I am back! I still have the head cold, but it's improving.

Anyway, I am SUPER HYPED to get into this one. This chapter starts off nice and gentle, recapping a bit and setting the scene. You also get Theo's POV at last! He was a nice relaxing one to write.

Genius Alvin's POV

Another week passed by and I adjusted to wearing the glasses permanently as well as I could. The new prescription made everything sharp and vivid. It was nice to see properly again, especially after the whole eye dilation ordeal. If only I looked good wearing these things. Oh well, at least it was only glasses. It's not like my appearance was going to get even worse.

The physics visions continued to come and go at random. They helped entertain me while I watched everyone else play sports. I was still under strict orders not to do anything sporty for a while. As much as I hated being limited like this, I understood the purpose was to protect me from any more serious injuries.

Besides, as soon as Dr. G. gave the okay, I was gonna throw myself back into every sport imaginable. Football, soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball, golf, dodgeball, kickball, and more. I couldn't wait to skateboard again. I was banned from doing that too. On the plus side, I got to watch a lot of TV and read a ton of books.

I also spent a TON of time hanging out with Jeanette. She taught me more about how to think before I act. I was getting even better at thinking. I was also getting consistently nicer and making fun of people less. I still made fun of Britt because she still made fun of me, but now making fun of even Britt was starting to cause me a lot of guilt.

Jeanette also taught me to appreciate nature more and the importance of taking care of the planet. She comforted me when I realized what a complete mess the world is and helped me suffer through the lessons all about the dark side of scientific discoveries. I had no idea how many horrible tragedies inventions have caused. I mean, I knew, but I didn't KNOW. I wasn't thinking about it deeply. Now that I was making connections, I understood the ramifications.

I won't go into a lot of detail, cuz I don't want to bring ya down, but just know that every weapon of mass destruction started as an invention idea in someone's head. I vowed that if I ever invented anything, which I probably wouldn't since I wasn't a scientist, I would try my best to avoid destroying things. That would be hard, since pretty much any object placed into Classic Alvin's paws becomes a weapon of mass destruction. I was still Classic Alvin, at least….partially.

Speaking of Classic Alvin, I'd had a couple more hallucinations involving him and they were getting annoying. A few more days passed and I started to suspect that Classic Alvin was trying to destroy my glasses at any cost. Or, maybe, I was just a giant klutz. That could be it too.

I went through three more pairs of glasses in about a week. First, I accidentally zapped a pair with one of Simon's inventions and it melted. Being his lab assistant wasn't as easy as I was hoping it would be. The next pair I destroyed by running over them because they fell off my hat while I was driving my hot rod. Maybe storing them on the brim wasn't such a stellar idea. The last pair was dropped out the window and then eaten by the lawnmower while Theo was mowing the grass. Dave had been on me to mow the grass, but I convinced Theo to do it. Maybe I deserved that. I really should do more chores.

Eventually, Simon had enough of my accident-proneness. He called me into the basement and handed me a pair of slightly larger framed, still red, shiny metallic glasses.

"What are these for?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "They're totally indestructible." He explained. "You can set them on fire and nothing would even melt. Enjoy!"

Predictably, I wanted to test them out, so I got out a match and prepared to set the glasses ablaze.

"No! NO! DON'T ACTUALLY TRY TO SET THEM ON FIRE!" Simon yelled, taking the match away.

"FINE!" I looked at the shiny new glasses. "I'll find a different way to test them."

I ran upstairs and threw them in the blender. They spun around and around like crazy. The blades whirred, but there wasn't a scratch on them. HOLY NUTS! They really WERE indestructible.

Dear ol Dave came in and caught me. He didn't understand what was going on. "Why did you put your glasses in the blender!?" He shouted.

I beamed. "For science!" I declared. I took the glasses out and put them on. "Ohoho! Not a scratch!"

That was the sort of craziness that our house was known for now, since Simon and I had officially become science buddies. Dave and Theo were still adjusting to it. They weren't very fast at adapting. I could tell Dave was having a hard time seeing me as the budding prodigy type.

