Prepare to laugh and cry and gasp. Things are getting really frightening now. Obviously, Alvin is exaggerating as much as ever. Let me know how you like Eleanor's POV! She is hard to coax out.

Genius Alvin's POV

I looked around at the enormous maze of bookshelves. The tingling in my head was almost unbearable. I still don't know why that sensation happens every time I indulge in a nerdy passion. It mildly concerns me….mildly. Maybe I'll ask Jeanette about it one of these days.

"I could live here." The beautiful girl in the purple sundress patterned with all sorts of flowers twirled happily through the aisles.

Did I wanna live here? Nope. It would get boring after a while. It's not like all I wanted to do was read. "Magnificent collection they have here." I commented, keeping up the whole "Albert" act. It's really more of a half-act.

Simon looked at his watch and then stuck his hand in his jean pocket. "Is there anything in particular you came here to get?"

I shook my head. "We're just looking around."

Jeanette nodded. "Yeah. Probably won't actually buy anything."

I waved my arms in an arc above my head. "It's all about THE EXPERIENCE!"

Oh crap! Now Simon looked annoyed. "You mean we rode about 2 hours out of town just so you could LOOK!?"

"Affirmative, dear cousin." I found a shelf of kids' books. "Oh, hey, what's this? Animorphs?" I read the back cover. "OH SWEET! THESE HAVE ALIENS!"

Simon yanked the book out of my hand and put it back on the shelf. "No! You are NOT reading any more books about aliens!"

"And remember, we didn't come here to buy books." Jeanette reminded me. "We came here to help you curb your impulses."

"Right, yes, how silly of me." I wrote the name of the series down on my notes app. "I can just borrow the whole series from the local library one book at a time. That saves me money. It's the most responsible thing to do."

Simon frowned, but then smiled a weak smile at me. Was he worried I was giving in to the whole "Albert" act? Did he think all of this was part of the act? Cuz I actually really WANTED to read more books. I was pretty addicted to reading.

"Speaking of libraries…" Simon browsed through a rack of science themed books, including one on Biology. "Are you ever going to get your own library card and stop using mine?"

Was I? Was I ready for one? "Not yet. Those are like nerd identification tags." I shuddered.

His eyes half closed. He looked extremely irritated. "Have you looked at yourself lately? Pretty sure the nerd ship has sailed."

"I'm only half-nerd." I insisted.

"He'll get a library card when he's good and ready." Jeanette came to my aid once more.

"Or NEVER." I made a silly face at him, sticking my fingers in my ears.

"You can't rush these things." She smiled and then returned to looking through the shelves.

Simon rolled his eyes. "Let me know when you're finished looking and we can go." He instructed.

"Sure thing!" I browsed through more books with Jeanette.

Eventually, once we were ready to go, I'd written down more book titles I was interested in. Jeanette had bought three books for herself. Two Sherlock Holmes (notice I no longer refer to him as Smerlock Jones) novels and a book about fairies in some magic kingdom. Simon picked out a book on Calculus, which I would be borrowing at some point. After all, math is the language of physics.

Back home, I changed out of my disguise, aside from the cyan jacket, which was once again unzipped. I decided to keep the rainbow sneakers on too, since I was in the house. I hopped up into the dining room chair, ready for dinner. Simon sat down next to me.

"You, err, did well at the bookstore." My taller brother told me. "You didn't throw a single temper tantrum."

"Thanks. I've been practicing, you know, that whole delayed gratification business." I replied proudly. "It was NOT easy."

"Speaking of "not easy." Simon grabbed a plate of peas and carrots. "How are the grades?"

"I dunno." I rolled a pea around in my fingers. "Haven't really checked. I'm too afraid to look."

"Oh boy! I smell something yummy!" Theodore burst into the room wearing a big green sweater with a gingerbread man on it. It wasn't even Christmas time yet.

"It's just peas and carrots, Theo." I groaned. "Again."

Dave walked into the room carrying a plate of something that WASN'T peas and carrots or salad. It was a quiche of some sort. Theo was right, it did smell delicious.

"Actually, I thought we could have something different for a change." Dave let us all cut our own slices of the quiche. With a butter knife, obviously. He'd never let us touch a real sharp one.

I dug in hungrily to the rare delicacy. "Is this a reward for my good behavior?" I asked.

"Uh….sure." My dad took his seat. "Why not?"

Simon stood up on his chair. "While I have all your attention, has anyone seen my notes for biology class?" That's the extracurricular he was taking this marking period. "I seem to have misplaced them."

"I dunno where they are." Theodore squeaked, taking another bite of quiche.

"I haven't seen them, Simon." Dave added.

I smirked. I had a funny joke I was sure Simon would get. "I can't pinpoint their exact location either, but I do know how fast they're going."

Surprisingly, Simon didn't catch on. "What are you talking about?"

Seriously!? How was he not getting this. "Dr. Wilson said "If you know where a particle is, you can't know how fast it's going and if you know how fast it's going, then you don't know where it is."

He didn't laugh. Weird. "Oh. Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle." In fact, Simon looked really weirded out by the fact that I knew that.

"Yeah, you know, that iceberg guy." I added.

