This fic is a request from a friend named raccstel. I made it as part of a Secret Santa exchange in a Discord server.

It was a fun challenge! I've always wanted an excuse to do a Classic Alvin flashback fic and since Alvin 2.0 will be going Classic Mode during the first chapter of the meds fic, this is great practice.

It was tough for him, definitely, but I hope you guys enjoy this little experiment in writing something a bit more similar to the TV show than the 2.0-verse usually is.

ALVIN 2.0: I must say, I think I did PHENOMENAL! Writing as Classic is DIFFERENT and I like it. It's fun being 2-3 different people depending on a numerous amount of factors.

OPERATION: FIND A PAL

Alvin 2.0's POV

After a grueling day of busy work and once again getting scolded for being too off-topic during class discussions, I was ready to sit back, kick my feet up, and veg out on the couch.

I'm attempting this thing where I nap or at least lie down and rest a little between school and the rest of my day. It's hard for me to switch from work-only mode to fun-and-work mode. And it's even harder to switch to fun-only mode on those rare days when I have NO HOMEWORK! I hope this new method makes mode switchin' easier. Time will tell.

I laid on the couch and closed my eyes, but I couldn't fall asleep. I heard the front door slam and worried it was Dave. Even though he's nicer about letting me take breaks these days, the usual response is still deeply ingrained in me. If it was Dave, I didn't want him seeing me lounging on the couch! How unproductive!

I bolted upright and then jumped to the coffee table and then to the floor. I slunk along the wall, tip toe-ing ever so cautiously into the hallway…to find Simon in a blue hoodie over his basketball jersey and his stylish oval sports glasses. (He wears those for basketball so that his usual round glasses don't slip down his nose and block his shots.)

My brother immediately spotted me and twirled the basketball he was holding on his finger to show off. A smug grin crossed his face. He knew I was still jealous of his basketball skills and his popularity.

"Hey, Si." I greeted him casually. "Let me guess, just got back from the 'ol B-Ball club?"

He dribbled the ball into the kitchen. "You know it."

"Careful with that thing!" I warned him. "You know how Dave is about playing ball in the house!" I paused as another thought occurred to me. "Or is that only a rule that applies to me?"

Simon looked uncomfortably guilty and tucked the basketball under his arm. "No, no. It applies to all of us. I'm just….excited."

"Oooh!" My curiosity, one of my very best qualities, piqued. "What's got you all hyped? You're usually the last guy to show hype about anything." I said.

"It's none of your business, Alvin." He had snapped from jock-Simon mode back to usual Simon mode.

"Aw, come on! I can't even have a little hint?" I pouted, following him into the dining room.

Theodore was there eating a sandwich. I think it was peanut butter and jelly, but that's an irrelevant detail and I'm supposed to be learning to leave out irrelevant details.

"Hi, guys!" Our little bro waved at us.

"Hi, Theodore." Simon responded, before narrowing his eyes at me. "No hints."

I followed Simon and when he climbed into a chair, I sat next to him. "Why can't I have a hint?" I demanded. "And why can't I know? Is it a secret? Are you worried I'll wreck it?"

"It doesn't involve you." He stated with an eerie calmness that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Who's involved?" I asked, staring directly at Simon, wearing him down until he eventually gave up and told me whatever big secret he was sittin' on.

"It's none of your business, Alvin." Theodore licked some grape jelly from his fingers. "It's between Simon and Dexter."

My brother in blue let out a heavy sigh. His secret had been partially foiled! Tough break, Si.

"Ohoho, so that's why you're keeping it from me. You don't want me to hang around with your buddy and steal him from you." I guessed out loud. "Like what happened with Jamie."

Simon rolled his eyes. I guess my hypothesis was waaaay off.

"It's not a Jamie situation. Besides, Dexter's never going to be your friend, he finds you creepy and insufferable." The brown haired Chipmunk sliced into my self-esteem with those words.

I tried my best to ignore it. Some days were easier than others. I don't take rejection well.

"Creepy!? Insufferable!?" I shrieked. "Theodore, are you hearing this?"

Theodore looked from me to Simon and back. "I don't really have a choice. Yeah." He sighed. "I just wanna eat my sandwich in peace."

"It's your own fault." Simon told me sharply. He set the basketball in the chair next to him and rested his hands on the table. "You haven't exactly given Dexter the best first impression. And the second impression he got was your raging physics nerd side."

"Ohhh." I murmured. I knew my intensified nerd side was an acquired taste.

"You tried to teach him quantum mechanics because he asked you how to make a trick shot." Simon couldn't stop reminding me of my misdeeds.

At least my intentions were good.

"I was tryin' to help!" I protested, before letting my mouth move faster than my wiser mind bits. "No offense, Si, but your pal is….kinda an idiot."

He scowled at me from across the table, while Theodore just watched our bickering and slowly chewed his sandwich.

"Call my friend an idiot one more time and I will personally drop your favorite Dr. Zap comic in the pool." Simon threatened, pounding a fist on the table.

I gasped and clutched my heart. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." Simon folded his arms.

"Can we all take a minute and appreciate how amazing it is that Simon has a friend?" Theodore interrupted us. He finished the last bite of the sandwich and then continued. "And not just a school focused friend like Warren or Kevin! A SUPER CLOSE FRIEND! One that he can share everything with and have sleepovers with and one who agreed to visit the science museum with him, even though he doesn't like science at all! He's doing that for Simon! Isn't that sweet of him!?"

"Dang nabbit, Theo." Simon grumbled. The full secret had been spilled now.

I felt my tail start to twitch and my ears wiggle. "Yeah! It's awesome!" I agreed, before latching on to the last words Theo said. "You guys are going to the science museum!? Is that why you didn't want me to know?"

"Yes." Simon admitted, looking very irritated. "Because you're not invited to come along. And, if you happen to show up with Jeanette there on the same day as Dexter and I, we will make the next week of your life MISERABLE. You got that? Do you understand?"

I slunk lower in my chair. Aw nuts. There went my plan. The worst part about thinking more like Simon and Simon thinking more like me is that we can predict each other's moves quite frequently.

