Getting to Know You
The Chipmunks and Chipettes story
Part XIV
"So are they coming anytime soon?" Simon asked from across the table at the pizza diner.
"Yeah, they said they were on their way now." Jeanette responded, smiling at her boyfriend, "What about Theodore and Ellie?"
"I called Theo and he said they were just finishing up an errand and they would be right over." Simon told her, mellowed out by her happy demeanor.
"What do you think that means for those two?" Jeanette asked, staring off into space.
"Theo and Ellie?" Simon asked, "Probably means that they were just finishing up having sex. I swear, for the babies of the group, they are probably the most active couple I have ever known."
"Hmmm," Jeanette responded, thinking hard about something, Simon was being awfully cold today. Normally when it was just the two of them, he was so nice and friendly. She was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong. Just then, their number was called and he got up to go get their pizza from the counter.
They sat and ate in silence, yet another thing that was strange for Simon. for the most part, he was a very talkative person, with all these wonderful ideas that Jeanette loved to just listen to.
"Is there something wrong Simon?" she finally asked, shattering the silence.
Simon sighed and put his pizza slice down, "I guess you noticed hunh?"
"Well, you have been acting strange today, is it something I should know about?" she replied, concerned that something big had happened.
"It doesn't affect you but I was going to talk to you about it." He confessed, "You see, lately there's been this…" he started, but was interrupted at the last minute by the arrival of their siblings.
"How about you tell me on the way home," Jeanette offered, smiling kindly at him as she stood up to greet her sisters and Simon also got up to let his brothers into the booth.
When they were all seated, Jeanette started the round of questions.
"What did you all do today?"
Theo and Ellie grinned a little and they told her how they had managed to not only shave two seconds off of Ellie's 100 meter time, but how Theodore had also managed to add five feet to his Shot-put distance. Then they told the group about this new bakery downtown they had seen.
"And what about you guy?" Theo asked Jeanette and Simon.
"Simon took us to see this new exhibit at the museum all about the history of writing and the technology used for it over the past 3000 years." She told them all excitedly.
"You guys went to a museum for a date?" Alvin asked incredulously, "Sounds more like a punishment to me."
"Well, that's just because you can't appreciate the finer things in life." Simon retorted, his face turning a little red the way it always did when Alvin was being a nuisance.
"Whatever," Alvin said lazily, smiling at Britney who giggled a little under her breath.
"And just what did you two do that has you in such a good mood?" Jeanette asked innocently.
Alvin and Britney blushed a little and muttered to themselves before tell everyone that they had gone to see Susan in the hospital and that when she got out, she would be staying with the girls for a little bit.
"You invited SUSAN?! To live with us?!" Eleanor asked angrily, "Did you even bother to talk this over with mom?"
"Who do you think suggested it?" Britney retorted
"And not only that, but she's going to be hanging out with us at school too." Alvin said grinning, "She'd really nice when you get to know her, she's just had a really hard time lately."
"Well, I think it's a great idea." Simon said from across the table, drawing looks of astonishment from everyone but Jeanette, "After all, the safest place for someone who wronged you to be is right next to you."
"This has nothing to do with what she's done!" Britney answered defensively, "I invited her because I genuinely care about her. Besides, she's going to need all the help she can get in the next few months."
"Why just the next few months?" Jeanette asked, "Is there something wrong with her?"
"Well, it's not so much something's wrong as she just needs some close friends to help her deal with an issue that came up." Britney explained.
"Is she pregnant or something?" Theo asked around the piece of pizza hanging out of his mouth. He had meant it sarcastically, but the silence from Simon, Britney and Alvin told the real story.
"Oh my god, are you serious?" Eleanor questioned anxiously, "Was it an accident or what?"
"Actually, I'm not sure that we should tell you the whole story." Alvin said cagily, "Let's just say that it was not planned and she had no control over anything but she's keeping the baby at least until it's born."
"That's all I need to know." Theo said, his appetite suddenly gone.
"So what do we do now?" Jeanette asked after a few minutes of silence when all the food was gone, "It's Saturday night, we don't have school tomorrow, and we have rides, who wants to do what?"
"I wanted to go do some shopping and I'm dragging Alvin along." Britney said confidently, though Alvin made a slight grimace behind her back.
"Ellie and I were going to go see that new Nightmare on Elm Street movie." Theo said hesitantly, giving off the impression that it was mostly Eleanor's idea and he was just along for the ride.
"What about you two?" Ellie asked, gesturing towards Simon and Jeanette.
