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kateinvogue · 6 years

Text

Get a Clue || Hevans

TAGGING: @kateinvogue & @goldenglovesam

TIMEFRAME: Tuesday night

LOCATION: Acuppella

SUMMARY: Kate and Sam run into each other at open mic night and some general small talk happens. Plus two performances.

WARNINGS: None

NOTES: This para is completed.

Sam:

Sammy walked into A Cuppella a little out of breath as she had walked a little quicker than normal from her apartment in excitement for performing again at the open mic. It was surprising to her friends, apparently, that she was just a little shy about performing solo in front of people she considered her friends and peers. But the duet with Riley, bolstered by all of her karaoke nights had given her the courage to actually come on her own, ready to perform at least once by herself. To say that she could. The strap of her case dug into her shoulder a little as the door opened and she quickly took it off, signing herself onto the performance list and taking a seat at the bar, knowing she needed at least one cup of coffee before she would be ready for this.

Looking around, Sam kind of hoped not to see anyone she knew, but it was hopeless. Their community was somehow too small and sure enough, a long with a few of her teammates, she also spotted Kate Hummel a few seats down. She gave one of her trademark grins and gave the other girl a small wave as her barista set down the steaming cup in front of her.

Kate:

Open mic night at Acuppella was typically a low-key event with a handful of acts. It was this fact that Kate had counted on and much to her chagrin, the place was packed. She quickly jotted her name down on the list and found an open seat at the bar. Despite the fact that she performed here every two weeks, and usually had confidence to spare, Kate's stomach was unsteady. The busy season at work combined with the holidays had left her no room to perform outside of band functions. Her vocal work-up was in desperate need of a departure from the pop rock hits of Pamela Lansbury and performing a more intimate and raw number was enough to throw her off her game.

Kate glanced down the bar, catching Sam Evan's glance. She waved in return before grabbing her drink and easing off the stool to head her way. When Kate was dating Blair she saw a lot of Sam, which wasn't a surprise considering that they were best friends. Following the break-up, however, Kate had pulled some distance between them. She knew that Blair would need a friend to lean-on and didn't want to appear as though she was taking that from her too. As luck would have it, an empty stool opened up next to Sam. "Mind if I take this seat? It would be somehow wrong if Princess Peach and Mario didn't sit next to each other," she stated with a grin. "I've been to a lot of these nights, but I've never seen you here before. What brings you?"

Sam:

As much as Sam had played third wheel to Blair and Kate when they were together, she didn't really know a lot about her best friend's ex. She knew her relation to Fiona, one of her not-so-favorite people, but Sam couldn't fault Kate for who she was related to. So why not spend some time actually getting to know her? To see who she was when she wasn't a girlfriend or a sister. "Please, go ahead." She smiled, spinning in the chair to make sure that Kate had enough room beside her. Grinning, Sam was glad she had made the post about Mario, since so many of her friends were still referencing it days, even weeks later.

"I've only started going to open mic, honestly. Mostly I rock out on karaoke nights, you know?" She made an exaggerated air guitar gesture and laughed, totally incongruous with the song being played on the stage right now. "But Riley and I did this sweet Bieber mash-up last week and I've kind of caught the bug." Sam took a sip of her coffee, eyes closing in pleasure of the warmth of the liquid. The cup warmed her hands, grateful since she had forgotten her gloves. "I guess everyone's starting to come here for more than just the drinks."

Kate:

Kate barely stifled the giggle that was balanced on the tip of her tongue. "The Bieber bug, huh?" She quirked an eyebrow, eyes dancing with amusement. "Does that mean I can expect some solid Bieber tunes from you tonight?" She pulled herself up onto the chair, careful not to spill her drink as she set it back down onto the bar top. "The karaoke nights here are a ton of fun. It's been ages since I've gone to one. You should be proud of yourself though, open mic is definitely a step up." Kate paused to take a sip of her warm mocha, replaying the words in her head. "Hang on-" she backpedaled. "I meant, a step-up because it's putting yourself out in a very different way from karaoke." She smoothed her hands down the front of her jeans in an attempt to dry the nervous sweat from her palms.