He sighed. "Heisenberg. Say it with me. Heisenberg."

I rolled my eyes. "If I know the rule, do I really NEED to know the name of the dude who came up with it?"

Simon sat back down in his chair. "Yes. It's about giving credit where credit is due."

I noticed that Theo was staring blankly at both of us. Then, he looked toward Dave at the end of the table. "Dave, can we have a no science talk at the table rule? Just for today?"

"That sounds great. Okay, boys? You two could use a break." My dad said to my sciency brother and me. Or my sciency brother and I? I dunno which one is correct grammar…or why I even care about correct grammar?

"Fine." Simon and I both answered at the same time. We exchanged creeped out glances. That was happening more frequently these days.

Dave took a bite of his quiche while he thought of something to ask us. Then, he talked again. "So how was your day?"

I tapped my fork against the table. "How am I supposed to tell you about school without using science talk!?" I exclaimed.

Simon was riding the same train of thought. "He's got a point." My brother in blue blinked and then looked distraught. "Did I just say that?"

Theodore furrowed his brows. "You could tell him about the non science classes."

That thought never crossed my mind until he said it. "Oh, well, uh, English class was alright. Math was weird. Ellie lectured me about focusing more in gym class. I wrote a whole short story in writing. It was about a zombie apocalypse. You're probably not interested. Oh oh, and art class was fun. We sponge painted!" I rambled. "And you all know about Dr. Wilson's class, so that brings me to the end of my day. Si, you wanna tell us about your day?"

Simon stammered a bit. "W…W….Well, it was…a usual school day, aside from Alvin teaching math class."

"You TAUGHT math class?" I could see Dave pinch himself on the hand. Ya ain't dreamin' Daverino.

I tried to downplay it. "All I did was walk the class through the homework. That's all." Speaking of homework, I still had a lot of that to get done. Sigh. I so wanted to read comics and watch TV. Or go to the skatepark! This homework kept sucking up all my time, and I didn't even KNOW if my grades were actually improving or not.

"Through….math homework?" Dave asked again.

I folded my hands and sat as still as I could manage. TORTUROUS. "Yes."

Let's just say dinner was pretty silent after that. My brothers and my dad didn't know what to think. I was creeping them all out. I was creeping me out too. So, I decided that I WOULD play videogames or watch TV after dinner and THEN do my homework.

I turned on an absolutely mind numbing cartoon to watch. I had briefly considered Jimmy Neutron, but that wouldn't help people see I was still pretty similar to the way I used to be. So, I picked Johnny Test. Faced paced, tons of jokes INCLUDING fart jokes, annoying whip crack sounds. Something that classic Alvin AND I were still totally into.

As I watched it, my enhanced brain started to wonder if Theo felt like Johnny Test. Did he think that I'd eventually become a scientist like Simon and we'd both do crazy experiments on him? Is that why he was creeped out? Whoah, I am ACTUALLY thinking about Theo's feelings instead of my own. Jeanette's lessons REALLY WORK WONDERS!

"I thought you were going to do your homework, Alvin." Dave sat on the couch next to me. "This doesn't look like homework."

Theodore peered over the arm of the couch. "Maybe he forgot already."

TV charges my brain so that I CAN do homework, at least, I think it does. Haven't tested that theory yet. "I'll get to it. Don't nag me." I pushed up my red glasses.

"Or you could do homework FIRST and reward yourself with TV time after." Simon suggested. "Just a thought. Just throwing it out there."

"No." I stated firmly. "I gotta do it this way."

"Okay. Okay." Dave got up from the couch. "Just don't get too wrapped up in it."

"Yeah. We are really worried about your mental health." My baby brother in green added, his lip quivering.

"My mental health is fine. I am fine. Please leave me alone." I stated, staring back at the screen. It was a REALLY funny episode, about ol Johnny trying to get out of taking a shower. He was stinkin' the Test family out of their house.

I made good on my promise and as soon as I'd watched a couple episodes, I took out my homework and started working on it. I was roughly a quarter of the way through my stack of assignments when Dave came into the bedroom.

"Alright, fellas. It's almost 10:00. Lights out in five minutes." He said.

I groaned loudly. I thought I had more time. "But I'm almost done with my homework." I protested. That was a lie. I was 25% done. That's a far cry from "almost."

He looked at me sternly. "You can finish it in the morning."

"I stomped my foot. "No, I CAN'T! My brain doesn't work in the morning!"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't watched TV so long, you'd be done with it by now." Dave told me.

Urgh! Why does he always say that!? "I only watched a couple episodes!"

Simon, who was on his bed doing his nightly reading, couldn't resist adding in his UNWANTED comment. "Let it be known that "a couple" has been redefined to mean twelve."

"They were SHORT episodes!" I fumed.

"If you account for commercials, that's four episodes an hour. So, and I hope this is an easy question for you, how many hours does it take to watch twelve episodes?" Simon closed his book and stood on the bed, hands on the knobby thing at the end of his bed.

"Uhhh…." Theodore tapped his chin. When did he get here? "I know it….I know it….is it three?"

I wanted to disappear. I was so sick of being teased for not realizing stuff that they could. "Three hours?" No wonder I ran out of time.

"That's correct." Simon jumped off the bed and walked over to me.

