Let's Form A Band

**Let's Form A Band** is a Human Realm story by Thunderbird3InternationalRescue.

## Summary

*After James tells the Gresley brothers about his recent vacation to his native Ohio, including a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Thomas gets the idea to form his own music group with some of his friends.*

## Story

### **Act I:** **Getting The Band Together**

One Saturday afternoon at Totally 60's, James was talking to Edward and Thomas. The trio were each having a Roy Rogers with a cheeseburger and fries.

"Man, I so wish you guys were there in Cleveland with me." James was saying. "I loved visiting the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. It was so awesome."

"I'll bet it was." said Edward as he sipped his drink.

"Yeah, how was it?" asked Thomas.

"It was worth the trip." said James. "I saw lots of exhibits dedicated to lots of bands throughout the history of rock music. I even took some photos."

James then showed the Gresley brothers his phone, which had a lot of photos of the aforementioned museum. A lot of the photos were centered around the exhibit it had for The Rolling Stones.

"I take it you liked the Rolling Stones exhibit best." said Thomas as he finished a bite of his burger.

"Well, what can I say?" asked James. "The Stones are, like, my favorite band!"

"That really doesn't surprise me." said Edward. "I mean, your guitar playing style is kind of like Keith Richards' playing style."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." said James.

But little did James know was that in Thomas' head, a spark had been ignited.

"Maybe me and some of the guys from school could form our own rock band." Thomas thought.

At school the following Monday, Thomas shared this idea with his friends Percy Page, Ryan Doncaster, and Stanley Hudswell during lunch.

"You know, that might actually not be a bad idea." said Percy.

"No, it's not." said Ryan. "I've been teaching myself the piano lately."

"Cool." said Thomas. "Maybe you could play that."

"Yeah, I could." agreed Ryan. "I could also play the tambourine."

"What instrument could I play?" asked Stanley.

"You play saxophone in the school band, don't you, Stan?" asked Thomas.

It didn't take long for Stanley to figure out what Thomas was implying.

"Yeah, I could play that." he said. "But I'm not sure. I mean, not many rock bands use saxophones."

"Well, The Dave Clark Five did." said Thomas. "So do Huey Lewis and The News."

"And besides, I'm pretty good on the guitar." said Percy. "I've been taking extracirricular guitar lessons at the community center every other Thursday. I can teach you."

"That'd be swell." said Stanley. "Thanks, Percy."

"What instrument will you play, Thomas?" asked Percy.

"Well, I've been teaching myself the piano too." said Thomas. "Ed lets me play his. Not only that, but Nana and Papa got me a guitar for Christmas last year, and I've been teaching myself to play that as well. I also have a harmonica. Maybe I could play all of those. But not at once, though, only when necessary."

"Yeah, and maybe you could be the lead singer." said Percy. "I mean, you **are** a pretty good singer, and you're like the leader of our group."

"Ooh, nice catch." said Thomas.

Soon, lunch was over, and the boys headed off to their next classes. Later that evening, The Gresleys, Unikitty, Puppycorn, Hawkodile, Dr. Fox, and Richard were having Salisbury steak with corn on the cob and mashed sweet potatoes.

"So, me, Percy, Stanley, and Ryan got this great idea earlier today." said Thomas.

"And what was this "great idea" you speak of?" asked Gordon.

"To form our own rock band." said Thomas.

"You're right, bro, that *is* a good idea." said Edward.

"Yeah, totally wicked!" said Puppycorn.

"What're you guys gonna play in it?" asked Unikitty.

"Well, I'm gonna sing lead and play piano, guitar, and harmonica, Percy's gonna play guitar, Stanley's gonna be on sax and guitar, and Ryan's gonna be on piano keyboards." explained Thomas.

"Looks as though you're off to a good start." said Gordon.

"Yeah, we're gonna work on finding members this week." said Thomas.

"Good luck." said Richard.

The next afternoon, Percy was at his house wrapping up a homework assignment. As he was finishing up, he heard a thumping sound. He immediately knew what it was. He went downstairs and into the garage, where sure enough, he saw his cousin Toad playing on a PDP Spectrum Series 5-Piece drum kit, which he had received as a birthday present.

"Getting better every day, cuz." Percy said.

"Thanks." said Toad.

Just then, Percy remembered something.

"Hey, Toad, me, Thomas, Stanley, and Ryan are thinking about forming a band, and we need a drummer." he said. "You up for the job?"

