This one's gonna be a heck of a ride again. What will Alvin tell Brittany? How will she take it? Will Alvin, Simon, and Jeanette be able to complete their invention for the contest? Will Brittany finally accept Alvin 2.0?

I was puzzled a bit on how to start this chapter and the events might go quite quickly since I have to fit so much in. I hope it all makes sense. I'm doing my best.

Simon's POV

I didn't know how to handle this. Both Alvin and Brittany were being stubborn. Alvin wouldn't admit his feelings and Brittany wouldn't stop pushing him for an answer. She claimed she would, but then she kept subtly doing things to influence his choice, instead of letting him choose on his own.

As much as I wanted them to work out, and Theodore wanted them to work out, things didn't seem to be headed that direction. Jeanette and I continued to work on the automatic dog washer with Alvin. We also worked on our Economics project. For me, it was strictly business. I enjoyed working with Jeanette, but I had a tough time seeing her as more than a friend. I've had crushes before, so I know what they feel like. My feelings for Jeanette were purely platonic.

She seemed to be enjoying the fantasy wedding, proposing absurd ideas such as riding into the venue on white horses and her having a dress made to look like pale lilac flower petals. I wanted a more traditional style, but I felt like going along with a few of Jeanette's ideas was the right call. Compromise is key.

A few days later, Jeanette and I had just finished deciding on some scientific themed mixed with flora and fauna themed decorations for our venue. We'd both calculated to make sure we were still on budget. Then, we decided to get back to work on the contest. It was tough managing two large projects at once, but I happened to be excellent at budgeting my time.

Jeanette connected the four emerald green hoses to the rough skeleton of the automatic dog washer. "Okay, what's next?" She inquired.

"Next, I'll assemble the rest of the mainframe." I told her quickly. The contest deadline would be here before we knew it. We needed to get hopping.

"Great!" She took some notes on a notepad. "And what will Alvin do?"

I sighed. Working with the newely enhanced mind of my sibling was getting easier, but I still felt like he wouldn't take things seriously enough. "Probably crack jokes and goof off." I answered honestly.

"Surely he can't be that hard to work with." The Chipette in the lavender T shirt with the phrase ECO GIRL and dark purple sweatpants, responded.

"He knows what everything does, but he doesn't know what anything is called." I explained, while tightening a bolt on the mainframe. "Trying to work with him is like playing Password. He'll be like "hand me that grey thingie with the prong" and I'm like WHAT GREY THINGIE!?" I shouted.

She GIGGLED at that. "Just be patient with him. He'll get it." Oh, Jeanette, you are so clueless sometimes.

The previously locked lab doors slid open. Right on schedule, the aggravating boy in the red T shirt with a rocket ship and cyan jacket popped into the closet lab. "If we were playing Password, I would win. I am a pro at guessing passwords. I just guessed your latest one. It was a really complex algorithm, but it was no match for my intellectual superiority."

"Save me!" I whispered to Jeanette.

She just stood there, watching us, not sure how to handle what might morph into a disagreement or a session of bickering.

"Hey, are you working on OUR invention without ME?" He asked, seeming upset.

"Only a little." Jeanette placed her hands behind her back. "We'll save plenty for you to assist with. We promise."

I nodded, compelled to agree with her. "Yeah."

"Okay." That seemed to satisfy Alvin.

I glared at my brother sternly. "And what have I told you about cracking my passwords?"

He shrugged. "Not my fault you make them so easy."

"Alvinnn." I grumbled.

"Fine, fine. I'll stop." My brother's blue eyes darted to Jeanette.

The girl with the bun handed him a puzzle book. "If you like deciphering codes so much, you can try these." She suggested.

Alvin snatched the book. "Thanks." Then, he turned his attention to me. "Hey, Simon, have you seen the umbilical cord thingie for the laptop?"

I groaned loudly. See what I was talking about earlier? "That's not what it's called."

Alvin 2.0, as he prefers to be called, frowned. "It's not?"

"NO! It's an extension cord. AN EXTENSION CORD!" I didn't mean to shout, but my patience with him was draining by the day. I handed him the cord in question.

He twisted it around and around until it looked like a circle made of plastic coated wire. "Sorry, dude. At least I was right about it being a cord."

"What do you need it for anyway?" I grumbled.

He shrugged. "Ask Brittany. She runs my life now." He looked miserable as he said that. "Anyway, catch ya later. I promise I'll help with the dog washer. I promise."

I wasn't so sure his promise would work out. Brittany was keeping him far more busy on the project than the rest of the class. It made the most sense to prioritize the Junior Inventor's contest over the class assignment since the deadline for the contest was up first. However, that didn't fly with Alvin's soon to be official girlfriend. She wanted that project done as fast as possible, with no concern about anything else Alvin wanted to do. Tough break, bro. Tough break.

Two more days later, we were all back to working in Alvin's lab together. The automatic dog washer was coming together phenomenally. I couldn't believe how far we'd gotten. Sadly, I could tell Alvin's heart wasn't in the project. He continued to work on it, but he clearly had too much else on his mind.

"Alvin, can you hand me another screw?" I requested.

He set an object in my hand. I sighed. "This is a nut. Not a screw."

"It's an easy mistake to make." Jeanette quipped. Why was she so intent on defending Alvin?

Alvin started to panic, as if I'd just called him a total screw up when all I said was he handed me the wrong object.

"I'm sorry I'll do better." He insisted. "I wanna be working on this, really I do. I'm just distracted. Britt's making me do the score for her stupid wedding." He complained.

"You mean, for your stupid wedding?" I corrected him, reminding him that whether he wanted to work on it or not, it was a team effort.

