The next day, Lola, Paul, Carl, and Randy set out again to look for Erin. They searched all over Oak Ridge. When they stopped for a lunch break, some fans asked for autographs. They obliged. One of them asked, "Where's Erin? Is she all right?" Lola said, "I wish we knew. She left the house without a trace the night before last." Another one of the fans said, "We hope you find her." Just then, Paul froze, deep in thought. Carl asked, "What are you thinking about, Paul?" Paul said, "I got it! Erin didn't go downtown." Lola asked, "Why do you think that?" He said, "If she had gone downtown, someone would've seen her." Randy asked, "Where do you think she would've gone?" Paul said, "I know! The two of us built a shed in the forest behind our house. We wrote most of our songs there together. We did it if we didn't want anyone to bother us when we wrote songs." Lola, Paul, Carl, and Randy paid for their meals and headed back to the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Erin was sitting on a tree stump, thinking about what her mother said in her dream. She said to herself, "Mother is right. Paul is my best friend, and I shouldn't let him go." They had been friends since their early teens, and they were now in their early twenties. Erin got up and ran in the direction of the house. She had to get to Paul as soon as possible. She just had to! As she ran, she slipped on a patch of ice that was hidden under the snow, and she tumbled down the hill into a thorny bush. Meanwhile, her mates arrived at their house. Paul ran toward the forest and shouted, "Onward!" Carl mockingly said, "Yes, sir, drill sergeant!" Paul snapped, "No mocking! Double time!" While her mates were rushing into the forest, Erin struggled to try to get out of the thorn bush, which only wounded her further. She began to realize she couldn't get out on her own. She knew what she had to do. "Help!" she cried. "I'm stuck! Someone, please help me!" In the distance, Paul stopped and said, "Wait. Did you all hear that?" They heard the scream again. Lola said, "It's coming from this direction. Follow me." Paul, Carl, and Randy followed close behind. Lola couldn't see without glasses, but her hearing was very keep. When they got to the slope, they saw Erin in the thorn bush. They carefully made their way to her. Paul made it first. She said, "Paul! I'm so glad to see you!" He said, "I'm glad to see you, too, but I hate to see you hurt." Lola, Carl, and Randy made their way down the hill. Lola asked, "How are we going to get Erin out of this?" Randy got out his pliers and cut away the branches of the thorn bush. Paul and Carl helped Erin to her feet. She said, "Thanks." Randy said, "Let's get you back home." Carl said, "That's a great idea." Back at home, Carl looked at Erin's wounds. He said, "They don't look too bad. I think that cleaning and patching them up will do just fine." Lola said, "I'll take care of that. Then, we'll fix dinner." Lola cleaned Erin's wounds and patched them up. Erin said, "Thank you. This experience taught me a lot about friendship." Lola said, "I'm glad it did." Erin said, "I'll never take you all for granted again." Lola said, "If you do, I'll kick you from your walking awaying." The two girls laughed. Lola then said, "Let's go to the kitchen. I'll be fixing my famous tuna salad." Erin said, "That's my favorite." After dinner, Lola said, "Erin, you look tired. Why don't you get some rest? Carl and I will clean the kitchen." Erin said, "Okay." When she settled in her bed, Paul came into her bedroom. She said, "Paul, I'm so sorry." He asked, "What are you sorry for?" She said, "When I dated Marty, I neglected you. I was too blind to see he wasn't good for me." Paul said, "Erin, love is blind and deaf." She said, "I know. My mother came to me in a dream. In the case of Marty, I would've been better off to have never loved at all." Paul asked, "Don't you want to be happy in life?" She said, "I already am, Paul. You're the key to my happiness. You're my best friend and songwriting partner. I can't throw that away." He said, "Erin, you're my best friend, too." The two of them hugged. Before leaving the room, he said, "I'll be back to check on you in the morning." She said, "All right. Good night, Paul." He said, "Good night."
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TO BE CONTINUED