Alvin is still trying to figure out who he is now, and how to become the person he wants to be. It's been a bumpy ride, and it's not over yet.

I also love the outfit Alvin gets for this chapter. It's adorable on him. He even thinks so, deep down under all his very forced macho-ness.

Genius-Alvin's POV

I miss wearing my cap! I want to wear it more than ever, but I can't. If I have any hope of these brown roots turning copper like the rest of my hair, then they need as much sunlight as possible. That means, no cap. As much as it PAINS me. As much as I feel like, without it…I'm just a nobody.

Summer wasn't off to a very good start, as you probably already know. I, the former king of primping and the god of good looks, was now the exact opposite. I was avoiding every reflective surface that I could. I just didn't want to see myself. I didn't want any temptation to start caring about my looks again.

Now, I was changing as drastically on the inside as I was on the outside. Maybe Alvin Seville really DIDN'T exist anymore. I sure didn't FEEL like Alvin. To make matters worse, Classic Alvin hadn't popped up to say anything to me in several days.

I kept thinking about what Jeanette said about the acts. I needed to find out who I wanted to be, what traits I valued. Was that person an intellectual? Or someone who uses their genius in a way that's not as intellectual? Who was I going to turn out to be if classic Alvin's personality traits were off the table? I know Jeanette said I could be both nerdy and classic at the same time, but I didn't know how! Not to mention, I couldn't without Classic Alvin!

It was a beautiful, sunshine filled summer day and where was I? In bed, feeling sorry for myself. Theo's musical pick me up idea had only made me feel slightly better. It couldn't re-ignite my rambunctious passion.

I had finally learned to talk around my braces without lisping. That was a good thing. Unfortunately, my braces still HURT. It felt like my whole mouth was caught in a vice grip. They made my jaw hurt too! Why do bad things ALWAYS happen to me?

My face itched like it was covered in mosquito bites. My mouth was invaded by metal. It all felt so hopeless. There was only one person that I could talk to at a time like this, and I didn't even have the energy to get out of bed and call her. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep, as I'd been doing on and off all day.

At least in the dreamworld, I could regain my old appearance, right? Or so I thought. I waved my hands to make a mirror appear and then altered my appearance back to Classic Alvin's style. I put my hands on my hips and struck a pose, but unfortunately it was no use. With a bright flash of glowing cyan light, my appearance switched back to the ultra geeky one, although I still had my usual red hoodie with a yellow A on under the cyan jacket.

The mirror shattered and the shards came flying at me, before changing into ladybugs and swarming away. Okay, so I needed a new plan. I started to pace across the vast expanse of the realm. The floor beneath me looked like a chessboard and the sky above looked like a purple and pink galaxy.

Then, out of nowhere, a red and yellow portal appeared and sucked me inside. I was spit out on the other side, in a world that looked 2-dimensional. It was a park of some sort.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anybody here?"

"What did they do to you?" A slightly higher voice than mine answered, with a gasp.

I turned my head to see a chipmunk with solid tan fur all over his body. He was wearing a long red shirt, or dress, of somekind with a big yellow A. His hair was a weird little fur clump on his head. My hair may have been a mess, but at least it was longer and shinier, and a different color than the rest of my fur. I looked at his outfit again. Wait a minute, was he cosplaying as me?

I decided I might as well answer him. "That's what I wanna know. Also, who is they?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm pretty sure you didn't do this to yourself. Nobody would ever WANT to look like that."

"Who are you?" I asked, approaching him cautiously.

He laughed. "Who am I? Only the coolest and most famous rockstar in history! Alvin Seville!"

Yep. Definitely a cosplayer. "While I admire your adherence to the act, you can't possibly be Alvin Seville." I swallowed, a nervous stammer coming on out of nowhere. "B…B…Because I…I'm Alvin S…Seville."

He laughed even harder, then he started looking me over. He was taller than I was, which bugged me a little, okay, a lot. "Nice try, Pal. You don't look like an Alvin."

"Well, I'm not a Simon either." I growled, annoyed.

He stroked his chin. "No, not a Simon either. More like…somewhere in between."

"No, no, I'm…" I remembered what I learned in physics class, which probably doesn't surprise any of you. "I'm you. From another dimension."

"Nuh uh." He shook his head. "No self respecting Alvin would ever look like you."

"It's not like I want to look like this." I got an idea. "Hey, maybe you can help me find my Classic Alvin side again."

"I don't know what you're babbling about." The weird 2D version of me said. "But, sure. I can help. Where are we looking?"

In the distance, I saw a corn maze that matched the rest of the cartoony surroundings. "Maybe he's in there."

He followed me to the maze. "So, if we find this guy, then you get to look cool again."

"I hope so." I squeaked. "I miss looking cool. And singing."

He gasped again. "You can't sing?"

"I can." I admitted. "But it's not great. My vocal cords are on the fritz."

"That's terrible!" He commented as we entered the maze. "What kind of an Alvin are you?"

"A broken one." I admitted. I felt as broken as everyone told me I was.

"Do you mind if I sing?" He shuffled his feet in those pale blue checker pattern shoes.

I shook my head. "No. I could use the music to keep me focused."

He sang a bunch of different songs for me. They were all ones I'd never heard before. I memorized the lyrics and added them to my massive mental music collection.

It's A Jungle Out There

The C Team

Pump, Pump, Pump

There's No Rock And Roll On Mars

"I really like that one." I said, referring to the fourth song he'd sang for me. Still no sign of Classic Alvin anywhere in the corn maze though.

He scoffed. "Of course you do, space nerd."

"How did you know I'm a space enthusiast?" I inquired, parting some stalks of corn.

He laughed again. "You're kidding, right? It's written all over you." He frowned. "I'm bored. How close are we to finding your fun side?"

