Lo and behold, it was Shelby Cassidy. She was one of Brittany's former friends from the cheerleading squad who, according to her big sister, failed to stand up for her against Missy and the rest of the squad when they shunned her after she hurt her knee. She did nothing more than just sit back and watch as her older sister was kept away from one of the major things in her life that had been super important to her.

It was a pretty typical mindset of the Chipettes where if you had bad blood with one of them, you had bad blood with all three of them. This was evidenced by the fact that she and Jeanette had both frozen Alvin out for a little while after the way he thoughtlessly broke up with Brittany. But there was actually history between Eleanor and Shelby as well.

Shelby used to be on Eleanor's soccer team back in middle school. While the two of them were never really close friends, they got along reasonably well. But once they had started high school, Shelby decided to try out for cheer. When she made the squad, she had to give up soccer due to not having enough time for both.

After that, Eleanor barely ever saw Shelby anymore. Well, other than during those sleepovers for the squad Brittany would host every now and then before she left the squad. Jeanette and Eleanor were always mandated to attend those by their eldest sister, despite their reluctance and even protests.

So given how Eleanor and Shelby rarely associated with one another anymore, what could she possibly want to talk with her about? And she said it was about her sister? The blonde Chipette realized she had to be talking about Brittany. And she felt a lump form in her throat. She knew in her heart it had to be serious for Shelby to be approaching her like this.

"This is about Brittany, isn't it?" Eleanor outright asked, as she eyed the blonde girl.

Shelby solemnly nodded, confirming what the youngest Chipette had already been aware of.

"You heard about the whole thing with Brittany in the hallway this morning, right? And how Missy and Erika were there?"

Eleanor scratched her head as she tried to think back to her first class. Biology was just thirty minutes ago, but it felt like she had been sitting in there for hours. She was extremely distracted throughout the entire period with her mind being on Brittany and the muffins the whole time.

However, Eleanor did vaguely recall some kids in her class talking about someone fainting in the hall and getting sent to the nurse after being hassled by a couple of cheerleaders. She never got to hear the name of the student in question though. Nor had she been up to participating in gossip at that time, so it did not even occur to her to ask. But now the pieces of the puzzle were all slowly starting to come together.

"Oh my God..." Eleanor said in barely a whisper, as realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

It was true. Brittany had passed out again. And now it appeared that even an old friend of Brittany's was concerned enough to track down one of her sisters and say something about it.

Of course, it made sense that Eleanor would be the one Shelby would go to over Jeanette. After all, she did know her much better due to having once been on the same soccer team. She wasn't sure if Shelby and Jeanette had ever even had a proper conversation before.

Despite the fact that Eleanor was still processing the concerning news she just figured out about Brittany, she braced herself to listen to more of what Shelby had to say. Though she was not really sure if she was prepared to hear it or if she ever would be. But still, it was important to find out what could be wrong with her eldest sister. And if Shelby knew anything that could help, Eleanor needed to know.

"I think I know why that happened." The wavy-haired girl continued to speak.

The green-clad Chipette nodded her head, letting her know she was ready for her to continue.

Shelby took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, as if she was trying to think of the best way to explain the whole story the way she needed to. After what felt like a million years, she started to speak once more.

"Well, it all started at the spring dance. After you guys finished your first set, I noticed Brittany over by the snack table. Then when I got closer, I saw her grabbing just about everything and shoving it all into her purse. I mean, I've never seen her eat like that before. Not in front of us, anyway."

Eleanor gulped, fearing the worst. This was starting to sound very similar to yesterday's muffin fiasco.

"Then what?" The Chipette pushed for more information. "Did you see her eat it?"

"Well, no." Shelby admitted with uncertainty lacing her voice. "I saw her run out of the gym after she grabbed what I think was as much as her purse could carry. I was concerned, so I tried to follow her. But by the time I made it out of the gym myself, I lost her. After searching all over the halls, I went into the bathroom. And that was where I found Brittany. But she was already in one of the stalls.. and... well..."

Shelby's green eyes darted all over the room. It was clear she was very hesitant to say exactly what happened next. But Eleanor had a bad feeling she already knew. She just needed Shelby to confirm it for her.

Eleanor put her hand on her former teammate's shoulder, her brown eyes peering into Shelby's green ones.

