Journey To Excelsior

by AmbitiousAlvin

Everyone knows that Alvin's been through a lot of development to get to the point he's at today. However, a BIG question remains. How exactly DID Alvin become Alvin 2.0? What was he like at the start of the change? In the middle? How about the end? Well, look no further! I have all the answers right here in this story made of many mini stories! Narrated by: Alvin feat the other 5

52. Geeks In Love Part 3

Let's recap, because a lot went on last chapter and Alvin doesn't know half of it. I want to make sure you all do.

Last time on Alvin 2.0 and the Chipmunks…

Brittany and Alvin were asked by their management team to date for publicity. Alvin was bribed into it, but gets by pretending it's all an act. He has no idea that Brittany thinks it's real.

Alvin has informed Theo and Simon about his crush on Jeanette, while Jeanette told Eleanor and Simon about her crush on Alvin. Due to a misunderstanding when reading Simon's reaction, Jeanette now believes Simon might be in love with her.

How can the kids ever stop this drama? Keep reading and you'll find out! If you thought the last chapter was rough, you are in for a RIDE.

ALVIN: I'm back to narrate again! Did ya miss me?

Alvin 2.0's POV

Britt and I continued our "dating" and it drove me up the wall. I didn't know how much time had passed since management screwed me over, but it felt like MONTHS in my head. It couldn't have been, because it was still August. Still, I was completely worn out. My freckles were extremely itchy, though they luckily hadn't spread yet. I HAD to do something about the stress.

So what did I do? I asked the self proclaimed "expert" of dealing with stress!

"How long until my feelings transfer to Brittany? How long!? Because, I don't know if I can keep this up!" I waved my arms frantically at Simon as we worked together in his closet lab. We were drafting up some new invention ideas. Or at least, he was. I was too distracted by the current predicament.

Simon looked upset for some reason. Guilty maybe? I couldn't think of anything he should feel guilty over.

"You know, uh, about that…" His blue eyes seemed sad. "I have been thinking about the whole transference theory again and, uh, perhaps I got a little ahead of myself. It was a stupid idea."

I was totally confused, I sat down and stared at him. "Are you saying that now you believe my feelings for Jeanette ARE real?"

"Y…Y…Yes." He glanced downward.

"You couldn't have told me that BEFORE I sold my soul to Brittany and the marketing team!?" I asked, outraged.

Simon looked even sadder. "I was only trying to help. I overstepped and I'm sorry."

I got angrier, but I kept it controlled. I calmly questioned my brother once more. "Did Brittany put you up to it?"

"Surprisingly, no." The chipmunk in the navy blue T shirt with lighter blue stripes, frowned. "I almost wish it had been her, but this screw up is all my fault."

"Actually, I think your screw up just made it a whole lot easier for me." I rubbed my hands together, the gears in my genius brain were all fired up.

His jaw dropped. "EASIER!? Easier how?"

"Since I know that the feelings I have for Netta AREN'T going to turn into feelings for Britt, I can stop being so scared of acting like I love being Britt's boy toy." I explained.

My brother cringed. "Please, please, don't say it like that. Just say boyfriend."

"Nah, I feel like a toy." I frowned. "Did you know she's picking out the outfits I'm wearing for the next few dates? I don't get a choice. I'm basically her dress up doll."

Simon rested a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry you're going through that."

"Eh." I shrugged. "It is what it is. As long as I still get time to spend with Jeanette too, I can deal." I reasoned. Besides, the perks WERE irresistible.

"I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that you're drawn to Jeanette romantically." My brother confessed. "It seems so…"

"Out of character?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah." He sat in his desk chair and groaned. "Please don't hate me for saying that."

I sighed. I was pretty used to that now, but it still hurt. "It's fine." I leaned against the wall and faced him head on. "But, let me explain how it's not out of character."

"I'm listening." Simon almost smiled.

"Jeanette has been, through all of this, the one person I could ALWAYS count on. We've talked about every topic you can imagine, we've shared our creations with each other, when you didn't want to help me on the flying skateboard anymore…because you said it wouldn't work…SHE was there." I felt my cheeks heat up again and my heartbeat quicken, but I kept talking. "And, well, you know how easy it is for me to fall for girls. I've always wanted a love interest, Simon. Always. I hate being single. It's very isolating. I just…didn't want that love interest to be Brittany. And, maybe Classic Alvin could have handled Brittany, but it still would have been hard."

He seemed to understand. "I see. You're looking for a romantic relationship that ISN'T hard to maintain."

"Yes! Enough of this love-hate stuff! Enough of this "oh look, Britt's blocked and unfriended me again." Enough with the insults, the physical shoving and pushing and grabbing and shaking, and the fact that she is unreliable and shifty and cons me into stuff or riles me up until I get in trouble." I ranted.

"You sound like you don't even LIKE her." Simon pointed out. "Do you even want to be her friend?"

"Of course, just…nothing more than that. Si, I will repeat this until everyone gets it, she is like a sister to me. We don't have a romantic rivalry like other Alvins and Brittanys. We have a SIBLING rivalry." I started to feel light headed.

"Have a seat." Simon offered, getting up to let me plop into the desk chair. "Thank you for explaining all this."

"So do you agree it's in character?" I asked, my throat tightening. "I'm not losing my mind."

"I agree, yes." He nodded. "It is beginning to all make sense."

I felt my eyes begin to water. "Netta's my missing piece. I need her in order to understand who I am and who I wanna be."

He started looking sad again. "Yes, of course."

"I'm like a quark, Si. I cannot exist alone." I added.

He stifled a laugh, no longer looking as sad. "A quark, huh?"

"Yes." I tried to smile.

"Well, you are exceptionally quarky." He joked, making a pun by replacing the term quirky with quarky.

I smirked. "The quarkiest."

My phone alarm started to go off loudly, what sounded like a looping five notes of music with a bird chirping behind it.

I frowned. "Oh no." I groaned. "That hot air balloon date's in ONE hour!"

"Good job actually setting your alarm an hour before instead of five minutes." Simon complimented me.

"I'm not ready!" I moaned.

"Hey, guys!" Theodore strolled into the lab. "Brittany wanted me to tell you, the romantic hot air balloon ride is happening really soon!"

I closed my eyes and placed a hand on my forehead. "I know."

"Are you excited?" He squealed. "I'm really excited!"

"I'm excited about the hot air balloon." I admitted.

"What Alvin's trying to say, is…" Simon was at a loss for words. "It's complicated."

"Yeah." I got out of the chair and patted Theodore's head. "Plus, I'm not in love with Britt. Like I said, this is for fans and nothing more."

"It seems more serious than that." Theo put his hands on his hips and grinned a cheeky little grin.

I felt a sudden surge of confidence. Ohoho! Hello, classic Alvin side! Good to see ya, especially before this dumb "date."

"It seems that way because I am a VERY talented actor." I bragged instinctively. "Probably the most talented actor on the planet!"

Simon rolled his eyes.

"You're…just acting?" Theodore's shoulders slumped. He sniffled and wiped his nose on his forest green tank top.

I slid out of the chair and stood up. "Here's the thing, Teddy boy. I know I'm Britt's Mystic Mate and all, but I don't want to be."

My baby bro shook his finger at me. "You can't escape fate, Alvin." He warned. "You need Brittany. She compliments you. Jeanette doesn't."

"Errrr…" Simon looked like he was about to interject, but he closed his mouth.

I guess it was up to me to defend my favorite girl. "Actually, Jeanette compliments me all the time, but I assume you mean in an entirely different way." I squeaked. "Just because you can't see how good Jeanette and I are for each other, doesn't mean it's not there."

Now, poor Theo looked even more confused. "Oh…uh…if that's what you believe, I guess it's okay." He blinked. "Wait a second. If you aren't in love with Brittany, why do you keep agreeing to kiss her? Surely that can't ALL be for the fans."

Simon jumped at least five inches into the air. "YOU'VE BEEN KISSING HER!?"

"She's a pretty girl who actually wants to kiss me." I replied. "You do the math."

He scowled at me. "You really are despicable." What!? Really?

"I'm giving her the fantasy she wants." I used my insane brand of logic. Classic Alvin mode was kicking my common sense around like a soccer ball. "What's the harm in that? She knows it's not real. We're actors." I took some minty flavored breath spray from my jean pocket and sprayed it inside my mouth. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to practice my smoochy face."

"….and now I'm disgusted." Simon grimaced.

"Oh come on" I tucked the breath spray away. "Everything is fine."

"…you call what's going on FINE!?" My brother in blue pulled at his hair.

"Room for one more?" A soft voice called out. I recognized it instantly.

"Jeanette!" Theo was the first to greet her. "Hi!"

"What…" Simon looked like he might faint any second. "What brings you here?"

I gulped. Did Jeanette hear me say any of that stuff about kissing Brittany? I hoped not. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to keep this act up.

I looked at her standing so demure-ly in the doorway. She had on a simple jean jacket and a purple top with a plaid skirt in every shade of blue and purple you could think of. Her hair ribbon waved around, due to the breeze blowing in from the window. You know, the open window she just ziplined through.

"I just wanted to have a little time with Alvin before his, errr, date." Netta entered the room with small and scampery little steps. "Is that alright?"

"Uhhhh…" Theo fumbled out.

"Absolutely." Simon rubbed his neck. "In fact, why don't Theo and I give the two of you some time alone to talk about…whatever might be on your mind. Anything at all. I'll even turn off the cameras so you aren't recorded." He deactivated his security cameras. "In case you wanted to mention anything that's personal." He nudged me.

"Hey, wait, I wasn't done talking to Alvin!" Theodore protested.

Simon ushered him away, by gently nudging him toward the exit. Then, finally, grabbing his hand and pulling him away.

The lab door closed after Simon left. I sensed he was trying to set me up to tell Jeanette everything. But I couldn't! I was still not sure HOW to approach the subject. Besides, asking in a lab would be too Simonlike for my tastes.

"What was that all about?" Jeanette asked, looking nervous and awkward.

I shrugged and lied. "Beats me."

"Simon sure is acting strangely." The girl in purple noted.

"YeAH." My voice cracked sharply. "SurE is."

"So…." We both looked at each other, then awkwardly spoke in unison. "What should we talk about?"

"You go first." I said gallantly. "Pick a topic."

"No….I think you should." She smiled. "I don't know what to suggest."

"Me either." I squeaked.

