Brittany exhaled deeply and her shoulders relaxed as a wave of relief washed over her upon reaching her destination. There it was. The Chipettes' old treehouse that she used to live in with her sisters until Miss Miller took them all in. This was back when her biggest worries were beating Alvin in the class president election or impressing Muffy Hollingsworth and Courtney Banks in hopes that they would make her a Sister.
So many memories came flooding back to her as she stood outside and stared at that treehouse. She could practically smell all those colorful markers they had when they were kids as she vividly recalled drawing up numerous campaign posters in the room she shared with Jeanette and Eleanor the first time she ran against Alvin. Then there was that time she attempted to put together snacks for Muffy and Courtney in anticipation of her very first assessment for their club in the little treehouse kitchen.
The moment she put on her cheerleading uniform for the first time after she made her elementary school squad. As luck had it, a spot for a new cheerleader opened up mid-year after one of the girls on the squad moved away unexpectedly. And of course, she barely even had to try out with the way she effortlessly blew them all away immediately! This was undeniably the most thrilling memory she had of Thomas Edison Elementary. She even thanked Jeanette for insisting they all had to go to school after Simon had told them all about it in the hotel when they first met the Chipmunks. This gesture came as a surprise to even Brittany herself.
And finally, having Jeanette and Eleanor help her put together a disguise so that she could pretend to be their mother at the PTA meeting. Naturally, this failed spectacularly and Brittany was exposed right away. Yet, it worked out for the best since it paved the way for their eventual adoption by the best mom they could have ever asked for.
But even after moving in with Miss Miller, the girls never totally abandoned their beloved treehouse. They would use it as a private hangout spot and the Chipmunks would often be invited. Especially once the Chipmunks and Chipettes all became teenagers and paired up with their counterparts romantically.
Each Chipette would frequently want to go over to the treehouse for some alone time with her respective Chipmunk boyfriend. Jeanette also would sometimes just go there if she needed some quiet studying time and could not get it at home, while Eleanor used it to do yoga and meditate in peace. Although Simon didn't really need the treehouse for just himself too often due to having his own laboratory, Theodore would occasionally come here when his brothers (mainly Alvin) were giving him a hard time about stuff and he just needed to get away from them for a bit.
Brittany took a deep breath as she continued to stare at the extremely familiar, cozy, old treehouse. All the memories of good times shared with her little sisters during a simpler time in their lives were beginning to warm her up a little bit. With that comforting feeling taking over her body, she pulled the key out from its secret hiding spot under the faded gray mat that read "WELCOME" in the center, which was clearly worn out from age. Once the little silver key was retrieved, she jammed it into the tiny keyhole of the pink door that she herself insisted needed to be that color (as well as the awning since she also demanded it had to match the door). As she was in the middle of turning the key, she let even more memories from eight years ago fill her head.
She remembered building this treehouse with Jeanette and Eleanor as mere eight-year-olds. At first, it was just the two younger Chipettes doing all the work. Brittany initially refused to lift a finger in helping out with any of the construction. She insisted she had just had a manicure and couldn't work because her nails were wet. And if she hadn't just painted her nails, her excuse was that she did not want to risk breaking one.
However, the eldest Chipette was more than happy to give out orders in spite of not putting in any labor herself. While Jeanette and Eleanor were slaving away with putting up wallpaper, painting, drilling, and hammering as they tried to assemble what would be their new home, Brittany would sit cross-legged in a little corner outside on a lawn chair while either doing her nails or reading a magazine. And as the oldest sister was simply lounging in her designated spot, she would boss her sisters around by telling them what color they should be painting each room, what kind of wallpaper they should be putting up, and where each piece of furniture should go. This frustrated Eleanor and even the normally soft-spoken Jeanette to no end.
It took the two younger girls finally having reached their limit to the point where they both physically lifted Brittany up from her chair (causing her to drop her nail file in the process), dragged her over to the treehouse, and demanded that she do her equal share of work. Jeanette then placed a paintbrush into one of Brittany's hands while Eleanor was about to shove the hammer in her eldest sister's other hand. Realizing that she was outnumbered, the oldest girl complied as she reluctantly began to help her sisters out with setting up the rest of the treehouse. She started off by painting a small section of the front door while she simultaneously complained about the smell of the paint fumes. But at least she was doing her part now!