I decided to start doing all my chores more often for a few days…which turned into another week. I hoped that Dave would take notice and see how responsible I was now! He did, kinda! When I took apart the vacuum cleaner to try and upgrade it with Simon, he made a comment about how he "never thought he'd see the day I'd do chores without being reminded repeatedly." Of course, then the vacuum cleaner exploded and both Dave and Simon yelled at me, but I was STILL making progress. It was just slow progress.

A couple days later, I was trekking around the park with Jeanette. She was telling me all about the delicate, uh,…ecosystem! Yeah, that's the word. I was only half listening. I was too busy thinking about sports. I wanted to play sports again so badly.

"Did you know that ants are the strongest animals on earth? They carry up to 30 times their own weight!" Jeanette rambled. She noticed me laying on the park bench. "I'm boring you, aren't I? I'm so sorry. I am trying to make this as exciting as possible."

"You aren't boring me!" I sat up on the bench with a start. "My mind is just…kinda elsewhere currently."

She took out a notepad and wrote something down on it. "What are you thinking about?"

I sighed. "I miss sports."

"We could play chess." The girl in the lilac purple dress with all sorts of bug designs on it was trying her best to cheer me up, but it wasn't working.

"Chess isn't a sport." I responded, sticking my hands in the pockets of my red hoodie. I was back to wearing mostly red for a change, with a cyan T shirt underneath and a yellow letter A pin on my jacket.

Jeanette sat on the bench beside me. "Actually, chess is in fact a sport."

Really? Huh? Who knew? Well, now I did, I guess. "I mean, you know, active sports. I wanna try my new physics visions out playing football or soccer or basketball!"

"You've only got one more month to go before you can." She reminded me.

ONE WHOLE MONTH!? I felt my heart sink. I know that the doctor said a month or two, I wish she hadn't gone with the two. My head felt fine! Everything was back to how it was supposed to be, aside from the random hallucinations. "That's four and a half weeks! Thirty one days!"

"Easy there, math wiz." She giggled. "It'll pass faster than you think."

"I'm going crazy." I muttered. "How am I supposed to get exercise!?"

Her midnight eyes lit up. She had an idea. "We could go on a nature hike."

I thought it over for a moment. I really didn't have anything else to do. I'd done half my homework and I needed something stimulating to charge my brain to get through the other half of it once I returned home. A nature hike could provide a little bit of fuel, maybe. "A tempting suggestion."

She rose from the bench and grabbed my hand. "It'll be fun. I promise. Remember that trying new things is part of your therapy."

Oh right. This was all still therapy because I was still having an identity crisis. I'd almost forgotten. Thank you for the reminder, Jeanette. "Okay, okay." I followed her to the woods near the park. "Let's do it."

She let out a happy squeaky squealing noise and then jumped onto the dirt covered path that led into the woods. I crept closer to her, wondering what this nature hike would entail. I'd hiked before with Dave, but I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings much before. My enhanced and upgraded brain really liked to observe stuff. Although it also really liked observing Jeanette.

She was wearing her hair in her usual bun, with that bow that hung from the back of it. It took all my restraint not to bat at the lilac colored bow as I watched it swing from side to side with each step she took. She really was a pretty girl. Naturally pretty. She didn't feel the need to slather on a ton of makeup or anything.

And just when I thought she couldn't possibly get any prettier, she began to sing in the most beautiful voice imaginable. It sent chills shooting down my spine.

"You think you own whatever land you land on

The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim

But I know every rock and tree and creature

Has a life, has a spirit, has a name"

She walked down the trail, stopping to pick up a tiny turtle that was in the middle of our path. She set the animal down gently near a small puddle of water at the base of one of the trees.

"You think the only people who are people

Are the people who look and think like you

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew"

She grabbed my hand again and pulled me farther ahead. We came to a bunch of hoof prints that looked like they belonged to a deer or something. She stepped carefully around the prints, while I stepped directly on each one, making a game of it.

"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?

Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"

I recognized the song now that she was at the chorus. It was from that one Disney movie she liked to watch. She said the story was completely inaccurate but the music was fantastic. I sneezed as she frolicked through a field of flowers and then blew a dandelion right in my face. That was weird. I didn't have allergies….that I knew of.

"Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"

She tackled me out of nowhere and we both fell down in the grass with the flowers surrounding us. I could have sworn there was a rainbow in the sky above, despite there being no rain. That pretty much defied the laws of physics! Didn't it?

"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth

Come roll in all the riches all around you

And for once, never wonder what they're worth"

Jeanette led me onto a new trail and we came to some trees with berries on them. She picked them and nibbled them. I figured that meant they weren't poisonous, so I did the same. After all, Jeanette knew a lot about plants.

"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers

The heron and the otter are my friends

And we are all connected to each other

In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"

We followed the trail to a small pond and without missing a beat, Jeanette jumped into the pond and then splashed me. I climbed up a tree and used it as a diving board, diving into the pond and splashing her. We held each other's hands once we were out of the pond and back on the trail, spinning each other around and around.

"How high does the sycamore grow?

If you cut it down, then you'll never know"

After that, we climbed up a tree and sat on the branches, glancing down at the forest floor below.

"And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountain

We need to paint with all the colors of the wind"

We raced together down the trail again. I was hoping Jeanette knew where she was going, because I was totally lost. Once we reached the end of the trail that led us back to the park, Jeanette scooped up a small pile of dirt and showed me all the creepy crawlies wriggling around in it. Kinda cool, also gross.

"You can own the Earth and still

All you'll own is Earth until

You can paint with all the colors of the wind."

She finished her song and we both returned to the play structure in the park. I hopped onto the swing and she followed me. I thought about all the cool stuff she'd shown me. I never knew nature hikes could be so fun before. I had been writing off anything that didn't immediately grab my attention or seem cool enough. There was so much I'd been missing out on.

"Okay, you win, that nature hike was really awesome." I told Jeanette, glad I'd taken a chance on it. Trying new things with her was always fun. "You're awesome too."

"I knew you'd like it." She kicked her legs and swung higher.

I did the same, because there was no way I was letting her go higher or faster than me. "I wish I took a chance on all this stuff sooner. You and Simon have taught me so much."

She smiled. She has a gorgeous smile. "Better late than never."

I smiled back. "Yeah. Good philosophy to live by."

As I was continuing to swing, the glowing cyan equations filled my vision again. I was getting more and more used to that, but it was still always a shock when it turned on randomly.

"Are you okay?" Jeanette asked, noticing that I had seemingly spaced out.

I nodded. "Superpowers activated again." I said with a chuckle.

"Should I run around and let you calculate my speed?" She replied playfully.

"Nah. I'm good calculating the speed of both of us swinging plus the wind resistance and the force of gravity on us." I squeaked.

"Wow." She smiled again, turning her head to look at me. "That's so amazing. How do you keep all that straight?"

I shrugged. I didn't know how….In fact, I wasn't super good at keeping it straight. "I try and pick out the stuff I care most about in the vision. It's kinda tricky, because there's just so much but, like everything else, I'm learning."

"How often does it happen?" She had her notepad out again and her swinging speed had slowed down. Her writing speed was currently 40 words per minute. Not that you care, am I right? I was pretty focused on her writing, considering she was taking notes on yours truly.

"About once a day on average. But usually it's just super random. I never know when to expect it." I answered. "But, there's something familiar about it."

She nibbled the eraser on her pencil. "Familiar? How so?"

I looked around at the physics equations all laid out in midair so neatly for me to observe. "It feels like I've done this before, like, before the soccer ball hit my head."

"Fascinating." She jotted something else down on the notepad. "Where could you possibly have done it before?"

I chuckled. "In my dreams, I guess." WAIT A SECOND! I was struck with a vivid memory of seeing physics equations in the air while calculating the physics of waterslides in A DREAM! "That's it!"

She stopped the swing and hopped off. "What's it?"

"My dreams! Of course! I can do this in my dreams! I have done it there before!" I exclaimed, launching myself off the swing at the perfect angle to assure a safe landing on my feet. "Simon was right! All it did was knock the power from my dreams into reality!"

Jeanette jumped up and down excitedly. "That is so neat!"

"I know! Wait until I tell Simon I have always had this skill and just never picked up on it before. Remember how I launched myself off the roof of a house and bounced off an umbrella to reach the finish line in that bike race?" I danced around excitedly. I was figuring more and more out about myself each day.

