Before the End of the Semester

"Oh, that Alvin! Thinks he's so funny." Brittany tries once again to fix her hair as the chipettes enter their room.

"I'm all sticky," Eleanor's disappointed tone says it all.

"Other than the ending, the party was fun, wasn't it?" Jeanette asks congenially. Always trying to find the good in things despite there being very little to feel good about thanks to the sour note the sisters left the party on.

"But it was our first New Year's party—and he ruined it," Brittany says through gritted teeth.

"Jeanette has a point though," Eleanor says, picking at the end of her blouse that has turned crusty after drying. She sighs. "It was fun until the end."

At this, Brittany simply huffs.

Eleanor and Jeanette exchange a look.

"He's so obnoxious!"

Eleanor and Jeanette smile. Their sister is far from being finished with her rant. The night may no longer be young, but it still may go on a while.

It really had been a fun party. A New Years party thrown at a lakeside house—one of Alvin's friends from the football team.

Alvin, a football player, and Brittany, a cheerleader, have an automatic invite to all parties. Eleanor too thanks to her status on the soccer team, and everyone knows where Eleanor goes, Theodore is sure to follow (or be dragged along). And because of this, Dave and Miss Miller insisted on the final siblings going along as well despite Simon's insistence that he didn't need to go and Jeanette's plea that she didn't have anything to wear.

Too bad.

(Simon had a bitter suspicion that he was forced to go in order to make sure Alvin stayed out of trouble.)

So the two trios found themselves at their first official New Years party. It had been everything Alvin claimed it would be and Brittany had been hoping for. Strings of lights glittering throughout the house and back patio, a constant stream of music through the air, everyone dressing their best, and a good mood all around.

Much to her surprise, Jeanette did have a good time. The chipettes had arrived "fashionably late" upon Brittany's insistence. Almost immediately, Brittany took off. She had friends galore at this party and needed to start making the rounds to say hi to each and every one of them.

Eleanor stuck around with Jeanette a while until she got to talking to some of her teammates. Slowly, and unintentionally by Eleanor, Jeanette got phased out of the conversation which is just fine with her because then she initiated her plan on how to survive at parties.

She began to walk. Constant movement meant she couldn't be caught by anyone she didn't know or didn't want to talk to until she found someone she did want to be around. And this house was huge. It would take a while for her to make even one lap through all the rooms on the ground floor. Her strategy worked because after barely ten minutes of milling about, she ran into Simon.

Simon had seemed relieved to see her, claiming he had been ditched by Alvin and had lost Theodore who had been in search of a snack table.

"There's a snack table?" Jeanette hadn't known.

"Yeah, you want something? Care for a drink?"

"That would be nice."

And so they went and got a couple sodas because Simon warned her not to trust a punch bowl at any party. Jeanette had seen enough Brittany-choice movies to know this tidbit, and she told Simon as much. They had shared a laugh.

They spent a couple hours this way—talking, laughing, walking around. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the duo who usually found themselves together at events like these, especially with their siblings. Their complimentary personalities and shared interests often made experiences more enjoyable. They even shared a dance or two near the end.

The whole night had felt…different. A good different, Jeanette decided. The whole party had felt almost like a date. The two of them hanging out, Simon offering her refills on her drink, keeping her spot on the couch when she went to find a bathroom, even complimenting how she looked tonight (a Brittany choice of clothing along with a patent Brittany Makeup Touch-Up, demanding that her sisters look their best for their first, full-fledged New Years party).

Jeanette felt herself reciprocating these things, almost automatically. She leaned against him while they sat on the couch, she told him how well he wore the sport coat he had on in place of his usual hoodie, laughed at all his jokes (though that one was definitely automatic, she always found him funny).

Near midnight, everyone made their way outside despite it being so cold. Simon had put his arm around Jeanette the moment she started to shiver. She happily snuggled against him and threw him a grateful look. He couldn't seem to look at her, though, clearing his throat and instead telling her about the constellations visible this time of year.

Two minutes away from midnight and Jeanette finally finds her younger sister in the crowd standing next to Theodore. Eleanore waved and Jeanette waved back. Theo seemed distracted, staring at the floor with a look on his face that seemed stuck between worried and confused. His eyes had met Simon's, who gestured to Theo in a way Jeanette could not interpret.