Dave started picking up my papers and clipping them together with binder clips. "I'll wake you bright and early and we can finish it together."

I groaned loudly. "Whatever." He was gonna find out that I hadn't done much of the work. Then he would probably yell and ban me from TV until it was finished. Unless…

That night, I did something else brand new I'd never done before. I got out of bed, ran downstairs to Dave's office, found where he was hiding my homework, and finished it all. When it was finally complete, I collapsed on Dave's desk. I had done it! I was home free!

Until…

In the morning, Dave flicked on the light in his office and saw me. "This is getting out of hand." He said.

"I know." I admitted, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. "But at least the homework is done." Which was WAY more important than me not sleeping. It's not like I ever actually slept anyway. I was too busy waking up from nightmares. Still, I knew this was by no means a good system for balancing my workload. I still didn't know how to use my new smarts correctly. But, but, I was slowly SLOWLY getting there. It was an uphill climb and I was gonna make it to the top. I had to.

ALVIN: Go, Eleanor! You finally get to narrate! Whoooo. Sorry I made ya wait so long.

ELEANOR: This is gonna be a blast! Thanks, Al.

ALVIN: Don't call me Al.

ELEANOR: Are we at the soccer game part yet?

ALVIN: Obsessed much?

ELEANOR: You should talk.

ALVIN: We're at the practice and the intervention.

ELEANOR: Awesomesauce! Here we go!

Eleanor's POV

Hey-yo! Eleanor Miller here! That's E-L-E-A-N-O-R! I'm the sportiest girl in school. You name a sport, I've probably not only played it, I've won. First place! Okay, maybe that SOUNDS like bragging, but it's not. I'm totally serious.

Aside from sports, I have a LOT of other hobbies. There was this one time Jeanette filmed a horror movie with me as the star. I've also volunteered at the zoo, and as a junior lifeguard, Oh, and once I helped Theo draft up a restraining order from his brothers because they wouldn't stop fighting. I took an online class on how to be a lawyer.

Knowing all this about me, you would think I'm the most memorable person ever, right? Haha! WRONG! You see, I have this crazy supernatural ability that makes me invisible while still being visible. It is SUPER annoying. I'm learning to live with it.

It makes so many things a lot harder than they have to be. Such as, here's a random example, trying to schedule a bus to get my soccer team to our championship game. I had been on this call for at least 20 minutes now. I still needed to get ready for school!

I tapped my foot impatiently as the guy on the other end of the line tore away at my sanity. "…I don't see a reservation here for anyone named Eleanor. Are you sure you have the right company?"

"Yes! Yes! I am SURE! I called an entire week ago! You said I could rent a bus! I paid for it and everything!" I shouted, outraged at their INCOMPETENCE.

Silence. I took a deep breath. Then, the obnoxious voice spoke again. "Sorry, there's no Eleanor Miller on this list."

"I know I'm on the list! Show me the list and I can find my name!" I insisted. I'd been in this same situation many times. I'm NEVER on the list. They skip right over my name. It's degrading.

"Sweetheart, I can't show you the list. We're on the phone." The man continued.

I facepalmed. "Just take a photo of the list and SEND me the photo. I'll circle my name for you." I growled. "And DON'T CALL ME SWEETHEART!"

"I'm sensing a little hostility. I'm gonna have to ask you to calm down." The annoying phone man continued.

I took another deep breath.

"Eleanor!" I heard Brittany yell. "Are you okay in there?"

I opened the bedroom door and glared at her. "Not now, Britt. I'm on the phone."

"But I left my pom poms in there and I need them to practice!" Oh, right, I forgot she sometimes practices her routines before school.

I searched the bedroom for the pom poms while I continued talking to the idiot who couldn't find my name on the list. This town is full of people who cannot do their jobs. "Can you PLEASE send me a photo of the list?"

"I can try. Hold on." The guy replied.

What does he mean he can try? It is a YES or NO question! While he was doing that, I grabbed Britt's pretty pink pom poms from beside her bed. I opened the door and tossed them at her, shutting the door again.

"Thank you!" Her chipper voice squeaked.

"Did you get the photo?" The man asked.

I put my phone on speaker and looked at my messages. "Yes, I got it. I'm looking over the list now."

It didn't take me long to read through the list and discover the problem. My name WASN'T on the list. But a huge typo was. Ellen Miller. Whoever heard me spell out my name on the phone before, hadn't been paying enough attention. "Found it."

"Really?" He seemed shocked.

"Ellen Miller is me." I explained. "They wrote my name wrong."

He sounded even MORE irritating. "Are you sure?"

"That's the only Miller on the list. I'm POSITIVE." I let out a sigh of relief. Another problem solved.

"Okey dokey. We'll send a bus to Santa Barbara High. I have that correct, right? Santa Barbara High?" I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking. I was too busy fuming.

I clenched my jaw. "That's right. Thank you." I finally hung up the phone. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. This day was off to a bad start ALREADY.

I made it to school and hurried into class. I wasn't late, but even if I was, nobody would notice. Except Theodore! He somehow always notices me.

"How's it going?" I asked my friend in the green hoodie.

