A/N: Update time! Yay yay yay, fun fun fun. Once again, there were many versions of this chapter, and I'm only half satisfied with this one. But at least CeCe and Rocky have finally met! The story is finally starting to pick up, so you have that to look forward to at least. Thanks once again so much for all of the reviews, favorites and alerts! They all give me a great fuzzy feeling inside, it's honestly the best. So, keep on being awesome you guys!
Come Saturday morning, what was lingering of CeCe's excitement had all withered away, replaced with fear and a growing twist in her stomach. She had lost count of the number of times she picked up her phone and started a message only to save it in her drafts, pacing back and forth all the while.
Doing her best to take her mind off of things, CeCe spent most of the day with Flynn, watching cartoons and playing board games. She told herself that she was just spending some quality time with her brother, but she knew that she was really doing it for herself; she needed a distraction from all of the thoughts swimming around in her mind at the moment.
Luckily for her, Flynn didn't ask too many questions. He seemed content with thinking that it was just another 'weird sister thing,' and CeCe wasn't going to be correcting him anytime soon.
As for her mother, it was the usual Saturday routine. Most of the day was spent behind the closed door of her room, until around six, when she came out in the tightest pair of skinny jeans she owned, promising to be back in three hours tops. Watching as she waddled out the door, CeCe squinted, tilting her head to the side. "I've always wondered how she managed to fit in those things," she mused.
"Don't wonder," Flynn replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "It's just a miracle is all." CeCe smiled, slipping off the couch and skipping to her room.
"Be right back," she sang, closing the door behind her. It took her twenty minutes in all to complete her look, applying her usual amount of makeup and changing into the clothes that she had pre-picked for the event. Once she was finished, she did a modeling session for the mirror, pausing as she finished and shot herself a confident smile. She had this.
Walking out of her room with her head held as high as possible, she stopped short of the couch. "I'm out, Flynn," she announced, hands on her hips. Her brother paid attention to her for the first time today.
"Come again?"
"I'm meeting up with Ty." It's the truth.
"Does mom know?" He asked, his attention now sparked. CeCe sucked on her lower lip for a moment.
"Don't tell. Flynn, please." Her brother was now grinning and rubbing his hands together.
"Wouldn't dream of it. But...a little 'reminder' wouldn't hurt."
"A what-a-what?" Flynn rolled his eyes, running a hand through his short hair.
"I want a bribe. Smart one." CeCe's face fell, and she muttered something under her breath. Searching through her pockets, she pulled out a ten dollar bill. Flynn's face lit up, and CeCe tossed him the money. "Much obliged," he said, the mischievous grin back now.
"Don't mention it," CeCe said through gritted teeth. "Literally. Now, I'll be back before mom, just don't destroy the house, okay?" CeCe took Flynn's salute as an 'okay,' so she headed out the front door and through the hall, her heart already beginning to beat wildly in her chest with every step she took.
.
.
"Thought you weren't going to show up, Red."
"I wasn't so sure either."
The sidewalk in front of the Shake it Up Chicago studio was crowded, full of excited fans and passerby trying to make their way home from late work shifts. With all of the commotion, it was hard for CeCe and Ty to stand still, pushes coming in from all sides. CeCe took a shaky breath of air, and Ty cleared his throat.
"Let's go," he said loudly, and CeCe felt his hand close around her arm and drag her towards the front doors. CeCe felt a blush crawling up her cheeks. She wasn't entirely sure whether it was because Ty had such a firm hold on her or because she was about to be face to face with the beautiful girl she had seen on television, but something told her it was the latter.
After fighting through the crowd, the two figures were met by a security guard. This is where CeCe's heart skipped a beat. Ty had said that he knew how to get the two of them into the studio, but she had never asked him how exactly he planned to do this; now, she cringed, expecting the worse. Ty let go of her arm for a brief moment, leaning into the guard's ear and exchanging a few brief words. The man's confused face changed to realization and he nodded firmly, taking a small step to the side and allowing them through.
CeCe's mouth opened, a question forming on her lips. Before she could ask it, she was being ushered through by Ty. She closed her mouth, biting on her tongue. She averted her eyes from the guard, feeling like he might change his mind if she stared at him. Once through, the questions CeCe had managed to hold in tumbled out. "How? No...what just happened?" Ty grinned at her confusion, bringing a hand up to his face and doing a pose.
