A/N: First thing's first, I apologize wholly for the amount of time it took me to update this story. Really, the only excuse I have is that school got hectic for a bit there. But, I'm back now! Another bump in the road with this chapter is the way I wrote it...this is actually the third version of the second chapter. I wasn't happy with the way the others turned out, and honestly I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with this one either, but I decided it was about time I updated. To you guys that reviewed, thank you sooooo much, it's a really big boost to my self-esteem! To the others who alerted/favorited, that means so much to me as well. As to the question of whether Rocky and Ty are related(asked by Klefter), the answer is yes, yes they are. I can't answer the second part of your question I'm afraid, because it's actually a plot point later on. I've got a good bit of this story planned out, so you're just going to have to wait it out and see!
Also, for future reference, I've recently created a tumblr page. Not only for blogging, but for posting updates and info on my fics and such. If you've got a tumblr and want to follow or drop me an ask, you can find me at my tumblr, ezrafitzs. That should be it! Now, enjoy a long-delayed chapter two!
Before Cece knew it, Tuesday was over. Soon to follow was Wednesday, and then Thursday had started, all within the blink of an eye. As the days inched closer and closer to the weekend, the weight of CeCe's situation finally seemed to dawn on her. She was leaving the planning of a meet up, with a complete stranger, to Deuce and Ty. A complete stranger that she may or may not have had feelings for, only with a glance. As one of the most ignorant of all students at her high school(or so she was often called), CeCe had never thought she would have stooped this low. So it was on Thursday morning that CeCe decided she would stop the boy's planning right where it was, before she embarrassed herself more than she already had.
Because of her decision, CeCe was in more of a rush than usual. Her usual morning routine was to take a shower, dress and eat breakfast, all while dancing to a song of her ipod's choosing. This morning, however, she hurried along through her routine, skipping the music completely and cutting a whole ten minutes off of her shower, a time which she usually prized. By the time that she was drying her hair out with her towel and checking her phone for the time, she was forty minutes ahead. Smiling at her seemingly small accomplishment, CeCe finished up and dressed herself, glad that there wasn't much to do with her hair. Naturally curly as it was, CeCe usually let her hair fall into place by itself. It was much simpler, and she was too lazy to deal with it most mornings.
Grabbing her backpack from her bedpost and slinging it over her shoulder, CeCe felt her phone already begin to buzz in her pocket, creating a muffled sound against the denim of her jeans. She slid her phone open, scanning her new text message from Deuce.
Deuce: ty says we're set! Meet us siu studio sat 7.45.
CeCe: i don't want to do this anymore.
CeCe's fingers hovered over the send button, inhaling sharply as she slowly began to bring her thumb down. Why she couldn't just send the dumb text she didn't understand; it wasn't like she was afraid of hurting Deuce's feelings with the bluntness of the message. As the group's punching bag, Deuce endured quite a few taunts daily from not only CeCe and Ty, but the rest of the school as well. It was nothing personal, it was just the way CeCe was accustomed to acting around Deuce. Why, then, was she having such a hard time with seven little words?
"Coward," she spat aloud to no one. A strange feeling settled over her as she slowly slid her phone down, watching as the text was saved automatically into her drafts. A shaky sigh escaped her lips.
"CeCe...?" The female in question looked up towards the source of the noise. Her mother's form sent shadows from under her door, confirming her presence. "You already up? Flynn's not up, is he? I can go ahead and make some pancakes if you'd like." CeCe bit her own tongue, fighting back an insult to her mom's cooking. Luckily, she had an excuse as to why she couldn't eat her mother's burnt pancakes.
"Sorry, mom," CeCe called back, her voice growing softer as she opened the door and slid past the blonde. "Got up early for a reason, I need to talk to Deuce 'bout something." The sentence brought a smile to her lips, glad that she was able to tell her mom the truth for the first time in a while.
Her mom's laugh was loud, and after a short time it turned into more of a series of snorts. CeCe had reached the door by now, but she turned on her heel to shoot her mom a questioning eyebrow raise. The laugh was quite obnoxious, and CeCe was thankful for the semi-privacy of their apartment. "Uh, is there a problem?"
The laugh was cut short, and her mother shook her head, hands on her hips now. "No problem, just wondering when the last time Deuce was scheduled to meet with a girl was."
Her mother had a point, but CeCe wasn't in the mood for laughing at Deuce's social life, or lack of one, at the moment. "Haha," she said in a monotone voice, "can I go now?"
"No need for attitude," her mother continued, scrutinizing her now. "Well-alright. I won't say no to you going to school early for once, just stay safe, alright?" CeCe smiled lightly at her mothers words, sucking in her lips and nodding her head.
