Chapter 8

The pageant was coming to a close now and so far Alvin scam had fooled everyone. While Simon was back stage and watched closely as Alvin was on stage doing his next act in front of the audience. They were nervous about going through the swimsuit competition, but with Simon's smarts they managed to pull it off without any major dramas or complications.

The three boys are now relieved that the pageant was almost over, just 20 more minutes then they will announce the winner and the whole ordeal will be over.

Meanwhile, in the dressing room, Theodore was fixing up Alvin's dress that he will wear for the announcement of the winner's speech. Without warning, Eleanor, whom has been trying all afternoon to get a chance to talk to Theodore *alone* without much success, knocked on the door.

Theodore squealed and dropped his needle. He wasn't expecting anyone to be coming to the dressing room for at least fifteen minutes till the next challenge was over. Being the polite chipmunk that he is he called out, "wh-who is it?"

"It's me, Eleanor." A soft voice called back from the other side of the door.

Without thinking Theodore called out again, "come in," before picking up his needle from the floor.

"Hi Theodore." Ellie chimed. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really, Eleanor." Theodore politely answered. "I'm just fixing my br-ah…I mean, my cousin's dress for the coronation tonight."

"Really, I must say you are doing a wonderful job, Theodore. The dress looks gorgeous." She praised him. "Speaking of which, I was wondering if you will tell me a bit more about your 'cousin'? What is she like? What part of England is she from…?" Eleanor hinted off.

"You mean Alicia?" Theodore looked up at his girlfriend innocently.

"Who else do you think I mean?" Eleanor said as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, well…Alicia is, uh, from England I believe?" Theodore stumbled as he tried to remember what his brothers told him to say. "And well…she is visiting for a bit."

"Yes, I got that…what else can you tell me about her?" Eleanor started to put the pressure on Theodore to explain the story behind his 'cousin'. The answers he was giving her made her suspicious even more and she wanted the truth…now.

"Aahhh, she likes fashion, and singing, and dancing." Theodore listed to her.

"Theodore isn't there anything else you know about your cousin?" Eleanor let out an exasperating sigh. She glanced over and something caught her attention. One of the dresses seemed to stick out in plain sight. Eleanor leaned over to get a closer look and instantly recognized it. "Where did you get this dress?" She cried, grabbing hold of a mauve and pink dress.

"I'm not sure, Alvin got them…I just helped fixed them up." Theodore slipped.

"Theodore, these were Brittany's dresses!" Eleanor snapped. She reached over and grabbed what was left of a black dress. "This one use to be her evening gown…only now it's all shredded up."

"Oops." Theodore was speechless. He wasn't told that they were Brittany's dresses. Now he felt so guilty.

"And another thing…where *is* Alvin? I haven't seen him once during this whole contest?"

"Alvin?" Theodore said as innocently as he could.

"Yeah, Alvin…your brother?" Ellie leaned in, giving him a querulent glare.

"He's…ah…sick?" Theo lied.

"Oh?" Eleanor was not sure if Theodore was telling the truth or not, she knew he was a terrible liar and it was just strange on how he was not giving her a solid answer.

"Uh huh, he's been in bed the whole week with, ah…the flu." Theodore tired to explain.

"I see…" At a loss for words, Eleanor thought of nothing else to say to Theodore. She looked down again at the shredded dress and a thought cross her mind. "So why did you have to ruin my sister's dresses?"

"Because Alvin needed a new dress to wear for the pageant." Theodore absently answered.

"Alvin?" That completely took Eleanor by surprise and needed to confirm that he said the sentence right. "Don't you mean, Alicia?" She corrected him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh right!" Theodore began to sweat. "That's what I mean. Alvin couldn't be Alicia. Th-th-that would be impossible. I mean he would have to have a huge make-over to pull that off. An-and Simon would have to help him too."

"Wait, are you saying that Alicia is a *ALVIN*?"

"Heh, heh, heh, um?"

"Theodore, tell me the truth! What are you boys up too?"

"Hey, I'm just the here to fix the dresses…I don't know the actual plan, my brothers wouldn't tell me anything." Theodore cried. "You'd have to ask Simon about it." He'd thought that would be a perfect way to 'get back' at them for blackmailing him into this stunt.

Eleanor glanced down at Theodore then decided that it would be pointless in drilling him any further. The guilty look on his pudgy face told her he was suffering enough.

"Alright Theodore." She said. Eleanor then turned and left the room.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Eleanor ran to the back stage, but couldn't find her sisters anywhere. She ran to their dressing room. It was crowded with other contestants. How the Chipmunks got their own room is mind boggling. Alvin must have bribed someone in order to get his own room.

Finally she spotted her sisters at the end of the room, but before she could get Brittany's attention one of the back stage hands came in.

"Alright, ladies! Everyone head back out on the stage. It's time for the judges to present the winner of their choice!"

All the girls headed for the stage immediately with anticipation that they would win and leave here with a brand new scooter and a $5000 gift certificate at the Beverly Hills Mall.

"Brittany, wait…!" Ellie called out.

"Not now, Ellie! I'm about to be the winner of this pageant!" Brittany waved back before blending in with the other girls in pretty dresses.

"Oh no, too late." She blurted.

"Too late for what?" Jeanette innocently asked.

"Come on, Jeanette we need to find Simon. He has some explaining to do!" Eleanor growled, grabbing her sister's hand as she follows the girls towards the stage.