"That, CeCe, is what I like to call smooth talking. It'll always get what you want if you know how to do it right." CeCe stared at him for a moment, but Ty took no time for pause. "Come on, we want to find him before the show starts."
"Oh...right," CeCe mouthed, thankful Ty had released his grip on her arm.
Following a man who seemed of prominent important as inconspicuously as possible, CeCe and Ty spotted many dancers in the back hallways, asking questions and rushing about. CeCe craned her neck all about, seeing flashes of brunette hair but knowing none were the girl; there was no way she would miss that beauty.
Entering the main dance floor, CeCe swore her heart stopped. It was obvious that the television screen did the colorful floor no justice, as the flashing lights were even more spectacular in person. "W-wow," she choked out. Ty didn't seem that impressed though, as he went on walking forward. Shaking her head, the redhead took a few long strides to catch up to him, glancing about in search of the female.
"Is that him?" Ty pointed vaguely in the direction of a lanky boy not too far away. CeCe wrinkled her nose, lowering Ty's arm.
"Not in a million years."
"What about him?"
"Uh, no."
"Oh! What about-"
"Hey, do you need to use the bathroom or something?" CeCe interrupted him, spinning to face him and shooting daggers with her eyes.
"Nope, nope, I'm good." CeCe rolled her eyes.
"Are you sure?" She pressed, widening her eyes and flicking her head.
"Yeah, I just-"
"Go," she finally commanded, trying to keep the acid from dripping in her voice. "Please. I want to do this alone." Ty's eyes widened as it dawned on him, and he took a step back.
"Alright, fine. I see how it is. I'll leave it to you." He stopped, sighing deeply. "Good luck, C," he said softly, and CeCe nodded her head slowly, watching him walk out of the room without a single look back.
Finally.
Now was the part she had really wandered about-actually finding her. It wasn't like she could ask someone if they had seen a girl, so she was going to have to do that part herself.
Most of the dancers were warming up on the stage, practicing moves and routines. A quick scan of the crowd and it was obvious that the girl would not be there. Walking around the stage, CeCe's head turned right and left to get a full view of everyone she could. A group of older teenagers pushed past CeCe, throwing her around. "Hey, watch it!" She called after them, waving her arm angrily.
She brushed herself off, shrugging her small jacket back onto her shoulders and turning right into another person. She let out a small yelp, falling to the ground with a thud. She groaned and rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. Gritting her teeth, she cursed the rude kids from earlier under her breath and managed to stand up, brushing herself off yet again. She looked at the other girl on the ground, frowning.
"Uh-sorry about that," she said nervously, scrunching her face up as she extended a hand. There was no response, but the girl did reach up for CeCe's hand after a moment, pulling herself up and clearing the hair out of her face. The frown on CeCe's face curled downwards further, and her eyes widened.
Gasp.
"Fuck."
The girl's eyes were even wider now, and CeCe bit down on her lower lip so hard she drew blood. "I-I'm so sorry," she stressed. "They just knocked me over, before I knew it I had fallen over and oops! You were there but it's alright because there are no hard feelings right? Well I mean I'm not mad at you or anything-not that I should be! No, no no no if anything, you should be mad at me! But to be mad at someone it's best to know their name so hi I'm CeCe Jones well actually my name is Cecelia but CeCe is what all of my friends call me, so we can be friends if you'd like?" CeCe stared intently at the girl, who didn't respond to her ramble. She looked warily at her as if she was having trouble breathing. CeCe chuckled nervously.
"I-uh-can we start over? I'd really like to start over. I messed this up, I know I did." No response. CeCe pressed on. "I'm CeCe Jones. Hi."
CeCe held out her hand slowly, her eyes locked with the other girls. She prayed for the girl to reach out and shake hands with her, but she remained still, apparently at a loss for words. Downcast, CeCe drew her hand back stepped backwards. "Okay," she said simply, wincing as she nibbled on the open cut in her lip. "It was-it was nice to meet ya."
And then she had turned away, and she was wiping her sweaty palms off on her jeans. Surely she looked like a leaked swimming pool by now, she could only imagine how red and nervous she must have looked. She had just made a complete fool of herself in front of a girl she may or may not have been obsessed with.
"Rocky!"
CeCe just about tripped over her own feet at the name. Regaining a little balance, she whirled around to face the girl. "What?" She stammered. The girl seemed to shy away, but she didn't hesitate more then a second.
"Rocky. That's my name. Rocky Blue."