"Yeah." I muttered, upset my plan was foiled. I wanted to go to the museum too! "I understand."

"Thank you." Simon's face brightened a little.

"Why ya smiling?" I tapped my fingers on the table, trying to shove aside the boredom, as I was so accustomed to doing.

"I'm thinking about what Theodore said." The boy in blue confessed. "I never imagined I would ever have a friend like Dexter."

I laughed pretty hard. "Neither did we."

Who would have predicted that Simon would bond with a sporty guy? A guy who talks like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and who thinks Steve Jobs is "that wheelchair dude." (Wrong! It's Stephen Hawking.)

"We were really worried about you." Theodore said softly to Simon. "Remember that time me and Alvin…"

"Alvin and I." Simon and I both said in unison. We did that so much it was hardly even scary anymore. But, it still made my stomach a little queasy.

Theodore blew up his hair fringe with a huff. "Do you really have to correct my grammar? I'm trying to say important stuff."

"Sorry." I felt my cheeks warm up. Having the habit of correcting other people's grammar was embarrassing. Whyyyy did managing my ADHD unleash a hidden Simon-brain!?

"Go on, Theodore." My bespectacled bro politely allowed Theo space to talk more.

Theodore grinned a cheerful grin and played with the zipper on his two toned green and lime green jacket. "Anyway,…" He began. "Remember when we both tried to find you a friend, Simon?"

"I recall it somewhat, yes." His lip trembled. "It was a rough time in my life."

"I was still….just plain Classic Alvin then." I glanced down at the cyan shirt and red vest with a green alien head pin that I was wearing. It served as a stark reminder that I was so much more than Classic Alvin now. But, he's still a big part of me. He just has…add ons!

"Yeah." Theodore sighed wistfully and stared at the ceiling. "It feels like ages ago."

"It does." Simon murmured.

"A whole lifetime ago for me." I added. Then, as I watched them stare up at the ceiling, thinking about our past, an idea popped into my head. "Are we trying to trigger a flashback sequence or something? Maybe we need some harp music! Who do we know who can play the harp?"

Both of them just laughed at me. Was I being too meta again?

I didn't care if ANYONE thought I was too meta. I wanted a flashback sequence, darn it! I closed my eyes and imagined the scene rippling before me. I also imagined the perfect chord, played delicately on a harp. It was working! I was triggering the memory in my head! Ohoho here we go!

Classic Alvin's POV

HEEEEY! WHAT'S UP, PARTY PEOPLE!? Boy, it is good to be back! I get to narrate most of this story! Ain't that totally awesome!? I missed this mindset so much! Being Classic Alvin makes everything seem so un-serious and so funny! However, uh, well, not ALL of this will be funny. You've been warned.

I'm stalling. Oops. Okay, let's see….how do I start this? I hope you guys like hurt/comfort stories, because boy have I got a doozy! And the way to start will come to me….right about….now!

It was another typical day in our house. Dave had yelled at me for so much that I didn't remember or care to remember. Theodore was working on making a friend for his clay blob person named Mr. Lou. (Now there's a story for another time.) As for Simon, he was missin'. I needed him to help me fix my busted up bike, but he was nowhere to be found.

How did the bike get busted, you ask? Funny story. Eleanor bet me I couldn't jump a chasm on my bike and I proved her wrong! Then, just when I was celebrating my win, the bike rolled away and fell into the chasm. I was sure the dents wouldn't be that hard to fix, especially for Simon. He can fix ANYTHING! Someday, maybe he can teach me to fix stuff myself. Naaaah, that sounds like way too much work.

Whatever. Point is, I was tryin' to track down the elusive Simon. To do this, I walked through the whole house and called his name.

No answer and no luck.

I entered the music room and poked Theodore in the back.

"YAH!" He threw his lump of turquoise clay in the air.

I used my amazing reflexes to catch it before it could get smushed by landing on the floor.

"Have you seen Simon?" I asked, setting the half made clay figure back on the small kiddie table Theo had brought inside the room.

He shook his head. "Nuh uh. He's probably helping Dave with computer trouble again."

"I've checked the whole house. He ain't here." I started to pace. It helped me think. Thinkin' wasn't something I liked to do, but if Simon was missin' then this was a crisis situation that required thinkin'.

Theodore put his clay figure in a container to keep it safe. "Maybe he doesn't wanna be found."

"Hmmm." I rubbed my chin. "If he doesn't wanna be found, then we gotta look even harder."

Theodore looked confused, but he followed me around. "Why do you wanna find Simon anyway?"

"I just wanna know he's safe." I half-fibbed. "And, you know, if he is, then maybe he can fix my bike."

"Oh Alvin." My baby bro in the green hoodie sighed.

We searched high and low for Simon and came up empty handed. Where could he be!?

At last, we heard shuffling footsteps. Theo and I hid under my bed and watched as Simon came out of his secret closet lab that we were rarely allowed in.

"There he is." I whispered. "Do you think he's working on a top secret invention? Do you think he'll let me test it? But, you know, I only wanna test it if it's a cool invention. I hope it is!"

Theodore frowned and whispered back. "I can't tell what he's doing, but he looks sad."

We both watched as Simon sat down at his mini desk and then slouched forward. He wasn't doing anything! He was just sitting totally still! Who can possibly sit that still!? Does he ever get bored? I feel like I'm always board. Oops, wrong spelling. Hey, do you ever wonder why board and bored are said the same way and yet mean two completely different things!? I do.

Moving on. After like two solid minutes of watching Simon do nothing, I rolled out from under the bed and approached him.

Theodore followed, looking unsure what to say next.

Fortunately, I ALWAYS know what to say. I love talking and I don't even have to put in effort to chat to people! I just find something I wanna talk about and talk.

I stared at Si, waitin' for him to notice me. His blue eyes were fixed on the window, but they looked dull and lifeless. OH NO! Had my brother been bitten by a vampire!? Or a zombie!? Or was he dead!? He definitely looked dead.

"Si, you good?" I asked, trying to make sense of what was going on.

My blue clad bro grunted and groaned. He stayed hunched over his mini desk with his head hanging down.