His deep brown eyes were full of sorrow. "I'm really worried about Alvin. He stayed up all night doing homework."

I sighed. As much as I really wanted to chat with Theodore, this was NOT a topic I wanted to talk about AT ALL. It was the same thing we'd been discussing for weeks. Alvin, Alvin, and more Alvin. If I had to hear about that basket case one more time, I was going to SCREAM. In my head, of course, not out loud.

"Do we have to talk about you know who?" I asked.

"He's not well." Theodore whimpered. "Brittany's right. He's changing too much. I don't even think he's happy. He's just trying to be really really good to make up for all the times he wasn't so good."

I propped my head up with my arm. Clearly we couldn't get off the topic of Alvin. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! "Was he EVER well?"

"It's scary!" He reached out his hand to mine. "I don't even know how to talk to him anymore."

"Just don't." I gave him the best answer possible. "If he wants you to understand him, he'll learn to cut the dictionary babble."

"I think we need a family meeting." Theodore whispered.

"Good thinking." I responded, barely caring about the family meeting. I had other things to worry about. "Call one after school today."

"I'll text Dave and let him know." The boy in green nodded.

Great. So it was settled! We could finally stop talking about Alvin. That kid drives me up a wall. How is he an unpopular kid and yet STILL noticed more than me? All attention is on Alvin at all times. It makes me wonder if trying to make a name for myself is even worth it sometimes.

"Did you manage to sort out the phone stuff this morning?" Brittany asked, taking her seat.

"Yeah. It was BRUTAL. When are people going to stop misspelling my name?" I groaned.

Jeanette looked up from her butterfly design covered notebook. "I'm not sure. I don't even know why they do it."

"I do." I said bitterly. "It's my superpower."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "We don't have superpowers. This isn't some comic book."

"I talk to animals." Jeanette cut in. "That's kind of like a superpower."

"It would be more impressive if you weren't an animal yourself." I commented. "But I guess it is pretty cool."

Theodore joined in our conversation. "I can taste things really good! That's pretty much a superpower."

"Everyone can taste things, Theo." Brittany leaned back in her chair.

"Not the way I do." He folded his arms.

"None of us have superpowers." My sister in pink stated again firmly. "I know, because if we did, Eleanor would be a supervillain."

I laughed at that one. "Only if you cross me."

"I'm picking up more drill sergeant energy than supervillain energy." Jeanette commented.

"Eh, next to Coach Dopkins, I look like a total softie." I lied. I knew I could be just as hard on everyone as he was.

"If you say so." My sister in pink squeaked.

After that, class started. Nothing super noteworthy happened until two classes later. Alvin didn't try to teach math class again, thank goodness. Maybe that really WAS a one time thing.

I couldn't wait until gym class. In fact, I left class five minutes early to get to the gym before everyone else. No one noticed me leave. No one ever does. I'm used to it. Besides, I liked having the entire gym to myself. After a quick round of warm up stretches, I kicked my favorite soccer ball around, practicing my moves. I began to sing one of my favorite songs. It's by Simple Minds. You guys probably will recognize it.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey

Ooh, woah"

I raced across the gym floor, kicking the soccer ball around cones I set up.

"Won't you come see about me?

I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby

Tell me your troubles and doubts

Giving everything inside and out and"

Using the wall as another player, I kicked the soccer ball at the wall repeatedly.

"Love's strange, so real in the dark

Think of the tender things that we were working on

Slow change may pull us apart

When the light gets into your heart, baby"

I needed a break from kicking the ball at the wall, so I climbed onto the bleachers to dance around.

"Don't you, forget about me

Don't, don't, don't, don't

Don't you, forget about me"

Jumping down from the bleaches, I bounced the soccer ball gently off my head. I had to be careful, but let's face it, I had a pretty hard head. (In more ways than one.)

"Will you stand above me?

Look my way, never love me

Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling

Down, down, down"

I went back to the cone drills and went through them even faster this time.

"Will you recognize me?

Call my name or walk on by

Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling

Down, down, down, down"

Back to the wall, I imagined another player there instead of the wall. It was Tommy. That kid with the red plaid shirt and the baseball cap.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey

Ooh, woah"

I wasn't even tired. I could do this all day if I had to. My stamina was unmatched.

"Don't you try and pretend

It's my feeling we'll win in the end

I won't harm you or touch your defenses

Vanity and security, ah"

I imagined Brittany cheering for me as I scored the winning goal at the championship game.

"Don't you forget about me

I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby

Going to take you apart

I'll put us back together at heart, baby"

I picked up the soccer ball and twirled it around on my finger as I completed singing the song.

"Don't you, forget about me

Don't, don't, don't, don't

Don't you, forget about me"

I was startled by someone else entering the gym. It was Simon, followed by Theodore. I wondered if they heard me singing.

"That's a nice song." Theodore said softly. Well, that answers that.

I tossed the soccer ball up and kicked it at the wall for the hundredth time. "Thanks. What's up?"

Simon looked nervous. "We just came to let you know, to, well, uh, go easy on Alvin today. He didn't get much sleep. He's going to be off his game."

I rolled my eyes. "Is that it? I already know."

"He's fragile." Added the shorter boy in green. "He's very excited for the championship, but we're worried he's gonna push himself too hard."

