Hey friend-os! Second chappy is up and yeah, it's a little long... but hopefully you guys like it! There's a little TxE in it (cause I'm a Theonor fan). Enjoy!
-Blythe 3
Alvin moved to the center of the stage and stood across from Brittany, arms crossed, eyes gleaming, "Oh yeah? And what will that be, hmm? What's your little challenge going to be, princess? Are you gonna challenge me to a shop-a-thon?"
His snide remark was acid to her ears, "No," she spat, "I'm going to challenge you to your own abilities. We'll see who takes the upper hand."
The crowd stirred a bit, confused, whispering and chattering with each other about what was going on onstage and if it was supposed to be part of the entertainment. Meanwhile, Dave was frozen as he watched the scene unfold from backstage. What were they doing? This wasn't what he'd planned for the evening! They were supposed to dance and sing to the numbers they were given! The ones they rehearsed! He flipped hurriedly through the pages of his clipboard, anxiety-ridden. Right after they sang Don't Stop Believin', they were supposed to immediately start to sing and dance to Footloose by Kenny Loggins. What were they doing?!
"And just what do you mean by 'my own abilities?' Are you planning to have a sing-off?" pried Alvin, less than impressed, "Ha! You really expect to be better than me at what I do best?"
"You underestimate me, Seville," remarked a very confident Brittany, "In case you've forgotten, I have beaten you at a few things you thought you'd be better at!"
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Why, Alvin! You haven't forgotten how much of a better football player I am than you, have you? Don't you remember the time I took your place as quarterback?"
The crowd immediately responded, snickering and laughing at the possibility of the beautiful diva Brittany Miller being a rough-tough grass-stained quarterback and especially the possibility of her being a better football player than Alvin! Alvin's cheeks flushed with humiliation.
"Well I think you're misplacing the fact that you're not as popular as you think you are!"
"What are you talking about?" Brittany crossed her arms, "How could you possibly tell which of us is more popular?"
Alvin laughed, "How about the time you and I ran against each other for class president and I won?"
There came a hushed "ooh" from the audience. Brittany wrinkled her nose in annoyance, recalling the memory in her mind. "That doesn't count! My sister was the one who determined that vote, in case you forgot!"
"Oh, well it looks like I'm more popular with your sisters, too!" Alvin cackled.
Brittany balled her hands into tight fists, stepping closer to him, "You certainly aren't!"
Jeanette sighed in annoyance. Ever since that election, she'd gotten constant grief from Brittany about how disloyal it was to have voted against her. All Jeanette wanted was to choose the candidate that was more familiar with the school! It had nothing to do with her loyalty to her siblings or Brittany, but rather choosing who was more fit to be the class president...and Brittany just wasn't. However, that didn't matter anymore. Perhaps she should've voted for Brittany in order to save herself from the grief Brittany would put her through in the future. "You guys! Quit it! Can't you two just settle this later?" Squeaked Jeanette shyly, making sure to stay out of the fight. She looked at Eleanor, unsure of what to do in this situation. When Brittany got like this, it was almost impossible to separate her from her opponent until she won.
The spectators were so mesmerized by the argument, they'd forgotten that they'd paid for a concert rather than a boxing match! From the side of the stage, Theodore took notice of the crowd's fixation in his oldest brother's fight with his pink-clad counterpart and quickly nudged Simon, "S-simon! The audience!"
Simon had also been too fixated on the fight to notice the audience's response. Quickly, he moved to the center of the stage, "Alvin, Brittany... Just drop it, okay?" He looked at the audience, then back at his brother and Brittany and whispered, "Need I remind you two that we have an audience to entertain?"
"Good! That's excellent!" growled Brittany, "I'm glad we have an audience! That means I can make Alvin look like a talentless fool in front of hundreds of people!"
"And how're you going to do that, honey?" antagonized Alvin.