Alvin wasn't happy about that, judging from his furrowed orange eyebrows. "No, I mean HERS. I don't even wanna be part of the project! And I certainly don't want to MARRY Brittany! She'll never let this go now!" He flopped his head onto the lab table and then picked it up. "Once we present, we'll be linked forever! No going back. I'll HAVE to date her." He groaned.

Jeanette put her arm around his shoulders. "You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with." She squeaked gently.

Alvin sniffled. "Yes I do! That's the point of high school!" He broke from Jeanette's touch and started to pace the room. "Plus, if I fail this assignment with her, I can forget about ever winning the most improved award again."

Urgh. Why was he back on that? Did it matter? "What purpose does winning the most improved award a second time serve?" I asked, while working on screwing the base that held the hoses in place.

My older brother started gesturing wildly with his hands. I could tell he was very irritated. "Well, I dunno how all this cartoon stuff works, but I was hoping it could, you know, lock in all this." He pointed to himself. "Stop my constant fear of changing back and slipping into old habits I broke."

I almost jammed the screwdriver into my finger. I stood up suddenly, concerned about what he said. I was hoping I'd misheard him.

"Wait wait wait. You WANT to lock yourself into full nerd mode now?" I asked.

Jeanette smiled at me, shaking her head. "I don't think he means that."

"No! Of course not." Alvin went on. Phew! "I want to lock in this! Right here. How I am now. Half and half. I want to lock in that new reputation. Make everyone treat me as Alvin 2.0."

Hmmm. That seemed absurd. How could he be sure that would even produce the desired outcome?

I decided I had to warn him. "That's not as easy as you think."

"He's right." Jeanette agreed with me. "Not everyone will like you. Not everyone will easily adapt to you." Tough to hear, but true. Jeanette doesn't mislead anyone, even when the truth hurts.

All at once, Alvin's demeanor shifted. He looked more sad than irritated now. "Oh….uh…I guess there's no point in striving for that award then."

The Chipette in purple touched his cheek. "There is still a point in striving for it, just don't let it uhh…."

"Burn you out." I finished, filling in the awkward pause.

"Yes. That's the phrase I was looking for." Jeanette smiled at me.

"Ohoho, I won't." Alvin squeaked confidently. "I can handle this! You'll see!"

Again, I wasn't so sure. Alvin had a history of biting off more than he could chew and then chewing it. I'd seen my brother spiral into many obsessions over the years. None were as risky as what he was going through now. Then again, he did eventually enjoy Christmas before completely missing out on it. Maybe he'd learned to balance his time better? I sure hoped he had.

"Simon,…" Jeanette said, trying to get my attention. "Simon?"

"What?" I finished screwing the platform into place. Banging on it with my fist a few times to make sure it was secure.

"Are you gonna tell him about our idea?" Alvin squeaked excitedly, his silver braces visible for a moment when he grinned.

The Chipette shyly backed away. "I was going to, yeah. But you can if you want."

"Nah, I think you should." Alvin wiggled his eyebrows at her. "If ya want."

"Oh, um, okay." Jeanette fidgeted with her friendship bracelets.

I noticed Alvin was wearing a matching one with his color palette trio.

"Is this an idea about how to improve the dog washer? Because we've already re-built it twice and I'm not so sure a third time is necessary." I told them as calmly as I could muster. I know their whole schtick is improvement, but I believe things should be left alone until tested. Then, they can be re-done if they don't work.

"No, no. Something different." The red capped boy nudged the Chipette in purple. "Tell him, Netta. He's gonna need time to prepare, ya know."

Jeanette took a deep breath and placed a hand on the lab table. "We were thinking that we could do a fun, uh, step outside your comfort zone activity on Monday. It might help loosen Brittany up if everyone else is treating it like a trend."

"Oh, I don't like where this is going." I mumbled. While I agreed Brittany needed to loosen up, I feared this activity Jeanette was describing would be something like hang gliding or riding a go kart. "It sounds dangerous."

"Let her finish." Alvin said. "It's not what you're thinking."

"Okay. Okay." I sat down in the chair behind the lab table. "Carry on."

"I believe the way to convince Brittany that change isn't so scary…is through clothes." Jeanette grinned like she'd just come up with the answer to the universe's biggest question. "So, we would like it if everyone wore something brand new to school next week. Something that you've always wanted to wear, but felt like you couldn't for whatever reason."

Alvin fidgeted with a few of the screws on the table. "It can be as big or small as ya like, but we'd like it to be something noticeable." He added.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I think, I can manage that." I agreed. In fact, I already had something in mind.

That night, Alvin was up very late working on creating the song playlist for the obligatory wedding. He didn't seem to be having a good time. He was chatting with Brittany on speakerphone and I could overhear them.

"You call that a romantic playlist? These are all songs about couples breaking up and getting together and breaking up again." Brittany was going on and on. "That's not the mood I want for our ceremony."

"I'm sorry." Alvin rubbed his temples and narrowed his eyes at his phone. "You asked for songs that reminded me of us! These do!"

"Start over." She commanded.

"What?" My brother's voice faltered. "Britt, those songs took me days to pick out…"

"You heard me." The Chipette wouldn't budge. "Do it over."

"I'm falling behind on everything!" Alvin whined. "I thought you said you were gonna be nicer to me."

"I am being nice." Brittany's voice was fairly sweet, despite being commanding. "I'm not yelling at you. Now, get me those songs or you can say goodbye to your passing grade. I will tell Miss. Smith how much you helped on." She giggled.

"But, Brittany…" My red capped brother moaned.

"But nothing, Seville." Brittany said sharply. "40 new songs. I mean it."