The Chipette frowned. "I wasn't around for that, so I don't remember."

"Oh right." I took my fidget cube from my pocket and played around with it to entertain myself. "Well, I calculated the angles and I KNEW I'd make it. I just…didn't realize that's what I did until now. I thought I just took a random leap, but it wasn't random! It was very precise!"

"Well, it, uh, it may have been luck." Jeanette pointed out as we started to leave the park.

My vision was still swimming with a marvelous mathematical masterpiece. (Try saying that three times fast.) "Luck?" I laughed. "Netta, I have the worst luck EVER. Even your fairy blessing thing couldn't change that. There's no way it was luck."

"Ah yes. True true." She let a red bug land on her finger. "Look at this?"

"That little thing flew at you at 37 miles per hour." I said, taking a look at the creature. I wished I could get a good look, but all the equations were still in the way. "What is it?"

"A ladybird." She squeaked. "Or a ladybug as some call them."

I blinked. "So is it a bird or a bug?" I asked.

"A bug. They're very cute, don't you think? Did you know they cuddle together in groups to keep warm in the winter?" As she spoke, the little creature's wings fluttered. It was a weird bug. What I thought was its back was actually its wings. It appeared to split itself in half to fly off.

"I didn't know that." I replied. "That is kinda cute. Are you some kind of bug expert too?"

She blushed. "Oh, I wouldn't say expert. I study all of mother nature's creatures."

My eyes were locked on her beautiful face. The physics equations finally disappeared from my vision, though I knew they would return again at some point. "Tell me more about these ladybirdybug thingies."

And off she went, babbling like a babbling brook. "Technically, they're a member of the beetle family. There are about 5,000 different species of ladybugs. Their bright colors and spots warn predators that they taste absolutely dreadful. Unfortunately, like many bugs, their population is declining quite rapidly due to pesticides and climate change."

"That's terrible." I frowned. "We gotta save them. Why are there so many animals we gotta save? I mean, that's a lotta work for two little chipmunks."

"We do what we can to help." Jeanette put a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes little steps don't seem like they help very much, but if we convince a lot of people to take the same steps, we create a huge wave of change for the better."

We looked both ways and crossed the street, still discussing things. "So what sorta things can I do to help? What sorta things do you do to help?"

"For starters, I try to use renewable energy sources whenever I can. Wind power, solar power, that sort of thing. And when I use pesticides, I make sure to invent my own using things that deter bugs without harming them. It does help that I can ask them what their least favorite scents are." She explained. It still baffles me how she can genuinely understand what the bugs are saying to her. But I'm sure my physics powers are equally baffling from Netta's perspective.

She never answered the first part of my inquiry. "So what can I do to help?" I repeated.

"You've got enough to work on already." She told me. "I would start by just…not squashing any more bugs for fun."

I couldn't believe I used to do that. It was basically murder. Those little guys were just moving along, living their life and then my giant shoe crushed all their hopes and dreams. "I promise I won't."

"And don't swat flies." She added.

I groaned. "But they're so annoying. The buzzing makes it so hard to focus."

"Everyone else says that you're annoying." She reminded me. She was the one person who didn't get easily annoyed by me.

I smiled that dorky little half smile at her. "Yes, and everyone else swats me. I fail to see your point."

She put on a more serious face. "You don't die from it though."

"Ah, good,..good answer." I shuffled ahead awkwardly. "No more killing flies. Am I allowed to trap them and relocate them?"

She seemed okay with that. Thank goodness. "As long as you can do it humanely."

"Ohoho! I can for sure!" I currently had no idea how, but knowing what an idea factory my mind was, I was sure I would come up with something.

We arrived back at the treehouse and Jeanette invited me inside. "Do you need to stay for a bit and go over any homework questions?"

I noticed the silhouette of Brittany in the window and decided it was best not to risk my good mood by having to listen to her complain about how I'm "not Alvin." I so wanted to spend more time with Netta, but there would be plenty of other opportunities in the future. "I think I'm good for now, but I'll text ya if I think of anything."

"See you tomorrow." She hugged me and I felt my cheeks heat up.

I hugged her back. "You too."

