ojandtostitos commented on blueridgemod's post:

"That's e-easier said than d-done, y'know!" Tatum called weakly after him, hanging back and hesitating on the edge of the stage. If she couldn't suck it up and go out there to silently do checks, then she had no chance of going out there later and opening her mouth. What was the worst thing that could happen. Oh yeah, she quickly reprimanded herself, you make a horse's ass of yourself and everyone including the teachers get to have a laugh.

What if she dropped her guitar, or couldn't hold a tune, or she forgot the words? Right now, it felt like the lyrics were definitely ingrained in her mind, after so much practice, but panic had a way of stripping her over even the most basic brain functions. What if she froze up and they all started to boo them and someone threw tomatoes or something? Maybe that only happened on television, but she was worried just the same.

Gathering up her small handful of courage, Tatum made her way on stage with her head down, quickly turning her back to the crowd as she began to check and double check their equipment. Straightening up with her back still facing the crowd, she took one of Sam's drum sticks and gave his cymbal a gentle tap. "Sounds like it w-works to me," she managed to get out with a little crooked smile. This was happening now, whether she wanted to run away or not, and it was probably just best to accept her fate.