"…..Yes, dear." Alvin frowned. "I'll get right on it." He hung up the phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" I teased, as an opener to a deeper conversation.

"She's being nice to me, but she's no less controlling." He covered his ears. "And, AND, she's over budget with the decorations already, but somehow that's MY problem and my responsibility to fix. I NEVER wanna get married!"

"We don't age, so I wouldn't worry about that." I reminded him. "In fact, maybe that's the reason this means so much to Brittany. She can't grow up and have her own wedding, so she's trying to make this her special moment."

"That doesn't give her an excuse to treat me like garbage!" Alvin crumpled up the list of song names and handed me two CDs he made with 20 songs each. "Here? You want these. Britt says they're useless."

I looked at the beautifully designed cover art and the list of song names. This must have taken a lot of effort. It didn't seem fair that Brittany rejected them. Unfortunately, this wasn't my project and it wasn't my place to say anything to Brittany either.

"Have you talked to her about how you feel?" I asked, sitting down at one of the mini desks.

Alvin sighed heavily. "I can't. Every time I try, she cuts me off and orders me to do this, that, and the other thing."

"Have you sorted out your feelings for her?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes. I have." He pouted. "Regardless of those, Britt's out of my league now, Si."

Ah, so that was it. He was concerned that his new status was incompatible with hers.

I offered some brotherly advice. "No she's not. And even if she was, she's crushing on you. I don't know if this is a chance you should pass up." I hoped he'd take my words into consideration.

Instead, he sat there with a blank unreadable expression. "I…..I….."

Suddenly, I realized that I may have been assuming the wrong thing about Alvin. "Wait, are you trying to say she's out of your league because you want an excuse not to date her?" I questioned.

Alvin stared at his hands, refusing to meet my gaze. "….Maybe."

Aha! I had almost figured out Alvin's true feelings. Now, I just had to make him admit them to himself and Brittany. "So you DO still like her? You're just embarrassed that you do." I replied.

Then, my brother proved that my theory was way off base. Maybe this WASN'T the denial it initially appeared to be?

"No no! I don't!" He shouted, words growing intense. "Seriously! I got NOTHIN'. I love Anita, Sheridan, Pamela G,….but Brittany? I feel NOTHING." He clutched at his stomach. "Actually, the thought of dating her makes me feel SICK." He revealed.

This didn't sound plausible. How could dating an attractive girl make Alvin feel sick? Something didn't add up.

I felt Alvin's forehead with my palm, worried he may actually BE sick. "Hmmm. You aren't running a fever." I murmured. His forehead felt rather chilled instead of burning up.

"I'm telling the truth." My brother's lip trembled. "If I ever had any feelings for Britt, they're all dried up." He hugged his knees.

"Fascinating." I murmured. "Yet another unexpected shift." I rubbed my chin. "You really are different."

That caused my easily irritable sibling to snap. "I don't need the reminder."

"What do you think is the biggest reason you've lost your infatuation with her?" I pondered aloud.

Alvin got up and walked to his bed, while I followed. Along the way, he grumbled. "There's a LOT of them."

Hmmm. Yeah. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Brittany and Alvin weren't such a perfect match. At all. I'd let Brittany beguile me with her persuasive ways. I'd let feeling sorry for her take priority over how Alvin felt about her. He wasn't in denial. He was actually….thinking about this situation critically.

"Did your attraction fade when she told you you weren't Alvin anymore?" I asked.

He leapt onto his bed. "I dunno."

"Okay, let's come at it from another angle." I scrambled up to my own bed. "Why do you think you can't work things out with her?"

Alvin stood up and did those theatrical hand gestures again. "She doesn't treat me like a person, Simon. She treats me like a doll. Something she owns." He fumed. "Someone who should never disobey her because she always knows what's best for me." Then, he started to cry. "And the other people, they go along with it. They say I'm made for her. They say she can fix me. They want her to fix me." He had tears coating both chubby cheeks now. "But nobody CAN fix me. Why do I HAVE to be fixed? I've gotten better, sure, but I can't be some absolutely perfect little agreeable puppet because THAT'S NOT ME. And I LIKE being me." He finished and collapsed onto the bed, hands over his eyes, putting fingerprints on his glasses.

"Ah…" I climbed up onto his bed. "You know, I actually think I agree with you. I never realized just how hard Brittany was on you until now." I admitted.

"You….You didn't!?" He swallowed hard. "Si, she's been doing this for years. Every time Miss. Smith pairs me and her up together, she is terrible. I used to be terrible back, but as 2.0 I can't be…so I just have to sit back and take it. And now, now I have to be her boyfriend because if I turn her down, the whole school will hate me even more." He wailed. "There's no way out."

No! He couldn't do this to himself. I wouldn't let him. Protecting my brothers was my duty. "Yes there is. You can tell her that you aren't interested and if she throws a fit over it, then she will be the one who looks like a fool. You don't have to twist yourself into a pretzel to please her." Curses. Now I was craving pretzels.

"Yes I do. She's my soulmate. Remember?" He sat up and cleaned his red glasses. "You even said so, and you know everything."

"Alvin, no. I only said that because I was trying to help Brittany and I thought you loved her but weren't aware of it." I explained. "But if you really truly don't love her, then you DON'T have to date her."

"I don't?" He dried his tears. "But what if I catch feelings for her eventually? Then she'll think I lied and get mad."

"Crushes come and go, Alvin. Everyone knows that. You need to focus on how you feel right now. Not in the future, not in the past. Right now." I declared forcefully.

"Thanks, bro." He whispered. "I'll tell her as soon as I can." He chuckled nervously. "I'm already at the bottom of the popularity ladder anyway."