"Count me in." said Toad enthusiastically.

"Great." said Percy.

Percy then went back upstairs to his room to finish up that homework assignment he had been temporarily distracted from, and when he was finished, he grabbed his cell phone and called Thomas, who answered immediately.

"What's up, P?" Thomas asked.

"I think I've found someone to be our drummer." said Percy, and he explained.

"Eureka!" cried Thomas. "Thanks, bud! All we need now is a bass player."

"And I know just what to do about that." said Percy. "We can hold auditions."

"Good idea." said Thomas. "But how'll we get people to audition?"

"We could make posters." said Percy. "Before homeroom tomorrow, we'll make posters and put them up over the school during study hall."

"Perfect." said Thomas. "Percy, you're a genius. I'll text Ryan and Stanley to let them know."

The two friends then hung up, and the next day, as promised, the boys met up in the computer lab and made the necessary posters, which told students that auditions were being held in the auditorium after school that Friday. To make them, they simply made one posters and printed off several copies of it. In total, they printed out twenty-eight copies, seven for each of them. Once all the posters were made, each got their cut and during study hall, with the study hall monitor's consent, they armed themselves with their posters and a roll of tape and began hanging up their posters. In almost no time at all, all the posters where hung up.

"There." said Thomas as he taped on the last poster. "All done. Now all we have to do is wait."

Soon enough, Friday afternoon arrived, and after the boys called their families to let them know they were staying after and that they would ask Percy's older brother Henry to drive them home, they sat in the very front row of the auditorium. A bass and amplifier, specifically a Yamaha TRBX304 4-string bass guitar and a Fender Rumble 100, from one of the music rooms had been leant to them and were set up on the stage.

"They should be coming anytime now." said Thomas.

The first student to show up for the audition was Rosie.

"Okay, Rosie, show us what you've got." said Thomas.

With that, Rosie picked up the bass and played "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on only the G string.

"How was that?" asked Rosie when she finished.

"Well...that was good, but not quite what we're looking for." said Thomas. "Sorry, Rosie."

"It's okay." Rosie said with a smile.

"Next!" said Ryan as Rosie left the stage.

The next student to audition was Toby, who just played a few notes on the E string. He too was kindly rejected. Several more students followed afterwards, but none of them made the cut. After a while, Ryan began to feel frustrated.

"This is ridiculous." he said. "At this rate, we'll **never** find a good enough bass player for our band!"

"Have a little faith, Ryan." said Thomas.

Just then, another student came onto the stage. This student was their friend William Manning, or "Billy" as they called him. He had curly black hair, brown eyes, and wore an orange shirt with one yellow stripe and one green stripe going around the bottom, faded blue jeans, and orange slip-on shoes. He also had prominent buck teeth.

"Billy?" Ryan asked. "What makes you think you might be a good choice?"

Stanley stomped on Ryan's foot.

"Ow!" Ryan cried. "What was that for?"

"Dude, give him a chance." said Stanley.

"Yeah, he might actually have potential." agreed Thomas.

"I hope you're right." said Ryan.

Billy then picked up the bass and, as Thomas, Percy, Stanley, and Ryan watched, played the entire bass track to "The Spirit Of Radio" by Rush.

"What did you think?" Billy asked when he was finished.

Thomas, Percy, Stanley, and Ryan just sat there with their eyes and mouths open wide with a mixture of amazement and wonder.

"Is something wrong?" Billy asked.

"Guys, I think we found our bass player." said Thomas.

Billy couldn't believe what he heard.

"Do you mean...?" he began.

"Yup." said Thomas. "You're in the band."

"Yes!" cheered Billy. "Thanks, guys!"

"No worries." said Thomas.

Soon, Henry arrived, and Thomas, Percy, Stanley, and Ryan were soon on their home. Percy was riding shotgun with Henry while Thomas, Stanley, and Ryan all sat in the middle row. As they rode home, Percy excitedly told his brother the good news.

"That's fantastic." said Henry. "Well done, little buddy."

"Thanks, big buddy." said Percy.

At the Gresley house, Thomas relaid the information while he, Gordon, Edward, Unikitty, Puppycorn, Hawkodile, Dr. Fox, and Richard had dinner from Pizza Planet.

"That's great news, Tom." said Gordon. "What're you boys gonna do now?"