Boy, he reminded me a lot of Classic me. "I don't know." I started to cry. "I don't know if he's even here anymore."

"Dude, are you crying?" He followed me into another section of the maze.

"No." I lied. Crying in front of another Alvin was humiliating.

He smirked playfully. "Looks like you are."

"You'd cry too if you'd been through what I've been through." I snapped. Then, I hit a dead end. This was useless. I was never going to find myself again. Not fully, maybe not even partially.

"Just an idea." The 2D cartoon chipmunk squeaked. "Simon always tells me that if I lose something, I'll find it as soon as I stop looking. Maybe if you stop chasing after this Classic guy, he'll stop hiding from you. Worth a shot, right?"

I dried my tears. "M….Maybe."

He patted my head. "Cheer up, pal. Whatever's going on, you'll get through it."

"Y….Yeah." I pushed up my glasses. "Somehow."

"It's been nice to meet ya." The other me said as we found our way back to the exit of the maze. "I hope you get your Alvin-ness back."

"Nice to meet you too, uh, Alvin." I shook his hand.

"I wonder how many of us exist." He said, looking up at the sky.

I smiled. "The multiverse contains infinite possibilities."

He was about to say something else when a portal opened behind me and swallowed me up. I landed back where I started, in the 3D space again with that chess board looking floor. Weird. Who was that strange guy? Was he really me from another dimension? Or was he another figment of my wild imagination?

Before I could contemplate anymore, I woke up. Pippi, Jeanette's mouse, was playing with my messy hair, while Warbie sat on my chest cocking his tiny bird head at me. I really hoped that Jeanette's spider wasn't in here with them.

"Warbie, he's still sleepy." I heard Jeanette's voice say calmly. "Let him wake up naturally. Don't force it."

Warbie fluttered his wings and moved over to one of my bedposts. "Sorry. Sorry. I just wanna know who this guy is and why he's in Alvin's bed."

"It's me, Warbie." I groaned, sitting up. My body was stiff from laying down so long.

The little bird's teal colored eyed went wide. "Alvin?"

"Yeah. I know. I am virtually unrecognizable. I got the memo." I muttered.

Pippi squeaked and then jumped into my hair. I pulled her out and handed her to Jeanette. "What are you doing here?" I asked them.

"I came to ask if you'd like to go to the beach with me." The Chipette in the purple T shirt with a flower on it said. "Or, if the beach is too crowded, we could swim in the pool."

Gosh, those two things sounded fun. Why must she tempt me? As much as I would have preferred the beach, I wasn't gonna be caught dead there looking the way I did. The pool sounded like a decent alternative. I was pretty bored of just lying in bed.

"The pool sounds…nice." I replied.

Warbie looked annoyed that I had chosen that. "I can't swim." He complained.

"You can fly around while we swim." Jeanette offered.

"Okay!" The yellow warbler zipped from the bedpost to Jeanette's shoulder.

I slid out of bed. "Let me freshen up first." I said, before realizing that didn't matter at all. "Or, ya know what, nevermind! I'm ready to go!"

For whatever reason, Jeanette looked proud of me. I guess she preferred it when I didn't care about my looks. Meanwhile, I was dying inside. I could fake not caring, but actually not caring hadn't happened yet. I wished it would briefly, but then I realized that if I didn't care about my looks, I might never find Classic Alvin again.

A few minutes later, I had put on my bathing suit and walked outside. Darling Netta was waiting for me by the pool. She was sitting on the edge and dangling her feet into the water. Pippi was paddling around wearing tiny water wings to keep her afloat. I cautiously approached, internally wondering why I was so cautious.

"Boo!" A voice from behind startled me and I fell in the grass. A few more inches, and I could have fallen into the pool.

I looked up angrily at the snickering girl who had frightened me. "Eleanor! Don't do that!" I scolded. I didn't expect her to be joining us, but she was in her bathing suit too, so she must be. Her bathing suit was mint colored with stripes. That surprises no one, I'm sure.

"Come on, Alvin." She teased. "It was just a practical joke. You used to like them."

"Are you swimming too, Eleanor?" Netta asked.

The blonde with the twin pigtail nodded. "Britt told me to keep an eye on you two and make sure there's no funny business."

I groaned. "Of course she did." It was clear that Brittany really hated me hanging out with Jeanette. Who else was I supposed to hang with though? Theo couldn't understand me. Simon was perpetually annoyed by me. Britt refused to accept that I had changed. If Britt wanted to hang out with me, she was gonna have to face facts. For the time being, Classic Alvin was truly gone. Whether or not he'd be back was still unclear.

Jeanette slid off the edge of the pool and dove into the water. "Come on in, Alvin. The water's fine." She beckoned. Her voice was like a siren's song. I couldn't resist.

I positioned myself to jump in, but before I could, I felt Eleanor's hand on my back. "Please don't push me in." I begged.

"I'm not gonna push you." The mint clad Chipette promised. "I just want to ask you a question."

I sighed. "Okay. What is it?"

"Have you been eating okay with the braces on? Or is it hard to manage?" She inquired.

Thanks for reminding me about these stupid uncomfortable things. I scowled. "I've been eating fine. It's hard to manage, but I do manage. In fact, I've been eating a LOT." I answered honestly.

She didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

My incurable curiosity took over. "Yes. Why are you asking?"

She looked at me closely. "You mean, you haven't noticed?"

I was frustrated now. I wanted to go swimming. She was holding me up! "What? What haven't I noticed?"

"You've gotten skinnier." She said softly. The ground felt like it was shaking. It wasn't actually shaking, but it felt that way.