"So, it's up to you, coach, to keep him from getting hurt." Simon added. "We're counting on you."

"I got this." I spotted the boy in red and kicked the soccer ball over to him. "He'll be fine." I assured his brothers.

All Alvin needed was some tough love and a good pep talk. I could get his competitive spirit back up, which would help him feel better about EVERYTHING.

Alvin kicked the soccer ball back to me. Then, I started bouncing it on my knee.

"Eleanor, we're worried you aren't taking this seriously." Simon snatched the soccer ball while it was suspended in midair.

I clenched my jaw and balled my fists. "I am taking it seriously. I won't go too hard on him. Now, give it back." I tried to wrestle the soccer ball from Simon, but he passed it to Theodore, who caught it.

"Don't go hard on him AT ALL." Theodore stressed, giving me back my soccer ball.

I felt my shoulders tense. "I heard you the first time."

I ran up to Alvin, who had taken a seat on the bleachers. His glasses were up on the brim of his cap and he was squinting. I took a seat next to him and held the soccer ball in my lap.

"Hey, Eleanor." He greeted me.

"You pumped for the championship?" I asked. "I already made space for the trophy in my room. I have been dreaming about this day for a whole year!"

"Oh yeah! I'm totally excited." Hmmm. His excitement seemed genuine.

I stood up on the bleachers and handed him the soccer ball. "Great! Now, let's practice some drills."

"Uh, just a second." He took his glasses off his cap and put them in the case he pulled from his backpack. "Simon, can ya hold these so I don't lose 'em."

"Sure." Simon took the shiny red case.

"Now, are you ready?" I asked Alvin impatiently. "Or do you need a pep talk first?"

"I'm ready. Let's do this!" The red capped boy took off his cyan jacket and tossed that at Simon too. He used his brother as a chipmunk coat rack. I was glad that wasn't me. Brittany uses me as a shopping cart enough.

Alvin and I ran through a bunch of practice drills. Then, our gym teacher, Coach Dopkins showed up and pushed us all even harder. Alvin was doing well, don't get me wrong, but he wasn't his best. He kept tripping over the ball. It was almost like he couldn't see. That doesn't make sense though. He only needs his glasses for reading.

I dominated practice, and when it came time to play soccer for our actual class, I crushed that too. I was unstoppable! Undefeatable! And yet, all attention was STILL on Alvin. It was like our ENTIRE world revolved around him, no matter how many times people said it didn't.

Case in point, after school, Theodore called us all to the Seville house for a family meeting. I got comfortable in one of the red-orange chairs in the living room and waited for the man of the hour to show his stupid, easily distracted face.

"Heeey, look who finally showed up?" I teased when he arrived at last. "Didn't ya get Theo's text?"

The boy in the cyan jacket and red shirt with the yellow letter A looked confused. "What is all this about?"

"We need to talk about….the new you." Dave patted the couch next to him.

Alvin didn't sit down. He stood angrily by the TV. "So this is some kind of Alv-intervention?"

I laughed at that. It was stupid, but it was funny.

"No. It's not….it's not an intervention." Dave looked to Simon for help.

Simon bit his lip. "We just want to talk about, you know, the persona you have invented."

Alvin started to whine. Yep. Everyone saw that coming, right? "Why don't you like him? I put a lot of time and effort into crafting that guy. He's literally just me but upgraded in the BEST ways possible!"

"It's not that we don't like him, Alvin…." Simon frowned.

Brittany interrupted him. "He's just not the REAL you."

"Maybe he's closer than you think." Alvin grumbled.

"We're just concerned. That's all." Dave continued. "We want you to be happy with who you are."

Simon nodded. "And we think that you're, uh, moving a bit too far away from who you are." He explained.

You would think that would knock some sense into doofy little Albert, but nope. Even as a nerd, Alvin was still completely unaware of his identity crisis.

"Maybe I am, but that is MY mistake to make." He said forcefully. "It's MY mistake to learn from. I'm still trying to figure this out. I'm going to make mistakes and that's okay!" He jumped up on the coffee table. "I know that I'll eventually find my way back to being me. So just STOP worrying, because I am FINE."

Theodore let out a cute little sigh. "Which is what someone who's not fine would say." EVEN THEODORE NOTICES IT!

"Put a sock in it, Theo." Alvin snapped. Ah, there's the old Alvin. He's not that far, I guess. "I mean, uh, can you please shut, err, close your mouth? Please."

Jeanette stood up in the chair opposite mine. "I think this has all gotten out of hand." She said softly.

"We are trying to save your life!" Brittany stepped onto the coffee table. "Before you mess it up beyond repair."

"Yeah." I cut in. "And you need to get your head out of your butt and focus on what YOU want for YOUR life."

"My head isn't in my butt…" Alvin started to pace, getting more and more ticked off by the second. "Stop getting on my case!"

"Then stop acting like a total geekazoid!" Brittany shot back.

That's when, Alvin totally lost it. "I get it. All of you miss the old Alvin." He sneered. "Well, by all means, why don't I just bring him back so you can yell at him for being a nuisance and a bitter disappointment!?" He grumbled sarcastically. "None of you are actually worried about me. You're just mad your little scapegoat quit his job!"

