Author's Note: This was just a funny little story I've had stuck in my head for awhile, so I thought I'd write it out and share.
Poker Face
Evey
This was probably the most unplanned thing that had ever happened in my life. Which is saying something. Despite my numerous attempts to be practical and to get the odd events in my life under control, this marked apex of the spiral.
It was his fault, really. If he hadn't been so hostile, I never would have given him a second look. Well alright- I would have looked but I wouldn't have thought anything of it. Unfortunately for me (and several others), he really was quite attractive. With thick, curly brown hair and shocking blue eyes, he had a string of girls following us around after every show. It helped that he played the guitar like he'd sold his soul to the devil in order to come by such a talent.
But unfortunately, this was a matter of pride and saving face.
Nat
Piano players. They were definitely not worth the trouble. Overly passionate about their trade, all they ever did was cause trouble for themselves and anyone in the band that hired them. Naturally, she hadn't caused any problems for anyone but me. It was no secret that I didn't want to let her in- we hadn't been an all-boys club sort of band, after all, our occasional saxophone player was a girl- and I made that quite clear.
She was one of those girls that made you look twice- not from her looks, although she was pretty in a slightly unconventional way- because of the way she simply was. Her eyes, big and brown, hid every emotion if she so chose. She had wavy brown hair that hit the middle of the back and was practically a living organism. It had a mind of its own, and she was always tucking it behind her ears, putting it in a ponytail, or otherwise messing with it. I don't' even think she realized that half of her time was spent moving her hair in some way. Aside from that, she was flip, she was blunt, and she was a hell of a fighter. Almost every time we have a conversation longer than ten minutes, it ends up with both of us yelling, and at least one of us storming off. That was most likely the problem. Both of us had so much pride. That, and I hadn't made a secret of the fact that I was attracted to her. I also hadn't made a secret of the fact that she drove me up the wall.
Evey
Every time I saw him outside of band practice, it was a shock. Even if I was supposed to be meeting him and everyone else for dinner, it still always surprised me to see Nat. On Saturday I'd been practicing for hours. As usual, I was stressed and ragged. Playing did that to me. I get too invested in certain songs, and that cues an emotional roller coaster that has a tendency to throw off the rest of the day. So when I opened the door, I was more shocked than usual.
After shaking my head, I asked, "What?"
"Now is that any way to greet a person?" Nat grinned.
"I've been practicing all day. What do you want?"
A look of recognition spread across his face- he understood what practicing did to me.
"A new duet. Adam wants us to do it." He proffered a folder of papers that I hadn't noticed he'd been holding.
"Us? Doesn't he remember the 'Hello I Love You' Fiasco?" I smiled.
Upon my recruitment, Adam wanted to hear how my voice sounded with Charlie's, and then with Nat's. My duet with Charlie had been unremarkable- I don't even remember what we sang. Nat and I however, still regarded each other with nothing but pure hatred. The result was the most spiteful version of 'Hello, I Love You' ever done, at least according to Adam. We haven't sung together since.
"Maybe he thinks we've grown up in the past six months?" Nat shrugged, and held out the folder even father. I took it and peered inside.
"Really? Of all the songs in the world he picked this?"
"It's a different arrangement… But yeah. Of all the songs in the world, he picked that one."
We stood awkwardly for a moment. Ever since a few weeks ago, we'd lapsed into these silences. I don't know what changed, but it was something significant.
"So…" he rocked on his heels. "I'll let you get back to practicing." He turned and walked down the driveway, back to his car.
"See you Monday," I called.
He lifted a hand in response without turning around.
I had a funny feeling that the change had started with him, not me.
Nat
This duet was not going to be a good thing. It was a ridiculous song, and until I heard the arrangement, I was going to continue to hate it. Lady Gaga doesn't have an ounce of good music in her repertoire, and singing one of her songs was going to be like pulling teeth. And to do it with Evey…
Hiring her had been a bad idea. I couldn't exactly give my reasons to everyone else, so they based my indignation on the fact that I didn't like her. Sure, we had gotten off to the wrong start, but the downward spiral when it came to her happened exactly as I figured it would. Charlie's insistence that I "just get over it" really didn't help, since his advice was given with the assumption I hated her. But the moment I saw her cry over 'Piano Man' there was no going back.
