A/N: Well, here it is. The very last chapter of We're Off to See America! I decided to publish it today, on its 3rd birthday. Yes, I published this story exactly three years ago today; which is pretty crazy! So ending it is kind of bittersweet for me. It's been part of my life for a while now, but I'm ready to move on and write other things.
So I wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read this story, whether it be the whole thing or just a chapter. I remember being so nervous the first time I posted it, so the fact that so many people have seemed to enjoy it makes me really happy. Thanks a bunch.
So without further ado… I present to you the final chapter of We're Off to See America! (God, I am such a drama queen).
Sunday, August 3
11:32 AM
Back of the RV
For the first time in her life, Brittany did not feel like getting out of bed to show herself off to the world.
She was buried underneath blankets at the back of the RV fighting back tears. She had been awake for a while now, but she hadn't been able to get up and face the fact that Alvin still hadn't made a move. She had made him a deal, and it was well past the deadline. Brittany was too stubborn to make any exceptions. Alvin just didn't like her as much as she thought he did and that was that.
Well, she wished it was that simple anyway. But she wasn't ready to deal with it yet, at least not in public. She sighed and put her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sounds of talking and laughter from the others outside the closed door.
The first tear was getting ready to fall when the door burst open, revealing Brittany's annoyingly cheerful sisters.
"Rise and shine, Brittany!" she heard Eleanor chirp. "We can't let you just lay here any longer!"
Brittany groaned and pulled her blankets over her head in response. "No," was her muffled reply.
Eleanor yanked the blankets back down, and Brittany quickly covered her watery eyes. "Go away!" she said, annoyed that her voice had broken a bit.
"We have something we want you to read," Eleanor said, gesturing to the laptop Jeanette was holding.
Brittany rolled over to avoid eye contact. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait."
"But Brittany," Jeanette said. "This is a blog for that really popular Chipmunk and Chipette website. You know, the one Kelsey runs?"
"Not interested," Brittany replied, shuddering at all those memories of Kelsey Samson begging for her autograph over and over again, despite the fact she had given it to her dozens of times through the years.
"But the article," Jeanette said. "It's about you."
Brittany's ears perked up about this, but she made herself remain lying down.
"Actually," she could hear the smugness in Eleanor's voice, "it's about you and Alvin."
Well, that got her to sit up. Brittany practically ripped the laptop out of Jeanette's hands. "Give me that," she muttered. She quickly typed in the website address with shaking fingers.
The site didn't look any different than usual; just about a thousand pictures of her sisters and the Chipmunks covering every corner of her computer screen. But there it was, a new blog entry that had been published at about one o'clock that morning. It was titled, The Biggest News EVER! Brittany bit her lip as she clicked on it to read.
The Biggest News EVER!
By Kelsey B. Samson
OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH. MY. GOSH!
You guys! I have the BIGGEST Chipmunk story of the year! And it all comes straight from Alvin Seville himself!
Okay, so last night I was at the concert (which was, as always, AMAZING!), and after the show, Alvin comes up and says he has something to tell me. I'm always super excited to talk to Alvin; he's such a cool friend! But he seemed kind of serious so I knew something was up. And this is what he told me, word-for-word.
"I want you to let all of my fans know that I have feelings for someone."
!
So of course, I asked who. I wasn't trying to be nosy, but this is what a good reporter does.
AND GUESS WHAT HE SAID?!
"Brittany."
YES. THAT BRITTANY!
Of course, I got super excited when I heard this news, and Alvin had to very politely tell me to "calm down," but can you blame me? ALVIN SEVILLE HAS FEELINGS FOR BRITTANY MILLER!
"I've liked her for a while now," Alvin told me. "And I think it's time that everyone knows. I want everyone to know."
Despite the fact that I almost had an asthma attack (seriously, I had my inhaler in my hand, ready for use!), I was able to ask how he has had feelings for her.
Alvin took a moment to answer, but then he said, "I think I always have…"
AWWWW! I swear, I almost DIED from the sweetness!
Then I asked if they were officially dating and Alvin said, "I hope so," and I'm not really quite sure what he meant by that, but WHO CARES?! ALVIN AND BRITTANY ARE AN ITEM!
This is my biggest story EVER on the site, and I'm so glad I got to share it with you all! Just remember you heard it from here first, and-
Brittany didn't even finish reading the rest. She realized her heart was pounding so hard she could practically hear it, and she had a churning feeling in her stomach.
He did it, she thought. He did it. He told everyone.
The RV came to a slow stop, probably stopping somewhere for lunch. Brittany remained seated, staring at the laptop monitor.
"Are you coming, Brittany?" Eleanor asked. Brittany didn't even have to look at her to know she was smiling.
"Be there in a second," Brittany managed to say despite the lump in her throat.
Her sisters left, and Brittany barely heard them giggling on their way out. She was still trying to process what she had just read; then it hit her. This was it. She and Alvin were together.