"What do you want to do?" Simon asked, "I chose the museum today, you pick where we go now."
"I wanted to go to the mall for a bit actually." Jeanette admitted smiling.
"Cool!" Alvin said, "Then you can come with me and Brit!"
Simon had a feeling that he just wanted some other people to go with them so he wouldn't be alone outside the girls changing rooms, but he also wanted to spend more time with Jeanette, so he agreed to go.
"Then how about when we're all done, we meet up at the boy's house for another sleepover?" Theo suggested.
"I'll call Dad." Alvin said, getting up from the table to make the call.
"I'll text Mom." Ellie offered, pulling her own phone out.
They continued talking about what they would do if it was okay for the girls to spend the night. After a few minutes, Alvin walked back and told them that Dave was cool with it if Miss Miller was. At the same time though, Miss Miller texted back that the girls could stay the night provided that they came back to pick up their stuff from the house first, she didn't want them running around the boy's house in the morning with no fresh clothes.
"So it looks like we're all spending the night again!" Theo said excitedly.
"Alright then, if you guys will drive us by our house before we head over to yours, I guess we can go now." Jeanette summed up, rising from her seat, Simon getting up as well and heading for her truck.
When they were out of earshot, Eleanor leaned across the table and whispered to the other three, "Is it just me, or is Simon acting weird?"
"No," Alvin replied, "I noticed it too, maybe Jeanette will find out and we can ask her tonight." They all nodded in agreement and got up from the table to head for their own rides. Eleanor and Theodore heading for his car to go to the theater, while Alvin and Britney hurried after Simon and Jeanette who had already started the truck and were just waiting for them to follow.
When they arrived at the mall, Britney led the way into the shops with Alvin dragged along by the wrist. Simon and Jeanette lagged behind as they walked leisurely into the large glass and steel complex crawling with what must have been the town's entire teenage population. As soon as Jeanette saw that Britney and Alvin were far enough away, she swerved to the side into a side hallway and led Simon out the exit. When she was sure that they were alone, she looked up into his eyes and asked what he had been trying to tell her earlier.
Simon sighed and began his story, "You remember the new kid that transferred here from Georgia?"
"That quiet kid in your gym class? Yeah, I remember him, why? What happened?" she asked in response.
"Well, as it turns out, he was only quiet to size everybody up. He got kicked out of his last school for fighting and almost killing a kid, and now he's got like ten of the guys in my gym class in his little gang. And to top it all off, the guys in this group of his are douche-bags. We're talking fake tans, gelled hair and polo's here." He told her, watching her for her reaction.
"Uh-hunh, and what's wrong with that? He's hanging out with his own kind of friends, what does that have to do with you?" she asked, confusion written clearly across her face.
"Two days ago, in the locker room, we were all changing out and this guy is talking shit about all of us. You, me, the rest of the group; and I get in there to try and tell him off and next thing I know, his gang has me pinned to the lockers and he gets in my face screaming at me to mind my own business. I tell him to fuck off and stop talking trash about you guys, and then he tells me that the next time he sees me; he's going to make sure that I can't talk for a long time. Then he hauls off and uses me for a punching bag for a minute or two."
All in all, he spent about a minute telling her all this, but while he was telling the story, his eyes misted up and Jeanette cold tell just how much the event had shaken him.
"Did he leave bruises?" she asked tenderly, looking from his face to his torso.
"Yeah, I think they're still there, they didn't hurt yesterday, which is why I didn't say anything. I didn't want you to worry, I guess that I didn't hide it so well today though" He explained.
"Can I see?" she asked softly.
Simon was caught totally off guard by that one, but he obliged and lifted his shirt up to expose his thin frame. He may not have been heavy like Alvin or Theo, but he had muscle to spare. And the skinniness helped to define it all in a wonderful display of hidden strength. The only thing wrong with the image was the giant splotches of purple, red, and in a couple cases, black that stretched across his skin. She had no idea how long he had taken the beating for, but she knew that he was lucky that he didn't pass out.
"Do they hurt today?" she asked, running her fingers lightly over the tender flesh and saw him wince as he told her that they didn't hurt at all.
"Why do you do that?" she said quietly, putting her head down and taking her hand and running it around his back to hold him.
"Do what?" he asked concernedly.
"You always play the tough guy, always trying not to let your emotions show through. I can tell that they hurt, so why do you try and lie to me?" she said, starting to choke up a little as she realized that he had been hurt for standing up for his friends and family, for her too.