"Tell me." The Chipette pleaded. "Please. We're so worried about her."

Shelby nodded and reluctantly went on.

"It... it sounded like she was... puking in there."

Eleanor's heart practically caught in her throat as she continued to listen. She was definitely not liking where this was headed.

"I asked her about it. But I mean, she just brushed it off and said it must've been something she ate. She made me promise not to say anything. I agreed because I felt super bad about what happened after she left the squad. And my part in it. But after that article and seeing Brittany pass out after Missy and Erika gave her a hard time, I don't think I can keep quiet anymore."

Eleanor almost felt like she could pass out herself after hearing all this. She knew full well what the connection between Brittany grabbing all that food and vomiting implied. Even if Shelby didn't actually see Brittany eat any of it, it was not hard to put two and two together. And it explained so much too. It all lined up with everything else that had been going on with the oldest Chipette.

"I don't care what the media or other kids in school are saying." Shelby said with a sigh. "I don't think it's drugs. I think... I think Brittany's bulimic."

Eleanor felt as if she had just been punched in the stomach after Shelby's word sunk in. Her worst fears had been confirmed. But she knew this was exactly what all the evidence was pointing towards. It was impossible to deny it now.

"I know Brittany will probably never trust me again for telling you this. But I thought you should know. I mean, I'd wanna know if it was my sister."

Eleanor gave an understanding nod. She was still trying to process this all. But at the same time, she was also grateful to Shelby for coming to her with this.

"Thank you." Eleanor said softly to Shelby, offering her as much of a smile as she could considering her current state.

Shelby returned the smile and nodded in response, as she slowly turned around and carried on with the rest of her day.

Eleanor walked away from her locker. History class could wait. Right now, she needed to find out if Brittany was still in the nurse's office.

Just as Brittany was finally starting to drift off to sleep, she heard the sound of the door to the nurse's office opening with a click. She opened up her eyes, suspecting she already knew who it was. Sure enough, it was Dave. The closest person she had ever had to a father.

"Good morning, Mr. Seville." The nurse greeted Dave with a genuine smile as he walked through the door. "Thank you for getting here so quickly."

"It's no problem." Dave reassured her as his eyes scanned the room for Brittany.

When he spotted the auburn-haired girl lying down on the cot, he looked her over with a slight frown as his eyebrows knitted together. There was clear concern etched on his face as his gaze lingered on the teenage Chipette, but it seemed that he felt now was not the time to be bombarding the eldest Miller sister with a ton of questions. He then switched gears and gave her a soft, yet pained smile.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"

"All right, I guess." The Chipette said with a shrug as she suppressed a yawn. "Just really tired."

Brittany then started to sit up and stretched out her arms.

"You ready to go?" Dave asked the Chipette on the cot.

She slowly nodded her head as she picked up her pink tote bag, slid it onto her shoulder, and gingerly rose up from the cot. She then followed Dave out the door.

"Good seeing you again, Mr. Seville." Nurse Webber said as she gave him a smile.

The nurse then turned her attention to the teenage girl right behind him and spoke to her in a softer tone.

"I hope you feel better soon, Brittany. And remember what I said. You can stop in here anytime you want to talk."

Brittany simply responded with a weak nod as she tightened her grip on the straps of her tote bag. She was not about to start an argument with Nurse Webber right in front of Dave. The last thing she needed was for him to get suspicious of her too. Or for him to grow even more suspicious of her if he already was.

The young Chipette proceeded in letting her father figure lead her out of the office and into the hall of the high school. Luckily, all students and staff were still in classrooms. This left the hallway completely vacant. Brittany let out a huge sigh of relief. She was definitely not in the mood to deal with anyone else right now.

Soon enough, they made it out to the parking lot and over to Dave's old but well-maintained black minivan. Dave got into the driver's seat while Brittany slid into the passenger side. After both of them had their seat belts fastened and Dave adjusted the rear view mirror, he reached over to turn on the radio. Funnily enough, the song that just started playing happened to be Witch Doctor. A tune that anyone who knew Dave Seville or even just of him was familiar with.

