Two years had passed since Paul's victory at the talent show. He and Hank were still close with each other. They were now sixteen, and today was the day they were going to take their driver's tests. Hank was chatting with two of his friends as they were getting ready to leave the school. One of them asked him, "What kind of car are you hoping to drive?" He said, "I'm thinking either a sports car or maybe one of those muscle cars like my grandpa used to collect." The second one of his friends said, "That's cool. You'll look so tough in it." Hank smiled. The first friend then asked, "What'll Paul drive, a hippie van?" Hank frowned. His friends still enjoyed making fun of Paul. The second friend said, "I bet he'll drive a pink one, being the sissy that he is." They laughed. Hank said, "Stop that! Paul might not be into sports cars and muscle cars, but that doesn't make him less of a man!" Just then, they saw Paul walking out the door. Hank's first friend said, "There he is. Let's beat him up." Hank said, "If you touch him, I will end you myself!" His friends ran in fear. Hank then went to join Paul and said, "I think I'll sit with you on the ride home." Paul asked, "Are you mad at your friends?" Hank said, "They were making fun of you." Paul said, "I don't care what they think of me." Hank said, "I know, but I wish they'd at least show you respect." Paul said, "Maybe they will someday." Hank said, "I hope so. In the meantime, this is the last time we get to ride the bus with those assholes." Paul said, "That's true." The two brothers enjoyed each other's company as they rode home to prepare for their driver's test.
One day, New Religion had an interview where they talked about their song, "Stuck", and Fritz's retirement. Shortly after the interview aired on television, Paul got a call from his mother. She said, "I want to congratulate you on your new song. It's good that you asked for help when you realized you needed it. I always stressed to you the importance of asking for help. I also want to congratulate Fritz on his retirement. When you go on tour, I'll gladly stay with Fritz." Paul said, "Thank you, Mother. Yes, you did stress the importance of asking for help." She said, "That's right. I always told you that there's no shame in asking for help when you really need it." He said, "That's right." Paul talked with his mother for a long time. Finally, she said, "I have to let you go now. I'm getting ready to fix dinner." He said, "All right, Mother. Goodbye. Take care." She said, "You take care, too. I love you, Paul." He said, "I love you, too, Mother."
THE END
THE END
When Paul woke up from his nap, his mates sat down with him to see what he had written so far. He said, "You see, I keep getting stuck with the chorus." Lola said, "I think I know what will work as a chorus." She wrote down some words. Paul sang what he had written and what Lola had written. He said, "That works very well. Thanks, Lola." She said, "You're welcome." Erin and Carl added the second verse and the third verse respectively. They sang the song, and Paul said, "This is going to be a hit. Thanks for the help, my friends." Carl said, "No problem, Paul. If you ever feel stuck, tell us right away. Don't be afraid to ask for help." Paul smiled and said, "I won't." Erin then said, "To the recording studio!" The others said, "Yeah!"