As the contestants paraded one last time on stage, Eleanor and Jeanette caught up with Simon and Theodore. They were both watching their brother on stage with the other girls.

Theodore turned and noticed the chipettes walking up to them.

"Hi Eleanor, hi Jeanette." Theodore chirped.

Simon turned and smiled at them. "Come to watch and see who the winner will be?" He asked.

Eleanor turned and glared up at the intelligent chipmunk. 'How could someone that smart be so naive?' The look he was getting made Simon rather nervous and giving him the impression that she knew something.

"I just found out that 'Alicia' is *not* your cousin." Eleanor spat.

"Heh, heh… Ah, why would you say that?" Simon said as he tugged at his blue turtleneck for it suddenly seemed far too tight around his neck.

"Oh, a little song bird told me." She added with her hands on her hips and her foot tapping on the floor.

"So if Alicia isn't Simon's cousin then who is she?" Jeanette said in a jealous tone. This made Simon feel as if he were being cornered. Theodore simply hid himself behind Simon, he became suddenly frightened of the chipettes.

"She…ah…is…um?" Simon stumbled.

"'She' just happens to be a 'he', Jeanette." Eleanor cut in.

"WHAT?" Jeanette now was really confused with all of this. She then looked at Simon with fury written on her face.

"I-I-Its not what you think, Jeanette." Simon tried to explain.

Inch by inch the two girls walked Simon and Theodore up against the wall. "Come clean, Simon! What is going on?" Eleanor barked. "Either you tell her, or I will."

"Ah, well…" Simon dawdled to complete his sentence, for the first time he was a loss for words.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what you are doing with 'Alicia'?" Jeanette spat.

Simon then let out a deep sigh. He knew that the jig was up with these two and it would be safer to tell the truth instead of lying more…besides the fact that the contest would soon be over and they are about to announce the winner.

"Alicia is actually Alvin in drag." Simon finally said in a low tone.

"WHAT?" Jeanette was completely shocked again at what she just heard.

"Why would he want to do this, Simon?" Eleanor cried.

Simon shook his head as he explained. The more he thought about this the more he became embarrassed in being a part of this stunt. "He-he wants to win that brand new scooter. That way he can have something to ride around in and he wouldn't have to ask Dave to drive him everywhere." He sighed.

"Theodore was right, Alvin is *sick*…in the head." Eleanor huffed.

"AND THE WINNERS ARE…" called out the host on stage.

At that moment Jeanette and Eleanor diverted their attention from Simon to what the announcer had to say.

"THIRD PLACE GOES TOO…JILL HAMLTON!"

The audience cheered as the girl got a third place prize. She waved to the crowd, pleased that she got this far in the program.

"SECOND PLACE GOES TOO…BRITTANY MILLER!"

Brittany tried not to look disappointed as she received her second place prize. She smiled and waved to the crowd, being as 'professional' as possible.

"AND OUR WINNER OF FIRST PLACE GOES TOO…ALICIA STINFIELD!"

The crowd cheered as 'Alicia' is being crowned and given a bouquet of flowers.

"I won?" Alvin responded with tears of joy.

"Heh, heh, heh. Well, what do you know?" Simon shrugged. "He won," he added looking at Theodore in disbelief.

"Brittany is not going to like this when she finds out the truth." Eleanor points out.

Simon took on this opportunity to sneak away as the two girls were not looking. He grabbed Theodore's arm and headed straight for the back door.

"What about, Alvin?" Theodore asked when they got outside.

"Awe, Alvin's a big 'girl'… He can take care of himself." Simon smirked.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"…And I just want to thank you for your support and appreciation you have given me! This really means a lot! Have a great evening, Goodnight everyone!" Alvin said to the audience.

One of the judges gave him the key to the brand new scooter. Alvin grins devilishly at it in his hot little hand. The judge also gives him a certificate for $5000 shopping spree. Dollar signs flashed in Alvin's eyes as his smile widened. He even receives a bouquet of flowers in the other hand.

"Why, thank you." Alvin smiles up at the judge before making his hasty retreat on the scooter and drove it off the stage. The audience kept cheering.

Alvin made it outside and stopped to see if his brothers were waiting for him so he can gloat. When he noticed that they weren't anywhere to be seen, he figured that they went to clean out the dressing room.

He started up to the new scooter and tossed the flowers in a nearby trash can. Before Alvin managed to drive away the Chipettes stood in front of him.

"Congratulations on winning this prize." Brittany scowled.

"Oh, well thanks." Alvin blushed as he beamed with so much pride he failed to notice all three girls was glaring at him. "Say, you three haven't seen my, uh, cousin's…Simon and Theodore…have you?"

"Actually they left." Jeanette stated.

"Well, that's gratitude for you." Alvin growled irritably.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too concerned with them…we know your little secret." Eleanor growled.

"R-r-r-really? And what secret is that?" At this point Alvin began to take notice on the expression on the girl's faces. This made him very nervous.

"My sisters just told me you're not a girl after all, are you… Alvin!" Brittany spoke angrily.

"Oops, gotta go." Alvin accelerated and swerved so fast that his wig flew off his head.

As Alvin sped away on his prize he heard Brittany screaming at the top of her lungs while she ran after him.

"AAAALLLLL-VVVIIIIIIIIINNN!"

The End! :-P