Brittany closed her eyes and tried to relax in the passenger's seat as she heard the voices of The Chipmunks singing the words to the song she knew very well herself (despite the fact that she and her sisters had never actually performed Witch Doctor themselves). But Brittany could not relax one bit. She saw the look on Dave's face back at the nurse's office. It was the same one nearly everyone had been giving her lately. A mix of pity and concern. She feared it would only be a matter of time before he tried to uncover her secret too and maybe even succeed.

She wondered if Dave had read the article yet? And if so, did he believe anything in it? But then she tried to remind herself that if anyone could recognize the article for the load of bull it was, it would be Dave. After all, he had been working in this business since before any of the Chipmunks or Chipettes had even been born. So he should see past the web of lies the press was currently trying to spin about her. Right?

The unsettling thoughts stayed with Brittany from the time Dave had pulled out of the school up until he pulled up in front of the Seville house on the short drive. Brittany's eyes had fluttered open when Dave gently nudged her shoulder to let her know they had reached their destination. She then undid her seat belt, picked her pink tote up from the car floor, opened up the door, and started walking over to the Miller house next door.

"Brittany?" She heard Dave call out, which prompted her to turn around.

"Do you need me to come in with you and help you out around the house until one of your sisters gets back from school? Or maybe you'd like to come over to our house? If you need to rest, you can lay on the couch for a bit. And maybe I can make you a snack that might help you get some of your strength and energy back. I might not be the master chef that Theodore is, but I'm sure I could put together something."

"No, no. That's ok." Brittany responded somewhat nervously. "I'd really just like to sleep in my own bed right now. And I'd like to be alone, honestly."

"I understand." Dave nodded in agreement. "Would you at least like me to help you walk into your house?"

"No, I'll be ok. But thanks."

"All right. Well, just give me a call if you need me for anything. Today's my day off, so I'll be home all day. Also..."

Dave paused for a moment and Brittany noticed he looked uncomfortable with whatever he was about to say next. This got her heart racing as a huge knot formed in the pit of her stomach. Was he going to ask about her eating habits now? Or if there was any truth to the tabloids?

"Look, I don't want to push you." Dave said with a sigh. "Especially not right now, when you clearly need to relax. But just know that I'm here if you need me. Ok?"

"Ok." Brittany murmured in response with a forced smile as she walked away and slowly made her way into the Miller house.

Once she got inside and locked the door behind her, Brittany went right upstairs and straight to her bedroom without missing a beat. The plan was to simply stay in bed for as long as she could. No overeating or barfing for today. Just some much needed sleep. She was hoping she could hide out in her room when her sisters got home as well. She knew they were bound to find out about what had happened at school (if they hadn't already by now). And when they did, all the questions and pressure from them both would never stop.

Back at school, Eleanor was dashing towards the nurse's office. Just as she made it to the door that would lead her into the tiny room, she collided with someone. And of course, the person who crashed into her happened to be her other sister.

Eleanor shook her head slightly as she saw Jeanette fall to the floor. The younger Chipette extended her hand to help up the older one, who was now on the ground. Jeanette reached up with one hand to accept her little sister's help, as she fumbled with her now-crooked glasses with the other.

"Jeanette!" Eleanor blurted out as soon as the middle Miller was up on her feet and facing in her direction. "Did you hear about Brittany?"

The bespectacled Chipette nodded glumly.

"Someone in my calculus class mentioned it to me after class was over. I guess they were all talking about Brittany before class began too. I did hear a lot of whispering. But you know I don't listen to gossip. I actually assumed it was about that article I showed you yesterday. So I deliberately tuned it all out, figuring it would only upset me to hear it. But then this sweet girl, um... I believe her name is Sarah? I'm sorry to say I don't really know her that well. But she just told me about it after class and said she hopes everything is ok with our family."

"Well, I actually heard about it from Shelby Cassidy."

"You mean Brittany's old friend?" Jeanette asked while raising an eyebrow, probably wondering what Shelby would be doing talking to her.

"Yep, the same one who used to play on my soccer team in middle school."

Eleanor stood there for a moment as she bit her lower lip. She thought about whether or not she should tell Jeanette about the other half of her conversation with Shelby. She knew Jeanette definitely needed to know. But maybe they should go see Brittany first. Making sure their oldest sister was safe had to be the number one priority. She could reveal the newfound information after as they both figured out how to approach Brittany about it together.