Without thinking about her bedhead and the fact that she was wearing her pajamas, Brittany stumbled out of bed and hurried out of the tiny room. There was no one on the RV, so Brittany rushed toward the door, when she tripped a few times running down the steps. When she was out of the vehicle, she saw Alvin a few yards away, making his way inside a fast food restaurant.
Heart in her throat, Brittany ran toward him, doing her best to ignore the fact that the hot pavement stung her bare feet with every step. When she was close, Alvin turned around. His eyes widened at her unusually unkempt appearance.
"Britt—"
He didn't finish saying her name. Brittany wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard on the lips.
Alvin didn't waste time kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her as well.
Finally they slowly pulled away and Alvin grinned.
"Well," he said. "I guess you saw Kelsey's blog."
Brittany just smiled in response. Then she realized her feet felt like they were on fire.
"Ow!" she yelped. She put her arms around Alvin's neck and stepped on Alvin's sneakers he was wearing. This made her look down, when she took in her wrinkled pajama shorts and tangled hair. "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm out in public like this!"
"You look fine to me," Alvin said, kissing her again.
"Ew," Brittany replied, the reality of looking terrible setting in.
"Hey, I have to say that if I'm going to be your boyfriend," he told her.
It took Brittany everything she had not to let out a girly giggle.
"So is that you're way of asking me to be your girlfriend?" Brittany asked, touching her nose to Alvin's.
"That's my way of telling you you're my girlfriend," Alvin said. His eyes shifted toward her mop of unruly hair. He took the hat off his head and placed it on Brittany's. "You're gonna need this, babe."
Brittany narrowed her eye, but she was too happy to actually be mad at him. At her boyfriend.
"There is no way I'm setting foot in that restaurant," Brittany said, still holding on to Alvin. "My feet are dirty enough as it is. Who knows what is on the floor in there?"
"Good point," Alvin said. "Here, get on my back and I'll carry you to the RV."
Brittany stepped off his shoes and climbed on his back.
"And they say chivalry is dead," Brittany said as he started to walk.
"Huh?"
Brittany rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
It wasn't exactly a romantic way of being carried somewhere (A piggyback ride? Really?), and Brittany wanted to gag when she thought about what the soles of her feet looked like at the moment, but she couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. She liked Alvin and he liked her. And for once they had been able to admit it.
"Not so tight," Alvin said, shaking his head to loosen. "You're choking me."
"Was not," Brittany protested. "You'd know if I was choking you."
"I knew just now," Alvin told her, sounding annoyed.
Okay, so this relationship would obviously be everything but perfect, but Brittany quickly decided that she could live with this one imperfect thing in her life. She was pretty sure Alvin was worth it.
Friday, August 8
Phoenix, AZ
RV roof
Simon sighed as he stared up at the night sky. He was thankful for the night off, and it had been a while since he had laid down to look at the constellations. It was a perfect night for it; the sky was dark and clear, and the stars looked especially bright.
He wasn't sure where everyone else had gone. He assumed they went to out to eat or perhaps shopping, but Simon had opted to spend his break lying on top of the RV. He was glad Dave had parked in a quiet grassy area rather than in the hotel parking lot.
Every now and then his mind would wander. He thought about how the summer was almost over and this whole tour would end after tomorrow night. He thought about how Alvin and Brittany were officially dating, and the oddness of how everything was different between them yet exactly the same. But most of all, he thought of how he still hadn't told her how he felt about her. He just hadn't been able to work up the courage. He was fairly sure she felt the same way about him, but he wasn't positive. And Simon liked to be 100% about things. There was no room for error in this.
"Simon?" said a small voice from below.
His heart sped up the way it always did when Jeanette was nearby. He looked over the edge of the RV to see Jeanette looking up at him. She was wearing a slightly wrinkled purple sweater and a knee length blue skirt. Her left shoe was untied, her dark hair in its usual messy bun.
"Hi," he said. "Care to join me?"
Jeanette bit her lip and studied the height of the vehicle. "I'm not sure me being off the ground that high with no railing is such a good idea," she said with a slight laugh in her voice.
Well… Simon wasn't about to argue with that.
After carefully climbing down, Simon got a blanket from inside the RV and laid it out on the damp grass.
Jeanette made her way over with a grin, but Simon saw it before she did; her right foot stepped right on that untied shoelace and Jeanette was falling forward in no time. Simon reached out and caught her just in time.
"Thanks," Jeanette said, a bit breathless. She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his blue ones.
Simon didn't even have to think. He knew what was coming. He knew what he had to do.
But before he could close his eyes, Jeanette had moved forward and pressed her lips to his.
Simon will never admit it, but every romantic cliché he'd ever heard went through his mind when he kissed Jeanette for the first time. He saw fireworks, felt butterflies, the works. And then there was the greatest cliché of all: Never, ever wanting it to end.
After a few seconds, they gently pulled back, both wide-eyed and blushing like mad in the dark.
