A/N: Aww, you guys are so nice for reading a Christmas story on Valentine's Day. Not too much to say about this chapter… I hope you like it.

I keep my distance

But you still catch my eye

Brittany hung up Simon's cell phone and placed it on the dash board.

"What was that all about?" Simon demanded, obviously caught off guard by Brittany's sudden navigation changes.

"Dave and Jeanette found Miss Miller on Raspberry Street," Brittany explained. "They're at the old night club. I told them we'd meet them there. Take a right at this stop sign."

Simon sighed, but obeyed.

"Why are we meeting them?" Simon wanted to know.

"I guess they're having trouble getting her come home with them," Brittany said. The night club had been out of business for at least twenty years now. Brittany didn't know much about it, besides that it was really big in the 1950s and 60s. She didn't know why someone hadn't bought the building or tore it down after all these years.

Simon raised an eyebrow. "And you think we could help them get her to leave?"

"Of course," Brittany snorted. "Jeanette and Dave are two of the most passive people on Earth. They're probably just standing there listening to Miss Miller ramble on."

"Why do you do that?" Simon asked.

Brittany frowned. "Do what?"

"Say mean things about people who care about you," Simon said. There was no anger or hurt in his voice; just pure curiosity.

Brittany stared at the tall boy in the driver's seat. She didn't think she was being harsh at all. She had said a lot nastier things before; why was Simon suddenly so concerned about what she said?

"I didn't say anything mean," Brittany said. "You just assume that being passive is a bad thing."

"Well," Simon said, "it sure sounded like you meant it to be a bad thing."

Brittany crossed her arms over her chest like she did when she didn't get her way as a child. If anyone was being mean, it was Simon. He was the one who had been calling her out all day, acting like he was an expert on her life and that she was just an over-sensitive screw-up. He was really starting to get on her nerves.

This was too bad, because she was actually starting to enjoy Simon's company.

A few turns later, Simon parallel parked into an empty space by the old building. A large, rusted sign that read Club Razz let Brittany know that this was the right place. She vaguely remember Miss Miller talking about Club saw Miss Miller sitting on a bench next to Jeanette. Dave stood next to the bench, looking exhausted.

Brittany got out of the SUV and hurried over to them.

"Brittany," Miss Miller's eyes brightened. "What are you doing here, Sweetheart?"

At least she remembered my name this time, Brittany thought.

"What are you doing here, Miss Miller?" she asked.

Miss Miller smiled and replied, "I'm waiting for Eloise. She's running a little late… but Eloise always dawdles, so I'm not surprised she isn't here yet."

Brittany's eyebrows knit together. "Eloise?"

Jeanette shrugged. "I'm assuming she's an old friend."

Miss Miller laughed. "Old? Hardly! Eloise is barely twenty."

Just then, Simon walked up.

"Oh look!" Miss Miller said, looking at Simon. "Another addition to the party! The club will be swinging tonight!"

Simon glanced at Dave, obviously confused.

"Miss Miller," Dave said, trying to be patient. "It's getting late. Why don't we go home? You could have dinner at our house."

"And miss the band?" Miss Miller stared at him incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous, David."

"There isn't a club anymore," Jeanette slowly explained. "It got closed down years ago. Eloise isn't coming."

Miss Miller rolled her eyes like an annoyed teenager. "Don't be silly Gina. Eloise is always here on Saturday nights."

"But its Thursday," Jeanette said. "And… I'm Jeanette, not Gina."

Miss Miller blinked. "That's what I said, dear."

Jeanette looked up at Dave, Brittany, and Simon. She didn't say anything, but her worried expression said it all: Miss Miller had never been this bad before.

Brittany took a deep breath, preparing to feel bad about what she was about to do. But no one else could get Miss Miller to come home, so this was their only hope.

"There's actually been a change of plans, Miss Miller," Brittany said casually. "Eloise called and said she'd meet you at our house."

"She did?" Miss Miller's eyes widened at this news. Brittany nodded, hoping that her little fib would get Miss Miller to leave with them. "Well why didn't you say so?" Miss Miller stood up. "You don't mind giving me a ride home, do you David? The walk here was so long, it killed my weak ankles!"