"Well, let's go find out how bad this whole thing with Brittany really is." Eleanor finally said. "Maybe... maybe she'll finally tell us the truth about what's really going on with her."

Although the shorter Chipette was seriously doubting her own words as they left her mouth. Brittany had been refusing to talk to them about it this whole time. Even when it got to the point of her passing out. Why would right now be any different? And if what Shelby said about Brittany being bulimic was accurate, she knew it definitely was not the kind of thing that would just go away. It would continue to progressively get worse until it got to the point where...

But Eleanor shook her head and refused to allow her mind to go there. She did not even want to think about that possibility. She couldn't. She needed to believe Brittany was going to pull through. She and Jeanette needed their oldest sister now more than ever.

With a shaky hand, Eleanor reached up to the knob and turned it, as the taller girl followed closely behind her. They both approached Nurse Webber's desk. The nurse looked up from a piece of paper she was reviewing, pulled off her reading glasses, and smiled at the two Chipettes who were now standing right in front of her.

"Hi, girls." Nurse Webber greeted them. "I assume you're here for your sister?"

The two younger Millers both simultaneously nodded.

"Well, I'm afraid you just missed her. Dave Seville picked her up and took her home."

"Why weren't we told about Brittany coming in here and being sent home?" Eleanor demanded to know in an agitated tone of voice. "Ever since Miss Miller died last year, we've always been notified whenever stuff like this happens. Why did we have to hear about Brittany's dizzy spell from our classmates instead of from you?"

The look on Eleanor's face suddenly softened to a sheepish one with her body language becoming more apologetic as remorse replaced irritation. She realized she had just snapped at an adult. And one who was an authority figure, no less. Normally, Eleanor always tried to have respect for her elders. But considering that Brittany had literally been the only thing on her mind since last night and she was very scared for her well-being right now, she had forgotten all about her manners.

"Unfortunately, Brittany didn't ask me to notify you this time." Nurse Webber responded calmly, but firmly. "Since she's an emancipated minor, I can't just share information about her condition with anyone without her giving me explicit permission to do so."

"Can you at least tell us if she's going to be ok?" Jeanette asked as she pressed her lips together.

"I'm sure that Dave will take care of her as if she was his own daughter." Nurse Webber stated with the utmost confidence. "I've known him to be nothing but an extremely loving and dedicated father ever since his boys started going to school here. And I know he loves you three just as much as his own sons. Don't worry. Brittany's in good hands right now."

Jeanette and Eleanor both said thank you to Nurse Webber and were about to walk out of the office until the voice of the school nurse stopped them both in their tracks.

"You know," She started out. "If you both wanted to leave early for the day to help take care of your sister at home, I'm sure Principal Talbot would understand. I'd say this counts as a family emergency."

The two younger Chipettes looked at the nurse as she was speaking to them, then gave each other quick glances and nodded. They both continued on their paths out the door, clearly the same thing on both of their minds. When they were outside Nurse Webber's office and back in the hallway in front of her door, they started talking among themselves once again.

"So I guess we both know what we have to do now, right?" The younger girl stated.

"Yes..." Jeanette sadly agreed.

Then the brunette Chipette froze in place as her gentle green eyes widened. Suddenly much more alert, she added to her previous statement.

"Wait!" She cried out. "You volunteered to work the bake sale after school to sell your muffins. Remember?"

"Yeah, but don't you think this is more important? I'm sure they can find someone else to cover my table."

"You worked so hard on making those muffins, Eleanor. You deserve to watch them sell out, just like they do every year. Besides, I know how crazy things get once all the extracurricular activities are let out and every student in the school rushes to buy some pastries. I'm sure they could use all the help they can get."

Eleanor thought about what Jeanette was saying. She knew it made sense. But still, she felt guilty for leaving Jeanette to look after Brittany all by herself. Especially knowing what she now did about their big sister.

"It'll be ok." Jeanette soothingly told her younger sister, as if reading her mind. "I'll be fine taking care of Brittany by myself. I did it plenty of times when she was on bedrest after injuring her knee, remember? So you stay and I'll go home to be with her."

"Still, that doesn't seem very fair to you." Eleanor replied. "I know how important school is to you. Don't you have any tests coming up after the break?"

