse as she splashed about, blinded by the water. Inches away from the stick and as much as our siblings tried, it wasn't fast enough. Brittany began to sink and within a second, her whole body was under water.
"No!" I screamed and quickly took off my sweater, jumping in without thinking. I'm not sure if was pure instinct that drove me to jump or if I was desperate (likely both) but either way I dove into the freezing water praying that she was okay. I wasn't much of a swimmer and at first I splashed around like Brittany had with the cold water seeping into me like oil, but after treading for a minute I got my bearings and was able to calm down.
It took me a while to realize what I'd done; risking my own life for a chance to save Brittany's. I'd have to willingly go under, hold my breath, and swim back up before I lost my breath or Brittany's. If she drowned, I'd hate myself. What if I couldn't reach her in time? What if she was so deep I couldn't reach her at all? And if I got stuck, we'd both be dead.
"What's wrong with you?!" I thought, "That's your girlfriend! You can't leave her for dead!" Angry with myself, I ignored everyone's cries telling me to get out and forced myself to go under. I snapped my eyes open, letting the water sting my eyes and resisted the need to open my mouth to scream or breathe. The water shocked my body, my face, my eyes. I doubted they would adjust; through blurred vision I focused on the pink and brown blob that continued to jerk and swam for it. As I approached her, I could feel air bubble extract from her now open mouth and float up to the top of the lake. Her mouth was open… She was drowning. It was like she was being strangled. She held her throat and flailed with her eyes tightly shut. When I tried to grab her hand she jerked away like I was a danger. More bubbles fired from her mouth and slowly her struggling ceased. Good sign or bad sign? I answered my own question when she started sinking further, floating in the midst of the water and without movement. "Don't worry, Brit. I'm coming."
With every fiber of my body I kicked my feet as hard as possible, pushing me down. It was easier grabbing her hand when she wasn't jerking about. She no longer held her throat, letting the water fill her lungs. Time was out, I had to get to the surface fast. I had her extra weight to carry up, not to mention the pressure of the water. I kicked with all my might and finally reached the surface coughing and gasping for air.
"Grab the stick!" I heard Simon call. I slowly tread over to the thick piece of wood that barely skimmed the water and used my free hand to grasp what I thought to be my life boat. "Pull!" The four chipmunks and chipettes were stronger than they looked; just like that, Brittany and I were plucked out of the lake and onto safe ice. Eleanor wrapped me in my sweater while the others attended to a weak Brittany who coughed up what looked like a gallon of water and shivered violently. At least she was conscious.
"Let me help." I croaked and Simon and I were tasked with dragging Brittany to the cabin, to warmth. Thoughts jumbled in my head on the way there, pounded at the sides and a headache set in as the guilt of this being my fault hacked away at me on the inside. Why did I have to be so egotistical? It's put Brittany in danger so many times and this time was just too close! "Simon?" I asked. He wouldn't reply, he only acknowledged my presence and my wanting to converse by giving me a quick glance, "How did you know we'd need the stick?" I was curious, I was able to convince everyone that it would be safe, but still he insisted on getting the stick as a precaution. Thankfully he did otherwise this would have ended worse. He sighed loudly and stared onward to our destination.
"Because I'm always right." I couldn't disagree, not now. Not after he saved mine and Brittany's life.
"Well at least you're modest about it." I said quietly, my feeble attempt at a joke to lighten the mood even the slightest. I thought I saw the corners of his lips rise in a smile, but otherwise he was silent as we climbed through the window of our temporary bedroom.
"She's freezing." Jeanette wept and huddled closer to her older sister, throwing away her sopping wet coat and clothes while Eleanor passed a pair of warm pajamas.
"Warm her up before hypothermia sets in." Simon demanded.
"The hot-tub?" Theodore suggested.
"A-Are y-you i-insane?" Brittany shivered and weakly hid under the covers of the bed with her sisters, who immediately tackled her.
"You're okay!" They blubbered.
