Here we go again! Story 4! Poor Alvin is so stressed. Gee, I hope that stress doesn't take a toll on his physical form eventually. (Wink wink)

Also, Britt might seem out of line, but remember that their universe runs on stereotypes. In order to not become a stereotype, you gotta fight HARD.

Keep that in mind as our stories progress forward.

Genius Alvin's POV

I had to do what I'd learned to do best. THINK! Oh, sorry, do you need a recap? Probably, huh? Let me think of how to catch ya up to speed.

In the last story, I revealed to Simon and Eleanor that I like studying physics. They both told me I had to tell Britt, so going against my instinct, I told her. She passed out cold, fainted off the bench, and now she won't wake up and I am panicking!

And there ya go. Now you know. What can I do to wake her up? I touched her hair because I know she hates it when I do that. Nothin'. Not even a flinch.

I took my lunch out of my backpack and poured a drop of my water bottle on her. She remained motionless.

I could see only one viable option. I put on my reading glasses and dialed up one of her sisters on my phone. I shouldn't have to tell you which sister. It's pretty obvious.

"Eleanor, I think I killed your sister! Ya gotta help me! I don't wanna wind up stuck in juvenile hall! I was just getting used to regular school!" I said forcefully into the phone.

The youngest Chipette's irritated voice came on the line. "Calm down. What did you do?"

"I told her about my new interests and she just fell on the ground. She's not moving." I replied being totally honest, which was new territory for me, especially regarding my nerdy side.

"She'll be fine." Eleanor assured me.

I didn't know anything for certain. "But but….but…"

"She'll be FINE!" Eleanor repeated.

"Can you come help me wake her up?" I asked.

Eleanor sighed heavily. "Sure, sure. Hold on."

Before I knew it, we were both grabbing Britt and carrying her into the school cafeteria. Eleanor took her feet and I held her head and shoulders as carefully as I could muster. We sat the pink Chipette up and pushed a bowl of chocolate pudding in front of her.

"Once she smells this, she'll be alert." Eleanor insisted.

"I hope so." I murmured. I never wanted this to happen.

Eleanor waved her hand in front of Brittany's face. "Sis! Hey! Sis!"

Eventually Brittany's muted pink and sorta mauve nose gave a small twitch. Her big ice blue eyes opened and she stared directly at me.

I realized I was still wearing my reading glasses and holding my backpack with the physics book sticking out of it. I put the backpack next to me, but I wanted to continue looking at Brittany's face, so I kept the glasses on.

"Welcome back to reality." I said with a chuckle.

She continued to stare at me.

"Britt, you alright?" Eleanor asked, handing Britt a spoon for the chocolate pudding. "Come on, eat something. The sugar helps."

Brittany stared at the pudding and then back at me, then back at the pudding. I couldn't figure out why until she spoke at last. "Is this part of the prank?" She whispered, gesturing to the chocolate pudding.

"No." Eleanor folded her arms and rested them on the table. "There is no prank, Brittany."

I smiled a very awkward half smile. I knew I looked like a total dork.

"You mean Alvin's actually…..actually….a nerd now!?" The strawberry blonde Chipette was horrified.

"Nerdy." I corrected. "But not a nerd."

"Not yet." Said the ominous voice in my head. I gulped. I could practically feel the nerdiness flowing into me. Why else would I have been so awkward talking to Britt? It's like my geek side had compounded or something.

"No way. No no no no no." She shook her head and then took a spoonful of chocolate pudding. "This is not happening."

"It is happening. Or already happened, actually." The girl with the mint stripe shirt pointed at me. "He's been in that physics class all marking period."

I nodded, proud of my accomplishments. "I took my final exam yesterday and I'm waiting for the results."

"You can't be….THIS!" Brittany whined. "You're the guy who goes like…" She picked up two transparent cups from the table and held them to her eyes. Then, she started to imitate a mocking ritual I had done to Simon for years. "Whoooo! Ooooh! Look, I have crazy eyeballs at you, I don't even need glass…..es." She stared at the red glasses on my face. Boy, that teasing had NOT aged well. "Dang it. Wait, that's it! I bet if you take off the glasses, you'll go back to normal!" The Chipette in pink tried to snatch them away from me.