"Alright," she repeated. She turned and began to walk out the door. She stopped herself suddenly, looking over her shoulder and casting out a quick "I love you" in her mother's direction. Although she had already turned back around by the time the blonde reacted, she could practically feel the warm of the smile she wore.
"I love you honey."
.
.
"You're a wimp."
"Just do it. Coward."
"You're-you're...you're talking to yourself."
With the last words, CeCe closer her eyes and buried her head in her hands, letting out an annoyed groan. Although it was a loud sound, she wasn't afraid of being heard. The hallways of John Hughes' high school were deserted, a somewhat eerie sight that CeCe was perhaps still partially frightened by. Her voice echoed tremendously, and yet the only people there at the time were teacher's pets, geeks, nerds, more geeks and then teachers. Of all the categories, CeCe wasn't worried in the least about being heard.
She knew that the right thing to do, no, the sensible thing to do was march up to the front office and demand to find Deuce Martinez. CeCe knew that Deuce would most likely be at school already, as his life revolved around his 'business' and there were more customers interested in...shall we say shadier deals in the early hours of the day.
"CeCe, babe." Well. Think of the devil.
"Hey Deuce," CeCe greeted in an overly-perky voice, her vacant expression changing to one of feigned delight within seconds. Deuce's eyes widened for a moment before he licked his lips, shaking his head.
"Okay, you're starting to freak me out. It looks like you're trying to cure cancer with that smile."
"Cancer?" Cece's smile vanished. Deuce waved it off, shaking his head again.
"Never mind, never mind. So, chica, what brings you here this early? I'm used to seeing you late, not early."
"I wanted to talk to you," CeCe admitted after a small pause. She crossed her arms, biting on her lip and glancing down at her pocket where her phone was kept. "About this weekend."
"What about it?" Deuce asked, his face blank. He seemed honestly curious, which made the truth bury even farther inside of CeCe. Why was this so hard? CeCe felt like mentally kicking herself a dozen times over, but she knew that wouldn't solve much.
"I don't think," she started, stopping for a moment and sighing. "It's not a good idea, I don't think." She searched Deuce's face for his reaction, but he was impossible to read. A few seconds passed, and CeCe bit down on her lower lip.
"Okay," he replied nonchalantly, shrugging and turning to walk away. "Catch you later, C!"
CeCe was left standing in awe, staring at his back as he walked away from the situation so easily. "Wait...what?" She managed, taking a step forward. "No! Deuce, what?" She caught up to him, grabbing him by the sleeve and turning him around so that they were facing each other.
"Yeah, I mean, if you don't feel like doing it I'm not gonna make you. Besides, that clears up my schedule, helps me out." All CeCe managed to respond with was a blank stare. Deuce raised an eyebrow, shrugging away from her touch and patting her on the head. "It's okay," he reassured her before shooting her a small smile and walking away.
"Wow," CeCe said out loud. Quickly followed by a, "I really need to stop talking to myself." After this, she shook her head. It shouldn't have been that easy...but Deuce was right. It wasn't that big of a deal. She shouldn't have worried about it in the first place. All she needed to do was forget about the girl she had seen on Shake it Up, as the whole ordeal had caused her nothing but trouble and confusion. It wasn't the end of the world...CeCe had come to terms with the fact that she found the female to be beautiful, and she knew that this feeling was infatuation. Nothing more.
With the discovery, CeCe felt as though a large burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment to regain her whole composure. The bell rang and voices slowly trickled into the hallways, laughter, chatter. Cece's eyes fluttered and, without a word, she slipped into a nearby forming crowd.
.
.
The rest of the day slipped by before CeCe's eyes, and before she knew what had happened to Thursday she was throwing her things down on her bed and lying down. At the moment she was alone, which meant that she had a few minutes of peace before the day caught up with her and her mother and brother got home. It was her favorite time of the day, honestly, a time of day that she spent most of dancing. It might sound corny, but it was the only time that she was able to 'dance like no one was watching.' Because there was actually no one watching.
Instead of dancing that day, CeCe took a few moments to catch her breath. As a small smile played at her lips, she pushed herself up by her elbows and trotted into the kitchen, pulling the fridge open roughly and scanning the contents. It was obvious her mother hadn't been to the store in quite some time. CeCe rolled her eyes, grabbing a spoon from a drawer and settling on some yogurt for her after school snack. Jumping up onto the counter, she began to eat, grabbing a remote laying a few feet away and flipping on the television. She leaned back casually, snorting at the cartoons playing-Flynn must have been watching tv this morning.