"Well, we really can't play school instruments." said Thomas. "We'll need our own."

"You're right about that." said Edward.

"But these things aren't cheap." said Gordon.

"Don't worry, Dad, we're already thinking of ways we can raise money to buy some." said Thomas. "We're thinking of seeing if someone needs help with a chore or something."

"I might be able to help with that." said Edward.

"As will I." said Gordon.

"Gee, thanks." said Thomas.

"No problem." said Edward.

### **Act II: Money For Six (And Four)-Strings**

The next afternoon, Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Ryan, Toad, and Billy all met in Thomas' bedroom to discuss the plan for raising money to buy their instruments.

"Maybe there's someone who could need help with some kind of chore and they'll pay us to help them with it." said Percy.

"Yeah, we could do that." said Thomas. "Any other ideas?"

"Maybe we could set up our own fundraiser." said Stanley.

"Or we could set up a GoFundMe page." said Ryan.

"Those are swell ideas." said Thomas. "What else?"

"How about a bake sale?" asked Percy.

"Or a craft sale?" asked Toad.

"Or a good old-fashioned lemonade stand?" asked Billy.

"Wow, those ideas sound just as good as each other." said Thomas. "This is really going to be a tough choice."

Just then, Edward came into the room.

"Good news, fellas." he said. "I think I may have found you a way to get the money you need."

"How?" asked Thomas.

"I was looking at the classifieds in the paper, and Farmer McColl's been needing extra hands on his farm." Edward explained. "I just talked with him, and he said you guys can come help if you wanted to."

"What do you think, guys?" asked Thomas.

Percy, Stanley, Ryan, Toad, and Billy all agreed.

"Although, we should probably see what kind of instruments we actually want first." said Thomas. "That way, we can figure out how much money we actually need to raise first."

"Good idea, Thomas." said Percy.

"In fact, let's head on down to Sweetwater and see what's available." said Thomas.

The other boys agreed, and then they got on their bikes and rode to the local Sweetwater Sounds music store. When they arrived, they looked around, and eventually found what they were looking for; a Squier Classic Vibe '60s Stratocaster in a Lake Placid Blue color for Thomas that cost $399.99, a Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS in a Race Green color for Percy that cost $229.99, a Squier Bullet Stratocaster HSS HT in an Arctic White color for Stanley that costs $179.99, and a Fender Player Precision Bass in a 3-Color Sunburst color for Billy that cost $699.99. Thomas did the math on the calculator app on his phone, and it was determined that they would need to raise a total of $1,509.96.

"Hoo-ey, that's a lotta dough." said Ryan.

"Yeah, but let's not that stop us." said Thomas.

"Hey, are you guys gonna buy something or what?" asked the cashier.

"Yes, but not right now." said Thomas as they went up to the counter.

Thomas told the cashier what instruments they wanted to buy and asked if he could put them on layaway until they had enough money to buy them.

"Yeah, I can do that." said the cashier.

"Thanks, dude." said Thomas.

"Anytime." said the cashier as the boys left the store. "When you do have the money, they'll be right here waiting for you!"

"Thanks!" called Thomas.

At home, Thomas told everyone the update.

"You and your friends made some very good choices." said Gordon. "Fender and Squier are great companies."

"Great." said Thomas, who then turned to Edward. "When did Farmer McColl want us at his farm?"

"Next Saturday at 8 AM." said Edward.

"Got it." said Thomas.

Thomas then texted his friends to tell them, and they all agreed to meet up at McColl Farm the following weekend. As Thomas Gresley drifted off to the Land of Dreams that night, he felt happy that he and his band were already starting on their road to success.

### **Act III: Working For The Farmer**

Soon, the day the boys were expected to work on the farm arrived, and while Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Billy, and Toad all arrived at the agreed time, Ryan was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ryan?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know." said Percy.

Just then, Ryan rode up on his bike.

"Hey, guys." he said. "Sorry I couldn't make it sooner. Mom wanted me to put out the recycling."

"That's okay." said Thomas. "Well, let's go see what Farmer McColl needs us to do."

With that, the sextet went up to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. Sure enough, Farmer McColl, a man with light brown hair and mustache, green eyes, and wearing a long green hooded coat over a cream wool sweater, brown pants, black boots, and a green cap on his head, answered and invited the boys inside.

"It sure is nice of you to come and help me out, boys." he said.

"The pleasure's all ours, Farmer McColl." said Thomas. "So, what do you need us to do?"