It seemed the auburn-haired Chipette never really learned her lesson from this experience, though. Almost a year later, when they were all moved out of the treehouse and settled in at Miss Miller's home, Brittany tried pulling a similar stunt. This was back when Alvin and Brittany came up with the idea to market a perfume Jeanette had created for Brittany. All the Chipmunks except Brittany were putting all the work in.
Simon and Jeanette spent hours mixing the ingredients for perfume together, Eleanor and Theodore did all the deliveries, and even Alvin went around to various locations selling it. Although Brittany claimed she was going to be supervising and would have the most difficult job of all, she spent the entire time working out to aerobics videos, painting her nails, and sunbathing.
Unsurprisingly, this led to the other five chipmunks getting fed up with Brittany's slacking off. So they all confronted her while she was outside working on her tan in a lounge chair. Jeanette and Alvin literally forced her out of the chair, carried her off into the kitchen, and had her put all the remaining perfume ingredients into the little pink bottles.
Ironically, the joke would be on all of them seven years later when it came to getting Brittany moved into Miss Miller's old room. This time around, she had torn her ACL and was under strict doctor's orders to rest her knee and avoid any kind of physical labor. So for once, she genuinely had a legitimate excuse. And everyone else had no choice but to accept it.
As soon as the ponytailed Chipette was finally inside the treehouse, she quickly shut the door behind her and locked it. She then let out a deep breath as she put her white plastic shopping bags down on the coffee table that had not been moved from its spot in the living room since the day they moved out. She was so happy to finally be locked inside a safe place. Hidden away from all of the dangers of the outside world.
The Chipette's heart swelled with even more warmth and nostalgia as her eyes fell on the ancient green couch with whimsical white flowers embroidered on it that was located behind the coffee table. Of course, Brittany always hated the color green. The only reason they even had this eyesore of a couch was because Eleanor and Jeanette had purchased it at some yard sale (which she had not been present for).
Brittany was super upset they went behind her back and bought this couch together (and how dare they go shopping without inviting her along?). She was extremely vocal about how much she despised that couch and said it looked like it was stolen right out of the living room on The Brady Bunch. However, they did really need a couch for their own living room and they were on a majorly limited budget. So the pink-clad Chipette begrudgingly allowed the ugly piece of furniture to stay, even though it went against her better judgment and impeccable sense of style.
But now, Brittany couldn't help but feel some kind of surprising sentimental fondness for the couch, even though she still loathed the color and believed it was the most hideous looking thing ever. After all, this was where they would all sit down to watch tv. She and Alvin even sometimes used the treehouse to watch their old favorite detective show Dreamlighting on that very couch when they were younger, if the tv was not available to watch at either the Miller house or the Seville house. And of course, Brittany would always try to make the atmosphere as romantic as possible for that occasion to match the romantic theme of the show. Though those happy memories of lighting candles and putting out snacks she knew Alvin liked were a little bittersweet now, considering how things ended up going down between the two of them more recently.
As if right on cue, she then spotted the television right in front of the couch. She wondered what was playing on tv for the evening. She figured it was almost midnight at this point and a Friday night at that, so she guessed it was pretty much a wild card of random shows and movies airing. Maybe she would check it out. Or maybe not. She still wasn't really sure what to do with herself for the rest of the night yet.
She gazed all around the treehouse again and could not help smiling at the way this old place looked. Despite the fact that nobody really lived there anymore, the treehouse was still very well-maintained. She knew she had her baby sister to thank for that.
While all the Chipettes (and to an extent, the Chipmunks) still held this place very near and dear to their hearts, Eleanor was the one who came by to clean the place about once every other week and made sure all the maintenance was up to par. In spite of all the after school sports and extracurricular activities Eleanor was involved in, she still found the time to stay on top of taking care of their old treehouse.
Brittany's super tense body was now starting to loosen up a little more as she let out a long breath, feeling her shoulders were now more at ease. She decided to settle onto the couch and do some channel surfing. Her original plan that had been so rudely interrupted by Jeanette and Eleanor's impromptu confrontation back at the Miller house.
