After spending what felt like the entire afternoon crying, Brittany unlocked the door to her room that evening. As much as she felt the need to stay in there all by herself forever and hide from the world, she also felt like talking about what just happened with someone. While she knew it was not going to help her get over the heartache of losing Alvin one bit, she did think maybe it could help her feel at least a little bit better.
She thought about calling up one of her friends from the cheer squad. But were they even really her friends anymore? They certainly haven't acted like it since she injured her knee and could no longer participate in games, competitions or any other related activities with the squad.
The most recent thing she had to sit out on was cheer camp. She sighed just thinking about it. That's where she should've been this summer. At cheer camp, working on new cheers and learning new stunts with her squad. And on this very day, she should've been coming back from cheerleading camp on a bus.
And at this very moment, she should be stepping off the bus with Alvin giving her a hug and kiss on the lips. It would be a sweet moment between the two. But it wouldn't last. Because once Brittany asked Alvin if he missed her, his response would be that he didn't really miss her that much. He would inform her that he was super busy with sports and performing with his brothers all summer, so he didn't really have time to think about it.
After hearing this, Brittany would yell at Alvin about what a jerk he was. She would tell him that he was all she could think about while she was away at cheer camp and how dare he not be thinking about her the whole time she was gone too? She'd swear they were through, just like she had so many other times. Then Alvin would kiss her again and tell her he loved her. And then all would be forgiven. That's how it had been every summer that Brittany would return from cheer camp since they were thirteen years old. This is just how things had always been between them. Despite all their bickering and words exchanged, they both knew the love for one another was there and they would never intentionally hurt each other. Or so Brittany thought.
Miss Miller would have also been waiting for her at the bus stop right now, ready to drive her home. It just wasn't fair! Miss Miller should still be alive, taking care of Brittany and her sisters. And she should have been able to go to cheer camp with her squad, not stuck at home all summer long while waiting for her knee to slowly heal. And today, she and Alvin should've been reuniting with each other following Brittany's return home from camp. Not breaking up.
If you had asked her last summer how she thought this summer was going to be, she would've never imagined in a million years it would turn out like this. There were times when it still didn't feel real to her. She felt as if she was hearing about all these things happening to someone else. Not her.
And the girls on the cheerleading squad have been ignoring her since the day she returned to school after being placed on bedrest. They wouldn't even let her sit at her regular table with them during lunch, claiming there were "no seats left". And Brittany knew exactly who to blame for that. Missy Snootson. Ever since Missy took Brittany's place as head cheerleader, she had poisoned the rest of the squad against her.
So with the squad now seemingly against her, who could she talk to? Then it suddenly occurred to Brittany. There were two people that she knew would both have shoulders to cry on. The ones that had been there for her whole life and were currently the best friends she had. Her sisters.
She finally opened the door, hobbled out of her bedroom and made her way over to the room across from hers. To her old room. To the room Jeanette and Eleanor now shared without her. She actually missed sharing a room with her sisters now. The nostalgia felt so real as she was flooded with memories of those days.
Every fight they had. Jeanette helping her with her homework and studying for tests with her. Eleanor giving her some much needed advice when she would vent about something Alvin did to piss her off or when Missy was really getting to her.
Modeling outfits for her sisters. Then not listening to them when they would tell her she looked great in all of them and to just pick something so they wouldn't be late again. And how annoyed they'd both get with her over it.
Her begging Jeanette and Eleanor to let her do their hair, makeup and pick out dresses for them before school dances. Or before going on respective dates with Simon or Theodore. And she even got Jeanette to cave a few times! Eleanor was much harder to convince though. She was usually pretty set on her look for the evening.
And she remembered all the sleepovers she'd host for the squad as well. While technically the sleepovers themselves actually took place in the living room, makeovers were done in the bedroom. And of course, Jeanette and Eleanor joined in on those sleepovers at Brittany's insistence.
Yeah, a lot of memories were definitely associated with her old bedroom she used to share with her sisters. And now she was feeling more isolated than ever. And she knew she had no one to blame but herself for it this time. Not that she'd ever admit that, of course. She was way too stubborn to do that.
The door to Jeanette and Eleanor's room was already open, so Brittany just entered. Jeanette was lying in her bed reading a book and Eleanor was organizing her closet. They both looked up when they heard their oldest sister's footsteps. They took one look at the eldest Miller sister's face and then gave each other concerned looks.
They had both heard her shouting outside earlier and knew she was with Alvin. But that wasn't anything new. She and Alvin fought all the time. This is something that hasn't changed since they were eight years old, even when the two oldest Chipmunks became a couple. They also knew she had spent the rest of the afternoon in her room. Again, the two younger Chipettes weren't really concerned at the time. Ever since Brittany was diagnosed with a torn ACL, the painkillers she was prescribed had been making her very sleepy. So it wasn't unusual for the blue-eyed Chipette to be taking midday naps these days.
