ｃｏｎ ｍａｎ || ｊｓｃｈｌａｔｔ カ果宴壱

iv. 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

"so explain to me how a barista at a cafe ends up onstage during a poetry reading," ted immediately teases the girl, wearing a cocky and teasing smile. he had been thoroughly impressed by her fluidity and rhythm, not to mention her breath regulation, and how emotionally intense she'd been. and here she is, flustered and smiling uncomfortably, unable to get a word out because her classmate is bombarding her with encouragement. this, indeed, had ended up surprising all four of the patrons who; well, most of them; knew the timid girl, and they're all desperate for answers as to how someone managed to muster up all that courage.

"i think it's the weed," she croaks out, and she gives a little laugh after, which only makes her and ciara laugh. the three men, however, are standing there confused, having no context to go from. noticing simon and ted's raised brows and uneasy demeanors, she clears her throat. "i, for the first time in my short life, am high. it did not take much, which is great to know." amber tells the group, before bursting into a fit of the giggles. while ted and his guest give a laugh at this, simon furrows his brows and looks at ciara with a much less carefree glare.
"and you thought that'd be a good idea? bringing her here like this? what if, god, what if she had left for the bathroom?" he sputters out, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he then gets laughed at by the whole group.

"listen, man, you've obviously never smoked weed before. the fact that she hasn't broken down is impressive," ted hums, thus shooing the much smaller mans' protests away. the girl scrunches her face up in a sweet and innocent act of defiance, looking up at the tall raven haired man and giving him a little shove. "she pushed me! i would never hurt a woman, so i'll keep my hands to myself, but i don't think my buddy schlatt here will do the same." ambers attention is suddenly brought to the lankier, much more stern seeming brunette with crossed arms. 
he's hot, her mind coos, wouldn't mind telling him a few more little limericks just to spend some time alone with him.

"don't make me look less like an ass than i am, ted, come on. gotta keep up my tough guy persona." and his voice makes her weak at the knees, and so she instantly knows she'll never be able to be this confident around him again. sober, a pussy, her mind spits, but intoxicated? a swaggering peacock. show your feathers, as plain as they are, and watch them flock. amber rolls her eyes at schlatt, giving him a little nudge which makes his eyes widen.
"tough?? sorry, i just saw you with your mouth open wide enough to catch flies and crying like a little bitch," she hums, and both ted and ciara are biting their tongues to keep from laughing, simon watching the onslaught in horror. why can't the shy ones not be crazy? schlatt, though, has to scoff and place his hand on his chest, eyebrows furrowing as he realizes this girl has got some sass built into her.

"excuse me? oh, you're fucking in for it, now," is all he can say, before pulling amber in and trapping her in a harsh headlock. she's laughing loud at it, and the others (aside from the intellectual nervous wreck) are laughing as well, since it's such a childish little fight the two are having. "you're a pipsqueak. i could pick you up and drop you and you'd probably die from this height. so if i were you, i'd keep my mouth shut." even if she's stuck with his arm around her neck, she still can't help but appreciate how smooth and pleasing the sound of his voice is. 
horning over some stranger, her subconscious laughs. some fucking strong woman protagonist you are.

"let me go, fuckin'... headass." is all she can mutter, and while they all laugh, schlatt can swear he can feel his heart skip a beat. such a tiny, gentle creature being such a loudmouth, and being willing to pick a fight with him? man, she's a little too perfect so far. so as she's released from his grasp, she gives him a shove and a little huff of air as she fixes her hair and makes herself seem more composed. "so, ted - if that's actually your name - why are you at a poetry workshop?" all she gets is a teasing smirk laced with confidence as the man crouches down to her level. she quickly notes that as much as she finds his chaotic and dominant aura comforting, she's never going to forgive the height difference between the two of them. 
"well, princess, my friend and i just happened to be strolling through the streets, and we thought this place might have some decent atmosphere. never thought i'd see the pint-sized barista who judged my order in here, but here we are." and this causes the tall brunette man to laugh, loud and hard.

"that's her?  you said she couldn't stop acting like she fucking killed someone, and she just called a tall stud a little bitch. this," he places his hands on both sides of her face, (and god, it's embarrassing to admit how much she wants him to keep holding on) "is not the same girl." so she hits his hands away and clears her throat, "okay, sorry about earlier i was being pestered by my co-worker for not knowing who you are, and secon -" "you have no idea who he is? holy shit," and his head is down, his hands are on his thighs and he's shaking with laughter. "oh, oh, my god that's rich. hear that, ted? she has no fuckin' clue of who you are!"

the two massively tall boys are laughing nice and hard, but the other three are confused. simon decides this conversation isn't for him, so he turns to amber and gives her arm a little squeeze. "see you some other time, okay?" and he scampers out of the bar, leaving the group to their own devices. amber honestly appreciates the nervous man leaving them; since her reputation of being a squeaky-clean angel has already been tarnished thus far; and now she's left with her fellow stoned friend/classmate, the tall guy from the cafe with the booming voice, and the grumpy looking brunette with the yankee's cap on.

- -

"whaddya mean you're not allowed boys over, what are you, twelve?" ted teases the tiny girl as the group loads into ciara's car, the two giant men obviously being pleased with the giantess owning a size-suiting vehicle. "or do you have some kind of weird satanic curse placed on your house where all men will have some kind of seance where their dicks just fall off?" the mere idea of all this sends amber's inebriated head spinning and she just looks back at the smiling, innocent man wearing his glasses and rolls her eyes, sitting back forward. 

"it's called still being in school and having a brother, dumbass." she sasses, and everyone goes dead silent except for schlatt, who's just chuckling his ass off. the whole idea of this girl seeming so innocent and shy (like ted had told him before) now seems like an elaborate lie to introduce schlatt to another loud girl who can't keep herself busy. 
"and why do you think it's so funny, schlatt? what kind of fucking last name is schlatt, anyways? you some kind of norwegian refugee?" and just like that, schlatt feels a much stronger connection with this intoxicated girl. he can easily relate to the deep emotional bond the short girl had weaved earlier, and the sprinkled on bits of sass, spunk, and fight make her seem much bigger than she physically is.

"no, i'm just european. amber ryan seems like a fake name, so you're one to talk." the sweatshirt-clad man hums, crossing his arms as he leans back, assuming his "alpha male" sitting position. while the two other passengers in the car chuckle, amber's eyes glare daggers into the cocky mans face. he's getting her riled up, he knows that, but if she'd stop being so easily defensive and irritated maybe he'd stop being so provocative. just maybe.
"it's from my mom's side," is all she says, and the only other female in the car goes silent. there's a tension in the air, but schlatt's never been known for being good at reading a room, so he just smirks.
"what, is your mom a pornstar or something? gimme her first name, i'd love to see her early work." this comment strikes a nerve that causes the inebriated girl to tear up. hearing anybody trash her mother's name reminds her of being weak, vulnerable, and scared, bringing up scars that had never really healed right.

"she's dead, asshole." and just like that, they're off on the wrong foot. just as they pull up to the twins' apartment.

- -

sorry for taking so long! i have some news about life and also the updates of my books.
1. i'm getting a new phone! which means i may end up making moodboards or something like that to add to each of the chapters.
2. i'm online schooling this year forward! this means i may have more chances to update, but that's no promise i can make just yet.

stay safe, hydrated, and loved <3

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