Here we go! Story 3! This one may be quite long, but I will try not to go over 6 chapters. I'm shooting for 5 currently.
Anyway, in this tale, Alvin's secret might wind up revealed to the other characters! Or maybe not! Only one way to find out!
Genius Alvin's POV
I'm back with yet another tale! As a recap, when we last left off, I had just discovered that I love studying physics. I told Theo and Jeanette about it, cuz I couldn't just keep it inside until the pressure built up too high and caused me to meltdown. No one else knows. Not yet.
I've spent another couple weeks in Dr. Wilson's extracurricular physics class and told everyone that I am taking music appreciation instead. I don't think they suspect anything. I've been doing my best to behave as normal.
IT IS HARD, let me tell you. I've had so many opportunities to tell Simon and Eleanor and Dave and Britt and even Miss. Smith. Gosh, I wanna tell Miss. Smith soooo bad! She was always yammering on and on about me having potential. Who knew I actually had it?
But anxiety and fear of change keeps me from shouting it from the rooftops. I'm like a secret agent! Basically like Lorenzo Lorenzo from that movie I watched. Oh, and I have started referring to myself as Genius Alvin, in my head at least. I gotta differentiate the new me from the old me somehow.
It's getting harder and harder to act like the old me. People will say things and my first impulse has started always coming from my new nerdy side. I was really scared of that, at first, but I'm getting better at stopping to think about what I would have said before my mind got all genius-ified.
Moving on…Our story begins with me, chatting with my family in the hallway on another ordinary (or extraordinary for me) school day.
Brittany was once again bothering me about the same thing she'd be incessant about for ages. "Are you ready to get your popularity back yet?"
I felt my facial muscles tense. "I told you to stop asking. I'll be ready when I'm ready." I didn't tell her I'm actually really enjoying the break.
She pouted. "But Alvie, I have a whole 20 step plan set up. It'll work, I promise." She patted my shoulder. "I know you're only stalling because you're afraid that it won't work."
"Leave him alone, Brittany." Jeanette spoke up softly. She took her dark purple hoodie from her locker and slipped it over her lighter purple plaid shirt.
Brittany ignored her and continued to bother me, as Brittany tends to do. "Come on, Alvin. I know you're lonely and sad. Status means the world to you."
"Yeah it does." I said honestly. "I'm just not ready yet."
Theo looked at me and then to Britt. He was munching a bag of dill pickle flavored chips. "There's a lot more to life than being popular." Ha! Says the original winner of the Cutest Chipmunk contest. I should have been victorious!
Like I said, Theo's the baby. Simon's the nerd. I'm the cute one! My stomach flip flopped a little. But now Simon wasn't the only nerd. Wait, unless, was it possible to be nerdy and NOT be a nerd? I'll have to research that. I'm quite fond of research now.
"Alvin,…" Brittany walked even closer to me until she was practically close enough to kiss me. Not that I wanted her to. "You've always been able to bounce back. You get knocked down and you get up again. That's your thing!"
I sighed and grabbed my black backpack with a skull and guitars on it. "But…what if this is the one time….I don't?" I asked.
"Maybe he wants a new thing." Theodore squeaked. CAREFUL, THEO! Keep my secret!
Eleanor pulled Britt away from me, noticing she was making me uncomfortable and jittery. "Stop hounding him!"
"You need to give him time." Jeanette blinked those midnight eyes of hers. They sparkled like the depths of space. Oh goody! Now I was thinking about traveling through space at the speed of light.
"300,000 kilometers per second. Also particles of light are called photons." My new brain informed me, even though I didn't ask. Sigh.
Brittany stomped her foot impatiently. "How much time?"
Everyone, including me, shrugged. Even Simon shrugged.
I wasn't sure that Simon even was paying attention to our conversation. He certainly seemed lost in his own thoughts. I wondered if he constantly had physics facts on his mind too. If only I could bring myself to reveal the magnificent thing that's happened to me. Maybe he was the key to learning to control my genius better!
"He's gotta get it back soon." The Chipette in pink continued to rant as we walked into our next class. "If he waits too long, he'll never be popular again! Ever! His life will be ruined."
"Who needs popularity?" My brain asked. I jolted like I'd been shocked with 2,000 voltz of electricity. Where did THAT THOUGHT come from!? I definitely didn't agree with that. Being popular was essential!
"I need popularity." I thought back. "Just not yet."