The teenage Chipette sank into the couch, immediately picked up the remote, and started switching through various channels. The current line-up was not really all that impressive. But she guessed that was to be expected. She was hoping to find at least one decent movie or something, but it seemed nothing that would interest her was scheduled for tonight.
After she flipped through all the stations at least twice, she finally settled on some random reality show she had never seen or heard of before. She didn't even really understand what was going on. She thought she might have just heard some guy on the show say something about remodeling a kitchen, but wasn't entirely sure since she was only half-listening. Not that it really mattered since she was not in much of a mood for focusing on anything right now anyway.
With Brittany's brain being on autopilot, she instinctively reached for one of her shopping bags and pulled out one of the packages of M&Ms, tore it open, and dumped a ton of them into the palm of her hand while impressively not spilling any. She didn't even bother to look at any of the soft pastel colors which signaled that it was spring and meant Easter was on the way. She just shoved them all into her mouth without a second thought and began chewing. Well, barely chewing, honestly. She was so quick to swallow, she was actually starting to worry she could die choking if the damage being done to her body from her constant purges didn't kill her first.
After she finished the first bag of M&Ms, she eagerly tore into the second without so much as a pause in between and did the same. The sugary candy shells on the outside and chocolate filling on the inside scarcely registered with her as she mindlessly devoured the M&Ms with a vacant look in her hollow blue eyes. She was already bracing herself for what would inevitably follow this binge.
Once the second bag was finished, she ripped the shrink wrap off the lavender bunny Peeps and quickly consumed those as well. The sheer volume of sugar coating the outside of the marshmallow on this particular candy was literally hurting her teeth a little and she noticed the light purple sugar dust accumulating all over her fingers. Her stomach was also violently churning with every single bite.
Yet she still kept going, even as the tears were rolling down her cheeks. There was no long-term comfort in any of this, because she knew she was destroying herself inside and out. But even though she felt so much guilt and shame over doing this, she was strangely thankful the bathroom and indoor plumbing still worked in this treehouse.
Brittany felt as if she were a ghost. Hardly smelling, tasting, or being aware of the surroundings in her environment at all, she was almost completely numb. And the million dollar question of the evening was still on her mind. Was she going to spend the rest of the night here?
She pondered this solemnly. She knew her sisters were likely worried sick by now. And while that made her feel terrible, she absolutely did not feel ready to face them yet. She couldn't take them accusing her of being bulimic or pressuring her into getting help. Not now and maybe not ever.
She needed time to think about what she would say to her sisters the next time she saw them. How she would convince them that they were wrong and make them believe she was ok again. And since it was not safe for her to be outdoors this late, it looked like she would be sleeping here for sure.
If she was even tired enough to get to sleep, given the long nap she had earlier. But she had a feeling she probably would be. She was tired most of the time now.
The bedroom she and her sisters slept in when they lived there was now totally empty. When The Chipettes had moved into Miss Miller's house, they took all the bedroom furniture with them. So there was no real bed for her to sleep in. But it looked like the tacky old couch she was currently sitting on had a purpose after all. As unsightly as this piece of furniture was, it was going to be her bed tonight.
Over at the Seville residence, Alvin was pacing around in his bedroom that he shared with his brothers. As the red-clad Chipmunk was restlessly pacing, he also found himself drumming on random surfaces like the walls, mirror, or nightstands as he moved along. He would occasionally throw his entire body down onto his bed, only to jump back up moments later as well.
He was not sure how long this had been going on for exactly. But it definitely felt like it had been for hours. At least since he had gotten home from dinner with Simon and Dave.
They all knew Theodore was going to be a while at the bake sale. And Dave said he hadn't been up to cooking dinner tonight. So he decided to take the two oldest Seville brothers out to a local diner instead. While Eleanor was still working the bake sale with Theodore, the Chipmunks' father did try to invite the two oldest Miller sisters along. But Jeanette seemed to think Brittany was still asleep. Dave felt it was best to let the eldest Chipette rest judging by the condition he saw her in when he picked her up from school this morning.
Jeanette said she didn't want to leave Brittany home all by herself and wanted to get a head start on studying for some tests she had coming up when they returned to school after spring break (which Alvin rolled his eyes at hearing, not being able to make sense of why anyone would want to waste the official start of a school vacation studying). So it was just Dave, Alvin, and Simon at the diner. But the oldest Chipmunk had nothing to complain about. He totally enjoyed his meal.
