Mateo Arturo Ramirez

“Exactly. That is the problem with a lot of gyms in town. They are too crowded.” Joe agreed. That had been one of the reasons for opening a gym. “Things are going well so far.” He added. He was not getting rich but the bills were being paid. That is what he cared about.

Teo nodded at the other man. “Not that there’d be that many in this town which probably explains why they’re so crowded.” He shrugged as Ashton was a small town, so the options were limited after all. “Good.” Mateo exclaimed before he walked over to the machines. 

She shrugged a bit, disagreeing slightly “Dunno. Some people are very mean drunks” she said. She laughed softly and brushed her tongue gently over her lower lip “Oh yeah?” She glanced around, “What are you hoping for?”

“If they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t drink.” Mateo chuckled, even though he was only half joking. “Yeah. “ He smirked at her a bit playfully. “I’m just hoping for some fun, good times, you know, the usual. What about yourself?” 

“I don’t think you realise just how much I can drink. I was drunk pretty much my entire run on Broadway,” Summer said with a laugh. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her said that, but she had never admitted it before. She stopped herself from saying it was the reason she was in Ashton now. At least she had some self control. She grabbed the next glass, taking a large gulp of it. “Excuse me. I talk the normal amount. Less than the normal amount, actually. It’s not my fault that I have, like, a lot of interesting things to say and I want to say them all at once. You don’t talk nearly enough, so I have to do all the work for both of us. Really, you should be thanking me.” Her face was flushed with the alcohol now, her eyes meeting his. 

“Now that would explain a lot.” He laughed, obviously joking as he eyed her closely. “Might be the only way to survive the Broadway to be honest.” He shrugged, before he handed her the next round. “Let’s see about that.” Mateo grinned at her, challenging her with his eyes before he downed his own drink. “What? You talk a lot. And I mean a hell of a lot. That’s not the normal amount.” He laughed, shaking his head. While he was still trying to find the power button, he took a few steps closer towards her, his eyes locked on her own. “Thanking you for what?” 

She chuckled a bit at him, “I think if they did that, most of the town would walk around drunk” she exhaled a laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear. She nodded at his question “Oh I’m having a lovely time” she smiled slowly, “Maybe I’ll enjoy myself a bit more by the end of it but we’ll see I suppose” 

"Sounds like fun. Most people here don't know how to have fun without being drunk so it wouldn't be the worst idea." Teo chuckled, winking at her slightly. "Good to know. So am I." He told her honestly. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

“Things are not usually overly crowded. People tend to come in at different times so usually you do not have to wait around for a machine or anything of that sort.” Joe explained. “There are usually people around but not large groups at once.”

"That's good. Can't work out if you have to wait in between sets." He nodded, shrugging his shoulders gently. "How's it going overall?" Mateo asked him curiously as he assumed it must have been hard to open a new bus3in a small town.

“I don’t know, it’s something my old musical theatre teacher used to say. A kid corrected her once about a Fosse routine and she said that she’s not always right, but she’s never wrong. I thought it was hilarious, so I’ve said it ever since,” Summer said with a smile. Her facade was beginning to drop ever so slightly, letting the boy see the real her. “I could drink you under the table any day of the week,” she grinned. She drank half of her double and gagged ever so slightly, her nose screwing up. She was always competitive though, so after a deep breath she downed the second half, spluttering after she swallowed it. “Oh my god. That’s disgusting.”

"Mhm. Okay." Teo shrugged as he didn't really get the meaning behind those words, not that he could be bothered to think about it too much. He laughed at her next words, shaking his head quickly. "I'd love to see you try." Mateo winked at her, challenging her as he watched her downing the first half of the double while emptying his own glass in one big gulp, smirking at her. "Are you giving up already?"

Zelda smirked softly, letting her eyes roam over him as he offered his hand, slowly taking it and giving it a shake. “Its nice to meet you too Mateo” she exhaled a laugh, taking the next shot and tossing it back. She leaned against the counter and looked over at him. “Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked rolling her lip under her teeth gently .

He gave her petite hand a slight squeeze while his eyes remained locked on her own. "I'm sure the pleasure is all mine." Teo winked at her, before he emptied his own shot. "They should give out free drinks more often." He chuckled, winking at her playfully. "I'm starting to. What about you? Are you enjoying yourself?"

“I can show you around if you would like.” Joe suggested. He liked being able to help people out. He found being friendly made people want to come back. So far that was. The gym was still pretty new. “We’ve got a lot of options here.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea.” Teo agreed, as he really wanted to check it out before he’d make a decision. He looked around briefly, noticing some of the machines and it did look quite alright to him, he had to admit. “Looks like it! How crowded is it usually? “ 

Cameron was several drinks in, dancing with a few of her friends when she felt a man approach her. Not surprised, since she was almost always approached, she turned her head and saw Mateo next to her. “We wouldn’t know if my brothers could dance, neither of them has ever tried- but I’m sure I’m still better so I’ll take it”

Granted, he didn't really pay enough attention to notice who exactly he was approaching until he was facing her. While he was a little surprised, he didn't mind at all. "That's a good point. Then again, knowing them they'd probably show off if they could dance." He chuckled, giving her a playful wink as he gently sneaked his arm around her waist while he kept moving to the beat. "Enjoying your night so far?" He whispered into her ear as he leaned in slightly.

