The eldest Seville brother found himself lost in his own thoughts for the millionth time as he was driving along the extremely familiar, yet eerily quiet roads that were surrounded by forest. Still unsure of what he would say to Brittany when he saw her. Having no idea how he would tell her he knew something he was pretty sure she did not want him to know.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter as he contemplated what he would do once he finally got to his destination. Was he supposed to just knock on the treehouse door and hope his former girlfriend was going to hear him out? And was she even going to let him come in? Or would she end up slamming the door in his face? The amount of uncertainty surrounding this whole thing was overwhelming, he could feel his head spinning.
The red-clad teenager sighed, still not being able to fully grasp any of this. Alvin mindlessly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, but his shoulders relaxed as he felt thankful that very few people took this particular road to reach the Chipettes' old treehouse. Because given how dangerously distracted Alvin was right now, a car accident probably would have been inevitable if he had to deal with any pedestrians or other drivers. As it was, he very narrowly avoided crashing into a tree at least twice on this trip. Luckily, he snapped back to reality during both occurrences just in time.
The closer he knew he was in getting to the treehouse, the harder his heart was pounding in his chest. It felt so weird to be heading over there with this mission in mind. And seeing Brittany there to actually talk to her about something that was a matter of life and death? This was so insane.
Alvin remembered the last time he had been alone in that treehouse with his ex-girlfriend. It was maybe about a couple of weeks before she hurt her knee last spring. The two oldest chipmunks were having a make out session that was getting pretty hot and heavy.
He vividly recalled wondering if that night would be the night when the two teenage chipmunks would wind up going all the way. He even came very close to asking her if she wanted to have sex that night. However, it had only been six months since Miss Miller had passed away and he knew the eldest Chipette was still grieving. So out of respect for her, he held back on asking for sex (as much as it killed him).
It was kind of funny, in a way. Most people who knew Alvin Seville would never believe he had enough self-restraint to hold out for as long as he did. But despite being a well-known impulsive lady's man, he deeply respected and cared for Brittany. He didn't want her to do anything he thought she might later regret. So he ended up waiting for her to tell him when she was ready.
Of course, he was completely unprepared for her to finally be ready to take the next step in their relationship just when he was already planning to break up with her. Perhaps he shouldn't have slept with her that night, knowing he was still having doubts about continuing their relationship. But even so, he couldn't quite bring himself to regret doing the deed with her. It was fun and he did love her at the time.
But what about now? Did he ever stop loving her? That was a question the teen Chipmunk kept asking himself since that fateful day, when he ended things with Brittany and never quite knew how to answer it. And if he did, why couldn't he just talk to Brittany and tell her? And what was he doing with Lindsay?
Alvin then took one hand off of the steering wheel to rub a temple underneath his baseball cap. He was getting a headache from thinking about all of this. He was not supposed to be dealing with this much heavy stuff at sixteen years old. And now, he was finally starting to realize that it went double for Brittany.
The teenage boy got to the general area where the treehouse was on the deserted path he was navigating, confident that was where Brittany had run off to last night. He then spotted a familiar figure in a pink dress walking along nearby. She was looking straight ahead with her head held up high. But not even in her usual conceited manner. If anything, it actually looked more like she was deliberately trying to tune out the outside world.
As the Chipmunk started to get a little closer, slowly pulling up towards the teen Chipette's direction, he realized he actually remembered her wearing that specific dress a long time ago and thinking how hot it made her look. It was at some party one of the popular girls was having, partly to flaunt her wealth and make people even more jealous of her. Of course, he couldn't recall if the party hostess was Missy, Muffy, or Mimi off hand. All these snotty, rich, popular girls kind of blended together for Alvin.
He believed it was no coincidence that these were the same girls who used to act like Brittany was one of their best friends and made her feel like she was part of their crowd. But then they all turned their backs on her the moment she had to take a break from cheerleading after injuring her knee. Which confirmed what Alvin had been suspicious of for a while, but somehow never had the heart to tell Brittany no matter how pissed at her he felt. These girls were never really her friends to begin with.