He could still taste the double cheeseburger and French fries that he had washed down with a good old regular Coke. It might not exactly have been the healthiest option on the menu, but he didn't care. He was only sixteen. And taking into account how active he was with every single sport he played, he knew he would burn it all off in no time.
But it did make him think about Brittany during the entire dinner. He could not get what Eleanor had told him about her potentially being bulimic out of his head. He imagined what it would be like if she had been eating at the diner with them. He tried to picture her sitting right across from him at their table.
She probably would have ordered a salad and Diet Coke (which Alvin would never drink because he couldn't stand the aftertaste), just to keep up appearances. But just as he had witnessed at all previous meals she had eaten with the Seville clan, he knew she would barely eat any of it. He visualized his ex-girlfriend pushing all the vegetables in her salad around on her plate, just as he had done with any kind of food he didn't like when he was a little kid. Maybe she would take a bite or two, but definitely not enough to truly satisfy anybody's hunger. And perhaps she would take the occasional sip of her soda.
And what would end up happening with her salad? Would she ask for it to be wrapped up and then bring it home with her? Bring it home and eat it in private there only to... Oh God! He didn't even want to think about that. He winced as he frantically tried to force himself not to picture that any further.
Of course, there was a possibility she would have just made up some excuse to skip out on going out to dinner with them if she had been awake and able to respond to the invitation. Just like she had been doing with all those parties that the popular kids at school had been inviting her to all year. Being in the cool crowd himself, he knew from his friends that she was invited every single time and repeatedly declined. He simply didn't understand that at all. He would have expected her to be thrilled to know she was still popular, despite not being a cheerleader anymore.
Still, he contemplated how she would look if she had decided to come and was sitting there at the diner with them. Probably very tired, he assumed. This seemed to be the way she always looked lately. He also wondered if he would actually detect a look of sadness in her beautiful blue eyes. Or see a frown take over her pretty face.
These were all things he thought about as he drummed both his hands on the nightstand next to his bed. Wondering if these signs that Brittany was suffering a lot more than any of them had believed had been there all along and he just never noticed. Because he was too busy living in his own universe.
Although he had always known he was the least sensitive out of his brothers, it was only now starting to hit him exactly how selfish and thoughtless he had been lately. Especially when it came to his ex. While little doubts about his decision would creep up on him every now and then since the breakup, the feeling that he had made a huge mistake was stronger than ever now.
And now he was dating Lindsay. And that was really all it was. Just dating. They both agreed not to let it become anything serious because it was not what either of them wanted.
So it was just casual dating. Just having some fun. That was his understanding of it, at least.
And yes, he was having fun with Lindsay. Though she might not have been the brightest crayon in the box and her voice really got on his nerves at times, she was fun to hang out with. She was also hot. Yet, he just felt like something was missing there.
Damn, this entire thing was a gigantic mess. It would just be easiest if he could travel back in time and go back to that one day from the summer when he broke up with Brittany. If only he could take it all back and sincerely try to be there for her this time. Then maybe she wouldn't be going through this.
He always thought Brittany was tough and unbreakable. He believed she was capable of bouncing back from anything. But maybe he was wrong about that. Maybe even the strongest people needed somebody to lean on sometimes.
However, as much as he badly wanted to, he couldn't change the past. He knew that. He was also aware that he couldn't just sit on the sidelines while Brittany was hurting this much either. Eleanor was right. Alvin needed to talk to his ex-girlfriend about what was going on with her.
As self-absorbed as he could be, he wasn't heartless. And despite everything, such as his long standing rivalry with Brittany since they were eight and his more recent decision to break up with her, he truly did still care about her underneath it all. Even if the Chipette herself was not aware of it.
And that's exactly what his pacing up a storm in the shared Seville bedroom was all about right now. He was trying to figure out exactly what to say to Brittany in a way that would not cause her to freak out on him. It was hard, though. He still didn't know all that much about bulimia, so he wasn't even sure where to start.
After all, he couldn't exactly walk up to her and say, "Hey, Brittany. I hear you're purging now and I think you need to talk to a shrink,". Could he?