"I don't mind at all," Dave said, helping Miss Miller up. He gave Brittany a curious, but thankful glance. Dave wasn't a big fan of lying, but it seemed almost necessary in this case.

Brittany and Simon stood on the sidewalk and watched Miss Miller climb into the front seat of Dave's car. Jeanette got in the back, giving them an uncertain glance right before the car took off down the street.

The two stood in silence as they watched the red car get smaller and smaller as it moved further away.

"You lied," Simon said out of nowhere.

"Yeah," Brittany said with a shrug. "I did. But no one else was doing anything to get her to leave."

"You should have waited a few minutes," Simon told her. "I would have come up with something."

Brittany frowned. "I don't know why you're so upset. I did what I had to do; Miss Miller wouldn't have left for anything else."

"Things are going to get worse when she finds out that you lied to her," Simon pointed out.

"She won't remember I told her," Brittany replied.

Simon just shook his head, obviously tired of arguing.

"Let's just go," he said, heading toward his vehicle.

The last thing Brittany wanted to do was get back into the car with the guy who had been ridiculing her all afternoon, but she wasn't about to walk all the way home in her high heeled boots. So she followed Simon to the SUV, trying to convince herself the drive home was short and that she wouldn't have to talk to Super Nerd the rest of the day.

…

"Thanks for the ride," Brittany said politely as Simon turned into the Seville's short driveway twenty minutes later.

"You're welcome," Simon replied. "I'm just glad we found Miss Miller and that she was okay."

"Me too," Brittany agreed. She was about to say something else, but she paused when she saw who was standing on the Seville's porch.

Alvin.

Brittany instantly felt foolish for feeling so surprised about seeing Alvin. After all, it was his house; she shouldn't be alarmed that he was there. But her heart wouldn't stop pounding as she climbed out of the SUV.

Alvin grinned and made his way toward Simon and Brittany. As he came closer, Brittany began to get that annoying light-headed feeling she had been getting when she saw him lately. She hadn't felt like this around him when they'd been dating; so tense and nervous. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew it was because she was afraid… afraid of falling in love with him again.

"I heard you guys found Miss Miller," Alvin said.

"Dave and Jeanette did," Simon said, locking the vehicle.

"Right," Alvin said, his eyes fixed on Brittany. "What a relief."

Simon looked at Alvin quizzically. He was obviously curious as to why Alvin had been waiting for them out in the cold weather.

"So Brittany," Alvin said. Brittany froze when she heard him say her name. "Got any plans for Saturday night?"

Brittany frowned, trying her best to put herself together. "Why?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could go do something together," Alvin said, casually.

Brittany's blue eyes narrowed. Was he asking her out on a date? "Why would I want to do anything with you?" she asked.

"I don't know," Alvin said with a shrug. "Because you like me?"

Brittany's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe he had just accused her of liking him! Plus he had said it in front of Simon, who she had been trying to convince that she didn't like Alvin.

"In your dreams," Brittany said, surprised at how confident she managed to sound.

This didn't faze Alvin though. Instead he just smirked and said, "It's not like you have anything else to do on a Saturday night anymore."

Brittany stood up straighter. "Actually, I do have plans for Saturday." She couldn't just let Alvin think she was a loser who stayed at home on a weekend night.

"Really?" Alvin rolled his eyes. "What, do you have a hot date or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do have a date," Brittany lied. Her mouth was working faster than her mind again.

"Oh, yeah?" Alvin's grin widened. He didn't have a reputation for being the smartest guy in town, but Alvin had always been good at realizing when people were lying. Even if they were good liars like Brittany. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Brittany thought hard, desperately trying to come up with a name. But she realized she couldn't just make someone up; Alvin would probably make sure she went out with someone. He was weird like that.

"What's wrong, Brittany?" Alvin asked, confidently folding his arms across his chest. "Did you forget his name?"

"Simon!" Brittany blurted.

"What?" Simon and Alvin both said at the exact same time. Simon's jaw dropped. Alvin's eyes widened.

"You heard me," Brittany said, hating herself for the mess she had just created. "Simon asked me out when we were in the car looking for Miss Miller. Right, Simon?"