"What was that about?" Jeanette had asked. "Is Theo ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. He's just trying to—" Simon cut himself off. "He's nervous. First New Years party and all that."

"Ah. Poor Theodore. But Eleanor's with him. He'll be fine."

For some reason, Simon's arm tightened around Jeanette. She looked at him, but he was looking around at the crowd.

Despite the dozens of people who surrounded them, the cold wind still broke through and hit the back of Jeanette's neck, causing another shiver to run down her spine. She tucked herself further against Simon, even going so far as to place her head on his shoulder, her forehead pressed against his neck.

"Thanks for the warmth," Jeanette teases, but with gratitude in her tone.

Jeanette could feel Simon swallow. "No—No problem."

It's crazy how comfortable she always feels with Simon. Never nervous, never worried, never silly. Just happy. It truly shows how powerful a presence he had with her if she's standing in the middle of a crowd—something she'd never choose to do—and still feels fine thanks to being by his side.

The countdown began. Jeanette found herself looking at the stars, grateful to be sharing this moment with her best friend.

Ten…

Nine…

"Jeanette?"

"Yes, Simon?"

"Would—Would you—do you—I mean, I was wondering if…"

Seven…

Jeanette lifted her head to look at Simon.

Six…

Simon looked back at her with an expression she's never seen before. One she could not decipher.

Five…

"If you…"

Four…

Jeanette took back what she said before. Her heart began sprinting, like it was running for its life. Her mouth dried up, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

Three…

Simon's mouth closed with a click of his teeth. One of his eyes twitched, and he seemed to be frozen in place.

Two…

"Simon?"

One…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the entirety of the party shouts simultaneously.

Then it all happened at once. Firecrackers go off, the shouts echoed into the night, and, most unexpectedly, liquid started raining down on them from above. A true downpour of a sweet and sticky mess. Instead of a chorus of auld lang syne, there are screams.

Turns out, Alvin and many of his football buddies had gotten a hold of the sparkling grape juice and champaign meant to be toasted with after the big moment and instead shook them to the point of bursting so when the moment did happen, the world was drenched in a beige rain.

When it had stopped, Jeanette peaked from behind her hands and saw a sopping wet Simon Seville looking more dejected than he's ever looked before. Jeanette saw him glance to where Theodore and Eleanor were, and she quickly looked too. Both were equally drenched. Theodore eyes found Simon's and shook his head sadly before going back to patting Eleanor on the back, who looked very much like she was trying not to cry.

Jeanette turned when she heard her other sister shriek, Alvin's name on her lips, cursing the day he was born. He had the decency to give her an apologetic smile before sprinting away.

"Come on," Simon had placed a hand on Jeanette's back. She was surprised to hear disappointment in his voice instead of anger towards his brother. "Let's go see if we can find you something to dry off with."

"I just—I just—!"

Eleanor and Jeanette brace themselves for another Brittany rant. They would have counted the number of rants on the way home, but there had been no break. It was one long, endless stream of anger towards the red-clad chipmunk.

Instead of continuing, however, Brittany's shoulders sag and she heaves a sigh more dramatic than anyone in theatre club could hope to achieve. "I just…I thought he was going to kiss me tonight."

Eleanor's eyebrows shoot up and Jeanette can feel her mouth fall open.

"Kiss you?" Eleanor asks, immediately rushing over to where Brittany sits on her bed, settling to one side of her.

"Are you sure?" Jeanette says, taking a seat on the other side.

Brittany's lower lip trembles, yet no tears fall. "We hung out all night. I flirted so hard. I did all the tricks I could think of. I twirled my hair, I batted my eyes, I touched his arm, I laughed at his jokes. And I know when he's flirting back—he totally was! He gave me those Alvin smiles of his, and that stupid smirk when he tugged my ponytail. He even did that thing where he was leaning in while I was resting against the wall. But then, when we all went outside, he—I don't know—he got this funny look in his eye, and then said he needed to use the bathroom."

Brittany crosses her arms and legs, a clear nonverbal sign of her discontent. "I should have known something was up when he wouldn't take his hands out from behind his back. Silly me thought it was shy gesture, like he was nervous about kissing me or something."

