Hello, Friend-os! So here's another long chapter! Hopefully I don't bore you guys too much... But lucky, this chapter has a tad of Alvittany in it, which is kind of the beginning to the future Alvittany stuff I'm planning in this story's future! Let me know what you guys think!
-Blythe
Chapter 3: Secret Weapon
Alvin began strumming his guitar thoughtfully before he began, his eyes closed as he gathered his thoughts before performing. Of course, he'd never done this before because he was so used to things being rehearsed and played over and over once he'd learned how to play it, but this time was different; they hadn't actually rehearsed it fully! The notes were fast and hard to play without practice by the end, and this might've been the first time Alvin felt hesitant on a stage!
Simon watched Alvin from the side of the stage, adjusting his glasses to verify what he saw: was Alvin actually nervous? This was something Simon never thought he'd see! Normally Alvin would dive right into it, eating up the attention the crowd fed him, bathing in the rush of the experience. But not this time... it was like he was planning something in that little diabolical head of his under his infamous red cap. Theodore looked over to Simon, wondering what was the matter, but Simon shook his head, unaware of what was happening as well.
Brittany, on the other hand, was enjoying this. Had Alvin caught a nasty case of stage fright? Would she win by default if he forfeits? The idea felt good for a moment, then her face fell at the thought of how that wouldn't count and how she wouldn't be able to prove to everyone how she was the better than him. This saddened her; she preferred to win fair and square. She secretly hoped to herself he'd snap out of it. C'mon Alvin, she thought, play something!
The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Alvin messed around with his guitar strings on stage, wondering just as much as his brothers what he was doing. Dave was nearly biting his own nails off!
Little did they know that the evil genius himself was on the verge of doing something he'd never officially tried at a concert: Improvising!
Alvin drew up his fist that tightly gripped his guitar pick and brought it down harshly over the chords, playing a loud and unexpected D chord. The crowd was taken aback and quickly responded with loud screams of his name and bellowing, encouraging him to proceed. He then played a hard B chord, causing the yelling and volume of the crowd to escalate. He was enjoying this. From there, his mind raced in circles of what he should do next. Don't think too much, Alvin! He scolded himself silently, just play. He looked over at Brittany, who was tapping her toe impatiently, you're better than her! He then unleashed a series of skillful riffs, casting the audience into astonishment as he lifted his guitar up and played more complicated and powerful notes that seemed to ripple through the concert hall. Simon and Theodore looked at each other again, but this time, it was out of utter disbelief! Alvin had pulled a stunt like this before, yes... but he'd only do it in the garage in his own private discretion, never in front of hundreds of people!
Brittany hadn't blinked since he began the powerful riffs. She was also quite amazed...even impressed! Alvin hadn't even done this in front of her, nevermind a concert hall full of strangers! She was enthused at his playing for a little while, but then she immediately realized that this wasn't a good thing; she was going to have serious competition to beat now!
Alvin gradually stopped playing around with the guitar and the stage went silent again. He turned to both of his brothers and gave a nod, signalling to them that he would begin the song now, his confidence elevated to a whole new level. He was going to set fire to this place.
Okay, he thought, now that you've got their attention, now's the time to win this stupid competition! He looked over to Brittany again, who was standing nervously with her arms crossed. She's got nothing on raw talent, he thought.
The stage lights dimmed down until only Alvin was shown under the spotlight. He positioned his fingers carefully on his guitar and with his now warmed up finger, played the beginning solo of the song Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'n Roses.
"D, D, A, G, hiG, A, F#, A, D, D, A, G, hiG, A, F#, A..." Whispered Alvin inaudibly to himself as he played the chords with stern control of his wrists. After the first two bars of the song, the crowd immediately knew the song Alvin was playing and were immediately pleased! The sound of his guitar was met with the roar of his audience that seemed to resonate throughout the whole concert hall. If the sound had a tangible force, it could've bent metal!
The audience's reaction to the music encouraged Theodore and Simon as well; perhaps they really COULD finish this song successfully! With a newfound sense of confidence, they joined in.
Jeanette and Eleanor watched from backstage as they assisted Brittany with her hair.
"Gee, Brittany!" murmured Jeanette, "Alvin's doing pretty well out there! Do you still think you've got a shot?"
Brittany shot her a glare. Jeanette immediately rephrased, "U-um! I-i just mean... do you think you're ready to go on stage right after? Do you need more time?"
"Of course not!" Snapped Brittany, "I know what I'm doing! Are you implying that I don't?!"
"N-no! I never said that!" replied Jeanette, "I-i just-"
"Easy, Britt!" lectured Eleanor, putting her arm up protectively between Brittany and Jeanette, "Jeez, what's gotten into you? Calm down! Stop being so jumpy!"
"Sorry," breathed Brittany apologetically, "It's just...Alvin's secret weapon took me by surprise, that's all..."
"Secret weapon?" Questioned Jeanette shyly.
"Yeah... his guitar improvisation. He effortlessly just started doing those riffs... I gotta find my own secret weapon!" Answered Brittany with a tone of determination, "If he can do it, I definitely can! I just gotta find out what my secret weapon is...!"
Back on the stage, Alvin anxiously awaited the song's pick up. The boys were following him well so far, but now began the real fun; the lyrics. Alvin leaned forward and neared his mouth to the mic as he began to sing from the pit of his stomach:
She's got a smile that it says to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away from that special place
And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Child O' Mine!
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Love O' mine!