I dodged her. "I know what you're thinking, but the glasses didn't change me!" I insisted.

"Oh really?" Brittany scoffed. "Because I recall you saying that the minute you put them on you started to like reading books….which has apparently switched from monster books to science books." She pointed to my backpack with a trembling finger.

I rolled my eyes, which I was starting to do almost as much as Simon. YIKES! "Yes, glasses helped me see well enough to read. Very astute observation." I clapped sarcastically.

She took another spoonful of pudding. "I was worried this would happen if you didn't become popular again quickly." She moaned. "You're messing with the delicate balance of things."

"Alvin not being popular isn't the end of the world." Eleanor put a comforting hand on her sister's back.

"Plus, you know, it's not like I can't be smart and popular." I said, wishing that were true, but knowing exactly how this school operates.

"You CAN'T." Brittany looked devastated. "Alvin, you need to think long and hard about what you want. Because once people know about this….nothing will ever be the same again." She pushed the half finished chocolate pudding over to Eleanor.

The pigtailed Chipette scarfed it down hungrily.

"I think….I think…." I couldn't believe I was about to say it. "I'm ready for everyone to know. At least, everyone at school. Maybe not Dave yet."

"Fine." Brittany's lip stiffened. "That is your decision. I just hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"He does." Eleanor added. "Right, Alvin?"

I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into. All I knew was that I would start being known as the physics nerd I was. I figured that my Alvinness would somehow allow me to make nerding out seem cool. "Right."

"Also, I'm the last Chipmunk to know!?Last!? YOU TOLD ELEANOR BEFORE ME!?" Brittany poked my chest with her pointy nail. "I thought we were friends!"

"We are!" I assured her.

"Then why did you hide this from me!?" She stood up on the cafeteria table.

I rolled my eyes again. "I think ya answered your own question when you fainted out of the chair when I told ya."

"He's got a point, sis." Eleanor squeaked. "Anyway, since you're awake now, I'm gonna head to class. I'll give you two lovebirds some alone time."

Brittany and I both turned red in the face. "We are not lovebirds!" We both shouted.

The pigtailed Chipette cackled and then vanished from our sight. We never even saw her leave. It was just poof! Gone! Vamoose!

I opened my backpack and took out the physics book again. "You should give science a chance, Britt. The world is AMAZING! And most people don't even realize just how amazing it is! Everything fits together! It all makes sense! Here, I'll teach you. We'll start with the basics…"

She stared at me again, still not fully believing my transformation. "You're…..You're REALLY A GENIUS!? Like for real? You have a brain like Simon's!?"

I nodded. "Technically it's just heightened cognitive function facilitated by rapid somatic transfer between neurons. But, essentially like Simon's, yes, and Jeanette's. Why does everyone always forget Jeanette?" Jeanette and Eleanor always get left out. It really isn't fair.

"You can't be a genius!" Brittany said adamantly. "You CAN'T! It's not possible."

I shrugged. "That's what I thought too. Apparently I was wrong!"

Then she said something that would stick with me the rest of my life. "Oh my god. You're not Alvin anymore."

"What?" I frowned. Then, I forced a smile. I couldn't let her know she'd succeeded in making me second guess myself. "Of course I am."

"No, you aren't. Alvin wouldn't act like you. Alvin is a complete doofus." She got up from the table and started to walk away.

I followed her, my heart pounding. "Britt, it's still me." She HAD to know it was me. A new hobby doesn't alter the fundamental fabric of your personality.

"Get back! Stay back! I'm warning you!" She growled, trying to move away from me. "What are you? Are you a robot that Simon built? A ghost of a famous scientist possessing Alvin's body? Simon, are you in Alvin's body!?" She started to cry heavy tears. I'd never seen her sob so hard before. "Did the glasses really turn my best friend into…this?"

"Britt, I know it's hard to believe, but I haven't changed, you know, that much." I insisted, starting to question whether that was true either. I FELT changed. I had FELT changed since the day I lost my popularity.