Thank goodness that's settled. Now, I just had to make sure Jeanette knew that this wedding project didn't mean we were dating. I figured she knew, but I wanted to double check. She was so enthralled by it, I couldn't be sure.

As Alvin was changing into his glow in the dark PJs, I sent Jeanette a text.

[I am having a lot of fun with this wedding project. Can't wait to work on it some more. However, I want to make it absolutely clear. This doesn't make us romantically linked to each other, right? It is just a school assignment?]

She read my message. I could tell she did. Now, I just had to wait for a response. And wait….and wait….and wait some more. Finally, I decided to read my Quantum Mechanics book to pass the time.

My phone dinged and I read the response….if you could call it that. It was a string of random emojis. A purple heart, a blue heart, a question mark, and then a red circle with a slash through it.

[Jeanette,] I typed back. [Can you please just answer yes or no? Are we friends or dating?]

Actual words came back. Actual words. I repeat, ACTUAL WORDS! [Would you like to date?]

My heart started beating faster. This wasn't turning out how I expected at all. I had to answer truthfully, but I didn't want to break her heart. [No, unfortunately, I only see you as a friend.] I hovered over the "send" button and then pushed it.

Back to waiting. Back to wondering if I broke my best friend's heart. Why was she so hard to communicate with and how could Alvin do it so effortlessly?

Eventually, the message arrived. [Thank goodness. I see you as a friend too.] Then, after the words there was a moon emoji and a sleepy face emoji. I could guess that meant time for her to go to bed.

I sent her a hug emoji and then stuck my phone on the nightstand. It had been a long day. At least I knew I wasn't trapped in a confusing romance like Alvin. I didn't envy him about that one bit.

As I fell asleep that night, I thought about the Inventor's contest and came up with what to say when we present our invention. I'd let my partners look over it tomorrow once I'd written the whole thing out. I also thought about the shirt I'd wear on Monday. I wondered how everyone would react to it. It wasn't very Simon-like….it wasn't even blue. I was excited to show off my new look. It seemed fitting. Why should Alvin and Jeanette be the only ones to upgrade their wardrobes with different colors? I'd wear a blue shirt over it though. Wouldn't want to inch too far outside my comfort zone.

SIMON: I believe it's your turn again, Alvin.

ALVIN: (cracks knuckles) Yep. Time for some pain and angst.

SIMON: But also comedy.

ALVIN: We'll see.

SIMON: Do you think we'll actually get to the invention contest part? Or will that take another chapter?

ALVIN: It's going in here somehow!

SIMON: Good luck.

ALVIN: Thanks, bro.

Alvin 2.0's POV

Simon was on my side regarding the Britt thing now! With both Simon and Jeanette agreeing, I finally didn't feel like I HAD to say whatever Brittany wanted. I was gonna tell her EXACTLY how I felt…as soon as I figured out a way to say it that didn't sound mean.

And that was hard, because Britt continued to get on my nerves. She was being weirdly nice, yet no less controlling. I felt like putty in her hands and I hated every second of it. Why did I agree to redo all the songs? My choices FIT perfectly! Oh well. Too late now.

The next day, at school, Brittany surprised me with a pack of heart shaped red and pink gummies. I was understandably weirded out.

She batted her eyelashes at me. "I heard you're really overwhelmed and candy helps you concentrate better, so I got these for you. Consider them an engagement gift."

"Uh…thanks." I squeaked.

"How are we doing on funds?" She scooted her desk next to mine again.

I gulped. "Well, uh, you know, we're slightly over budget on the decorations, so we gotta think of something to cut out."

She stayed calm, but I could tell she was holding back anger. A ton of anger. She was a good actress. "Sweetie, why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"I told you that DAYS ago." I explained, trying not to blow up at her. "I sent you texts, I emailed you, I even wrote you a sticky note."

"Is there anything we can cut besides decorations?" She asked.

"Britt, I don't think the wedding really needs a giant gold statue of us." I pointed out. "If we cut that, then our guests can have, you know, FOOD. One of the things they need to live."

The Chipette in the dark pink jacket, white shirt, and pink pleated skirt, waved her hand. "Fine. We can make the statue silver instead."

"No statue." I folded my arms. "The point of the whole project is to stay within the budget and you're ignoring it. We haven't even picked out a cake yet and do you have any idea how much they cost?"

"Urgh." She groaned. "I feel like I'm working with Simon. Whatever happened to fun?"

"None of this has been fun for me." I muttered.

"Because you forgot what fun is." Brittany pouted.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. "Look, Britt, I know you think this is a chance to live out your dreams of growing up, but it's NOT supposed to be all fun and games. It's a stupid assignment that counts for 60% of our final grade. If we don't pass this, we're toast."

"Oh no." She grumbled sarcastically. "Wouldn't want to repeat 10th grade again….oh wait, we already do."

"I….you…." I clawed at my hair. "You're driving me crazy, woman!"

"Oh, shut your trap, mullet man." She growled.

I must have looked unhinged. I certainly felt it. "Look at me, Britt. I NEED a good grade. No exceptions. The rest of my future hinges on it. I just know it."

"Can you stop overthinking everything for a second?" The girl in pink growled.

I fought back the urge to cry. It was times like this, I missed having my hallucination of Classic Alvin around. "I'm trying and I can't. This is how my brain is wired now. It's a side effect of being more self aware."

Her face softened. "You see? This is what I'm talking about." She replied. "You claim you're happy, but you don't really SEEM happy like this."

"Well, I am." I answered without thinking about it. Was I? Or was I only happy because the hallucinations of Classic me weren't around to remind me what I really wanted?

Brittany tilted her head. "Then prove it." She challenged me.

"I shouldn't have to prove it." I said coldly.