Brendon was just taking a moment to himself away from the crowd, answering a few worried texts he’d gotten from his mom when he heard a familiar voice. Not a voice that he wanted to hear, but he was too polite to shrug him off so he figured he’d try to keep the conversation polite. “Oh uh- hey.. Mateo, it’s good to see you” he said with a small forced smile.

Teo approached the younger male slowly, his smirk never once leaving his lips as he reached out to give his shoulder a slight pat. “It’s good to see you too. What’s bothering you?” He asked him curiously as it was fairly obvious something was up. “What are you doing out here all by yourself? Shouldn’t you be in there, enjoying the party?”

“I may not always be right, but I’m never wrong,” Summer said, her anger at the boy quickly disappearing. She was never one to hold a grudge - she just wanted to be liked. “I don’t really know when they’ll be picking up the phone, if I’m honest,” she said, letting out a disheartened laugh. She gestured to the bartender for two more shots, already feeling the buzz of the alcohol coursing through her veins. “Had what coming? This is like a walk in the park.” she smirked at him as she downed her next shot. “So, Mateo. You know oh so much about me, but I know barely anything about you. Tell me about yourself.”

"How so? Either you're right or wrong. There's not half right." Mateo shrugged as that didn't seem to be very logic to him. He still didn't know what to think about her but he could tell she was putting on a show. How could she not? It was her job after all. Teo was used to reading people but he didn't comment on it. Then again, just because he didn't say anything did not mean he didn't know. "A walk in the park huh? Just wait for it" He smirked back at her before he ordered them a double each. "Nothing to tell. You get what you see." He winked at her teasingly.

She smiled slowly at his blatant flirting, although she didn’t mind it at all. “Oh you weren’t hm?” she archer her brow, maintaining eye contact. “I like names” she said with a grin. “It’s nice to meet you- I’m Zelda” she introduced herself then inhaled a breath “No, lets have another” she said waving her hand slightly.

Mateo grinned at her charmingly while his eyes remained locked on hers firmly. "Nope but I guess you already figured that." He winked at her playfully, not leaning any doubts about his intentions. "I like your name." Teo teased her, offering his hand. "Nice to meet you too Zelda." He chuckled, before he got them the next round. "Here you go again!"

“You’re right there, you can’t compare this place to New York.” Summer always felt like she was above the town; that she was destined for greatness, and being back where she started made her build a great deal of resentment towards Ashton, and it seemed that was beginning to spill over. “I don’t know how long yet,” she answered, momentarily looking down at the bar. How long did she have to stay? Her smile returned, curling on her lips as she looked back up at him. “Please. I’m Summer Austin, you can’t drink more than me.” She downed the next drink, her face screwing up as it burned down her throat, but she slammed the empty glass down and raised her eyebrows at him, challenging him. “Go on.”

He simply shrugged his shoulders at her. "I am right a lot of the times." Mateo teased her with a playful wink although he was only half joking. "You could always stay until Broadway calls you back." He chuckled, a little proud of himself he'd remembered that detail since he rarely ever cared to keep something like that in mind. "Challenge accepted." He grinned at her before he handed her a shot. "You had it coming." Teo laughed, before he downed his shot before he replaced their empty glasses with new ones. "You don't have to tell me twice." He smirked at her, quickly emptying the next one.

She lifted her brow gently “Oh, Are you attempting to get me drunk?” she exhaled a laugh. “And I don’t even know your name yet” she gave him a soft nod before throwing the shot back, setting the glass back on the table.

"Not at all. I wasn't talking about the shots." He smirked at her teasingly, his eyes piercing her own. "Names are overrated. But if it makes you feel better to drink with a name, I'm Mateo." He chuckled, before he grinned at her. "Do you need a break or are you ready for found two?"

Her eyes flickered between his as he leaned in a bit, brow gently quirking as did the corner of her lips. “I can assure you it’s not” she replied in the same tone. She rolled her eyes slightly amused and watched him order a round of shots, taking hers and thanking him. “Cheers” she lifted her glass. “What are we drinking to?” she asked curiously.

"That's good to know because we're just getting started." Mateo winked back at her playfully, a cocky smirk upon his lips as his eyes roamed her features. "Cheers!" He returned, one of his brows perked before he added "To a great night. And hopefully a better year." Teo chuckled before he downed his drink in one smooth motion.

Mateo was already a bunch of drinks in when he decided to hit the dance floor and show off some moves. He was in an oddly good mood considering the circumstances. Swaying to the beat, he didn't really think much of it as he approached the blonde next to him. Once he realized who it was, his lips twitched into his signature smirk. "Look at the Fischer girl who got all the dancing genetics of the family." He teased, winking at her playfully.

Teo went outside for a smoke and to get some fresh air. He wondered why he even came but then he remembered the free booze and that explained a lot. Fishing for his cigarettes in the pocket of his jeans, he took one out and lit it, before he pulled on it, inhaling the smoke. His eyes traveled across the area as they landed on a rather familiar face. Mateo smirked at the younger male and locked his eyes on his own. "Brendon! What a pleasant surprise to see you again."