I wonder why I always felt so weirdly mushy around Jeanette these days. Eh, it must be a side effect of the Road To Self Betterment process. I feel a lot less macho and strangely, I kinda like it. I feel more like me, and less like me at the exact same time. I'm such a befuddling enigma of a person. Despite all this, I am positive that I am still Alvin. Britt cannot change my mind. Netta's lessons are good for me. I am growing, maturing, becoming Alvin-improved, Alvin-upgraded, Alvin-but totally better! Still wish I had a shorter way of explaining that. Maybe it'll come to me eventually.

ALVIN: Theo, your time has come…

THEODORE: Finally! I know I volunteered to be last so Ellie wouldn't have to be, but I really want everyone to know my thoughts.

ALVIN: Well, you're in luck pal! This next part is all you!

THEODORE: Yay! Thanks, Alvin!

ALVIN: I know your part is gonna be outstanding.

THEODORE: But way less wordy than yours. Haha.

ALVIN: Oh for sure.

Theodore's POV

Having two genius brothers was weird. Not in a bad way, but not in a good way either. I already didn't feel like I fit in and now I fit in even less. But Alvin was so happy. He was only acting half like him and half like Simon, but he was so happy. He smiled so much. He was always talking about all the new stuff he'd learned, especially all the stuff Jeanette taught him.

I know Simon said that genes don't work that way, but from my point of view, it seemed like someone had taken a giant switch on Alvin's personality and tried to flip it in reverse. Then, it got stuck before it could fully be reversed. The switch was set in the middle now, somewhere between rebel guy and good kid.

I never knew what to expect. One day, Alvin conned me into mowing the lawn for him. The next day, he felt so bad for tricking me that he did ALL my chores for me along with his own. Then there was a day when he jumped out and scared me while I was trying to watch TV. That was followed by a day when he wanted to watch PBS kids shows with me. It was driving me kinda nuts.

It was driving Simon nuts too. He was happy to have a lab assistant, but Alvin still wasn't the sort of lab assistant he was looking for. Alvin would touch things he wasn't supposed to, try to improve Simon's inventions without Simon asking him to, he wasn't good at following directions, and he liked to make things explode.

As for Dave, he was trusting Alvin to get his grades all taken care of. Alvin had passed physics, science, and math and failed everything else last marking period. The end of this marking period was nearing again, as well as the time when Alvin could start playing sports again.

In addition to worrying about if Alvin was as on top of his grades as he claimed to be, Dave was worried Alvin would get hurt again if he rejoined the soccer team. It was up to me to convince him that Alvin would be okay, because I knew how much playing sports meant to him. Plus, having him play sports was a good way to make sure a tiny piece of the old Alvin stayed around.

"He'll be fine, Dave. The only reason he got hurt was because he couldn't see. He has indestructible glasses now." I said, sitting on the chair in Dave's home office.

My dad frowned. He was still pretty worried. "I just don't know. Eleanor said he's been pretty distracted recently, even before the concussion incident."

I pouted. "You gotta let him play! You just gotta! He's been looking forward to it for almost two months!"

"What about his hallucinations? What if they distract him and he gets hit by another ball." Dave's trembly hand took a sip from his coffee mug. The one that looked like it had piano keys on it. I got him that for Christmas one year. I can't remember which year.

I shook my head. "He won't. He'll be smarter now. Simon said he's got survival instincts." Or that he was gaining survival instincts. Something like that.

"I still need time to think it over." My dad said, coming over to give me a hug. "But I appreciate that we can talk about this."

I smiled and hugged him back. It was hard cuz I'm tiny and he's really tall. "I like talking to you. At least I don't have to look up what words you say."

"That is getting old, isn't it?" He chuckled.

I nodded. "Real old. I like when they only talk intellectually to each other. When they do it to me, I feel left out and dumb…and I know I'm not dumb."

"I still can't believe Alvin's turned into….that." Dave told me as we walked toward the door of the home office.

"Me either." I frowned, then smiled. I had to keep looking on the bright side. "But he has always been full of surprises."