"Please?" She begged. "You're still so stressed!"

"Maybe that's because I'm working on this dumb project, WITH YOU!" I finally lost it and scooted my desk away from her.

"HMPH!" She turned away from me. "Eleanor,…" I heard her ask her sister. "I need advice on a wedding cake."

"No way." The pigtailed girl in the mint colored T shirt with a green star quipped. "I'm not doing your project for you."

"Can I talk to your fiancé then?" The annoying Chipette asked.

"HE IS NOT MY FIANCÉ!" Her ornery and tough sister retorted loudly.

"The cake advice store is closed." Theodore added, before fist bumping Eleanor. "Sorry."

"Oh Simon?" Brittany batted her eyelashes again and flounced over to Simon's seat.

"My advice is don't get a cake. Make cupcakes. They're cheaper." He looked up from his calculations.

Oh shoot! I was supposed to be doing more calculations. It's a good thing Britt supplied those gummies. My mind was sharp, if only temporarily. I flew through the calculations and noticed a couple more areas that she'd been pushing the budget. That girl was a pain in my…word that means butt and starts with an A.

"Brittany! Alvin!" Miss. Smith shouted. "Why aren't you working together?"

I instantly felt the emotions flooding over me. "I tried, Miss. Smith! I tried! She is IMPOSSIBLE to work with. Can't I plan a wedding without her?"

"NO!" The teacher picked my mini desk up and plopped it down next to Brittanys. "Now, cooperate or I'll give you both extra homework."

Extra homework!? EXTRA!? I couldn't disobey her now. I didn't have time for extra anything.

Brittany waved at me and puckered her lips. "Welcome back, hubby dubby dearest. I knew you couldn't get away from me."

I imagined myself punching her in the lips. I didn't actually do it, but imagining it helped release a bit of my anger.

I took a look at the list of decorations and crossed "gold statue" off the list, while I made Brittany watch.

"You ruin everything." She muttered.

"The feeling is mutual." I sassed back.

Because literally nothing in my life happens without some sort of catch, I soon realized that I was close to flunking math. The thing is, I was doing so much math in economics class, that I wasn't bringing my A game for actual math.

You know what that means? I had to go crawling to the MathTrons for help. Luckily, it was a Thursday, which meant the MathTrons were meeting. I was able to get most of my worksheets accomplished. It was nice having friends to count on.

I set my final finished worksheet aside. "If I have to look at another number, I'm going to lose it."

As if on cue, my physics equation hallucinations started to spin around the room. I closed my eyes and flopped my head onto the desk.

"You did great." Cheesy held up a stopwatch. "Much faster than usual."

"Cool." I murmured.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kevin asked me, with Warren also looking at me sympathetically.

I groaned. "I'll never be alright again." I said dramatically.

"Is this about the Economics thing?" Kevin stood over my desk and helped organize my worksheets so I didn't lose any.

I nodded weakly. I was so tired. And I planned on working more on the automatic dog washer after school. That is, if Britt-Brat let me leave her sight.

"Cheer up, man." Cheesy nudged my shoulder. "It could be worse. You coulda been partners with Annie. Right, Kevin?"

The redhead in the green T shirt with the space invader design shot Cheesy a look boiling enough to melt ice. "Don't remind me."

"Who'd you get?" I asked Cheesy.

"Bruce." He flashed a grin. "We're making ours a Big Fat Geek Wedding. The theme is superheroes."

"I wish I was partners with Bruce." I grumbled.

"Me too." Warren added. "He sounds like a great guy."

"Hey, Simon." Kevin grabbed my brother's attention. "How's your project going?"

"The wedding is nearly complete. We're just working out some final details." Simon reported. "As for the automatic dog washer,…" He looked at me.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to pick up his cue.

"Oh, uh, it's going well! Spectacular actually." I said in a rush. "We might even win."

"We'll be testing it very soon." Simon added.

"Awesome!" The three human boys cheered.

Eventually, the meeting ended and my fellow inventor bro walked off with Warren and Cheesy. Kevin stayed behind with me.

"I don't suppose you have any advice on how to not flunk economics?" I asked, climbing to the top of the desk.

Kevin shook his head. "No. I don't understand why Miss. Smith didn't let me work with Pamela."

"Because she's evil." I joked. But seriously! Denying someone the ability to work with their own girlfriend!? Evil.

"Speaking of girlfriends, there's rumors that you and Brittany are official now." The nerdy teen went on.

I felt my fur bristle. "I know. Got any idea how to make them stop?"

"I wish." Kevin rested his head in his hands. "Maybe I could write an article in the school paper."

"Worth a shot." I grumbled. The equations in my vision finally fading away. I was getting better at ignoring them, but it was a slow process.

An all too familiar high pitched yell pierced my ears. "KEEEEEVIIIIIIIN!" Not Britt! NOT HERE! NOT AGAIN!

The human boy scratched his head. "That's weird. Why is she yelling at me?" He wondered.

ZAP! My neurons got excited and in mere seconds I knew EXACTLY why Britt wanted to talk to my pal. "Oh no." I gulped.

She swung the door open with her super strength and stormed into the room. "Hi, Kevin, I have been meaning to bring this up for days, but you know how busy I am working in the office…" She rambled. "so, anyway…" Her fur bristled and she jumped up onto the poor kid, clinging to his collar and shouting into his face. "YOU TOLD ALVIN I WAS A BODY SNATCHER!?"

"You weren't?" Kevin asked back, completely caught off guard.

"NO!" The abrasive Chipette shrieked, letting go of his shirt.

My pal instantly backed away from her. "Uh?…Sorry?" He fumbled out.