"Are you a zombie?" I gulped, reaching for my squirt gun so I could defend myself.

Aw nuts! I'd forgotten where in the closet I put it! Shoulda made myself a note.

Theodore pulled me away from the closet. "I don't think he's a zombie. He sorta looks like Eeyore from Winnie The Pooh."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow. You found ANOTHER dumb 'ol bear to talk about." I commented. Theo and his dumb baby TV shows.

"He's a silly 'ol bear. Get it right." The boy in green corrected me.

I didn't like being "wrong" about stuff. "Whatever! We gotta cheer up our brainiac bro! Any suggestions?" I left the closet in a rush.

Theodore put a furry hand on my equally furry arm. "First, we have to find out what's wrong." He advised.

I smiled with determination. "Ohoho! Leave it to me."

"Oh brother." Theodore groaned.

I poked Simon very hard in the side. "What's wrong?"

No response whatsoever. Simon was really out of it. I bet I could draw a mustache on him with markers and he wouldn't even flinch. Not that I'm gonna do that, but the thought is VERY entertaining.

"Siiiii!" I poked him even harder. "Don't make me tickle you!" I threatened.

Finally, he turned his head to look at us. "Leave me alone." He said, with a dash of sorrow and a whole lotta anger.

"Not until you tell us what's buggin' ya." I put my hands on my hips.

Simon let out a groan. "It doesn't matter and it's none of your business." He loved that phrase. I assume it's one of his top 10 favorites.

"Is so!" Theodore argued.

"Is not." Simon replied sharply. "Now, go." He ordered. "I require peace to gather my thoughts."

I rested my elbow on his shoulder. "You think too much." I tapped his head with my finger, invading his personal space. I didn't know that was wrong then. I do now.

"You think too little." He replied coldly. Well, OW!

I frowned. "I think too much thinkin' makes you all depressed."

"It does sorta seem like that." Theodore added. He was squeezing a rubber frog in his hands. I wanted to take it from him and fidget with it.

So I did. And he gave me a rotten look. So then I immediately handed it back.

Meanwhile, Si was in denial. "I'm not depressed." He told us, sticking his hands in his pockets and attempting to straighten his posture. "I'm just…disappointed…and upset."

Spoiler alert: He was, in fact, depressed! Bro has a serious case of depression that he used to think was just normal sad.

I think somehow Theo knew, even back then. "How can we help?" The shortest of our trio offered.

"You can't." Simon snapped. "Now, leave me alone."

I waved my hands around. "But….But….But you're miserable!" He HAD to admit that. Right?

Another groan, louder this time, echoed through the room. "Because neither of you will stop pestering me with irrelevant questions!"

Theodore put his hands behind his back and passed me the fidget frog toy. "If we guess why you're sad, will you tell us?" He asked our prepituily annoyed brother.

"Absolutely not." Simon stood up from the desk and scowled.

And I decided to use reverse psychiatry on him. At least, I think that's what it's called.

"Bummer." I said. "Oh well. Come on, Theo. I guess Mr. Grouchy Pants doesn't wanna have fun with his best buddies!" I started to lead Theo away from the mini desks.

As I predicted, Si folded like a cheap suit.

"I HAVE no best buddies." He squeaked out softly with a sad sigh.

"Oh….Simon." Theodore started to sob. "Of course you do."

We both immediately ran back to Simon's side.

The blue chipmunk (in more ways than one) got even more sad. "No, I don't. And I never will. I can't make friends, and the few I do make, I can't keep."

I sat next to him on the heavy textbook he used as a seat. "So that's what's got you down?" I asked. "You're worried you're doomed to a friendless, lonely existence?"

Those blue eyes of fury kinda…stung. "This isn't making me feel better." My brother responded.

"Well, maybe if you were less nerdy and boring, people would like you more." I advised with a big smile. I expected Simon to finally realize I was right. He's gotta dial the nerd thing back. (And now, so do I, unfortunately)

"ALVIN!" Out of nowhere, Theodore was scolding me. I was so startled, I dropped the fidget frog.

Then, I brushed it off and I shrugged. "What!? Someone has to tell him!" I reasoned like it was fact. "It's CLEARLY why he sucks at makin' friends."

I turned my head to see Simon glaring at me furiously. "I sincerely hope you regret saying that someday." He spat.

I was confused. Why weren't my ideas well received? I thought they were GOOD ideas. "I'm just tryin' to help." I took a step back.

He hit me with some of his snarky and sarcastic sass. "Why thank you. I feel so comforted."

"At least I'm tryin'" I retorted angrily.

Simon thought he could beat me at getting angry. He clenched his fists at his side and stood up. "For the last time, leave me ALONE!" He demanded.

Theo shook his chubby finger in my face like he's seen Dave do a million times. "You shouldn't have said that. Now he's really really angry." My baby bro warned.

"Yeah. I can see that, Teddy boy. My eyes aren't terrible like his." I replied. (Yes, go ahead and pause for laughter. We all know how this turned out.)

"Only you would think insulting me "helps." Simon sneered.

I threw my hands in the air. "I am graspin' at straws here!" I admitted.

"I can teach you to make friends, Simon." Theodore offered sweetly.

Simon sounded sad instead of angry finally. "It's pointless."

"Nuh uh! It's easy!" I told him. "Ya just walk up to someone and start talking about whatever thoughts come into your head!" It always works for me.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, clearly my thoughts are too BORING." He responded.

"You're doing that thing you do." Theodore pointed out.

Simon's left ear twitched. "What thing?"

"Using sarcasm so you don't have to be vulnerable." OHOHO! THEODORE BE SPITTIN' TRUTHS UP IN HERE!

"That's it. I've had enough." And Simon was back to being angry.

I had to calm him down somehow. "Wait! Si, I've got it!" I exclaimed. "I have a four step plan for getting you a BUNCH of friends!"

I didn't get to say anything else before Simon shoved both me and Theo out the door.

"And out you go." He told us sharply. "I'll talk to you when I feel like it."

My assistant pouted and whined. "When will that be?"

"Probably next week." Simon had endured all he could.

We blew it!

