Chapter Text
The studio is buzzing with life this week. Shake it Up! is hosting a new event to celebrate traditional dances of South America. Over 20 professional dancers of tango, salsa, mamba, cha-cha-cha and paso doble all mingling in the lounges and out on the dance floor together. Cece has been busy mingling too, pocketing phone numbers of cute boys on tiny paper slips and stuffing them in her purse.
“Are you aware of the chance most of these boys are together with their dance partner already?” Rocky’s voice startles her, as does her hand on her arm dragging her away to a secluded corner.
“If there’s one thing I know about math is that the chance is high but never 100%!” She shows her paper collection in her purse with a wide grin. “And I like those odds.” Rocky gives her a deadpan stare.
“I know at least four of those guys have girlfriends, because I checked…”
“How did that topic come up?”
“I had conversations with them that lasted longer than asking ‘Can I get your number real quick?’ Look, it’s Roberto, Jamal, Georgie and Philipe.”
“Aw, I was gunning for Robbie…” Cece removes their numbers with a pout. “Do you know how hard it is to find some good quality boys that have the same interests as me? Now those are odds that’re next to zero!”
“Probably because you open every convo with how you’re not looking for romance right now… that usually scares away the decent guys.”
“Can’t a girl have a hobby??” she scoffs. “I just don’t get it! It’s been two months, and not one boy from school has met the bar. Cole chickened out, Steven smelled like he’s not showered since freshman year, Rich was just an asshole from the beginning and Raymond… he just squicked me out... How does Ty do it??”
“Well, for starters, he doesn't,” Rocky says flatly and nods over to the snack bar. They sneak away from the mingle on the dance floor and find behind the scenes to be quieter. Passing by, Cece finds Tinka and one of the foreign dancers talk in hushed tones on one of the sofas. He’s cute, wearing a button-up with the sleeves rolled up and tight jeans. Rocky strolls by casually, so as to not look like they’re spying on them, into one of the changing rooms. Cece follows.
“He’s not asked her out yet?” she asks and Rocky shakes her head with a sigh.
“Not a chance. I’m trying to encourage him but he’s stubborn as always…”
“Well that’s understandable, if it’s coming from you. It’s never easy taking advice from your younger sibling, no matter how right they are.” Rocky nods in agreement and puts a hand on her shoulder.
“You would know.” It takes a second for Cece to notice the insult, then she changes the subject.
“Well, unlike Ty, I’m not interested in settling, I wanna keep roaming! I’m a dancer and my music career has just started! Soon I’ll be touring the country and I could pick any guy I want. I don’t wanna be shackled by some schmuck at home by then.”
“Sure, but then you’ll have to wait for quality, as things are right now. You’re not 13 anymore, guys are going to shoot their shot no matter how impossible the odds are-”
“And boy, are they impossible…”
“For sure, so you’ll have to be ready to say no more often than you’ll say yes. Just because you’re parousing doesn’t mean you should be getting around easily.”
“Why can’t boys be as put together and considerate as girls? You know Dylan? He said he had been with three girls before me, and I had to instruct him on how to go about it!”
“Every girl is different,” Rocky shrugs. “If you want a guy to know how to please you, then don’t do one night stands. Find someone that can be friends with benefits.”
“But…” Cece crosses her arms and leans on the door. “That takes just about as much effort! I still have to look for a guy that meets the bar, so why can’t I just have some fun while I window shop?” Rocky grimaces.
“It’s not window shopping if you take the merch home…”
“Rug sampling then? In any case, I’m not going to constrict myself more. I go where my body leads me, like it always has! If a guy is cute, then he’s cute. If a guy has money, then I have money!”
“And if the guy has herpes?”
“Then I’ll wear protection.”
“In your mouth?”
“Oh come on, Rocky,” she scoffs. “Do you really expect me to ask every guy I meet to get tested for every STD? Most of the time, I meet a man at a party or a festival, and our lives cross over for just a few minutes before I never see him again. For those moments you have to be quick but passionate.”
“And infectious.”
“SO!” Cece strains a toothy smile, making her look more like she’s snarling. “I guess things aren’t looking good for you and Logan then?” Rocky fishes her phone from her pocket, looks at the screen displaying zero notifications and puts it back with a blank face.
“He's been in the process of moving since Jeremy got promoted. Not much texting because of that.” She shrugs but Cece squints at her. Who does she think she is, believing her best friend can’t read her poker face?