Well, that was pretty much a given for Missy Snootson. It was no secret that Brittany and Missy could never stand one another, even if they were in the same social circle and might have technically been considered friends on a superficial level. They had hated each other since they first met back in the third grade, even more so than Brittany and Alvin hated each other back then.
It all started on Picture Day when the two of them got into a huge fight over who's outfit was cuter. The two girls even went as far as trying to ruin each other's Picture Day outfits during art class with paint and scissors, to the point where Jeanette, Eleanor, and their art teacher all had to intervene. The two were probably lucky they were still allowed to participate in Picture Day after that, really. He was expecting them to both get suspended. And even though Alvin never told Brittany this to her face (and he would probably still deny it if anyone were to ask), he was secretly rooting for Brittany when he had been watching that whole incident play out.
It was a pretty jarring contrast to the Brittany he saw in front of him in the present. The Brittany he now knew was struggling with bulimia. The Brittany who never went out to parties anymore and always seemed to be hiding up in her room. It almost felt like she was an entirely different Chipette.
And where were Muffy and Courtney from The Sisters club now, while Brittany was clearly suffering so much and needed friends more than ever? Although, those two never exactly seemed like they were her genuine friends either. They constantly got her hopes up by inviting her to join their stupid little club, only to turn her down for what were probably some really dumb reasons that any normal person would never care about.
Alvin was also relieved every time Brittany got shot down. Sure, she would always be crushed at first. But she would also get over it and move on just as quickly. After all, she knew she was still popular.
Alvin simply never had a very high opinion of those two girls after they called Jeanette a nerd and trashed her clothes the first time they invited Brittany to be one of them. But worse than that, it really pissed him off when Brittany denied that Jeanette was her sister to them and claimed she was only her science partner. He felt like Brittany became an even bigger snob than usual when she hung around them, just so they would accept her. So this made him secretly glad they never did.
But once he officially became Brittany's boyfriend in seventh grade, he knew he had to at least try to act somewhat supportive of her. So he would attempt to console her by telling her they were nothing but a couple of snobs and she was better off not being in their club. Not like his ex-girlfriend ever appreciated this though.
She would then respond by telling him to cut the crap. She would inform him that she was well aware he never liked Muffy and Courtney and knew he was fighting way too hard not to smile about it. She would tell him he was the worst boyfriend ever for being happy about something so devastating to her and threaten to break up with him. But then he would tell her he loved her and she would forgive him and agree that Muffy and Courtney sucked.
Then there were her friends from the cheerleading team. The ones who Brittany used to always sit with at lunch and have sleepovers with. Were they really all such sheep that they were going to let Missy control them to the point where they all froze Brittany out too?
He KNEW Brittany was a better cheer captain than Missy was (although he was still an even better cheer captain than Brittany during the brief time he served as one). Whenever there was a game for the many sports he was captain of, he would always see the squad off on the sidelines after each game. Every single time, she would be yelling at the other cheerleaders and letting them know exactly what they screwed up and how bad they looked out there. He could tell they all hated Missy's guts. Brittany was definitely not perfect, but she was fair and understood what being on a team meant.
So why weren't any of these girls there for Brittany, knowing she was still grieving the loss of her mother while dealing with a painful injury and being sidelined from everything she loved? Where were they then? And where are they now? Why didn't any of them notice Brittany becoming bulimic?
He then realized that he was guilty of many of those things himself. Maybe Brittany was right when she had accused him of being the worst boyfriend ever. For the first time in his life, he certainly felt that way.
Alvin peered out the window to see how much closer he was to Brittany. He started rolling down his window. It was now or never.
Meanwhile, Brittany was deep in her own troubling thoughts as she was continuing on her path as well. She found herself moving at a snail's pace, afraid to walk too fast. Concerned about having a relapse with her knee after that rough night spent on that unsightly couch. Worried that moving too quickly could cause another dizzy spell and would result in her passing out again. Or maybe something even worse.
