Snow It Up [Shake It Up]

chapter twenty

The day had come. It was time to go back on Shake It Up, Chicago! and CeCe wasn't ready. Sure, it was just a meeting with the higher-ups of SIU, but it still scared CeCe half to death. She was already on the bad side of some of the people there. Anything could go wrong now. 

Rocky and Tinka hadn't spoke to CeCe since they found out that she didn't work at SIU. It was surprising to CeCe that Tinka hadn't come around yet since her brother was staying with CeCe. Gunther hadn't left her and Georgia at all, and CeCe wasn't sure if her mother was happy with him staying. She didn't mind at all because she loved spending time with him. 

"Are you ready to go, CeCe?" Gunther called out. CeCe stood in front of her mirror, wondering if she looked good enough for the meeting. "We need to leave now if we want to make it on time!"

"I'll be out in a minute," she said, brushing her red hair out of her eyes. She smoothed out her plaid skirt and tugged her red shirt down. She quickly spun in place, her black leather boots squeaking on the floor. This was as good as she was going to get. 

CeCe stepped out of her room, coming to a stop in front of Gunther. He was wearing a nice sweater and a pair of jeans, looking cute in his outfit. "How do I look?" CeCe asked, spreading her arms out.

"Amazing," he breathed out. His cheeks reddened when her looked her in the face again, saying, "And here I thought I looked good, but you totally outshine me."

CeCe hit his arm, saying, "I do not look that good. Stop lying, Gunther."

"I am not lying."

"Okay, you two," Georgia said, appearing behind them. CeCe jumped away from Gunther, frowning at her mother. "It's time to go. I hope you two have a great time at the meeting! I know everything will go well."

"I hope so," CeCe muttered, rolling her eyes. "If it doesn't, then I quit my job at Crusty's a little too soon."

"You quit your job?" Georgia asked, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"Because I might get my real job back." CeCe shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. A few days ago, she called Deuce and told him what all had happened. He was the one who suggested she quit her job, so it wasn't like she thought of it on her own. "Bye, Mom! We'll see you later!" Her mom drew her in a quick hug, kissing the top of her head. "If Flynn calls, tell him that I'm finally getting my life back on track!"

CeCe led Gunther out of her apartment after they had put on their jackets and shoes. They didn't speak until they were out in the snowy outside world. "Do you think we'll get our jobs back?" CeCe asked, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She glanced over at Gunther and saw that he was doing the same thing she was doing. 

"I am not sure," he said truthfully, shrugging. "They might want us back for the one dance, CeCe. It does not mean that we will be getting our jobs back."

"I know, but one can dream, right?" She smiled hopefully at him. "And right now, I'm dreaming that they will give us our jobs back, and that Rocky and Tinka will forgive me."

"I have never seen Tinka this upset," Gunther commented after a moment of silence. "I am not sure why, though. It is not like she has never lied to you before."

"Right? That's what I thought."

"Rocky, on the other hand . . ."

"I know," CeCe said miserably, stopping at a crosswalk. She looked both ways before her and Gunther quickly crossed the street. The buildings and houses and apartments all blended in with the snowy background, making their walk boring. "I should have told her."

"Why did you not?"

"I was afraid to," CeCe said, shaking her head. "She's always been so much better than me at so many things. Dance was the one thing I was good at, and then I get fired from it? I didn't get into any of the colleges I applied to, though I only did apply to a couple. My grades and bad behavior was what did it for me, which is why I've been trying to be a better person. Rocky was already away at college when I got fired, and I didn't have the heart to tell her."

"It does not matter that Rocky is better than you," Gunther said, looking down at CeCe. His eyes were big and sad-looking. "One thing I learned about being a twin is that it does not matter that one is better at something than the other. Tinka and I are different people, and so are you and Rocky. And to be honest, I always thought you were better at dancing than Rocky was."

"Really?" CeCe asked, frowning. "You really thought that I was better than Rocky?"

"Of course."

"Wow." CeCe blinked slowly, a smile spreading across her face. "Thanks, Gunther. That means a lot to me. You were pretty good too."

"I was only good because Tinka pushed us to be better than you and Rocky." Gunther chuckled slightly and then let out a sigh. "I used to love dancing, but when we were up against you, it became tiresome. Maybe now that we are not going against each other, it will be fun again."

"I'm sure it'll be fun," CeCe said, growing excited. "Can you see it, Gunther? We could dance every week together!" She let out an excited laugh, grabbing onto his arm. She pulled him closer to her side, grinning at him. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"

"Yeah," Gunther said, laughing. "It would be amazing. Would I be your dance partner, though? Or would Rocky?"

"If Rocky ever forgives me, she will be," CeCe said, shrugging. "But that doesn't mean we can't dance together. I'm sure they would allow it."

"Good idea." Gunther smiled at CeCe before looking up. "We are here. Are you ready, CeCe?"

"More than ready." CeCe pushed her nervous feelings to the side as her and Gunther entered the building. CeCe led the way into the building, saying, "Have you been here since the remodeling took place after Gary burned the place down?"

"That was a lot in one sentence. I do not know where to start."

"So, Gary had set up a tanning bed in his dressing room, which burned the SIU set down. After we got that settled, everything got remodeled. We actually got a new producer guy but then he left, which was a good thing because he was mean. Ty became our new host and then Gary came back again as our host because he was fired or something like that." CeCe took a deep breath, giving her time to think about anything else that has happened. "I think that's about it."

"Wow," Gunther said, laughing. "A lot happened while I was gone."

"Definitely." CeCe walked down the hallway with Gunther by her side. She stopped for a second, pointing at the stage. "Look at how much bigger it is!" Gunther make a noise and CeCe laughed when she saw how wide his eyes had gotten. "It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes. Very beautiful. I cannot wait to dance on it," Gunther said, his smile huge. "Well, let us hurry up so we can dance!"

"Yes, sir!" CeCe pulled him forward and they entered a room together. All of the other old dancers were in there, even Tinka and Rocky. Unfortunately for CeCe, they had to stand next to Tinka and Rocky. "Hey guys! Are you two excited?"

"Yeah," Rocky said, her voice soft. "I am excited."

"Me too," Tinka said, and CeCe still heard the icy edge to her voice. "Nice to see you too, Gunther."

"Hi, Tinka."

There was a clap at the front of the room. All of the chatter fizzled out, leaving silence. CeCe couldn't see over the people's heads, but the person who spoke was someone that she knew very well. "Welcome back, guys!" Ty said loudly. "We are so happy you all could make it. I know this is the holiday season, but we want to get you guys training before Christmas so you all can go home to your families! We will record the show in a week, which is after Christmas. The show will air the following week. Everyone understand what I'm putting down?"

A chorus of yes's sounded around the group. One person called out, "Will we be able to get our jobs back?" 

"The team is still talking about it," Ty said, and CeCe could hear how excited he sounded. That was a good sign, right? "But things are looking good." Everyone started talking again but Ty whistled, making the people fall silent. "Who's ready to learn this dance?"

"Me!" CeCe yelled along with the other people. She gripped Gunther's arm in her hands, a huge grin appearing on her face. She couldn't wait until she got back on the dancefloor, dancing her heart away.