"Leave." Brittany sobbed, running for the door. "Leave me alone! NOW! I can't stand to be around you right now, okay? I just want my best friend back."

I looked at her with a defeated expression on my face. "Okay, I'll go." I said. "But I'll still be in class, so you're gonna see me then."

"I can't believe you would willingly throw everything away for a stupid science book." She spat. "You aren't Simon. Stop trying to be Simon. The world needs you, Alvin. I need you." That was the last I saw of her until class began. I was trembling with dread. I expected parts of this reaction, but what shook me the most was that one thing she said.

Was I even Alvin anymore? Or just Simon with a baseball cap? Alvins aren't supposed to be intellectual. They're schemers, dreamers, charismatic and….popular. Maybe I wasn't really Alvin anymore.

But, if I wasn't really Alvin, at least not Alvin in the way people knew him, then logically that meant I could be anything I wanted to be. And I wanted to be a genius guy with all the answers to everything. I made up my mind that day, I was going to show the entire school my new superpower.

ALVIN: Britt's my next guest narrator, so prepare for some nonsense.

BRITTANY: I heard that!

ALVIN: It's true!

BRITTANY: I was only worried about you. You barely tell me anything.

ALVIN: And when I do tell ya stuff, ya faint.

BRITTANY: Get out of here.

Brittany's POV

After "Alvin" broke the bad news to me, I ran to the bathroom to wash the tears off my face. It felt like my entire world was crumbling around me. Why couldn't this have been a practical joke? Why did he actually have to go and become the exact opposite of his old self?

There was a reason I cared about that dummy so much. It had taken me a long time to admit the reason, but I knew it now. I had a crush on him. I'd had it since the day he defended me when Amber and Annie were being catty B words. I'd been nice to him after, which creeped him out.

Long story short, he thought I was an alien because he loves reading those awful alien invasion books. I told him I was over him. I told myself I was over him. I wasn't over him at all!

I busted my tail paying people to pretend he was well liked and popular. I did it because I loved him. I didn't want to see him get hurt. I knew if he ever found out, it would break him. I just didn't think he'd TURN INTO A DANG NERD!

Nerdiness is weird. I've seen it suck in a lot of people. Sometimes it's just a phase and they escape it. Other times, they just become another run of the mill nerd. Slowly, people start to forget who they were before.

I could NOT let that happen to Alvin. It was ALVIN, for cryin' out loud. He was always very against anything even remotely nerdy. He was always teasing Simon for being a nerd, although weirdly he never teased my sister Jeanette for being one.

I knew him hanging out with Kevin and Cheesy so much was a bad idea. They probably put ideas in his head. They made him try new things, leave his comfort zone….and now he wanted ME to leave my comfort zone and give PHYSICS a chance!? No way!

But what power did I have to stop the changes? Alvin would never listen to me. He was too busy enjoying his new giant brain. I sulked to class, wondering what would become of my best friend. Would he be one of the phases? Or was he going to stay like this….(gulp)….FOREVER!?

I entered the classroom and took my seat. I felt like I was going to throw up. I'd cried so hard that there was pressure in my forehead.

"Are you alright?" Jeanette asked me, her allergies were still bad, but they were slightly better than yesterday.

I clenched my jaw. "I just found out Alvin wants to be a nerd now." I told her. "I don't understand why."

"Personal growth?" My sister suggested.

I doubted it. Alvin Seville doesn't DO personal growth. The whole Most Improved Award business wasn't even personal growth. It was just so he could get his picture in the yearbook. He was SUPPOSED to go back to normal. He promised me he would.

None of this was normal. I watched as the chipmunk who called himself Alvin, but barely acted like Alvin, put his fingers on his forehead and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked his irritating brother.

The red capped geek spoke in a weird way. "I'm organizing my thoughts. I have to keep my eyes closed to prevent distractions caused by external phenomena."

"Of course you are." Simon groaned, before suddenly looking interested in it. "Is it working?"

"Uhhh….slightly." The geeky boy opened his eyes. "Yeah, actually, everything feels pretty organized now."