"Do you though? Do you really?" It asked. I mean, I asked myself. Gosh, I was so conflicted.
"Alvin, did you hear what I said?" Brittany asked. "Because it was IMPORTANT to know."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm so awesome I could wait until the end of this semester to get my popularity back and they'd let me." I bragged. I didn't know if that was true or not. But, it is what the old me would have said…I think.
We took our seats and Simon put his head on his desk. "What's got you all depressed?" I asked him quietly. "We're having a quiz today. You love quizzes." Which I knew because he was my brother…and because I was developing an insatiable love for quizzes too. Well, math and science ones, but hey, it's a start!
"It's nothing, Alvin." He murmured. Yeah, that was baloney. He was upset about something.
"Was it something I did?" I asked, nervously tapping my fingers on the desk. I was excited for the math pop quiz. Half of me was internally barfing at the thought. The other half of me was ready to unleash my superior math skills all over it!
He shook his head silently.
I frowned. "Are you sure? Because if I did anything to hurt ya, it was not my intention." Wait, was this a stupid thing to say? It didn't sound like the old me. He would have been satisfied with the head shake. But here I was, compelled to know more about what was bothering Simon.
"ACHOOO!" A sneeze from Jeanette distracted me. That was odd. It wasn't even allergy season.
"Gesundheit." I responded automatically. I know that word from TV.
Brittany stared at me oddly. What was so odd about me being nice to Jeanette? I was always nice to Jeanette. She was almost the only person I was nice to. Ya just can't be mean to her. Look at that sweet face.
Oh! I suddenly realized why Britt was staring. It was the word I said. She probably didn't know what it meant. Ya see, with my newly expanded intellect I had quickly learned two things. One: Brittany had an intense dislike of learning things unrelated to girl stuff. (But she got good grades) And two: Brittany Jewel Miller was dumb as a post.
I feel bad saying that. Maybe she's smarter than I give her credit for, but she's certainly no genius. The only one dumber than her is Theo. I also feel bad saying that. Ah, Theo may be dumb, but he has these really weird moments of sudden wisdom that make up for it.
"Simon, do you want a cookie? Cookies always make me feel better." My smaller bro in green held out an oatmeal cookie.
Simon took the cookie, broke off a small piece, and then returned it to Theo. He nibbled the small piece as Miss. Smith began the lesson. Yeah. Something was wrong with Si for sure.
I opened up my math book and paid attention the best I could. It was hard because my mind was wandering. It usually does this at the worst possible times. Whyyyyy!?
"I wonder what Dr. Wilson will teach us today!" I thought gleefully. "Maybe something about atoms? Maybe how to create rock candy? Maybe we'd be calculating stuff and getting rewarded with gummy candy! He did that sometimes! It was INCREDIBLE!
"….and that's how you calculate the circumference of a circle. Any questions?" Miss. Smith said.
Crud! How much of the lesson had I missed? I had no way of knowing. I tapped my foot impatiently. This was getting boring again…and if it got too boring, I was gonna lose myself in another spiral of thinking about my new crush on physics.
"Moving on. The radius is…" Miss. Smith continued to teach stuff I already knew because I had plugged music into my head and studied it like a fiend! I was too smart for this class! I was suddenly really good with numbers. Especially ratios! Ratios were fun! Statistics was pretty fun too!
Music does something to me. It's hard to explain. It shifts something inside me and turns on my focus. I learned that back when I was trying to win the Most Improved Award. Me plus music equals intense and unbreakable concentration. I should probably jot that equation down somewhere, lest I forget.
"….and there are a lot of other geometry concepts you need to know."
I rolled my eyes. Yeah. I knew them. Sine, Cosine, Tangent, Area, Perimeter. I wished she would talk about angles. I really like angles. Right angles, obtuse angles, acute angles. But we haven't covered those yet…I don't think. I learned them from Dr. Wilson. They're part of physics. Well, uh, everything is part of physics but they're a REALLY IMPORTANT part of physics.
Finally, I could take the boredom no longer. I made a cardinal mistake. My mouth moved before my thoughts could tell it that it had a bad idea. "Can we please just take the quiz already?"
Awkward silence. Miss. Smith stared at me. Brittany stared at me. Simon was in too much of a funk to notice. Theodore gulped. Jeanette looked proud of me.
My teacher raised a grey eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Since when are you ready to take quizzes?"