A few seconds of silence lingered. This was crazy! I had been talking to this girl for YEARS with no issue. Now that I have a crush on her, I'm quiet as a mouse…DING DING DING! IDEA!

"How's Pippi doing?" I blurted out.

Jeanette frowned. "She's okay. But, she's more interested in hanging out with Miss. Miller and Zeela than me."

"Why wouldn't she wanna hang out with you?" I wondered impulsively aloud. "You're an amazing and wonderful person who exudes warmth and kindness wherever you go!"

Her cheeks turned pink. It was clear I was embarrassing her with my overly mushy pep talk.

"She's just…growing up. She's tired of being my sidekick." My Chipette crush let go of her hair ribbon after fidgeting with it for a bit.

I stuffed my hands in my jean pockets, so I wouldn't be tempted to hold hers. "I guess that tracks, but maybe she'll miss you eventually." I felt my throat tighten once again. "I knOw I woULd."

"Is your voice okay?" The sweet girl asked.

I nodded. "Yep. It's fine. It just does this sometimes. Can't control it." Especially when I'm nervous and about to sweat through my shirt.

Jeanette moved on to a different topic, thank goodness. "Do you have any plans today after the trip with Brittany?"

"I hope not, but who knows what she'll wanna do." I muttered.

"Right…" Jeanette murmured softly.

"This is stupid, isn't it?" I finally confessed.

The Chipette in the plaid skirt blinked. "What is?"

"This whole dating Britt thing." I explained. "I hate having to walk on eggshells and twist myself into whatever she wants just so she won't get mad at me." I sighed. "But the fans love it, so I don't see another option and it's stupid! It's all so stupid."

"I didn't feel like it was my place to say anything, but I agree with you." Jeanette responded. "It's one of the stupidest ideas for a publicity stunt ever."

"I gotta get out of it somehow." I paced the length of Simon's lab table. "I'm just waiting for a good moment to break free."

Jeanette gulped. "Well, uh, don't do it today."

I was surprised to hear her say that. "Why not?"

"Because you don't want to miss out on the balloon ride." My friend turned crush finished. She knew so much about me. It was only causing my infatuation to continue its steady increase.

"I just hate feeling so…used." I admitted, rubbing my arm.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Jeanette softly spoke, while trying to avoid eye contact with me.

HUG ME! KISS ME! LET ME BE YOUR BOYFRIEND! My brain screamed. I fought back against the impulse to say any of that.

I smiled genuinely. Then, I made what I hoped would land as a funny joke. "Do you have any spells that can turn Brittany into a lizard? Preferably, a green one."

Jeanette giggled and covered her mouth. "I don't work with dark magic, curses, or spells that cause harm to a person's psyche. I'm more into motivational spells and good luck spells." She explained.

"Aw nuts." I replied. "That was a joke though."

"Oh…" She fidgeted with the buttons on her jacket.

"In all seriousness." I continued. "How about a love spell to make her fall in love with someone other than me!? That way, I won't have to break her heart."

The compassionate girl frowned. "I don't do those either."

"Why not?" I squeaked.

Jeanette sat down in Simon's desk chair. "Because love spells rarely turn out the way the caster intended, and they're just a form of mind control. Like you said, spells that make anyone act in ways that they wouldn't usually act…are unethical."

Hmmm. So I guess that eliminates the possibility that Jeanette cast a love spell on me. Although, maybe she could have by accident? I shuddered at the thought. I gotta stop overthinking this.

"Urgh. What am I gonna do?" I cried out in anguish. "I can barely tolerate this fake dating scam. I'm in love with another girl!" Oops! I hadn't meant to say that!

Jeanette looked extremely sad at that reveal, but I barely could focus on that. My own emotions were overtaking everything.

"You are?" Gosh, she sounds like she's gonna cry. I don't want her to cry. I didn't realize that me not loving Brittany would hurt her this much.

"Yeah. Your sister is great, don't get me wrong, but I gravitate towards girls that are….everything she isn't." I explained in a rush.

The girl in purple looked even more confused. "So….do I know this other girl you're in love with?"

GAAAAH! Don't ask that! My heart pounded so fast that I thought I might die right there on the spot.

I knew I must have been bright red. I was flustered beyond belief and panicking. The level of awkwardness was record breaking!

"No! No! You've never met her!" I choked out. "Ever! She's basically a hermit who never leaves her house!" I kept lying, digging myself deeper into the web of deception. "Okay, uh, I gotta go! I hear Britt calling! Bye!" I didn't hear her, but I needed an excuse to leave the lab.

I forgot the door was closed and slammed right into it as I attempted to speed out of the lab.

"Oof." I groaned.

Jeanette helped me to my feet. "You're sweating again. Are you running a fever?"

"Nope! No fever! Just worried about nerding out on Brittany again." I pressed the button on the wall and the door slid open.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Jeanette assured me, following me through the open door.

I wished she wouldn't have. Having her in such close proximity before my date with Brittany was making me want to go on that date less and less. I wished Jeanette was the one I could take on the romantic hot air balloon ride.

I choked out a laugh. "Not good enough for her." I grumbled. "I'll never be good enough for her."

"Sure you will." She grabbed my hand and I thought I might combust. "Believe in yourself."

"Right, yes, totally." I agreed. "I believe." I yanked my hand out of her grasp. "Your pep talks never fail to cheer me up, Netta."

Her face was a dazzling canvas of joy. I could tell it made her day to hear that.

"Anyway,…" I cupped my hand around my ear. "I still hear Brittany calling."

She was on to me. "I don't hear anything."

"I'm very sensitive to it." I fibbed.

Jeanette tilted her head. "I thought Theodore was the one with hypersenses."

"Oh, yeah, uh, my hypersenses only work for Brittany." I babbled. "See ya later!" I waved to her sheepishly and departed, thankfully the door to the bedroom was open. I didn't smash my face into that.

I made a beeline for the treehouse, but I was stopped by Simon at the bottom of the stairs.

"So, how did it go?" He asked quietly.

I gulped. "Not so great. I can't seem to figure out…how to tell her, Si." I admitted.

"You just…say it." My brother in blue instructed.

"I can't!" I hissed in a whisper. "All I can do is lie, lie, lie." I clutched my stomach. "Which, thanks to Jeanette's lessons on honesty, makes me feel sick."

"The longer you wait, the tougher it will be." Simon warned solemnly. "And the tougher it will be for Brittany to accept." He added.

I knew that. Plus, if I waited too long, Jeanette might be snatched up by some other lucky dude. "I'll do it soon, just stop nagging me."

He looked worried. "Okay, okay. Do it your way." He told me.

And with that, I hopped through the doggie door and zoomed off to meet up with Brittany and see what boring clothes she'd make me wear for our outing. Turns out, it was a nice crimson suit jacket and black trousers, I wore a white shirt underneath and Britt unbuttoned my collar. She allowed me to keep the baseball cap on to hide my shoulder length hair.

As for her outfit, it was a light baby pink dress with frills and lace. She had on some white leggings and sparkling baby pink ballerina flats. The dress also had a big ol bow tied around it and resting on her right hip. She had a matching smaller bow holding her big ol ponytail.

Once we were properly dressed and my true looks were once again concealed, we met up with the management team and rode a limo to the hot air balloon rental place. I will admit, the limo was EXTREMELY fun. They even had some root beer supplied for me, you know, to take the edge off. I wish it had worked, but my stress levels were just too high.

Once we arrived, I stepped out of the limo with Brittany hanging on my arm. She was FAR too good at acting like we were a couple. The management team showed us to our balloon and I realized it wasn't a full sized one. It was a miniature one, sized perfectly for the two of us. It was dazzling! A mix of red and pink with the same color gemstones decorating the edge of the basket. The balloon itself had the two colors swirled together and a bunch of white hearts dotting it like polka dots. Urgh. I was getting so tired of the heart motif showing up. It reminded me that I was supposed to be as romantic as possible.

"Alright, kids." The blonde management dude instructed. "You'll go up in the balloon, we'll get nice pictures of ya, Brittany will take some selfies, and then you bring yourselves back down.

I raised an eyebrow. "How much did it cost to make this mini thing?" I wondered.

Brittany nudged me. "Alvie, don't be rude."

"I wasn't being rude." I protested. "I was just asking."

"Be quiet and kiss me." She said, puckering her lips and standing in front of the hot air balloon.

It's just acting. Just acting. I repeated to myself.

I strode up to the Chipette and leaned in to kiss her on the lips.

CLICK! FLASH! The photographer snapped a photo of us. "That's right, darlings." She instructed. "Really lean into it."

I hated myself as I reached out and pulled Brittany into a warm embrace, using one of my most passionate kisses. It was still a closed mouth kiss, because even without braces, I'm not comfortable letting Britt's tongue poke around in here.

Brittany squeezed me tightly as the camera continued to flash.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" The photographer exclaimed.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, even though it was a mere minute, we broke apart from the kiss.

Brittany swooned. "You're getting better at this."

"Anything for you, babe." I said, really dipping into as much Classic Alvin charm as I could muster.

I was annoyed. I had kissed a girl who was crazy for me and the earth didn't even move. There was no spark! I didn't HAVE to kiss Jeanette to feel sparks. They flew whenever I was around her. Actually, they weren't really sparks. It was like a pulsing electrical current running through me. It felt…stable.

"Let's go, Alvie." Brittany boarded the balloon and lifted me inside to join her.

I didn't even fight. All the fight had left my body for the time being.

I glanced at the controls and reached my hand out.

Brittany looked nervous. "You know how to fly this thing, right?"

"I've watched several YouTube tutorials, so I think I know what I'm doing." I replied. "I'm a fast learner, remember?"

The Chipette rolled her eyes, looking irritated. "Thank you, Mr. Can't Shut up about physics."

I folded my arms. This stupid suit jacket with shoulder pads was so uncomfortable and tight, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the extra shoulder width. "I promise I won't nerd out on you today." I responded. "I've had a ton of rootbeer and I am full of energy and ready to roll! I won't even mention Charles' Law! DANG IT!" Okay, so not nerding out was gonna be harder than I anticipated. Fantastic. (Sarcasm.)

Brittany put her arm around me and squeezed me into a selfie she took of both of us. "Okay, I'm ready." She pointed to the control panel. "Do your thing."

"You mean you want me to nerd out?" I felt my tail wag.

"No, weirdo." She scoffed. "I want you to DRIVE."