"But…." I began, but my words trailed off as Simon slammed the door in both our faces. How rude.

Well, I guess Simon wasn't in the mood to accept some quality advice from the most well liked guy in school! His loss.

I decided that I'd go play a videogame while I waited for Si to come to his senses. I was about to walk away when Theodore stopped me.

He yanked on the torn hem of my red hoodie, and he did so really hard!

"You made him even more upset." He said to me, sounding angry, but not nearly as angry as our bro.

I got defensive immediately. "My advice was great."

Theo's chocolatey brown eyes narrowed. "Was it though?" He asked.

Him saying that caused me to second guessing myself. "I….think so?"

I got a heavy sigh in response.

"What do we do now?" I paced in front of the closed door. "We gotta get him outa that room!"

"We will." Theo promised me. "We just gotta think a little harder."

Now, it was my turn to groan. "I suck at thinkin'." I admitted. "I'm a doer, not a thinker!"

My baby bro shrugged. "Maybe you can be both?" He suggested.

I threw my head back and laughed. "Ha! Like that'll ever happen!"

Suddenly, Theo's brown eyes lit up. He had an idea! "What if we found a friend for Simon?" He squeaked. "To cheer him up?"

I let out a delighted gasp. "You're brilliant!" I exclaimed. "We find the most boring, dorky, hopeless, academic dude….and then introduce him to Simon! They'll hit it off and his troubles will be over!"

I raced toward the stairs and slid down the bannister. All thoughts of videogames and fixing my bike had been postponed! I had a new mission that was urgent! Simon was in crisis and it was up to us to fix it!

"But where are we gonna find him?" Theo called after me, opting not to slide down the bannister. He walked down the stairs like a boring person.

As soon as he reached the last step, I grabbed him eagerly. "Leave that to me! Let's go!"

I thought about a place where guys like Simon love to hang out. The first thing that came to mind was a library. Ewww. I was NOT setting foot in one of those. Besides, libraries were too quiet! I needed a place where I could easily strike up a conversation. I had to advertise Simon like he was a hot commodity. I knew I could convince somebody to look past his dullness! And, well, if I couldn't, then Theo definitely could! Theo's great at stuff like that!

A few more ideas flashed through my mind. Museum? Costs money to enter. No. A bookstore? Nah, I wasn't in the mood. Wait, but there was one bookstore that was ALWAYS filled with geeky people! The comic book store!

That's where Theo and I went. It took me three tries to find it, because I kept gettin' the directions messed up. But, eventually, I pushed open the door with my tiny chipmunk might and strolled inside.

And, predictably, I was immediately distracted by a row of Dr. Zap comic books in one of the displays. "WHOAH! These are neat!" I grabbed one and started flipping through it.

"What about your mission?" My own voice asked, above the chaos inside my brain.

"What mission?" I thought back to him. "Wait, don't tell me." I turned the page and grinned. "Dr. Zap is about to fight Electro Boy with his newest invention. It's called the Destructinator!"

"Alvin." Theodore tugged on the sleeve of my red hoodie. "Focus. We came here for Simon."

"Oh…right." I sheepishly put the Dr. Zap comic back on the shelf. I didn't stop thinking about the plot though. I had to know how it ended! "Wait…Can I buy this comic first?"

My baby bro shook his head. "No. You don't even have money, remember?"

"Aw nuts." I trekked away from the shelf….and right into a display of Star Trek comics. "Oooh, cool!"

Theodore had to grab the hood of my sweatshirt and yank me away. "You're wasting time, Alvin. We gotta help Simon as fast as possible."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know. I know." I switched on my charming and irresistible friendliness as I approached a small group of guys huddled near a table. "Hello, nerdy dudes! Have I got great news for ya!"

One of the boys blinked, but the other two seemed to ignore me.

"You see…" Theodore twisted at the bottom of his green hoodie. "We have this brother…who really needs a friend…."

I wasn't even listening to Theo. I was too busy selling Simon like a package of cheese about to hit its expiration date. "How would you like to be pals with someone who is world famous!? And basically a genius!?"

"Uh…." The first boy, in a graphic T with The Justice League on it, looked uncomfortable.

The other two guys, in a turquoise plaid shirt and a brown jacket with a bunch of colorful pins on it, looked up from their comics and stared at me like I was crazy.

"I'm talkin' about Simon Seville. He's my best bro ever. You've probably heard of him." I went on, walking closer to the group of humans.

"The guy in Dr. Hayward's class?" Turquoise plaid shirt dude asked.

"I've never heard of him." Graphic T guy added.

The quiet dude with all the pins just shook his head.

"They don't go to our school." The plaid shirt guy explained.

Theodore climbed up onto the table. "Are you guys friends with each other?" He questioned them sweetly.

Graphic T-shirt guy shrugged. "I guess."

Pin dude nodded.

The most talkative of the trio tucked the comic he'd been reading under his arm. "We do hang out a lot, but usually just…here."

I wagged my tail and jumped around. "Would you be interested in a 4th hangout buddy!?" I offered.

The plaid shirt guy knelt down to talk to me more directly. "We're pretty happy with things the way they are." He quipped. "And, uh, no offense, but you can't just barge up to people and bug them about being friends with your brother."

"Oh…" I frowned. "I didn't know that."

"Well, now you know." Plaid shirt dude stood up again.

Theodore climbed down from the table. "Sorry for interrupting your reading." He told the trio.

"It's alright." Graphic T guy smiled.

The other two boys nodded.

"Hope you can find your brother a friend somewhere." Plaid shirt dude waved us off.

I ventured through the store and came to another small group. This one had two girls and two guys.

"What's up? How ya guys doin' today?" I strolled up with a confident sorta swagger. "This place is like a nerd's paradise, ain't it?" I added. "Of course, it's not my paradise, cuz I'm not a nerd." I spotted a shelf nearby with something that interested me. "Holy nuts! There's action figures here!?"

The humans all watched me with curious faces, probably wondering what a guy like me was doing in a place like this.

I felt totally embarrassed. I forced myself to try and ignore the action figures. "Anyway, uh, my brother Simon, he would LOVE it here. He is a major bookworm. Just, you know, the wormiest.