It had suddenly struck Alvin that there was something different about these lyrics that hadn't come to his attention until now. Something was missing that made it feel lonelier than he wanted it to sound. Perhaps it was that the person who wrote it had someone in mind that gave it meaning? Maybe that's what would give the song more substance; if he'd have someone to play it to. He looked carefully into the audience to target someone in particular to focus the energy on. No such luck; he could barely see anyone down there through the blinding spotlight!
He looked to his right, no one was off stage over on that side, so he looked to the left. Immediately, he found the perfect candidate. She was there, hands on her hips, lips pouting and thick with cherry toned lip gloss. Brittany! He angled his body slightly toward and looked to her with his eyes, still keeping his body completely open to the audience as he played. Brittany, his rival as he thought of her at the present moment, she was a good focus. Any other time when they weren't fighting, she was his best friend. But for now, she was going to taste defeat.
Alvin continued to the next verse of the song, his eyes on her.
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I'd hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Funny, seeing as her eyes were rather blue... strange how some things connect. As he sang the words, he smiled at the connection it made to how Brittany actually looked. This amused him. It was beginning to get easier to bring out the best in the song.
Brittany watched him as he sang, realizing suddenly that he was singing to her. Why is he doing that? He's messing with me! Thought Brittany begrudgingly, a warm pink blush coloring her cheeks, how dare he use such tricks! She was convinced that he was antagonizing her, so she rolled her eyes and tried not to make eye contact with the imbecile. He continued to the next verse.
Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain
To quietly pass me by
Ooh Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Child O' Mine!
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Love O' Mine!
Brittany's eyes kept wandering back to Alvin, despite her wishes to navigate her sight away from him. Every time she looked back, there were his eyes, staring right back at her; blue meeting blue. What was his problem? Was he flirting with her? How rude! How sneaky! ...How totally and completely...Alvin!
Meanwhile, Alvin's thoughts weren't quite on the same page as Brittany's were. He was gonna win this thing, even if it meant toying with the mind of his opponent in the process. He gave a smirk, watching as her cheeks turned pinker and pinker. He loved messing with Brittany's head or just teasing her in general. Why? It was so easy! (Not to mention entertaining!)
Yeah oh whoa oh oh oh Sweet Child O' Mine!
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Love of Mine!
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Child O' Mine...
Now, Alvin had to focus. He was approaching the territory of the song that was unfamiliar to him; the part he might have to improvise on a bit. He readied himself, separating his legs a bit and tearing his gaze away from Brittany's. Playtime was over; now it was time to really bring on the heat.
Whoa oh oh oh Sweet Love O' Mine!
Without hesitation, he dove into the guitar solo, preparing himself to improvise on the spot. First he took it easy, then he allowed his fingers to go wherever they desired on the neck of his guitar. It was as if the room had been set on fire; he felt like he was burning in the spotlight as his fingers began to move faster and faster. He was now improvising...and the crowd was going nuts! In the midst of his passionate solo, the red-clad chipmunk hit his knees, biting his lip intensely as he took the song by storm. Simon and Theodore stared at Alvin in amazement. Over the ten years they'd known Alvin, he'd never showed this amount of skill on his guitar. They practically had to force themselves to look away to avoid being captivated by the sound of the instrument as it wailed. Girls in the audience were fainting left and right. This performance would certainly not be forgotten!
Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
oh oh
Where do we go?
oh,
Where do we go now?
Where we go?
Sweet child! Whooooa Sweet Child!
Where do we go now ah ah ah ah ahhhh!
As the song began to come to its end, Alvin was now using his powerful guitar skills along with his voluminous vocal abilities. Alvin was anchored to the stage, belting out the last few verses while he continued to play. Brittany was riddled with doubt. When she'd challenged him to a dual, she never knew he'd take it this seriously and blow everyone away. Yes, he'd amazed people before, but this was very different from what he usually did. And Brittany couldn't play instruments like Alvin could; she wasn't nearly as confident. For now, all Brittany knew was that she'd probably bitten off more than she could chew this time.
Sweet Child!
Sweet Chi-i-i-i-i-i-ld of Mine!
Alvin strummed his final chord on his electric guitar and picked himself off the ground, immediately taking a bow as soon as Theodore wrapped it up on the drums. Simon and Theodore took bows as well, still in awe of what had just happened; Alvin had broken the limits of his own abilities.
"Thank you so much," yelled Alvin into the mic, "you've all been a wonderful audience!" He looked off stage to Brittany, who was shaking, "And next, ladies and gentleman, we have the princess herself! Brittany!" The crowd roared with excitement.
The chipmunks walked off stage, still putting together in their minds what'd just happened.
"Wow! That was amazing, Alvin! H-how did you do that?" Squeaked Theodore.
"I've never even seen you do that in the garage! Have you been practicing that song independently?" Inquired Simon.
Alvin simply shook his head, still panting from the performance, "Nope! I just let my fingers do their work! Hehe," he haughtily replied, "Never underestimate a rockstar."
Typical Alvin.
Brittany crossed paths with him on her way onto the stage and gave him an icy glare.
"What's wrong, Brittany? Didn't think I could blow you out of the water?"
"I'll admit you were good," growled Brittany, "But you haven't seen what I can do yet!"
"Well you've got big shoes to fill, don't you?"
Brittany stifled a laugh, "Well hopefully not the ones you're wearing! I wouldn't want to suddenly become a horrible dancer and step on everyone's feet!"
The two were about to begin another one of their petty little fights when Eleanor rushed between them, "Quit fighting, you two!" She pulled at Brittany's arm, "C'mon Brit! You're on right now!"
Okay guys! That's it for this chapter! Tell me what you think! What do you think Brittany will do? Will she buckle under the pressure? Who will win?
Until next time, over and out!
-Blythe