Simon ran his hands across the length of her back and stared off into space trying to think of an answer, "I guess I just don't want to look weak." He replied lamely.
Jeanette laughed through the tears that were building up and told him frankly, "You do well enough at that with that robot act you put on for everyone else, but when you're with me, I want you to be totally honest about everything with me. Is that clear?" she asked, doing her best to imitate Eleanor and Miss Miller.
Simon laughed as he listened to her and she could feel his abs moving against her as he replied, "Yes Ma'am."
They stayed in that back room for a while longer, just holding each other, until Simon's phone rang and he looked at it to see a text from Alvin asking where he was.
"I think we should go rescue Alvin." He joked, pulling his shirt back down, much to Jeanette's chagrin.
"Can't he last a few minutes longer?" she asked, wanting to spend more time alone with Simon.
"Unfortunately, he normally can't last as long as he already has when he's shopping for himself. We better go back him up and drag Brit out of here before she bankrupts Alvin's wallet." He said laughingly as he put his hand around her waist and walked them out the door and over to the store that Britney and Alvin were at.
"Dude!" Alvin greeted exasperatedly, "Where the hell were you?! You left me alone with her while she tore through Dillard's, Abercrombie, and I had to hold her back from the shoe store entirely!"
"Sorry Alvin, we got sidetracked a little looking at music in the FYE." Simon said, hoping that he would buy the excuse, "Where is she now?"
"Right now she's checking out and then I somehow have to find a way out of here that doesn't pass any more stores she likes." Alvin said, looking pleadingly at his younger brother and his girlfriend.
Jeanette laughed and reassured him that she knew a way out that would get them out of there without any more purchases.
"I owe you guy's big time." Alvin thanked them melodramatically.
When Britney came out of the store, the small group quickly surrounded her and escorted her, despite her protests, out the door and towards the cars in the parking lot. When they arrived at the girl's house, Jeanette and Britney ran inside and grabbed their night stuff in about two minutes and ran back out to get to the boy's house. They pulled into the driveway at about nine and were pleased to see that Theo and Ellie had already set up the living room carpet for sleeping and had a movie ready to play with popcorn coming out of the kitchen just as they walked in.
"It's about time you guys got here." Theo griped, smiling as he said it.
"Dave said that we can stay up until twelve, but lights out then." Ellie informed them from her spot on the carpet.
"Did dad already go to bed?" Alvin asked Theo.
"Yeah, he said that since tomorrow's Monday, we're responsible for getting up and to school on time." Theo informed them, sitting down beside Eleanor on the carpet and hitting the play button on the remote.
The opening credits for them movie, National Treasure, rolled, and the four who had just walked in plopped down and reached for the popcorn as they watched the action unfold. After a while, Simon felt Jeanette start to recline a little bit against him and though he tried to ignore it, the pain in his abdomen kept him from truly enjoying the warmth she radiated and the feeling of contentment that accompanied it. Luckily, for Simon that is, after a few seconds, she remembered that he was bruised and made him switch places so that his head was in her lap and she stroked his hair as they watched the rest of the movie together.
When the ending credits slowly crawled their way up the screen, Eleanor got up to turn the lights on and asked Theo if he could run upstairs to get his alarm clock for the next morning. When he came back, the group saw that they still had about an hour left and started discussing what to do until they ran out of time.
"How about we play a game?" Britney suggested, to the unanimous approval of the others.
"So what game should we play?" Simon asked, sounding happier than he had all day.
"How about we play something we haven't in a while?" Ellie put in, though she had no idea what.
All of a sudden, Alvin got an evil look in his eyes, which was enough to creep out most of the others, and started to say, "I have an idea, how about we play Guess Who?"
"Do you mean that weird board game?" Jeanette asked confused.
"No, he means the other version." Simon said wearily, he had obviously heard this idea before.
"Exactly," Alvin agreed, looking around at the anxious faces, "It's really easy to play, all we need is something for a blindfold. Then, we put the blindfold on one person and the rest draw straws, the one with the shortest straw has to kiss the blindfolded person and then they person with the blindfold on guess who it was."
"What if the shortest straw goes to a guy and the one with the blindfold is a guy?" Eleanor asked seriously.
"Then in that case, how about this," Alvin said, fumbling around for an answer, "The only people who can kiss the blindfolded person, are the members of the opposite sex."
"I think it would be fun." Britney said from her spot on the floor next to Alvin.
"Maybe, but are we talking full on kiss or one on the cheek?" Eleanor asked, still unsure.