"You're right- they're coming here for the entertainment. I can't even count on both of my hands the number of make-up, break-up, and revenge songs I've seen performed at these events. It's like an airing of the grievances, but without the fun of Seinfeld." A cringe pulled at the corner of her mouth at the mention of her dad's favorite television show. "But enough about that- What have you been up to lately?" As she thought about it Kate realized that she really didn't know much about the blonde outside of her games with April's Showers and her avid love for video games.

Sam:

Smiling, Sam couldn't help but duck a little sheepishly. "I know most of his songs by heart, for some reason," she teased, "but tonight I'm going with something that I've recently heard on Pandora. I think I'm going to keep it a surprise, though. So you don't go already comparing me to the original." She nodded at Kate's explanation. "But you're right, it's different than karaoke, where I'm not the one also supplying the tunes." Sam swirled around her cup, watching the foam move around in small circles. "Are you singing tonight too? I don't think I've actually heard you sing by yourself, only ever with the rest of your band."

"You know, it's a wonder that Seinfeld even made it onto air. Can you imagine nowadays, a show marketing itself as a show about nothing? It would never get cleared." She couldn't help but shrug a little still, Sam usually found herself pretty boring, so she was never really sure how to answer stuff like this. "Not a lot, to be honest. Teaching, coaching. Even when the outdoor season is over, these indoor games can be pretty competitive." She paused to clap politely as another performer left the stage.

Kate:

With a solid roll of her eyes, Kate pretended to look insulted at the blonde's comment. "I would never do such a thing," she countered with a smile. "But seriously, I'm sure whatever it is you'll knock it out of the park." Kate nodded in response to Sam's question as she tried to ignore the wave of nerves it sent rolling across her skin. Suddenly she wished that she had opted for a blazer instead of the striped tunic and jean vest she was wearing. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've performed outside of the band. With more auditions opening up I'd like to get my voice in order."

She took a moment to clap for the performer who had just finished, running through the visual in her mind of the sign-up list to remind herself of when she would be up. The next act had chosen a raucous tune and Kate leaned in to hear Sam better. "Don't get me started on Seinfeld- my dad has crowned it the reigning king of good television," she sighed. "I even passed on my netflix information to him and he still stands by this. There's no way it would fly now." Kate took another sip of her drink while she listened closely to Sam's response. "I would say I know what you mean, but the only things I know about soccer I learned from Fiona and watching your games," she admitted abashedly.

Sam:

"Well I'm sure you'll do just fine tonight too, then." Sam grinned, taking a slower sip of her drink, the caffeine actually calming her. "Oh gosh, it seems like everyone I talk to is gearing up for auditions. Jessi was telling me that she's got some coming up too. Soon enough, I'll be able to recognize more than the big names in the playbills. That's the right word, yeah? I'm not a huge musicals person, to be honest." It just wasn't something Sam had spent a lot of time on, but now that she was finally in the city, she was sure that was going to change.

Sam tapped her toes to the newest performer, as always blown away by the raw talent that seemed ever present in this coffeehouse. "I'm pretty sure my mom thinks that no currently running show holds a candle to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." She laughed. "Oh gosh, soccer is just...the best, in my opinion. It's actually a pretty easy game to figure out, compared to American Football. And how are things going for you, you're still at Vogue, right?"

Kate:

"I mean, we can all dream right? I have a feeling quite a few of us in the community will end up casted in a major role someday. I spend a lot of time feeling torn; I'd love more than anything to perform with a Broadway show, but I also have landed my dream job at Vogue." Kate smiled, nodding. "You're right, it's a Playbill. I have a habit of collecting them like books. So I guess I can be your source for musical knowledge and you can be mine for soccer."

The sound of her name pricked at the edge of her mind and Kate slipped off her stool, shooting Sam an apologetic look. "Looks like I'm up- maybe we can meet up afterwards? After all, I've got to give you the feedback once your song choice has been revealed," she teased playfully, before heading up to the small performance space. She took a moment to grab a guitar and get situated on the stool, pushing the mic down to better suit her height. The bright light cast the audience in shadow and Kate took a deep breath before launching into Dust to Dust by the Civil Wars. The song was raw and spoke to the many emotions she had been feeling lately. She let the emotions feed into her voice, getting lost in the rise and fall of the music until the last note lingered softly in the air. Kate stood, smiling, and returned to the crowd to watch the remaining performances.