"Are you okay?" One of the girls, a really pretty one with braids in her hair and a rainbow on her shirt, looked concerned and confused.

"Absolutely positively!" I squeaked. "I just really like talking out loud, especially about how great my brother is. Anyone would be lucky to be his friend. Do you know he's got his own flying machine in the basement? Pretty snazzy! I rode in it once!"

I saw the humans all exchanging weird looks.

"Uh huh." One of the boys murmured.

The rainbow shirt girl forced an awkward smile. "That's great. Good for your brother. Can you…maybe go over THERE to talk about him?" She pointed across the room with her finger.

"Oh…okay." I replied. "I take it you're…not blown away by his talents and supreme coolness?"

Again, they looked at me like I was crazy. I thought for sure there wasn't anything wrong with me.

Drat. Why wasn't this idea working either?

"He…uh…he didn't get much sleep last night." Before I could say anything else, Theodore was tugging at my arm again. "Let's go, Alvin. You really need to lie down. You're scaring everybody."

I let out a small whimper as Theodore pulled me out of the store. Once we were on the sidewalk again, he started scolding me harshly.

"Didn't you hear what the other guy said? You aren't supposed to ASK people to be friends with Simon!"

"I wasn't asking?" I protested. "I was talking about how great he was, you know, hopin' someone would pick up the hint! Then, you know, they'd ask to be his friend! Whammo blammo problemo solved…mo." I knew it sounded silly, but it was really fun to rhyme words.

"I think we need a different way to do this." Theodore told me, frowning.

I leapt over the cracks in the sidewalk as we walked home. More inspiration struck me instantly! "Yeah! And I just came up with one!"

"Hopefully, it's not gonna creep people out." The boy in green huffed softly.

When we got home, I fired up my laptop and used a photoshop program to create a super cool poster with Simon's face on it. A few more tweaks, and it was ready to be printed.

Before it got dark. Theodore and I put the "Friend Wanted" posters up all over town. Now, people would see them, and hopefully someone would contact Simon and ask to hang out! I felt like a total genius!

"Are you sure this plan will work?" Theodore finished sticking one of the posters to a telephone pole.

I plastered three on the fence in front of Ms. Croner's house. "Trust me, Teddy boy."

"Nobody likes it when you say that." He squeaked, folding his arms.

"They have really bad taste." I commented. "That's my catchphrase."

We finished hanging all the posters and then reported back home for dinner.

I rushed into the dining room to find Simon setting the table. I would have helped, if chores weren't impossible to focus on for more than 10 seconds.

I nudged him with my hip. "Get any interesting phone calls recently?"

He dropped the fork he was holding and then bent down to pick it up. "No."

"Are you sure? Maybe you accidentally have your phone on silent mode." I babbled.

"There's been nothing out of the ordinary." My cynical bro raised an eyebrow at me, expecting the worst. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." I answered quickly. "Can't a guy take interest in his brother's life?"

"You're up to something." Simon murmured. "I can feel it."

I shrugged. "Pretty sure your trouble sensor is busted." I climbed into my seat.

"Alvin, help Simon set the table." I heard Dave's voice and turned my head to see him standing in the archway connecting the dining room to the kitchen.

I moaned in pain. "Do I have to?" The task made me wanna lay on the floor afterwards. It took too much energy! It was strange that I always had a lot of energy until I started doing chores and then the energy level fell sharply. Very strange.

"Yes." My father ordered. "You have to. We all pitch in around here, Alvin. That's what families do."

Simon gleefully handed me a stack of plates with a smug grin.

I resigned to my fate and helped set the table.

After we all ate dinner, it was time to wind down and either do homework or something else quiet before bed.

I chose to rock out to my favorite songs usin' my headphones.

The next day, as we were walking to school with the Chipettes, Simon suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" He bellowed, sounding madder than ever.

Jeanette hurried over to him. "What's wrong, Simon?"

"Probably something Alvin did." I heard Brittany scoff as she walked next to me.

"Nuh uh!" I argued back.

The Chipette in the pink cardigan rolled her eyes. "It's always you. Grow up a little, Alvin."

"I'll grow up when I'm good and ready!" I sassed. "Or NEVER." I stomped my foot.

Theodore smacked his forehead and said nothing.

Eleanor, nosy as ever, snuck up behind Simon's back. "Whatcha got there?"

It was that moment when I noticed what Simon was holding. It was one of my posters! The "Friend Wanted" ones! Something told me that my good intentions had backfired AGAIN. Why does this keep happening!?

"Solid proof that my brother is TRYING to ruin my life." The boy in blue told his shorter and blonde pigtailed companion.

Brittany smirked at me. "I told you so." She sassed.

"I'm not trying to ruin your life!" I squeaked, feeling a lot smaller than my actual height at the moment. "I promise!"

Simon shoved the poster in my face. "Then WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" He demanded, reading the poster aloud. "Friend Wanted: Science haters need not apply!? If you're interested, contact Simon Seville for more information!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?"

"Always has been." I heard Eleanor mutter under her breath, causing Theodore to giggle.

Si got even more outraged by the second. "YOU PUT MY PERSONAL PHONE NUMBER ALL OVER TOWN WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME!?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" I waved my arms frantically. "I'm just tryin' to find you a friend!" I folded my arms. "And you're acting mighty ungrateful, you know."

Simon crumpled the poster into a ball and threw it at my head. "If I'm going to find a human buddy to pal around with, I will do it on my OWN. I don't need you screwing everything up!"

"But…Si!" I slumped my shoulders.

The angry chipmunk in blue tore up two more posters and threw the scraps at me.

Theodore stepped forward. "It's my fault too." He blubbered sadly. "I helped Alvin with the posters."

"I know you didn't know any better, Theo." Simon was so much nicer to him. I felt my fur prickling with envy.

"But what if I did?" Theodore wiped his tears with a tissue that Jeanette supplied him. Jeanette's nice like that.

Our aggravated bro let out a loud groan. "We'll talk about this after school." He hurried away, tearing down every poster he could get his hands on.