Damn it! This was not the way things were supposed to be! She had been an athlete before her injury ruined everything. She used to be head cheerleader and the best dancer out of all The Chipettes and Chipmunks (even though Alvin arrogantly claimed that was him, she knew he was simply wrong about that). She had been on the track team in middle school and would have continued if the schedule for cheerleading didn't become more demanding in high school.
She and her sisters used to play baseball against The Chipmunks when they were younger. Brittany even became quarterback of the football team at one point after she made a bet with Alvin that she could play football better than him and he bet that he could be a better head cheerleader than her (as if anyone could achieve that one!).
It was funny because most people who didn't consider cheerleading and dance to be actual sports never believed Brittany to be the athletic type. Those people thought she was too "girly", too concerned about getting sweaty, messing up her hair, or breaking a nail. But the truth is, that was actually how she stayed in shape. And if she had not suffered an ACL tear last year, maybe she wouldn't have ended up gaining all that weight that she became desperate to lose. And maybe she wouldn't be stuck in this awful vicious cycle where she had to force herself to "get rid of" anything she ate now.
Suddenly, Brittany stopped walking when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car honking. This came as quite a shock to her since it was generally a very quiet area and a car being in the vicinity was a fairly rare sight. And it was honking at her? Her curiosity got the better of her, so she decided to look up and see if it could be someone she knew.
The moment she looked up, her eyes caught sight of a cherry red BMW. There was only one person she knew who drove a car like that. And he was one of the last people she wanted to see right now.
"Great." She sarcastically muttered to herself. "Just great."
She stood there for a moment, not sure whether she should run away or stay and talk to Alvin. Well, it was not like she could run or even walk very fast to get away from him anyway. Especially with him being in a car.
And for some reason, she was curious as to what exactly he was doing out here and why he seemed interested in talking to her (or in anyone besides himself, honestly). So against her better judgment, she decided to go see what her ex-boyfriend wanted. She just hoped she would not end up seriously regretting this.
The pink-clad Chipette walked over to the BMW and approached the window to speak with the Chipmunk who was now loudly shouting, "Hey Britt!".
As his ex-girlfriend was cautiously making her way over to his car, Alvin plastered a smile on his face for her. He was determined to hide the intense anxiety he was feeling about confronting Brittany over her eating disorder. In spite of the grin now spreading across his face, his heart was racing like he had been running a marathon. This was going to be an even tougher conversation to have than the one when he broke up with her. And she would probably end up hating him even more at the end of this one, if that was at all possible.
Once the Chipette was at his window and the two of them were face to face, Alvin pulled up his sunglasses and looked his former girlfriend over. He had to fight off a frown as he did so. He could now see exactly what Eleanor was talking about on the soccer field yesterday.
Brittany had clearly lost a drastic amount of weight, as proven by the once tight-fitting dress no longer looking so tight on her. Despite the heavy amount of makeup she was wearing, he could tell she had huge bags under her eyes. It looked like she had not slept in years. She was also pale as a ghost. Even her beautiful auburn hair that used to be so shiny was now limp and disheveled in its ponytail.
But the look in her eyes was probably the hardest thing to ignore. Her gorgeous ice blue eyes that used to be so vibrant, full of life, and would especially light up whenever the two of them got into an argument. Those same eyes were now hollow and almost lifeless. Basically, they were the same old eyes, but not the shine.
It almost reminded him of the time he thought he turned her into a zombie. Only this time, he knew for sure she wasn't faking just how sick she was. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.
This Brittany was trying very hard to convince everyone she was doing just fine. She felt the need to keep up the front that she still had it all together. And Alvin realized this was going to be a huge obstacle in getting through to her, on top of her already extremely stubborn nature.
"Hey, Brittany!" Alvin greeted her in an over-the-top cheery voice, but then tried to play it cool.
"Careful." He thought to himself. "You don't want her to think you're trying too hard."
