Chapter 14: Funny, Cute and Horrifying

Jeanette continued to cry as Eleanor dragged her into the toilets. Her dress was beyond fixable and H]her fur was sticky and matted. Her mascara ran down and darkened the fur under her eyes. She felt so humiliated to have looked like that, not only in front of her mate, who she should always look presentable in front of, but the entire school body as well.

"I-I-I c-can't b-believe M-Marcus d-did t-that!" Jeanette sobbed as Eleanor started rubbing her down with a wet paper towel.

"That was completely out of line," Eleanor agreed in a sympathetic voice. She couldn't imagine how her sister was feeling right now.

The door swung open again and this time Julie came running in. She gasped in terror at the poor little Chipette and hurried over to the sink they were standing in, "Are you okay Sweetie? I didn't see it happen, but as soon as I heard it I knew I had to find you!"

"No I'm not okay!" Jeanette squealed as she rubbed her glasses clean, "My Valentine's day has been ruined! Everything was perfect for once!"

Julie gave a sigh and rubbed behind the distressed Chipette's ears. Eleanor patted her back, "We know Jean. Just when we thought the bullying was over..."

Suddenly, the door opened once more and this time it was Simon. He had felt a huge tug at his conscious when he realised that his mate was nowhere in sight and he didn't know where she was. But with an educated guess, he got it right first time. Jeanette swung around when she caught Simon's scent and was immediately swept into an embrace. Somebody shoved her glasses back on. Her blurry vision cleared and she was startled by the victorious grin Simon was wearing.

"Simon, what on earth are you smiling for?" she asked incredulously. Simon's grin widened and he pecked her on the cheek.

"Marcus isn't exactly smiling either anymore," Simon replied happily. Seeing the still confused looks on the girl's faces, he continued, "He got his payback when Dave sent a few pies flying in his direction. Dr. Ruben is absolutely furious. She's giving both Marcus and Dave a good talking to in her office as I speak."

Eleanor clapped her paws to her mouth in shock, "Dave actually caused trouble of his own free will? IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"

Simon chuckled again, "I don't think there is anything that Dave hasn't done to shock us since he became a chipmunk. Besides, the DNA we used to accomplish the solution was Alvin's because he is easily the healthiest and strongest of all of us. There's no point in creating a new chipmunk if it's going to be a runt."

"So I am part Alvin," came a grainy voice from behind them. Nobody had heard Dave and Theodore slip in when Eleanor yelled, "I've been wondering for a while now. How did you manage to get DNA from him?"

"Have you seen the mess Alvin leaves behind when he moults his winter coat?" Jeanette asked. Simon's presence and touch seemed to have been enough to calm her down, "We could've collected a whole suitcase of it if we wanted to and no one would have known the wiser!"

Everybody laughed at that.

"So what happened with Dr. Ruben?" Eleanor asked, "Are you in big trouble?"

Dave shook his head, "Nope. Just a warning this time because apparently I was a 'follower'. Marcus got away with only a lunchtime detention and several photos of him covered in chocolate and cream on Facebook for the whole world to laugh at."

"Who took the photos?" asked Julie.

"Just about everyone with a phone...which means everyone," Simon remarked. Everybody cracked up again, bit Jeanette still felt miserable. She sniffed in Simons embrace, so he nuzzled her. "I think we should go home. Jeanie and I need a shower."

When they got home...

Since it was only 8:00 when they arrived home, Julie and Toby had to return to the school until 11pm. Dave walked straight to Alvin's room to put his guitar back, then went back to the living room to watch a bit of TV. Simon and Jeanette had stealthily snuck away so they could shower together. In Brittany's room, she and Alvin had already dozed off side by side. Brittany wore a pink and gold heart shaped bracelet Alvin had gotten her for Valentines. Both slept with smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, Theodore had a surprise for his sweetheart. He found her in the kitchen, finished creating delicious sundaes for the both of them. In one bowl was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry with crushed cookies sloshed into the mix, with m&m's and sprinkles coating the top. The other was all chocolate with thick creamy mountain of mousse. Theodore licked his lips as he snuck up behind Eleanor and covered her eyes with his paws. Eleanor jumped and dropped her spoon in fright.

Theodore giggled, "Guess who!"

Then Eleanor got the game and giggled too, "Um, I don't know...let me think...Jesse McCartney?"

"Noooo..."

"Justin Bieber?"

"Eww, no way! Guess again!"

"Shemar Moore?"

"You wish, sweet-cheeks," said Theodore, trying to sound tough. Eleanor chuckled and pulled Theodore's paws away. She swivelled around to find herself nose to nose with her counterpart. They both grinned and let their lips meet each others in a sweet and tender kiss. As the youngest, they really didn't see the big deal in nuzzling just yet.

After a few moments they pulled apart, but their paws stayed intertwined. Theodore got lost in Eleanor's apple-green eyes. She really was the sweetest of all Chipettes. Theodore had never seen her as a girl to hold a grudge (not including Ian Hawke. That's mutual between every Seville) despite her sometimes tough demeanour when anybody tried to pick on her. It was that attitude that inspired Theodore to join her in her mission to become a healthier person. Together, they were slowly conquering the odds against them.