But something about this time was different. Brittany's eyes were red and puffy. Her cheeks were streaked with black smudges, obviously from her mascara running. And her beautiful auburn hair was disheveled in its ponytail. They hadn't seen her in this state since Miss Miller's funeral. The younger Miller sisters knew this could only mean one thing. Their sister had been crying.
"Brittany, what's wrong?" Eleanor asked, dropping her soccer ball and leaving her closet to rush over to Brittany's side.
"Are you ok?" Jeanette asked, placing her book on the nightstand next to her bed and also rushing to her older sister.
The middle Miller sister tripped on the sheet of her bed that was dragging on the floor on the way over to Brittany. The purple-clad Chipette was still just as clumsy as she had always been. However, she quickly got up and regained her composure. Nothing was going to stop her from being there for her big sister when she knew how badly Brittany needed her and Eleanor right now.
Jeanette and Eleanor led Brittany over to Eleanor's bed and sat down on either side of her. Brittany tried very hard to hold back her tears once again as Jeanette rubbed her back and Eleanor stroked her hair, taking it out of it's ponytail so it could be fixed later.
"Alvin dumped me." The pink-clad Chipette explained while sniffling. "Right after we made love for the first time. I thought he loved me just as much as I love him. I can't believe I was such an idiot!"
Both her younger sisters gasped at this revelation and exchanged worried glances with each other once again.
"You're not an idiot, Britt." Eleanor stated in a soothing voice. "Alvin is the one who made a mistake by letting you go."
The blonde Chipettes expression then turned to an angry one.
"I seriously can't believe Alvin would do that to you though! I know he can be selfish at times. But this seems pretty low, even for him."
"I'm sure he does still love you, Brittany." Jeanette said as she continued to rub Brittany's back, trying to reassure the now sobbing Chipette. "He's probably just feeling scared and confused. Guys get scared too. But someone like Alvin isn't going to admit to that so easily."
However, the brunette Chipette couldn't help but let out a sigh. As much as she wanted to give Alvin the benefit of the doubt and believe he would never do anything to deliberately hurt her sister, she couldn't help but feel a little angry for Brittany too.
Jeanette and Eleanor knew how much Alvin meant to Brittany. But they also knew she wouldn't have taken her relationship with him to the next level if she didn't think he was serious about her. She was actually very picky.
"I have an idea." Eleanor said with a smile. "Let's have a girls night in and wallow together. Just the three of us. We'll watch some sad movies and eat a ton of ice cream to help you get over your heartbreak. It's been a long time since we did this kind of thing. What do you say, Britt?"
Brittany finally managed to crack a small smile through her tears. "That actually sounds nice."
"Let's do this then!" Eleanor exclaimed while grinning.
With that, the three sisters headed downstairs and set up their living room for their night of wallowing. Eleanor pulled mint chocolate chip, peanut butter ripple and rocky road ice cream containers out of the freezer. Jeanette set up the tv for a tearjerker movie marathon. All three sisters ate the ice cream right out of the cartons they were sharing.
Normally, Brittany would have tried to avoid eating this much ice cream out of concern for all those calories. But tonight, she didn't care. Tonight was just about seeking the comfort of her sisters while she tried to forget all about Alvin. She needed this girls night in so much and was definitely grateful to have sisters who she knew she could count on.
Eventually, all three Chipettes fell asleep on the living room couch with a movie still playing on the tv, all wrapped up in blankets from their own beds.
Two weeks later, Brittany woke up to the annoying sound of her alarm clock beeping. She hit the off button and slowly sat up in bed while she groaned. She looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning, which could only mean one thing. Summer was over and today was the first day back to school. She buried her face in the covers of her bed.
Brittany was never exactly the biggest fan of school to begin with, but she was really dreading it this year. Once she walked through those high school doors, she knew she was going to have to face a bunch of people she really wasn't ready to see right now. Missy, her fair-weather friends from the squad and worst of all... her ex-boyfriend.
Honestly, Brittany had thought about dropping out of school this year. After all, she already had a successful singing career with The Chipettes. And even without her sisters, she already received several offers from record companies who wanted to sign her up as a solo artist. Brittany would always decline, because she knew she and her sisters were a team and she didn't want to do this without them.
Just like Alvin and his brothers, even though she knew Alvin had numerous offers from record companies as well. But the point is, she knew her talents could take her anywhere. So why did she really need to finish high school anyway?
But Brittany knew how much Miss Miller had wanted to see her and her sisters graduate high school. There was no way the teenage Chipette could disrespect her late adoptive mother's wishes like that. She had to honor Miss Miller, no matter how much she was dreading school this year.