"Easy!" laughed Brittany, her nose pressing to his just like she always does before laying down a challenge, "I challenge you, Alvin Seville, to a competition!"
The crowd immediately went wild. A challenge! What an exciting new arrangement. They were about to get far more than what they bargained for!
"And what is this challenge?" asked Alvin without an ounce of hesitance.
"You and I will each sing a song for the audience. Then we'll see afterwards who won!"
There was a slight pause as Alvin thought about her proposition.
"You're on, sister!" He pulled down his hat and parted ways with her, taking the sleeves of each of his brothers and pulling them backstage with them. Brittany did the same with Eleanor and Jeanette.
"Alvin!" Hissed Simon, "How could you accept that challenge if we have nothing rehearsed? Why did you even have to accept in the first place?!"
Theodore gasped, "Oh! No one's on stage right now! What are we going to do? We only have a little time or the crowd will leave!"
Simon wasted no time to think about this, "hm...Theodore, go out there and distract the crowd for a moment while I try to talk some sense into Alvin."
"Wh-what?! B-but what do I say to them?! I don't know h-how to entertain a crowd all by myself!" Theodore shook, his eyes widening with fear at the thought of a crowd booing him off the stage or throwing things at him. Working the crowd was something Alvin did, not him! What did Theodore know about getting hundreds of people eating out of the palm of his hands? That was Alvin's expertise!
"Just talk to them, Theo! Tell them a few jokes or something! We just need two minutes! Just improise!"
"B-but! Simon! I-i don't know how to-"
"Just go! Hurry!"
Before he could argue much longer, Theodore was pushed onto the stage and immediately surrounded by the blinding stage spotlights.
"...h-hi e-everybody...!" mumbled Theodore into the mic, squinting through the lights. How could Alvin's eyes withstand the brightness of these things? He must be nearly blind by now! And no wonder Simon needs his glasses to see anything; these lights must've taken a serious toll on his eyesight! Theodore was glad he was the drummer and didn't have to deal with them as much as his brothers.
The audience turned their attention to little Theodore, whose knees were buckling and shivering as he held the mic, "H-how is e-everyone tonight?" He quickly received a loud cheer and applause, so he eased up a little, "U-um...well good! M-my brother Alvin will be performing i-in a minute, s-so I was sent out here to...um..." His heart fell like it was going to explode out of his chest and his face- no, his whole entire body felt like it was in flames!
"I-i was sent out here to...um..." There was complete silence as he frantically searched for words. The room was beginning to spin and he could feel himself getting more and more lightheaded and nauseated, "T-to...uh...-"
"He was sent out here to entertain while Alvin gets prepared for our next act!" Said a sweet, familiar voice.
Theodore looked in the direction of his brothers backstage, but they weren't the ones speaking. Simon was yelling at Alvin and shaking him by the shoulders, so it definitely wasn't them. He looked to the other side of the stage and saw who it was: Eleanor! He sighed in relief. How was she so calm? Was she forced on stage too?
She walked closer to him and gently put her arm around his shoulder to calm him and it certainly worked! Theodore's nerves calmed and he felt like the fire was lessening by the second. The jitters were beginning to leave his arms and legs and his teeth gradually stopped chattering. Eleanor's dark chocolate eyes glinted in the spotlight. She didn't seem to mind them at all.
"Isn't Theodore a terrific drummer, everyone?" chirped Eleanor sweetly. The crowd immediately cheered at the top of their lungs. Theodore blushed bashfully and looked at his feet. Eleanor was just so sweet sometimes! She was always there when he needed her.
Meanwhile, Alvin was suiting up for his next act. It was going to be a hit.
"Alvin, do you even know what you're going to sing? You can't go through with this if-"
"Relax, Simon!" interrupted Alvin, looking confidently at his fabulous reflection in the mirror, "Remember that New Years party we had in the neighborhood last year when we played for our neighbors and friends?"
"Well, yes... why?" Inquired Simon. What was he up to this time?