"True." Dave opened the door and we walked out into the kitchen to get ready for dinner. Unfortunately, we walked right into another Alvin and Simon argument. Sigh. I thought them both being geniuses would help them argue less. Nope. They found common ground, and STILL the arguments continued.

Let me set the scene for you. Alvin was hanging upside down from the light above our dining room table, holding a history book. He was wearing a red hoodie with a yellow A pin on it, all zipped up. I'm sure he still had his neon blue "Albert" jacket somewhere. Simon was staring up at him with an odd look.

"What are you doing?" My brother in the blue T-shirt asked.

"I figured out through months of trial and error, that I retain information better when I view it upside down." Alvin responded.

Simon wasn't impressed. "Uh huh."

Our oldest brother babbled on. "It's my new system."

That's when Simon smirked, a very Alvin-like smirk. Weird. "You know, if I were you, I would accuse you of being a vampire."

"It's a good thing you aren't me." Alvin retorted.

"Not yet anyway." I mumbled to myself. Simon was changing a little too. I think it was mostly from the lack of sleep though. Still, I figured he'd change even more eventually.

Dave crossed his arms. "Alvin, get down." At least he wasn't yelling.

"No! I have almost absorbed this whole chapter. I need to know it to pass the history test." Alvin insisted. History was one of his worst subjects. Even being a sudden science and math genius couldn't fix that.

A thought popped in my head. It was a good thought. A smart thought. "Couldn't you just sit right side up and hold the book upside down?" I asked Alvin, taking my seat at the table.

"Ohoho! Brilliant thinking, Theodore." He replied.

Simon raised an eyebrow and looked up at Alvin again. "You hadn't thought of that?"

"No." The chipmunk in the red hoodie admitted.

"155 IQ and you never once thought of that? Unbelievable." And there went my middle brother with his usual eye roll.

Alvin got pretty mad. "Stop throwing my IQ score in my face every time I make a stupid decision." He snapped

Simon climbed into a chair. "I'm just saying, it is very hard to see evidence of genius in you at the moment."

Alvin turned himself right side up but not instead of hanging from the ceiling light, he was sitting on top of it, swinging side to side. "My genius works in mysterious ways."

"ALVINNN!" Dave finally did his iconic scream. "Get down from there before you hit your head AGAIN."

"Yeah!" I echoed. "You don't want your brain more scrambled."

Alvin jumped off the light and crashed onto the table, still holding the history book. "Oh crud. Didn't think of that either." He said. At least he landed on his feet.

"Put the history book away, you'll have plenty of time to read it after dinner." Dave instructed, bringing out some fresh sweet potatoes and green beans with a side of applesauce and honey covered biscuits.

Dinner looked super duper tasty! I couldn't wait to dig in!

"Time isn't fixed, David." Alvin said in his snooty smart guy voice. "It's relative." He sat in his chair and propped the history book up by his plate so he could read it while he ate. "Which means that you and I experience time quite differently. What is enough time for you, may be mere seconds to me."

"Alvin, quit it." Simon whispered.

But Alvin ignored him. "If you would like, I can draw up a diagram after dinner to explain the concept. See, what Einstein said is…."

"Alright! That's it!" Dave snatched Alvin's history book away from him. "No science talk at the table. No reading at the table. We are going to sit down and have a nice family dinner where everyone is a part of the discussion and no one feels left out."

Thank goodness. I looked forward to dinner a lot because, well, aside from liking food, I liked being able to properly talk to my brothers without worrying they were gonna start talking big brain stuff that my little brain couldn't relate to.

Alvin gave Dave the stinkiest stink eye of all. "Well, there goes my chance at a passing history grade. I hope you're happy."

"Alvin, be nice." I scolded him.

His ears drooped and he sulked. "Sorry for breaking the no books at the table rule."

"Do you remember why Dave had to enact the "no books at the table rule?" Simon asked, cutting his sweet potato and then helping cut mine for me.

The chipmunk in the red hoodie had a blank stare on his face. The kind of stare that looked very much like his old self. His pre-genius-ified self. "Honestly, no."

"Allow me to refresh your memory." Simon went on. "It was because you almost sliced off your own finger with a pizza cutter due to being distracted by a book."

"Table time is eating time. Not reading time." I added.

"Oh puh-leeze." Alvin groaned. "That was one time."