I was in love with her. I loved the fact that she was overly passionate, even though it drove me crazy. I loved everything. It was unfortunate.
Luckily, my unease around her was still construed as dislike, so I was covered there. She was a force to be reckoned with, though. Every time I turned around, she was leaning over my shoulder or reaching past me to get her copy of the sheet music. And when she wasn't doing that, she was humming under her breath, catching my attention when I was doing my best not to think about the way she leaned closer to the piano when she was concentrating.
This duet is going to be the death of me.
Evey
Ah, Mondays. The very best and very worst day of the week. The worst because, well, it's Monday. The best because it's the first of our three practice days. And the worst because I have to spend four to five hours with Nat. Which oddly enough, also makes it another reason why Monday is a good day.
Lately, Nat and I had been at a turning point when it came to practice. If he didn't harp on the fact that I was "too intense" (his word, not mine) when we practiced- his theory was that emotion should be saved for the show- I didn't complain about his tendency to improvise when he couldn't remember a particular note progression.
And also lately- I noticed that he'd stopped staring at me with derision every time I decided to continue practicing when we were taking a break, but was now simply staring. Why, I didn't know, although Charlie kept hinting that it was because Nat didn't actually hate me. I find this very hard to believe, but he's probably right- Charlie always his.
Nat not hating me would be a welcome change, actually. I never hated him- I just met him blow for blow. If he was snide, I was snide right on back. If he decided that I was not worth speaking to, I was silent as well. It certainly made for an interesting work atmosphere. Then there was the other hand- the complete flip side hand. He could be devastatingly charming when he wanted to be- which he used to his advantage when I was tired. He has a wicked sense of dry humor, and he knows exactly how to make me laugh- when we were aren't arguing, that is.
Spending any amount of time with Nat is easily the most confusing part of my life.
Nat
She was early, as always. By the time the rest of us got to the practice space (the high school's small auditorium), she was already in full practice force- hair in a ponytail, entire body bent over the piano. I don't even think she was even practicing in particular. Adam shook his head.
"She's more dedicated than any of us, isn't she?" he wanted to know as he pulled his bass guitar out of its case.
"That she is," I muttered as I pulled out my own guitar.
Charlie had yet to show. Typical, but annoying nonetheless.
Silence surrounded us like a shroud- Evey had stopped her incessant playing, and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to break the rare occasion.
"Y'all dead or something?" And Charlie had arrived. There was never any silence with a drummer in the room.
"Just savoring the silence, Charlie," Evey quipped, turning back to her piano and picking up where she left off.
Six or seven notes in, she stopped, tucked a few locks of hair behind her left ear and began again. She did this frequently, as often as some people coughed or sneezed.
"Evey," Adam called.
She stopped again, brushing hair from her face.
"What's up, gentlemen?" she asked, coming to stand next to us.
"That duet?" Adam asked.
"Yeah?"
"The two of you will play it at tomorrow night's show. Don't practice it together. I want it to be good."
Evey and I exchanged a look and shook our heads. Adam had this theory that everything was at its best when performed and heard for the very first time. So why we practiced at all, I had yet to figure out.
"And Evey, I'll be filling in on piano for this one. I want the two of you to be able to just sing with each other."
She flinched- slightly, but noticeably. She loved practicing. That's all she ever did. She was a perfectionist of the best sort though- whatever the outcome was, she was happy with it.
"Then let's get on with practice, shall we?" I wanted to know.
And thus, practice commenced.
Evey
Ah, performance night. I lived for tonight- it was exhilarating, exhausting, exciting. Things had gotten off to a fairly good start, and the crowd tonight was pumped. We have to songs left- the duet, which apparently Adam has decided to save for last (for "dramatic effect" he said), and some new cover Nat was trying out.
"You gonna listen?" Charlie came up behind me and asked.
"You know I don't."
"That's the one thing I've never understood about you, honey. You never listen when you're not on stage. Why?"
"Shouldn't you be on stage right now?
"Nah. Nat's feeling acoustic tonight. Nice side-step. Would you answer me please?" He smiled, all the while, holding my gaze.
Charlie was funny like that. He knew things about everyone, and most of all, he loved learning those things about everyone. Charlie was a listener, which was probably why it was lucky for him that most girls love to talk. His girlfriend- Taralynn- was unfortunately very used to her boyfriend being followed around by a gaggle of girls who wanted to date a drummer who listened to their every word.