"Here's a list." said Farmer McColl as he gave Thomas a piece of paper.

Thomas looked over the list, and discovered that all that needed to be done was to milk the cows, pick strawberries from the strawberry patch, pick vegetables from the vegetable patch, and fetch the eggs from the chickens in the henhouse. The boys went outside the farmhouse to discuss their game plan.

"Okay, guys, here's how we're gonna do this." said Thomas. "Percy, you and Toad deal with the eggs. Stanley, you and Ryan take care of the strawberries and vegetables. Billy, you and I will take care of the cows."

"Sounds like a plan." said Percy.

"Great." said Thomas. "Now let's go!"

With that, each of the three teams went to their respective assignments. Thomas and Billy started herding the cows into the milking parlor.

"Andele! Andele!" said Thomas.

"Come on, let's go!" said Billy.

Soon, all the cows were in the milking parlor.

"Have you ever done this before?" Billy asked.

"No, but I have a pretty good idea how it's done." said Thomas. "We've already gotten the cows into the milking parlor. Now we just have to hook up special suction pipes that suck out the milk to the udders."

"Piece of cake." said Billy.

However, when they went to attach said tubes, they ran into a spot of trouble carrying around said pipes because of their weight and putting them on the teats of the cows' udders, but they managed, and soon enough, all the cows had been milked.

"There, that's finished." said Thomas. "Let's go see how the other guys are doing."

Meanwhile, in the strawberry patch, Stanley was picking strawberries.

"This is easy." said Stanley. "I should be done with this in no time."

He was soon done picking as many strawberries as he could, but when he started back to the farmhouse, he suddenly tripped on a rock and fell face-forwards, landing on and squishing all the strawberries he had just picked.

"Oh, that's just great." he groaned. "Now I have to start all over again! I hope Ryan's having much better luck than I am."

In the vegetable garden, Ryan was picking tomatoes when he spotted some that looked really strange. While the other tomatoes were plump and round, these ones were more skinnier and triangular in shape.

"These are weird-looking tomatoes." Ryan said as he picked one.

After rubbing the "tomato" on his shirt, Ryan took a bite, but immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth, and he began screaming and coughing. He then ran to the door and banged on it.

"**Farmer McColl, help!**" Ryan cried. "**My taste buds are melting!**"

Farmer McColl thrust open the door and saw that Ryan's face was as red as a tomato (no pun intended).

"Don't worry, we'll sort you out." he said.

Farmer McColl then took Ryan into the kitchen, filled a glass with water from the sink, and gave it to Ryan, who guzzled down the water.

"Are you alright?" Farmer McColl asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Ryan.

"What happened?" the farmer queried.

"Well, I saw these weird-looking tomatoes." said Ryan. "They were skinny and pointed at one end."

Farmer McColl laughed.

"Those aren't tomatoes." he said. "They're peppers. Thai peppers, to be exact."

Ryan then realized the mistake he had made.

"Whoops." he said. "Silly me."

"That's alright." said Farmer McColl. "I've made that mistake before."

Ryan then went back outside to pick more veggies.

"I'll never hear the end of this one." he said.

Elsewhere, in the henhouse, Percy was collecting eggs and putting them into a basket that was lined with hay.

"You see, Toad?" he asked. "It's easy."

But he soon realized his younger cousin was nowhere in the henhouse.

"Toad?" he asked.

Percy went out of the henhouse in search of his cousin, calling his name repeatedly. Just then, Toad leaped out from behind a stack of hay bales.

"**BOO!**" he shouted.

Percy was so startled he almost dropped his eggs.

"Gotcha!" Toad laughed.

But Percy wasn't happy.

"Come on, Toad, stop fooling around." he ordered. "We've got work to do."

"You mean **you** havework to do." said Toad as he held up his own basket, which was filled with eggs. "I've already finished."

Percy was surprised.

"How did you get all those eggs so quickly?" he asked.

His answer came soon enough, because he saw another empty basket near another stack of hay bales. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on.

"Nice try, Toad." said Percy. "Come on."

Toad groaned and went back to work gathering eggs with his cousin. Eventually, all the tasks were completed, and when the boys told Farmer McColl, he was very pleased.

"Well done, all of you." he said. "If you boys want, there's some lemonade in the fridge that you can help yourselves to. You've earned it."

"Thanks, Farmer McColl." said Thomas.