I glanced down at my body. The bathing suit on me wasn't loose or anything. Maybe Eleanor was mistaken. Then, I noticed it. It was pretty hard to miss. My waistline was TINY! I've always had a slightly smaller waist than my hips. It's a fact I hate admitting, because I think it makes me look too feminine. Now, my waist had a definite and frightening indent to it, which only made my hips stick out more. Fantastic. (Sarcasm)

"Great. Now I'm gonna look as weak and wimpy as I feel." I moaned sarcastically, remembering how Simon mentioned that extreme stress can cause fluctuations in weight. "Like a skinny little nerd."

"You gotta start eating more and working out. It'll help you build up muscle tone." Eleanor flexed one of her chubby arms. It may not have looked like she had much muscle, but I knew that looks could be deceiving.

I slumped my shoulders. "Unless I can stop the stress, I'm gonna keep losing weight." I muttered.

"Exercise is a good stress reliever." Eleanor mentioned.

I didn't want to talk about this anymore, so I cannonballed into the pool. It was an impulsive decision, but it felt good. I swam up to Jeanette and playfully splashed her.

She splashed me back.

Eleanor did a swan dive into the pool, going underwater and then swimming back up to break the surface. I wished my physics powers had activated so that I could analyze her diving form and copy it. Then again, I would probably have to adjust it slightly to compensate for our differences in weight distribution. Urgh! No, I could not think about my weight. I'm not going to spiral.

Were my arms always this thin? Probably, yes. Now, I was scrutinizing every inch of my physical form. Overthink mode was turned on. How to turn it off? Quick, stare at Netta's beautiful face.

The beautiful girl in the purple and blue polka dot one piece smiled at me. "See? Isn't this fun, Alvin. You can still enjoy your summer. There's so much you can do."

Maybe there was. The busier I was doing fun summer activities, the less I'd naturally fixate on my destroyed face and scrawny body. There wouldn't be a reason to. My mind would be at full capacity trying to make fun summer memories. I'd wasted an entire month of summer already. I had two more left. That's two thirds remaining. I would make them count!

Jeanette showed me how long she could hold her breath underwater. Three entire minutes! She resurfaced and finally let her breath out.

"Whoah!" Warbie quipped, watching us while flying around the pool. "You must be part fish or something, Jeanette."

"Or a mermaid." I added. "That was stupendous!"

"That your new catchphrase?" Eleanor teased, splashing me with her feet as she swam by.

I pondered that. I did really like the word. And, people were getting pretty sick of hearing me say awesome all the time. Stupendous meant awesome anyway. "Yeah,.." I answered. "I think it is."

"Nerd alert." Warbie teased.

Jeanette doggie paddled next to me. "I like it a lot."

Pippi squeaked in agreement while resting inside a small floating life preserver thing.

"So, if your catchphrase is stupendous now, can I have awesome?" Eleanor's green eyes sparkled.

Jeanette did always say that giving things away helped you feel better about yourself. I didn't want to give any physical stuff away, but a catchphrase wasn't physical. Or at least, it wasn't tangible. "Sure, why not?"

"AWESOME!" The pigtailed blonde exclaimed.

I felt that barfy feeling again. I'd given up another iconic part of my character. And, I'd done it so flippantly. I regretted it, but what's done is done. I couldn't take it back now.

Following our time in the pool, I began hanging out at the treehouse more often. I wanted Jeanette to help me try more new things, so I could start crafting the guy I wanted to be. He likely wouldn't be anything like Classic Alvin, but maybe he could be even better. Alvin Enhanced! Alvin Upgraded! The New Version of Alvin! Or I could just stop being Alvin altogether and be Albert instead. That was also an option. I hated that option, but it kept popping in my head.

I was thinking about all this as Jeanette set a plate in front of me with some new food on it I'd never had before. There were these little cubes of white stuff that were browner on one side and kind of jiggly. Next to that, was a bunch of grainy stuff all mixed together with some peas to round off the healthy meal.

I poked at the jiggly bits with my fork. Maybe trying new things wasn't all it was cracked up to be. "What is this stuff?" I asked.

"It's tofu, and quinoa." Netta picked up one of her cubes on her fork and stuffed it into her cheek.

"Ewww." I shuddered. "Toe fu? Is it made of toes?"

She giggled and then shook her head. "No. It's a very popular vegan food."

"I'd rather eat birdseed." I gestured to the counter where Warbie was pecking at a cup of birdseed. Pippi was near him, munching blueberries and some sunflower seeds.

"It's very good." Jeanette took a spoonful of the grainy stuff. "And good for you too. It'll help you get your energy back."

I made a disgusted face. "I'll pass."

She pouted. "Please try it before you make assumptions." She insisted.

"Ah yes, because trying new things has worked out so well for me this far." I snipped sarcastically. "You can read all about it in my memoir entitled How Liking Physics Ruined My Life. Chapter 1: A Munk's Fall From Grace."

"Alvin…" The girl in purple tried to stop my tirade.

I pointed at my face. "Look at me, Netta! Look where all this trying new things has got me. As much as I enjoy it, maybe it's not actually good for me. Maybe if I stuck to my comfort zone, I wouldn't have sacrificed my looks."

She munched another cube of tofu thoughtfully. "Looks aren't everything."

"They are to me." I muttered, picking up a spoonful of peas because at least I knew what they tasted like.

Jeanette stared at me with pride in her eyes. "You're a lot more than just a handsome face, nice hair, and a bunch of random talents. You always have been."

That went against my instinct, everything I had taught myself. "I have?"

She nodded. "Remember what you told me?" She prompted. "That if I'm enough for me, I shouldn't care what other people think. Are you enough for you? Do you feel like you're enough for you?"

Did I? I frowned. "I still don't feel like myself. How can I be enough for me when I'm not me?"

The girl in purple sighed and looked down at the meal she'd been eating. "You'll get there again. Just be patient."