"Oh." I fiddled with the controls to release the hot air balloon from the platform it was tethered to. "Technically, you mean fly."

"Alvinnn." She groaned.

"Technicalities aside….uh….have I mentioned how amazing you look in that dress?" I fumbled out as we rose higher and higher into the sky.

Brittany smoothed her lacy and frilly dress. "No you haven't. Thank you." She blushed.

I saw the flash of the photographer taking pictures of us from down on the ground.

Before I could react, Brittany grabbed my hand and instructed me to wave down at the management team and photographer.

I played along, waving and pretending that Brittany wasn't driving me nuts.

Then, I looked over the edge of the balloon. "We're really high up. This is AWESOME!"

"I know!" Brittany twirled happily in her dress. "Best idea ever!"

"Totally!" It was a pretty awesome opportunity.

"So,…" The girl in light pink grinned at me with her eyes half lidded. "I'm a pretty great girlfriend, right?"

"I guess." I muttered, more interested in looking at the sights. There were forests and a river and a mountain below us. We were so high up, we must have looked like a speck to the people on the ground.

"You GUESS!?" Oh no. The bratty diva was angry already. "That's all I get!? After everything I've done for you!?"

"I never asked you to do anything for me." I reminded her.

"It's called being generous." She snapped.

I backed away from her, careful that I didn't accidentally fall out of the balloon. "Generous? Oh please! It's called collateral." I grumbled angrily.

Brittany blew her bangs upward with a sigh. "I don't know what you mean by that."

Fine. I would gladly inform her. "It's called, you do nice stuff for me so that I owe you and you can hold it over my head forever and use it to make me do your bidding." Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Everything was out on the table now.

"Is that so?" She fumed, her face turning red, though not because she was infatuated with me.

"You're still denying it?" I asked, shocked. "Britt, it's been YEARS. Give it up already."

She folded her arms. "How DARE you wreck the date that I planned especially for you!? How DARE you assume that I'm a bad person!?"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah." I gripped the edge of the basket. Would Britt toss me out and send me plummeting toward earth? I feared the worst. "I never said you were a bad person."

"Well, you're implying it!" She hissed.

"All I want you to know is that I'm onto your little tricks." I calmed myself down. "Maybe I worded that wrong, I'm just frustrated."

"With what?" She asked, hands on her hips. It sounded equally concerned and accusatory.

I lost my filter. "WITH LOVE!" I blurted out.

She smirked. "You're in love and you hate it."

I nodded weakly, I meant with Jeanette, but now Brittany thought I had developed real feelings for her.

"I knew it!" She hugged me tightly. "You love me! You really do love me!"

"Well…uh…" I looked over the side of the balloon. No way I was risking telling her about my love for her sister. Not at this altitude. "Yeah."

"Finally." She reached out and took my hand. "I've waited so long."

CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! WHYYYY!?

"Uh huh." I murmured. "Can we please talk about something else? I'm feeling dizzy." That last part wasn't even a lie.

"Of course, of course." She was suddenly nice to me again. "Let everything stew." She leaned her head against me. "I just love the view from up here."

"It is breathtaking." I squeaked.

"I don't know if I ever want to come down." She smiled wide.

Thankfully, I stopped myself before I could say "what goes up must always come down."

I was inside my worst nightmare, and trying my hardest to stay in Classic Alvin mode for her. But I just wasn't feeling it today. Not even the rootbeer helped. Still, no matter what, Brittany could not, under ANY circumstances, see me freak out. My life DEPENDED on it.

"So how's cheer practice been going?" I asked, directing the conversation to a topic Brittany was always eager to talk about.

"Well, Tiffany's been struggling with some moves, but I'm coaching her." The bizarrely serene Chipette squeaked. "Oh, and last week, I benched Amber and Annie for making comments about Jeanette's hippie shirt." She meant the tie dye one.

"Nice one!" I was confused. "Wait, don't you make comments about Jeanette's clothes all the time?"

"I'm her sister. It's my job." Brittany replied. "At least I respect her."

"So, uh, hypothetically, if Jeanette liked a guy who was a total dweeb and you couldn't stand the guy, you'd respect her decision?"

The Chipette smirked. "So she does have a crush on Simon?"

DRAT! Curse my similarities to Simon! I was talking about ME.

"No, I mean, I don't know." I murmured. Maybe she did and was just good at hiding it. Then again, the girl can barely lie. "It was just, you know, an imaginary scenario." I chuckled nervously. Pull yourself together, Alvin.

"Oh." Brittany frowned.

"Besides, Simon doesn't even love Jeanette." I added.

This, caused the diva's temper to flare once again. "What!? Simon hates my sister!?"

"No no! That's not what I said, don't put words in my mouth!" I repeated. She kept jumping to conclusions. That's one of the few things we had in common.

"But Simon's going to break my sister's heart?" She folded her arms.

"I don't know. Maybe we should just worry about our own love lives. I'm sorry for bringing all this up." I felt my breath quicken. I was almost panicking.

She sighed again. "It's okay, Alvie. It's okay."

"Let's just watch the clouds and enjoy the nice…" I glanced out into the wild blue yonder. It had quickly turned into the wild gray and white yonder. "Fog?" Why was it so foggy out all of a sudden? These were dangerous conditions to be ballooning in.

"Ewww." Brittany gagged. "Where did all this fog come from?"

"I don't know." I kept as calm as I could. This was a situation that could turn ugly at any moment. I needed to keep my wits about me.

"I can't see a thing." My fake girlfriend looked worried. "Can you still steer, Alvie?"

"Yeah." I said, frowning. "But I know that mountain was around here somewhere and if we aren't careful, we're gonna crash into it."

Brittany gulped. "I think I see it." She pointed to a smudgy dark blob that was too close to our balloon for comfort.

"Okay, code red." I gulped. "We need something to get rid of all this fog."

"I don't have much." Brittany handed me her purse. "Do your thing."

"My nerd thing?" I asked. Ohoho! It was time at last!

"Yes!" She urged. "Use that giant brain Simon accidentally gave you and save our lives!"

I wasted no time diving into the purse and rooting around for something to use. I found a tiny pink battery powered fan. "I have an idea!" I shouted.

"You're gonna use that tiny thing!?" She asked. "It barely even cools me off!"

"I just need to blow enough of the fog away to make out the mountain." I explained, turning the fan on. I knew that it was a long shot, and I'd be relying a lot more on cartoon physics than realistic physics. Actually, now that I think of it, it was probably more a healthy mix of both.

"It's not working." Brittany pointed out.

Well, there was SOME movement present in the fog. I flicked a switch on the back of the fan and increased it to maximum power.

"Ohoho! Now we're talking!" I said.

Suddenly, enough of the fog moved that I could see the mountain. And we were indeed headed STRAIGHT for it! Estimated time until crash, less than two minutes!

"Now would be a good time for those physics powers to kick in." Brittany wailed.

I rapped my hand against my head, begging the glowing hallucinations to appear. They did not, but…I realized that I didn't NEED them. I could time our movement right instinctively!

"Hold on tight!" I instructed.

Brittany grabbed on to me as I calculated the distance and steered the balloon away from the mountain as quickly as I could. My timing was impeccable! We narrowly missed it!

"Ahahaha!" I beamed proudly. "Fog is no match for my knowledge of physics!"

"How did you….know how to do that?" Brittany trembled as she clung to me.

I smiled wider as I continued to maneuver the balloon through obstacles. "Back when I was in Dr. Wilson's class, we did a study on hot air balloons and constructed mini ones that actually worked."

Is it just me? Or did Brittany look sorta impressed? "Oh. I just assumed you absorbed the info from the physics book using your superbrain."

"I'm more of a hands on learner, but I did get some of it from the book." I explained.

"Alvin?" Her voice was soft, and slightly shaky. "I think I'm ready to go down now."

"But of course." I slowly began to lessen the amount of hot air using the controls, and we drifted safely back down to earth together.

As far as dates go, it wasn't the worst one I've had.

When I arrived home, I changed out of the suit and trousers. I wiped the makeup off my freckles and took a shower. I had sweated a LOT. Upon finishing the shower, I had the sudden desire to wear my old hoodie. I couldn't fit into my old jeans anymore, but the hoodie still fit well. Plus, I had the brand new jeans anyway.

I took off my cap and shook my shoulder length hair out, then exchanged my contact lenses for my trusty red glasses. There, sorta Classic Alvin mode, but not quite. Gosh, I loved the feel of that hoodie.

I laid down on my bed to catch my breath. I had nearly died. Britt and I were meters away from a collision with the side of the mountain. We would have been crushed upon impact. I could have died without telling Jeanette how I felt about her. I knew now, that somehow, I needed to get the truth out.

Creeeak. The sound of the bedroom door opening further distracted me. Dave stepped inside.

"How was the balloon ride?" He wondered.

I sighed, then forced a chuckle. "Exciting."

"Do you need anything?" Dave sounded kinder than normal.

I shook my head. "Just gotta catch my breath." He never needs to know that I almost perished. I don't want to scare him.

"Okay. I'll call you when lunch is ready." He walked away and left me alone.

I closed my eyes and tried to squeeze in a nap. The incident with the balloon had sapped my energy away.

"Alvin?" Theodore's brown eyes stared down at me as he stood on my bed. "Are…"

I sat up and hugged myself. "If you're going to ask if I'm okay, the answer is…barely." I admitted truthfully.

"I'm sorry. What happened?" My littlest bro's lip quivered.

I pushed my glasses up onto my nose. "I could have died today. I didn't, but, I coulda."

I heard a small chuckle and turned my head to see Simon looking at me with a playful smile. He leaned against the bedpost of Theo's bed.

"Of embarrassment?" He teased.

I shook my head. "No. We almost crashed. I saved our lives."

Theodore smiled. "Or did teamwork and the power of love save you guys?" He just kept trying to ship me with my frenemy. I was fed up with it.

"Nope. I'm positive it was all me." I insisted.

Simon's ocean blue eyes narrowed as he put on that calculating stare he's known so well for. "You're wearing your old clothes. Is there a reason for that?"

"Just the hoodie." I sighed, sadly. "I missed my red hoodie. It's so comfortable. I only stopped wearing it because of the stigma associated with the Classic Alvin look." I explained.

My brother in the royal blue T shirt looked befuddled. "Does this mean you want to be Classic Alvin again?"

"We can teach you how!" Theodore offered sweetly, jumping a couple times on my bed and then sitting next to me.