No, definitely not. Although he was known for being pretty blunt at times and would make inappropriate jokes on occasion, even he knew this was nothing to joke about. He was also aware he needed to be tactful for once. To show some empathy. But as noted before, empathy wasn't really his strong suit.
The oldest Chipmunk then suddenly began absentmindedly doing cartwheels across the room. It was mostly as a way to release all the pent-up stress and anxiety that was eating away at him on the inside, really. His typically hyperactive and energetic nature played a role as well. It might not have made sense to most people. But to Alvin, it did.
His baby brother had actually been attempting to fall asleep in his own bed this whole time. He had been incessantly tossing, turning, and groaning the entire time throughout Alvin's restless movements as he was thinking. He tried to keep quiet and just ignore it for a while. But it seemed that when his eldest brother started to do gymnastics while he was trying to get some rest, that was all he could take.
"Alvin!" Theodore groaned, as he pulled the covers tightly up to his ears in an attempt to drown out all the noise his big brother was making. "I had a long day with the bake sale. I'm super tired and just wanna sleep. Can you please do your cartwheels tomorrow morning instead?"
"Sorry, Theo." Alvin muttered as he was frozen in a position that showed he was clearly getting ready for another cartwheel. But he stopped, as per his youngest brother's request. He got out of his position and started walking over to his own bed. "Didn't mean to keep you up. I'll cool it now."
"Thank you." The green-clad Chipmunk replied sleepily. He then let out a big yawn, closed his innocent green eyes, turned over to his right side, and snuggled even deeper under the green covers of his bed.
When Alvin made it over to his own bed, he sat down on the edge of it and heavily sighed. He was not any closer to a solution than he had been before. The same question was echoing relentlessly in his mind over and over again. What was he gonna do about Brittany?
That was when he realized he was going to have to do something he had been trying to avoid for months. He was going to have to seek advice from someone else. He was going to have to turn to someone in his own family.
Well, Theodore did not seem to be an option right now. Even though he was the kindest of the Chipmunks, super understanding, and probably would have been the best person to advise him on how to approach Brittany with empathy, he was obviously exhausted and needed his rest right now. Besides, he wasn't sure if the sweet yet naive Theodore Seville knew enough about eating disorders to understand exactly how serious this situation really was.
Then he thought about Dave. While Dave was an amazing father, very supportive, and always full of great advice, he wasn't sure if he would be prepared to tackle this one. After all, Dave was old (by Alvin's standards, at least). It had been a long time since he was sixteen and he was probably not really aware of how to deal with the kind of problems teenagers face today. The world had just changed so much since the times their adoptive father had grown up in.
This left only one person for him to talk to. The most intelligent one of the Seville brothers. Alvin also knew he happened to be awake right now, working in his lab.
The red-capped Chipmunk quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom, being careful not to disturb Theodore again. He gingerly turned the knob, slipped out of the room while making as little noise as possible, and slowly closed the door. The Chipmunk then kept his footsteps light as he soundlessly walked down the stairs. Not just for Theodore's sake. He figured Dave was likely to be asleep by now too and would not appreciate it if Alvin woke him up.
When the eldest Chipmunk made it downstairs, he made his way to the door of their basement. The one which also functioned as Simon's makeshift lab. It had been that way ever since they were kids. Simon often used the lab for experiments, research, or even just as a quiet place to study or do homework in peace.
Alvin wasted no time turning the knob and pushing the door that led to his middle brother's laboratory open. He didn't even bother to knock. Sure, Simon might get pissed if he was in the middle of some kind of important experiment. But this was even more important than any project his younger brother could possibly be working on! Surely, he would have to understand in this case.
As Alvin made his way down the basement stairs, he was immediately hit by the slightly cooler temperature difference compared to upstairs. This caused him to shiver. A creak could be heard in each step. However, the middle Seville brother seemed to be unaware that anyone was even coming down there as he was adjusting the slide underneath his microscope. He was so caught up in whatever he was working on.
Alvin actually thought about sneaking up on him and yelling "BOO!" to see if he could scare him, but decided that this was not the right time for that. After all, he actually did need some legitimate help this time. The super serious blue-clad Chipmunk was never a fan of his older brother's antics and would definitely not be happy with him if he potentially caused him to mess up what he was in the middle of.
