The next morning, Hank and Paul were going to take their test. The instructor told them, "I can only test one of you at a time. Who wants to go first?" Once again, Hank requested to let Paul go first. Paul looked back at Hank. Hank tried to hide how stressed he was and said, "Good luck, Paul." Paul said, "Thanks, Hank." Pretty soon, Paul began his test. He took a deep breath and thought, Don't overthink this. Just remember what Dad taught you. Once he completed the test, the instructor said, "Nicely done, Paul. You have passed with flying colors." Paul returned to Hank and his mother. Paul said, "I passed the test." His mother said, "Congratulations, dear." Hank hugged Paul and said, "I knew you could do it." Paul said, "Good luck on your test, Hank." Hank said, "Thanks, Paul." Unlike Paul, Hank did not do well on the test. It was clear that he was distracted. The instructor said, "Hank, I think you need to clear your head and try again later." Hank said, "You mean, I failed?" The instructor said, "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry." Hank went back to Paul and his mother and said, "I failed the test." His mother said, "I'm so sorry, Hank." Paul hugged Hank and said, "It's okay. You can take the test again." Hank said, "I know." When they had lunch, Hank barely touched his food. His mother said, "I know you're disappointed, Hank, but I promise it will be okay." He tried not to cry and said, "It's not okay!" He then ran into his bedroom. His father said, "Something's not right here. I haven't seen Hank this upset in a long time." His mother said, "I don't think he'll talk to any of us." Paul said, "He'll talk to me. When he won't open up to anyone else, he'll open up to me. I'll go talk to him." With that, Paul went to knock on Hank's bedroom door.
The Radiant Terriers were on their way to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. They had agreed to collaborate on an album with New Religion. Along the way, Leila said, "This is so exciting. We're going to be collaborating with one of my favorite bands." Abigail said, "Indeed. Plus, Paul is kind of dreamy." Greeley said, "You realize he's an aromantic asexual, right?" She said, "I know." Sammy said, "Abigail has been a hopeless romantic for a long time." She said, "Yeah. It seems all the best guys are either deceased or wouldn't have me." Leila said, "Don't worry, Abigail. You'll get your chance at romance someday." Abigail said, "You really think so?" Leila said, "Sure I do. You deserve it." This made Abigail smile. She thought, For someone who has been through Hell and back, Leila sure is an optimistic girl. Pretty soon, the Radiant Terriers made it to Oak Ridge.
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!"