I twisted my hair. "No, yes, maybe….I dunno."

"Confused as ever?" Simon frowned.

I could tell they needed more of an explanation. "It's not like I don't wanna wear this and act like my old self sometimes. I just hate being told WHEN I have to." I said firmly. "I hate being pushed into it on a day when I'm not feeling it. And all that forcing it…makes me feel it less and less." I confessed.

"You can wear your old hoodie around us." My baby bro in green squeaked. "We promise not to tell Brittany."

Simon nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We just want you to be comfortable with who you are." He nudged me gently. "ALL of who you are."

I felt tears well up in my eyes. To hear Simon's words meant everything. He accepted both sides of me.

"Thanks, bro." I dried my eyes with a tissue. "I just wanna put the date with Britt behind me for now."

"Absolutely." My taller brother smiled. "It's bro time." He winked.

Theodore tilted his head. "Since you're in Classic mode right now….what do you wanna do?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. That was all I needed. "I wanna play some videogames or maybe come up with a new epic guitar solo! Or, I could show you my karate moves!"

"The first two sound safe." Si commented.

"We could do all three!" Theodore jumped off the bed and threw his arms in the air.

Simon reluctantly agreed. "Or we could do all three." He sighed.

I grinned. "Sweet!" I slid off the bed and raced over to pull out a videogame from the box of them in the closet. "Time to go work on my driving skills…not that they need work." I bragged.

Simon followed me with a frown. "Dave said no Grand Theft Auto, Alvin." He warned.

I managed a half smirk. "He didn't say no to the PG rated knockoff version of it!" I declared.

Simon was about to protest, but then he too smiled. "…you really are a genius."

Ohoho! It's true! I am! There's no hiding it!

"Oh boy! Let's play! I wanna drive too!" Theodore squealed eagerly.

We played videogames until lunch. It was AWESOME! After lunch, I worked out a new guitar solo and Theo game up with a new drum beat for a future song. Finally, after dinner, I showed off my karate moves. They, uh, still needed some work.

The next day, I was back in my usual Alvin 2.0 getup. I met Jeanette for ballet lessons again. They were a lot less difficult now that neither of us were playing the leads. We laughed and talked and both tried our best to keep each other's spirits up. I enjoyed every moment spent with her, but I felt so guilty. After all, I had accidentally given Brittany the impression that I loved her.

After leaving ballet practice, I returned home and called Simon into my lab under the stairs. I needed his advice again, desperately.

"Is this about Jeanette again?" He sat down in the red bean bag chair and took his glasses off, cleaning them with his cleaning kit.

"Yes!" I admitted, sinking into the cyan bean bag chair. "I don't know what to do! Should I date Brittany for real!? Should I date Jeanette!? My heart aches for Netta, but what if Britt was right about her accidentally putting a spell on me? If I date Britt, I get so many perks and I never have to worry about the fans refusing to accept it. Plus, the gift bag! But, well, I also want freedom and integrity and you can't find those things in a gift bag." I rambled, spewing out every thought that came to mind. "If I'm dating Britt, she'll keep ramping up the fun. Jeanette's more focused on the whole self improvement thing. It's like, haven't I improved enough? Apparently, self betterment is a lifelong journey and…are you still with me?"

"Yeah. I'm with you." Simon slipped his blue glasses back on.

"So what do I do? Who's the better girl for me?" I asked, my pouty lower lip sticking out. I bet I looked adorable.

My brother blinked. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that out."

"You're supposed to be helping me! Why can't you just tell me what to do?" I was getting annoyed now.

"Because this is YOUR decision. I'm merely a guide." Simon responded, resting his hands in his lap.

"Then GUIDE me." I begged. "Please!"

He looked at me and then tapped his chin. "This situation has clearly snapped you back into a Classic Alvin mode of thinking." He noted. "Which is all good, you know, since he's you too. But, I think in this instance…it would be very beneficial to think about what your Alvin 2.0 side would do."

Had I been ignoring my 2.0 side? Maybe. Sure, I was talking physics and being nerdy, but I wasn't being RATIONAL. I needed to think about this logically, and not get caught up completely in my emotional funk.

It didn't take too much purposeful logic until I formulated a new plan. "Uhhhh….oh! He'd make a pros and cons list!" I exclaimed. "Date Brittany or Date Jeanette! Simon, that's brilliant!"

Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "You're welcome."

Simon and I racked our brains to come up with all the logical and emotional pros and cons of dating each Chipette. It took some time, but eventually everything became crystal clear. I knew what I had to do.

"Boy,…" I stared at the list on the rollout whiteboard Simon graciously allowed me to borrow. "Brittany sure has a lot of cons."

"I'm surprised it took you this long to see it." My brother added dryly.

"I think deep down…I always knew." I admitted. "But I needed physical evidence."

Simon looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I know this is going to make things a lot more difficult for you."

I sighed happily. "I think I'll be okay." I squeaked. "I just hope Britt will be too. And I hope Jeanette loves me back…otherwise, I'll be joining Britt in the lonely hearts club."

Simon let out an odd squeaky noise. "I bet she'll reciprocate. She seems very comfortable around you."

"Yeah, but what if this makes our friendship all weird and she starts feeling uncomfortable around me?" I slumped my shoulders.

"One step at a time." Simon rubbed my back. "Don't psyche yourself out."

"Hey, guys, what are you…." Theodore wandered into my lab under the stairs. "Doing?" He stared up at the whiteboard and surprisingly figured out what was going on. "Oh no, Alvin, please, please give Brittany another chance! You guys can do this if you put in the hard work! I know you can! Don't break up with her and date her sister!" He started to cry.

"Theo,…" Simon began. "It's not our place to be telling him who he can and can't date."

"But Brittany's gonna be so sad!" My baby bro wept.

I crouched down a little to be closer to Theo's height. "I know. But, the publicity dates weren't real…and if I continue them, then I'll be sad." I explained gently.

"But you and Britt are supposed to be together forever, like pop and corn." Theodore said, wiping his tears. "Because she's popular and you're corny and it just makes sense."

"Aw come on, Theo." I ruffled his hair. "We're still gonna spend time together, just not as a couple."

"So…" He sniffled again. "You're really going to ask Jeanette to be your girlfriend?"

"He is." Simon nodded.

"Well, actually…" I corrected. "I'm gonna ask her if I can be her boyfriend."

"That's the same thing." Theodore pointed out.

"Yeah, sorta." I replied. "I just didn't wanna…ask her to be MINE because it sounds too much like what Brittany says about me."

My baby bro scratched his head. "I don't follow."

"It's not important." I said with a hand wave. "Anyway, can you…please stop with all the Alvittany stuff? The Alvittany ship is sinking. Glug glug glug." I finished, making some humorous sinking noises.

He pouted. "But it's my favorite ship."

"Theodore, you want Alvin to be happy, right? And you also want Brittany to be happy?" Simon knelt down to look in those chocolate eyes. "Sometimes, in a situation, two people can't be happy with the outcome…and a compromise that suits them both cannot be reached. In this instance, revealing his crush to Jeanette is the best option for Alvin. Brittany will be hurt, yes, but she'll recover. Adversity builds character."

"Yeah, and…" I added, smiling encouragingly. "This way, you can cheer Brittany up!"

My little brother wagged his brownish blonde tail. "I do love cheering people up." He admitted. "Okay, I understand now. I'll ship you with Jeanette instead."

"IF all goes well." I reminded him.

"Good luck." Theodore and Simon both told me.

After all that was FINALLY settled, I went to my bedroom and called Jeanette. She wasn't usually one to answer her phone. Texting was more her speed.

To my surprise, her soft and delicate voice answered instead of voicemail. "Hello?"

"Are you busy tonight?" I asked, trying to stay as calm as possible. This was really happening! I was going to tell her everything very soon!

"Not really, no." She responded sweetly. Gosh, I could listen to her talk all day.

My heartbeat sped up once again. I felt beads of sweat on my forehead. But, I pressed on. "You wanna meet me for dinner at Applebees?"

"I do love bees." She said, rather cutely.

I chuckled. "There's no actual bees. It's just the name of the restaurant. They have great food though! And vegan options too! I checked."

She giggled into the phone. "Oh, I know, I was trying to be funny."

"Is that a yeS thEn?" My voice cracked. Stupid stress.

Silence on the line for two seconds. Longest two seconds of my life. "Sure! Can I bring a friend?"

A friend? Well, Pippi being there wouldn't wreck anything. I'm pretty sure the mouse picked up on my feelings for Jeanette before I did. "Of course!"

"Wonderful!" She sounded so happy.

"I'll see ya in a couple hours." Ohoho! I had an informal almost-date with Jeanette! The pieces were falling into place.

"You too, Alvin!" She finished, hanging up the phone.

I glanced down at my sweat covered T shirt with the letter A. "I've gotta get ready!" I exclaimed.

I showered to get rid of the sweat, not that I wouldn't be dripping in it again once I got to the restaurant, and used some of Jeanette's favorite shampoo on my hair. I blow dried it, but it turned into a messy fluffy mad scientist do. So, I grabbed my gel and fought to style it in my usual style. Eventually, I realized Jeanette doesn't give a flip about my hair and just let it rest in a half styled, but still fluffy and messy look.

I picked out an outfit for the night and rummaged around the closet. I needed something that said formal, but still me. And something Jeanette would think I looked irresistible in. Eventually, I settled on my crimson, orange, and cyan argyle sweater-vest over a long sleeved scarlet shirt. I chose a pair of light blue jeans to compliment them. They were new ones I got while back to school shopping and fit me perfectly, with some room to grow…which I hopefully wouldn't anymore.

As I was making sure I had my wallet, so I could pay for the dinner, I was antagonized once more by "the ghost" of Classic Alvin. I thought that my day of playing videogames and having bro time would have satisfied him. Apparently, it did not.

"A sweater-vest! Dude! We HATE sweater-vests." He said, as I walked down the stairs.

I smiled at him as I tugged my baseball cap over my head. "Actually, I happen to have warmed up to them considerably."

"Take it off!" He begged. "Now! Before we're seen like this!"

I calmly refused. "No."

"But I hate it!" He cried.

I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Tough nuts, pal. I'm just as stubborn as you are. Guess who's gonna win." I taunted.

"You're gonna be a dork forever, aren't you?" The transparent boy said miserably.

Yeah. I probably would be. "Seems like it." While my braces had come off, the rest of my changes were likely permanent. The awkward phase would never end. This was me. I was 90% okay with that.