I felt myself get sweatier by the second. "Uh, well,…" I needed an excuse and fast. What would I normally say? "I just wanna get out of here and to gym class." Ohoho! Nailed it!
"Then don't interrupt my lesson!" She scolded me.
"Sorry! Sorry!" I went back to being bored.
Eventually, Miss. Smith passed the quizzes out. I twirled my pencil as I made the calculations in my head. I was really loving calculations. I finally understood how useful they can be! I was slowly, maybe not so slowly, turning into a Simon kinda guy, and I was….enjoying it. It was unsettling.
I finished the quiz and turned it in discreetly. I didn't want anyone to know I'd finished before most of the class, when usually I'm the last one finished. Even more disturbing was that I finished only slightly after Jeanette and Simon. I guess if I hadn't already had tons of proof I was inching closer and closer to their level of intellect, that would have sealed the deal.
Class ended and we walked back into the hall for a break between classes.
"Hey, Jeanette." Simon looked at the Chipette in purple. "Are you free tonight?"
She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I'm going to be very busy with a…commitment to another friend. ACHOOO!" It's me. I'm the other friend. We had plans.
"I see. What about next Saturday?" His blue eyes shined with a glimmer of hope. "Does that work for you?"
"I…uh…ACHOOO!" She sneezed into her elbow. "I don't know if I can plan something that far ahead." She squeaked as Theo handed her some tissues.
"You really should get that cold checked out." Brittany told her taller sis. "Before you make the rest of us sick."
"It's just…" She blew her nose. "Just allergies." I had a sinking feeling that Jeanette's sudden allergy attacks were connected to her hiding my genius from everyone. It was taking an immense toll on her. And there comes the guilt.
"If you say so." Brittany moved as far away from Jeanette as she could.
Simon walked slowly, more slowly than usual. "So, would anyone else be up to doing something after school today? The Mathletes don't meet today and neither does Chess club. I'm free."
When he said that, I suddenly wondered if I could join the Mathletes. Kevin and Cheesy were there. They were pals of mine. Plus, I was good at math now! (Get it? Plus! Math! Adding! Haha) Si would have to let me in. I wasn't as interested in chess. In fact, I sorta hated playing chess with anyone who wasn't Jeanette. Mainly because the others would make snide comments to me the whole time. Especially Simon. He was a king of Snark-casm!
There was that barfy feeling again. I was sick to my stomach over the uncontrollable thought. Me? Alvin a Mathlete? That's impossible! Totally unprecedented!
"Alvin's not." Theo said in his cute and babyish tone. "He's pretty busy."
"Yeah." I crossed my arms and smirked my trademark smirk. "Got a soccer match and then off to play some videogames."
"Don't forget to do your homework." Eleanor teased. Yeah, that was the LAST thing I'd forget. The nerdy feelings about physics were spreading. I was actually excited to work on all the science and math homework and see how much I remembered. WHO WAS I!?
"Homework is dumb." I lied, now understanding and appreciating its purpose, even if it was boring a lot of times. "Half Of My Energy Wasted On Random Knowledge." An amusing acronym.
"Guess Most Improved Alvin isn't sticking around after all." Brittany teased.
I resisted the urge to laugh bitterly. If only she knew. I'd passed Most Improved and shot right to Could Easily Take A College Level Course and PASS! Ooookay, so that was a big exaggeration. I wasn't THAT smart. I FELT that smart though.
The strawberry blonde girl in pink looked very puzzled by my lack of a response to that. She continued talking. "That's a good thing though. It would be harder to regain your status if people still saw you as the Most Improved geekazoid guy."
"I'm not a geekazoid!" I said reflexively, wondering if that was true or a lie. I didn't know anymore.
"I know." She wrapped an arm around me as we walked down the hall to gym class. "And I want to keep it that way." Keep wanting, girl. It don't matter.
Simon looked fed up. "Again, I reiterate because barely anyone is listening to me." He muttered. "Is anyone free after school today? Eleanor?"
"Nope. Soccer." She replied quickly and curtly.
"I just HAVE to update my blog. Oh, and I'm invited to a party at Anita's." Britt informed him.
I got stabbed by a sudden wave of jealousy. How come she got to party with the most popular girl in school while I was stuck hanging out with Jeanette and doing my homework? It wasn't fair. I should have been invited. I would have been if my popularity hadn't been washed away like a sand castle facing a tidal wave on the beach.