"Because."
"Oh, you're very coy tonight, Evey. Do you avoid listening because you're afraid to be moved by others' music as well? Perhaps especially by a particular 'other' who happens to be performing in just a few moments?"
"Perhaps." I really hated that he knew everything at times like this one. I never listened for exactly the reason he gave- I was already far too invested in the songs I played, why put myself through the agony of listening to another have the same reaction as me? The double emotion wasn't worth it.
"I think you should listen tonight." Charlie motioned towards the curtain. "At least listen to his little speech. You know how he is."
I pursed my lips in the beginning of a smile. Nat liked to explain why he picked a song the first time he played it for the crowd- he never wanted anyone to listen without knowing his motivations.
"Oh very well. But only to his speech. He'll be happy to know he's scored a victory." I shook my head and walked towards the curtain, and peeked out as far as I could without being seen.
"This is a new one for me," Nat began, speaking into the microphone he'd set before him. "I only heard it a week or so ago, but it struck me as something that I had to play. It fit so well, I had to learn it. Now this song, it's for a girl I know." He laughed to himself. "It's always a girl, isn't it? This girl, though, she… She's something else. She abhors the particular style of music this song happens to be, so I've changed it up just for her. I hope she listens to the words for once in her life."
For me. This song was for me. Nat has always hounded on the fact that I only hear the melody- never the words. This song was for me?
He began to sing in that throaty, raspy voice of his.
I listened without thought, until the bridge caught my ear, and I actually took in the words.
"Once you feel her touch and you felt that rush
It's gonna mess up your head
But here's the kicker son
Your old ticker's gonna beat you half to death"
Oh. My. Good. Lord.
Nat
Well that was cathartic. And knowing Evey wasn't listening made it even better. I could always trust the fact that I could play my heart out without her ever suspecting a thing. It was lucky for me- her funny little habit. Well, I suppose it wasn't a habit so much as a necessity for her.
I walked past Adam, who was going to announce the duet, and straight into Charlie, who was shooing Evey to the other side of the stage.
"Sorry man," I said, edging past him to talk to Evey before we went on.
"I wouldn't follow her if I was you," Charlie called.
I spun on my heel. "Why not? I just wanted to tell her we'll be fine. She's stressed out because we weren't allowed to practice, you know."
"She heard."
Shit. "Did she hear the intro?"
"Yeah." Charlie smirked.
"You told her to listen tonight, didn't you?" I sighed resignedly.
"It's unhealthy, man, the way you two are with each other. If one of you didn't cave soon, we were going to have some sort of apocalypse on our hands. You'll thank me later."
I shoved my hands in my pockets to resist the urge to punch him. "Did you ever think about how she might receive the news?"
"That you're pathetic about her? I'm fairly sure she's a little less pathetic than you are."
"So for our final bit, may I please present Miss Evangeline Torren and Nathaniel Batten. Our own Nat and Evey!"
Adam's voice boomed and the crowd, though small (the auditorium was small, after all), roared.
"You're on." Charlie smirked. That all-knowing crap of his was getting old.
I parted the side curtain and walked onto the stage as, I saw, Evey was doing the same. She looked up only once as she took her seat, being careful not to trip on any of the electrical cords, and what I saw was a mixture of confusion and shock. Of all the times for Charlie to out me, it had to be tonight, didn't it?
Adam began to play Evey's piano. And so we began.
Charlie
(A quick note- Bold italics indicate Evey singing, regular italics indicate Nat singing, and regular bold indicates them singing together. Charlie's thoughts are in regular typeface.)
"I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas please
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby stay with me
Love the game intuition play the cards with spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart"
Evey stared. Just stared. Naturally, Nat stared right back at her. It was funny, really, watching them.
"Oh o-oh oh, oh o-oh oh
I'll get him hot and show him what I've got
Oh o-oh oh, oh o-oh oh
I'll get him hot and show him what I've got"
And now the clever girl was trying to tell him how she felt by staring even more intently at him. Not that most could really tell. She was already staring so well there wasn't much more she could put into it. And despite the fact they were facing each other, he was now studiously trying to avoid her.