I felt like Jeanette was slowly giving up on me too. I couldn't let her do that. How could I make her happy again? Aw nuts! I had to try the crummy vegan food, didn't I? That would bring a smile to her face.

I started on the quinoa, because the tofu still creeped me out. I stuck a big spoonful into my mouth. "Hey, this isn't bad." I mixed it with the peas. That gave it more of a flavor variety.

She stood up and started taking her empty plate to the sink. "I knew you'd like it."

"Do I have to try the tofu too?" I asked, finishing the quinoa with peas in record time.

She shook her head. "I guess not. Only if you're ready to."

I closed my eyes and brought the wiggly white cube to my mouth. I popped it inside and chewed. It wasn't the best, certainly not as tasty as the quinoa. It wasn't terrible though.

"How was it?" The Chipette in the dark purple jacket asked.

I wasn't sure how to respond without revealing I wasn't a fan. "It's uh,…you know, it's food."

"Thank you for trying it." She slipped me a pack of fruit snacks made with organic fruit juice.

I smiled at her as I ripped the package open and devoured them.

After that, she tried to teach me how to meditate. I was horrible at it. I eventually got tired and just laid down on the couch, using my cyan jacket as a pillow. It was really soft and really cushiony.

I didn't actually sleep that time. I just let the thoughts whirl in my head. I may have drifted a little bit. The next thing I heard was Jeanette explaining things to her sisters.

"Alvin's going through a metamorphosis of self realization." Netta was assuring her sisters. "He's spun a chrysalis already."

Britt sounded aggravated. "He's not a butterfly, Jeanette. Butterflies are your thing."

"It's an analogy." Eleanor explained.

I opened one of my eyes and watched them from afar. Eleanor looked aggravated at Brittany, while Jeanette was calmly informing them about why I was such a sluggish and tired guy lately.

"Whatever. Can't he go sleep in his own house?" The diva Chipette grumbled."Why does he have to invade our space?"

"Getting out of his house is good for him." Eleanor explained. "Though he still needs fresh air, if ya ask me."

Jeanette was still on the butterfly thing. "Did you know that caterpillars become goop in their chrysalises before they turn into butterflies?"

"Ewwww." Britt's face turned a little green.

"Awesome!" Eleanor sure had been making good use of the catchphrase that I gave her. "So what you're saying is, Alvin is goop?"

My brain currently felt pretty goopy. I just wanted to wrap myself in that cyan jacket and forget about looking for my personality. I was too tired to care. Nothing even felt real. Was I dreaming right now? I couldn't tell.

"Yes! Basically!" Netta was excited to share the facts with her sisters. "But he won't be goop forever. Eventually, he'll grow his wings."

I knew she was speaking metaphorically, but I really wanted to sprout actual wings so I could fly. I've always dreamed of being able to fly. It's a hollow dream though. Chipmunks can't fly. Not unless they use techy knowledge to create a machine that flies for them, like Simon's Munkmobile. My brain was too tired to come up with my own idea for a flying machine.

Brittany folded her arms and scoffed. "I am still lost."

Her youngest sister teased her. "You may wanna explain it in fashion terms so Ms. Breadstick IQ can understand." Oooh, Ellie, you little instigator.

"Eleanor!" Brittany fumed.

"Basically, what I mean is, Alvin's going to learn what he needs to learn very soon." Jeanette clasped her hands together. "And once that's happened, he'll grow back into himself."

Brittany let out a sigh of relief. Then, she frowned again. She still couldn't be convinced Jeanette hadn't ruined me forever. "How do you know?"

The girl in purple fidgeted with the bow hanging from her bun. "I just have a feeling."

I yawned loudly and rose from the couch. "Good morning, girls."

"It's like 7pm." Brittany huffed.

"Oh…" I grabbed my balled up cyan jacket and headed for the door. "Guess I probably should be getting home then."

"Unless you want to stay the night." Eleanor offered.

Her oldest sister glared at me. "He can't stay the night, Ellie."

"Why not?" Jeanette inquired.

I was inclined to agree with her. "Yeah, why not?"

"Because you're a boy. That's why." Brittany started to shove me to the door.

Wow, she really didn't trust me. "Britt, I wouldn't do anything bad! Honest! I barely even think about hot girls anymore! Plus, I know I'm too young for, you know, stuff like that."

Jeanette's clueless expression let me know she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Doesn't matter." Brittany used her incredible strength to shove me out the door. "A boy spending the night with three girls is inappropriate."

"But…but…Eleanor's spent the night with us before!" I protested. Why was that allowed if I couldn't do the same? "She even took over my bed."

"It's different. Now, get out…" Brittany grabbed Warbie and set him down outside the door too. "And take your silly bird with you!"

The treehouse door slammed shut. I hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to Jeanette. Why did Britt go from treating me as her friend to goof around with to treating me as a threat? I'd gotten sappier and more sensitive, but I was still just a bad boy with bad intentions in her mind.

"What's gotten into Brittany?" Warbie asked, perching on my arm as I walked down the treehouse steps.

"I'm not entirely sure." I admitted. "But I don't like it."

Warbie flew back to his birdhouse and I slipped my jacket back on as I walked into my own house. I still didn't understand why I couldn't stay overnight with the Chipettes. I thought I had proven myself a changed munk! I guess I still had a long way to go.

Theodore greeted me as I shuffled into the bedroom. "Did you find yourself yet?"

Urgh. I wished someone would ask me a different question. "No."

"Are you still looking?" The chubby boy in green asked.

Was I? "Not really." I admitted. I'd pretty much given up looking for Classic Alvin. All my searches came up empty handed. Maybe that weird 2D cartoon me was right. I'd find Classic only once I'd stopped trying to. "I'm just trying to enjoy my summer and I can worry about figuring out who I am when school starts up again." I informed Theo.