Brittany nudged my side with her elbow. "Your ideas are the worst." She taunted.

"I….I…." I looked down at my red and white converse shoes. "I dunno where I went wrong."

Throughout the whole day, Simon was very distant from me. I felt large bricks of guilt piling on my back and weighing me down. I tried to think about my idea again, wondering where I went wrong, but between Miss. Smith's boring lessons and the fact that I can't stand school, my mind wandered around and got way off topic again.

I was in the middle of trying to figure out how a spaceship tractor beam works when Theodore tapped me on the shoulder.

"You should apologize to Simon." He whispered. "Also, class ended 15 minutes ago."

I jumped out of my seat in a panic. "I was paying attention! I swear!" I shouted, which was technically a lie.

"So you'll apologize to Simon?" The little chipmunk in green clasped his hands together hopefully.

I tilted my head, having totally forgotten about earlier. It would eventually come back to me, after the carousel of REALLY IMPORTANT thoughts had finished its rotation. "Apologize for what?"

Theo sighed. Great! (Sarcasm) Even the kindhearted and somewhat dimwitted guy thought I was stupid.

"The poster thing." He said, unwrapping a package of crackers with cheese in the middle.

The memory was triggered instantly. "Ohhhh. Yeah, yeah, I should. What do I say?"

"How about…"I'm sorry?" I could sense his patience was thinning. I guess not everyone thinks I'm a delight to talk to.

I shook my head. "No, no. That's too predictable. I really upset him, so I need a big grand apology with loads of pizzazz! That'll make him realize I care SO MUCH about him! I'd never wreck his life on purpose!"

Theo stood on his tiptoes and put a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes, the simplest words can make the biggest impact."

I groaned. "But "sorry" sounds so lame!" I complained.

"But it's the right thing to say." My baby bro insisted as we walked through the hallway toward the exit. "You're always telling me to trust you. Can you trust me?"

When he put it like that, it did sound like the best option. "Yeah." I smiled. "Yeah, I can." Theo and Si are both my best bros ever! Sorry if that sounds too sentimental or mushy. It's the way I feel.

As soon as I got home from school that day, I walked down into the basement, singing at the top of my lungs. Saying an apology was so predictable and boring, but singing it felt so HEALING and EXCITING!

"I'm sorryyyy!" I sang. "So sorryyyy! That I was such a fool! I never thought love could be so cruel! Oooh oooh oooh oh oh, oh yeah! They say, that mistakes, are part of bein' young! But that don't right, the wrong that's been done." I jumped onto the bottom step. "So, I'm sorryyy! So sorryyy!…"

Simon put his hands over his ears and growled. "WOULD YOU SHUT UP!?" He got up and turned away from the math homework he'd been working on.

I stopped singing and frowned. "Am I bothering you?"

"Isn't it obvious!?" He shrieked, his patience with me was gone.

I walked closer to him with my head tilted downward. "I just, you know, came to apologize."

"That was an APOLOGY!?" His eyebrows shot up to the top of his head.

"Bear with me." I admitted, rubbing my arm. "I suck at apologizin'. I always make things worse."

He turned his nose up and then sat down at his lab table again. "Maybe that's because you never think things through. You just go with whatever crackpot idea pops in your mind."

"I promise I'll work on…not doing that." I vowed honestly. Someday, anyway.

"Good apologies require you to understand why what you did was wrong." Simon sternly glared at me. "Let's try this again."

I took a deep breath and tried to say what I figured Simon wanted to hear. "I'm sorry that I put those posters up…and did that stuff at the comic book store."

"What did you do at the comic book store?" He asked, before shaking his head. "Nevermind. I don't want to know." He adjusted his glasses. "Do you know why I was angry?"

Did I? I thought back to the moment when he crumpled the poster and threw it at me. Piecing together WHY other people reacted the way they did was so hard!

"I….I don't know for sure." I said, carefully picking my words. "But I think it was because I shared your phone number. You like your privacy and I messed it up."

He softened slightly. "Well, that is ONE of the reasons."

I groaned. "There's more than one!? It's a trick question! You're messin' me up with a trick question!"

He held up a hand to silence me. "I can see I'll have to walk you through this step by step. Clearly, it's going over your head."

Frustrated, I paced around the lab table. "So what're your other reasons?"

"Alvin, I don't WANT you to find me a friend." Simon stated calmly, with only a hint of annoyance.

I couldn't believe it! I felt so confused. "WHAT!?" I blurted out. "But you were all blue about not havin' one!" Like his favorite color lol. "You're sending me mixed signals." I finished.

"No, I think I was VERY clear. Abundantly clear" He stressed, getting out of his chair again. "DON'T TRY TO FIND FRIENDS FOR ME!"

I talked through my thought processes out loud, because that helped me understand things more. I paced to the stairs and back. "So, let me get this straight. You just wanna sit in silence and mope about not havin' a pal, but when I inact Operation: Find A Pal, you don't want that either!? Do you LIKE being miserable, Si? Is being miserable how you have fun?"

"No." He rubbed his temples. "You're still not getting it."

"Then TELL me! Stop making me guess! I hate looking for answers! It's exhausting." I huffed.

He grabbed me by the shoulders. His blue eyes stared into mine with a sadness so powerful that it was contagious. "I desperately want a friend, but I want to make one MYSELF." He explained, at last.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, then why didn't you just say so?"

"Because I thought you'd realize it. I thought I was making it obvious." Simon grabbed his math homework and hugged it to his chest as we walked up the stairs together. "I want to overcome the challenge. I don't want a friend just handed to me. It wouldn't feel earned. It wouldn't feel real."

I nodded. "I get that." I jumped up to the top step and opened the door. "At least ya still got Kevin. Maybe he's not some super-duper share everything pal, but at least he's your friend."

"An acquaintance I'm fond of." Simon replied.

I nudged him and wiggled my eyebrows. "That's just a nerdy way of sayin' friend."

"Perhaps." Simon walked out of the basement.

I followed behind him, like his loyal sidekick.

Theodore noticed us as we passed by the living room. He climbed off the couch and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Did Alvin apologize to you?" He asked Simon eagerly. His big brown eyes were glistening.