"Then you almost choked eating carrots." Dave said sternly. "And broccoli. Look, we are just trying to keep you safe."

"You're obsessed with reading." I told Alvin sweetly. "It's not healthy."

He was getting madder by the minute. Uh oh. "I am not obsessed with it. I like it. Why do you guys think everything I like is an obsession!?"

"Because it is." Simon said in a no-nonsense tone.

Alvin narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't have to read so much if I could still play sports. Put yourself in my shoes for once, guys. I used to be out there, having fun, having the time of my life. Now, in order to get that same vibe, I have to read about other people having fun and imagine it. But, someday, hopefully very soon, I will be out there again, living it up. I will show everyone that it's possible to be nerdy and also sporty at the same time! I will change the world!"

Dave sighed. Simon sighed a few seconds after him.

"Alvin, I think I speak for everyone when I say, please put some food in your mouth and stop talking." Simon quipped.

"I don't mind it." I squeaked. "At least he's off the science stuff."

"Oh oh! I have more not-science stuff to talk about. Jeanette and I have been studying how people think and why they do the things they do." Alvin went on.

Dave picked apart his biscuit and drizzled honey on it. "That's nice, Alvin."

"I have learned that some people base decisions on logic over emotion." My brother in red was too busy talking to pay attention to his food, so I stole some of his green beans.

"That's me." Simon remarked. He's right. He definitely makes decisions that way.

Alvin took a sip of water and then rambled more. It was nice to see him excited about something besides physics. "And some people base decisions on emotion over logic."

I pointed to myself, happy to be included. "That's ME!"

"Some people base decisions on both at the same time and become conflicted about which one to use." Alvin pointed to himself. "And that would be me. My problem isn't that I don't think before I act, it's that I think and feel so deeply that I get super duper confused."

"Your other problem is that your logic is, as you would say, "Insane Troll Logic." Simon commented.

Alvin started to tear up, but they were happy tears and not sad tears. "You read TV tropes like I asked you too. Thank you!"

Oh goody…not. They were back to talking stuff I didn't know about. "Can anyone tell me what a trope is? Please?" I requested.

"Sure! A trope is…" Alvin began.

I stopped him, afraid his explanation would do no good. "Not in scientific terms."

Alvin and Simon looked at each other. They were wondering how to explain it un-scientifically. I could tell.

Finally, Alvin spoke. "Go ahead, bro." He pointed to Simon. "I still gotta learn how to dumb stuff back down."

"I am also interested in these, what did you call them? Tropes?" Dave added.

"Simply put, a trope is an overused plot device in a TV show." Simon explained.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's it? Boy, I was worried it was something like gravity." I giggled.

It was a pretty fun dinner. We talked about a lot of different things. I got the opportunity to tell them all about the newest episodes of Talking Teddy too. And eventually, we lifted the no-science talk thing so that Simon could explain how he made Alvin's glasses indestructible. Alvin really looked good in the new glasses. They were super shiny, and they fit his eyes even better than the old pairs he kept ruining by accident.

I am sure pretty soon I'll be used to the new way things are around here. It's not completely different. Some things, the most important things, are still the same as they were. I just worry a lot about Brittany. She still doesn't wanna call Alvin his name and it's making him sad. She also really hates him hanging with Jeanette. I found that out when I overheard Simon and her talking at school the next day.

Alvin had just walked by Simon's locker, talking to himself…but also to Simon, I think. "The stars are pretty aren't they? So magical. Tiny glowy glittery dots. We're all made of particles and stardust. The same stuff created when a star explodes is inside every living thing. Stardust….whooo." He walked away with a dazed look on his face.

Brittany leaned over and invaded Simon's space. "Okay, so, I'm pretty sure he and Jeanette are eating pot brownies from somewhere." She said.

I wonder what pot brownies taste like. They're probably delicious, because they're brownies. All brownies are! Aw man, now my stomach is growling. Thanks, Britt.

"No. They aren't." Simon smiled fondly. "She just has a very calming effect on people. Like a walking and talking anti-depressant."

Brittany elbowed him. "And you say you don't LIKE her." She stressed the word like. She was saying Simon had a crush on Jeanette. I wasn't so sure about that.