"No problem." said Farmer McColl.

While the boys had their citrusy beverage, Farmer McColl wrote out a check for the $1,509.96, the exact amount of money the boys needed. He also gave them some extra cash so they could buy themselves lunch.

"And don't worry, you don't have to pay me back." he said.

"Really?" asked Thomas. "Thanks."

"No problem." smiled Farmer McColl. "Thanks again for your help!"

After bidding farewell to Farmer McColl, the boys got back on their bikes and rode away from McColl Farm. They made their next step be stopping at Good Burger for lunch. Thomas had a Good Burger with cheese, tomatoes, and mustard, Percy had a Good Double Burger with cheese, pickles, and relish, Stanley had a 6-Piece Good Nuggets, and Ryan, Toad, and Billy all had Good Fish Sandwiches. All six of them had medium Good Fries. For their drinks, Thomas and Percy had A&W root beer, Stanley had Cherry Coke, Ryan had Dr. Pepper, Billy had Orange Fanta, and Toad had Sprite. After lunch, they decided to go home, but they agreed that Thomas would ask Hawkodile to take them to Sweetwater Sounds the next day to buy their gear. On his way home, Thomas stopped at the bank to have the check cashed. When the teller finished cashing the check, he put the money in his wallet and rode home. When he got home, he told Edward and Gordon everything.

"Good job, Tom." Edward smiled as he and his brother hi-fived.

"Yeah, I'm proud of you." said Gordon. "You've taken your first steps into a larger world."

"Thanks, Dad." said Thomas, smiling himself. "And by the way, Farmer McColl said we don't have to pay him back."

"Well, that was very generous of him." said Gordon.

"By the way, Hawkodile, can you take me and the guys to Sweetwater to buy those instruments?" Thomas asked.

"Can do." replied Hawkodile with a nod.

"Thanks." said Thomas as the two bumped their fists.

Thomas then texted his friends and told them that Hawkodile had agreed.

"Great!" Percy replied via text. "We'll be waiting!"

"See you then." Thomas texted back.

As the rest of the day went on, Thomas felt very pleased with himself and his friends.

### **Act IV: Here We Come, Walkin' Down The Street**

The next afternoon after church, Hawkodile drove Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Ryan, Billy, and Toad to Sweetwater. When they arrived, they were pleased to hear that the cashier they had spoken to previously had upheld his end of the bargain and had the instruments ready for purchasing, hinted by the fact that they were all in padded gigbags.

"We also took the time to make sure they were in tune, so now they're all ready to go." said the cashier.

"Thanks." said Thomas as he gave the cashier the money.

Once everything was set, they all headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon practicing. At school on Monday, they boys talked at lunch.

"You know, I don't think we ever discussed a name for our band." said Thomas.

"You're right, we haven't." said Percy. "Well, why don't we fix that right now?"

"Sure." said Thomas. "If anybody has any ideas, now's the time."

"I have one." said Billy. "Tommy & The Rockets?"

"Maybe." said Thomas. "What else?"

"The Jumpin' Jelly Beans?" suggested Percy.

"Kinda cool but not cool enough." said Thomas.

Ryan suggested naming the band "The Leapin' Lizards" and Toad suggested naming the band "The Intimidators".

"Gee, those are all swell ideas, but they just don't fit." said Thomas.

"Yeah." said Stanley. "We need something that people will think will be awesome as ever."

Thomas then snapped his fingers.

"That's it!" he said. "Awesome As Ever!"

"Ooh, I like that one." said Percy.

"Yeah, that's a good one!" said Ryan.

"I agree." said Billy.

"Sounds good to me." said Toad.

Thomas then slapped Stanley on the back.

"You did it, Stan!" he said. "You've got us the perfect band name!"

"Really?" asked Stanley.

"Yup." said Percy.

Thomas then held up his carton of chocolate milk.

"To Awesome As Ever!" he proclaimed.

"Here, here!" said the other boys as they bumped their cartons together.

Just then, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. As the boys were on their way to their next classes, Toad noticed a flyer on the wall. Upon closer examination, the flyer was for the school's annual talent show, which would be held on the Friday after the following Friday, and that a sign-up sheet was available in the principal's office.

"I think we just struck a golden opportunity here, guys." said Thomas.

The other boys caught on right away.

"We can make our debut there!" said Percy.

"Yeah!" said the others.

