Calm Before the Storm (Dance Moms Fic)

Chapter 4: Lunchtime

The next day, Abby and Cameron offered to take Shelly for lunch and she agreed while Shelly would be at the studio getting to know everyone and the name of the group dance was a contemporary routine named "A New Day Has Come". The three arrived at a restaurant next to Skokie Highway called Denny's which is a casual family restaurant that's open 24/7. They got out of Cameron's minivan, then they walked into Denny's and got a table for three, they were seated at a circular table.

"This place is nice." Shelly stated.

"It is, i brought Cameron here a lot since he was younger, we'd have breakfast or lunch or even dinner. Sometimes when we'd come home from church on sundays, we'd head home and change clothes, then we'd come here." Abby answered.

"We sure did." Cameron added. "What are you two going to get? because i'm going to get the Cali Club Sandwich."

"I'm planning to get the Chicken Loaded Potato Skillet." Abby answered.

"I'll go for the Southwest Turkey Sandwich." Shelly said, then the waiter came up to their table, about to take their orders.

"Hello, i'm Jack and i'll be your server today, what would you three like?" He asked.

"I would like to get the Southwest Turkey Sandwich with a sprite to drink." Shelly stated.

"i'll have the Chicken Loaded Potato Skillet with a Coca Cola to drink." Abby told him.

"And i'd like to have the Cali Club Sandwich with Hi-C fruit punch to drink." Cameron answered as Jack was then writing down their orders and then he informed that that their food would be ready in 10 minutes, Jack then headed to another table.

"Shelly, what is your opinion of the moms?" Cameron asked.

"They've been nice so far, especially Christi and Kristie. Chloe and Asia took a liking to Ally right away." Shelly replied. "But at times, they've questioned me asking me if i was a big dance mom, but i'm not."

"That's good to know." Abby told her.

"I'm not here to start any drama, i'm just here to see my daughter learn from you, Vince, Gianna and the faculty of the studio." Shelly stated.

"My mom has dealt with a lot of crazy, nutty moms even before i was born, she told me the tales when i was little and in the early days of me dancing in the studio, i've witnessed it a lot." Cameron said.

"We know you've been through it before." Abby added.

"Yes, i have." Shelly admitted. "Ally's really excited about dancing for the number one studio in the Chicagoland area."

"Mom sure knows how to make winners. It first started with my grandmother, Maryen Lorrain Miller and she passed it down to mom when she was 14 and started the ALDC and the building that we dance in, it's been there since Grandma opened it up back in the 50's." Cameron told her.

"In June of 1994, we started a renovation of the studio and named it Reign Dance Productions, which is home of the Abby Lee Dance Company and we danced in a temporary building while the renovations were being done and in April of 1995, we opened the newly renovated state of the art studio." Abby added.

"Question, what should me and my daughter expect?" Shelly wondered.

"Here's a tip from me and my mom, don't sweat, don't cry because they'll know you're vulnerable and if you don't sweat or cry, then they'll do whatever they can to try to make you leave." Cameron advised.

"Another tip, this is important, make sure you think before you speak and make whatever it is you say a statement." Abby said.

"And make sure you stay headstrong, because you know they want to drive you away, criticize you and believe me, those moms have chased off a lot of mom's customers and not only has that made my mom mad, but that has made me mad as well." Cameron told her.

"Thanks for the advice and Abby, i've said it before, Cameron's sweet."

"He is and i'll admit, he's smoother in rehearsals, but he can be tough like me and he does not take the momma drama lightly." Abby said.

"Shelly, there's something you and Ally should also expect as a member of the ALDC. There's this studio we have a rivalry with called the Candy Apples Dance Center, which is in Canton, Ohio and the teacher of that studio is a woman that we cannot stand that's named Cathy Nesbitt-Stein." Cameron informed her.

"I've heard that she's crazy." Shelly stated.

"Shelly, we could tell you stories. She's been a thorn in our side since 2011, her daughter Melanie was once a part of our team during the second half of the 2011-12 season and from the start, Cathy had been clashing with the moms, trying to make it about herself and not about the team and one day, Melanie shoved Vivi on purpose and Cathy had the nerve to blame Vivi, but Cameron put her in her place, then he suggested that i kick Cathy and Melanie out, and that's what i did, but that wasn't the last time we saw them, she showed up at the third to last competition in Houston, Texas and since then, we've competed against each other." Abby explained.

"Wow, she needs some decaf." Shelly told them.

"Yep and some of the moms in the ALDC need some decaf as well." Cameron said as their food was then brought to their table minutes later, then they began eating. "Have you ever been to the Sears Tower?"

"No, i haven't." Shelly admitted.

"We've been there a ton of times, the skydeck is on the 103rd floor and what you don't know is that you can see the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and The rest of Illinois from there."

"That's a really cool place."

"You should check out Navy Pier too, it has a ferris wheel, a carousel, a chair swing, IMAX theater, restaurants and ships. I've taken Cameron there a lot of times." Abby suggested.

"I might take Ally there one day." Shelly stated.

"So where are you from?" Cameron asked.

"Well, Ally and i came from New Orleans, Louisiana." Shelly answered.

"That's almost 1,000 miles from here. We've competed there before." Abby said.

Later on that day at the studio, Abby, Cameron and Gianna were in Studio A working with Ally on her solo called Beat It and Shelly was up in the observation room with the other moms.

"Ally's doing good so far." Christi complimented.

"I'll admit, she's a good member for the team." Kristie stated.

"Thanks for the comments." Shelly said.

"Cameron, like Abby is tough, but he has a soft spot for the girls and us like his mother does. They've not only learned a lot from Abby, but they've learned a lot from Cameron too." Kelly told her.

"Well, Ally's learned a lot from them already." Shelly responded.

"Do you know that out of all of us moms, Melissa gets in most of the verbal fights with Abby and Cameron?" Holly informed her.

"I've heard stories."

"It started getting ugly after Nationals 2011 when Maddie didn't place with her solo and Chloe had won first place from what the moms had told me when Kendall and i first came here and since then, she's had the most fights with them." Jill added and they continued to watch the rehearsals, which went smoove for both Ally's solo rehearsal and the group dance.