It was the school's Talent Show, and it was the first time for Abby to perform with The Racket. Abby had got used to singing with the group and she no longer felt at all 1 during practices, but the idea of 2 on the stage (舞台) was making her head hurt. They had spent the last month working hard to 3 the songs, so that they could put up a pretty good show, and everyone was confident at their final practice.
Abby sat backstage and saw her bandmates hopping around and high-fiving each other. She couldn't tell if they were just excited or trying to work out their nerves, but Abby knew how she felt: frightened. She kept 4 walking onstage, opening her mouth to sing, but nothing would come out.
Headmaster Gruber announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome The Racket!" As the band members headed out onstage, Abby's legs moved and carried her over to the microphone, but her mind seemed to be flying somewhere nearby. And before she even knew it, the first song was halfway done. It all came 5 All of the practice was paying off. Abby knew the songs so well, she really didn't have to think much about what she was doing. Suddenly she realized that she was 6 the moment. She just carried on like the audience (观众) wasn't really there, and it was no different than being at practice.
The highlight of the performance came during the song written by the band —"Let's make a racket!" At the end, the audience jumped to their feet and sang with 7.
As The Racket ran offstage, Headmaster Gruber smiled at them and said, " I have a feeling I know who's going to take the prize for Audience Favorite this year."
Abby wasn't too worried about the prize, though. She knew she had already got something even better: the 8 to perform.