Eleanor loved Theodore for not being anything like his brothers. Simon and Alvin had a few similarities, but Theodore was unique with his innocence and endless supply of kindness and cuteness. Sure, he wasn't as smart as Simon and not as musically talented as Alvin, but he definitely wasn't stupid and could whip up a batch of cookies that were as light as air and could melt your fur with their sweetness.

"I've got something for you," Theodore whispered, breaking the tender silence. Eleanor's eyes became illuminated by her smile.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. Theodore nodded and pulled a small box out of his pocket, "As soon as I saw this in the store window a few months ago, I knew you'd love it. I ordered for it to be custom made in your size since it was way too big."

Theodore opened the box to reveal a gorgeous silver necklace with an elaborately decorated love heart. A stone the colour of Eleanor's eyes sat in the middle of the heart. Simple, but beautiful. Eleanor gasped in awe, her eyes darting between her boyfriend and her present. She was speechless. She had never received a Valentine's Day gift before, so it was kind of a special moment for her.

"Oh, Theodore, it's amazing! Thank you so much!" she squealed and threw her arms around him. Theodore stumbled back a little, still holding the box in one paw, but hugged her back all the same.

"I knew you'd love it, Ellie," Theodore said as Eleanor drew back, "Would you like me to put it on for you?"

Eleanor nodded vigorously and turned around so he could do just that. She lifted her hair. Theodore took the necklace from the box, came forward and gently clipped it on. Eleanor grabbed the spoon and looked at her distorted reflection. The gleaming green heart sat neatly on her chest and it matched her dress.

"It looks amazing on you. I knew it would," complemented Theodore.

"You're too good for me Teddy," Eleanor sighed. Theodore clasped her paws again and kissed her deeply.

"I'm perfect for you, Ellie," replied Theodore, "And you're perfect for me. Now let's get started on those sundaes before they completely melt and we're left with nothing but mush!"

Later...

Dave was deeply traumatised. He lay in bed shaking like a furry maraca as he tried desperately to get that image out of his head. How could they just go and do that while everyone else was still awake? Especially in a place where anyone could find them...like he just did...He could still hear them in the back of his mind..."OH MY GOD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! EWWW!"

Uh, perhaps I should explain...

Dave had wandered down the hallway, looking for the bespectacled couple. It was bedtime and he wanted to say goodnight. He had looked everywhere. They weren't in their bedrooms and Theodore and Eleanor hadn't seen them since they came in to wash off. So Dave had resorted to using his sense of smell, but scent tracking wasn't exactly his strength. Twice, he had followed a honey scent to realise that it was Alvin and the smell of citrus had led him to the orange and lemon trees outside.

Simon and Jeanette seemed to disappear a lot for hours at a time. Everybody had noticed it. They'd go somewhere all happy and laughing and then come later quiet as mice. It was pretty creepy. At first, Dave thought they were reading an extensively long book together or working thrice as hard on an assignment. But it didn't seem to fit as they were never where he checked.

He remembered watching a show where the police made the search dogs sniff a piece of clothing first, but Simon was so neat there was nothing lying around to sniff. But after a quick brainstorm, he wondered if they could possibly be in the lab. Dave had banned them from working in there at night after the horrendous exploding-luminous-fish incident. Perhaps they had just forgotten about the rule and were checking in on the reversal solution.

Dave reached the door to the lab and walked over to it. There light coming from the crack under the door, so someone was definitely there. Dave curiously pressed his ear to the door and heard several things at once. There was a low rustling sound as if someone was jumping up and down on a beanbag and two voices that were unmistakably belonging to the smart couple. After a moment, Dave could register what was being said, but once he did, he felt like he wanted to vomit.

Uhhh...yeah, let's not go into detail of what they were saying for the sake of Dave's sanity...

Simon and Jeanette? Simon and Jeanette? What the hell? Out of all three couples, Dave thought they would be the last couple to take it to that level! After Alvin and Brittany got together, Dave had started a bet with himself that they would already be there by the time her ribs completely heal. Theodore and Eleanor were far from it, but even they seemed more intimate than the bespectacled couple.

Don't get him wrong, he wasn't angry at either of them now that he understood the process every chipmunk goes through with finding a life partner, but he was still shocked. How long had it been going on for? How long could you hide something like this away from your family? And more importantly, why wouldn't they tell anyone about this? Wasn't it a big deal when a new couple is created? Didn't they celebrate it?

Sighing heavily, Dave curled in his usual ball, bowing his tail out of his face. There was now a dent in the pillow where he curled up and it was quite comfy. He closed his eyes and continued to fight the images and thoughts swirling in his head so he could get a decent night's sleep. He tried to imagine Toby failing to tell a student off for spiking the punch with alcohol. It worked. Dave fell into a deep sleep, beginning to dream of his high school days and ways to get back at Marcus and the entire football team. They'd get their comeuppance. They'll see. They'll all see...

Author's Note: I don't care if it is criticism, review!