Awkward silence filled the room. Was that what Alvin thought of us? That all we saw him as…was a person to pin the blame on? Yikes. That kid is going through some SERIOUS stuff.

"Alvin, I know you've been the new you for quite a while in secret, but to most of us…it feels like it happened overnight." Dave stood up and put a hand on Alvin's shoulder. "We're all having a lot of trouble adjusting."

"We want you to stay safe." Theodore climbed up on the table to hug his brother.

I smiled at him. "You're a unique and pretty cool guy. We'd hate to lose that. You would too."

The confusing chipmunk let out a strangled sigh. "Just let me be, you guys. The old Alvin is right here." He put a paw over his heart. "He always will be."

Brittany blinked back tears. "Then let us see him."

"I will. I'm working on stuff. Now, can I get on with my day or are you going to follow me and whine about how I'm throwing my life away?"

"You can leave, I guess." Simon looked at his brother, face stricken with worry.

"Thanks." Alvin hopped off the coffee table and shuffled out of the room.

I had no idea just how deep the issue went. I thought Alvin was just acting to act. I thought it was like a school play for him. He'd eventually get bored and bounce back to what he was. Instead, he seemed to actually physically reject anything that made him remotely fun. I wondered if he'd actually play in the championship game, or if he'd drop out at the last second. Either way, that kid needed some SERIOUS therapy.

ELEANOR: You're up again, Two point psycho.

ALVIN: I have asked you not to call me that.

ELEANOR: Sorry sorry. I couldn't resist.

ALVIN: What is with you guys and messing with me?

ELEANOR: In your words "you just make it so easy."

ALVIN: This part's gonna be hard to write. I remember it well cuz trauma memories are like that.

ELEANOR: Are you talking about what happened at the game or before?

ALVIN: …..Before.

Genius Alvin's POV

They had an intervention for me. An intervention. I was trying to be a better person, and they treated it like I was addicted to something dangerous. Other families would encourage this behavior. No, not my family. I wasn't Alvin enough and I didn't care. I was so over being Alvin enough for anyone. Yeah, no, that's a lie.

Because the day apparently wasn't done throwing obstacles my way, I had to deal with ANOTHER horrible situation. So far, Jeanette's pixie dust blessing did not in fact change my luck.

I sat down on the nice comfy armchair in the living room and heard a loud crack. I really hoped it wasn't what I thought it was. Sadly, yes, it was.

I took the two pieces of the broken object and presented them to my brothers in the dining room.

"I broke my glasses." I felt like an idiot again.

And of course, Simon couldn't help but tease me. "How? Trip and fall down the stairs?" That's how he broke his one time.

I fought the urge to tease back. "More embarrassing actually."

"Oh brother." Theodore groaned.

Si's tail wagged. He was enjoying this. "Do tell."

"Well, I was reading a book, I got up to get a drink. Set them on the chair like an idiot….and when I came back I had forgotten they were there so…..I crushed them….with my butt." I told them the full story as I remembered it. No lies.

Simon and Theo burst out laughing.

I scowled. "It's not funny! It means I have to go to the eye doctor again. I hate that place."

"Sorry sorry." My brother in blue let out another chuckle.

Theodore giggled even harder. "I didn't hear anything after "I crushed them with my butt!"

Looking at my broken specs, I grumbled. "Real mature, fellas."

"Okay, Dave!" My brothers chorused.

I rolled my eyes as I tried to get myself something to eat for dinner. "Yes. Laugh at my funny lingo. Like it or not, I am my father's son and with that comes his stupid old man talk." I struggled to open a container of yogurt and when I finally got it open, it splattered all over my face.

"In all seriousness, I'm sure the eye doctor can have those fixed for you in no time." Simon told me. "Or you can use tape."

I stomped out of the room. "I don't want to be a stereotype!" I exclaimed.

As soon as Dave found out about the glasses, he scheduled me for another appointment with "Dr. I forget his name because I don't like that guy." I got to miss half a day of school, but if all went well, I would be back in time to still have art class with Netta and physics class with Dr. Wilson. I'd also have writing class and English class too, but I was less concerned about missing them.

I suffered through the eye tests and then the eye doctor looked over my results and compared them to the results from last time.

I sat in the chair, staring at all my blurry surroundings. "So, can I get new glasses?"

"You're going to need a new prescription." He told me. "But for now, we'll take the lenses from your broken glasses and stick them in a new frame."

"The same style? Or a new style? And the same color?" I asked. I didn't want to get used to a new style. It took me long enough to tolerate the red hipster glasses.

"Your choice." He said warmly.

I squinted across the room. "The same ones."

"One last thing before you go. I'd like to put drops in your eyes so I can examine them further." He continued, grabbing the container of eye drops. "It's the protocol in situations like this."

"Situations like what?" I gulped. "Are you saying there's something wrong with my eyes?"

"Not necessarily." The doctor invited Dave inside. He thought having Dave there would help calm me down. "But better safe than sorry."

"It'll be okay, Alvin." Dave told me, standing beside the chair. "The drops feel funny but they don't hurt."

I decided to be as brave as possible. "Okay."