"Alvin?" Brittany asked, her voice a mixture of confusion, annoyance, and exhaustion. "What are you doing here?"
"Just heading for breakfast." Alvin stated smoothly, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Really?" Brittany responded, as she raised an eyebrow. "And you chose this route?"
"Well... yeah. Crazy traffic on the main road." He shook his head saying this, as if he couldn't believe how backed up the roads were. "So I detoured this way. You know barely anyone comes through here."
The red-capped Chipmunk smiled and internally gave himself a pat on the back. Man, he was good!
"Uh huh..." Brittany replied, as she slowly nodded her head, not seeming as though she was completely buying it.
"Anyway, hop in." Alvin offered, as he gestured towards the passenger seat. "I'll give you a ride home."
Brittany just stood there for a second and looked at him in disbelief. Her ex-boyfriend was offering her a ride without being forced to by Dave or anyone else? This was especially strange knowing how self-centered her ex usually was, even when they were dating. What was he up to?
"What's in it for you?" The auburn-haired girl asked warily.
"Come on, Britt." Alvin said softly with sincerity filling his big blue eyes. "I can do nice things sometimes. You used to know that about me..."
Brittany's eyes shifted as she briefly considered Alvin's offer. He was most likely going to want to get breakfast before dropping her off. But was he planning on using a drive-through or was he going to take her into an actual sit-down restaurant? Either way, she was going to have to try to avoid temptation to binge. And come up with an excuse not to eat in front of Alvin.
She shook her head, deciding it wasn't worth all that trouble.
"I'm good, thanks. It's not that far."
The pink-clad teenager turned away from the BMW, ready to continue on her path home. But then a certain Chipmunk's voice stopped her in her tracks again.
"Come on, Brittany." Alvin gently pleaded with her, giving his best sad puppy face. "Aren't you still supposed to be resting your knee when you're not practicing or performing? You don't want to hurt it again and have to take another long hiatus from performing. Do you?"
Brittany let out a heavy sigh in frustration. She didn't really have an argument for that one. He had a valid point. She was still supposed to be resting her knee as much as possible. Medical advice she had not exactly been following lately.
"Ok..." The Chipette reluctantly agreed as she turned back around and opened up the passenger door to Alvin's BMW. She slid into the seat, closed the door, and started buckling up as Alvin began driving away from her old neighborhood.
The car ride up until Alvin arrived at a restaurant where he could get breakfast was silent. Basically, a pin dropping could have been heard due to how quiet it was. There was something about this that the Chipmunk and Chipette both found highly unsettling. The two of them had never gone this long without saying a word to each other with both of them being in the same space.
At last, Alvin pulled up to the Wendy's drive-through. When he got to the speaker, she heard him order the French toast sticks combo with a coffee and he requested lots of sugar packets as well. She narrowed her eyes as she listened to his order. Alvin drinking coffee? That was new.
When the red-capped Chipmunk finished with his order, he then turned to Brittany.
"You want anything?" He asked her nonchalantly.
"Seriously, Alvin? You know I don't do fast food." Brittany replied, as she scrunched her nose up in disgust. "I might as well drink poison."
Alvin eyed his ex carefully, not quite sure how to interpret her response. It did sound like a typical Brittany thing to say, but something felt off. Knowing what he now knew made him think that maybe this was more than just her usual snootiness. It was so weird. It was like the Chipette he had known since he was eight years old was the same, yet different now.
So what exactly was the right thing to do here? Should he try to convince her to get something? Coax her into eating some of his food when he got it?
Somehow, he had a feeling that wouldn't go over well. At a loss for what to do, Alvin simply nodded his head and let it go. He guessed he was done ordering now.
The next few minutes were a bit of a whirlwind as Alvin pulled around the drive-through and eventually rolled down to the window to pay. When he finally received his meal, he drove away from the restaurant and circled the parking lot, seemingly looking for an open space. When he found a spot that was available, he pulled into it and parked the car.