The manifestation of Classic Alvin groaned and vanished into thin air. Like always though, he remained inside me.

I walked into the living room and held out my arms, giving both of my brothers a good look at me

"Hey, Simon, I need your honest opinion on something..." I started to say.

Simon looked away from the show he was watching with Theo. I think it was Phineas and Ferb.

"It better be something worthwhile." He quipped.

I scurried next to one of the armchairs. "Will Jeanette find this sweater-vest cute?" I asked, standing, you guessed it, awkwardly.

My brother in blue cracked a sly smile. "I dunno. Better add a bowtie just to be safe." Simon was clearly enjoying this.

"What? No! Bowties are lame." I said reflexively.

Simon shrugged nonchalantly. "She really really likes bowties." He handed me a yellow clip on one.

I put it on. Sweater-vest and a bowtie? Yeesh. I was not earning any cool points tonight. It's just for Jeanette. I told myself. Though, maybe deep down I did kinda dig the bow tie. It was my favorite golden yellow color.

Theodore looked puzzled. "She's never told me she likes bowties."

I felt my cheeks warm up. "Wait, what?" I asked, annoyed. "Simon, are you lying to me?" How embarrassing.

My taller brother covered his mouth and tried to hide his laughter. "….No."

"You're totally lying to me!" I reached up, just about to unclip the bowtie.

"I couldn't resist." Simon admitted. "It really brings the look together."

"He's right!" Theodore agreed, with a little giggle. "You look so….sophisticated."

I did like being thought of as a sophisticated guy. "Really?" I tilted the bowtie so it was a little bit asymmetrical. "I guess I'll keep it."

Simon continued to tease me as he handed me my library card. "Here, don't forget your nerd identification tag." He chortled.

"Why thank you, Si….hey!" I shoved the library card into my wallet. Just in case.

My taller bro continued to tease me. "You used to call it that all the time!"

"Yup." Theodore nodded.

Dang it. They were right. "Yeah, heh heh." I pretended to laugh along like I didn't just get totally embarrassed. "Anyway, I should go. Don't wanna keep Jeanette waiting."

The little Chipmunk in green waved at me. "Have fun on your date." At least he was being supportive now.

"It's not a date. Those come later. Tonight, it's just…uhhh testing the water. I wanna see if it's safe to tell Jeanette everything." I clarified.

I think Theo understood that. "Oh….good luck with your not a date."

Simon burst into a fit of raucous laughter, unlike anything I'd heard before.

He was beginning to worry me. "Si, buddy? You good?" I stared at him.

"Yeah….Yeah….I'm just thinking about how strange our lives have become." He replied.

I guess it was kind of funny. I'd grown to enjoy a lot of things I used to turn my nose up at. Jeanette wasn't one of them. I'd always enjoyed her, even before I was madly enchanted by her mere presence.

I had one last thing to ask before I left. "Do I smell okay?"

Theodore sniffed the air and then moved closer to sniff my armpit. "You don't smell like stinky cheeseballs. I'd say you're good to go." He reported.

"I'm detecting a new scent." Simon commented. "Though I can't quite tell what."

"It smells like lavender and vanilla." Theodore squeaked, identifying the smell immediately.

"Yeah. It's new shampoo." I told them. "Jeanette's favorite."

"Actually, her favorite scent is honeysuckle." Simon informed me. "Brittany's is carnation blossom."

Oh man! I'd mixed it up! Oh well. It wasn't THAT important. "Really!?"

"Eleanor's is lavender and vanilla." Theodore climbed back on the couch and giggled. "I guess she isn't going to be able to resist you."

I groaned. "Urgh! OH COME ON!"

And speak of the demon, Eleanor chose that moment to climb through the doggy door and join us in the living room.

"What's up, guys?" She asked.

"Alvin's got a date with Jeanette at Applebees!" Theodore blurted out with excitement.

Eleanor wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I thought he was dating Brittany."

"Not anymore." Simon patted the cushion next to him. "We'll catch you up."

"Wait, so….this is for real? You aren't joking?" Eleanor asked.

"It's true." I squeaked. "I've got a huge crush on Jeanette."

Eleanor laughed like a maniac. "Oh boy. You are in for an…interesting night."

"What do you mean by that?" I wondered.

The mysterious Chipette looked at me with innocent green eyes. "Nothing."

"Wanna watch TV with us, Ellie?" Theodore offered.

"Yeah, sure." The pigtailed girl sniffed the air. "Hey, why does Alvin smell like my shampoo?"

I felt the blush inflame my cheeks. "That's my cue to leave." Once again, I wanted to melt into Alvin goo. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna crawl back in my hole now."

I didn't bother listening to any more of their chatter. I hustled to the restaurant and waited on the bench for a table to open up. The guy in charge said it shouldn't be more than five or ten minutes.

In she walked, the girl I'd fantasized about asking out for at least a week or more. She was here. It was time. I hoped I'd be brave enough.

Jeanette obviously didn't know this was a romantic thing, because I was worried if she knew, she'd get too nervous and back out. She stood by the door, clad in a pink and purple tie dye T shirt and a darker purple pair of overalls. Her lavender and pink sneakers were on and she wore a purple flower headband in her hair. Her messy bun bobbed side to side as she stepped closer to me. I also noticed her outfit had a few dirt stains, but they didn't bother me. She'd clearly been gardening, and they gave her look more character.

"I made it." She sat down beside me.

"I hope my offer wasn't too, you know, spontaneous for ya." I quipped nervously.

"Oh no, no. It was perfect." She fidgeted with the rubber bracelets on her wrist. "But why this particular restaurant, might I ask?"

I looked into her midnight blue eyes. "I brought ya here, cuz I know that Applebees has that spinach and avocado dip you like so much."

She smiled. "It's actually artichoke." Drat. I'd mixed up that too? Not a very good track record so far. Luckily, the mixup didn't phase Netta. "And thank you. I didn't…I didn't realize you remembered."

"When it comes to you, it's harder to forget….although, some stuff still slips through the cracks." I admitted.

Jeanette looked around, standing up on the bench to get a proper view. "It is a very nice place. Very quaint…and cozy."

"Wow. I thought you picked it because it started with an A." A familiar sassy quip assaulted my ears.

I turned my attention to the door to see BRITTANY stroll inside. She was wearing a basic pink dress with a lighter pink feather boa. Her glitter covered high heels clicked against the hardwood floor. NO NO NO! NOT HER! ANYONE BUT HER! WHYYYYY!? This put the biggest crimp in my plan of telling Jeanette about my crush!

"AHHHH!" I screamed in shock.

Brittany reached out to tickle me with the boa. "Is that any way to greet your girlfriend?"

"I….I…." I felt my hands get clammy. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know." She smiled. "Surprise!"

Why do things like this always happen to me!?

"Your table is ready." A waiter led the three of us to a table in the center of the restaurant. Of course, we couldn't even get an obscure hidden corner. No. We had to be right where EVERYONE could see us.

"Isn't this lovely?" Jeanette said as we took our seats. "The more the merrier."

"You know it, sis." Brittany replied, her pink lips stretching into a wider grin.

"So what are we going to order?" I asked, pretending that I didn't want to shove Brittany outside. "I'm famished."

"Urgh. Just say hungry, nerd." The Chipette in pink teased.

"Well, I'll be having the chips, and spinach and artichoke dip, and probably a salad." Jeanette opened the menu and hid herself behind it. Aw man. Now I couldn't admire her beauty.

I was forced to stare at the unwanted guest who kept blowing me kisses and batting her eyes at me from across the table. This was heck on earth. OH! THIS IS WHAT ELEANOR MEANT BY INTERESTING! Of course.

"I'll be having the breaded shrimp and some coleslaw with a side of mozzarella sticks." I passed my menu to Brittany.

"Hmmm. I don't know what I want." The girl in the feather boa said sweetly. "Got any recommendations, Alvie?"

"Yeah." I thought to myself. "I'd recommend you walk out that door as fast as possible." I didn't say it, but I wanted to.

"You might enjoy the stuffed potato." I replied.

"So you can stuff it in your big mouth and let me and Netta talk." I added in my head.

Brittany closed the menu, Jeanette was still hiding behind hers. "That does sound good. I think I'll pair it with some iced tea. And I have to save room for dessert." Oh god. She planned on staying until dessert!? I didn't know if I could maintain my composure that long.

Jeanette finally put the menu down. Her cheeks were a stunning pink. She must have used some of Britt's makeup…or Britt was embarrassing her.

We ordered our food and then I made my move. I dropped my wallet underneath the table.

"Oh darn it." I slid off the seat and under the table. "My wallet fell."

"Such a klutz." Brittany teased. "You're always dropping things."

"I'll help you find it." Jeanette slid off the seat and under the table with me.

My plan was working.

"What's she doing here?" I whispered forcefully, pointing up at Brittany who was happily still sitting in the booth.

Jeanette quirked her eyebrows. "I asked you if I could bring a friend, and you said I could." She whispered back.

"I thought you meant Pippi! Not Brittany!" I hissed.

"Oops." The shy girl frowned. "Well, uh, I suppose we'll have to make the best of it." She told me.

I picked up my wallet. "Yeah….Yeah….I guess so. Ohhhh." I let out a groan.

"You two okay down there?" Brittany peered under the table from above.

I held up the red faux leather wallet. "Found it!"

Jeanette and I returned to our seats. The food arrived not long after, and everything was still tense and irritating.

"So why are you dressed up all fancy?" Brittany asked, between bites of her baked potato.

"Says the girl with a FEATHER BOA." I retorted.

"Those feathers are fake, right?" Jeanette asked.

Brittany rolled her ice blue eyes. "Duh." She scrutinized me as she tended to do. "Point is, I usually dress up. You've never been one for sweater-vests and bowties."

"I've worn this before." I reminded her. "Once."

"Well, it makes you look like an off color Simon." She just wouldn't stop.

I lost it. "Stop calling me Simon! I'm not him! I'm me!" Then, I just went off on a tangent, babbling whatever I could to annoy Brittany and make her leave. "But only sometimes me. Sometimes, I'm another me. I'm two mes in a singular me!" I held up two fingers. "Two point no? I think you mean, two point YES!"

This only made Jeanette and Brittany BOTH look at me like I've lost my mind.

"Oh, sweetie, you are losing it." The girl in pink commented.

Jeanette nibbled her salad and tried to stay out of this.

