The next holiday was Valentine's Day. While there were no gatherings for this occasion, it still proved to be a difficult day for Brittany. First, she had to see Alvin and Lindsay together at school. Then her mind kept flashing to past Valentine's Day dates with Alvin.

One particular event she kept going back to was from eight years ago. Brittany remembered how she had waited for what felt like forever for Alvin to finally ask her out to the Valentine's Day ball that year.

She had received so many Valentines, and it seemed like practically all of the boys in their class had asked her out to the dance. However, Brittany turned them all down because she was only interested in going to the ball with one boy. And that was Alvin.

Alvin did eventually ask her out, but as Captain Chipmunk. Brittany accepted without realizing it was Alvin, mesmerized by Captain Chipmunk's charm. But really, she only wanted Alvin to be her King Valentine the whole time. And after a series of misunderstandings, Alvin ended up being the one on her arm that night after all!

She remembered how pissed off she was when she found the Captain Chipmunk mask in Alvin's pocket after they were both crowned Valentine King and Queen. When she realized he had been Captain Chipmunk the whole time. How humiliated she felt.

But now, she would actually give anything to go back to that moment in her life. It just seemed so minor compared to everything that was happening to her right now.

She and Alvin had always gone to that ball together every year since then. But she knew this year was going to be different. She was feeling so overwhelmed now and had no idea how she was going to get through this day.

With all the stress this particular holiday was causing her, Brittany went to the drug store after school and secretly bought a big heart-shaped box of Valentine's day chocolates. Then when she got home, she quickly went up to her room and shut the door behind her. She sat down on her bed and pulled the box of chocolate out of the white plastic bag.

As the pink-clad Chipette held the heart-shaped box of candy in her hands, she examined the red packaging. Red. Alvin's signature color. The color she wore whenever she wanted to impress Alvin.

Like their intimate night together over the summer. The night she chose to give Alvin such an important part of herself. It still hurt to think about how he just threw away their whole relationship right after that experience, as though she meant nothing to him.

And now on Valentine's Day today, she had to see red hearts everywhere she went. A constant reminder of the red-clad Chipmunk, his signature red baseball cap, and the red shirts he would always wear.

And then there was her own signature color, pink. The pink hearts she was also seeing everywhere today. When she and Alvin were still together, Valentine's Day was easily her favorite holiday. The pink and red hearts made Brittany believe she and Alvin were perfect together.

After all, both colors were used for hearts and represented love. So that had to mean they were meant to be together! But apparently, she had been wrong about that for all these years.

She hated being wrong. And now, she hated Valentine's Day too. She never wanted to see another heart again.

Brittany let all the tears in her eyes slide down her cheeks as she pulled the top part of the heart-shaped box off, looked at it in disgust, and threw it onto the pink comforter of her bed. She pulled the assorted Valentine's Day chocolates out the box one by one and started stuffing each one into her mouth.

Just like with the Halloween candy, she wasn't even bothering to taste any of them. Not the chocolate or the fillings inside the candy. Simply chewing and swallowing, as the tears kept on falling down her face. She carried on with eating as she kept trying to fight off all these painful memories.

Once the whole box was empty, Brittany shoved it under her bed. She then went to the bathroom to do the same thing she always did after binge eating. She felt relieved, yet sick from purging all at once. Then once she got into the bath, she started crying again. Why did she keep doing this to herself?

Before long, it was March. Almost a full year had passed since Brittany had been diagnosed with a torn ACL in her knee. The fateful injury that had taken her away from cheerleading and performing. Everything that she loved. Everything that made Brittany Miller, Brittany Miller.

The binging and purging episodes continued. Every morning, Brittany would go to school and try to go about the day, acting as if she didn't force herself to vomit up her breakfast that morning. But she couldn't help but feel like she was failing miserably as far as hiding her struggles went.

Additionally, she had a sneaking feeling that little by little, things were starting to become more obvious to those around her. Despite Brittany actually spending more time on homework and studying than she ever had before in her life, her grades were actually slipping.

She had been getting headaches more and more frequently lately. This made it very hard to focus on doing either of those tasks properly.