“Yeah, he’s totally not avoiding you, or is too lazy to make the effort to call every day… You know, you’re a real saint taking him back, and this is how he treats you?” She points a finger at her to hone in on her point. “A passionate night with a stranger would mean you never have to sniff his kebab smelling mullet again.” Rocky doesn’t look convinced.
“Unlike Ty and you, I’m a romantic, and I care about my health. You know what will stay with you til death do you apart? Herpes, among other viruses!” She gets up to the door and Cece steps aside to let her through. Before she leaves, she smiles at her friend. “Oh, and he’s cut the mullet off. He wears his hair in a slick back 50’s style now.”
“So modern and trendy,” Cece drawls, which earns her a stern flick on her forehead. “Hey!”
“Raise your bar. Looks can be deceiving.” She sighs. “Just… be careful.”
“My bar is high.” Cece counts on her fingers. “He has to be hot and smell good. He has to have a car, manners, and hair on his head. I’m not going for the creeps or the grandpas, I got common sense.”
“Okay,” Rocky gives her a tiny smile. “Hey, if you sleep with a taken dancer, you might start drama and get more views here.”
“Now, you see the plan I’m going for!” She receives another flick on her forehead. “I was joking!”
“Okay, here’s an idea. Trash the numbers and mingle with the boys at Dylan’s party instead. If you’re going to get around, at least don’t tangle the show into it.”
“Fine…” Cece follows her out of the changing room. They overhear Tinka as they’re heading back to the dance floors. She truly has an odd way of flirting with this guy.
“Yes, I turn 18 in just a few days. My benevolent parents have promised me a new car! I’ll have to share it with my brother, but I can surely make an agreement with him to have it every other week or so.”
“What kind of brand are you getting?” he asks her.
“Oh, you know,” she smiles with bright white teeth. “The pink and loud kind.”
“Not a Volkswagen?” Rocky snickers as they pass them by. The guy gets the joke and laughs politely. Cece doesn’t get it. Tinka trains a proper posture as she explains herself.
“I’m sure your doctor father had fortune to spare and gifted you the car type of your dreams but my butcher father must work hard to earn his pay and will sacrifice what he can for me. Perhaps it will be a… Saab? I will be happy nonetheless.”
“Isn’t your mother an accountant?” Rocky asks.
“Unrelated!” A beat of silence. The boy leaves. Tinka glares harder at them. “I don’t ruin your prospects of romance, why must you come and ruin mine?”
“You did that all by yourself. Would it kill you to be honest about your past for once?”
“Yeah, did you really think you could get away with lying about something the both of us definitely knew?” Cece chuckles a little too much.
“To be honest, sometimes I say things just to see if you’ve been paying attention, which you seldom do. What does it matter to be honest, then?” Rocky gestures to the boy who just left the sofa, making Tinka's face sour further. “Touché, Blue.”
“But is it true you're getting a car?” Cece asks, lightening her mood up a little.
"That is right. Gunther is scouting the store with papa right now, if all goes right, they’ll come pick me up in our new ride.”
“It must be really nice having a butcher father who will give you a car.” Rocky sneers at her, still not over the comment from before. She counters quickly.
“I was under the impression it’s an American tradition. But I suppose it wouldn’t be fair for Ty since he had to buy his own car, and you aren’t disciplined enough to share.” Thank the heavens for Gary to announce everyone to gather at the dance floor, because it looked like the girls were about to dig into each other.
On one side of the massive room, the guest dancers are grouped in their respective categories, on the other side, the Shake it Up! regulars, which Rosero is facing.
“Alright kids, we got a big three weeks ahead of us. Some of you may have experience in pair dances, but I’ve come up with a plan so even you with the least hum of what’s going on can follow. If you’re comfortable with a challenge and wanna dance with one of our own while having our lovely experts looking you over, write your name in this form. If you’d rather be dancing something easy, then sign that form and we can pair you up with one of the guests for a simpler background choreography. Once everyone has signed, I’m gonna pair y'all up and get you a dance category.” As he explains the last part, some disappointed murmurs are sounding off. “Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose, we want an even spread of all the dances. I know, some of the dances are harder than others, so think carefully on if you want a guest partner or not.”