Simon looked pale and confused. "Um…"

Alvin's shocked expression had quickly faded. He was now smiling, looking just as cocky as he had a few minutes before. "Wow. Brittany and Simon, out on a date. Who could have predicted this?" He looked at his speechless brother. "I bet Simon couldn't have!"

"Well it's true," Brittany said. "Isn't it, Simon?"

Simon looked at Brittany with a reluctant expression. She stared back at him, her eyes full of desperation.

Please Simon, she silently begged. Just do this one favor for me. Please.

"Yeah," Simon said, his voice cracking a little. He cleared his throat. "I mean, right. Brittany and I are going out on Saturday."

Alvin raised his eyebrows, clearly amused by all this. "I see. Well, I hope you two have fun. I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about, considering you two have so much in common."

"We have a lot more in common than what you think," Brittany shot back. "One of our similarities is that we don't whore around with any pretty blond that comes our way." Brittany had meant to be talking about the girl Alvin had cheated on her with, but she wondered if Alvin thought of Eleanor when she had referred to a blond girl.

Alvin sighed. "How many times do I have to apologize for that?"

"Until you mean it," Brittany said, her voice low and angry. She turned to Simon. "We decided on seven o'clock, right? Pick me up at my house?"

Simon nodded. He was obviously still in shock.

"Excellent!" Brittany said cheerfully. "Bye, Simon!"

She thought about giving him a quick peck on the cheek to try to make Alvin think that she liked Simon as more than a friend, but she decided that she had done enough damage. Kissing Simon would be going way too far; she had already agreed to go on a date with the guy, and that was bad enough!

Brittany hurried home across the street before Alvin could sneak in another comment. She felt relief when she entered her house and kicked off her boots.

The Chipette went into the kitchen, where Jeanette was sitting at the dining table looking at an old photo album. Several other albums covered the small table.

"Where is Miss Miller?" Brittany asked.

"She's resting in bed," Jeanette replied, turning a thick page of the album. "She said all that walking made her tired."

Brittany sat in the chair next to her sister and leaned over the table to get a better look at the album. "What are you doing?"

Jeanette turned another page. "I'm looking through albums to figure out who Miss Miller was talking about earlier. I haven't seen anyone named Eloise yet. Maybe I need to look back further." Jeanette closed the heavy book. Brittany saw someone had written 1972-1974 on the cover.

As Jeanette reached for another album, Brittany's cell phone rang from her pocket.

"Hello?" Brittany said into the phone.

"What the hell was that?" Simon demanded.

Brittany rolled her eyes. She should have known that he would call.

Brittany got up from the table and hurried upstairs to her room. She didn't want Jeanette to overhear this conversation, or anyone else for that matter.

"Why are you dragging me into this?" Simon asked in his paranoid voice. "I want no part of this. I don't want to be involved…"

"It's too late for that, Simon," Brittany said calmly. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Simon gasped. "You're sorry? That's all you have to say?"

"God, Simon, calm down," Brittany said, a little taken aback by Simon's erratic behavior. She had never seen (well, in this case heard) him act so paranoid. "It's really not that big of a deal."

Simon sighed. "Brittany, you know that Alvin isn't going to let this go. He's been grilling me about it the second you left. And you know he's going to make sure this date happens. We aren't going to get away with faking it."

"I know," Brittany said, sitting on her pink comforter. "But like I said, it isn't a big deal. We'll just go see a movie and get something to eat. It's not like we're getting married or anything."

"I don't know if I can do this," Simon said, sounding stressed.

"Wow," Brittany said in a flat tone. "I didn't think you'd be dreading to spend an evening with me this much."

Simon sighed again, and then groaned. Why was he so miserable about this? Brittany knew that hundreds of guys would be willing to do anything to be in his shoes; did Simon really hate her that much?

"It's not spending time with you that I'm upset about," Simon said, seemingly calmer than before. "I just don't like the idea of being used."

Hearing him say that made Brittany's heart hurt. She really didn't want to feel guilty, but she couldn't help herself. She knew he was right; she was using him.

"I'm sorry," Brittany said sincerely. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"No," Simon said in a clipped voice. "You shouldn't have."

"Right," Brittany agreed. She paused, as she knew where this was going…

She grinned when she heard Simon sigh for the third time in less than two minutes.