This honestly came as a surprise to the Chipette. She was totally expecting him to continue driving and take them home after getting his food. Wasn't that the point of using the drive-through? She certainly wanted to go home and get all the drama with her sisters over with, at least. Plus, being alone in a car with Alvin still felt super awkward with their history.
"Wait, you're not taking me home yet?"
Alvin shook his head slightly.
"Thought I'd eat here for a few minutes. You don't mind, do you?"
"I... I guess not..." Brittany responded softly, yet irritably.
Normally, she would put up much more of a fight than that. She would complain to him about how he was the one who insisted she let him give her a ride and now he couldn't even be bothered to bring her home right away. He was so inconsiderate! However, she simply didn't have it in her to fight with him right now.
It was crazy because their constant fights had pretty much been what defined their relationship since the day they met. But at this moment, she was just too tired. Too weak. She was just going to let him have his way this time without any kind of argument.
With nothing better to do while Alvin ate, maybe she could use this as a chance to get some more sleep. She started to close her eyes until the sweet aroma of maple syrup invaded her senses. She was instantly reminded of breakfast with her sisters in the mornings. Then she held back tears as she remembered what was now an everyday occurrence after breakfast for her.
She truly did miss the mornings when she could simply eat breakfast and then not immediately run to the bathroom to throw it all up. She could actually enjoy sitting at the table, talking and laughing with her sisters. And Miss Miller! God, she really needed her mother right now. That was a time of her life that all currently felt like a distant dream.
She then watched as Alvin started to dip a French toast stick into a small container of syrup. Brittany tried her best to look appalled, as she knew was expected from her. But she just couldn't even feign that feeling at this moment. It smelled so good and she wished she could have some.
However, she knew that if she indulged in any of those fatty, greasy French toast sticks, there was no way she could allow herself to digest them without it showing up on the scale. She would have to purge. And that was not something she could easily do with Alvin sitting right next to her. If their recent interactions were anything to go by, he would definitely suspect something was up. And the last thing she needed was for him to report anything back to Jeanette or Eleanor. She began uncomfortably fidgeting with the bow on her dress while she tried to get her mind off of binging and purging.
Without warning, the sound of something ripping broke through her thoughts. She then turned her head and noticed Alvin taking the lid off his coffee cup and opening up a white packet of sugar with the Wendy's logo imprinted on it. He poured it into his coffee and then proceeded to open another packet. Brittany raised an eyebrow. Now she was definitely curious about this.
"Since when do you drink coffee?" She questioned in a somewhat amused tone.
Alvin casually shrugged his shoulders in response.
"I just decided to try it one day and... I don't know. I just realized if I poured a ton of sugar in, it's not so bad. I actually enjoy the extra boost of energy it gives me."
"Like YOU need the extra energy?" Brittany scoffed as she said this. "You've always had enough for all six of us."
"Now you sound like Simon." Alvin replied, chuckling a bit himself as he put the lid back on his coffee cup and started shaking it to get the sugar mixed in, the sound of splashing liquid now filling the car.
Despite herself, Brittany couldn't help but give a small smile. It was back to feeling like old times again, when they were still together. Suddenly, she let out a huge yawn. She had no idea why she was still so tired, but started to revisit the idea of taking a nap while Alvin ate his breakfast.
Alvin looked up from his coffee briefly, inhaling the rich smell of the beans and savoring the saccharine taste of sugar still lingering on his taste buds. He noticed Brittany was starting to nod off. He knew he had to speak with her before she drifted off completely. And at least the caffeine and sugar were kicking in, giving him some extra pep. He felt confident he could do this now.
"Hey, Brittany..." Alvin called out to her a little louder than he meant to, but he needed to get her attention.
The second she heard her name, Brittany's eyes fluttered open as she jolted in her seat. Now she was seriously irritated that her ex had disrupted her attempt to get some rest. What was up with him today? It actually seemed like he was going out of his way to be super nice to her, yet somehow she found him to be more annoying than ever like this. But she supposed she should find out what he wanted from her.