"Simon is in pretty much all the classes I have today. Well, except the one I have while he's at lunch. But that's just gym. Nothing I'll need to worry about missing there. So I can get any notes and assignments I'll need from him. And the only thing I have after school today is science club. I don't think they'll miss me just for today."

"Ok, if you're sure." Eleanor reluctantly accepted this plan.

"I'll go inform Principal Talbot right now then."

Just as Jeanette was about to head in the direction of his office, she was stopped by Eleanor calling out her name.

"Jeanette!" The green-clad Chipette cried as she called out.

The purple-clad Chipette stopped walking as she turned around to face her shorter sister.

"What's wrong?" Jeanette asked, her green eyes lighting up with concern as she leaned in closer.

The blonde Chipette stood there contemplating her next course of action. Just like earlier, she was wondering if she should tell Jeanette she suspected (well, she was about ninety-nine percent sure at this point) Brittany was bulimic. Well, of course she HAD to tell her at some point. But would this really be a good time?

The brown-eyed girl looked around at the bustling high school hallway. Somehow, she just felt like this was not the right conversation to have here. She was also aware of how upsetting it would be for Jeanette and knew she would not be able to stop crying once this sensitive information about Brittany was revealed to her. She should talk to her about it when she's had a chance to settle down and was in an environment where she could be comfortable. So as much as it killed Eleanor to hold back this information from Jeanette, this was not the time or place to share it.

Besides, knowing Jeanette, she would get so upset at hearing this, it would distract her horribly as she was walking home from school. Possibly cause her to get into an accident even on the very short walk. The last thing Eleanor needed right now was to worry about another sister. She started fiddling with the zipper of her spring green hoodie before she spoke up again.

"I need to talk to you about something when I get home." Eleanor informed her in a serious tone, while also avoiding eye contact and continuing to stare down at her zipper. "I just can't do it right now. Not here."

"Ok, I'll see you at home later. Good luck with the bake sale."

"Thanks."

And with that decision, the two younger Miller sisters parted ways. And Eleanor was left alone with her own thoughts again. Perpetually wondering whether or not she was doing the right thing by waiting on telling Jeanette about Brittany's very serious problem.

Later on when the school day ended, Alvin was sitting on a free-standing silver metal bench in the boys locker room gearing up for soccer practice. However, practice and the upcoming game were actually the furthest things from his mind. Instead, he was thinking about Brittany.

He had heard she was sent home not long after he found out about her having yet another dizzy spell and tried to talk to her about it until Senora Rodriquez sent him away. This had to be about the third time this had happened to his ex-girlfriend. It was the third incident he knew of, at least. He really wished he knew what was going on with her. But even more to the point, he wondered why he could not seem to get his ex off his mind.

Yeah, he had read all that crap they were saying about Brittany in one of those trash magazines too. It was impossible not to when Lindsay had literally shoved it in his face after he was "going over lines" (really, mostly making out) with her at her house for this semester's school play Mamma Mia. Lindsay had gotten the part of Sophie and Alvin landed the role of Sky. But during every rehearsal for the upcoming musical, Alvin kept finding himself fantasizing about what his life would be like right now if Brittany had been able to perform in plays at the beginning of the semester and been cast as the Sophie to his Sky instead.

He heard all the gossip and rumors about Brittany that were now spreading like wildfire as a result of that garbage written about her as well. But of course, he did not believe a single word of it. With Alvin and his brothers having been in the limelight since they were little kids and Dave knowing the whole industry inside and out, their father had always warned them from a very young age to be wary of the press. While many journalists were good and could potentially help their careers, there were also some out there who did not have their best interests at heart. Those were the ones who would write anything just to make sure they sold more magazines. Even if it meant telling blatant lies and damaging someone's reputation.

Alvin had heard from many of his famous friends (well really, more like acquaintances he only talked to a few times backstage or at parties) how vicious the paparazzi can be. He remembered the way all those reporters at the spring dance had been relentlessly hounding Brittany with all of those invasive questions. In true Brittany fashion, she handled it like a pro. But unfortunately, it looked like that was not enough to stop them from slandering her.

And they had the nerve to say that Brittany's "drug addiction" and "refusal to get help for it" was the reason he broke up with her? How dare they! They didn't know the first thing about either of them or their relationship!