On top of that, Brittany couldn't concentrate in class. At all. It was just impossible to do so at this point. She was suffering from headaches, dizziness, exhaustion, and intrusive thoughts all day long. All of her teachers had noticed the auburn-haired Chipette's lack of ability to concentrate in class at this point, as well as her falling grades.

Half of the teachers just dismissed Brittany's lack of focus as her being the typical, stuck up head cheerleader so many had perceived her to be (despite her not even currently being on the squad at all, let alone captain). They just assumed she simply thought that she was too good to pay attention in class and didn't care about school.

The other half of her teachers actually were concerned. They just sensed that something wasn't quite right with the teenage Chipette, and many of them had even pulled her aside to question her about how everything in her life was going.

Even Senora Rodriguez had broken her own rule that only allowed conversations in Spanish in her classroom. She spoke with Brittany in English for the first time since the first day of school to ask her if everything was ok. But Brittany's response was the same as it had been with all the other teachers. She'd always tell her teachers she was fine and just tired, because the knee brace she still had to wear to bed was uncomfortable and made it difficult to sleep sometimes.

Senora Rodriguez did not push her, but did inform the oldest Miller sister she was there if she needed someone to talk to. A couple of other teachers made the same offer.

She figured some of her teachers were more sympathetic because of Brittany's situation with her knee and sisters. But she didn't want anyone thinking she couldn't handle things on her own. Especially when it came to the guardianship of her sisters.

On Saturdays, Brittany still had her physical therapy sessions. While she had hoped it was helping her knee heal faster, her favorite part of PT was actually talking to her own physical therapist, Kristina.

Kristina was only twenty-four years old and had just finished with her schooling when the teen Chipette had met her almost a year ago. Kristina had informed Brittany on her first day of PT that she was actually one of her first patients since starting her job there.

At first, the auburn-haired Chipette was not at all pleased that they had set her up with a newbie to work on her knee. She was all prepared to go to the owner after her first session to complain that Kristina was not going to work out, and they needed to give her a more experienced physical therapist. But she changed her mind almost immediately after Kristina started working on her.

Not only did Kristina prove to be totally competent, she was also amazing to talk to. She quickly became Brittany's new best friend. The blue-eyed Chipette felt like she could talk to her physical therapist about almost anything. Well, just about anything except her increasing urge to purge, that is.

She had been like a big sister to Brittany. Plus, she even reminded the Chipette a little of her own sisters. She had kind and caring brown eyes that reminded her of Eleanor's. She was tall and slim just like Jeanette, with waist-length light brown hair.

When Brittany asked Kristina if it would be ok to have sex with her knee being in the condition it was in, she felt comfortable enough telling her it would be her first time. Not only did Kristina give Brittany advice to make sure she took care of herself, she was also a great shoulder to cry on when Alvin had broken her heart right after their first time together.

And Brittany had been able to be there for her as well. At the same time she had just gotten out of her relationship with Alvin, Kristina had also been going through an extremely brutal breakup with her own boyfriend of two years. So Brittany and Kristina had spent the next several weeks venting about their ex-boyfriends to one another, while simultaneously reassuring each other that they both deserved better.

At her physical therapy session, Brittany had laid down on a padded table as Kristina attempted to manipulate the muscles in her knee with a massage. She then led her through some gentle stretches, ankle pumps, and leg raises. Then she moved on to using resistance bands, which would help with stiffness and overall mobility.

As Kristina worked on Brittany, the two chatted about various topics. This included fashion trends, makeup, the latest music videos, and tv shows they had been watching.

However, Brittany very deliberately tried to avoid bringing her own personal life into the conversation. This was such a huge change from the way things used to be. The auburn-haired Chipette used to love talking about herself non-stop.

"So have you been doing all the exercises I gave you at home?" Kristina asked as she continued working through treating Brittany.

"Yeah..." The ponytailed Chipette replied while gazing off into the distance and avoiding eye contact.

The truth was, she knew she hadn't been dedicating as much time to doing the exercises on her own as she should've been lately. It had become increasingly difficult for her when she was so consumed with the thoughts she'd been having and dangerous habits that had been formed.