"You're making me lose it." I glared at Brittany.

She smirked. "Oh, am I now?"

"Jeanette,…" I decided to focus on trying to talk to her, regardless of Brittany's interjections. "May I share your spinach and artichoke dip?"

"Absolutely." The taller Chipette nudged the container of dip toward me. "There's plenty to share."

"Whaaat?" Brittany stared at me as I dipped a chip in the delicious concoction. "Alvin, you HATE spinach."

I smirked at her, knowing this would drive her crazy. "News flash, Britt-Bratt. My tastes have changed. Ya really oughta keep up."

"Why do you have to change EVERYTHING!?" She shouted, before taking another bite of cheesy baked potato.

I chewed swallowed the dip covered chip "Because you're stuck in your ways and I've gotta balance you out."

"I don't even know you anymore!" Brittany huffed, folding her arms.

"You're not even supposed to BE here." I chomped into a shrimp as my fur bristled. "This was supposed to be a special outing for me and Jeanette. I mean Jeanette and I…or…whatever is proper grammar."

Well, it was out there now. No take backs.

And rare edition Chipmunk Barbie was FURR-IOUS. Heh heh word play. "Oh, so you think you can just ask my sister to have dinner with you? That is not something you do with your girlfriend's sister!"

"You've gotten to spend lots of time with me! Don't be greedy!" I argued back.

Brittany stood up in the seat. "This is so inappropriate. I can't even."

Jeanette's shaky voice interrupted our fight. "Let's look at this in a positive way for a change…"

I looked hopefully at Brittany, while she gave her purple clad sister a death glare that could melt ice.

"Or you could just snap at each other until both of your feelings get hurt. That works too." Jeanette finished, sounding more nervous or uncomfortable than ever.

I did this to her. I should have specifically said she needed to come alone. It was my fault. All my fault.

"You're going to pay for this, Seville." Brittany warned. "I cannot believe you tried to cheat on me with my own sister."

"Now hold up, that's not…" Oh, Oh no. I guess it really DID seem that way. "Not what I was going for." Actually, it was exactly what I'd been going for.

Jeanette's eyes widened. "Is this….was this….was this a date? Did I ruin it?"

"No!" I squeaked, my voice raspy and crackly. "It was just DinNEr!"

"Oh." Was Jeanette relieved or disappointed? Why did she appear to be a mix of both.

"I guess I can let it slide for now." Brittany fawned over me again. "Oh, I love when you act like a doofus, Alvie."

"Doofus genius." I corrected her, out of habit.

As we continued to nibble and talk, Jeanette dropped a bombshell on us.

"Do you think Simon has a crush on me?" The girl with the flower headband pondered.

Did she WANT Simon to have a crush on her? "W…Wh…What?" I could barely speak.

"He says he doesn't, but he's been acting so weird around me." Jeanette continued, pushing her now empty salad plate to the end of the table.

Brittany squealed with glee. "Oh he TOTALLY does, sis."

I had to join in. I hated joining in, but I felt cornered. "He told me he didn't, but now I'm not so sure either." I informed the two Chipettes

"Oh man." Jeanette murmured.

I frowned. "Maybe….Maybe you should ask him again? You know, just to be sure." Whyyy? If Simon loved her, I'd lose her! Then again, why would Simon have helped me decide to date her if he loves her?

"He'll never admit it." Brittany finished the last of her baked potato and drank the last swig of iced tea. "I just know he does. You guys should try publicity dating too! It'll help him open up about his feelings."

I COULDN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!

"NO!" I shouted, before anyone could stop me.

Brittany narrowed her eyes at me. "Why not?"

Luckily, Netta answered so I didn't have to. "I don't want Simon to be uncomfortable."

"He'll get used to it in no time. Trust me." Brittany slid out of the booth holding the empty cup. "Anyway, I'm going to refill my iced tea. Brb." She walked away.

Wait, was she actually leaving? If she was leaving, I had time to ask the important questions, but I'd have to be fast. She'd be back before I knew it.

"Hey, uh, Netta?" I began, as the vibration of my chipmunky heart sped up.

The beautiful brunette looked at me. "Yeah?"

Here goes. It's now or never. "Hypothetically, say there was a guy out there that actually did have a crush on you, but he wasn't Simon. Would you be interested?"

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's hard to say. Hmmm. Probably, yes."

Good, good, now, go get her, casanova.

"What if I told you he was sitting here…right in this room?" I asked.

"I don't follow…" She wasn't picking up the subtlety. "Oh!" She let out a squeak of shock at what I did next.

Mustering all my courage, I realized there was only one way to truly express my emotions. I climbed up onto the table and began to sing. I didn't care who saw me. I didn't care that I was a sweater-vest and bowtie wearing dork standing on a table in the middle of a frackin' Applebees! All that mattered was Jeanette getting the message.

"Don't know much about history

Don't know much biology

I know a lot about physics books

But I don't know much about the French I took"

I winked at the physics book line, I just couldn't resist. Jeanette looked up from her seat, tilting her head to the side like a confused kitten. I kept singing, my voice was no longer cracking. I had let it all loose. No secrets would be kept now on my end.

"At least, I know that I love you

And I know that if you loved me too

What a wonderful world it could be"

Her face got even pinker and bordered on red. I danced my way up and down the table, this performance was all for her. She knew it now, but still I kept going.

"Don't know much about geography

And just a bit of trigonometry

I know a lot about algebra

And I know what I can use it for"

Heh heh. Just call me the Al-gebrainiac! It's my Mathron codename after all. Jeanette smiled a little and started to bob her head to the music, still completely sporting a cherry complexion.

"You know that one plus one is two

And if this one could be with you

What a wonderful world it could be"

I held up two fingers and then pointed to myself. Jeanette gasped and pointed to herself, mouthing the word "me?" I nodded to confirm her suspicions.

"Now, I don't claim to be an A-student

But I'm trying to be

For maybe by being an A-student, baby

I could win your love for me?"

I adjusted my baseball cap and then slid across the table, narrowly missing the mostly empty plates at the end of it. I gave Jeanette a cheeky smile as I finished that verse, and made a heart shape with my hands.

"Don't know much about the Middle Ages

Looked at the pictures and I turned the pages

Don't know much about the Rise and Fall

Don't know much about nothing at all"

I walked back to the other side of the table, gesturing with my hands as I sang, fully immersed in the moment. I may not have been exactly what I planned, but it was working. It was WORKING!

"Girl, it's you that I've been thinking of

And if I could only win your love

What a wonderful world it could be"

Jeanette was in tears now, and unfortunately, while I assumed they were happy tears, I couldn't be completely certain. I motioned for her to come and dance on the table with me, but she shook her head and slunk down in the booth. Her gaze was fixed on something behind me.

"What a wonderful wonderful wonderful woooorld."

I finished the song and turned around, still standing on the table. There was Brittany, holding her completely full glass of iced tea. She was NOT HAPPY! She dropped the glass in shock and it shattered on the floor. Oof. What a mess. At least she dropped it, otherwise that iced tea would have ended up dumped on my head for sure.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!? Stop this RIGHT NOW!" The girl in pink ordered.

I refused and stood my ground. I was DONE catering to her every whim. "I'm sorry, Britt! I'm following my heart!"

Jeanette's tears flowed faster. Was she embarrassed? Worried Britt would kill me? Touched? Enamored with me? All of the above?

"Oh my gosh." The shy girl gasped.

Brittany put her hands on her hips. "You're embarrassing my sister! Look! She's crying!"

"Those are happy tears!" I responded. I looked at my crush to confirm it. "Right, Netta?"

"I….I…..I don't know what to say." The tall girl stuck her hands in the pockets of her orveralls.

"This is the WORST THING you've ever done to me, Alvin!" Brittany marched up to the table.

I jumped off of it and came nose to nose with her, despite my fear. "I can't live a lie anymore, Britt. I can't!"

"Fine!" She huffed. "Then, I'm dumping your sorry tush!"

I facepalmed. "You can't dump me! We were never dating!"

"Yes we were!" She argued. Crap! Did she think it was all real? Ohhh, those fake dates and the accusation of cheating suddenly make a lot of sense.

But I argued anyway. "No, we weren't!"

She walked away from the table. "Yes we were!" She hollered over her shoulder. "Come on, Jeanette. We're leaving. He doesn't deserve you."

Jeanette stayed planted in the booth.

"I hate her." I growled under my breath.

That made Jeanette sad. "Really?" She wiped her tears, but more were forming.

"No." I admitted, adjusting my bowtie to make sure it was still crooked. "I just hate how much I like bein' her friend, you know, when she acts like THAT!"

The girl in purple dried her tears. "You are a very confusing individual." She remarked.

I smiled at her playfully. "That's what you like about me, right?"

"Among other things." She replied.

"LET'S GO, JEANETTE!" Brittany commanded.

"What else do ya like about me?" I asked the nervous Chipette.

She giggled. "Watch that ego, Alvin."

"Sorry sorry. I'm just curious!" I confessed. "So, uh, what did you think of my song?"

"It was…" Suddenly, my crush was snatched and dragged away by a fuming Brittany.

"Come on, sis. We don't associate with cheaters!" The strawberry blonde marched angrily to the door, pulling on her sister's arm.

Jeanette didn't resist. She just looked at me with midnight eyes full of sorrow. And then, she was gone. She walked behind Brittany and left me standing there surrounded by empty plates, spilled tea, and broken glass.

"We didn't even make it to dessert." I mumbled.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by angry restaurant staff.

I looked up at them sheepishly. "I'm gonna pay for this, ain't I?" I chuckled nervously. They nodded at me.

I had a feeling I'd be paying for a lot more than the food, the broken glass mess, and the angry restaurant goers who just wanted to enjoy a quiet meal before I fought with Brittany and sang Sam Cooke's What A Wonderful World It Could Be while dancing on the table. I felt like a total fool.

There was only one thought on my mind as I stood there. HOW DID IT ALL GO SO WRONG!?

BRITTANY: My turn now?

ALVIN: Yep. This is gonna be emotional, isn't it?

BRITTANY: Like that entire bit just wasn't?

ALVIN: Fair enough.

BRITTANY: I guess we're both really dramatic.

ALVIN: We love hard and fall even harder.

BRITTANY: And you fell so hard that you got yourself banned from Applebees.

ALVIN: It's partially your fault! You were the one who dropped the glass! Also, since when does Applebees let you refill your own drinks? Don't they just bring them to the table for you?