"Tidal forces are changes in the gravitational potential energy of the Sun, Moon and Earth. These forces cause the periodic motion of the seas which create a temporary change in water levels that vary depending on location." Not again! I needed to focus on gym class now. I think it's getting worse.
"I'm free." Theodore smiled at Simon happily. "We can play a game of Candyland!"
Simon rolled his eyes. "Ah yes. Nothing more mentally stimulating than a game completely dependent on the luck of the draw."
"Is that a yes or a no?" My non-academically inclined (I like that better than dumb) brother said.
"It's a no." I answered impulsively. Wait! No! Shoot! That implied I understood Simon's wordy way of saying it. "….I think." Obfuscating stupidity was tough, but I NEEDED it to become a talent of mine.
"Why not?" Theo asked, as we all walked into the gym lockeroom, splitting away from the Chipettes to change clothes.
"Cuz it's not mentally stimulating. That's what he said." I repeated to Theo. "It doesn't make his brain go Brrrrr!" I imitated the sound of a car ignition starting up.
"What things do make his brain go brrrrrr?" Theo changed into his green T shirt with an ice cream cone on it that said Ice Cream Dreams. It was the name of a song he wrote.
"That would be a question for Simon." I changed into my gym shirt which was a red T shirt with a yellow A and cyan trim around the collar and sleeves. It was a really nice shirt. Sometimes, lately, I've even started wearing it outside gym class.
"Well…." Simon didn't like being put on the spot like that. He slipped on a solid blue T shirt with an atom on it. I used to think that design looked like a weird flower with bugs on it. Now, I was fully aware of what it represented. "There's a lot of things that do, but I am afraid none of them would be suitable for us both."
"Oh…" Theo looked sad. "Okay."
Simon walked out of the lockeroom and Theo motioned for me to follow him to the corner of the room. I wondered what this was all about.
"Are you handling…you know….the thing?" He asked.
I bit my lip. "It's harder than I thought. The urge to show off is nearly irrepressible."
"Did you figure out how you turned smart yet?" His brown eyes stared up at me.
I didn't know how to answer that. I guess I hadn't. I know what Dr. Wilson said, but part of me still can't fully trust that my genius is all naturally occurring. It feels supernatural. It's as if I have been given a superpower and a secret identity. I'm kinda like Clark Kent Alvin now. While Genius Me is Superman! Yeah! That explains it.
"I'm examining the possibilities, but I haven't drawn any solid conclusions yet. Maybe even though Dr. W isn't a space alien, there's an alien up in space priming me for an experiment. They could be sending out signals that travel at the speed of light and with each signal they send, I learn more and more and faster and faster. With my new brain, I would make one heck of a psychological experiment." I theorized.
Theo blinked. I realized I had no idea how much of that he understood. "Right. Yeah. That's possible."
"Have you got any theories?" I inquired. Ya can't spell theory without Theo. Maybe he knew the answer! Maybe this would be one of his burst of wisdom moments! Ohoho!
"I have one." He grimaced as if saying it hurt him. "Don't hate me for this, but maybe your Simon genes kicked in now that you're older?"
I tried not to get embarrassed. Simon and I were brothers. We did share the same gene pool. I knew that because he was always going on and on about how he couldn't believe we shared the same gene pool.
"Do genes work that way?" I adjusted my cap, looking over my shoulder briefly to make sure no one overheard me and Teddy boy.
Theo shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe."
The gears in my head started to spin. What did I know about genes? Not much. "I'm not sure how they work either. We didn't study genes in physics class."
Theo looked at the locker room door. "Do you think Simon would know?"
"He's gotta! Unless sucking at genetics is hereditary." I laughed. I wasn't even aware of just how funny that statement was until I learned more.
Theodore fidgeted with his hands in front of him. "Should we ask Simon?"
I frowned. Bad idea, Theo. "How are we supposed to do that without him finding out about me?"
He put his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Well…we….we tell him, Alvin. It's been a month."
My entire body tensed. Nervous system overdrive. "I don't think I'm ready yet."
"You have to do it soon." My bro insisted. "He's been so sad lately."
I shook my head. "This would make him mad instead of sad. Or sadder! You remember how bummed he was when he thought I beat his IQ score?" Oooh! I wonder if my IQ had improved with the rest of me! I'll have to give that online test another go.