Brittany bites her trembling lip but doesn't succeed in holding back tears this time. As the first few slide down her cheeks, Jeanette and Eleanor immediately go into Sister Comfort Mode, all coos and kind words. Brittany, in her usual Brittany way, gratefully takes all the attention.

But then—

"No!" Brittany stands up, fists on her hips, stance wide. "No, this is not happening. I'm not doing this. I'm not shedding any more tears for him! I'm done. Done, I tell you!"

"Done?" Jeanette says skeptically.

"Done with what, exactly? Done with Alvin?" Eleanor asks.

"Done with this dance we're doing! I'm ending it."

"Ending it how?" Eleanor dares venture the question.

Brittany turns and faces her sisters with her power stance. "How old are we?"

Jeanette wrings her hands together. She knows the answer but fears what's coming if she answers. "Um…seventeen?"

"Yes! Juniors! Second semester now! And have we had dates? Any of us?"

The silence from her sisters is answer enough for Brittany. "See?! We are young, we are beautiful—we are international music stars for crying out loud! We sing about love all the time, and none of us have even been kissed! Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"W-Well…" Jeanette can't seem to find her voice beyond that word. Brittany makes a compelling point. They do sing about love despite not having any experience with it themselves.

"What if we're waiting for The One?" Eleanor crosses her arms, going on the defensive.

Brittany leans in towards her sister by bending at the waist. "You've met The One, Eleanor. Theodore is crazy about you! He adores being around you, hanging out with you, cooking with you, watching your games—he's yours! He just hasn't made it official yet."

Eleanor ignores the blush on her cheeks. "What are you suggesting exactly?"

"I'm suggesting," Brittany says, standing up straight again, "we need to make this happen. We need to experience life! At the very least, we need to go on dates—real, official dates. I am proposing that before the end of the semester, each of us will have gone on one date. Doesn't matter who we go with or what we do. We just need a date."

At her sisters' silence, Brittany makes her argument more specific. "Eleanor, think about it, maybe be slightly more obvious with your flirting, say a few pointed things, and Theodore will get the hint. He's just shy. He wants to make sure you'll say yes."

"You think?"

"I know."

Eleanor's sheepish smile tells Brittany she's got one sister. She turns to address the other. "And Jeanette, maybe if you start flirting with Simon, he will see you as more than a study buddy. You are a vibrant, beautiful, mega-smart chipette with a voice to die for. He'd be lucky to take you to the movies."

Jeanette's cheeks go scarlet. Her older sister certainly knows what points to hit.

"And you? What about Alvin?" Eleanor raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, Alvin won't know what hit him with the amount of signs I'm going to be throwing his way." Brittany's smile turns into something almost wicked. "And if not, well, I suppose he will just have to get in line because if he doesn't ask me out by Valentine's Day, I'm making it known to the rest of the school that Brittany Miller is available."

Brittany takes a deep breath, puffing herself up to her full height. "So what do you say, girls? Shall we take the chipmunks' world by storm?"

The other two chipettes get to their feet, and all three shout their affirmation. That is, until Miss Miller comes in to demand their silence. It's well past one in the morning at this point.

"Sorry, Miss Miller," the girls say in unison.

"It's alright, dears, just please go to bed. Not all of us have the energy of a teenager." As she moves to close the door, she leans back and asks, "And how was the party, girls?"

"Enlightening," Brittany says cryptically.

Miss Miller, who is still half asleep, says, "That's nice. I want to hear all about it tomorrow." And she closes the door, muttering to herself about needing a strong cup of coffee tomorrow.

"Well." Simon says when the three brothers have finally made it to their bedroom. They had to do a brief check-in with a barely-conscious Dave who was happy to see them all back in one piece and getting along. No one was shouting at Alvin, at least, which meant a successful night according to Dave. Simon had assured him all was well then ushered him back to bed. The eldest sibling had then given his two younger brothers a single look, one they knew well, and silently followed him upstairs.

"Well what?" Alvin grumbles back, anxious as to what his brother is about to say.

"For all your bravado, Alvin, I'm surprised you're the one who chickened out."

"I did not chicken out!"

"Shhhh," Theodore tries quieting his brother. "You'll wake Dave."

"Yes, please keep your voice down, Alvin," Simon agrees. "I'd rather not have to explain to Dave what it is that happened tonight."

"I did not chicken out," Alvin says again through his teeth.

"Really? Then what was that stunt you pulled?"