This all made him so angry. Both for himself and for Brittany. And there was one other major thing gnawing away at him about all of this. Who was this supposed "anonymous source" that fed these so-called journalists all this crap? He'd like to know so he could give whoever this person was a piece of his mind.

Alvin pulled his red jersey over his head and picked his signature red cap up from beside him. He placed it on top of his head and then took a look at himself in the mirror on the wall across from where he was sitting. He smiled at his reflection. Still looking just as good as ever, even under the fluorescent lighting of the locker room. No one would ever guess how distracted and torn apart he was feeling on the inside.

Just as the red-clad Chipmunk started lacing up his cleats, he heard the footsteps of a teammate he was really not in the mood to chat with right now. His "friend", Scott Fallon. The most obnoxious guy on the soccer team and probably in the whole school, too.

Scott was constantly trying to show Alvin up and acted like he owned the place, even though everyone knew Alvin was the team's true star. But their rivalry was not one that actually challenged him and inspired him to give his all like the one he had with Brittany. It was much more malicious than that.

He also had a reputation for sleeping with girls and then leaving them after getting what he wanted. Something Brittany and Eleanor had both accused him of due to his not-so-great timing of breaking up with Brittany after they had sex for the first time. But Alvin knew that was far from the truth.

Sure, he was a lady's man himself. And maybe he should have thought his decision to end his relationship with Brittany through a little more. This was something that still haunted him many months later. But still, Alvin was nothing like Scott and never could be. He truly did care about Brittany, even if it didn't seem like it to others.

"Hey, Seville!" He heard Scott call out as he approached with a sneer. "You think your ex can score me some painkillers? My ankle's been killing me since I broke it freshman year."

"Get out of my face, Fallon!" Alvin grunted in an agitated tone of voice through gritted teeth.

A huge grin formed on Scott's smug face as Alvin continued to glare at him.

"Big mistake there, letting Miller go. I mean, don't get me wrong. Your girl Lindsay is smokin! But Brittany is such a fine piece of ass! I would've stayed with Britt and kept Lindsay on the side. Think about it, man! You could've lived out every guy's dream! You missed your chance in getting some from two different girls. Besides, you know what they say about how crazy chicks like Brittany are in bed! Just think..."

Alvin was getting increasingly more aggravated with every word coming out of Scott's mouth and now his blood was boiling to the point where he could no longer hold back. It was then that Alvin got up from the bench, grabbed Scott by the neck of his jersey, pinned him against the section of the off-white painted wall next to where the mirror hung, and clenched his free hand. His fist was about to connect with Scott's face until someone right behind him grabbed his wrist, preventing him from punching his rival.

"Dude!" The voice of the person who currently had a tight grip on Alvin's wrist exclaimed.

It was his best friend on the team, Andrew Cameron.

"Chill out!" Andrew tried to reason with his friend. "If coach catches you fighting, you're off the team! And then you'll get suspended from school after he reports you to Principal Talbot. We need you to win the big game, man! You're our best player."

Alvin took several deep breaths. As much as he wanted to pound on Scott so bad right now, he knew Andrew was right. He needed to think about the whole team here. He knew they could not afford to lose a great soccer player like him. Plus, Dave would ground him until he was eighty if he got suspended. Scott was not worth all of that.

The teenage Chipmunk let go of Scott's shirt and watched him fall back against the wall, looking a little more shaken than Alvin would have expected. Following this, Andrew released the Chipmunk's hand, which was no longer balled into a fist.

"You're lucky I actually care about the team!" The blue-eyed Chipmunk spat out with venom.

"Damn, Seville's gone psycho!" Scott taunted. "Looks like I was right when I said you never should've left Brittany. You guys are perfect for each other! You both belong in a nuthouse."

Alvin started to lunge towards Scott, only to once again be held back by Andrew.

"Watch it, Scott!" Alvin called after the teenage boy who was heading out of the vicinity. "Or I might have to re-break your ankle! And this time, I'll do it off school grounds so I won't get caught."

As Scott left, a bunch of guys who had apparently been watching the fight followed him out.

"You all right, dude?" Andrew asked his Chipmunk friend. "Never seen you go after anyone like that. What's gotten into you?"

The red-clad teenager shook his head as he tried to catch his breath.

"I don't know. When I heard Scott say all that stuff about Brittany, I just lost it."