Besides, she still had to meet with a social worker every six months as a condition of her emancipation and legal guardianship over Jeanette and Eleanor. She knew her social worker wasn't exactly going to be thrilled if Brittany dropped out of school. She couldn't risk losing everything like that.
After sitting up in bed for a few minutes with her own thoughts, Brittany finally forced herself out of bed. She limped towards the bathroom, knowing her younger sisters were likely already downstairs making breakfast. Brittany had always been the last one in the Miller house to wake up in the mornings.
The teenage Chipette went through her daily morning routine of brushing her teeth, showering, blow drying her hair, putting her hair into her signature ponytail and putting on her makeup. As Brittany was getting ready that morning, she came up with a brilliant idea. She was going to show Alvin exactly what he gave up by picking out a hot back to school outfit.
Determined to make her ex regret dumping her, Brittany started going through her closet as soon as she got back to her room. After about thirty minutes of pulling practically everything from her wardrobe in an attempt to find the perfect outfit, she finally decided on something.
She chose some silver hoop earrings for her jewelry. For her shoes, she would wear her gold ballet flats. She really wished she could wear high heels, but she had been under strict doctor's orders not to while her knee was still healing. Just one more thing the Chipette loved that was taken away from her.
She pulled out an eye-catching red sequin tank top. Alvin's favorite color. She knew once he saw her walking down the high school hallways in that top, he was definitely going to have second thoughts about their breakup.
And best of all, she was going to wear her favorite denim miniskirt with a flirty ruffle hem on the bottom. She knew this outfit was sure to get Alvin's attention. Of course, she also knew her knee brace was going to be visible with the skirt she'd be wearing. But she didn't expect it to detract from her hotness. After all, Alvin certainly didn't seem to mind it during their intimate night together.
But when Brittany started putting on her favorite skirt, she made a horrifying discovery. It no longer fit her! She tried sucking in her stomach, but it was no use. The zipper just wouldn't close. Devastated, Brittany pulled the skirt off and tossed it aside. She quickly grabbed another skirt to try on. But the white satin miniskirt she randomly pulled wouldn't even go up over her hips.
Exasperated, the auburn-haired teen finally settled on a pair of baggy jeans that she normally reserved for days when she was bloated from her period. While the jeans did fit, even they were feeling tighter than she remembered them being.
Out of curiosity and concern, Brittany decided to check her current weight. She made her way into the bathroom and stepped on the scale. While on the scale, the teen Chipette shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath. When she could finally bring herself to open her eyes, they widened in horror and she gasped at the number staring back at her.
Apparently, she had gained ten pounds over the summer. Brittany then looked down at herself and realized that she was fully clothed. So she shaved off three pounds for her clothes. However, this still left her seven pounds heavier than before. The young Chipette couldn't believe it. How could she have let this happen?
She reflected on everything that could have contributed to her weight gain. Normally, she got plenty of exercise at cheer camp every summer. But that all went out the window this year. She also couldn't dance or get any other form of exercise with her knee being in the condition it was in.
Then there were the painkillers. Brittany was required to eat a full meal whenever she took those in order to avoid getting a stomach ache. There was all that ice cream she ate with Jeanette and Eleanor on their night of wallowing.
But even before the breakup, she recalled several occasions of stress eating in order to cope with the difficult circumstances of her life. And there were times at physical therapy when she was waiting to be picked up that she would get chips or candy out of the vending machine and eat them out of boredom.
Brittany was very angry at herself for letting herself go like that. She should've known better. Then another horrifying thought occurred to her.
What if this had been the real reason Alvin had left her? After all, that fateful night they took their relationship to the next level was the first time he had seen her naked. What if he was disgusted by what he saw? What if he thought she was... fat?
Then it was as if a light bulb went off in the teenager's head. She couldn't bring Miss Miller back. She had very little control over what was going on with her knee. And she couldn't force Alvin to take her back. But one thing she could control was her weight.
Brittany looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and saw her icy blue eyes light up with that recognizable fire she would get in them when she felt determined. This was the perfect solution. She was going to lose all the weight she had gained and maybe even more. She would become more beautiful than ever and go back to being the strong, confident girl everyone expected her to be.
Brittany exited the bathroom, feeling more satisfied now that she had a plan of action. She was finally going to take control of her life back. She knew she would lose all that weight in no time. No matter what it took.
A/N: So now we're starting to see how it all unfolds! What do you think will happen on Brittany's first day back at school? How do you think Alvin will react to seeing Brittany? And will her old friends accept her back into their circle, even though she still can't be a cheerleader this year?
Let me know what you think! And thank you so much for all the positive feedback you've given. You guys are the best!