His brown eyes were watering a little. I could tell he was worried. "Oh….okay."

Then, Simon had to make me angry by immediately nagging. I'd been gone pretty much all day, smelling the flowers, eating grains, watching informative documentaries, helping Jeanette tend her garden, and of course, sleeping. The minute I'm back, I instantly get all the responsibilities piled on me AGAIN.

"I am very glad you're enjoying your summer at last, but you haven't done your laundry in a week. The basement is starting to smell." My brother in the blue T-shirt reminded me.

I got snappy with him. "I'll take care of it. I'm just waiting for the motivation." I didn't think the motivation would ever come, but I didn't tell him that part.

Theodore tapped his chin. "Maybe it's hiding the same place your sense of self is."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe." I got changed into my usual pajamas (the ones with the winged guitar on them) and then decided to play videogames on my phone until it was officially bedtime. I had survived another day, beaten the odds, but I wasn't sure I'd last much longer as a living goop pile. I didn't even feel smart anymore. I felt like nothing.

The next day, I returned to the treehouse bright and early. Britt may have been able to stop me from staying overnight, but she couldn't ban me during the day. Things were going well. Jeanette was offering me some flaxseed energy boosting bars. Hopefully, once I ate them, I wouldn't be so lethargic all the time.

So I gobbled them up, thinking that perhaps that would trigger my Classic side to come back. After all, he was known for being a high energy individual. Well, it didn't give me any regular Alvin mojo, but it gave me a ton of Albert mojo. I wanted something to research! Something exciting! I just needed to figure out what that something was.

I opened those TV tropes and started absorbing as much information on superpowers as I could. It didn't have any practical application. It was just something I wanted to do, so I did it. I enjoyed it a ton.

It felt like I hadn't stimulated my brain enough in ages. Without Dr. Wilson's class, or school in general, all I had to stimulate me were Jeanette's lessons. Her lessons weren't exactly fun either. They made me feel extreme amounts of guilt. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Classic Alvin leaving me, may have been for the best.

"And you're studying again." Britt commented in her sassy tone as she entered the dining room. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You okay, dude?" Eleanor asked.

I must have looked pretty despondent. I decided I couldn't continue to pretend I was going to be okay. I had no idea if I'd ever be okay again. "You guys were right. I went too far. I changed too much." I squeaked. "And now I've lost my spark."

The girl in the teal colored jacket and lighter mint colored shirt sat down next to me. "What do you mean?"

I set my phone on the table. "I've forgotten how to be Alvin. I keep searching for the Classic Alvin impulses but…they aren't here."

"We warned you." Brittany looked at my messy hair in disgust. "I warned you the most."

I didn't want to say the next thing I said, but it made sense to me at the time. "I guess I'm Albert now. Forever."

The girl in the pretty pale pink sundress sniffled. "I guess you are."

"I'm gonna miss that inner rebel." I started to do more than sniffle. I was racked with full on sobs. "Oh great, and now I can't stop CRYING!" I moaned.

"Stop it." Eleanor ordered. "What happened to never giving up?"

"I can't fight it." I nibbled more of the flaxseed bar between my choked up sobs. "I'm too weak to fight it. Besides, Alvin was kind of a nightmare. I'm better off this way."

"Alvin was amazing." Brittany growled at me. "Now you're just a sad sack who mopes around researching random things and doing whatever Jeanette says."

"It's true." I sighed, getting up from the table. "But there's nothing I can do."

After I finished moping, I felt better. If I truly wasn't Alvin anymore, then I didn't have to fit any of the expectations of one. I could be whoever and whatever I wanted! Nothing could stop me! No one could challenge me! I was the biggest rebel of all, rebelling against my old personality.

I met up with Jeanette to help water Miss. Miller's flowers. Doing things to help others felt good, even though the task itself was boring. Things were less boring when you could allow your mind to wander around. There was so much to think about. The world was full of new experiences!

"Hello, Alvin!" Jeanette greeted me when I arrived, waving a hand with a gardening glove on it.

I knelt down by the hose and started to fill the watering can. "Hey, uh, about that…" Why was this so hard? "Can you call me Albert from now on?"

"I thought that name was only for your disguise." She looked puzzled.

"Me too." I lugged the heavy watering can over to the flowers. "It's just, lately, he feels more like the real me. So, I'm doing a little experiment, you know, testing the name out."

She tilted her head. "And you feel better using it?"

"I think so." I watered the petunias in Miss. Miller's garden. "At least, for now."

"And you know that you don't have to change your name to be a better person, right?" Netta poured a bag of compost out and spread it around the flowerbeds.

I nodded. "I'm aware. Like I said, it's only a test."

"Do you need any help with that?" She noticed me struggling with the heavy watering can. It might not have been as heavy before I got all skinny-ified. Still, she was thinner than I was all over. How did she expect to help?

"No, no. I've got it all under control." SPLASH! I tripped and the watering can tipped backward, soaking my beloved cyan hoodie. "Aw nuts."

Jeanette came running to help me, but she tripped too and fell in the grass.

I have to admit. The hoodie I was wearing was pretty toasty in the California heat. Still, this wasn't exactly how I wanted to cool off. My shirt with all the physics equations on it was soaked too. I needed new clothes, but I hadn't done my laundry in weeks. What a predicament.

Jeanette and I worked together to water the last flowers. She explained to me that when she fills the watering can, she never fills it up all the way. I internally fumed. How could someone who studies physics fail to realize I needed to only fill the can halfway instead of to the top?

Nevertheless, the mistake was made and my outfit was soaked. Even my jeans had taken a hit. I paced around the Chipettes' bedroom while Jeanette and Eleanor searched for something for me to wear.