"So," he said reluctantly. "What movie are we going to see?"

Brittany gripped the phone tighter. "Thanks Simon."

"You're welcome," Simon said. "You owe me for this though. Big time."

"I know," Brittany said, lying on her back. "Now about that movie…"

…

After spending nearly twenty minutes debating with Simon about what movie to see and where to eat afterwards, Brittany went back downstairs. Her stomach made a gross gurgling sound, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in hours. Thanks to all this afternoon's events, she hadn't given much thought to food.

Jeanette was still seated at the table, only this time she was typing on her laptop.

"Find anything?" Brittany asked.

"I believe so," Jeanette said. She gently pushed an open album toward Brittany and pointed to a black and white photo in the middle of the page. There were four young women in the picture, all grinning for the camera and dressed in tight dresses that looked modern for the time period. Brittany recognized a young, blond Miss Miller immediately, but she didn't know any of the other girls.

She leaned in closer and saw that someone had written something below the photo: Peggy, Me, Eloise, and Vicky having a wonderful time at the Club Razz! (1952)

Brittany looked at the pretty brunette girl standing next to Miss Miller, the girl she assumed to be Eloise. She had an elegant smile and a figure that even girls today would envy.

"By looking at other pictures, I found out her last name was Naylor," Jeanette explained. "With some online research and letters from Eloise to Miss Miller, I found out she married and her last name changed to Johnson. She moved to Kansas in the early 1960s with her husband and baby girl."

Brittany stared at Jeanette incredulously. It was official: her sister had no life. Of course, she knew she had no room to talk. She was the one who was going on a date with geek-tastic Simon Seville this weekend.

"What?" Jeanette asked, noticing Brittany's look.

"Nothing," Brittany said. "I was just thinking that you must have been really bored today."

"I just wanted to figure out what Miss Miller was talking about," Jeanette retorted. She picked up some wrinkled, off-white envelopes. "As I mentioned, I found some old post cards and letters, but as far as I know, Miss Miller hasn't talked to Eloise since the late 70s."

"So why would Miss Miller bring her up now?" Brittany wondered.

"I don't know," Jeanette said. "There's also something else… Eloise Johnson passed away seven years ago in Kansas. She had cancer."

Brittany looked at Eloise in the photo. She looked so young and beautiful; so carefree. Maybe it was wrong, but the only thought that ran through Brittany's mind was, Getting old sucks.

Brittany was about to say something else when she heard the front door open. She heard footsteps approaching and felt bile rise to her throat when she saw who was walking into the Millers' kitchen, carrying a pizza box and wearing a cheery smile.

"Hi guys!" Eleanor said, setting the large box on the counter. Apparently she had been out Christmas shopping when she found out Miss Miller had ran away. Jeanette said that Eleanor had stopped her shopping to help search, but Brittany wasn't so sure. She didn't know if she could trust Eleanor ever again after what she had found out earlier that day. "I'm so relieved that you found Miss Miller. I figured you'd be hungry, so I picked up a pizza for dinner."

Brittany turned away from her sister. She couldn't stand looking at her, knowing that she had been going behind Brittany's back all this time.

"Whatcha doin'?" Eleanor asked, noting the crowded table. She opened the box to grab a piece of pizza.

As Jeanette explained to Eleanor what Miss Miller had said at the old night club, Brittany silently fumed in her seat. She watched as Eleanor ate her pizza. With each bite, Brittany willed her sister to get fat again. She didn't even care that it was mean, she couldn't resist.

I hope each carb goes straight to her thighs, Brittany thought devilishly.

"… and so I was trying to figure out who Eloise is…" Jeanette went on.

"Eloise Naylor?" Eleanor asked, after swallowing a bite.

Jeanette's eyes widened. "Well… yes. How did you know her last name?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Miss Miller used to talk about her all the time. She always brought her up when she talked about the night clubs she used to hit when she was younger." Eleanor raised her eyebrows. "You guys don't remember her telling us that?"

Brittany and Jeanette exchanged glances. It made sense that Eleanor would remember something like that and the other two wouldn't; Ellie was the only one who usually paid attention to Miss Miller's stories when they were younger. Jeanette would often politely excuse herself to do homework or read. She would rather learn her history from a book. And Brittany's mind would always drift off in the middle of a tale; she would end up thinking about what outfit she would wear to school the next day, or her favorite music video on MTV.