"Well, I must say." Kristina started out as she kept working on Brittany. "You've made incredible progress. Your range of motion has improved significantly since we first started working together."

Brittany's ice blue eyes did brighten up quite a bit at hearing her physical therapist say this to her.

"Really? You think so?" The young Chipette asked as she perked up.

Kristina nodded her head as she tucked a strand of light brown hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, definitely."

"That's such a relief to hear."

"I mean, I'm not an orthopedist, so I can't tell you for sure when you'll be able to perform again. But it does look very promising, in my opinion. So hopefully it won't be long before you and your sisters are back on stage as the Chipettes again."

"I have an appointment with my orthopedist later this week where I'm supposed to get more information about that. Fingers crossed!" Brittany eagerly responded as she did just that.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too!" Kristina said, crossing her own fingers as well.

When Brittany's session for the day was finished, Kristina quickly pulled her off to the side of the room they'd been using before bidding her farewell. A look of concern crossed the young physical therapist's face.

"Hey, Brittany... are you ok?" She asked her patient and young friend.

Brittany looked up into Kristina's sweet brown eyes and hesitated. She knew she had to be very careful how she answered here.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you just seem really tired. And it looks like you've been losing some weight."

"Oh, well you know how things have been for me at home. With juggling school work and making sure everything stays in order for my social worker to make sure me and my sisters can stay together. It's been keeping me busy."

Kristina gave an understanding nod, but didn't seem totally convinced.

"Well, just make sure you're taking care of yourself too, all right? Don't let your own health suffer, even with all the chaos you have going on. It's important to look out for yourself too."

Brittany nodded, wanting to drop the subject immediately.

"I'll start taking better care of myself. I promise."

"Good."

They said their goodbyes as Brittany went out to the waiting room. She sighed in relief that the conversation about her wellbeing was now over.

She had no idea what Kristina was talking about when she said it looked like she lost weight though. She must have just been saying that to be nice. Even if she was actually losing weight, she didn't look like she had at all. She knew she still had many problem areas of her body she still needed to try and fix.

Meanwhile, Alvin was driving in his cherry red BMW. He sighed as he checked out his reflection in the mirror while he continued to drive along. He definitely was not looking forward to another confrontation with his ex-girlfriend.

Dave was usually the one who picked Brittany up from physical therapy. But he had a last-minute work emergency he needed to deal with. Simon was busy working on a group science project for school that had a tight deadline, and Theodore was busy baking for a charity bake sale he had volunteered for.

So, this left Alvin as the only one who could fill in for Dave today. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he grumbled under his breath, dreading the upcoming encounter. He really didn't want to be doing this. He begged his father not to make him do it.

He told him how awkward things had been between the two of them ever since they broke up. And how it had all gotten even worse after the unexpected kiss between them on New Year's. He also told him about how recently, Brittany would just randomly snap at him for no apparent reason.

But Dave had no sympathy whatsoever for his eldest son. He simply told Alvin that he couldn't keep avoiding Brittany forever and had to learn to face her sometime. He also threatened to ground Alvin from using his car for a week if he didn't help out this time. So the oldest Seville brother very begrudgingly complied. He had no choice if he wanted to continue having access to his beloved BMW.

When Alvin arrived at the physical therapy building, he saw his pink-clad ex standing right in front of it. He sighed in relief that he wouldn't have to go inside to look for her, at least.

He pulled up right in front of Brittany and honked. The Chipette looked up. She seemed a little bit confused as she approached Alvin's car. He rolled down his window so he could talk to her.

"Alvin? What are you doing here? Where's Dave?"

"Dave had to deal with a crisis at the studio, so he sent me in his place. Simon and Theodore are both gonna be busy for the whole day. So... I guess you're stuck with me." The red-clad Chipmunk answered with a shrug.

"Great." The pink-clad Chipette responded sarcastically. She reluctantly got in on the passenger side.

Alvin took a deep breath. He could tell his ex was not at all thrilled she was stuck getting a ride from him. She probably would have chosen to walk home instead if it wasn't so far and if her knee had been in better shape.

The tension between the two oldest Chipmunks was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. After several minutes of silence, Alvin finally decided to break the ice.

