The Unexpected

Chapter 3

XOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Oh wow, coming up with chapters for this story is harder than I thought. I'm glad I only set it to up to six chapters. XD

So, we're halfway through this! Looks like things keep getting worse for Teddy! Maybe he can try and change his luck around.

XOXOXOXOXO

The following morning, it was time to get ready for school. As the others had hoped, it seemed Theodore had calmed down significantly from the interview the previous evening. He appeared to be his usual cheery, bouncy self. Breakfast went by without a hitch and they all gathered in the car where Toby waited to drive them to West Eastman. When they arrived, they waved their goodbyes to Toby before making their way inside the building. They still had about ten or so minutes left before classes started, so they took the opportunity to converse in front the lockers.

"Hey, Theo! I'm really glad you got over that interview," Alvin said, leaning against his locker and watching Theodore pack his backpack with supplies. "I mean, it was no big deal, right?"

"Yeah, I was being silly," Theodore smiled, counting his pencils.

"You know you have lots of positive qualities, right?" Simon said, looking over the contents in his locker. He was meticulously clean with everything, especially when it came to his education.

"Yeah," Theodore said, closing his locker.

Eleanor timidly walked up to him, holding a few books in her arms. If anyone had been worried for him, it was certainly Eleanor. She had always known him to be upbeat and positive. Heck, it was one of the many reasons she was so eager to meet him in the first place. It seemed like he was progressively getting more frustrated as time went by. If there was any way she could distract him from his problems, she was willing to give it a try.

"Hey, Theodore. I can walk you to class, if you like?" Eleanor offered.

For a dreadful moment, she feared that he would reject the offer. To her relief and pleasant surprise, however, he accepted.

"Sure, Eleanor," Theodore said, giving her a small smile. "I'd like that."

The blond pair waved goodbye to their siblings as they made their way towards Ms. Ortega's art class. Oddly enough, even though they shared the same class, they had never taken the opportunity to walk together. Eleanor wondered why it was so hard to work up the nerve to ask until now...

"So, um..." Eleanor glanced over at him. "Are you really feeling better today? You can talk to me about it if you'd like."

"I'm fine, really," Theodore insisted. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did. It was really babyish, wasn't it?"

"No! Not at all!" Eleanor protested, shaking her head. Theodore smiled as her blond pigtails bounced around. He had a feeling that she was only saying that to save his feelings, but he didn't mind much. "I-I can understand why you'd feel that way. I think anyone would have gotten angry..."

"Really, it's no big deal," Theodore sighed. "I decided that I'm just going to fix it."

"Fix it?"

"Yes," Theodore said, looking down at his round tummy. "If I want to be known for something else other than my weight, I have to get rid of this. I decided I want to go on a diet and work out everyday."

Eleanor's eyes widened at the sudden revelation. From what she overheard from Dave, this wasn't the first time Theodore took a pledge to lose weight. Every time he tried it wouldn't last long and he'd go right back to eating whatever he pleased. If this was one of those times...

"Well, okay. But you do know it's hard keeping to a diet and steeling yourself to exercise everyday, right?" Eleanor said softly, careful not to offend him. "I exercise at least four times a week, but I find it really hard to resist eating sweets or creamy things. Are you sure you want to go strict?"

"I have to," Theodore said adamantly, clenching his fists. "I don't like being like this, Eleanor. It's not just what people say about me: it's about my health too. I can barely keep up with the rest of you and I get tired more easily. It's just too embarrassing."

Eleanor looked thoughtful for a moment before stepping in front of him, effectively blocking his path. He looked down at her, bewildered.

"Theodore," she said firmly, looking him in the eyes. "Do you remember what you said to me when we volunteered in that charity a few months ago?"

"Um, not really," Theodore said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"You said I was great just the way I am," Eleanor said. Her stern expression softened into a soft smile. "You like me for me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Theodore blushed. "I'd never want you to change."

"And I don't want you to change over someone else's opinion," Eleanor said. "If you really want to change that part of yourself, do it because you want to. Don't do it to impress anybody, not even me. It'll only end up making you sad."