When the red-clad Chipmunk got downstairs, he saw his younger brother hunched over his lab table that was cluttered with beakers and test tubes filled with colorful liquids. He was examining something under a microscope. Even with his head down, the look of intense concentration on the middle Seville boy's face could not be missed. He also appeared to be writing down notes in some type of journal based on his observations.
"Hey, Si." Alvin said casually in the way he would normally greet his brothers.
He simply walked up next to him like it was nothing, despite the heavy conversation they were about to have.
"Alvin?" Simon questioned as his hands paused above the microscope and his brow furrowed in irritation.
His voice was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. The annoyance was likely from Alvin entering his lab and disrupting his work without even so much as a knock on the door. And the surprise was probably due to him wondering what Alvin was doing down in his laboratory this late. Regardless, Simon never even looked up from the microscope. He just kept working.
"I... um... there's something I wanted to ask you about..." The oldest Seville Chipmunk stated hesitantly, as he began tying loops around one of his fingers with the drawstring of his red pajama pants.
"What's up?" Simon distractedly replied, as he looked away from the microscope for a moment to jot down more information in the spiral notebook he had in front of him.
"I just.. wanted to know everything you can tell me about... bulimia..." Alvin exhaled as his voice trailed off.
He was not sure he should tell him any specifics about the conversation he had with Eleanor earlier. Especially considering Eleanor said Jeanette didn't even know about it yet (although Eleanor might have told her about it since their conversation on the soccer field, he wasn't sure). And for some reason, he actually felt some kind of unusual instinct to protect Brittany's privacy.
He was also hoping that if it did come up that this was about his ex, he wasn't going to have to talk about the way he broke things off between them (though he had a feeling Simon had already heard about it from Jeanette). He felt like a big enough jerk as it was. He didn't need a lecture from his highly principled brother that would make him feel even worse.
Simon suddenly paused as he placed the black pen he was writing with down on top of his notebook and turned around in his swivel office chair. He straightened the collar of his white lab coat as the expression on his face abruptly switched from annoyance to confusion to concern. His blue eyes were now noticeably wider and he had a frown on his face. He leaned in closer to the standing Chipmunk next to him.
"Why do you want to know about that?" Simon asked softly, his normally calm and steady voice now trembling faintly.
"I just... I need to know, ok?" Alvin stated with as much conviction as he could possibly muster. "It's important. And... I kinda zoned out when we learned about this stuff in health class a few years ago."
"Why am I not surprised?" Simon rhetorically asked as he rolled his big blue eyes with obvious annoyance. "By the way, Mr. Winslow told me to inform you that if you miss one more of his World History classes, you'll fail and have to make it up in summer school to graduate with the rest of us next year."
"What!" The red-clad Chipmunk exclaimed as his ocean blue eyes widened in outrage and the color of his face turned nearly the same color as his trademark cap. "That's so unfair! I've had valid excuses every single time."
"So what was your excuse today?" Simon inquired as he skeptically raised an eyebrow with a look on his face that said, "I can't wait to hear this one."
"My contact lens fell out during lunch." Alvin responded smoothly in a now much calmer voice, almost as if he had rehearsed this line. "So I spent the whole next period looking for it in the cafeteria."
"Alvin, you don't even wear contact lenses!" Simon retorted with an exasperated groan as he rolled his eyes for a second time.
"Exactly." Alvin answered confidently with his signature smirk. "Do you know how long it takes to find a contact lens that doesn't exist?"
The older Chipmunk winked as the younger one shook his head in disbelief.
"Anyway," Alvin started out, trying to steer the conversation back on topic as he pulled out a stool from under the lab table and sat across from Simon, now gazing at him intently. "You were going to tell me about bulimia."
Simon nodded his head as he prepared himself to give a detailed summary as you would expect of a teacher about to explain a challenging lesson to a class.
"Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves binging and purging. Purging can be done through forced vomiting, over exercising, or taking laxatives. It's often due to fear of gaining weight. But it can also be caused by trauma or a desperate need to be in control of something when everything else in a person's life feels out of control."