BRITTANY: Our local one lets you refill it. Most don't.

ALVIN: Interesting.

BRITTANY: Well, I guess I better write now. Let's see if I can do it without crying.

JEANETTE: Here is a bucket to collect your tears.

BRITTANY: ….Thanks, sis.

Brittany's POV

WHY THAT TWO TIMING SLEAZEBALL! WHAT THE HECK WAS HE THINKING!? I hated this! I hated it so much! So the dates meant nothing to him? The passionate kisses meant nothing!? It was all just ACTING!? I know he's a good actor, but COME ON!

To say I was furious would be an understatement. I was so riled up that there should have been a new word for it. Maybe there was, I'm sure Mr. Dictionary Brain could tell me. And then I could strangle him or kick him onto the next century!

How dare he lead me on like that!? Acting like everything was fine! Clearly, it wasn't. What a slimey, low down, no good cheater! Ohhh he was going to PAY for this! I was going to make his life MISERABLE! Oh wait, apparently I already had. That's why he hated me and tossed me aside like garbage!

I was still angry when we got back to the treehouse and Jeanette was still a blubbering mess who could barely string words together. How dare that clueless dweeb do this to my dear sister!

"Are you okay?" I asked Jeanette for the zillionth time as we entered the treehouse.

She nodded.

"Why won't you talk to me?" I tried to be as gentle as possible, despite the boiling rage churning within me.

Jeanette stuttered weakly. "I…I…do…do..don't kn..kn..kn..ow what..t…t..to say."

"Calm down, sis. Calm down. We're okay." I said sweetly. "Why don't you go upstairs and try to forget this ever happened?"

Jeanette nodded weakly. Then, she slowly climbed the stairs with her shaky legs.

"And put on your headphones." I told her with an awkward smile. "I'm gonna get LOUD." I warned.

Another nod. My poor sister's been broken by that no good CREEP!

I waited until I was sure Jeanette had her headphones on and then I let everything out. It felt SO good! I didn't want to make too much of a scene in the restaurant, though I had already kind of caused one, so I waited until I got home to scream at the top of my lungs.

"I HATE ALVIN SEVILLE! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM!" I yelled. "I HATE HIS STUPID FACE AND HIS STUPID CLOTHES AND HIS STUPID JOKES AND THE STUPID WAY HE ALWAYS KNOWS HOW TO GET ME TO DO STUPID THINGS!"

I kicked a pillow at the TV and then stomped into the kitchen.

"I HATE HOW MUCH MY STUPID LIFE SUCKS WITHOUT HIM! I HATE 2.0! I WISH 2.0 WOULD JUST DISAPPEAR! MAYBE, MAYBE I COULD MAKE A DEAL WITH THAT KARMA LADY TO GET THE ORIGINAL ALVIN BACK!"

I paced around the house, still shouting. "I JUST WANT LOVE! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR!"

But I knew in my heart this was truly the end. Any chance I had to rescue Alvin from the curse of Nerdification was gone. He was Alvin 2.0 now. Different in so many ways, but just as frustrating. He had played with my heart and then stomped it into itty bitty bite size pieces.

My throat hurt from screaming, so I just collapsed on the couch and started to sob. I didn't do it into a pillow this time. The tears flowed like a waterfall and I couldn't hold them back. I had tried my hardest to be nicer to him, to accept him, to treat him in a way that a girlfriend should. AND THIS WAS HOW HE REPAID ME!?

He just sang a freakin' love song to my sister the minute I left them alone together. Who knows what other things they were up to? I mean, okay, maybe convincing the management team to make Alvittany a thing was pretty low, but I was DESPERATE! Alvin needed me! I needed him! I'm always going to need him. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE CAN'T BE A COUPLE!

As if things weren't tense enough, that IDIOT had to show up here. He knocked on the door of the treehouse, calling for me.

"Brittany, hello?"

"Go home, 2.0!" I shouted, though not loud enough to wreck my beautiful singing voice.

He wouldn't leave. Like a stubborn fungus, he continued to try and creep back into my life. "I'm sorry, Britt."

"Sorry isn't good enough for this!" I shouted angrily at the door. I wasn't going to open it, no matter how much he begged.

"If you won't talk to me, can I at least talk to Jeanette?" THE NERVE OF THIS BOY!

I growled. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Why not?" He whined obnoxiously.

"My sisters and I don't want to talk to you anymore." I snapped at him. "Jeanette is EXTREMELY embarrassed about what you did on our date!"

"Embarrassed!?" He sounded surprised. "I thought we were cool! She didn't seem to mind!" Let's face it. For a "genius," he isn't very smart.

"You literally sang a love song to her IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!" I reminded him.

"Okay, yes. I see how that might be embarrassing." He admitted. "So, uh, can you tell her I said sorry…and can I talk to you?"

Never in a million years. I shouted to the door again. "I don't want to see your stupid face until you come to your senses and realize my sister only sees you as a friend!"

He groaned loudly. "Urrrrrgh!"

"Get Jeanette out of your head, Seville. Or else." I threatened him.

"I wish I could." I heard him sigh. "I really wish I could."

At last, the devious and underhanded schemer left the treehouse. I watched him walk down the steps through the window. His head was hanging down and his tail was drooping. Aw, was he sad? CRY ME A FLIPPIN' RIVER, ALVIN TWO POINT WHACKO!

It wasn't long before there was another knock on the door. I figured the hopeless dork was back again.

"GO AWAY!" I shouted. "GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK."

"Not happenin'." Eleanor's voice surprised me. "This is my house too, ya know!"

"Hi, Brittany!" Theodore cheerfully squeaked.

"May we come in?" That third voice was Simon.

I opened the door just a crack. "Eleanor can. The two of you are banned until further notice."

"What?" Simon frowned. "Was it that bad?"

"IT WAS THE WORST DINNER OF MY LIFE!" I cried.

"But why are we banned?" Theodore wondered.

I growled. "Because you're related to that insensitive twerp!"

"Oookay." Eleanor folded her arms. "I think banning them for whatever stupid thing Alvin did is a huge overreaction."

"We wanna cheer you up." Theodore smiled. "Just call us the Brittany Comforting Crew!"

Drat. They were quickly wearing me down. I did need comfort right now.

"I don't want company right now." I lied.

"You are NOT making me sleep outside." Eleanor tried to shove the door open, but I kept it mostly closed with my strength.

"This is ridiculous!" Simon exclaimed. "Just let us in."

Theodore held up a container of something. I couldn't see what it was in the dim light. Luckily, he told me what it was. "We brought chocolate ice cream."

Ah, screw it. "You may enter." I finally opened the door. Theodore had succeeded in wearing me down.

A while later, I was shoveling spoon after spoon of chocolate ice cream into my mouth as I filled them in on my date with disaster.

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Simon asked, looking like he didn't believe me. "You must be embellishing a little."

"I only embellish things with rhinestones." I sassed. "I'm telling you exactly what went on from my perspective."

"I'm sorry that Alvin thought all your dates were fake." Theodore ate his bowl of ice cream. "That must really hurt. You're probably feeling a lot of conflicting feelings right now."

"Oh man!" Eleanor laughed. "That sounds like a riot. He actually danced on the table?"

I nodded. "He acted like a fool the entire time! He embarrassed Jeanette AND he embarrassed me! And what am I going to do about the Alvittany blog I started?" I took another spoon of ice cream. "Give it to me straight, guys. Am I unlovable?"

Simon was the first to answer. "You're not. Somewhere out there, there's a guy for you."

"Or maybe a girl!" Theodore added. "If you're into that sorta thing."

"All I want is Alvin." I moaned. "But not….not 2.0."

"But Brittany, he IS 2.0." The Chipmunk in green said softly.

"Unfortunately, yeah." Eleanor added. "You can't get the Alvin without the 2.0 and you can't get the 2.0 without the Alvin."

"No matter how much I try?" I whimpered.

Simon patted my shoulder gently. "Take as much time to grieve this loss as you need. You can't force Alvin to love you. He doesn't. It's a tough pill to swallow, but once you've moved on, you'll understand that your life HASN'T been destroyed beyond repair."

Theodore nodded causing the two little sprigs that stick out from the rest of his hair to jiggle. "Like Dave always says." He smiled. "There are plenty of fish in the sea."

"Yeah." Eleanor patted my other shoulder. "So, don't tie yourself down to a clownfish."

We all had a good laugh at that. Theo was right. They really were the Brittany Comforting Crew. I knew now, I had to do what seemed impossible for so long. Get over Alvin. Because the Alvin I knew was gone…and he was never going to return. The braces coming off wasn't a sign that he was changing back slowly. He never would change back. Now, I wasn't even sure if I could stop him from changing more. I probably couldn't do that either. Sigh.

After the comfort crew left, or in Eleanor's case, went upstairs, I got myself ready for bed. I put on my backup summer PJs because Eleanor still had been too busy with lifeguard stuff to fix my other set. Ohhh, I shouldn't be mad at her. Her lifeguard duties are important, just like my principal's assistant duties.

Back to the biggest problem. There was only one way to begin my long and difficult road to getting over Alvin. I had to do it through the power of music. More specifically, I had to do it through a song by the legendary Jordin Sparks.

"I'm already looking back

I'm already looking around"

I collapsed onto my bed and the flashbacks began. I thought about the day that Alvin defended me from the mean girls who were talking trash about me. I thought about dancing with him onstage, back before performing became a chore in his eyes.

"Where did we get off the track?

What was it that brought us down?"

I thought about cheering for Alvin at his soccer games, back when he was still his old self. I thought about racing around the track with him in gym class. Then, I remembered the look of despair on Alvin's face as he ran away from the football field, once he learned that I paid people to help him maintain his popularity.

"I'm already waking up

How have I been asleep so long?

I thought about getting out of bed and rushing to school on that fateful morning to sit on the park bench and wait for Alvin to arrive. When he did arrive, I was in for the shock of my life.

"Losing you is hard enough

Not knowing anything was wrong"

He showed me his physics book and explained everything. Alvin broke the news that he was a secret genius and I did the only thing I could do in a situation like that, I fainted off the bench.

"Changes come, but where they go?

You'll never know"

I visualized classic Alvin and his beautiful smile as he walked with me along the sidewalk. That vision blurred and when it refocused, he was Alvin 2.0 in all his dorky and weird glory. He had almost shoulder length hair and was wearing that cyan jacket. He still had braces too. In the vision, I looked down and touched the heart necklace around my neck, wiping away a tear.