"Hmmm." Theo rubbed his chin for a brief moment. "Yeah. Okay. Don't say anything." Phew!
"Class is about to start!" Simon opened the door to the locker room, startling us. We both jumped. "What's taking you so long?"
"N…N…Nothing." I stammered. "Nothin' at all."
I left the locker room with my brothers. It was time to play some sports! I still LOVED sports! Sports have so much physics in them too. Urgh, come on, brain. Stooooop! Please! Why was my mind so oversaturated with knowledge!? It better not hinder my ability to play volleyball or soccer.
Getting through gym class was difficult. I still knew how to play sports, but I was distracted left and right by noticing physics principles at play. Nevertheless, I persisted on and on. I managed to compensate pretty splendidly for the constant distraction. Urgh! Can I quit being so wordy!?
I got through the rest of the classes as I eagerly waited for it to be time to attend my new favorite extracurricular. In Miss. Smith's science class, I studied the periodic table. I had no idea if that was part of her lesson or not, but it was something I felt like doing. I gotta brush up on my elements.
After that, I had writing class. I wrote a poem about my feelings. I didn't give away any of the juicy details. All I did was write out the way I felt in that exact moment…about how I was losing it because I suddenly like school stuff. Well, I didn't mention the school stuff. I just wrote that I was losing it.
I really needed that talk with Jeanette that we scheduled for this evening. I had so much I wanted to say to her! But before I could get to her, physics class was next.
And it was awesome as usual. I learned so much. Dr. Wilson really understood me! I've never felt like I had a teacher understand me before. He was funny, he was witty, and he came up with the best ideas. Like PHYSICS JEOPARDY! I was almost the reigning champion, but one of my other classmates beat me by 3 points! Bummer. Still, Dr. Wilson gave me gummy worms as a participation prize.
Following my nerd out session, I had to meet up with Eleanor for soccer practice. I found myself calculating the speed at which the ball was rolling after being kicked. Then I calculated the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection. And then, I tripped over a soccer ball because I started thinking about my whole "am I a full nerd or just a bit nerdy?" dilemma AGAIN.
"Watch out, Alvin." The Chipette in the mint striped shirt and teal green skirt said, sounding a bit miffed.
I groaned. "I was watching." At least, I thought I was!
She picked up the soccer ball and twirled it on her finger. "Still off your game? You've been fumbling a lot lately."
"I'm just….going through things." I stepped back from her, feeling nervous and weird and all flip floppy.
She sat down in the grass and motioned for me to do the same. "This about Britt trying to force you to be popular again so soon?"
I stayed standing. "Yeah. Kinda." I said. "It's not that I don't want it back ever. I just wanted a tiny break. I'm not ready for break time to be up. Is she right though? What if I wait too long and turn into someone I hate being?" Like a total DWEEBUS!
Eleanor rolled her apple green eyes. "Don't let my sister get in your head." She advised me. "She doesn't know what she's talking about half the time."
"Alright. I'll ignore her as well as I can." The alarm on my phone buzzed. It was time to go meet up with Jeanette.
A short while later, I entered the treehouse carefully. "Are your sisters home?" I whispered.
She shook her head and then led me upstairs to her bedroom.
I noticed her pet mouse named Pippi was scurrying around on top of her bed. I sat down and tried to pet the small mouse, but she nipped at my finger.
"Pippi, no. That's not how we treat our guests." Jeanette scolded, picking up the white rodent and letting her rest on her shoulder. Is it weird for a chipmunk to have a pet mouse? Maybe. Probably, but Jeanette is real weird so it fits.
I have a best friend named Warbie who is a bird. I think that's pretty weird too. But before I go off on a tangent about him, we're moving on. I'm sure he'll pop up at some point in this story.
"What would you like to talk about?" Jeanette asked, as we both sat cross legged on her bed facing each other.
I caught her up on my whole school day and then launched into my other complaints and dilemmas.
She listened very intently, nodding every now and then. She also sneezed a few times and blew her nose on a tissue.
"That must feel very…stressful." She finally said, before sneezing a 5th time. Or was it 6th? "ACHOOO!"
"Bless you." I said reflexively. I hoped that she'd get over those allergies soon.
She sniffled. "Thanks." Pippi handed her a tissue.
