Hey everybody! Here is chapter 9! I hope you like it! I do not own the storyline, Mimi McCoy does. And I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The next two games didn't go any better for the football team- or for Brittany. Though she wore herself out running up and down in front of the crowd, trying to get them to do waves, they mostly ignored her.

Jeanette could tell her sister was growing more and more discouraged. She started to dread game days, more for Brittany's sake than anything. At the same time, she worried that Brittany would quit. Jeanette didn't want to be stuck going to games without her.

Then, on the afternoon of the fourth game, Brittany didn't show up.

Jeanette watched for her while the cheerleaders warmed up, and through their first several cheers. When Brittany still wasn't there by the second quarter of the game, Jeanette started to realize she wasn't coming.

But by then the Mules were ahead. Jeanette forgot about Brittany for a moment. It looked like the football team might actually have a chance at winning a game.

The Mules scored a touchdown. The crowd cheered. Jeanette kicked her leg up by her ear, which she has been practicing for the past few days, to show how happy she was.

Muffy gave them the signal to take their places for another cheer.

"Are. You. Ready. For. M-M-S.

Are you ready

To be challenged

By none but the best!"

They were halfway through the cheer when Jeanette realized that some people in the crowd were laughing.

Are they laughing at us? she wondered.

She looked around. Brittany, wearing her mule costume, had finally arrived. She was standing behind the cheerleaders, trying to follow along with the cheer. But since she hadn't learned it. Her moves were all one step behind.

The cheerleaders finished their cheer with high kicks and cartwheels. Out of the corner of her eye, Jeanette saw Brittany trying to lift her leg into the air. The huge mask made it difficult. Her wobbly kick looked especially funny.

The crowd laughed again.

Encouraged, Brittany put her hands on the ground and kicked her feet in the air in one of her lopsided cartwheels.

"Go mules!" someone shouted.

Jeanette glanced over and saw Muffy watching Brittany. She had her hands on her hips and was frowning.

For the rest of the game, Brittany cheered right alongside the cheerleaders. When she didn't know the moves, she made them up. The crowd seemed to love her. They laughed and hollered every time she started dancing.

By the end of the game, the Mules had won, 21-6.

Afterward, Jeanette was collecting her pom-poms when Brittany walked up. She was holding the mascot head under one arm. Her cheeks were pink and her hair at her temples were damp with sweat. "Can you unzip me?" she asked Jeanette. "This costume is crazy hot."

Jeanette unzipped the back of the furry suit. "Where were you at the beginning of the game?" she asked. "I was looking for you."

"I lost my head."

"You what?"

"I lost my mule head. I accidently left it somewhere."

"Where?"

"In the janitor's closet in the basement."

Jeanette looked at her. "You mean 'accidently' on purpose?"

Brittany gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah. I guess I thought if I didn't have the head, I wouldn't be able to come to the games anymore. Lucky for me, the janitor found it and brought it to Ms. Charge. And Ms. Charge made sure I got to the game.

Jeanette giggled. "I'll bet she did. I'm glad you came though. You were really good. Everyone was laughing."

Brittany grinned. "Yeah, they were, weren't they? It was actually pretty fun acting so goofy. I figured I already looked so dumb, I had nothing to lose."

Over the next couple of weeks, Brittany made Jeanette teach her some of the cheers. Then at the games, she mixed them all up, adding her own crazy moves.

She was a hit. The crowd cheered even louder when Brittany came out on the field.

Even at school people started to say "Go Mules!" whenever they saw Brittany. Jeanette thought it was kind of embarrassing. But Brittany just laughed. Jeanette could tell she liked the attention. Brittany liked most kinds of attention.

Jeanette herself was actually starting to like cheerleading. At practices, Muffy and the other girls treated her as part of the group. She'd become the best flyer, nailing the stunts almost as soon as Ms. Charge taught them. The games were better, too. Jeanette didn't have to keep reminding herself to smile- it had started to come naturally.

Jeanette couldn't tell if all the cheering made a difference to the game. But something seemed to be working. By the middle of October, the Meridan Middle School football team had started to come around from their losing streak.

One afternoon; after winning another game, Jeanette and the other cheerleaders were in the locker room, when Muffy walked up. "Hey Jenny."

"Hey Muffy!" said Jeanette. "Good game, right?"

"Yeah, it was good. So, I wanted to let you know, I'm having a party next Saturday," Muffy said. "You can come. All the cheerleaders and football players are invited."

"Really?" Jeanette's eyes widened. "Great, I'll ask my-" She stopped herself. Maybe it wasn't cool to say you had to ask your mom. "I'll be there," she finished.

Muffy nodded. "I'll email you the address. By the way, Jenny, your hair looks really good these days. See ya."

Jeanette did change her hairstyle. It was no longer a messy bun. When cheerleading, it was a high ponytail with her bangs swept across her face, sort of like Brittany. When she's not at cheerleading, she left her hair down. It was about shoulder length and was a bit wavy.

Jeanette's hair wasn't the only thing she changed. Instead of buying the new telescope she wanted, she bought contact lenses so she wouldn't have to wear glasses. You could see her green eyes ten times better.

With a little wave, Muffy walked back over to where Courtney, Trisha, and Kate were waiting for her. Jeanette watched as they picked up their bags and left.

A few lockers down, Alyssa was folding her uniform into a gym bag. Jeanette turned to her, excited.

"So you're going to Muffy's party?" she asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "Probably not. Next Saturday is Renee's parents' anniversary. She's got to babysit her little brother and sister. I told her I'd help her out."

Alyssa was choosing babysitting over a party? Jeanette stared at her in disbelief. "Wow, too bad for Renee," she said. "But she could probably get someone else to help out, couldn't she?"

"She probably could," said Alyssa, "but I already told her I would. I don't back out on my friends just because Muffy snaps her fingers." There was an edge to her voice.

Alyssa zipped up her bag. "See you tomorrow!" she said. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she headed out the door.

Well, Jeanette thought, whatever Alyssa's problem with Muffy is, it has nothing to do with me. She smiled and hugged herself. She was invited to an eighth-grader's house. And not just any eighth-grader, but Muffy Reyes, the most popular girl in school!

"What are you so excited about?" Eleanor asked, walking up to Jeanette.

"Yeah?" Brittany added, walking beside her sister, Eleanor.

Jeanette turned to them with a grin. "Guess what? We're all invited to a party at Muffy's house!"

Yay! Chapter nine is done! It was kinda fun trying to come up with what Jeanette would look like as a popular girl, or Chipette. Anyway, I will update soon and PLEASE review!