Who was this guy? And where was my Alvie? Also, what was I supposed to call this person who was very obviously NOT ALVIN!?

You may think I'm exaggerating, but here are some of the ridiculous things "Alvin" said during classes today.

In history class, he was all like "Do you want to know the architecture behind historical castles?"

Then in math class he walked up to the board without Miss. Smith even calling on him and just started solving all the equations. And he was RIGHT! Miss. Smith almost fainted the way I had!

In English class, he was caught with his nose in that Quantum book thing. Simon took it from him and tried to force him to pay attention to the lesson.

Science class was the worst. He kept connecting physics to everything. His hand was in the air more than Simon and Jeanette's and he wouldn't stop babbling. Matter, velocity, force….Then he rambled about the "event horizon." I don't even know what that is!

When science class ended, he was asked to stay after. The rest of us went to the lunchroom.

"Let's sit together today, okay?" I told my sisters, Simon, and Theodore. "We have some important matters to discuss."

"Would you like to hear about the compost we're making in my agriculture class?" Jeanette asked.

Ewwww. No. "We'll get to that." I told her, hoping we wouldn't. "I just want to talk about "you know who" first."

"Do you mean Alvin?" Theodore took a bite of his triple decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"No, I mean Santa Claus." I snapped. "Of course I mean Alvin."

"Isn't he wonderful?" My sister in purple fidgeted with the bow hanging from her bun. "He's learned so much."

"He won't shut up about physics." I folded my arms. "I don't know who this kid is or where he came from, but I would like to return him and get the REAL Alvin back."

"This is unsettling and weird." At least Simon agreed with me. "However, it's something he genuinely enjoys. We can't just take that away from him."

I scowled. "There's something wrong with him."

"He still seems like Alvin to me." Jeanette squeaked, nibbling a cracker. Clearly she was blind even with her glasses.

"There's definitely….parts of Alvin there." Simon added. "Although subdued."

"He's like half Alvin." Theodore added, taking another bite of his sandwich and dripping jelly on his hoodie.

Eleanor nodded, because she usually takes Theo's side. "Yeah. Half Alvin. That seems right."

"No. He's not Alvin AT ALL." I insisted. They couldn't see what I could see. They weren't close enough to him. They didn't know who he wanted to be.

"Becoming overly obsessed with a singular topic and annoying everyone to death is pure Alvin." Simon told me, frowning. I could tell he was very worried about the strange guy who claimed to be his brother.

I bit into an apple slice and swallowed. "Name one other thing Alvin's ever been this obsessed with this much."

"Golf caddy-ing." Eleanor offered.

"Fire safety." Added Jeanette

Simon thought for a second before saying "Music."

Theodore tapped his chin. "Uhhhh….I know there's stuff, oh oh wait! Monsters! Aliens! Carnival rides!"

My sister in purple raised her hand. "The waterpark."

"Chess." Simon spoke calmly, with a hint of worry that he was trying to mask. "He wanted to join the chess club to impress a girl once and talked my ear off about chess a week after until he lost interest."

"Well at least he lost interest." I commented bitterly. Alvin playing chess? For fun? Not on my watch!

Jeanette said something that caused me to worry even more. "I'm still…uh…teaching him how to play chess. He doesn't know much, but he's a fast learner."

ALVIN WAS NOT A FAST LEARNER! HE WAS INCAPABLE OF LEARNING A LESSON WITHOUT FORGETTING IT!

"There's something wrong with him. Seriously wrong." I shuddered.

"I don't think it's seriously wrong." Theodore squeaked. "It's just different. Hard to get used to."

I could see I needed to prove it to them. Fortunately, I found a poem "Alvin" wrote during writing class. It had been crumpled up and shoved in one of the pouches on his backpack. I know I shouldn't have been snooping, but my best friend's entire personality was at stake here!

"He's losing his mind." I told them, my voice catching in my throat. "Just look at this."

I set the crinkled paper with the poem on it in front of them. Here's what it said.

