It only took about five minutes for Julie to get to the local mall: a place Simon never expected to go to so early since coming to his new surroundings. The mall was much larger than the one he had been to in Los Angeles - it had four floors with clean glass windows and sliding doors.
"What an upgrade, huh?" Julie asked as they parked in the front row.
"Yeah," Simon replied. "I bet Brittany's already found the Victoria's Secret in there."
Julie was confused. "Who's Brittany?"
"A friend. She's a little self-centered when it comes to fashion."
Suddenly, a beep went off, and Simon immediately pulled out his cell phone. There was a new message sent to him from Brittany, and it featured an attachment. It was a picture of her in a new set of lingerie at the local mall's new Victoria's Secret store. He puked at the sight of it.
"Is that your friend you just told me about?" Julie asked, cringing at the sight of the picture.
"Yeah," Simon sighed. "She probably meant for that picture to go to my brother... I'll send it to him." Typing in a few words of advice for his brother, he sent a text to Alvin and slid his Blackberry back into his pants pocket.
Julie led him into the mall and searched the directory for the store selling the new Chipmunk Academy uniforms.
"Ah, there," she said to Simon, pointing to a blue section on the directory map. "Who knew Target was actually selling our uniforms this year?"
The Target store was only four stores away, and it was one of the only stores that had a section on all four floors. Julie and Simon, however, were still able to find the uniforms and make their way out in about ten minutes.
On their way to the food court, there was a sign on the main stage reading:
"Talent Showcase - Today at 2:00 PM. Sign-Ups Still Open"
Simon glanced down at his watch. "That's in ten minutes!" he shouted. "I better sign up fast!"
And with that, Julie watched as Simon left for the stage.
It was almost the end of the showcase. Two acts were remaining: a group of three female chipmunks, who called themselves the Lovelyettes, and a duet number. Simon had not performed yet - he was part of the duet. However, he would have to wait one more act before he and his partner, whom he didn't know, could sing.
"Um, hi..." the first girl said into the microphone. "I'm Arianna, and these are my best friends Felicity and Hunter. We're going to be singing our favorite songs. So... enjoy!"
The three girls positioned themselves on the stage, and Arianna began to sing:
Do you ever feel
Like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel
Feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Jeanette, meanwhile, was sitting backstage, waiting patiently to do her duet. Listening to the lyrics to the song, she began to feel more comforted as Arianna continued:
Do you ever feel
Already buried deep
Six feet under screams
But no one seems to hear a thing
Don't you know that there's
Still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
The other two girls joined in for the chorus:
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come and show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling awe, awe, awe
Simon greatly admired the heart these girls had, and he enjoyed watching the next girl, Hunter, get up to sing:
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe your reason why
All the doors are closed
So you could open one
That leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt
Your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
The three girls rejoined for the rest of the song:
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come and show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling awe, awe, awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come and show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling awe, awe, awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
The three girls bowed and made their way backstage.
"Nice job, girls," Simon congratulated them.
Arianna blushed. "Thank you so much!" she said in reply. "Break a leg!"
He smiled. "Thanks."
Alright, he thought. This is it...
Showtime...