Jeanette handed me her purple checkered shirt. She'd switched from wearing it to wearing a tie dye top with a peace sign under her hoodie on her last bathroom break. She was out of her skinny jeans too, opting for a dark purple skirt and periwinkle colored leggings.

I went to their bathroom and tried to squeeze myself into Jeanette's jeans, with absolutely no luck. I was skinnier, but not THAT skinny. At least her checkered shirt fit, and the flowiness of it helped hide my scrawny waistline.

I returned to the bedroom to report the news. "They don't fit. Got anything else."

Eleanor smirked and held up a pair of sapphire blue jeans with tiny rhinestone studs all over the cuffs. "You could wear these, but Brittany might kill ya." She teased.

"I'll pass." I shuddered. "But I do like rhinestones."

Jeanette sat down on her bed. "I'm sure there's something in here that will fit." She insisted.

"You could try these on." Eleanor held up a pair of galaxy patterned leggings. They were a mix of blue and purple with small hints of pink. "I bought them for Jeanette, but they were a size too large. They have a lot of stretch to them too." She demonstrated by stretching the leggings out. "Whattya say?"

I felt my fur bristle. I had been embarrassed enough. "Ew no. Leggings are for girls." I retorted.

Jeanette looked mildly annoyed at me. "I think they're for anyone who wants to wear them."

What WAS so bad about leggings anyway? They were just clothes. "Well….the galaxy pattern is…tempting." I admitted. "And part of my therapy IS trying new stuff." I was trying to convince myself, but I felt like my masculinity was being challenged, so I stood tough. "No, no, nevermind. I can't do it."

"Well…um…you don't really have much else in the line of pants until your laundry's done." Netta pointed out.

I groaned. "And I still don't feel like doing it"

Eleanor stood up on her bed so she could look down at me. "You dressed as Chantrelle Bulregarde and wore leggings then! It seemed like you liked them!"

"La la la la! I don't want to think about the stuff I did to win the Cutest Chipmunk contest." I plugged my ears. The wet jeans were uncomfortable, but leggings would be worse. I'm sure.

"Yeah. If you think about it, the contest is directly connected to his loss of popularity." Jeanette stated out loud to remind Eleanor.

"Sorry." The pigtailed blonde jumped down from the bed. She smirked at me deviously. "I'll tell ya what. I'll give you 5 dollars if you try the leggings on."

No fair! She was appealing to my moneymaking side! And the side that never resisted a challenge! "Hmmmm." I rubbed my chin.

"Come on, Albert." Eleanor urged.

I sighed. "Okay, I'll try them."

And so, I did just that. I slipped on the leggings in the privacy of the Chipettes' bathroom. Oh my gosh! They felt INCREDIBLE! It was like wearing the bottom half of a superhero suit! I danced around in them, twirling and leaping like a lunatic. Screw gender roles! Leggings and I were now best friends!

I raced out of the bathroom and leaped onto Britt's bed. I had to tell her sisters what I'd discovered. "THESE ARE THE MOST COMFORTABLE THINGS I HAVE WORN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I AM NEVER TAKING THEM OFF!" I shouted.

Jeanette looked at me strangely. "Well, you have to take them off to wash them eventually."

I was barely listening. I was giddy with excitement again. "I don't even care that they're PURPLE! Purple is a great color! Like cyan and magenta and chartreuse…and crimson and gold." I felt an ache in my chest. "I miss the crimson and gold."

Luckily, Eleanor had the perfect solution. She held up a red T shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it. "I bought this Flash T shirt for Britt as a gag gift after she took 3 weeks to remember to clean the kitchen like she promised." The youngest Chipette quipped. "You interested? Britt HATES it."

I found myself in an even more excited fit of laughter. "It's like Sheldon's! I love it! I'll take it!"

I slipped off Jeanette's purple plaid button up shirt and put the flash T shirt on instead. I didn't feel quite right now without the button up, so I slipped it back on overtop of the flash shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. It felt cuddly, like Jeanette was hugging me and telling me I would survive.

Suddenly, a thought I'd never had before crossed my mind. Clothes didn't have a gender. They were just differently structured pieces of fabric! I could still identify as a guy and wear literally anything I wanted. I could wear any color I wanted! Currently, I was digging the different shades of purple, along with my typical crimson and gold.

"You look…uh….unique." Eleanor told me, taking in my new outfit ensemble.

"I'm free." I murmured. "Free of any rules or restrictions on the way I look. I can wear whatever I'M comfortable with! Haha!"

Jeanette grabbed my hand. "Doesn't it feel groundbreaking?"

"Yes!" I jumped around, still holding Jeanette's hands.

"Can one of you wash my jacket for me?" I asked, holding up the wet and pungent smelling cyan hoodie.

Eleanor took it from me. "I'll take care of your clothes this once, but don't expect me to do it all the time." She warned.

"Gotcha." I squeaked.

The youngest Chipette left, which meant Jeanette and I were alone again. I climbed up onto her bed and looked through her bookshelf. "Got anything else to teach me? Maybe more about what I can do to help protect the planet?"

Her midnight eyes sparkled as they usually do. "Lots!" She exclaimed.

"Stupendous!" Ohoho! That new catchphrase was growing on me.

Jeanette taught me a lot more about green energy and renewable resources and all that jazz. Then she taught me about a process known as fracking. I must say, I didn't glean much from that final convo.

"Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks and boreholes. It's used to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. It is terrible for the environment…" She babbled. "Wait, why are you laughing?"

I tried to cover up my giggles. "No reason. Fracking just sounds a lot like another certain F word."

"What F word?" She asked, quizzically.

I frowned. "An F word I can't say. Uh, does fracking have any other definitions?"

"It's also used to emphasize or express annoyance with someone or something." Netta told me sweetly.