"Yeah, we all know Scott's an ass. I wouldn't have even stopped you if I didn't care about you or the team, man."

There was a pause for about a minute before Andrew eventually spoke up again.

"You still care about her, don't you?"

"Who?" The red-capped teen asked as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Marge Simpson." Andrew replied sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes. "Brittany, obviously!"

Alvin sat there for a few seconds and pondered Andrew's question.

"Well, yeah." Alvin finally responded. "Isn't that normal though? To care about your ex? Especially with our history."

"Maybe." Andrew answered with a shrug. "But what's funny to me about this whole thing is that I've never seen you go off on anyone like that when they trash talk Lindsay. You know, your current girlfriend? Not even when the guys here call her a slut or an idiot. I mean, she's been the victim of so many blonde jokes and everyone talks about how easy she is and how they'd love to "get a piece of that", if you get what I'm saying. But still, you never..."

"Look, if you're trying to piss me off, it's working!" The Chipmunk cut his friend off as he clenched his jaw.

"My point is, you really need to figure out how you really feel about both Brittany and Lindsay. For the good of you and the rest of us on the team. Otherwise, it's gonna eat you alive and affect your game too."

With that advice hanging in the air, Andrew stuffed his gym bag into his own locker. He then walked over to Alvin one last time and gave him a pat on the back.

"I'll see you out on the field, all right?"

The teen Chipmunk nodded in response.

"Yeah, see you out there."

After his best friend left the locker room to join the rest of the team outside, this left Alvin alone in there with his thoughts. He knew deep in his heart that everything Andrew said was true. He never reacted that way over Lindsay, no matter how much people badmouthed her. So why did Scott's comments about Brittany cause him to explode like that?

Meanwhile, Eleanor had just walked away from her table at the bake sale. She had every intention of returning though. She was just super lucky that Theodore agreed to cover for her. He was totally the perfect boyfriend and the sweetest guy ever!

But before her mind could be clear enough for her to continue helping out at the bake sale, there was something important she needed to take care of first.


A/N: Another substantial chapter for you guys! Hope you all enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this one!

So now Eleanor knows! Poor girl. She has so much on her plate right now. How long do you think it will be until she tells Jeanette about Brittany?

And those of you who guessed the person approaching Eleanor last chapter was Shelby were one hundred percent correct! And pretty much everyone who took a guess did say Shelby or at least guessed that she was an option. Good job, guys! Just when it seemed like Brittany could start to warm up to Shelby again, she went and told Eleanor about her purging at the dance despite her promise (even though it was well-intentioned). How do you think Britt will take this?

As promised, there was a big scene for Alvin in this chapter! And now we finally got to meet a couple of his friends too!

What do you guys think of Scott and Andrew? And how shocked were you when Alvin almost punched Scott in the face for the way he was talking about Brittany? What do you think this means for Alvin? The poor Chipmunk is so confused himself!

Lastly, where do you think Eleanor is headed off to? We'll find out in chapter 19, of course!

Thank you again to everyone who has read, reviewed, PMed, followed, and added this story to your favorites list! And also thank you to everyone who's followed and favorited me as an author! It truly means the world to me to know how much you all enjoy my work. It's why I always try to continue updating this fic, no matter how crazy my life gets!

I know I'm not exactly the fastest updater. Being a mommy is my number one job and has to take priority over everything else. Still, I hope these chapters have been worth the wait!

Just a quick note to everyone who reviewed or PMed me about my last chapter: You might want to check your PM box on this site to see if I responded if you weren't emailed about it. It appears the notification glitch from a few months ago is back. I was really hoping it would be fixed before I published this chapter, but I was ready to post and didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. But yeah, I did try to answer all reviews/PMs from the last chapter.

I also want to respond to my two guest reviewers since I can't PM you guys.

BritXAlvin: I'm so glad you enjoyed the longer chapter! It was a lot of work to write, but so worth it. And you were right about Shelby being the one who approached Eleanor! I hope you enjoyed Alvin's part in this chapter! And yes, I definitely have a lot more scenes planned out for him. Plenty of Alvittany moments to come too! Thank you for your sweet review.

Guest: Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me that you took the time to read all the chapters in this fic so far and leave me a review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks again for your continued support, everyone! I look forward to reading your feedback on this chapter.

Until next time!