"So, how did PT go?"

Alvin winced a little, as he prepared for her to totally lash out at him for asking.

Much to the Chipmunk's surprise, his ex-girlfriend responded without giving him attitude this time.

"It actually went really great." Brittany responded with a huge smile on her face. "Kristina said I've made a lot of progress. She can't tell me for sure when I'll be back to performing again. But she said it looks promising!"

"That's great, Britt!" Alvin said as he smiled back at her sincerely.

"Yeah. I mean, it's about time, right?"

"We've missed you guys, for sure. Performing with my brothers just hasn't been the same without our counterparts there to cheer us on and follow us up."

Alvin then started chuckling.

"You should hear how lovesick Simon and Theodore have been for Jeanette and Eleanor after our performances. They're making me sick."

Seems Brittany couldn't help smirking at Alvin's comment herself. She and Alvin were never really all lovey-dovey like that. While Simon and Jeanette or Theodore and Eleanor would be cuddling and openly showing their affection towards each other, Alvin and Brittany would be bickering between performances. Just like when they were eight years old.

Anyone would swear they were on the verge of breaking up. But then they would kiss and make up later on. They tended to be more affectionate when people weren't looking.

Then he noticed Brittany's smirk turning into a scowl.

"We could've still had that, you know!" The Chipette shouted. "Maybe we weren't exactly a traditional couple, but we made it work. We were still amazing together. And you just threw it all out the window. And then you play games with my heart on New Year's Eve. Kissing me and then taking it back..."

Alvin flinched at the mention of the kiss. Of course, he should've known the kiss was going to come up somehow. Then he noticed an odd look on her face. Was she trying not to cry? It was hard to tell, as it seemed she was deliberately turning her head away from him.

The two chipmunks spent the rest of the car ride in silence. Alvin turned up the radio to make things feel a little less awkward, not that it really helped much. When he finally pulled up to the Miller house after what felt like a million years, Brittany unbuckled her seatbelt and opened up the door.

As she was getting out, she turned around to face him.

"Thanks for the ride, I guess."

Then suddenly, he saw her icy blue eyes light up and a smile form on her face. For a second it looked like the old Brittany was back. Although her eyes looked noticeably much more tired than he had ever seen them before. He couldn't help but wonder what was up with that.

"You know, this actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It kind of felt like the summer again, right before we broke up. You know, when you first got this car and we would go for random drives just because."

Without saying another word, the auburn-haired teen shut the door. As Alvin watched her slowly walk back into the Chipettes' house, he felt more confused than ever. Was Brittany still mad at him or not? He didn't know what to make of any of this.

But the fact was, he still cared about her very much. He couldn't help but feel concerned about the little changes that had occurred in her behavior over the last few months. He knew the rest of their small group had noticed as well. Especially Jeanette and Eleanor. They did live with her, after all.

The thing is, everyone wanted to give Brittany her space right now. Her odd behavior had pretty much been chalked up to her having a lot on her plate. But Alvin suspected there was more going on beneath the surface. He wondered if his brothers and Brittany's sisters did too.

A bigger question remained though. When was Alvin going to be ready to admit to Brittany (as well as himself) that he was still in love with her?

A/N: Man, Alvin doesn't know what to think of Brittany's drastic mood changes! Hopefully, it won't be too long before he (or at least someone!) figures out what's really going on with her soon.

And does anyone else wish he would just be upfront with Brittany about his feelings for her already?

Next chapter will finally reveal whether or not Brittany will be cleared to perform with the Chipettes and Chipmunks again (don't worry, I already have parts of it written out!). Hopefully Kristina is right in her observations!

I'm also very happy to have gotten this chapter out just in time for the 40th anniversary of the 1980's cartoon, as well as the 40th anniversary of The Chipettes today! The cartoon premiered on 9/17/1983, as did the first episode with Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor! So Happy Anniversary to them!

And I also want to thank all of my awesome readers! Especially the ones who have taken the time to leave reviews! As well as those who have added this fic to their favorites and follow list.

I know I'm always saying it, but this story wouldn't have made it this far without all the encouraging feedback and support I've been receiving. So thank you again everyone! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter too.