She flipped through the channels, her eyes dull and vacant as she searched for something adequate to watch. She seemed hardly interested until she flipped past a certain channel, and her eyes suddenly bulged out of their sockets. The spoon in her mouth clattered to the floor, and she shakily set the yogurt cup beside her, wondering if she dared to go back to what she had just seen. Before she thought the action through entirely, CeCe was lifting the remote towards the tv and returning to the previous channel.
Cece's breath hitched, and her mouth opened of it's own accord. It was Shake it Up Chicago, and none other then mystery girl was center stage, dancing with the rhythm of the pulsating bass. For a moment she felt as though the world had slowed; her eyes were glued to the screen, hungrily searching its contents, as though the simple action would allow the girl to stand before her.
She snapped out of her short reverie as the door was flung open, and Flynn's obnoxious laugh filled the apartment. "He thinks he's so smart, mom! Can you believe it? A kid my age, a substitute!" By the look on her mother's face, CeCe could tell that she couldn't be less interested in her son's story at the moment.
"Yes, sweetheart. Strange." She noticed CeCe and shot her a disapproving look. "Counter," she said simply, and CeCe looked down at where she was sitting. Without protest she slid off of the surface, walking over to the couch and crossing her arms. Her mother was now in the kitchen, setting things down and getting herself situated. Without a glance back, she asked, "why are you watching that, honey? Haven't you seen that one?"
CeCe shook her head numbly, not daring to look back at the screen for fear she would be caught gawking again. Realizing her mother couldn't hear her head shaking, she then spoke up, "Must be a special...haven't seen it." Her mother didn't respond, so she decided that she was in the clear. Walking back to the counter, she reached for the remote and shakily turned the tv off from behind her head, making sure she didn't look at the screen.
Ignoring the strange look from Flynn, CeCe realized she was shaking and left the room without a word. Slamming the room of her door behind her, she found her bed and buried her face into the warmth of the blankets there. "Stupid," she said then. "Stupid coward with great hair." The bit of comedy did nothing for her mood, only put her into a worse state of despair.
There was only one thing to do.
.
.
"Deuce!"
"Wha-oh. CeCe. 'sup?" Although his response seemed like one present in any normal conversation, the fact that CeCe had an iron grip on Deuce's shoulder caused the encounter to be a bit awkward for the both of them. "Ah, could you ease up on my shoulder?"
Looking at her hand as though she had just noticed she was holding his shoulder, she quickly let go, mumbling a sorry and patting her hair down. "I've decided to stick to the original plan. We're going to Shake it Up Chicago this Saturday." CeCe smiled brightly now, breathing deeply and putting a hand on her hip. Deuce, on the other hand, frowned.
"Can't," he he replied, and CeCe furrowed her eyebrows. Before she could ask, he continued. "You called it off so I made plans." CeCe snorted.
"Plans? You?"
"Ha, ha. It's the same joke every time you know, and it doesn't get funnier." The remark was biting, but CeCe didn't take much notice.
"With who?"
"Nobody," he quickly responded. By the way his voice rose at the end, CeCe could tell that he was lying; he had always been an awful liar. She shook her head at him.
"Come on, who's Deucy got the hots for?" His eyes widened for a moment, and CeCe couldn't hold back a large grin. "Is-is it your mom? Again?"
"Maybe," he grumbled, his eyes now vacant and faraway from the conversation at hand. CeCe doubled over for a moment, clapping twice and propping her hand up on Deuce's shoulder.
"That's awesome!" She exclaimed, giggling all the while. "You too must be so happy together!"
"Shut up, CeCe," he snapped. "Go talk to Ty about it, okay? I doubt he'll have anything better to do." He waved vaguely in her direction, rubbing his temple as he did so. "Now scram. Redheads are bad for my business." CeCe stuck her tongue out at him, walking away from the conversation and taking her phone out.
CeCe: ty, change of plans, can you be there sat.?
A moment later, her phone buzzed in reply.
Ty: sure. is d gonna be there?
CeCe: he's got 'plans' aka mommy time
Ty: figures. see ya then little red!
Slipping her phone back into her pocket, CeCe headed to her first period class. Her thoughts were clouded with images of the girl's face as she imagined different personalities she could have. She could be spunky, like CeCe; or some sort of rebel, the sort of kid CeCe saw twice a week in detention. Both of the options seemed far off though. From the times CeCe seen the girl, with her small and shy smile, it seemed that she was a wall flower. A girl that CeCe could have easily passed up without a second glance at her school, if it weren't for her striking beauty.
Reaching her class, CeCe sat in the back and tuned the teacher out as usual. Try as they might, CeCe wouldn't be learning anything today. Her mind was too full of thoughts of the next day, and what meeting the mysterious girl would be like. For some reason, she felt like it was something important-something that she wouldn't forget for as long as she lived.