"Can't read my, can't read my
No she can't read my poker face
(He's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No she can't read my poker face
(He's got to love nobody)"
Now he was making eye contact. And she wasn't. Really, they made quite a picture. It was a shame none of the crowd was close enough to see what was going on.
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
I wanna roll with her, a hard pair we will be
A little gambling is fun when you're with me
Russian roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby when it's love if it ain't rough it isn't fun
Nat was now boring holes into Evey's head with his eyes. Apparently, she was more receptive than him, because she looked up as he sang the last line of the previous stanza. And now she looked a bit frightened.
Oh o-oh oh, oh o-oh oh
I'll get her hot and show her what I've got
Oh o-oh oh, oh o-oh oh
I'll get her hot and show her what I've got
Can't read my, can't read my
No she can't read my poker face
(He's got to love nobody)
And now they were both staring at each other. Singing to each other. Like they were supposed to. God, I was proud.
Can't read my, can't read my
No she can't read my poker face
(He's got to love nobody)
I won't tell you that I love you
Kiss or hug you
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lying
I'm just stunning with my love glue gunning
Now this was good. Popcorn good. Both of them were trying to convey a message to the other.
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, I promise this
Check this hand 'cause I am marvelous
I'm marvelous, I'm marvelous
I'm marvelous, So marvelous
He's got to love nobody
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
We've got to love nobody
Evey
Amid the generous applause and shouts for an encore (which we weren't doing tonight because the show had already run far later than planned), I walked (in a way that I thought was quite reserved) off the stage. The minute I'd made it back to the relative silence of the green room, I muttered, "Poker Face my ass."
"I agree," Nat said, coming in behind me.
I looked at him with what I hoped to be an exasperated look. "Could you please not talk to me right now?"
"I think it's pretty important that we talk, actually." He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh. Oh? You think it's important we talk. Well that's fine then." I slammed my sheet music to the table I was standing in front of. "Then let's talk. Why don't you tell me what all that was about?"
"What?" He had the grace to actually look puzzled.
"Oh, don't you 'what?' me. That song? Let's start with that? Or perhaps the way you were staring at me while we were singing? Or perhaps-"
He cut me off. "That's plenty of questions, sweetheart."
"Or perhaps why you call-"
"Really, that's plenty. I played that song because it's how I feel. And I play things because that's how I was feeling. You know that." He crossed his arms. "And you were staring at me, too. So it's your turn to answer a question."
"I was staring because you were staring." I raised my eyebrows.
"I believe you started."
"I'm sure that you did."
"You started it."
"Are we four?"
"I don't know, are we?"
"This is ridiculous."
"Only if you want it to be."
"Then what is it?" I wanted to know. "Silly?"
"Not silly at all."
He was serious. Actually serious.
"Why did you play that song Nat?"
"Why do you think I did?" Now he looked exasperated.
"I wouldn't ask if I already know the answer, would I?"
Something that sounded sneakily like "Of course you wouldn't," slipped out of his mouth before he said, "Because it's how I feel."
"Yes, we've covered that already. Care to elaborate?"
"Good God, woman? Isn't it obvious? You drive me insane in every way possible!" He raked his hands through his hair. "Isn't it obvious?"
"No. It's not," I said quietly. "It wasn't."
"Is it now?" he asked, coming closer and lower his voice.
"Yeah," I whispered. "Crystal. But why now? Why that way? In front of everyone?"
He chuckled. "Because I couldn't talk to you long enough without fighting." He reached for me and closed his hand around my arm. He pulled me closer.
"Isn't that the truth?" I laughed softly.
"Well now that we finally agree on something…"
He'd barely started to kiss me when Charlie startled us with a, "Well, well, well. Finally. Now, if you two are quite finished, we need to pack up. It's one in the morning, for Christ's sake." He walked out grinning.
A note from the author: Should anyone wish to hear this version of Poker Face, search for "Poker Face, Glee version." Evey's part is the first part (sung by Lea Michele) and Nat's part is the second (sung by Idina Menzel).
Also- Since I am a ruthless proofreader and would never be happy if I went back and read, any mistakes you find will go perpetually unfixed. I am quite happy that I've finished this, and will not prolong my process in any way.
Also also- If you're interested in the song Nat sings, it's called "Hell on the Heart" by Eric Church.
Disclaimer- I own none of the music. Just words