Alvin felt a sickening feeling start to form in the pit of his stomach. That last part certainly sounded like it could apply to Brittany, with all the hardship she had been through ever since Miss Miller's death. And the guilt was now gnawing away at him, wondering if he could have possibly contributed to her struggles. He listened carefully as Simon went on, with the expression on the latter's face becoming even more grave than it was before.
"Bulimia is very dangerous. It can lead to severe consequences that can affect a person's health, such as malnutrition, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, damage to the organs, and issues with the heart."
Alvin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and swallowed hard, not sure he would ever be prepared to hear the answer to the next question he had.
"Is it... life-threatening?"
"Without proper treatment," Simon began as he solemnly nodded his head, "Yes, I'm afraid it can be."
Alvin felt as if he had been punched in the gut as he heard this. The expression on his face could only be described as resembling a deer caught in headlights. And even though he was not the kind of person who cried easily (especially not in front of others), he had to do all that he could to keep the tears he was holding back from falling.
But then he took note of the fact that Simon had said it was fatal without proper treatment. To him, this meant it was not too late to save Brittany. But it also meant it was urgent to convince her to seek professional treatment right away. There was no way he was going to risk losing someone who was so important to him! That was simply not an option.
"How do you talk to someone who's dealing with this?" Alvin asked directly, with newfound determination. "How can you help them?"
Simon then moved in even closer to his red-clad brother and eyed him carefully.
"Alvin," He started out cautiously. "Is this about Brittany?"
The mouth of the boy in red dropped in astonishment, but he didn't say a word. He didn't have to. His silence spoke volumes. However, he did shoot his brother a look that asked how he knew. Luckily, the bespectacled Chipmunk read his mind and was ready with his reply.
"Jeanette has talked about some concerning behavior she's noticed in Brittany recently." Simon explained, as his shoulders drooped and a long sigh soon followed. "She's been very worried about her. It's destroying poor Jeanette."
Simon paused for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was obvious from the troubled look on his face that this part really hurt him, even in the dimly lit basement. Alvin could tell he felt helpless as far as what he could do to comfort his own girlfriend. Simon then took a deep breath and continued.
"I knew something had to be very wrong, but I didn't think it was this serious. Well, I guess maybe I just hoped it wasn't. But I also observed how distant you seemed at the diner earlier. And now, with you coming to me and asking about bulimia... it all adds up. It would also explain her fall at rehearsal, as well as the one I heard about at school earlier today. If she's bulimic, that could be due to either an electrolyte imbalance or severe dehydration."
Alvin figured he probably should not have been surprised that Simon pieced it all together so effortlessly. The guy was a genius, after all. It was very difficult to sneak anything past him.
"Eleanor told me about this at soccer practice earlier." Alvin admitted. "She believes this is what's going on with Brittany. She told me she's always taking trips to the bathroom after eating and then has the water running for way too long. Like she's trying to cover the sound of puking. I noticed when she's at our house, she hardly eats anything. And now... Eleanor wants me to be the one to talk to Brittany. She thinks I can get through to her, for some reason."
Simon gave his brother an understanding nod, as a sympathetic look crossed his features.
"So... what can I do?" Alvin asked again, his desperation now increasing.
Simon leaned back in his chair, very carefully considering what kind of advice he should give to guide his brother in handling this highly delicate subject. The boy in blue adjusted his glasses, as he rubbed the bottom of his chin with a pensive expression on his face.
"Well..." He began. "Approaching someone with an eating disorder requires sensitivity and compassion."
Simon's facial expression then changed to a stern one, as he narrowed his eyes and spoke to his big brother in a firm tone of voice.
"This means no joking around or teasing her, as you're used to doing with her. You need to treat this with the gravity it requires."
Alvin eagerly nodded in agreement, as he adjusted his hat.
"I can do that. If it means saving Brittany's life... I'll hold back on the jokes."
"Good." Simon replied, visibly satisfied to hear that his brother was taking this seriously. "Just let her know you care and that you're very concerned about her wellbeing. You want to make sure you don't come across as judgmental, but let her know it's important she seeks help before it's too late. And most of all, just be there for her as a friend. Let her know that even though you guys aren't together anymore, you still care about what happens to her and want to see her get better."