Theodore stared back at her. He never would have thought she'd remember something like that. Surely she must have gotten complements like that on a regular basis? And what she said carried a lot of truth. Would he really be happy doing this to please a bunch of people he didn't even know? If he was going to do this it should only count towards his own personal gain.

"Don't worry, Eleanor," he said, taking her free hand and giving it a small squeeze "I want to do this for myself. I think I'll feel better if I do."

"Good, that's all I ask," Eleanor said, giving him a confident smile. "Then I'm behind you one hundred percent!"

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Theodore said. He was honestly glad to have someone in his corner. Even though he promised himself he would lose most, if not all, of his extra weight it was easier said than done. Theodore would need all the support he could get!

Ms. Ortega came to the door and yelled a last call for any remaining students to get to their classes. Eleanor and Theodore quickly scurried into her classroom and took their seats beside each other. Theodore could hardly contain himself when it came to Julie Ortega's class: next to cooking, crafts was his favorite hobby.

Julie closed the door as the last student took their seat. She walked to her desk in the front of the classroom and looked over her schedule.

"Okay, guys," Ms. Ortega said as she scanned over the text. "Today we're going to make a sculpture out of clay. Everyone make a line to the side of the room and I'll give you some clay. You may sculpt anything you want as long as it's appropriate."

"Oh, this sounds like so much fun!" Eleanor said, bouncing happily as she took her place in line. "I wonder what I should make..."

"Good question," Theodore said thoughtfully. "Well, what kinds of things do you like? Maybe flowers, or maybe a design for your room? Oh! Maybe Jeanette or Brittany might like a gift?"

"Oh, that's a good idea," Eleanor said, tapping her chin. "This is going to be a tough one. What do you want to make, Theodore?"

"Well, I was thinking I'd make something for Alvin or Simon," Theodore said. He felt a bit guilty for how snappish he was with them. He was certain that they only wanted to help. "It'll be an apology gift."

"That's a good idea," Eleanor said warmly.

"Hey, the line's moving," one of their classmates, Kassidy, said impatiently. "Can you two get a move on?"

Theodore gulped and moved up in the line. In contrast, Eleanor folded her arms and looked the rude girl up and down, unmoved.

"I'll move when you learn to say it nicely," Eleanor said firmly.

Kassidy blushed and bit her lip. "Please, the line is moving."

"That's better," Eleanor said, moving up.

Some of the other students snickered at Kassidy, further increasing her humiliation. Theodore felt foolish for not standing his ground and expressed this to Eleanor.

"Oh, it's no problem," Eleanor assured him, waving the notion away. "I've just been raised not to take that kind of thing from anybody."

"So I see!" Theodore laughed. "You're a tough one."

Eleanor grinned and playfully nudged him. "Hush or I'll put you in a headlock!"

Theodore pretended to whimper, making the Chipette laugh. Soon enough, it was their turn to receive their ration of clay. Ms. Ortega gave them a smaller amount (obviously) and they made their way back to their seats.

Theodore looked over the lump of clay, at a complete loss of what to sculpt. "Hm... what would both Alvin and Simon like?"

Eleanor looked over her own roll of clay, conflicted.

"I'm not sure. What do they have in common?"

Theodore thought hard on this. His brothers were as different as night and day! Most of the time they fought, but they would sometimes put aside their differences and get along. But what did the two of them both appreciate? Music? Well, it was obvious they all enjoyed that...

Come on, think, think! Theodore thought, rubbing his temples. There has to be something they both like...

"Toaster waffles!" Theodore said, snapping his fingers. "That's what they like."

"Toaster waffles?" Eleanor laughed. "Who knew they'd have that in common! Now if only I can find out what my sisters like."

Theodore divided the portion evenly and flattened them. He then used his pencil's eraser to poke even holes in them. As he finished, he turned back to Eleanor.

"Do they have a snack they both like?" he asked.

"Hm," Eleanor hummed. "They both seem to like my homemade cupcakes."

"There we go!" Theodore grinned. "That's the perfect gift for them. Though I'm sure they'd prefer real cupcakes."

Eleanor giggled, dividing her clay and rolling them into balls. "I have no doubt about that."