Brittany clenched her fists at her sides and stood on one of the desks. "Do you really think I'm so AWFUL that the minute I'm nice, you assume I was POSSESSED BY AN ALIEN!?"

"Uhhhh…." She had backed poor Kevin into a corner now.

I tossed out some advice. "Don't answer. It's a trick question."

"STAY OUTTA THIS!" Brittany snapped in my face.

The redheaded teen looked toward the door, but knew there was no escape from the furious ball of fur. "I'm sorry, Brittany! Really, I am! I was trying to help!"

She calmed down instantly. Was she acting again? Was she really calm? "Well, I do forgive you, but it's hard. You see, I…." She paused and struggled to say more. "…that night when you two thought I was a body snatcher, I was actually coming over to confess that….that…." Brittany couldn't choke out those last words.

"That she was crushing on me." I finished. I figured keeping it secret would only hurt in the long run. Everyone would know eventually.

"Oh really? Good for you!" Kevin congratulated her.

Which caused the pink clad girl to lose her marbles again. "And because of your STUPID alien nonsense, I wound up waiting a LONG LONG TIME!" She sighed and sat on the desk. "But that doesn't matter now, because Alvie and I are getting together at last. Right, Alvie?" She motioned for me to sit down, patting the space beside her.

"Uhhh…." I was frozen in place.

She slumped her shoulders. "I've given you days to decide. Like you wanted."

"How about a month?" I impulsively responded.

"How about you stop dragging your feet!?" Brittany hissed. "Time's up. Yes or no, Alvie. Do you love me or not!?"

I took the words Simon told me to heart. It was now or never! "Not….Not necessarily."

Kevin looked surprised. "Why not?"

"Because I don't have feelings for her!" I shouted. Realizing what I said, I covered my mouth. That came out less polite than I intended.

Brittany stood up and put her hand on her hip. "Uh, yes you do." Noooo! She still didn't get it.

That meant I had to say MORE! "Maybe I did, before you started insisting that I wasn't me and treating me all weird!" Yeah. I gave up being polite about it altogether.

"Is this true, Alvin?" The human teen and my good buddy looked at my distraught face. "Because I always thought you loved her and were too cool to admit it."

I groaned. Of course he did. "Yeah. Get in line with the rest of the shippers." I snarked.

Brittany let out a scream of anguish. "This is a nightmare! How can you not have feelings for me!?" She asked, staring at me with those ice colored eyes.

"I dunno….I just…..don't." I answered. "They….They could come back, but…..I don't know." WHY!? WHY DID I ADD THAT PART!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?

"They BETTER come back." Hissed the mostly rejected and heartbroken Chipette.

"It might mean you have to be nice to him again." Kevin suggested.

Brittany smirked. "Oh, I can be nice. I can be so sweet that he won't know what hit him." She jumped off the table. "See ya round, future husband!"

Thanks for ruining my life, Kevin. I thought bitterly.

The human boy grimaced. "Oof. You aren't getting out of this, Al-gebrainiac." Yeah. Thanks to you!

Brittany was about to leave the room, when she spun around to face me again. "Why did he call you that?" She glared up at me.

I felt awkward as heck…and it showed. "Oh, you know, just a, you know, playful nickname." Please, I am not ready for her to know I'm in the math club.

"Liar." She accused, pointing a finger up at me.

"I am not lying!" I insisted. "It's really just a nickname that, you know, means absolutely nothing, so, you know, you shouldn't even think about it."

She folded her arms and smirked. "You know, you sorta, you know, have a tell when you're, you know, LYING." She mocked.

I hadn't even been fully aware of all those constant filler words! "I do? WAIT! DRAT! UHHHH…."

Kevin came to my rescue, as if to make up for giving Britt false hope earlier. "He's not lying. He's just nervous."

"Right." Britt didn't sound convinced. "Well, I have my eye on you." She pointed to her eyes with two fingers and then pointed at us. "BOTH of you."

And with that, the stubborn Bride-zilla left at last. That was a close one. I'd had a lot of close calls, but this one took the cake.

Britt was WEIRDLY nice after that, even nicer than before she spoke to Kevin. It intrigued me. I wanted to know what twisted plan she had come up with. Was this a method to increase my feelings for her? Very sneaky.

The weekend rolled by again, and I busted by butt on both projects. I succumbed to my candy addiction again, because it was the only way to power through. On Sunday, we all gathered in the living room as Simon revealed the progress the three of us had made on the dog washing invention.

"Behold…" He pulled a blue colored sheet off our masterpiece. It still wasn't finished, but it was nearly there. Which was good, because the competition would be here before we knew it!

Brittany, Eleanor, Theodore, Pippi (I think anyway), and Dave all cheered.

Warbie just cocked his little bird head to the side. "I expected more." He commented. "It looks like weird snakes coming out of a box."

Dave spoke mostly to Simon and Jeanette, since they were standing across from where he was seated on the couch. "I think it looks very nice. I can't wait to see it in action."

"Hold on." I told him, giving Jeanette the thumbs up signal. "There's more."

Jeanette pressed a button and blue, purple, and red LED lights began to turn on and blink in a rhythmic pattern. "Ta da!"

"Check it out! We added LED lights." I declared.

Simon was irritated. "What purpose do those serve?"

"Uh, they make it look cooler!" I explained, very matter of factly. "Flashy! It'll catch the judge's attention."

"But it doesn't NEED LED lights." Simon pointed out. "That's just adding another thing with the potential to malfunction."

"You and I added things without Alvin's approval." Jeanette reminded him.

My brother in the royal blue sweater was silenced. He raised a finger and then put it down, realizing he had nothing to say.