Before I could have time to doubt if telling her this would make her allergies better or worse, I went off on another emotional tirade. "It does feel stressful! I can't process it!" I explained. "All my life I have thought that you can't be cool if you're nerdy and you can't be nerdy if you're cool. But now, I think that being nerdy…like REALLY nerdy IS cool." I stood up and paced the bed. "So my brain does this thing where it's like ERROR ERROR! Does not compute! Shutdown imminent!" I pretended to be a malfunctioning robot, making short and choppy motions with my arms. "Because it can't make sense of it!" Rant over, I flopped backwards on her bed, defeated by the confusion.
She peered down at me. "The theory that nerdy and cool don't overlap is just a stereotype. There's TONS of overlap." She waved her arms. "Like most things, it's a spectrum."
I stayed flat on my back. "So me feeling cool isn't just residue from my past life that will eventually fade into nothing?" I asked, looking up into her friendly face.
"Absolutely not." She took my hands and pulled me to my feet. Now we were both standing on the bed. Pippi ran around our feet, chittering incomprehensibly.
"You sure?" My voice sounded smaller than I expected it to.
She continued to hold my hands. "Alvin, I have known you for years and this is the first time I feel like I'm talking to someone who has a three dimensional personality." She gushed. "You have LAYERS now. Like an onion."
I scrunched my nose, trying to make sense of what she said. Why compare me to a zesty taco topping? "Do you have to use that analogy? Onions make me cry and I have cried plenty today!" Okay, that was an exaggeration. I cried like two times. But it FELT like a ton.
She let go of my hands and sat back down on the bed with her legs dangling over the edge. Pippi crawled into her lap. "My point is. You're whoever you want to be…and he doesn't have to just be a few things."
KABOOM! It was like someone had slapped my thought process. What she was trying to explain suddenly came into focus. "I think I get it now!" I exclaimed, jumping off the bed and landing perfectly on my feet. No klutzy mishap! "I'm nerdy AND cool! At the same time! And nobody else gets me because they haven't figured that out yet either!" I threw my hands in the air. "Ohoho! Thanks, Netta! You are amazing! Spectacular!"
Her cheeks turned a smidge pink. She twirled a strand of brown hair with her finger. "Aw shucks."
I felt better about myself now…and then something startled me and really shook me up. I felt tiny little legs crawling up my back. At first, I assumed it was Pipster, but I noticed she was still in Jeanette's lap. Oh no! "Yaaaaaah!"
"What's wrong?" Jeanette heard my scream.
I started jumping around the room, trying to shake the creepy crawly off me. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"
"Hold still." She ordered softly. "I think I know what's going on." She whistled a short and sharp sound.
Whatever was crawling around on my back, crawled off of me. Thank goodness. "What was that thing?" I asked, still jumpy. I'd been extra jumpy since the day I had my ego deflated.
"Mr. Snugglepet." Jeanette held something in her hands. I couldn't see what it was because she was covering it up entirely.
My ears twitched. "Mister who?"
"Snugglepet." She repeated. She uncovered the creature so I could get a good look at him or it or whatever.
IT WAS A BIG AND BLACK SPIDER! Now, I know what you're thinking. Alvin, you're a super brave and macho guy. Why are you scared of a little spider? I don't know WHY I'm scared of them! I just am!
"Ahhhhh!" I screamed again and Pippi rudely attempted to plug her large mouse ears. I jumped backwards and then tripped, falling onto my butt. "Get that thing away from me!"
The Chipette holding the monstrous spider looked disappointed. Aw nuts! I hadn't meant to make her sad. "Alvin, he doesn't bite. He's really a sweetheart when you get to know him. Come on, just give him one nice little stroke. He's more scared of you than you are of him."
"That's highly unlikely!" I squeaked, still jumpy.
She set the spider down on her nightstand. "Okay, okay, we'll work up to it." She opened up a large purple book with shimmery gold letters on the cover. Without my glasses on, I currently couldn't read what they said.
"That's a thick book." I commented. "What is it about?"
She grinned. "It's my spellbook. I've been looking for a spell to cheer up Simon."
"You mean a mind control spell? Cool!" I wiggled my toes and sat on the bed. "Can I try one on Miss. Smith to make her nice to me?"
Jeanette tilted her head and looked at me funny. "Mind control?"
"Yeah." I pointed out. "You'd be forcing Si to cheer up when he's not feeling it. It's basically mind control."
"Oh…" Her pretty mauve colored nose twitched. "I never thought about it that way. I just want to cheer him up somehow."