"What, Alvin?" Brittany asked in a tone of voice that made no effort to mask just how aggravated she was as she groggily lifted her head and glared at him.
"I've been worried about you lately. Are you ok?" He tentatively questioned her.
"Yeah," Brittany responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, staring at him blankly. "Why wouldn't I be?"
She also was not sure why he even cared after the way he selfishly ended things with her over the summer. Or when he had a new girlfriend now. But she held back on saying any of this. For now, anyway.
"Well... it's just..." Alvin hesitated as he spoke. "All this stuff about you passing out and... you just seem so tired all the time. And I never see you eat anymore..."
"Oh my God, enough!" The Chipette in pink snapped, her fists were now clenched so tight that her knuckles were turning white."It's bad enough with my sisters on my case about this. I don't need it from you too!"
"They're just worried about you, Britt. We all are. In fact, I've been talking to Eleanor. She thinks you're... bulimic."
There. He finally put that word out there with Brittany. And it was the hardest word to get out.
Hearing this was enough to get Brittany's blood boiling. Her pale face turned red with fury and her eyes were bulging. She kept her fists tightly clenched and gritted her teeth.
"WHAT?" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "SHE HAD NO RIGHT TELLING YOU ANYTHING!"
It was bad enough that Shelby had stabbed her in the back by saying something to Eleanor after she promised she wouldn't. But now her own sister betrayed her by telling her ex-boyfriend as well. She literally could not trust anyone anymore.
Like, what was Eleanor even thinking? Alvin was absolutely the last person she wanted knowing she was in that kind of condition (not that she wanted anyone else to know either). She felt betrayed, outraged, and utterly humiliated all at once.
Alvin had to cover his ears due to Brittany's screaming. In the tight quarters of his small car, her angry voice really carried. He was feeling rather defensive himself right now. But he still knew he had to try to talk to Brittany in a calm and rational way instead of being combative with her. He had to fight the urge to yell back at her.
"Britt," He began calmly, after taking a deep breath. "Like I said, she's worried about you. She thought maybe I could help somehow..."
"I don't need help from anyone." Brittany bitterly scoffed, folding her arms across her chest and scowling. "Especially not you. Eleanor's wrong. I don't have an eating disorder. She's just freaking out over nothing."
"Come on, Britt. You don't have to go through this alone." Alvin tried his best to reassure her and break through her defensiveness. "Believe it or not, I still care about you and I don't want you hurting yourself."
"You care about me? Really?" Brittany's voice was now dripping with venom. "How much did you care when you dumped me right after we slept together for the first time?"
Her voice was growing louder with each word and she pointed at him with a shaking finger.
"Do you have any idea how much what you did hurt after I gave myself up like that? I gave you something I'll never get back. And then you threw our whole relationship away like it was nothing. How do you think that made me feel? Used and rejected."
Her voice started cracking on the last word she said, but lost none of its edge as she tried to keep herself from crying. She continued, choking slightly and feeling a burn in her eyes as she blinked back tears.
"And when I needed you the most, you abandoned me!"
"I..."
Alvin opened his mouth but no sound came out. He looked away with a guilty expression evident on his face. He didn't even know how to respond to that.
For once, Alvin Seville was speechless. And the worst part was, he knew he was wrong and that Brittany was right this time. Even he couldn't deny it.
She said exactly what he had been hoping she wouldn't bring up. And it made him realize that he hurt her much more than he ever could have imagined. So... was it his fault she was struggling with bulimia now? Was it in response to the pain he had caused her?
Man, he really wished Simon was there with him to advise him on what to say next. Or even Theodore. For once, he actually did want advice from his brothers. No matter how much he knew they would judge him for the way he treated Brittany.
How could he explain his reasoning to his ex-girlfriend? How could he make her understand that he wasn't trying to use her, but was actually just overwhelmed by all that she was going through and didn't know how to deal with her problems? But he knew she would never understand. Not when Jeanette still had Simon and Eleanor still had Theodore. So what made Alvin so different from his brothers?