"They are pretty. I gotta hand it to you." Brittany smiled kindly at me and sent butterflies coursing through my stomach. Drat! Maybe her niceness WAS starting to work. Or maybe I was nervous about the LED light idea getting rejected.

Simon gestured to the invention. "I just don't see why it needs them!"

"Because they're our special little touch." Jeanette replied, sounding cute.

Eleanor laughed at Simon. "It's 5 against one. You've been outvoted."

"FIVE?" My brother gasped.

Eleanor pointed to Theodore, who was staring at the LEDs with an expression full of wonder.

"I like the way they flash." My baby bro in green squeaked. "It's mesmerizing."

Dave agreed. HA! "I think they're very neat." Take that, Si. Dave likes my, I mean, OUR idea. It was a team effort. Me and Netta.

"SQUEAK!" Pippi leapt onto Brittany, who passed her off to Jeanette carefully.

The Chipette in purple cradled the mouse in her arms. "Pippi likes them too."

Warbie flapped his wings, though he stayed perched on the couch. "It looks like a carnival ride. I wanna ride it."

I held up a hand. "No!"

"Why not?" The irritable bird groaned.

"It's not finished and you aren't a dog." Simon and I said simultaneously.

"Bummer, man." The little bird folded his wings.

Eleanor nudged Simon. "Now, it's 8 to 1." The pigtailed girl taunted.

"Okay. The lights can stay." At last, my brother gave in. It was a small victory.

Later that day, after working more on the marriage assignment with Queen Pain In The Tail, I flopped down on the floor in the Chipettes' house. Specifically, in their living room.

"I cannot keep DOING this." I grumbled.

Jeanette helped me stand up. "You've been doing well so far."

"I'm back to crunching smarties and skittles nonstop." I moaned. "I have a stomach ache. It's too much. I was doing so well controlling myself before." I frowned. "I've slipped."

"Maybe you can talk to Brittany and ask her to hold back on the project." The kindest member of the Chipettes suggested.

"Mmmmph." I muttered, planting my face on a couch pillow.

"There's my favorite guy!" Brittany's voice came from the kitchen. "How are you?"

"Sore. Tired. Emotionally numb." I responded.

Brittany carried me off the couch in her arms. "I know just what you need."

"To quit the Inventor Contest? Fail the Economics thing?" I mumbled.

"No, silly! You need a pep talk." She set me into a chair in their dining room area.

"Uh, Brittany…" Jeanette spoke up at a decent volume. "I think, uh, I can, um, handle the pep talks."

Eleanor slid into the room wearing sunglasses and her leather jacket with the mint rhinestone E, a mint tank top, and jeans. "He doesn't need a pep talk, Britt. He needs a pep SONG."

"Girls, please…" I shook my head. "I'm fine, really."

Jeanette clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. Her beautiful grape colored dress, worn over her lilac long sleeved shirt, swished as she moved. I watched her dance excitedly. "Oh that's a perfect idea."

I brightened up a little. If Jeanette's on board, then I'm in. "Fine." I pretended to be more hesitant than I was. "Show me what ya got."

"Hmmm. Okay." Brittany threw a baby pink feather boa around her neck to match her bubblegum colored tank top and pleated fuschia skirt. Why do I care about her clothes so much? What is she doing to me?

The three Chipettes broke out into the song Thrive, which I wasn't super familiar with. Later, I learned it was by a group called Triple Charm. To my surprise, Jeanette took the lead to start. Her two sisters sang backup.

"We're here to thrive."

Jeanette smiled at me, before losing herself to the song and dance routine.

"Here's your invitation

Get up, go on and chase it

Find a little sunshine

Step out of the dark"

Now, all three sisters sang together and Jeanette pulled me up out of the chair to dance along with them. Brittany tickled my chin with her feather boa. Eleanor did some wicked cool moves. Jeanette grabbed my hand and helped me follow along with their dance steps.

"Cuz it's so easy gettin' stuck in the moment

Confidence will come and it'll go yeah

But there's beauty in the long run

So enjoy the ride"

The girl in the purple dress sang directly to me, eyes glistening and tail all fluffy. She and Eleanor both lifted me into the air and tossed me at Brittany, who caught me and twirled me around, before Jeanette swept back in to grab me.

"When the world keeps spinning

And it's throwin' you off course

You're a drivin' force"

The girls and I all shuffled our feet and I followed their dance steps better than I had earlier. I was gettin' the hang of this! We danced around the dining room table and out to the living room again. Brittany threw her feather boa around me and used it to pull me uncomfortably close to her face. Eleanor noticed this and grabbed me away.

"Baby, we're alive

And the time is right

Don't wanna just live, do more than survive

We're here to thrive"

Finally, was were at the part of the song I knew. I grabbed Britt's hairbrush off the end table and sang, err, rapped into it like a microphone. She let me do this. She really was down bad for me. It did feel good knowing at least one girl wanted a little bit of this. I'll admit to that.

"Going through the motions

Got me feelin' no emotion

I'm doing ok

But I should be overflowin'"

Another voice joined my rap! It was Eleanor! She was rapping into a spoon, instead of a hairbrush like me. She was GOOD! Man, that unnoticed little gal has got some RANGE!

"The noise is creepin' in

But I'll take a leap of faith

Forgetting what they think

Do it my own way"

The three Chipettes and I went wild. The girls were the only ones singing again, since I didn't feel like trying the chorus when I wasn't completely familiar with the tune. It was too risky! I could hit a bad note and that could crush my self esteem, which the song had brought back.