"I did!" I blurted out proudly. I think my apology had gone over well, all things considered.

Simon cracked a tiny smile. "He did his best."

"I know where I went wrong now!" I started to catch Theo up on everything while walkin' with a pep in my step. "Simon wants to make a best friend HIMSELF! He doesn't want us doing it for him! It's, uh, better for his ego that way or somethin'."

"Alvin would be the expert on EGOS." Simon chuckled. "But, in all seriousness, I just want to feel….capable of making a meaningful connection."

Theodore nodded, causing the two brownish blonde hairs that stuck up from the rest of his hair to wiggle. "Ohhhh! That makes so much sense." He smiled.

We all walked together into the living room. Theodore turned the TV back on. I got my phone out and played a racing game. Simon put his math homework on the table and began to look it over.

"Hey, Si…" I hung upside down off the couch while I waited for the lives on my game to refill. "In the future when you get a buddy to hang with, what do you think he'll be like?"

My brother looked puzzled by the question. "No idea, honestly." He admitted. "I guess time will tell."

"I bet, whoever they are, they'll be exactly what you need." Theodore offered his usual positivity during a commercial break of his favorite cooking show.

"Yeah…." Simon didn't look convinced. "I hope so, anyway." He busied himself with his work.

My lives refilled and I returned to the game. It was great. It helped me get my mind off of most things, except that Dr. Zap comic and those action figures I still wanted to buy. I hoped one day I'd have enough money to actually afford stuff I wanted.

And I do, now. Well, technically it's my 2.0 side's money, but he lets me spend some when we're in Classic Alvin mode. Everything really did change for the better in most ways.

And Simon eventually made a connection with someone that went deeper than just liking all the same things. That was what he wanted most of all.

Boy, I have loved narratin' for ya, but It's time for me to step aside and let my inner dweeb take over again. See ya later! Rock on!

Alvin 2.0's POV

DING-DONG! Was that the doorbell? The flashback I was experiencing ended abruptly and I was jolted back to reality.

"HE'S HERE!" Simon jumped onto the table and then slid across one of the placemats. He lost his balance and landed on the floor. "Whooooah! Oof!"

I climbed up on the table much more carefully and looked down at him. "Ah, lack of friction. Gets ya every time." I teased.

He glared up at me. "Help. Me. Up….Please."

"But of course, dear brother." I slid down one of the table legs and then grabbed his hands. I yanked him to his feet.

He took off toward the door and Theo and I ran behind him.

We watched as Simon opened the door to find his favorite tall, lanky, casually dressed basketball buddy standing there.

"Hello." My fellow genius bro greeted, sounding professional despite the gigantic youthful smile adorning his features.

Dexter scratched behind his ear. "Hey, so, little snag. Greg's got the car, so my dad can't drive us."

Simon's smile inverted itself. His tail drooped immediately. "Oh, that's…alright." He said. "I suppose we'll have to plan for another time."

"You can always spend the night here, Dexter!" Theodore offered. "It's not the same as a museum, but sleepovers can be really fun too!"

"I'd be down." The medium tan-skinned and brown haired guy responded.

I quietly observed the situation. It was something I wasn't terribly skilled at, but I was practicing a lot with Jeanette and getting better.

Simon looked broken. He'd been so hyped about the museum thing. "Yeah…I guess it's better than nothing."

"You okay, dude?" Dexter asked, kneeling down to talk to my brother in blue.

Simon nodded. "I'll live. I just really wanted to see an exhibit about nuclear power that they're pulling next week."

I sensed it was time to step in. I'd been rotating the carousel of ideas in my mind and I finally latched onto a few that might work.

"You could get Dave to drive you!" I suggested, while trying not to jump around and act too excited.

Simon pulled off his sports glasses and exchanged them for his usual round ones. He zipped up his hoodie so you couldn't see the jersey underneath. "Dave's at work, Alvin. He's working late too."

Okay, so that plan was out. Luckily, I had more. "What if Eleanor drives you?"

Dexter tilted his head. "Your girlfriend has a driver's license?"

"No, she doesn't." Simon commented dryly.

"Also, his girlfriend isn't Eleanor. It's Jeanette." Theodore told Dexter kindly, while tapping on the human boy's shin gently. "Eleanor is the one with the twin ponytails and she's my soulmate pal."

"Ohhhh." The teen boy chuckled. "Wow, that is embarrassing."

"Eleanor driving would get us in trouble." Simon shot down my idea, using his words as arrows. "I'm not in the mood to break any laws."

I rubbed my chin and then delivered a third idea. "What about Miss. Miller?"

"I'd like for us to get to the museum ALIVE." My brother placed his hands on his hips.

I twirled a strand of hair on my finger as I spoke. "You will! I mean, she's bad, but not that bad. The worst that'll happen is you dent a lamppost or something."

"It's fine." Simon grumbled. "I changed my mind about going anyway."

He slunk out of the room with his tail still droopy.

"Poor Simon." Theodore whimpered.

Dexter sat crosslegged on the floor and put his chin in his hands. "He's been lookin' forward to this for…like…ever."

"For a week." My chubby little bro in green corrected. "But for Simon, that's a long time to feel happy about something."

"He wanted to share his sciencey side with you." I added. "There's gotta be SOMEONE who can get us to the museum."

Theodore ran to his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Would you take the bus? I have a bus schedule!" He showed Dexter the paper.

Dexter shook his head. "I feel like Simon would probably be pretty uncomfy on a bus. Too many people." It was true. He knew Simon so well.

Another idea popped into my head. "Would he feel uncomfortable in a police car?" I exclaimed, tapping my foot as energy coursed through me.

Both of them looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Uh….yeah." Theodore squeaked. "Pretty sure he would."

Oof. Okay, yeah. That hadn't come out the way I planned to say it. I took a small pause to rapidly rehearse what I was about to say using my inner monologue. "What I mean is, what if Officer Dangus drove him!?"

"Heh heh Dangus. That's a funny name." Dexter chuckled.

Theodore hugged me without warning. "THAT'S BRILLIANT, ALVIN!"