"The lips!" Alvin said confidently, "Otherwise, where's the fun in it all?"
"I think that could be fun." Theo agreed.
"If he's playing, then I guess I'm in." Ellie conceded.
"What about you two?" Britney asked, looking at Simon and Jeanette.
"I have no problem if it's alright with Jeanette." Simon admitted, looking at his girlfriend.
"I think it will be fun, and we can use the towel I brought for the blindfold." Jeanette said unexpectedly.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Alvin asked, jumping up to run into the kitchen and get some straws to cut up.
When everyone was set up, they all picked a straw at random to see who would wear the blindfold first. Ironically enough, Alvin was the one who drew the shortest and as such was subjected to be the first guesser. When he was sitting down, his eyes covered, he was asked by Britney where he wanted to be kissed for the game. He of course said his lips and while he grinned away, the girls drew straws again. This time though, Eleanor was the one to draw short and slunk over to Alvin, took his head in her hands, and kissed him full on the lips. Simon could even swear that he saw Alvin try and sneak some tongue in. when she pulled away after the agreed upon eight seconds, Theo asked him who he thought it was that had kissed him.
"Well, they were forceful so I know Jeanette is out, and they took charge, so I'm going to guess Brit." He responded confidently.
"WRONG!" they all, Britney included, shouted as they laughed their asses off. When they had calmed down enough, Theo was the one to tell him that it was actually Eleanor.
"No fucking way." Alvin said, stunned, "Then in that case, I just have to say Theo, you lucked out there dude. No offense Brit, but Eleanor is a pretty good kisser."
"Well, if you think that's good kissing, just wait until you actually get to kiss me," She said flirtatiously.
"Okay, who's next?" Alvin asked, holding the towel up for the next victim.
They drew again, and this time, it was Jeanette who drew short. Her sisters squealed a little bit and helped her to tie the blindfold on and showed her where to sit. When she was situated comfortably, the guys drew straws and this time it was none other than Simon who drew the short straw. Alvin elbowed him in the ribs, causing a slight wince, and pushed the grinning brother towards his girlfriend.
She sat there patiently, a slight touch of red showing on the exposed parts of her skin as he took her face in his hands and bent over to kiss her softly, tenderly, flicking his tongue out to graze the flesh of her tender lips. Unfortunately, his brothers dragged him away when the eight seconds were up so he wouldn't give it away. But you could tell from Jeanette's expression when the towel came off that she already knew exactly who had drawn short. She walked over to him and simply continued the kiss a while longer. After about a minute though, the other siblings, who had originally been cheering them on, started to shift from one foot to the other awkwardly and finally resorted to bodily separating them so that the game could continue.
And so the rest of the hour passed, people alternately drawing the short straw and waiting in the middle for their kissing partner to make their move. Alvin as kissed by two of the sisters once each and by Eleanor twice. Simon only drew short twice and both times got Britney. Theo also drew short twice, but he was kissed by Eleanor and Jeanette. Britney was kissed by all the boys once, and Eleanor drew short only once and was kissed by Simon. But Jeanette drew short five times. Three times were Simon, and twice was Theodore.
After awhile, they decided to check the clock and saw that they had to get to bed soon or else they wouldn't be able to get up in time for school. The boys went to the downstairs bathroom to do their night stuff while the girls hurried quietly upstairs to change and do all their stuff. At about five after Midnight, the kids were all in their respective bags and were drifting off to sleep, but somehow, in all the chaos of the kissing game, Britney's bag managed to go missing and she cuddled up with Alvin on the couch while Theo and Ellie slept side by side on the floor and Simon and Jeanette slept facing different directions with their heads next to each other so that they could kiss goodnight once the lights were out. All in all, the entire group drifted off into a blissful sleep with each couple wearing their own secret, contented smile.
I HOPE THAT YOU ALL ENJOYED THE FIRST PART OF THE Simon &Jeanette SECTION OF GtKY. PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE CHAPTERS AS THEY ARE PUBLISHED AND R&R. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, REQUESTS, OR JUST WANT TO DISCUSS YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS.
THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO A COUPLE OF READERS BY THE NAMES OF, DiamondDiaz, Sergeant Daniel, Starbin21, and last but not least, StayBeautiful'Always. and SimonandJeanette4evr
This was for you guys. I hope you enjoyed.
PS- I have the outlines for at least six more chapters, so get your ideas to me if you want more!
Happy Reading,
musicalreader (Tom)