“Hey, I don’t mind a little crutch,” Cece mutters to Rocky, nodding towards the groups behind Rosero. The boys are tall, tan and lined up with their backs straight. Clearly they've had years of training in beautiful posture.
“And remain in the background?” She raises a brow at her. “Since when did you pick boys over fame?”
“It’s been a long two months.” The dancers scatter into friend groups to pick for each other. Some are on different levels, some are equal, and Cece watches both Rocky and Tinka sign for the challenge. Though she can’t hear them, the raised chins has her believe they’re mouthing more jabs at each other. It shouldn’t be shocking Tinka is picking her career over love, but… if she’s stuck dancing with one of the regulars- Ah yes, Rocky’s got the same idea.
“She almost signed up to dance with a guest, but I got her fired up,” she says, returning to sitting at one of the smaller elevated stages. “Will you help me pull some strings?”
“Oh sure, I distract Rosero and you can get his papers and pair Ty up with Tinka. Piece of cake!”
“Gary! Rosero!” In the crowd, Tinka waves and beckons the men closer. “Is it possible to change dance partners, if we discuss amongst ourselves? Since I’m already part of an iconic duo, you’ll see this is exactly where we’ll excel!” Rosero nods and smiles, understanding who she’s talking about.
“If Gunther signs the same form as you, then sure, I can pair you two up.” Oh right, how do they keep forgetting he’s a part of Tinka’s career?
“Okay,” Cece whispers. “I distract Rosero and you can get his papers, pair Ty and Tinka up, and pair Gunther up with someone else.”
“I don’t know,” Rocky whispers back. “I doubt she’ll comply if Gunther is unhappy with his pair-up.”
“That’s what you’re worried about? Tinka’s the stubborn one, and we already got Ty! There’s gotta be at least a handful of dancers that Gunther’s fine with.” She looks like she’s about to argue, but then she grins.
“I got one in mind. You’re right, piece of cake! So, have you decided?”
“Yeah,” Cece hops off the stage, heading to the forms. “I can’t have the newbies think I can’t dance. And if I’m reserved for the next three weeks, maybe some guy of good quality will drop by!” For some reason, Rocky grins wider.
“That’s the right mindset!”
Within an hour, all dancers have decided and signed the forms. From the look on the papers hanging on the wall, it’s an even spread, though a majority of the newer dancers picked to be assigned an expert and the veterans picked to dance on their own. That would mean far less of the guests will assist, making it a third to be paired guest and regular, a third to be guests dancing together and a third to be regulars dancing together.
The last to sign the form is Gunther, who as Tinka cheerily said, arrives at the end of the day to pick her up. With a quick explanation of what the event is about, he spends no time contemplating, whips out a bedazzled pen from his bag and signs himself up for the challenge. While he does so, his sister is eyeing the keychain he’s fiddling with his free hand.
“So? Is it as we’ve dreamed of? Will it soar through traffic and be seen five streets ahead?” Gunther straightens and turns to her with an odd look on his face.
“It’s the Chevy uncle Gushlick wanted to toss.”
“That rolling can of trash?” her face falls. “We agreed to get a brand new one.” His face is even odder, a mix of pity and glee. He puts a hand on her shoulder.
“We actually agreed on something else before that. Do you not remember?” Tinka’s frown of disappointment twists into irritability.
“I have not a clue what you’re talking about…” In turn Gunther grins even wider.
“Oh, could it be, it has finally happened? I get to remind you of something?" He reveals a bedazzled, pink binder from his bag. Opening it, there’s a contract, finely laminated. “Does this look familiar?”
“Hm… I must’ve suppressed it.” Despite her words that she grits out, the look of recognition is clear in how her skin goes pale.
“Ever since day we stopped sleeping in the same crib, we have been sharing bedrooms, and on our first day in middle school, we did a spring cleanse and full renovation. You offered, by your own will, to make a contract. You would get full rights to the bedroom and I would get full rights to the car later.”
“Full rights? That can’t be true!”
“Well, go ahead and read it. You wrote the whole thing, with star i’s and everything.” Tinka snatches the binder from him and reads it with narrowed eyes. As she takes a couple of steps away from her brother, as if disgusted by his presence, they’ve gathered the attention from some of the lingering dancers. Ty, Rocky and Cece to be exact.
“Tinka Hessenheffer will have full authority to renovate and decorate their shared bedroom, this includes: Rights to choose bedsheets, rugs, posters, wallpaper, furniture, plus extra space in walk-in closet and bathroom dibs.”