"I... I screwed up." Alvin admitted, wringing his hands and glancing out the window, as if looking for a way to escape the truth.
Brittany's expression then softened as she looked at the eldest Seville brother in shock. That might have been the first time she had ever heard that sentence come out of her ex-boyfriend's mouth. He usually had too much pride to admit when he was in the wrong, even when he clearly was.
"I shouldn't have done that to you." The teenage boy continued. "I should've been there for you. I failed, I know that. But I'm here for you now."
"NO! You don't get to show up and be my knight in shining armor now. That's not how it works." The auburn-haired Chipette was now gripping the edges of her car seat in an attempt to keep herself from falling apart right then and there.
"Look," Alvin sighed deeply as he buried his face in his hands and rubbed it to relieve tension. "I... I get it if you can't forgive me for what I did. I'm... not sure I would either. But you should talk to someone, even if it's not me. Maybe a professional?"
"Why is everyone so desperate to pass me off to a shrink like I'm crazy?" The teenage girl yelled in frustration. "I've been taking care of myself my whole life. I never needed help from anyone. And I still don't. Like I've been saying, there's nothing wrong with me!"
She was lying. She knew it and Alvin knew it. But he also knew that getting her to admit she had a problem was going to be the toughest part. And according to all those reality shows he had watched where people went for therapy, that was the first thing a person had to do before they could get better.
"Brittany, please just think about it." Alvin said, sounding somewhat defeated, his ocean blue eyes were now clouded with genuine sadness. "I really do want you to get better. I hate seeing you like this. I just want you to be happy and healthy again."
There was more awkward silence surging throughout the car. Brittany didn't know what to say. Did Alvin really mean all this? He seemed sincere. But like her, she knew he was also a very talented actor.
"Look, I asked Simon some questions about bulimia too. He said it could kill you if you don't get better. And if that happens... I don't know what I'll do." The red-clad teen's voice was starting to slightly break. "You're still important to me, even if we're not together anymore. And even when you piss me off. I don't want you to die, Brittany. And knowing you as well as I do, I don't think you want that either. So please get help. If not for me, then do it for yourself. And for Jeanette and Eleanor. Your sisters need you. They lost Miss Miller. Don't let them lose a sister too."
Brittany looked into Alvin's hypnotic blue eyes and she could tell he really did mean all that he was saying. His eyes were begging her to get help and get better. She couldn't believe it. He did still care! Even with everything that had happened between them.
What he was saying about her sisters also hit her hard. What would happen to her younger sisters if she died? She felt pretty sure she didn't want to die either. But was that enough to make her stop what she was doing?
She felt the tears continue to sting her eyes, but still refused to let them fall. Not here, not now. But oddly enough, she actually did want to break down and cry in front of Alvin this time. In fact, she wanted nothing more right now than to just let him hold her and cry on his shoulder.
She averted her gaze from Alvin and redirected her focus at the window, not quite sure what to do next. Maybe she should tell him. The thought had seriously crossed her mind at that moment. She wanted to confess everything to Alvin.
To let him know the breakup was merely a small factor in this. And that a lot had to do with her grief over Miss Miller, needing to be strong for her sisters her whole life, not being able to get exercise after hurting her knee which led to her gaining weight, and the pressures of essentially being forced into a parental role when she was still just a kid herself.
She didn't want him blaming himself for what was happening to her, because she knew in her heart it was not his fault. It was not anyone's fault. This all just started out as her solely wanting to lose a few pounds and then snowballed from there.
She was nearly ready to tell Alvin everything right then and there. She wanted to tell him all about how binging and purging had become an everyday (almost every meal, really) occurrence for her. She wanted to mention how this all started on the morning of the first day of school, when she noticed she had gained a significant amount of weight and felt fat for the first time in her life.
She wanted to tell him how much she actually hated what she was doing. How stressful it truly was to have to keep covering her tracks. How she really just wanted to stop, but didn't want to give up the one thing she could control either.