Yeah, I regret that. The drops made my vision weird and swirly and even blurrier. Even putting on the new glasses frame (which was near identical to my old one) didn't make it any easier to see.

"What did you do? I can barely see anything." I moaned.

The eye doctor chuckled. "It'll wear off in a day or two."

TWO DAYS OF THIS!? "But….but…I have to play in the soccer championship!" I said pitifully. "The team's counting on me." Well, Eleanor was counting on me. The real reason I needed to play in the championship was to prove I could be nerdy and sporty at the same time!

Dave's stern voice filled my ears because his face was just an abstract blob. "You're not playing in the soccer game. There will be other games."

I cried, which only made my vision blurrier. "But it's the CHAMPIONSHIP" I stressed.

Dave picked me up. "End of discussion, Alvin. It's too dangerous for you to play soccer if you can't see."

"I'm afraid I have more bad news on that front." The eye doctor added.

I clutched Dave's shirt with my furry hands. I could smell his old man deodorant and it was really overpowering. "More bad news!? Can the bad news just STOP already? I've had all I can take!"

"You have to know now." The doctor said. "If I wait, it'll only make it more painful."

I groaned loudly. "What, what is it?"

"You need to wear the glasses full time now. Your eyesight has deteriorated rapidly. Far faster than we expected." When he said that, I felt like my whole world was ending all over again. "That's why I dilated your eyes. Usually, if someone's sight goes that quickly, it means there's a bigger problem. However, your eyes look fine. Nothing serious going on."

"Just the big genetic Simon curse." I grumbled. "Dave, can I skip the rest of school today?"

He didn't answer.

"If you're nodding, I can't see you." I reminded him.

"Oh." He hugged me tightly to his chest. "Of course you can."

I went home and spent the day listening to my favorite songs and listening to my favorite episodes of TV shows. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I also had a twinge of empathy for anyone who's born blind or becomes blind through an accident. This was rough.

Mh brothers eventually came home. Theodore was right by my side, assuring me everything would be okay. "Dave told us everything. Sorry you can't play in the game tomorrow. I know you were really looking forward to it."

I sighed. "It is what it is." And who knows, maybe my eyesight would be restored enough to play in the game. I am a fast healer. I have broken a LOT of bones in my life and they healed really fast.

"That's a good attitude to have." Simon told me. I wished I could see him clearly….or anything clearly.

I started to sob. "But if I don't play in the championship, people are gonna think I'm lame FOREVER! I'll never get to prove I can still be cool!"

"You cannot play soccer with dilated eyes." Simon insisted. "It's a recipe for DISASTER."

"I know what'll make you feel better, Alvin." I didn't know what Theo was doing, but then I heard music playing and he began to sing.

"I don't have digital

I don't have diddly squat

It's not having what you want

It's wanting what you've got"

Wise words, Theo. Wise words. It was a very Theodore song choice.

"I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna tell everyone to lighten up

I'm gonna tell 'em that I've got no one to blame

For every time I feel lame I'm looking up

I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun"

He helped me down from the bed and led me outside. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. Hey, just like in the song.

"You've got a crummy job

It don't pay near enough

To buy the things it takes

To win you all of their love"

Maybe Theo was right. Maybe trying to make my peers love me was an exercise in futility. (Yes, I picked that phrase up from Simon.)

"Every time I turn around

I'm looking up, you're looking down

Maybe something's wrong with you

That makes you act the way you do

But maybe I am crazy too!"

Simon must be out here too, because he joined Theo for the final chorus. Ah yep, there he was. Blue and brown blob next to the green and blonde one.

"I'm, I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna tell everyone to lighten up

I'm gonna tell 'em that I've got no one to blame

For every time I feel lame I'm looking up

I'm gonna soak up the sun

While it's still free

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Before it goes out on me."

"Do you feel better now?" Theodore asked me. A good song could always lighten my bad mood. Even a sad song could somehow pick me up when I'm down.

I nodded. "I think I do. But, did it HAVE to be Sheryl CROW! You know I have a real beef with crows."

He giggled. "She's not a real crow, Alvin."

"Even the word sends me into a tizzy, Teddy boy." I warned him.

Simon groaned loudly. His groans were much more annoying when I couldn't see him. "You're fighting a losing battle, Theo."

"No, he's not." I admitted. "The song made me feel….uhhh….about 30% better."

"Yaaay!" Theodore grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. "Now, I'm gonna make you feel even better! Let's have some pizza."

"Dave got pizza?" I smiled. My dad knew I was having a bad day and he got my favorite food for dinner. Maybe this was a sign things would be okay?

YEAH RIGHT! The next day, AKA championship game day, I was blindly trying to find my way around school when I stumbled into Britt in the hallway. My eyesight was slowly returning, but it wasn't good enough for playing soccer. I knew that. I hated that I knew that.

Brittany scoffed at me. "Hey, Alvin. Come to tell Eleanor you can't play in the championship game?"

Crud! Well, now I HAD to tough it out and play somehow. "Well, actually….uh…no no. I just wanna tell you I went to the eye doctor again and uhhhh….I have real bad news."

"What?" She sounded scared.