But Eleanor always obediently listened, and would even ask questions.

"I think she died a few years ago," Eleanor said.

"Right," Jeanette confirmed. "She had cancer. But Miss Miller thought she was still alive earlier today. But she could recall who Eloise was, and what her traits were, such as that she was always late. She also knew the exact location of their favorite night club."

Eleanor nodded. "So how can Miss Miller remember stuff that happened in the 50s, but she can't remember our names?"

"I'm not sure," Jeanette said. "I'll do some research tonight and see what I can find out."

Brittany wanted so badly to yell that her sisters should have done research on this matter months ago when they first noticed something wrong with Miss Miller, but she held back. She was too tired to argue.

"Do you guys want pizza?" Eleanor asked. She got up from her seat and went to get more plates.

"I'll have a slice," Jeanette said, not looking up from her laptop.

"Okay," Eleanor said, opening the box. "What about you, Brit?"

"I'm not hungry," Brittany said, unable to hide irritation from her voice.

Eleanor blinked a few times, a bit stunned by Brittany's harshness. "Um, alright. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Brittany said, even though the smell of the pizza sauce was making her mouth water. But she couldn't stand to be in the same room with Eleanor any longer. All she could think about was her sister making out with Alvin, and that thought made her sick with anger. "Just put some in the fridge and I'll heat it up later."

Brittany went up the stairs and headed for her room. On the way there, she paused by Miss Miller's room. The door was cracked open, and Brittany quietly pushed the door open further. Her former guardian was resting peacefully on her bed, her chest rising and falling with each steady breath. There was a hint of a smile on her lips, and Brittany chose to believe that Miss Miller was having some wonderful dream about her and her old friends dancing the night away at the club on Raspberry Street.

"I'm sorry Miss Miller," Brittany whispered from the doorway. She knew that if she hadn't stayed away from home so long, things wouldn't be as bad as they had become. She would have made Miss Miller see a doctor before things got out of control; maybe she could have gotten some sort of medicine or treatment to help her. Her sisters just weren't aggressive enough for this; nothing was getting done, and it drove Brittany crazy.

Brittany silently made her way to her bedroom, stomach still growling. She wasn't sure when she was going to confront her sister on the Alvin Thing, but it wasn't going to be tonight. Today had been stressful enough.

Brittany sighed as she collapsed on her bed. Staring at the ceiling, she remembered that she was going on a date with Simon tomorrow. She wasn't sure whether she was doing it to make Alvin jealous or prove that she wasn't a loser on a Saturday night. Maybe it was a combination of both. But either way she was using Simon.

I just don't like the idea of being used, he had told her. She couldn't get that out of her head. He had genuinely been hurt by her "using" him.

I'm no worse than Alvin, Brittany thought to herself. But she quickly reminded herself that she was nothing like that scumbag Alvin. She decided that she wasn't going to dread this date, and she wasn't going to be mean to Simon. She was going to be perfectly polite and kind; New Brittany was going to shine tomorrow night as Simon's date.

"Who knows?" Brittany said to herself. "Maybe we'll even have fun." But this was Simon she was talking about. The guy who did extra credit assignments for fun. The guy who spent twelve straight days in his basement trying to prove a hypothesis on plant reproduction. The guy who arranged the clothes in his closet by color, size, and occasion.

"Oh, who needs fun anyway?" Brittany muttered, her stomach letting out a hungry growl.

Her siblings had flat-out lied to her, she had no boyfriend, her mother-figure was insane, one of her sisters had fooled around with her no-good-ex-boyfriend behind her back, and she was going to go out on a date with Simon Seville. If someone had told her a year ago that all this would happen to her, she would've laughed in their face (well, except for maybe the Miss Miller insanity thing. Miss Miller had always been a little nutty).

For the umpteenth time that week, she wondered why she had come home in the first place. Everything was so screwed up, and she didn't even know what she wanted anymore. The only thing she was looking forward to was leaving this place again; and not returning for a very, very long time.

So, how was it? Tell me what you think a review!