"Baby, we're alive

And the time is right

Don't wanna just live, do more than survive

We're here to thrive"

We danced outside and on the patio of the treehouse, before heading back inside and bopping around the kitchen. This was FUN! I could do this all day, if I didn't have more work to do. Each Chipette danced in a totally different freestyle way. Eleanor's movements were quick and rough, Brittany's were swingy and very diva-esque. Meanwhile, Jeanette danced like a Disney Princess. So light, so gentle, so enticingly beautiful…Oh, wow, Eleanor's breakdancing on the table. Niiice!

"We're here, we're here

We're here to thrive

We're here, we're here

We're here to thrive

Ba ba, ba ba."

We all ended striking a cool pose. Three of us in front of the table and Eleanor, the one who always dares to be different, on top of the table doing the splits.

"It never fails." I grinned at the girls. "Music's my medicine."

Brittany and Jeanette both hugged me. That feather boa tickled too much.

"So,…" The pink clad girl began. "Ready to plan our honeymoon?"

"Can it wait?" I asked. "I need some Me time."

She sighed and then walked away from me. "Alright. I guess I have been pushing you a lot."

"We've got plenty done." I said. "I promise we'll get back to it soon."

"Have you decided what you're going to wear tomorrow, Brittany?" Jeanette asked her sister. "For Mix it Up Monday?"

"Urgh. No. Not yet. I didn't even know that was THIS Monday." The aggravated Chipette grumbled. "I think it's a dumb idea."

Jeanette looked sad. I knew why. I was sad too. Our entire plan hinged on Brittany following our trend. It didn't look like she would.

"Come on, Britt." I decided to take advantage of her niceness. "Please?"

"I'll THINK about it." She marched upstairs. "But that's all."

I guess we'd find out on Monday.

The next day, we all met up in the driveway, since Dave was driving us to school. Jeanette and I were pleased to see three of the four participants. Brittany wasn't anywhere to be found, which didn't surprise me much.

"Nice sweatervest." Simon teased me. "I didn't know you liked those."

"I'm not sure if I do or not either, but I needed something to mix it up. Mixing things up is the key to inspiration." I stood proudly in my crimson, tangerine, and cyan argyle sweater-vest. "Plus, you know, argyle starts with A."

Jeanette was wearing a headband that sported cat ears. "I've always felt nervous to wear these, but today I'm saying…who cares?" She giggled.

"Alright, guys. Now it's your turn to explain what ya chose and why" I tapped my rainbow shoes on the ground.

Simon stepped forward and showed off a striped green and indigo shirt that was under his signature blue T-shirt with the black atom design.

"I love stripes, but they were Eleanor's thing, so I felt like it would be copying her to wear them." He said.

Theodore showed off his patchwork vest with some cool designs among all the haphazard squares. "I chose my vest because you both said it looks terrible and I like it." He told me and Simon.

"That one actually looks significantly less terrible than your previous designs." I complimented him.

My little bro beamed. "Thanks. Brittany and Eleanor helped me learn better sewing techniques."

Eleanor stepped in front of Theodore, wearing a teal and lavender two toned jacket and ripped cutoff shorts. "Anyway, I refuse to be last, so I would like to say my thing now. I'm wearing LAVENDER! Like, a TON of lavender! I know it's Jeanette's color, but it's my favorite!" She announced.

"And what's with the shorts?" Jeanette wondered.

The pigtailed girl shrugged. "I didn't wanna use the fishnet leggings again and I like these."

Theo's brown eyes went wide. "You don't like mint and teal?"

"Yeah. I do. They're my second favorites." Eleanor finished.

We all heard a shuffling noise, then out from the bushes popped Brittany wearing a light pink crop top with a darker pink undershirt and a light pink skirt. She had her red and gold heart necklace on again, and some greyish blue leggings. I couldn't tell what exactly about her outfit was "mixing it up."

"Brittany?" Jeanette greeted her sister cautiously.

"I think this idea is stupid, but…." The pink clad girl pointed at her feet.

That's when I noticed. She had on dark pink legwarmers that matched her undershirt. "You're wearing legwarmers?" I held my tongue to keep from laughing.

Brittany glared at me. "Don't you DARE make fun of them! I know they're very 80s, but I like them." She said.

"Congratulations, Brittany!" Jeanette hugged her sister. "You understood the assignment! I'm so glad! I was worried you wouldn't even participate."

I finally broke out in laughter. "And you make fun of my 80s hair!" I snorted.

"I said, zip it, Twerp point oh!" She sneered. "At least I don't look like a dorky tech bro."

"Oh, so you hate the sweater-vest? I guess I'll keep it." I teased.

"It's gonna be a weird day." Theodore observed the situation and commented.

"Aren't they all?" Simon asked, rubbing at his striped sleeves.

And so, we were off to make it through another school day. How would people react to our new looks? Who could say? I mean, I know the answer, but you might have to wait a bit longer to find out. I can tell ya this much, it is gonna be a day to remember.

I really couldn't wait to wrap up both of these projects. Simon was right. The signs of burnout were creepin' in. I was still trying my best, but I could feel my body slowing down. All the singin' in the world couldn't heal me now. And yet, I stubbornly persisted. How many times did I have to learn the same lessons? This was giving me a headache.

I'm gonna stop it right there. I have quite a bit to pack in the next chapter too. I gotta start only focusing on one plot at a time. But weaving them all together is too fun!

You're gonna have to wait until chapter 43 for Space Camp now. Sorry.

But, let's talk about the milestones hit in this chapter. Alvin learns he actually has a choice in whether or not he dates Brittany. Britt got to FINALLY confront Kevin about the body snatcher thing. The group is all experimenting with new looks now, even Britt! Simon's got his iconic stripes! Whooo!

Coming up, I promise I'll bring both the marriage project and the contest plotlines to their exciting ends.

See ya soon.