"Just another day like any other

Nothing in the sky said run for cover"

I thought back to Classic Alvin and I arguing in the school hallways. I thought about the time he skateboarded down the sidewalk and I roller skated next to him. Nothing seemed strange. It was all just business as usual.

"Just another reason never thought it would end this way"

I recalled the way I watched him leave the principal's office with Jeanette, walking much too close to her for my liking. It was the day he'd been called down there for selling his comics on school grounds.

"There was no parade

No lights flashing

No songs to sing along the way

There was no parade"

As I leapt into the chorus of the song, I imagined myself against a dark blue, almost black background with tons of pink hearts. Each one of the hearts ripped in half and then peeled away from the background, floating down around me like leaves shed from trees in the fall. I imagined a spotlight shining down on me as well, with a few red, yellow, and cyan flashing lights overhead.

"Boy we were supposed to last

You were never supposed to be"

I remembered the day that Alvin showed up wearing his gym clothes with the cyan accents to bring me plastic roses and a box of heart shaped chocolates. I shared some Superman ice cream with him afterwards, hoping, praying he'd pick up the hints that I liked him. He didn't.

"Just somebody in the past

Somebody I used to see"

I thought about classic Alvin strutting down the school halls, being a general nuisance to everyone who came in contact with him. Oh, how I missed that nuisance. I would do anything to get him back, but it seemed it was impossible now. The vision faded to Alvin 2.0 hustling through the hall with his head down, clutching a physics book in his hands.

"Trouble crept up on us

Warning never came a time"

I thought about how he ditched me several times to hang out with Simon, and Kevin, and even the gross ape of a boy named Cheesy! My mind drifted to that night when I looked out the bathroom window and caught Alvin 2.0 dancing in the gazebo area with Jeanette. Tears began to sting my cheeks.

"Before I knew it, we were dust

Just left behind, left behind"

I sang through tears, pushing myself harder than ever. I thought about all the visions of classic Alvin and he vanished from each one in a cloud of those weird particle atom things that 2.0's always yammering on about.

"Changes come, but where they go?

You'll never know"

I thought about Alvin showing off all the cool physics facts he learned in the cafeteria. I thought about that heart stopping moment during the soccer game, when he had taken a soccer ball directly to the face and been knocked into the goal. Then, I recalled the scene in the hospital where I sat with him, waiting for him to recover from his concussion.

The moments flew by so fast. I hardly had time to get my head around it, before I was visualizing Alvin 2.0 in his brand new superhero outfit. I was sad he retired The Dark Shadow costume.

"Just another day like any other

Nothing in the sky said run for cover

Just another reason never thought it would end this way"

I thought about the six of us, all hanging out and talking in the cafeteria. Then, I switched to visualizing us enjoying the summer in the backyard with a game of basketball together, that was the day we found Warbie, I realized, as the memory played on. Then, it switched to Alvin 2.0 leaving Warbie with me, as he boarded the bus to take him to Space Camp.

"There was no parade

No lights flashing

No songs to sing along the way"

In my vision, I ran across the bluish black void, as neon pink glowing broken hearts appeared everywhere and golden arrows sliced through them. I continued to sing, and chase after the small glimpses of Classic Alvin running away from me.

"There was no parade

No waves crashing

There was no one else around for days

There was no parade"

I followed him through a funhouse maze of mirrors and across the beach. I followed the mischievous Chipmunk all the way to the forest in the park. I pushed my legs faster, chasing him up and down a tree. I caught him, and we tumbled to the ground. He picked himself up, and to my shock, he was now dressed as 2.0. He had on the letter A shirt with a cyan shirt underneath and purple galaxy leggings.

"And after all the noise I never heard our last goodbye

It was silent as a butterfly"

As I pushed myself off the ground and back to my feet, Jeanette appeared. She was wearing a light lavender dress with dark purple accents and had beautiful butterfly wings on her back, glimmering in all different shades of blue, purple, pink, and cyan.

My sister smiled down at Alvin. He outstretched his hands up toward her. She lifted him into the air, as he requested. I watched the love of my life drift further and further out of sight, until they both faded away and rained a bunch of red, cyan, and purple glitter down on me.

"There was no parade

No lights flashing

No songs to sing along the way"

I shook the glitter off and walked sadly through the imaginary forest. I clutched my heart as I expertly hit every note from the chorus for the third, and final time. Alvin was gone now, there wasn't anything I could do. We tried to make it work, and he picked my sister over me. The only silver lining was maybe she didn't like him back.

"There was no parade

No waves crashing

There was no one else around for days

There was no parade"

But that didn't matter. Alvin would never be with me. He couldn't stand me. The dates were all just fake to him. I ran back to the void of neon glowing broken hearts and let the tears flow again. Everything was ruined. My dreams, shattered forever.

"No parade

No paraaaaade"

The imaginary music-video like visions faded back to reality. I once again, flopped onto my belly and cried into my beautiful plush pink pillow. Call me a drama queen if you want, but the pain I was feeling was completely real!

It was over! It was really over! What was I supposed to do now? How could I go on like this? Life just SUCKS sometimes. But, I guess Simon and Theo are right. There's another person out there who's right for me. Maybe someday, I'll find them.

ALVIN: It was Simon! The person for you was Simon! (Laughs)

BRITTANY: Why are you still here? Isn't Jeanette narrating next?

ALVIN: I just had to remind everyone that you eventually fall in love with a nerdy guy because it's so FRACKIN' HYSTERICAL!

JEANETTE: That's enough, Alvin 2.0.

ALVIN: Too far?

JEANETTE: No, but it's also not the time.

BRITTANY: Finish this chapter off, Sis.

ALVIN: Yeah! You're gonna be incredible.

JEANETTE: I hope so.

ALVIN: Also you're starting narration for 53 as well, so you don't have MUCH narration here.

JEANETTE: Thank goodness. Re-living the dinner stressed me out.

Jeanette's POV

The next morning, I was still processing what had happened the night before. So many conflicting feelings! I was happy that Alvin had a crush on me too! Elated, in fact. But, I also felt terrible for poor Brittany. She lost the love of her life and she didn't really even have a clue what was coming. It was awful. How could I do that to my own sister?

No, no. This was the line of thinking that had gotten me in this mess in the first place. I had to tell Alvin how I was REALLY feeling. I had to tell him that I was honored that he'd sing a love song for me, and that we wouldn't rush things, but we could be more than friends eventually. We already were more than friends.

Oh my gosh! I wonder how Alvin's doing! Brittany doesn't want me to talk to him yet, and I respect that. I'm giving her a while to grieve. But, at the same time, if I don't face my fear and tell Alvin soon, then he might think that I don't want to talk to him anymore.

I finally decided what to do. Brittany had taken my phone so I couldn't be tempted to call Alvin, but there was still some other way.I spotted Alvin from my bedroom window and an idea came to me. I had seen this technique used in Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me music video.

I wrote "Are you okay?" on a sheet of notebook paper and tore out of my purple glitter covered notebook. I stuck the sign in the window and tapped my fingers loudly on the window to grab Alvin's attention.

He saw the sign and then grabbed his own red covered notebook. Moments later, he'd written me a response message and held it against his bedroom window.

"Tired of drama." The note said.

I wrote him another one back. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's Britt." He frowned a lot as he held this sign up.

I jotted down my next message and delivered it. "She'll adapt. Give her time."

"I love you, Jeanette." He wrote, with little hearts doodled around it.

Could I say it back this way? Would that be alright? I wrote "I love you too." Inside my notebook and was about to tear the page out when I hesitated. The anxiety was getting to me. I wasn't ready yet. Maybe, maybe it wasn't Brittany's grief that was keeping me locked in my bedroom. She had told me to do whatever I wanted. Maybe, this was my own worry that I'd somehow wreck the confession pushing me to isolate myself and not see Alvin.

I couldn't keep living like this. We needed to talk, so we could resume our summer fun and plans. August was nearly over now. I looked at the calendar on my wall. Oh? Only the 13th. Okay, well, it's almost half over. Who could I talk to? Who could give me advice on how to delicately approach this romantic mess we've gotten ourselves trapped in?

Miss. Miller? No. Pippi? Still trying to break away from my watchful eye. Eleanor? She said it herself, she's no help. Brittany? I highly doubt it. Maybe Simon? Or Theodore? Or…There were a group of friends I hadn't considered yet. Well, by group I mean two. Pamela Glockenshlocker and Patrick Damerston. They were my closest allies in the Green Living Club. Perhaps, they could offer some perspective!

Phew! So good to have that settled. I looked back to the window. Alvin and the sign saying "I love you" were gone now. Oh no. Now he probably thought I didn't love him back! I'm terrible at this whole romance thing.

No, no, shake it off. You are not terrible. You're going to talk to Alvin…somehow. I promised myself. It was so frustrating. I needed Alvin around to have the confidence to tell Alvin, but when Alvin was around…I was too flustered to say anything about it. I think I'll read the section in my psychology book on romance again…and see if there's any tips.

Phew! Oh gosh that was a long one too. Maybe? I dunno. It FELT long. Maybe that's because of the sheer number of heavy emotions. I had to squeeze Jeanette in at the end there because you guys don't wanna wait one more chapter to know how she's actually feeling! Right?

I have been waiting to write the Applebees scene for AGES! It's so good to finally have that whole mess completed. The drama is so plentiful in this story. I hope it's been fun, but also sad and a little enraging. I feel every emotion these kids go through.

Fun fact about this chapter: I chose August 12th as the day Alvin finally revealed his crush to Jeanette. August 12th is my birthday. I thought it would be a fun little addition.

I also have added a scene proving that way more of Classic Alvin still exists than people tend to expect. Alvin, in his emotional turmoil, wearing his old hoodie for comfort and revealing that he still ENJOYS wearing it was crucial to stick in here somewhere.

A lot of it gets overshadowed by his new physics nerd persona and his mega crush on Jeanette, but it's important to remember that underneath it all he's still that same kid he once was. Like he said, the kid's only hiding in a protective shell of nerd. The more comfortable and safe he feels he is in a situation, the more the protective shell comes down and he lets his "fun side" shine. Too bad Brittany hasn't realized that yet.

Once again, thank you for reading! I hope I can give this unconventional love story a satisfying conclusion in part 4. See you soon! Sorry about the long author's notes!