My Feelings

By: Alvin Seville

I'm spinning out of CoNtRoL

Nothing's right RiGhT RIGHT anymore

I'm in a DARK room tryin' to find the nearest eXiT, but I think I have my eyes closed.

No signs of a slow down

I'm piNnEd, PinNed, PINNED to the wall

I'm on a BROKEN carnival ride

And I'M the one who got iNsIdE thinkin' it'd be some fun

ST0P M3 b3f0r3 it'5 2 LATE

Oh, oh, 5AV3 me from mySELF

I need to get a GRIP

I think I'm losin' it

Oh, oh, I NEED to get BaCk now

Back to the bEgInNiNg

You got me spinning aRoUnD, ArOuNd

Can't do it my53LF, AR0UND, AR0UND

I R3A11Y NeEd some hEeEelP!

0H 0H, 5AV3 M3 FR0M MY531F

1 N33D 2 G3T A GR1P

1 TH1NK 1'M 1051N' 1T

0H 0H, 1 N33D 2 G3T BACK 2

BaCk 2 TH3 B3G1N1NG

1 TH1NK 1'M 1051N' 1T

"Oh man." Eleanor looked at the note with surprise. "Maybe he really IS losing it."

"Those are lyrics for a song." Theodore said softly. "And I've heard him singing that song a lot lately."

Simon groaned at the note. "I told him not to write words using numbers."

"I think the numbers are symbolic." My youngest sister said. "Math is ruining his life."

"Science AND math." I corrected. "Both things put together are messing with his head."

"And all that watching The Big Bang Theory can't be healthy for a guy." Theo added, his lip trembling.

Jeanette shook her head. "I know the note seems very concerning, but it looks like Alvin's having fun."

Simon bit his lip. "What he's having is an identity crisis. The only problem is, he isn't AWARE he's having an identity crisis."

"If we don't do something…" I stood up. "We'll lose the Alvin we know….FOREVER."

Eleanor nodded in agreement. "All that will be left is some bowtie and sweatervest wearing dork who only talks about science. No offense, Simon."

"None taken." He replied. "And I don't ONLY talk science."

"You guys." Theodore pointed to the doors of the cafeteria. "Here he comes."

In he walked, poindexter extraordinaire. He scampered up to our table and sat down.

"Greetings!" "Alvin" waved at all of us. Then, he turned his head to look at Simon. "Can I have the book back now?"

"I think you need a break from physics." Simon responded. Never thought I'd hear Simon tell someone NOT to talk science.

"What?" The boy in the cap tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because you are obsessed!" Eleanor shouted.

"Figures." The drama king moaned. "I finally find a subject I really connect with, and you wanna take it away from me."

"There is more to life than physics." Theodore said, patting the chipmunk in red's arm.

"No there isn't." His oldest brother insisted. "Physics is EVERYTHING! Did you know that everything is made up of atoms? Like we're all just made up of tiny particles! Isn't it interesting? I mean, Si and Netta know, but I'm talking to the rest of ya."

"Take off the glasses, Alvin." I begged him. "Can't you see what they're doing to you?"

"It's not the glasses." He puffed out his chest. "It's the power of science!"

"You're taking this too far." Simon grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "You can like science, but it can not become your entire life. There's other things that you have to think about."

The red capped boy sighed. "I know. But I broke my brain and now all it CAN think about is physics." He admitted. "I'm trying to control it, but it's hard. Just bear with me."

"Maybe you can make yourself hate science again." I suggested. "Then all the facts will disappear."

"Brittany, I don't think that's a good idea." Jeanette tented her fingers and looked down at the table.

Alvin looked horrified at the thought. "What? No! I can't go back!"

"Don't you want to get back to the beginning though? You wrote about it in your poem?" Theodore handed Alvin the poem I took from him.

Alvin crumpled the poem up and shoved it in the pocket of his jeans. "I don't know WHAT I want." He said. "The poem means nothing."

"Hey, Alvin, I have a question about science. Why does jelly ooze out of a sandwich while peanut butter sticks?" Theodore asked.

"We're supposed to be making him talk LESS about science." I hissed.