“Bathroom dibs too?” Ty exclaims. “That’s wicked.” Gunther chuckles grimly next to him.
“No, what’s wicked is that I signed this without any surety that our parents would give us a car. They had already told us we wouldn’t get one for our 16th birthday, but I had my hopes up. I have added a new page to the contract with our new clauses.” Tinka turns the page warily and reads out loud.
“In exchange, Gunther Hessenheffer will have full rights to the car their parents may give to them on their birthday, including: Brand and color, decoration and scents, rigs and add-ons, and aux chord dibs.”
“Since when do you know anything about car rigs?” Ty asks. “I didn’t even think you’d gotten your licence yet.”
“I’m not a big car guy, no, but my cousin Bobshka is. He was actually supposed to get the Chevy when he turned 16, but since he went back to the old country, I was next in line. He was still nice enough to send me his repair plan. I’ve been in contact with Dina and found all the spare parts needed. Even with a new paint job it still cost us less than half of what a used car with the same mileage would get us!”
“Tinka must ask for permission to drive the car if she ever wishes to use it, and Gunther may have full rights to decline her request?!” Tinka exclaims as she reads, ignoring her brother’s joyous storytelling. “When Tinka borrows the car, she must return it as she received it, with the tank refilled for the miles she drove and decoration removed. If the car is damaged while she’s borrowing it, she must pay the full fee + pay 20/80 for maintenance - How is that fair??” He merely shrugs at her.
“You want the car to work, do you not? I’d say it’s in your best interest to help me pay for possible repairs.” He wraps an empathetic arm around her. “And even if we’re not sharing rooms anymore, you sure still enjoy your bathroom dibs, do you not?” This is the first time Tinka has ever made that face towards her own brother. She looks utterly betrayed even though her signature is right there on the laminated contract. She signs the new page of the clauses he added and closes the binder to give it back to him. Gunther looks all kinds of satisfied while he carefully puts it back in his bag. “Pleasure doing business with you, sister.”
“Oh, save the pleasantries.” She crosses her arms and is one second into giving him the silent treatment, until she mutters, “You’re still going to drive us home, yes?”
“Of course! But I have to stop by Crusty’s and pay Dina.”
“She didn’t pay upfront with the parts?” Rocky asks, bewildered. The D and D company always pays upfront, no refunds.
“It was her father’s men who handled the paint job. She let me pay her back later, given that she knows where I live.” The connotation has the whole group shudder.
Outside in the parking lot, Cece can’t believe her eyes and it seems the rest share the same feeling, as Ty gasps loudly.
“There’s no way you got this for less than a fortune!”
“I merely did what Bobshka told me, and he knows his cars.” Neatly parked next to Gary’s red Porsche was a shiny, newly lacquered, black Chevy Impala. Everything on the outside was pristine, but as Gunther opens the front door for Tinka, the seats and interior has seen its years. Still, Cece knows jack shit about cars but this is obviously impressive.
“You did all that by yourself?” she asks him before he hops into the driver’s seat. He halts.
“Not the paint job, no, as I said,” he chuckles, leaning an arm on the car roof. “I installed the parts though… took me a couple weeks to figure it out-”
“Yes, yes, you’re a handy man now,” Tinka jabs inside. “Can we get going?” Gunther nods to her and turns to Cece to stammer something out.
“I’ll see you at Crusty’s,” she says and he nods again awkwardly before getting into the car. They drive away, the engine muttering loud but not terribly so. Cece watches the Chevy merge with traffic, maneuvering with expertise-
“Cece! We’re waiting!” Ty yells, having already wheeled his own car right next to her, making her jolt awake. She hurries inside, sitting behind Rocky who’s in the front. “That guy knew I was saving for a car for years, and not once did he tell me he got a car guy cousin?”
“Don’t Deuce have like several of those. I thought he said they had made a band back in Cuba.”
“That’s right, in Cuba, and they’re not a band, but a gang. They’re not making it on American grounds in a long while.” Ty drives well, but he’s got a temper and it doesn’t translate well with traffic. Had Cece thought ahead, she would’ve asked to get to Crusty’s in the Chevy.
What is she thinking? Sitting alone in a car with the Hessenheffers?? She must really be boy-crazy. This is going to be a long three weeks…