"The guys—you know the guys, they just had to have their fun. And I'm the biggest fun there is! How could I not participate?"

Simon quirks an eyebrow. "Participate, not instigate?"

Under his brother's intense gaze, Alvin can feel himself cracking. "Perhaps I had a genius idea to make the first moment of the new year memorable."

"I thought we already had a plan for that," Simon bites out. "We all agreed on it."

"What if it was a stupid plan?!" Alvin bites back.

"I thought it was a good plan."

At Theodore's soft declaration, the feuding brothers feel themselves deflate. Simon moves to put a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. "You really were going to do it, weren't you? You seemed to be mustering all your courage."

Theodore shrugged sadly. "She looked really pretty tonight."

Alvin scratches the back of his head, feeling himself sink deeper into guilt. "Sorry, Theo."

Simon shakes his shoulders and straightens himself, as if shrugging off the entire night. "Well, back to the 'every man for himself' plan."

"What?!" The horror is extremely evident in Alvin's voice. "What about 'sinking or swimming together'?"

"Apparently, we all sank in a rain shower of champaign and sparkling grape juice," Simon says pointedly. He sighs. "Listen, maybe kissing the chipettes in the New Year tradition was a little too…lofty of an idea. Perhaps I should have suggested something smaller." He looks at the floor. "Without a crowd."

"It—It was a good idea," Alvin admits. "I just…I did chicken out. I'm sorry."

Simon wants to ask why. From what little he saw of Alvin and Brittany tonight, they were certainly tuned in to one another. Like a perfectly synced melody. All smirks and flirty touches and laughs and sharp yet harmless remarks.

But then he remembers the moment he froze. He could hear the countdown. When it hit four, he had—he just—he couldn't…

She had been so pretty. And so close. She smelled nice and fit perfectly against him. It was like a perfect moment. A moment he didn't want to share with the rest of his class, and suddenly it felt like the entirety of the crowd was staring at him, daring him to screw this up, to be laughed at, to be rejected by the only one he has eyes for.

If Alvin was feeling anything Simon had been feeling in that moment, he can't blame him. Which is why he isn't yelling. Simon decides to stay silent instead of continuing to torment Alvin since he's no better. He was chickening out too. Alvin had just lost his nerve a little sooner.

Turns out, Theodore might have more bravery than his two older brothers combined.

"So what now?" Theodore asks.

Simon sighs. "Now, we sleep. We go to school. We do what we've always been doing."

"Pining like the pathetic munks we are?" Alvin grumbles as he moves towards the door.

"Waiting patiently," Simon says pointedly. "No reason to scare them off if they don't show signs of reciprocation. Maybe it was a good thing—hey, where do you think you're going?"

"To shower?" Alvin says with a disarming smile.

"Oh no you don't." Simon crosses his arms. "You were the one who got all of us dirty in the first place. Theodore, you get first shower. Alvin, you get last shower."

"But—!"

"And if you have any arguments, perhaps Dave would like to hear my reasoning as to why you should be last to get cleaned up?"

Alvin flops himself down on the floor and mutters to himself. Theodore makes his way to the bathroom. Simon heads over to his nightstand and picks up the book he had been reading. He also seats himself on the floor, not wanting to make his bed as dirty as he is.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" Simon's eyes don't leave the page. He isn't reading, but he likes to pretend he's reading when he'd prefer to be left alone to his thoughts. (Jeanette tucking herself against him, feeling her warmth at every point of contact.)

"Were you going to do it?"

Now Simon does look up. He stares at Alvin for a long moment before letting his eyes fall back to the page. "I would have liked to."

If Alvin takes that as "I chickened out too", then so be it. Either way, what happened, happened. And Simon would just like to get back to school, into the normal routine of seeing Jeanette in a safe, non-date environment where he doesn't have to worry about being rejected. Or worse, her saying yes and him somehow screwing things up.

A/N: Guess who's back with another story that was meant to be a one-shot but is instead turning into a chapter fic? Felt this story in my bones. Had to write it down. A couple other one-shots are stirring in my brain too. Hopefully, I'll get them all jotted down here too.

This story is courtesy of me remembering the Chipmunk movies exist, rewatching Chipwrecked, and having a grand old time with it.

I hope you enjoy! Review and tell me what you think, please!