After last period ended, the boys went to the Mr. Fergus Duncan, the principal,'s office and signed up to take part in the show.

"I look forward to seeing you boys at the show." Mr. Duncan said with a smile.

The boys thanked Mr. Duncan and left. Back home, Thomas told his family the news.

"That's great to hear." said Edward. "And you know, I was speaking with James, Henry, Duck, Oliver, Donald, and Douglas earlier, and we were thinking they could be your crew. You know, the guys who set up your equipment and all that, and I could be your manager, the guy who sets your gigs up for you."

"Wow. Thanks, Ed." said Thomas. "But we'll need a roadie, too."

"Hawkodile said he can do that." said Edward.

"Thanks, Hawks." said Thomas to Hawkodile.

"It's alright." said Hawkodile.

"Do you know what song you're gonna be playing?" asked Unikitty.

"We're not sure just yet." said Thomas. "If anybody has any suggestions, feel free to share them."

"I do have one, actually." said Unikitty. "How about "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis and The News?"

"Now that's a good idea." said Thomas. "In fact, Huey Lewis and The News was Mom's favorite band."

"Oh, that's nice." said Unikitty.

Thomas shared this update with his soon-to-be bandmates, and they all agreed that that would be the song they would play. Once the song was decided on, and after confirming this with Mr. Duncan, they spent almost all of their spare time practicing and rehearsing for the big night, which soon arrived. Edward and his friends arrived earlier than everyone else to make sure the bands' instruments and equipment were set up. Amplifiers for Billy's bass, Ryan's keyboard, which, by the way, was a Yamaha Motif XS-8, and Percy and Stanley's guitars had been provided to them. They had just finished setting up when Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Ryan, Billy, and Toad arrived.

"We're all done, guys." said Henry. "Your gear is all set."

"Thanks, Henry." said Percy.

"No problem." said Henry.

The younger boys then went to their instruments and rehearsed one final time before the show started. eventually, after Rosie did an Irish step dancing routine, it was their time to shine, and Mr. Duncan spoke into a microphone.

"Let's hear it again for Rosie Hill with her step dancing routine." he said. "And now, for our next performance tonight, we have something I never thought I'd see happening. Six of our students; Thomas Gresley, Percy Page, Stanley Hudswell, Ryan Doncaster, William Manning, better known as "Billy", and Theodore Collett, better known as "Toad", have recently formed a rock band that will be making their debut on our stage this evening. Without further or due, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Awesome As Ever!"

The crowd applauded as the boys got into their positions, with Thomas out front with Percy on his left and Stanley on his right, Billy behind Percy, Toad behind Thomas, and Ryan behind Stanley. As Toad was settling down behind his drum set, Thomas spoke into the microphone.

"Well, hello, everyone." said Thomas. "Before we perform our act, I'd like to thank my brother Edward and my father for supporting mine and my friends' ambitions to be in a band. I'd also like to thank my foster sister Unikitty for suggesting this song. This song I'd like to dedicate to my mother."

Thomas then looked up.

"This one's for you, Mom." Thomas said.

Thomas then looked back at the crowd.

"Say, let me ask you a question." he said. "Do you believe in love?"

Then, as if on cue, the band began singing their song, and the audience cheered as they played, and the cheering increased as Stanley played his saxophone solo.

🎵I was walking down a one way street
Just a lookin' for someone to meet
One woman who was looking for a man
Now I'm hopin' (hopin') that the feeling is right
And I'm wonderin' (wonderin') if you'll stay for the night
So I'm coming (I don't want to be lonely baby please tell me)
I want to love you all over
Do you believe in love
Do you believe it's true
Do you believe in love
And you're making me believe it too
Now the feeling is beginning to grow
And the meaning is something you only know
If you believe it take my hand and I'll take your heart
Come one
Now I'm wonderin' (wonderin') where does true love begin
I'm going under (under) so I'm lettin' you in
My woman (I don't want to be lonely baby please tell me)
I want to love you all over
(Do you believe in love)
Do you believe in love?
(Do you believe it's true)
Do you believe that it's true?
Oh, you're making me believe it too
(I used to have you in a photograph)
I'm so glad it's changed
(But now I've got you and it's gonna last)
Do you believe in love?
(Do you believe in love)
(Do you believe it's true)
I'm so glad! I'm so glad!
Do you believe in love
Oh you're making me believe it too
Girl!
Do you believe in love?
Do you believe it's true?
Do you believe in love?
I believe in love too!🎵

When the song was done, the boys bowed, then went backstage. Soon enough, the time for the judging arrived, the Thomas, his bandmates, and their families eagerly waited for the results. Rosie won Third Place for her dance routine and Billy's twin brother Charlie won Second Place for a comedy routine.

