A/N: I don't own Shake It Up.

No More Running

Chapter One

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get my little cookie, a little cookie."

She watched him as he headed into the bakery, and then she heard an outburst of laughter. She spun around.

"Would you mind telling me why you think this is so funny?" she asked her so-called best friend.

"Because you deserve it," was the reply. "Maybe next time you won't give out advice when your brain is not on speaking terms with your mouth."

She groaned inwardly, sitting back down in her chair. "How much longer do I have to do this?"

"Well, he hasn't said anything about moving back to the old country. So after the dance, you can let him down easy."

A certain feeling returned to her chest. Guilt. She knew it was her own fault that caused this mess, and now she had charged herself to clean it up. Even if it meant pretending to date him... *

"Gunther, do you honestly believe that I'm in love with you?"

He casually placed an arm around her shoulders. "The camera does not lie, baybee," he grinned.

She let out a soft laugh. "Neither do I, Gunther...Now you can either leave on your own or in an ambulance..." She smiled sweetly. "Either way works for me."

He got her warning and jumped off the couch at once, heading straight for the door. But before he went on his way, he turned around and said, "Oh CeCe, I love the way you play hard-to-get."

She made a sound of annoyance and pushed him out of her apartment. **

Late afternoon sunshine peeked down on the streets of Chicago until the sun disappeared behind the bank of dark, threatening clouds that had formed over the city earlier in the day. A gust of dreary wind blew from the east, and the air smelled of rain. I was running.

Running away as fast as my feet could take me toward home.

I didn't care that it was chilly. Nor did I care when the grey clouds finally decided to overturn their buckets upon the world, and I felt the very first raindrops land right on my cheeks. It was lightly raining by the time I reached my apartment building. My red hair was soaked and my clothes had become damp. I hurried up the front steps and pushed the door open with a great force.

I was faced with questions when I returned to my family's apartment ("Why do you look like you just ran a mile?" "Why are you all wet?"), but I avoided answering them and went straight to the bathroom for a shower.

At dinner, I found that I lost my appetite for food. My stepfather, Jeremy, had cooked a delicious-looking meal, but all that I could manage to chew and swallow were a few uneasy bites. Then I resigned myself to staring at the leftover pasta on my plate and pushing it around carefully with my fork.

"CeCe?"

I glanced up, snapping back into reality.

"Are you alright?" my mother asked, looking concerned.

I hesitated. They were waiting for me to speak, but I didn't know what to tell them. My fork landed with a soft clatter as I placed it on the table. "I'm fine, Mom," I lied. "I'm just not very hungry. May I be excused?"

"Sure, honey..."

I escaped to my room and closed the door shut. Then I flopped onto my bed. I let out a heavy sigh, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts wandered...

"I can't tell you how much I admire you, CeCe."

CeCe's eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. "What? Why?"

Gunther stepped closer to her so that they were almost touching. "Because you are your own person, and you don't let anyone change that. You take a stand when something doesn't seem right to you. You're not afraid to take risks and jump in. You are unique, and as insufferable you may be, I consider it an honor to be in your company."

Her heart had fluttered at his words, but her brain stubbornly refused to believe it. She could tell from his voice and his eyes that he spoke the truth.

"I know that I used to be unkind to you," he continued, "but it was all to hide the truth, what I really felt."

"What...what were you hiding?"

He took a deep breath. "That I like you, CeCe. A lot. I should've told you this a long time ago. And for the record, I believe that you're an amazing dancer."

A lump rose in her throat, and her eyes became teary. She squeezed them shut. No. Please not right now. Don't you dare cry in front of him… "You can't be in love with me, Gunther," said CeCe, her voice cracking slightly. "You can't." The redhead started to walk away.

"And why not?"

CeCe froze in place.

"Why are you fighting your feelings and running away? Why are you denying what your heart knows to be right?

She turned, looking down at the grass beneath her feet. "I...I don't know..." She slowly met his gaze. "What am I supposed to do, Gunther?"

"Just answer one question for me, CeCe. In all honesty, what am I to you?"

CeCe searched desperately for an answer, but it was futile. "I…I…I'm sorry, Gunther. I honestly don't know right now. I'm really sorry…" A tear slid down her face, and he moved to try and comfort her. But she quickly recoiled and shook her head.

"Please don't. I need time to think. Alone."

"I understand," Gunther sighed, nodding to her. "I'm sorry, CeCe."

"I just need to figure this out myself, Gunther. But I promise you...I'll give you my answer when I've come to a decision." And with that stated, CeCe began to leave again. She took a couple steps, glancing back at Gunther at the last moment before she ran...

"Why are you fighting your feelings and running away?"

Why did I run?

"In all honesty, what am I to you?"

His questions swirled endlessly in my mind, almost making me feel dizzy. What was he to me?

He and his twin sister Tinka had been like friendly rivals to Rocky and I since we were in elementary school. We disliked them, and they disliked us. That was how it had always been. Gunther Hessenheffer had been nothing more than my frenemy.

Then about five months ago, Gunther traveled back to the old country to help take care of his ailing grandmother, and Tinka became a friend to Rocky and me. I never really gave Gunther much thought during his long absence. That was, until he returned to Chicago. Something was different. He too, had put the rivalry aside in favor of friendship, and he and I started talking more. His clothes got less sparkly and sometimes he would turn up in my mind when I least expected it.

A knock sounded on my bedroom door. "CeCe, honey?" It was my mom. The door opened, and she peeked in. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

What was the point of lying? "No, Mom, I'm not okay," I told her, sitting up.

She sat down next to me. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you know Gunther…?" Mom listened as I explained my dilemma. "What am I going to do? This is the hardest choice I have to make. If we start dating, will it even work out? How do I keep things from falling apart? I don't want it to end badly…"

Mom gave me a side hug. "I understand, you're afraid. I know what you're going through."

I gave her a surprised look. "You do?"

"You didn't think I was scared when I started seeing Jeremy, did you? I can't tell you what you should do. But I can say this. Don't be afraid to face reality. When you're really in love with someone, don't be afraid to take that chance before you lose it..."

* from the episode Hot Mess It Up

* * from the episode Reality Check It Up