"Peanut butter has a higher viscosity. Also, the jelly oozes out because of the force applied to the sandwich…"

I am not proud to admit, I lost my temper. "Say one more thing about science and the next thing you calculate will be the force of my foot up your hiney." I threatened.

"Well, this has been a lovely lunch period." Simon snarked sarcastically.

The bell rang eventually and we hurried back to class. I was now even more worried about Alvin's mental state. I knew in my heart that the poem was a cry for help. The old Alvin was in there somewhere. He wanted out. The new Alvin was trying to erase him. But the question was, why? Why physics? Why being a nerd? What was going on? I sure hoped it was just a phase. I told myself over and over that it MUST be a phase.

ALVIN: It wasn't a phase.

BRITTANY: Don't remind me.

ALVIN: You accept me now, right?

BRITTANY: Yes. I do.

ALVIN: Stupendous!

BRITTANY: Where did that catchphrase come from anyway?

ALVIN: That's coming up in story number 6!

Genius Alvin's POV

I bet you all are wondering why the Smithster kept me after class. Heh heh. That's exactly what I was wondering as I sat in my chair looking up at her imposing form.

"What pray tell is this about?" I inquired.

She stared at me. "You were very disruptive today."

"But I also did almost all my work." I beamed. "Aren't you proud of me?"

"No! You were annoying and rude and your behavior made it hard for anyone else to learn." She told me.

I hadn't realized that would occur. Oops.

"My apologies. I'm still not fully accustomed to using my genius at present." I folded my hands on my desk.

"Stop talking like that!" She ordered.

I blinked. "Talking like what?" Oh the wordiness? That happens when I get nervous. I think it's part of the nerdification process.

"Like….like…." She sighed. "Nevermind."

"May I please leave now?" I requested.

"NO!" She shouted.

Suddenly I was back to sounding like the old me. "Why not?" I moaned. "What else is there to talk about?"

She slapped a sheet of paper onto my desk. "Your grades."

"Stellar, aren't they?" I felt the smile return to my face.

She lost it AGAIN. "NO!" She screamed. "Your grades are NOT stellar."

"Huh?" I couldn't fathom how that was possible. I'd turned into a Simon kind of guy, and he had stellar grades. Logically, the same should be true for me.

Miss. Smith pointed at the report card on my desk. "Take a look, Alvin."

My palms started to sweat, I looked at the report card and adjusted my glasses, to be sure I was reading it correctly. OH NO! I had terrible grades in a lot of my classes!

History was an F, English was an F too, Writing I had an E which was basically an F, even Gym and Art had both dropped from Bs to Ds! My grades in Math and Science class weren't terrible, but they also were a far cry from what I was expecting. They were both C pluses. The only class I was totally acing was….Physics.

It made sense, I suppose. I'd been so focused on physics that the other classes sort of fell to the wayside. Oh crud! And this wasn't even the progress report, it was my actual report card. I was out of time to turn this marking period around. So much for a fresh start.

"There must be some mistake." I said. "I'm smarter than like….the whole class now! These CAN'T be my grades!"

"Own up to your mistakes." The nerdy version of my voice in my head pushed me.

"I guess I've still been distracted lately. I promise I'll try and do better." I squeaked honestly. BUT HOW!? How could I do better? "Please don't make me drop physics!" I begged.

"I won't make you drop anything, but you have to apply yourself more next marking period." She opened the door. "You can go now."

Apply myself more!? I was already giving up so much free time. I couldn't give up any more. But I didn't want to lose my A in physics either! What a calamity!

You all know what happened in the cafeteria. My friends and family, mostly Britt, were all worried about how deep the nerdiness was creeping. I was worried too. It's why I wrote that poem about my feelings of going insane.

They never need to know that though. Never. I can handle this uncertainty on my own. All I have to do is stop thinking so hard about physics and start applying myself in my other classes. Easy peasy.

Or at least, it would have been, if Dr. Wilson hadn't set up a kinetic energy and inertia demonstration using rollercoasters. He let us build our own coasters out of LEGO! He was so cool!