Honey; that's what her voice reminded CeCe of. Her voice was smooth and soft, something that CeCe wanted to savor forever. Her sentences were literally short and sweet, and CeCe couldn't help but eat them up.
"Rocky Blue," CeCe repeated, loving the way the name sounded on her tongue. The words fit in her mouth so perfectly, falling on her lips like a beautiful song she hadn't heard in forever. "It's nice to meet you, Rocky Blue."
The girl-no, Rocky-nodded slightly, her eyes now averted from CeCe's own, instead focusing on the ground. She didn't seem talkative in the least; CeCe broke the silence by taking a deep breath of air and proclaiming(or more, stating), "you're a dancer on the show." Rocky quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes," she said simply. "A-are you a dancer? I haven't seen you around before." Even the simplest of conversations with Rocky gave CeCe pleasure. She beamed.
"No," she admitted, "but I've seen you on tv. You're amazing. An amazing dancer, I mean. Of course, I'm pretty awesome myself." If CeCe wasn't mistaken, this made Rocky laugh. Her laugh was quiet and small, yet her smile lit up her face like a light. Like bells. Bells and honey.
"I bet you're great," Rocky said as she regained composure. From above, lights flashed on and off, and Rocky frowned. "T-that's me," she managed, her hands falling behind her back. "Show's starting." The two stood there awkwardly before Rocky finally walked past CeCe, pausing next to her and giving her a genuine Rocky smile.
CeCe melted.
And just like that, the conversation ended, and Rocky had left as quickly as she had come.
.
.
When CeCe arrived home, all lights were off.
"Flynn?" She whispered into the darkness to no answer. Shrugging, she took two cautious steps toward her room. The lights flashed on and she squinted. "Ouch," she complained, but the word was stolen from her lips at the sight the lights revealed.
"Mom," she uttered, a sense of dread forming in her stomach. The blonde smiled sweetly.
"Welcome back, honey. How was it?" CeCe licked her lips, looking down and playing dumb.
"How was what?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.
"Honestly, I don't know," her mother said, leaning one arm against the couch and giving CeCe the death stare. "But you can bet I'm going to find out, so let's cut the crap so you can tell me where you've been for the past hour." CeCe's mouth fell open, but her mother kept on talking. "It must be something important, you missed the beginning of Shake it Up." CeCe's eyes glanced longingly at the tv, but her mom just laughed. "Not tonight, you don't. Where have you been?"
"Weren't you on a date with some guy?" Was all CeCe managed, avoiding the question at hand.
"He was a washout," she said blandly. CeCe puckered her lips out, her mind racing with possibilities. If she told her mom the truth, there was a chance she wouldn't be able to go again, which was out of the question; CeCe knew she could only go so long without seeing Rocky's face. "I'm waiting," she sang, and CeCe rolled her eyes, slumping.
"Deuce," she finally blurted out. Her mother's eyes widened, and confusion spread throughout her facial features, followed by a raised eyebrow, followed by a grin.
"I knew it," she said quietly before squealing, "I knew it!" CeCe's face scrunched up.
"Knew what?"
"I knew. You and Deuce. I could tell you liked him, the way you always teased him-it always works like that, you know-it was only a matter of time..." She continued to ramble on, but CeCe had checked herself out of the conversation. Her...and Deuce? She felt as though the room was spinning around her, no matter how much she shook her head and tried to think straight.
"No," she finally managed, but her mom wouldn't have it.
"C'mon CeCe, I'm okay with it. I actually think it's cute."
"I'm serious, you've got it all wr-"
"Where did you guys go?"
"Nowhere! Mom!"
"It's my right to know as a parent where you've been all night, so you had better tell me right now young lady." Her tone of voice scared CeCe, but the excitement on her mom's face defied her strict words. Brushing her off, CeCe rushed to her room, opening her door and slamming it despite her mother's many protests. Throwing herself onto her bed, she squeezed her eyes tightly closed and waited for the door to fly open.
However, it didn't come. Her mother chose to let her stay alone for some reason, and CeCe was grateful for that. Sighing loudly, she spread herself out on her bed and tried to think clearly. Rocky...her mom...Deuce...it was all too much to process. Shaking her head, CeCe turned over drifted to sleep unintentionally. She hadn't thought about how tired the ordeal had made her, and now that she was finally able to rest she slept peacefully, dreaming of a girl who danced like she had never seen, and who's smile lit up the world.
