The auditorium is full of students and family enjoying all the action, surprisingly all of our gangs parents are there, even Joe Cool is curious to see a real performance from the big head kids band. Of course Heather and James aren't there, but nobody cares. All the contestants are watching backstage.

"We've got some decent competition," Schroeder said.

"Tell me about it," Charlie rubbed his neck, "the other band hasn't even played yet."

"I didn't know Darla did ballet and contortion'in," Peppermint Patty watched on.

"You aren't getting cold feet, are you Charlie," Lucy asked concerned.

"I'm good, Lu-Lu."

"You sure? You can't give up now, you can't give up on us before we play."

"I'm not gonna let you down," he hugged her.

"Something wrong, Chuck," Peppermint Patty asked.

"I'm just worried."

"You're always just worryin'. C'mon dude."

"That other band earlier; they have no faith in me."

"I have faith in you, your friends have faith in you, Lucy has faith in you, my guy. Fuck the competition, why would they care if we did good?"

"Right. We're going to kill it out there."

"Exactly," Lucy kissed his cheek.

"Yeah," Peppermint Patty kissed his other cheek.

Lucy looked at her quizzically.

"Sorry, I got carried away," she chuckled nervously, backing away.


"Let's see if you're little band will tear the roof off… oh wait; we already tore it off," The other bands singer laughed.

"Let's see if I can make you eat that guitar," Lucy glared.

"Calm down, Lucy, these guys haven't heard nothing yet," Peppermint Patty said.

"They're just mad because they're going to get laughed off stage," the bassist said.

"I like how you played that bass, man," Schroeder admitted

"Thanks man, see; this man knows music."

"I almost didn't catch how many chords you messed up. Practice makes perfect. Diligence," he grinned.

The bassist frowned, "we'll see how good you are, thinking you're better than everybody."

"No, you're the ones who've been arrogant dicks to us the whole day, you started it by making fun of me and asking my girl out on a date. We were trying to be civil, we're here to have fun, now take your seats before I crack your guitar over your head," Charlie growled in his face.

"Okay dude," the guitarist pulled his friend back, "rock on, Charlie Brown."

"Where'd that come from," Schroeder wondered.

"I'm tired of everybody thinking I'm weak and a loser."

"I thought you didn't care anymore?"

"I managed to brush off my depression, and stopped caring, but it's pissing me off."

"You can't tell me yall ain't fucked yet, that's the bravado of a guy getting laid," Peppermint Patty chimed in.

All Charlie could do is chuckle, shaking his head, "we have not, yet."


They impatiently waited their turn to go on stage, watching, cheering through several other students, until finally they were announced to set up on stage.

"Here we go, time to rock hard," Peppermint Patty cheered.

"You ready, Lu-Lu?"

"Are you," she kissed him.

Helping Peppermint Patty set up her drums, setting up the microphones, pedals, amps. Schroeder sets up the sound to his notes, double checking with a few notes strummed, Peppermint Patty plays a few beats so he can figure out how to mic her up. Charlie thinks back at the conversation they had at the first practice;

"So we agree on doing a smash up cover of Torn, I know Schroeder's going to get the sheet music, but I think we should still listen to both songs," Charlie suggested.

"I got it," Lucy pulled up YouTube on the computer, typing in the song.

"That's not Natalie," Peppermint Patty said.

"I like her version, but this is the original, hers is a cover. Ednaswap is the original, and closest to my octave range."

"Okay, that's not bad," Franklin agreed, "that might be easier for all of us to pull off."

Charlie snaps out of it.

"Everything good, Schroeder," Charlie asked.

"Yep, best it's going to get."

"So we ready," Franklin asked.

Everybody agreed, Franklin signaled the teacher they were ready, he walked out from the curtain introducing them, the curtain opened up, and they saw their friends and parents cheering the loudest.


"We're still working on some original work," Charlie spoke in the microphone, "but we've got a wicked cover for you now; we're The Peanut Gallery, and this is Torn, c'mon Trish, hit it!"

Peppermint Patty started the beat, Lucy grabbed the microphone.

Counting down in her head, "Thought I saw a man brought to life.

Yeah, he was warm, he came around, like he was dignified.

He showed me what it was to cry…"

Franklin came in with the highest bass strings.

"Well, you couldn't be that man I adored,

You don't seem to know or seem to care what your heart is for.

I don't know him anymore."

Lucy walked to the edge of the stage.

"There's nothing where he used to lie,

My conversation has run dry,

That's what's going on.

Nothing's fine, I'm torn."

Charlie came in with his guitar, Lucy started pacing the edge, setting her stage presence. Schroeder started playing. Charlie sung;

"I thought I saw a girl brought to life,

She was warm, she came around,

And she was dignified.

She showed me what it was to cry.

I couldn't be the man to adore.

You don't seem to know,

Or care what my heart is for.

But I don't know you anymore."

The audience died down a little, surprised that he could actually sing, their friends were the first to grow loud as he sung the next line.

"There's nothing where you used to lie,

The conversation has run dry.

That's what's going on,

Nothing's right, I'm torn."

They move the sound, fading from Ednaswap, to more like Hands Like Houses, Lucy circled back, standing closer to Charlie.

"I'm all out of faith.

This is how I feel.

I'm cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor.

Illusion never changed,

Into something real.

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn.

You're a little late,

I'm already torn," she sung.

"So I guess the fortune teller's right,

I should have seen

Just what was there,

And not some holy light," Charlie sung.

Schroeder and Peppermint Patty played a slight break down.

"But you crawled beneath my veins and now," Lucy started.

"I don't care, I have no luck.

I don't miss it all that much.

There are just so many things

That I can't touch, I'm torn," they both sung together.

Everybody started cheering.

"I'm all out of faith.

This is how I feel.

I'm cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor.

Illusions never changed,

Into something real.

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn.

You're a little late, I'm already torn," she sung.

Charlie sung, "torn," while she sung, "that's what's going on. Nothings right, I'm torn."

He continued, "there's nothing where you used to lie,

My inspiration has run dry.

That's what's going on,

Nothings right, I'm torn."

They started shift back closer to Ednaswap's beat, Schroder and Franklin faded out. Lucy and Charlie stand back to back.

"I'm all out of faith,

This is how I feel.

I'm cold and I am shamed,

Lying naked on the floor.

Illusion never changed,

Into something real.

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn," they sung together.

"I'm all out of faith,

This is how I feel.

I'm cold and I'm ashamed, bound and broken on the floor.

You're a little late,

I'm already torn.

It's too late, I'm torn," she finished.

They faced each other, while Charlie played the closing notes, and Peppermint Patty stopped playing.

Neither took eyes off each other for a few seconds, while they received a standing ovation from the audience, breaking their eye contact, looking at their parents and friends, and Snoopy cheering. Peppermint Patty and Schroeder glanced backstage to see them clapping and cheering., she gave an excited wave.

"We're Peanut Gallery," Franklin yelled.

"We love you guys," Lucy yelled, stepping back as the curtains closed.