"And now for the First Place winners." said Mr. Duncan. "And the First Place winners are...."

Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Ryan, Billy, and Toad waited with anticipation as Mr. Duncan read from the card.

"Thomas Gresley, Percy Page, Stanley Hudswell, Ryan Doncaster, Billy Manning, and Toad Collett, better known as Awesome As Ever!" said Mr. Duncan.

The aforementioned boys and the crowd reacted jubilantly to this announcement.

"We did it, guys!" Thomas cried. "We won!"

"Way to go, you guys!" said James.

"Yeah, you guys totaly rock!" added Oliver.

After Mr. Duncan closed the event, the Gresleys celebrated by going out for frozen yogurt at SweetFrog, where Thomas had Nonfat Cookies and Cream frozen yogurt with white choclate chips, Edward had orange slpash sorbet with mango and strawberry sauce, Gordon and Richard both had Nonfat Cappuccino frozen yogurt with caramel sauce, Puppycorn and Hawkodile had chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips, cookie dough bites, and hot fudge, Unikitty had plain pink lemonade sorbet, and Dr. Fox had No Sugar Added raspberry frozen yogurt with fruit snacks and whipped cream.

"Congratulations again, Thomas!" said Puppycorn.

"Thanks, buddy." said Thomas. "I don't know about you, but I think Awesome As Ever is gonna hit it big."

"We'll just have to wait and see." said Gordon. "Although, I hope you remember that school comes first."

"Don't worry, Pop, we already agreed that we would only do gigs on Fridays or during weekends and vacations." said Thomas.

"Good move." said Gordon.

As Thomas went to sleep, I'll bet you his mind was racing with happy thoughts about the future of his new band. The next morning, Gordon sent Thomas to the post office to mail a letter to Uncle Scott in England. As he was arriving, he took notice of a newspaper inside the newspaper vending box outside the building. When he got a closer look, he discovered that there had been an article about Awesome As Ever published on the front page!

"Whoa!" said Thomas. "The guys have to see this!"

After locking his bike up, Thomas went inside the post office and mailed the letter. Afterwards, he went out to the vending box, put in four quarters, got his newspaper, then, after binding the paper with a rubber band he had borrowed, he rode back home, where he showed Edward the paper.

"Well, this is a first." said Edward. "Usually, you go straight for the sports page or the comics."

"But not this time." said Thomas.

Thomas then got his phone and called Percy, Toad, Stanley, Ryan, Billy and asked them to come over to his house, which they did, and they flipped when they saw the paper.

"Wow!" said Percy. "We're in the paper!"

"I can't believe it!" said Stanley.

"We're famous!" added Ryan.

"This is amazing!" said Toad.

"And that's not all." said Thomas. "We've been endorsed by the Mayor!"

The boys' jubilancy grew even more.

"Wow, that's a big leap!" said Percy.

"Yeah, and to celebrate, let's all go out for milkshakes!" said Thomas.

The other boys agreed, and after letting Edward know that they would be at Totally 60's, the friends hurried out the door, got on their bikes, and rode to Totally 60's to celebrate their accomplishment. As time went on, through their endorsement by the mayor, the boys were able to acquire new instruments and gear, including new guitars for Thomas, Percy, and Stanley, basses for Billy, keyboards for Ryan, a new drum kit for Toad, and amps as well as a new saxophone for Stanley. A website was also set up for them that displayed short biographies about each member, contact information, and most important of all, merchandise centered around them, mostly hoodies, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. It didn't take long for them to become popular across the country and around the world, especially with girls. In fact, when they walked into school one day, a throng of of girls their age surrounded them, asking for their autographs and whatnot. Eventually, the group was forced to disband when the bell for homeroom rang.

"Whew, who knew being a band could be so exhausting?" Ryan asked as they walked down the hall.

"Well, that's show business." said Thomas with a laugh.

And as the friends continued down the hall, they felt happy with their latest accomplishment not as friends, but as brothers in music.

**The End**

## Notes

* As of this story, the band Awesome As Ever are now in existence.