I rubbed my hands together like an evil supervillain. "Excellent."

She went back to teaching me the lesson, but my mind was now preoccupied, spinning with the many uses for the word frack that I could think of.

Eventually, it was time to return home again. I walked through the front door with a semi-confident swagger. I was still wearing the makeshift outfit Britt's sisters and I had cobbled together. I stood face to face with Simon and Brittany herself. I wondered what she was doing at my house, then I deduced it was likely to escape having to observe me and Jeanette.

Simon's eyebrows shot up when he saw me. "Why are you wearing Jeanette's clothes?" As I predicted, that was the first observation he made.

"Laundry still ain't done." I reported. "Plus, I don't really care what I look like anymore….or what anyone thinks of it." And that time, it was true! It had taken a while, but I was finally over my looks. Completely.

I heard Brittany whisper something in Simon's ear. "I told you. He's getting worse."

Simon shook his head. "It's a natural reaction to the trauma."

The girl in pink lost it. "HE DOESN'T CARE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE ANYMORE!" She screamed.

"My name's also not Alvin anymore." I informed them. "At least, for the time being."

My brother looked more concerned now. "You…You gave up your name?"

"For a little bit, yes. Figured I might as well, until Classic Alvin shows up again." I darted away from them and ran up the stairs. "Anyway, I've gotta get ready for bed. Laters!"

I reached the top step and turned back around to look at them. Simon fainted into Brittany's arms and Britt was carrying him. She sure is impressively strong for her size. I wanted to research her.

And so I did, the very next day. I put my plan into action. I asked Britt if I could join her and her sisters on a shopping spree around town. As expected, she wasn't receptive.

"This is a girls day out. It's only for us girls." The diva Chipette insisted, standing there in her pink tank top and lighter pink ruffle skirt with matching sandals.

"Okay, then just pretend I'm an honorary girl." I suggested.

"No, Albert." She hissed.

Eleanor stepped forward, wearing a mint green tank top and striped lime green and darker forest green shorts. "He can have my spot."

"WHAT!?" Brittany fumed. "But, Eleanor!"

"You know I'm not a big shopper anyway. Besides, I got a lot of things on my to-do list today." The girl in green put a hand on my back and pushed me toward Brittany. "Trust me. You'll like this Alvin. He's fun. He'll do anything you tell him to, without talking back."

I would? Had I been doing that? That seemed very wrong. Every fiber of my being deemed it wrong. Why did I let myself become such a pushover? I didn't even say anything to Britt. I just politely waved. She looked as sick as I felt.

"Fine. He can take your spot." The leader of the Chipettes mumbled. She knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Jeanette, are you done in there yet? I want to get to Sugar and Spice before their half off sale ends!"

I couldn't resist elbowing Brittany. "I see you're startin' to get thrifty too."

She rolled her eyes. "In your dreams. I just want double the cute clothes and accessories."

"Maybe I'll pick up some more leggings." I commented, knowing it would annoy her. It felt good to mess with Britt, like that was a part of me that couldn't be erased, even without Classic Alvin around.

Brittany furrowed her strawberry blonde eyebrows. "You disgust me, Albert."

The bathroom door opened and out stepped Jeanette. She was wearing her tie dye peace sign top and a pair of pink and blue ombré leggings. Her purple jacket was tied around her waist, err, hips? She was built like a rectangle. Forgive me for not knowing which haha. Her amethyst gem butterfly pendant gleamed as she strode out into the sunlight. She was GORGEOUS!

"Sorry it took me so long." She pointed to a braid done up and wrapped elegantly around her bun. "I was trying something a little different."

"You look absolutely positively stunning." I said impulsively.

"It's nice, sis. Definitely beats Albert's rats nest." Brittany pointed to my hair.

I winked at Jeanette. "We are more than our looks."

"We are!" She clasped my hand, but Brittany quickly broke us apart and stood between us.

Britt held my hand tightly and also one of Jeanette's. I could tell she still didn't trust me around her sister. Fine. Be that way. I'm invading your precious girls day with my manliness, so FRACK YOU! Deal with it.

A little while later, the shopping spree wasn't off to a great start. I only found one thing I wanted and Britt tried to rip it out of my hands because she said it was hideous. I bought it anyway. It was a red, orange, and purple plaid shirt that had similar vibes to the purple one I was wearing.

I wound up sitting on a bench in the dressing room with Jeanette while Britt tried on approximately 200 different outfit combinations. (Yes, I'm exaggerating. It felt like that many.)

My physics hallucinations turned on out of nowhere and I watched Britt carry exactly 20 boxes of shoes. That was strange. My powers couldn't make sense of it. Brittany herself only weighed as much as 6 shoe boxes. Plus, how could she balance all 20 like that. It was like they were weightless to her!

I continued to watch her, in between my idle chats with Jeanette. Something even STRANGER occurred. Brittany just lifted an entire shopping cart full of clothes that people tried on and then discarded, being too busy to put them back on the hangers. The cart was in her way and instead of just walking around it or pushing it to the side, she just straight up lifted it above her head and set it down behind her. Weird.

There was no doubt about it. I'd known Britt was stronger than me for years. She could easily best me in a wrestling match and she has before. But this was new information. Brittany's strength DEFIED THE LAWS OF PHYSICS! That's when every piece of information about supernatural abilities I'd gathered in my brain started to swarm. Could it be? Of course! We were mutants created in a lab. It all made sense! Brittany Miller, and presumably the other five of us, HAD SUPERPOWERS!

"What are you staring at?" The ornery Chipette snapped, noticing me looking at her with a strange new fascination.

Oof. How do I tell a realist like Brittany that she has the makings of a comic book superhero? "Nothing." I answered. "I'm just, uh, you know, staring into space, thinking about stuff. Such is my curse."