Maybe she could. Maybe she should open up to Alvin about all this. Maybe he would surprise her and actually be supportive and understanding. Maybe she was finally ready to talk to someone and Alvin might just be the one. She did once trust him enough to allow him to take her virginity. So why shouldn't she trust him with this?
She was ready. She was going to tell Alvin everything. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Alvin... I... I've been..."
But then she stopped herself, her breath quickening. For some reason, she just couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. And now that she was thinking more about it, she didn't like the idea of appearing so weak in front of Alvin. Not when their whole relationship consisted of the two of them always trying to one-up each other. Was she really just going to let him know he was an emotionally stronger person than she was? What if he never let her live that down once he stopped feeling guilty?
And of course, she would also have no choice but to get help for her problem once Alvin knew. And the idea of seeking professional help gave her a whole other set of concerns. What would happen if word got back to her social worker, Eileen? What if she lost control over her life again? What if she gained back all the weight she had been working so hard to keep off?
So the Chipette decided not to say anything to the concerned Chipmunk sitting beside her in the confined space of that BMW. She was just not ready for anyone to know how far she had fallen. Not even him. She was going to keep her secret. She was going to carry on with living this lie, no matter how much she despised it.
"I already told you, I'm fine! You don't have to pretend you care anymore. Just leave me alone! Go call Lindsay or something. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to play superhero games with you."
"Brittany..." Alvin started to reach out a comforting hand to place on her shoulder, but she was already undoing her seatbelt.
The eldest Miller sister then opened the passenger door and stepped out onto the pavement.
"I'll just walk home from here." She said coldly, as she slammed the door shut and started walking away from Alvin's car.
Alvin felt his heart sink as he watched his ex-girlfriend walk away. He really thought he was actually getting somewhere with her and was disheartened that she shut him out, yet again. But still, he couldn't just sit back idly and let someone he cared about this much just lose herself and her life to this horrible illness she was suffering from. And now that he knew exactly how much his actions had contributed to her current state, he absolutely had to make it right somehow.
"I'm not giving up on you, Brittany." He stated with determination as he watched her continue to walk away, even though he knew she was too far away to hear him at this point.
The oldest Chipmunk took another sip of his coffee, which was now turning cold on him. That didn't matter, though. Brittany was his number one priority right now. And he was already cooking up a new plan to help save her.
A/N: And that was the big Alvittany confrontation I know everyone had been waiting for! Finally! I know it took a super long time to get here, but hope you guys enjoyed it and felt it was worth the wait.
So, did the Alvittany scene go the way you were expecting it to? What did you think? Alvin got VERY close to getting Brittany to admit she has a problem. She nearly broke down and spilled. But being as strong-willed as she is, it wasn't going to be that easy.
BUT, Alvin has a new plan! What do you think he's going to do? And will it work? Will Brittany finally listen and get the help she needs?
So funny story about the Alvittany confrontation. I believe I mentioned in a previous Author's Note that I've had that scene planned out before I even published this story. I had originally planned for that scene to take place at school, with Alvin approaching Brittany at her locker to talk to her. But with the direction the story went in, most of the main characters ended up finding out about Brittany's eating disorder the day before their spring break.
Needless to say, it wouldn't make sense for Alvin to wait an entire week to talk to Brittany about something that's obviously so urgent and time-sensitive. So I had to rework the scene for him to confront her in a way that fit where the story had left off.
Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Somehow, I think it just worked for him to find her walking home from the treehouse and then end up talking to her in his car in the Wendy's parking lot. Having the whole discussion take place in the privacy of Alvin's car just made the scene feel more intimate, as opposed to them having that conversation in a crowded high school hallway.
Next month will be quite a busy one for me since I will be running around doing various Fall/Halloween festivities with my toddler. We've got big plans all month long! But as always, I still plan to have the next chapter up late October.
Thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed, PMed, and added this fic to your favorites list. It means the world to me and I'm utterly grateful for all the support you all have given me. Let me know what you thought of this chapter as well! I can't wait to read your reviews.
See you soon!