"N-No thanks t-to Alvin." She glared at me with her piercing eyes. It felt bad, but I knew she should blame me.
"Actually," Simon broke in, noticing my discomfort, "if it weren't for Alvin, you'd probably be dead." After a moment to soak in everything that had happened, her face lightened and her glare turned into a soft-eyed weak smile. Wow, thanks for defending me, bro! "Although, if it weren't for Alvin's stupid idea to skate on the lake in the first place, you wouldn't need any help.
"Aha! Shut up, Si!" I said, slapping my hand over his mouth. Still Brittany smiled.
"I-I'll deal with i-it t-tomorrow." She whispered and drifted off under the covers.
"Alvin, you okay?" Simon asked once I removed my hand; he actually noticed that I too was freezing. I too had gone under, and I too shivered. I nodded, not in the mood to talk, thinking about how I could have handled this better.
I couldn't sleep; I tried and tried, but the haunting memory of almost losing Brittany tormented me into insomnia.
"You couldn't stop being you for five minutes!" I scolded myself, "Five stupid minutes meant the difference between HER life or death!" What I didn't understand was why she didn't lose it? Why was she so calm after what Simon said? It didn't make a difference in what happened. Surely I wasn't off the hook. As much as I wanted to be, I knew I wasn't, nor should I be. Questions and guilt trips played themselves over in my head of the entire scene starting from when we first got to the ice. Who was I kidding? I'm not brave, heck, I thought I'd wet myself the entire time! I'd never admit this outside my own mind, but my own nerdy brother was braver than me in one action than I was my entire life. He led the others into helping me and Brittany when we needed it most, I forced myself to make a permanent mental note that I owed him.
I attempted sleep once more, but nothing of the sort came. I couldn't stop thinking about Brittany; she probably hated me now. I almost succeeded in killing her… AGAIN! When would I finally succeed? When would the day come that I acted so stupid that it would be too late to save her?
"You idiot!" I snapped and quickly shut my mouth, hoping I didn't wake anyone. Looking around, I watched everyone's soft breathing and thought I was safe. I didn't want to wake anyone, not after all the stress I caused, not after this long night, especially for Brittany. They all deserved a good sleep.
"Alvin," I jumped when I heard my name, and from the voice who said it, I got nervous, "you still awake?" Her voice fluttered, no longer cold or chattered, just a soft whisper that powered my heart to beat faster.
"Brittany?" I hissed, "You should be sleeping." After what happened only hours ago, she should be resting, regaining her strength. Not wasting her time to talk to me.
"I know. It's just… I'm still cold."
"Me too." I said, not implying what she did next. I saw the mold her body made under the covers move closer to me until she lay against me, "Brit, are you okay?" I was getting mixed signals. Confusion took over and I couldn't hide it.
"Yeah, I just thought that since we're both cold that we could keep each other warm." She looked at me with pleading innocent eyes as if waiting for approval.
"Oh, uh, sure." I said and she nuzzled up close, "But aren't you angry?" My question never got an answer, by the time I asked it, she was asleep. Why was she giving me these different signals? I knew girls were hard to read, but the writing was clear: she should be angry with me at least. I mean, sure I saved her, but I saved her from a mess I caused; what has to be activated in her head for her to think that we should cuddle afterwards? Her fur was still damp against mine and her soft snoring indicated she was at peace. Her cute, little nose was cold against my cheek and I willingly let my arms be an extra layer of warmth for her. I thought to myself that if this were a different situation, one that didn't require the body heat of another, then I wouldn't be snuggling with her. And why should I? I doubt she actually wanted to, this was probably just some sort of survival instinct and after what I'd done, I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to break up with me. It didn't help when she moved closer to me in her sleep, craving my warmth like one would to survive. Was it really meant to be with us?
"Why?" I thought, "Why is she playing games with me?" I tried sleeping once more and gave up the need when I failed. I wrapped my arms tighter around my girlfriend, the one I was sure hated me and would soon be my ex, and I enjoyed being close to her while I still could; because I truly knew that I didn't deserve it.