"I have to wear these full time now." I tapped my replacement glasses. "I'm blind, Britt. I'm as blind as Si." Ouch! There's that really painful stabbing in my soul again.

"NO!" Brittany shouted. "But….how could your eyes get worse so fast?"

I shrugged, trying to pretend I wasn't absolutely torn apart over it. "I dunno. The eye doctor said I'd have a few years! But it's only been like HALF a year since I needed them for reading."

"So this is it then, you can't take them off anymore?" Her voice sounded strained, like she was seconds away from sobbing.

I nodded. "Might as well be glued to my face, yeah. This is what I have to look like from now on. Day in, day out. I'm not happy about it either." The only silver lining was that I was currently unable to see my reflection YET.

Brittany tried to hide her tears, but a few slipped out. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the glasses being mind control before. I'm sorry." She grabbed my hand and stroked the fur on it. "Alvin, before you no longer exist, just know that, well, you were my best friend and no one can ever replace you. Ever."

"Thanks, Britt." I said, looking down at the ground. I guess looking wasn't the right word though. "I'll still be here whenever you wanna talk to me. And someday, you'll realize I've been here all along." But WAS I? The universe seemed to want to pigeonhole me into a total nerd. I chose to fight it.

Because I am the biggest doofus to ever walk the planet, I stubbornly decided to play in the soccer game anyway. I hoped that word never got around to Eleanor about how messed up my eyes were. I was gonna rely on all my other senses. How hard could it be? Chipmunks have better hearing and smell than humans. Faster reflexes too. So what if I saw everything distorted?

I was about to run out onto the soccer field when suddenly I stopped. I began to second guess my choice before making it! Jeanette's lessons DID pay off! In the worst way possible! This was new for me. I wasn't acting purely on impulse. I rationalized that I had come this far and I might as well go for it. I tried to move forward but my legs were stuck, frozen stiff. My body was telling me "no no no bad idea." But I wanted to play in the GAME!

"What's wrong, Alvin?" Eleanor's voice? Where was she? Wait! There! I could make out a teal and yellow blob coming toward me.

"I can't do this." I told her, in the same weak pitiful voice I'd used in the eye doctor's office

She poked at my chest. "Why not?"

Then, I said something else entirely out of character. "It's too risky. What if I get hurt?"

"Too risky?" The pigtailed girl echoed. "You're Alvin! Risky is your thing!"

Risky WAS my thing. I had so much more at stake now. My glasses might break AGAIN. I might trip because my eyes were STILL dilated. "What if I get tripped by someone? What if they step on me?" WAIT WAS THAT OUT LOUD!?

Eleanor groaned and stepped behind me. She tried to physically shove me out onto the field. "You think too much now."

"I can't help it!" I shouted, not that anyone but Ellie heard me over the cacophonous roar of the crowd. "I have what Simon calls chronic genius overthink!"

She stepped in front of me again. "Look at me, Alvin." Haha. I am, but you look like a blob. "Everything amazing you've ever done in your life so far happened because you weren't thinking." She lectured. "So get out there, turn your brain off, and WIN THIS MATCH!"

The competitiveness inside me boiled a little. "I'll try…"

"Where's your spirit!?" She exclaimed, pushing me again.

"I'll try!" I said more forcefully. I could feel my spark returning, the spark I lost in the past few days as the exhaustion set in.

Eleanor gave me a shove and I was on the field. "Louder!" She called.

Classic Alvin's impulsive nature bubbled back up to the surface. "I CAN DO THIS! Brain, OFF!" I ordered.

"Atta boy! That's what I like to hear. NOW GOOOOO!" Eleanor ran onto the field with me.

My genius overthink brain was taking a backseat. The only knowledge I needed was soccer plays and soccer rules. It was time to win the championship and finally become the perfect mixture of nerdy and cool! Finally! I could almost taste the sweet victory.

The game went surprisingly well to start. I couldn't see much at all, I'd even left my glasses behind on the bench so that I didn't have to worry about them slipping off my face. I was as blind without them as with them. For the first time in weeks, I felt that adrenaline rush that I was always chasing before I tried to mold myself into a stellar student everyone would be proud of. I felt like ME again.

And I'd love to say that the championship game ended on a high note, but I can't. In fact, I never learned how it ended until much much later. The consequences of my bad decision finally caught up to me. The soccer ball came out of nowhere, hit me straight in the face. I could feel myself flying through the air. Then, the next thing I knew, I was tangled in a net. Someone had kicked the soccer ball into the goal and it had taken me with it.

I felt like I was gonna be sick. Dave was right! This was too dangerous. My head hurt, a lot. This was worse than a usual headache. I couldn't actually think too good, errr well. My last thought before I blacked out was "WHY DID I DO THIS!?" Then, I fell completely unconscious.

Oh SNAP! Is he going to be alright? (Likely, yes)

Ellie's gonna take over narrating the beginning of the next chapter, for obvious reasons.

Boy, the world of Alvinnn! sure loves to absolutely torment their star character. Of course, some things he does also bring on himself.

As always, I love to hear your theories! How bad do you think Alvin's head injury is? How long will it take him to bounce back from this blunder?

The next chapter should be up between tomorrow and Monday depending how cooperative Eleanor is.