Alvin combed his hair to the side evenly and neatly with his comb, "Remember the song we'd been practicing New Years Eve morning, but we never played it cause it wasn't ready yet?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"That's our song for tonight!" Said Alvin, placing the comb in his coat pocket, "And we're gonna win!"
"But Alvin! We haven't even finished learning that song! We aren't prepared enough to play it yet!"
"Nonsense, Simon! We can do ANYTHING if we put our minds to it!" Alvin said with the utmost confidence. And with that, he picked up his electric guitar and prepared to go on stage.
Simon groaned and ran his hands through his hair nervously, "Somebody sedate me...please..."
Jeanette was having as much success trying to convince Brittany to call off the competition: none. Brittany's head was as thick as iron. When she gets an idea in her head, she doesn't stop until it's fully carried out. Jeanette didn't share this trait with Brittany, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Instead, she stood by the motto of "look before you leap." Sometimes she was even a little TOO cautious.
"Brittany...Listen..." started Jeanette gently, "I-i don't know if this is such a good idea! I mean, we were supposed to go with what Dave scheduled! He's going to be furious that we stopped performing mid-concert!"
Brittany was, as usual, occupied with making herself look as beautiful as she was talented, "Relax, Jeanette! We haven't stopped performing! When I go out there, I'm gonna bring the house down! Besides..." Brittany dusted powder on her perfect rouged cheeks, "People enjoy a good show, do they not?"
"i-i suppose..."
"And I AM the better performer in this competition in this situation, am I not?" Brittany took down her ponytail and began brushing her long strawberry blonde locks.
"W-well-"
"Am I NOT?" Brittany looked at Jeanette sternly.
Jeanette quickly nodded, "U-uh huh!"
"So there's no problem! I'll win. I'll show that Alvin," she growled again, hissing his name, "I'll show HIM to step on these feet!" And with that, Brittany stood up and walked to her dressing room to change into her outfit.
"Oh dear..." whimpered Jeanette, putting her hands over her face in frustration.
On stage, Theodore and Eleanor were doing a splendid job keeping the crowd entertained.
"And then I said to her," Theodore laughed into the mic, "I said to her, 'that's why it tastes so funny, Ellie! You added baking SODA instead of baking POWDER!"
A wave of laughter rolled over the crowd. For a good five minutes, Theodore and Eleanor managed to entertain hundreds of people by themselves. The crowd was eating it up; their impromptu comedy act was so adorable and entertaining! Instead of singing, they'd managed to keep the high energy of the crowd by talking about what they both love doing best: cooking! Dave was even laughing from backstage! Theodore's nervous had completely calmed down and his confidence replaced any remaining feelings of stage fright. And it was all because of Eleanor.
"Haha! Silly me!" Laughed Eleanor, "I guess that's what I get for accidentally putting the baking soda and baking powder in the opposite containers!
Alvin signalled from backstage to Theodore. Theodore nodded and grabbed the mic, "Well, folks! Looks like Alvin is ready to start the competition now! Are you all ready?"
The audience applauded and screamed, chanting Alvin's name.
"Alright! Here he is!"
Alvin walked onto the stage and took center as Simon took his place as the bassist, whispering the song choice into Theo's ear.
"What?" whispered Theodore back, "B-but we barely know that song!"
"I know... But Alvin insisted, so we'll have to roll with it." Replied Simon solemnly.
"O-okay," Theodore agreed reluctantly, taking his place as the drummer.
Alvin yelled into the mic before he began strumming, "This one's for all you beautiful ladies out there!"
Brittany watched scornfully backstage as Alvin began the song, preparing herself.
"I'm SO going to crush you, Seville."
Alrighty friend-os. What will happen next? What will Alvin sing? Will the Chipmunks be able to perform a song they barely know? What will Brittany sing? Who will win?~
Your reviews would be greatly appreciated! :) Until next chappy, over and out!
-Blythe 3