"So do I." I saw Mr. Snugglepet move on the nightstand and inched closer to Pippi and Jeanette. I didn't trust that spider. "But he won't say what's wrong."
She flipped through the magic book. "Maybe there's a truth spell we could use on him?"
I chuckled bitterly, knowing how she'd probably answer this one. "Think there's a spell to get my popularity back?"
She closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "Alvin, I thought you weren't ready for that yet. You're still trying to work on improving yourself."
I folded my arms and pouted. "I knoooow, but look how much I HAVE improved already. I mean, I totally crushed that math test today."
"You are very confusing." She told me softly.
I laughed. "Yeah. That about sums it up. Get it? Math? Sums?" WHY WAS I MAKING MATH PUNS!?
Jeanette chortled and then sneezed again. "HahahaACHOOO!" Oh, that's why. Jeanette liked my math jokes.
My eyes drifted back to the magic book. "So you're into both science and magic instead of just one or the other?" I questioned.
She nodded and then held her purple and blue polka dot pillow to her chest. "I think they both have an area of overlap."
"Speaking of science, I should probably get going." I looked out the window of her bedroom and stared at my house across the way. "Got a lot of homework to do, as usual. It feels like I can't ever catch up." I sighed.
"If you are ever open to a tutor…" The sweet girl in purple began.
Urgh! Why this conversation again? I don't need a tutor. I have to prove to myself that I can be responsible and conscientious without any adult involvement. Plus, I HATE being told what to do. "Don't need a tutor, Jean." I remarked. "I got it handled…somehow."
She didn't know what to make of that. "If you say so. It was nice seeing you, Alvin." She got up and picked her spider up from the nightstand. "Mr. Snugglepet says he's sorry he frightened you."
She and that spider were pretty cute, but I vowed never to touch him. "Sorry I screamed at ya." I told the 8 legged arachnid. I could have sworn that he waved one of his legs at me. Maybe I was imagining it.
I went back home and bounced around from assignment to assignment. That was my system for homework. A little bit of English, then science, then some history, then more science, then art, and more science with a bit of math. It was exhausting. When I finished, I didn't even bother to double check my answers. If they were right, they were right and if they were't they weren't.
I was basically a genius now so most of them were likely right. Although, perhaps I am getting a bit too overconfident. Wait! Is overconfidence a good sign? Maybe my ego is returning! I hope so! I only feel like I have a minuscule fraction of an ego currently. I estimate it's about 1/8th maaaybe 1/6th if I'm being generous.
That night, after everything was all set for school tomorrow, I decided to get a little fresh air. I know Jeanette is always telling me that fresh air helps brighten up your mood.
While I was out in the backyard, milling around, I overheard Simon's voice. I hid behind the grill so he wouldn't see me. What was he up to out here? I was about to learn…and I loved learning now, so I was excited!
He laid down in the grass and stared up at the sky with a melancholy facial expression. "I know Theo said that wishing on a star works. I think it's complete hokum." He muttered. "But, I am desperate." He took a deep breath and then stated his innermost desire. "I wish that I had someone, a good friend with whom to share my love of science."
I almost squealed. I hadn't expected this! I thought Si was happy having just one science friend in Jeanette. He definitely had a crush on her….I think.
He continued talking to himself. "I know I have Jeanette already, and she's great, but she's so busy with so many things…like green living club and yearbook committee, gardening class, and volunteering at the animal shelter." He lamented. "It feels like she's never around anymore."
Great. (Sarcasm) Now I felt bad for spending time with Jeanette earlier. She told Simon no and chose me. He could never find out. It would crush him.
I snuck back inside the house and got all ready for bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I wondered if there was a way I could help Simon out, you know, throw the guy a bone.
I could tell him I'm a genius and then we could be science bros together. BUT…that would have serious ramifications for my social life. Wait! I have a better idea! Oh yeah! This was the greatest idea ever! I was gonna cheer up my bro and keep my secret. It was foolproof. Unfortunately, dear readers, I'll have to wait until the next chapter of our tale to reveal it.
Boy, this was a long one, huh?
What do you think Alvin's idea is?
Also, what would you think of having some different characters get POV chunks in this fic too? Would that help flesh out their feelings a bit more?
I feel like this is 2.0's story first and foremost, BUT it's also every other Chipmunks' story too. Everyone gets developmental character arcs.
Reviews are helpful as always!