"But... what if she gets defensive?" Alvin asked dejectedly. "What if she denies anything's wrong and gets pissed at me for even bringing it up?"
"That's a possibility." Simon acknowledged his brother's concerns. "But you just have to be patient with her. And persistent. We both know Brittany can be just as bad as you when it comes to being stubborn..."
"Hey!"
But before Alvin could get too defensive, Simon held up a finger to indicate that he should let him finish what he had to say.
"However, you need to emphasize to her that getting help for this particular issue is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it's actually a sign of strength that will lead to her becoming healthy again. She needs to do this for herself, as well as for her sisters. Jeanette and Eleanor need her now more than ever. As their sister and guardian. With Miss Miller gone, she's the only family they have left besides each other."
Alvin nodded slowly, as he tapped his foot to relieve tension. Though his eyes were wandering all around the room, he still managed to absorb Simon's advice. He let every word of wisdom sink in for once. This was probably the most attention he had ever paid to anything educational in his life. If that was not an indication that the stakes were incredibly high, nothing would be.
"Oh, and Alvin?" Simon added gently.
The older Chipmunk looked up at him, fidgeting a bit. But also clearly curious about what else he had to say.
"Let her know that the rest of us are here for her too. Our family, as well as her sisters. She has a whole support system with all of us. We all want her to get better. Make sure she's aware of that."
Alvin paused for a minute, but then nodded.
"Ok, I will." Alvin agreed with determination in his voice, as his usual confidence started to return. "I can do this. Eleanor's right. If anyone can convince Brittany, it's me. I'm a lady's man, after all."
Simon shook his head at his big brother's cockiness, but could not help smiling at the same time.
"Thanks, Simon." Alvin then said sincerely, but also while looking down slightly to avoid letting his guard down too much. "I needed this."
"Anytime."
Alvin then rose up from the stool and swiftly slid it back under the table, just as he had found it. Simon went back to working on his project with the microscope and journal. Alvin walked up the stairs and found himself sighing one last time for the night. Even though he was headed back to his room, he had a feeling he was going to have a difficult time getting to sleep tonight.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed chapter 21! And yes, the next chapter will have the long-awaited Alvin and Brittany confrontation! Sorry it's taken so long, guys. I was really hoping to squeeze it in this chapter. But like before, I ran out of room for the scene and wanted to get this chapter up. And as you can see from the conversation with Simon, Alvin's already planning for it!
So, we got some interaction between the Seville brothers for this chapter. And now Simon knows about Brittany's eating disorder! And don't worry, the Simonette scene I promised will be coming soon as well! As you can see from this chapter, Simon cares very deeply about Jeanette.
How do you think the Alvin/Brittany confrontation will go down? Will she be open to what he has to say or is he right in expecting her to get all defensive and angry with him? And how will she feel when she figures out one of her sisters told him?
As you can see from this chapter, Alvin is going through some serious character development and growth! What do you think this will mean for him and Lindsay? Will he be ending things with her soon? And even if he does, how easily do you think Brittany will forgive him? Especially after he confronts her about being bulimic?
And if it felt familiar to you, the story Alvin made up about looking for a non-existent contact lens in school was inspired by dialogue in The Nanny! I was watching reruns of that a while ago and when I heard Fran saying she used that excuse in high school, I totally thought it sounded like the kind of thing Alvin would make up! So I felt I had to work that in. Alvin missing his classes will play a significant role later in the story. Any ideas about why he's been ditching?
Those of you who guessed Brittany was headed for the Chipettes' treehouse were right! Kudos to all who guessed right. Do you think Brittany will return home to her sisters in the morning or will she stay holed up in the treehouse for a while?
And if/when she does go back home, how will she handle facing Jeanette and Eleanor now? Will there be another big fight? Or will she be giving them the silent treatment?
Another friendly reminder to check your inboxes if you reviewed the last chapter and haven't seen my PMs yet. I don't know if the notification bug has been fixed. But after the 2-day outage earlier this month, I'm just glad FFN is still around. Here's hoping this site stays up and running going forward!
As always, huge thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, and PMing about this story! I love hearing what you guys think and your support is what keeps me going with this fic. I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on this chapter, as well as your theories about what will happen next.
See you soon!