Simon cleared his throat and released Jeanette from his grasp.
"Um," was all he could say.
Jeanette gave him a nevous grin. "That was… nice."
"Yeah," Simon said, forcing himself not to stare at the ground. "It was."
A few beats of silence went by, both of them obviously deep in thought. Then they both started talking at the same time.
"Simon—"
"Look, Jeanette, I—"
They grinned shyly, and Simon tried again. "Jeanette, I like you. I like you a lot."
"Me too," Jeanette said, nodding her head. "I mean, I like you a lot. That's what I meant."
"I know," Simon said with a laugh. He felt surprisingly light, like he could turn into a balloon and float away.
Did I really just think that? he wondered. Jeanette was making him think and feel the most bizarre things.
"So," Simon said. "Now what?"
Jeanette smiled and reached her hand out for Simon to hold. "Now we watch the stars."
"Good idea," Simon agreed. Then he laughed and added, "Maybe we should tie your shoe first."
Jeanette giggled as well. "That's a good idea too."
The pair lay down on the blanket and stared at the flawless sky, finding stars and constellations. Eventually Simon laid his hand over Jeanette's and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Jeanette didn't move her hand away.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to… well, you know," Simon said.
"It's okay," Jeanette told him. She turned her head toward him and grinned. "Better late than never."
Simon moved his hand from under Jeanette's and held it.
"Indeed," he agreed, right before they started talking about the Milky Way.
Monday, August 11
3:11 PM
The Sevilles' Driveway
Beatrice Miller stood at the end of the Sevilles' driveway, practically bouncing in her high heeled shoes. She had missed her girls and Dave and the boys so much the last few months.
Dave had called her a while ago saying they would be home soon. Beatrice was beyond excited to have everyone home. Sure, it had been a fun summer of salsa classes, surf lessons, and late night poker games, but it just wasn't the same without her girls.
When the elderly woman saw the large RV coming down the street, she waved frantically.
"They're home!" she cried. "They're home!"
Dave honked the horn a few times. At first Beatrice thought it was a greeting, but after watching Dave's gestures he was making with his arms, she realized he was trying to get her to move out of the way. She obliged, but rushed toward the door as soon as the RV had come to a complete stop.
"Well it's about time!" she said to Dave as soon as he opened the door. "David, my great grandmother Daisy can drive faster than you and she's dead!"
Dave sighed, but couldn't hide his smile. "Nice to see you too, Miss Miller."
Beatrice gave Dave a big hug but released him as soon as she saw Eleanor and Theodore get off the RV hand-in-hand.
"Hello dears!" she cooed, wrapping them in her arms.
"Hi Miss Miller!" they said together, returning her hug just as tightly.
Then Beatrice saw something unexpected. Jeanette and Simon got off the RV next, and they were holding hands.
"Well," she gasped. "What is this?"
Jeanette and Simon exchanged shy smiles. "Um," Jeanette said, "Well, you, see… Simon and I are dating now."
"Well I'll be!" Beatrice moved toward them and engulfed the new couple in her arms as well, oblivious to the fact that she was painfully pushing their glasses into their faces. "Congratulations you two little love birds!"
Beatrice didn't have the ears she used to, but she could clearly hear Alvin's voice coming from the RV.
"Are you serious?" he was saying. "We really have to do this?"
"Yes, we do!" Beatrice recognized the take-charge voice of her little spitfire Brittany. "Everyone else came out holding hands!"
"You make it sound like we're getting married or something."
"Just do it!"
"Fine!"
And there they were, the last pair, also hand in hand. Although Brittany appeared to be dragging Alvin more than them walking beside each other.
"Oh!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Don't tell me you two are going steady too!"
"Going steady?" Alvin echoed. "What is this, the 1950's?"
"Alvin," Simon and Dave both warned.
Alvin sighed and put on a fake smile. "Yeah, we're…" he cringed. "Going steady."
"Oh how exciting!" Beatrice squealed, giving Alvin and Brittany a big hug as well.
After some more hugs and kisses, Dave announced, "Well kids, we have a lot to unpack. We ought to get started."
Beatrice took a step back and watched four teens go into the RV. Alvin and Brittany, however, lingered behind. She saw Alvin give Brittany's hand a squeeze and give her a peck on the cheek before following the others inside, probably not aware that Beatrice had been watching.
The old woman pulled a handkerchief from her pants pocket and dabbed her eyes. The boys and girls were certainly growing up; it appeared that this summer had brought along many changes, and for the better. Beatrice couldn't wait to hear all about them…
Or at least eavesdrop and find out all the juicy details. She knew there had to be some good ones with this group. Some good ones indeed.
*~The End~*
A/N: Well… that's that! Sorry the ending was a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this up. Hopefully it wasn't too disappointing. Anyway… three years and 22 chapters later, it's time to say good-bye to this story. Do me a favor and leave me one last review. Thanks again!