"I like her! I just don't LOVE her." Simon confirmed my suspicion. "She's a good friend."

Brittany folded her arms. "Well, she needs to get away from Alvin before any more of her personality rubs off on him." The Chipette in the dark pink sequined top and ruffled light pink skirt frowned. "It's creepy and unhealthy."

"You're just saying that because you have a crush on Al…" Simon quipped, before Brittany shoved her hand over his mouth.

"Zip it, Simon." She said in a threatening way.

Simon laughed "Come on. Everyone knows about it except Alvin." A sly look crossed his face. "He has a crush on you too, btw." Btw? Since when did Simon shorten by the way to btw!? Oh no. Maybe he really WAS turning into Alvin.

Brittany sighed as she grabbed her stuff from her locker. "Maybe he did before. I don't know where his head's at now. It's been so long since he acted…like himself."

Simon nodded. "I know. But I have faith he'll make it out of this."

"And what if he doesn't?" The sad girl who was convinced she lost her best friend forever was very hard to un-convince.

"He will." Simon repeated. "Eventually, he'll get tired of this and slip into old habits." I wasn't so sure about that, though I kinda secretly hoped that was true. I missed the old Alvin.

"But what if he doesn't!?" Brittany was frantic.

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for class. I decided Brittany needed my answer to her question, so I walked across the hall and over to her. "Then we love and support him anyway because that's what friends do."

She and Simon looked surprised to see me. "How….How much of our conversation did you hear?" Simon gulped.

I couldn't lie to them. I don't like lying. "All of it."

For some reason they were both pretty unsettled by that. Why? I mean, I already knew about Britt's crush on Alvin. And about Alvin secretly liking Britt but not realizing it. The amount of stuff Alvin doesn't realize is pretty high.

"Oh crap." Brittany whispered to Simon. "What do we do?"

"It's fine. Uh, you won't tell Alvin any of this, right?" Simon asked me.

I shook my head. "No. I don't wanna mess up his head more."

They both sighed in relief. I was glad that was all settled.

"Now, what are pot brownies and when can I try them? They sound yummy." I rubbed my belly.

Brittany laughed and then took her seat. "This is all on you."

"Why?" Simon frowned. "You're the one who mentioned them."

"Yeah, but you're better at stuff like this." She responded sweetly, batting her eyelashes. She did that when she wanted to get her way. She usually wanted to get her way.

"Come on, Theodore. I will explain to you why you can never ever EVER taste pot brownies." I followed my brother over to his desk. We passed by Alvin, who had his nose stuck in a book again. This time it was a book about a famous soccer player.

Simon did explain that the brownies Britt mentioned have a substance (which means ingredient) in them that is used to create artificial highs (which means it makes you sorta loopy and spaced out…like Alvin is with no brownies required.) and also that they're not for kids to eat. Well, I wouldn't wanna eat something that messes with my judgment. I like my judgment the way it is.

Eleanor passed a note to me before class started officially. It read [Did you talk to Dave about Alvin getting back on the soccer team?]

I quickly wrote her a note back and had Simon fold it like a paper airplane. I found it weird that he didn't object to note passing. Seems out of character. Anyway, my note back said [Yes, I did. He's still thinking about it.]

Eleanor crumpled the note and shoved it into her messenger bag. I was sorry I couldn't deliver her better news. I hoped that Alvin could play sports again soon. Ellie was missing her friend too now.

The only one really happy with the new Alvin was Jeanette. She was happy because she was sure that everything she was teaching him was good for him. Maybe some of it was, but she'd taken it too far and now Alvin had turned into a different sort of annoying. Maybe if I don't do anything to tamper with things, everything will eventually just go back to how it was or level out into a new and less argument prone status quo. It's worth a shot.

I'm gonna leave it off there. This story is going to definitely be 6 chapters long. There's a lot of time jumps and a ton of crazy stuff to cover.

I think it was very nice of me to give Alvin one chapter of fun before I drag him through his worst nightmare and ruin every aspect of his life. (Temporarily. It's all part of the growth.)

Let me know what you think and if you can guess what tragic events befall Alvin in the next few chapters.