I couldn't wait to tell Simon the great news!

I rushed up the stairs and found him lying face down on his bed. "Simon! Simon! Good news! You can still make it to the museum! Here's what we're gonna do!"

A little while later, Theodore and I were in the backseat of Officer Dangus's state-of-the-art police cruiser. Dangus was at the wheel and Simon and Dexter were in the passenger seat. Simon sat on Dexter's knee, looking irritated.

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this." He fumed.

"Hey, if it works, it works." I replied casually.

"Ya'll good back there?" Officer Dangus asked, turning his head momentarily to look at Theo and I.

"We're good!" Theodore gave him a thumbs up.

"How 'bout you two?" The kind cop asked Simon and Dexter.

"My brother rode in a cop car once." Dexter snickered. "But it was for a totally different reason."

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to do this, Officer Dangus." Simon politely addressed the man.

Dangus hit the brakes as we approached a red light. The car eased to a stop. It was a sharp contrast compared to how Miss. Miller uses the brakes on her car. Let's just say, the stops are anything but gentle.

"Ain't no problem. Just think of me as your backup father." The cop laughed. "No, wait, does that sound weird? It sounds weird, right?"

I let out a nervous chuckle. "Little bit."

An hour later, Dangus dropped us off in front of the science museum. "Have a great time! Call me when you're ready to be picked up! I'm gonna hit the mall across the street. Okay?"

I caught Simon giving me a dirty look.

I sighed. I knew what the right thing to do was. As much as I wanted to experience the wonderful treasures provided by the museum, Simon and Dexter deserved their alone time.

"Actually, do you mind if Theo and I stick with you?" I asked, smiling sheepishly. "I could go for some window shopping, or a snack at the food court."

Theodore licked his lips. "I smell doughnuts! I bet they have a doughnut place inside!"

"Did you say doughnuts?" The man in the cool looking shades grinned. "Now, I don't wanna sound like stereotype or anythin', but I LOVE doughnuts!"

"Everyone loves doughnuts!" Theodore giggled.

"Is that a yes?" I climbed into the passenger seat.

Dangus nodded. "Darn tootin'! Hop in!"

Theo scrambled into the back seat again. "Bye, Simon. Bye, Dexter! Go get your science on!"

"Enjoy yourselves!" I waved goodbye to them.

"Well, little dude, let's head in." Dexter let Simon climb up onto his shoulder.

Simon was filled with joy. It radiated from him like the rays of the sun. He sat happily on Dexter's shoulder and his tail waggled a little. "Are you ready for the most educational experience of your life?"

"You betcha!" The basketball playing teen quipped.

As we drove away, I watched the two pals head into the museum. Who would have ever guessed that a guy like Simon and a guy like that would hit it off playing BASKETBALL of all things? I guess life's just mysterious like that.

Now, when you think about it, if I hadn't become Alvin 2.0, then Simon wouldn't have gotten the idea to join the basketball team. It was there he met Dexter, and Dexter stuck with him when he quit the team after and created a smaller (and less peer pressure intensive) basketball club. Technically, I DID help Simon make a friend after all. I'll never mention that though, because I don't wanna diminish Simon's achievement in his eyes. But I'll always know.

As the police cruiser approached the mall, I heard my phone chime. A new message had come through. Who was it from?

Turns out, it was Simon. [I know that was hard for you. Thanks. You and I can visit the museum together someday too. You're a good brother.]

I felt happy tears welling up in my eyes and blinked them away. I didn't know what to respond with…so I just sent a happy emoji with teary eyes.

I'm a good brother. I'm a GOOD brother. No matter how tough things get, nobody can ever take that away from me.

My phone chimed again. It was another text, from Dave. GULP!

[WHERE ARE YOU!? I got someone else to cover my shift. WHY AREN'T YOU HOME!?]

I frantically texted out the first thing that came to mind. [I can explain later. We're all good though! With Officer Dangus! Sorry I forgot to leave a note!]

[ALVINNN!] He texted back, with three angry face emojis.

Man, I sure hoped he'd cool down by the time we got back. This was gonna make for a real funny story to tell him.

To sum everything up, Theo, Dangus, and I had SCRUMPTIOUS gourmet doughnuts together in the food court at the mall. Simon managed to teach Dexter THREE things total that stuck and he considers that a win. Dave didn't punish any of us after we got back and explained the situation. Then, Dexter and Simon had a sleepover together and Theo and I had a sleepover in Dave's bedroom to give them their space. All's well that ends well!

There's a lesson in here somewhere, I think, but I've been writing on this for a few days now and I'm too tired to tell you what it is. I'm gonna leave it a mystery! It'll be like a scavenger hunt! I hope you've enjoyed this little flashback tale. Entering Classic's mindset as needed is getting easier and easier. It's pretty epic. I have the best of the mature side and the silly side. Much like Si never could have imagined having a pal who looks (and sometimes acts) like a darker skinned Shaggy from Scooby Doo, I never imagined I'd reach a place where I can say…"my identity crisis doesn't bug me as much as it used to." But, well, here we are.

Isn't it cool how life is crazy like that?

Heyyy! Look at us writing something that isn't 20,000 words for once! It's still half that. Oops. Whatever. It counts as a Mini-tale BECAUSE I SAID SO!

Did you love the Classic Alvin brand of insanity? I sure did!

Now, our beloved little nerd has to return to his more balanced state for a while, but there's more Classic Alvin moments ahead when I get to the multi-fic! I promise!

Also I laughed so hard watching Alvin write this. Poor Simon is so DONE!

AND HEY! YOU GOT TO SEE A BIT MORE OF DEXTER TOO! I'm still developing him, but I like the direction I'm headed so far. He's a great kid, and definitely not as dimwitted as Alvin thinks.

If all goes well, the next Mini-tale's going to be Dave's POV or POSSIBLY Officer Dangus's! I crave a challenge! (As if finding time to write with a part time library job isn't enough of a challenge.)

That's all for now! Be on the lookout for more updates! Thanks for reading! And kindly leave a review because my dopamine starved brain feasts on them!