Theodore watched Eleanor gently mold her clay into two cupcakes. He marveled at how well she sculpted them: with a good coat of paint they wouldn't look too different from the real thing! Ms. Ortega was impressed with their sculptures and thought it was very sweet of them to make gifts for their siblings. Since they finished early, Theodore and Eleanor decided to spend the rest of the class time chatting.

Theodore was surprised at how well they got along. He had always been a bit shy when it came to the opposite sex, even if it didn't seem like it. He was naturally friendly and was always eager to make friends. And it seemed he had a lot of female fans, so he had become accustomed to dealing with them. But it had been a long, long time since he had come into contact with a female of his kind. And she wasn't just any female. She was different. Like him, she was the roundest out of her family, liked to cook and eat, and was also innocent and sweet. But she had many differences as well that he admired: she could be firm, mature, and level-headed. He never thought someone like that would be interested in him but she had a knack of surprising him.

"Eleanor?"

"Yes?" she said.

"Would you like to hang out sometime?" he asked, blushing slightly. He didn't want to come off too strong, and he definitely didn't want to make it a date. At least not yet. "If that's okay with you, that is."

Eleanor gave him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen.

"I'd love to!" she said, taking his hands in her smaller ones. "Where would you like to go?"

"Oh! Well, I was thinking we could go to the park or something," Theodore said. "We could take a walk and feed the ducks."

"Sounds good!" Eleanor said, nodding. "How about this Friday?"

"It's a date, then!"

"A date?"

Theodore smacked a hand over his mouth. What did he just say? Didn't he say that this wasn't going to be a date?

Oh man, I'm such an idiot! Theodore thought frantically, praying he hadn't offended her. She's going to think I'm so weird now.

To his surprise, Eleanor smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He felt his cheeks burn almost immediately and simply stared at her as she pulled back.

"It's a date."

XOXOXOXOXO

"You look awfully chipper today, Theodore," Simon said, looking at him over his textbook.

Theodore took a bite out of his apple slice. Just as he vowed, he planned on eating healthier from now on. Even after he reached a weight he could be happy with he would continue to stick to a healthier diet. Simon had noticed but hadn't commented on it yet.

"I guess I am," Theodore said, unable to hold back a grin. "I've got a date."

"Woah, seriously?" Alvin said, too loud for his liking. "Theo's got a date!"

"Shh! Keep it down!" Theodore said, glancing around. Fortunately, no one seemed to hear them. "But yes. We plan on taking a walk through the park on Friday."

"That's what you call a date?" Alvin laughed.

Simon nudged him.

"Oh – I mean, sounds fun!" Alvin said, coughing.

"Theodore, I've noticed you didn't get any desserts," Simon finally pointed out. "Going to try your luck at a diet again, eh?"

Theodore frowned. It sounded as if Simon doubted he would actually go through with it this time. Not that he could really blame him, though...

"Yes, I am," Theodore said confidently, sipping his milk. "I want to lose some weight."

"How much?" Alvin asked, digging right into his candy bar. Theodore winced a bit at this.

"I want to get rid of most of my baby fat," Theodore said, rubbing his tummy. "I don't want to get too skinny though."

"I think that's a good idea," Simon said, nibbling on a cracker. "If there's any way we can help, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simon," Theodore grinned. "Because I do want to ask you two for a favor."

"Really?" Alvin said, looking up at Theodore. "What's that?"

"You know how you guys always go to the gym, or the track, or the basketball court?" Alvin and Simon nodded. "I want to tag along!"

Simon and Alvin looked at each other, unsure.

"Well, I don't know, Theo," Alvin said, scratching his head. "You might be pushing it there. It's a lot of work when you go to the gym."

"Please?" Theodore pleaded. "I can keep up."

"Alright, Theodore," Simon smiled. "We'll take you with us on Friday after school. How about that?"

"Thanks, guys!" Theodore said. "I'll be there!"

The trio of brothers spent the rest of their lunch break laughing and causing general mischief. Theodore was relieved that his actions the previous day hadn't left them bitter. He felt lucky that he had such understanding brothers, and felt even more foolish that he had doubted their loyalty. He couldn't wait to show them their presents tomorrow afternoon.

They're going to love them!

XOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Woo, looks like things are looking up for Theo! And he finally got a date with Ellie on top of that. :D

Next chapter should be up soon! Thanks for reading.