Sam:

Smiling, Sam nodded, a little relieved that Kate hadn't gone into as much of a tirade as Rachel had when she admitted to not knowing a lot about musical theater. "Sounds like a plan. I promise, I'm a quick study." Hearing Kate's name, Sam looked up, almost forgetting where she was. It was only Tuesday, but it felt like this week had been running forever. She nodded at Kate's words, ready to hear someone's honest opinion. "Yeah, of course. I'll probably grab something to go, I've got some papers to grade, but I'm eager to hear what you think."

Sam relaxed against the bar, actually turning towards the stage for the first time that night, now that she knew someone that was performing. She was excited to hear Kate alone, and now that she was, Sam was kind of blown away by the performance. Acoustic songs always gave her the shivers, with as much emotion you could feel in a musical piece. And she could tell that Kate was giving it her all. It made Sam sad for a moment, realizing that someone could carry so much hurt. As the song ended, Sam stood up from her chair, cheering wildly as she realized that there was only one person between Kate and her own performance.

She pulled out her guitar, tuning it softly before she finally heard her own name. The nerves were definitely there, the fact that she was the first 'upbeat' song after a string of slow ones. Pulling the mic up to her standing height, Sam strummed a few starting notes before diving headfirst into the Kate Nash version of I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, a song that had been stuck in her head for days. After the first verse, Sam realized she was actually enjoying herself, seeing others bopping their heads to the tune. It ended as quickly as it started, Sam giving a small bow before getting off the stage, looking around again for her conversation partner.

Kate:

Kate was still lost in the thoughts of her performance and completely missed the performer after her. It wasn't until she heard Sam's name called that she was able to refocus on the event, watching as the girl's energy shifted from nervous to complete confidence. In Kate's opinion she had every right to feel confident- not only was she doing an incredible job, but the energy of her performance in addition to the song itself had the crowd entranced. Despite the number of times she had seen Sam while hanging out with Blair or at the April Shower's games, Kate could not recall ever hearing the girl sing or even mention that she did. There was a something about her smile as she bowed that had Kate wondering how she had never noticed what an incredible person Sam was before.

Respecting both the audience and the next performer, Kate waved silently at Sam as she walked towards her. Gesturing towards the back of the cafe, Kate walked until she found an empty spot where they could talk before parting ways. "That was incredible! Not only did you sound fantastic, but you totally sucked the audience back in by choosing an energetic song. Lucky for you I don't even have any comparisons to make with the original," she teased, pulling out her phone to glance at the time. "It's getting late and I know you have papers to grade- would you want to exchange numbers so maybe we can hang out again sometime? This was fun." Kate could feel her cheeks flare as she asked the question. This was about as far out of her comfort zone as she had ever gone.

Sam:

Sam let out a loud sigh of relief as she found Kate again, immediately putting her guitar into her case as she looked up at the other girl. "Thank you, really. I can't believe I actually did that!" She grinned, waving the barista over for a to-go cup for a new coffee. It took her a moment for her to realize that Kate was still talking, the words catching up. "Of course!" Sam pulled out her phone, unlocking it and handing it over to Kate so she could put her number in. "I had fun tonight, but I'm sure I'd be a better conversationalist if I could hear myself think the whole time." She teased, taking a moment to look at Kate again, blood still rushing faster than normal through her veins. But she still couldn't help but look at the other girl and see Blair's ex. It was only a number, Sam reminded herself, not anything serious. She held her hand back out for her phone with a large smile. "We can definitely hang out again."

Kate:

Kate reached out and took the phone with a sheepish grin. Carefully she typed in her name and cell number, taking time to check twice that it was all correct. When she was finished she handed the phone back. "You're not the only one- I'll definitely be able to concentrate better without the music in the background," she agreed, pulling her coat on. "How about you shoot me a text when you get home and then I'll save yours" Kate hefted her bag back over her shoulder, a fresh mocha for the ride home in her other hand. "Thanks again, Sam. This was fun." With a parting smile she turned and headed for the door, heart still pounding as she stepped into the cold night air.

#para: get a clue #para: sam #para: all #para #paras

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