"Might want to move that loop de loop." He said, walking by to observe my design. "You don't want it flying off the track."

"Right! Yeah! I totally mixed up the calculation." I began taking the loop de loop section apart.

"How have you been lately? You seem…anxious?" He sat down next to me and helped take apart some of the lego.

I frowned, remembering my conversation with Brittany. "I finally told my best friend about how much I love your class." I squeaked. "It was a total disaster. She hates me now. She says I've changed too much."

"Ah, I'm sure she'll come around." He spoke softly.

I looked up and he had that twinkle in his eye again. "You don't know Brittany." I said sadly.

"Perhaps not." He helped me attach the loop de loop again in a way that won't kill the imaginary lego family riding my coaster. "But if she's your friend, then she'll eventually accept you for who you are."

I had a big question. "Dr. Wilson…" I began. "How do I know who I am? I thought I knew back when I was popular, but I was wrong. Could I be wrong about liking physics too?"

He smiled at me. "Young man, if you were wrong about liking physics, you wouldn't have an A in this class." He stood up. "Now, how about we take this coaster for a spin?"

I stood on top of a desk and carefully set the coaster car onto the track. "Fasten your seatbelts! The ride will begin in 3….2….1…."

Dr. Wilson and I both watched the rollercoaster as the car zoomed around twists, turns, loops, and up massive inclines only to drop suddenly once it reached the top thanks to the power of gravity. It was AWESOME! It helped me realize that there was no faking it. I really DID love physics, no matter what Brittany thought about it.

I high fived my favorite teacher as my coaster's car inched to a stop, thanks to friction. I knew I was getting an A on this project too.

After that, Dr. Wilson passed back my final exam. It was only a B plus, but he assured me that was normal. It covered a TON of what we learned and odds of me not getting confused when having to recall it all were slim. He also said my final grade would stay an A because his exams aren't as weighty as in other classes.

Unfortunately, after leaving Dr. Wilson's class, my mind was even more fixated on physics. I guess it's true. You can't choose your hyperfixations. I would have never chosen physics. In fact, it was more like physics chose ME.

That night, I shook Simon awake, since that was something the old Alvin would have done. People were concerned the old Alvin was going away, but he wasn't. I would show them!

"Do you think they call your hidden talents potential because it's like potential energy? Then it gets released and it's like kinetic energy and becomes…ambition?" I asked, sitting cutely on Simon's bed.

He wasn't amused. "Alvin, it is TWO in the morning! Go to SLEEP!"

"But I just had another epiphany…or theory or whatchamacallit." I rambled.

Simon tried to whack me with his pillow, but I dodged it. "I repeat. 2 in the morning. You know what normal people do at 2 in the morning? THEY SLEEP!"

"But we aren't normal people." I gave him adorable puppy eyes. "We're geniuses."

He stuck the pillow over his head and started mumbling. "I'm going to wind up hating physics. Maybe that's been his plan all along. There's no way anyone could be this annoying on accident."

I decided Simon could hear more of my theories in the morning. Or maybe the whole school could? Or just Jeanette? The whole school found the new me weird and off-putting. I didn't understand why.

Everyone didn't like the old Alvin. They pretended to. They thought I was a troublemaker, a pain, not worth their time. I'd become the opposite of that. I was practically a teacher's pet now. I couldn't remember the last time I played a prank on anyone. (Do the letters for Si count?) Why wasn't the new Alvin welcomed? Why was he, err, I, still seen as annoying? How could I be less annoying?

These were the thoughts going through my head as I tried to fall asleep. Well, along with the numerous physics calculations, that is. What was so bad about me being a nerdy guy anyway?

I closed my eyes and ventured off to dreamland. I knew tomorrow was gonna be a crazy day. Somehow, I would show people who I really was.

And we've got a start! What is next for Alvin? What do you think is happening to his psyche? Are there some kind of supernatural forces at play?

I apologize if the physics talk is getting really old. That is the point of this story. He's going to learn how not to infodump nonstop to people who aren't interested. However, he's gotta learn it THE HARD WAY.

Dun dun duh!