Jeanette had wandered off to go look at all the jewelry. I was alone with Britt. Oh no! I was alone with Britt.

"It's not a curse." Brittany put her hands on her hips and strutted around in the frilly fuschia ball gown made for a human baby. "It's a spell. You're under Jeanette's spell!"

I shook my head. "No no no. Jeanette didn't curse me. The universe cursed me."

Britt frowned and then opened her mouth ever so slightly, producing a barely audible… "What?"

"It's taken some time, but I have figured it out." I had had an awful lot of time in bed to mull things over. I had a pretty solid theory. "The universe hates that I'm actually using my brain. It's changing me on the outside every time I improve myself, to try and force me to stop. That's why I got the concussion too. It tried to wipe out my sciencey side and failed." I explained, standing up on the bench in the dressing room. "It won't be happy until I am back exactly where I started. But, I won't let it drag me back! Unfortunately, that means it'll probably continue to change me and I have no idea what's coming next." I admitted, suddenly feeling that wave of awkward nerd energy.

The beautiful Chipette in pink sighed heavily. "Don't you think it would be easier to just go back? Instead of fighting to be something you were never meant to be?"

Good question. I needed a solid rebuttal. I didn't have the same ironclad debate skills as Simon. However, I came up with something. "Maybe I was never meant to be this way, but it's who I WANT to be. I think that's more important."

Britt got angry. I could have easily foreseen that. Pretty much anytime I talk now she gets either sad or angry. "But you're throwing all of our dynamics all out of whack!"

"I know!" I climbed down and faced those intimidating ice blue eyes. "But I also know that somehow, I'll get through this." I was trying to convince her as much as I was trying to convince me. "It would mean a lot to me if you would stand by my side through it all, like Jeanette's been doing."

"There you go talking about Jeanette AGAIN." Brittany rolled her eyes.

I shrugged. "She really has helped me."

"I still think she's broken you beyond repair but…" Britt's voice trailed off.

Summoning the pitiful and weak, yet adorable creature I had become, I gave Britt a Theodore grade puppy face. I quivered my lip and looked as sad as possible.

"I…I can try….to s…support you." She choked out, against her will.

I gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you."

The rest of the shopping spree went smoother. We stopped at quite a few places. I don't even remember the names of them. Then, we all returned to the treehouse and watched a rom com together. I fell asleep during it, but it was fun while it lasted. I'm kinda bummed I didn't get to know how it ended. Would the lovers who met at summer camp ever find each other again?

More days went by, and Britt started allowing me to stay the night, as long as I promised to sleep on the couch downstairs. I agreed, since their couch was really comfortable and because I could definitely see how they wouldn't want me sleeping in their bedroom. I respect girls being wary of guys, plus with my horrible acne rash thing, I probably looked like an older teenager in their eyes. I was still a tween. I knew that in my soul. I just didn't resemble one on the outside anymore. I think the glasses added a couple extra years to my appearance as well.

Anyhulahoop, I was getting along great with Jeanette and Eleanor, while Britt was still creeped out by my presence. The summer had turned out different than she expected and it was throwing her out of whack. I understand how that feels, but it was no excuse to mock me for being a "clone" of Jeanette. I wasn't a clone of anyone. I did everything. I was everything! I even cooked dinner with Theo and Ellie one night! Would a clone of Jeanette do that? No. Jeanette's not a very good cook.

One day, Jeanette and Eleanor surprised me with brand new pajamas that they'd made especially for me. The top was cyan and red faded ombré style. It had a glow in the dark electric green alien head! Just like the pin I got from Dr. Wilson. It also said BELIEVE on it, in matching glow in the dark letters. The bottoms were baggy, the way I liked them, but they were made from a nice soft material and they had planets and stars all over them. They were a deep rich blue, uncomfortably close to Simon blue, but it didn't matter. I was over caring if people compared me to anyone else, for the time being.

"I love these so much! Seriously! You are the best!" I gushed.

"I designed them and Eleanor sewed them." Jeanette squeaked timidly. "We used the same pattern as your old PJs, so they'd be nice and loose."

"And still fit when you're no longer a beanpole." Eleanor teased playfully.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I exclaimed, wrapping them both in a group hug. "I will treasure these forever."

I slipped my brand new PJs on and got ready for bed, thinking of everything new that I'd tried out that I'd been too stubborn to try before. As much as I missed my old life and my old name, being Albert all the time was pretty cool. I didn't even have to hear Dave yell at me, because I wasn't home very much these days.

I missed Theo and Simon a lot, which gave me a stellar idea! I sent off a quick text inviting them to hang out at the treehouse tomorrow. I knew eventually I would need to return home no matter what, but for now, I was basically on vacation.

I could have been doing what Jeanette suggested and putting all my personas together by combining the traits I loved from most of them. I would do that, eventually. It just seemed like so much work. Studying possible superpowers we all might have was way more enjoyable. I had motivation for that. Maybe if Classic Alvin ever showed up, I'd get motivation to look for my real, true, self. For now, Albert was here to stay.

Yeah, "Albert" won't be staying much longer. Eventually, Alvin's gonna have to stop putting off his self-realization process. The longer he waits, the harder it will be to find himself again. Jeanette's given him the instructions and guidance, but the rest is all up to him.

It is pretty nice to see Alvin calm down and appreciate things he never used to in life. He's definitely making the most of the identity crisis now. He's just trying EVERYTHING and making new connections with his friends. Plus, he's starting to actually discover his feminine side, and that his feminine side doesn't make him any less of a man.

Of course, it can't all be smooth sailing. In the next chapter, things get heavy again. I can't wait to finally complete this story.

PS: What did you think of the 80s Alvin cameo? And how do you think Alvin/Albert will finally find his Classic Alvin side again?