Back at the hotel, some of the racers were whispering about Herschel and giggling. Sticky wonders what all the giggling could be about as she walks over to the group.
"What's all the giggling about?" Sticky says with a smile as she sits with the group.
"Your boyfriend's 18th birthday is coming up, so we're planning a huge surprise for him!" Rancis says, smiling as he looks at his reflection.
"Yeah!" Dylan says, smiling. "Well, with Herschel's 18th in 2 weeks, we don't have much time to waste! What have we got so far?"
"Well, let's see...we're gonna make a big Oreo cake that looks like Wonderboy, the decorations will be red, blue, and yellow, and he's gonna get presents, of course!" Gloyd says as he reads off their plans from an orange notebook.
"Wow! He'll love it all!" Sticky says as she sits with the group. "But the question is, what kind of gift is perfect for him?"
"Well, what about NASCAR die cast cars?" Taffyta suggests.
"He already has most of them. I don't know which ones he doesn't have." Sticky says.
"What about a new stereo system for his kart?" Snowanna asks Sticky.
"He has Sirius satellite radio, so no." Sticky replies.
"Oreo cologne?" Rancis asks.
"You could probably get him that, Rancis. My gift to Hershey has to be something that he DOESN'T have, and that he's always wanted to own." Sticky says as she starts to think.
"But what could he possibly NOT have?" Rancis asks Sticky. "I mean, he's got the latest game systems, a big screen TV, a Blu-Ray player...I mean, he's got a lot of stuff I wished I could own."
"Why don't we chip in a little money, and get him a present together?" Minty suggests.
"Not a bad idea, sis!" Sticky exclaims as she stands to her feet. "We'll start looking at gifts tomorrow at breakfast. I'll bring my laptop."
The group smiles and nods, knowing they're all going to get Herschel the perfect birthday present.
Meanwhile, Herschel lays in the hotel room him and Sticky share, talking to his dad on the phone.
"Dad, you know I'm gonna be 18 in two weeks, and the Grand Prix is in two weeks as well...I don't know how this celebration will happen! I want a party, yes, but I just don't know if I feel like I can celebrate my 18th birthday at the same time as the race." Herschel says, sipping a Pepsi Max.
"Son, don't sweat it, okay? I know you don't want to celebrate your 18th birthday during the Grand Prix, but you've had birthdays where you've watched me race in it, and some birthdays, you didn't want to celebrate, but you had cake and recieved a few gifts anyway. Your 18th birthday is going to be great, Herschel. I promise." Reese says with a smile.
"What if my friends actually forget this year?" Herschel asks Reese, taking another sip of his drink.
"Son, I know your friends, and they would never forget your birthday. Trust me on this." Reese says as he smiles once more.
"I trust you, Dad. If they remember, that'll be a good thing." Herschel says, smiling to himself. "I better try and get some sleep. Tomorrow starts the practice sessions for the Grand Prix, and I want to be well-rested."
"Okay, son, I'll talk to you again soon." Reese says. "You have a good night."
"I will, Dad. Bye." Herschel says as he hangs up the phone and climbs into bed, trying to fall asleep, despite the anxious thoughts racing around in his head.
The next morning, Herschel gets out of bed and walks over to the bathroom. He had gotten 6 hours of sleep, and looked well-focused on the day. He starts splashing water on his face as he stares into the mirror.
"This is a new day, and I'm going to focus on the tasks at hand, not worry about my upcoming birthday." Herschel says to himself as he dries his face, and puts on his normal attire, grabbing his kart keys and helmet as he walks out the room door, heading downstairs to breakfast.
"Mornin', guys!" Herschel says in his most cheerful voice as he grabs a bowl of Oreos and milk, coming to sit with Sticky, Rancis, and Taffyta.
"Morning, Hershey! How are you this morning?" Sticky says, kissing her boyfriend on the lips and ruffling his hair a bit.
"I'm just fine, Wipp. Whatcha doin'?" Herschel says, looking over at Sticky's laptop as he takes a bite of his breakfast.
"Nothing important, just some Grand Prix research. You never know when you're gonna have to get a drink or go to the bathroom before the big race..." Sticky replies, showing Herschel a map of the Royal Raceway.
"Oh, I see. That's some mighty fine research you've been doing, Wipp." Herschel says, smiling. "You're quite clever."
"Awwww, stop..." Sticky says, blushing.
Sugar Racing Today comes on a short time later, and most of the racers are facing the TV.
"Good morning, racers, and welcome to Sugar Racing Today! I'm Charlie Fizzypop, and beside me as always, is my co-host and partner, Natalia Italian-Ice! We have a lot to talk about today, so let's get on with the show!" Charlie says with a smile.
"Indeed we do, Charlie. Our top story today: Could Swizzle Malarkey be getting out of jail earlier that expected? Sources say that he could, while others say he should stay there for life. We go live to reporter Kevin Fluggerbutter."
"Thank you, Natalia. Yes, it seems Swizzle could get out of jail sooner than expected. I'm here live with Officer Colton Colapop, who says Swizzle has made a lot of progress since he's been here in the Sugar Rush Penitentiary. Is it true, Officer?" Kevin asks Colton, who nods.
"Indeed he has, Kevin. The past few weeks in jail, he's attended the church services, worked harder than any other inmate, and he's earned this chance by doing community service. So, it's only a matter of time until Swizzle makes parole." Colton explains.
"I see. How much time do you think it'll take?" Kevin asks Colton.
"Well, we believe he could be out of jail in two weeks. No sooner than that. We still have to make sure he's ready to face the racers again after all the trouble he's caused. I know he's had visitors that forgave him, but some racers may not be ready to see him this soon." Colton replies.
"How interesting, Officer. Thanks so much for your time." Kevin says as he turns back to face the camera. "You heard it here, folks. Swizzle Malarkey could make parole in a mere 2 weeks from now. What does this mean for the Grand Prix, and how will security handle this? We'll talk about that on Sugar Racing Today- Afternoon Edition, starting at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. Back to you, Charlie and Natalia!"
"Thank you, Kevin. This is some very interesting news, considering there's a lot going on in these next 2 weeks or so." Natalia says.
"What the fudge?!" Gloyd says, nearly spitting out his orange juice. "Swizzle's gonna make parole?"
"That's what they said!" Crumbelina says, just as surprised.
The other racers exchange worried glances. It was then that Herschel stood to his feet.
"Now, listen here, all of you!" Herschel says, finally deciding enough is enough. "Sure, Swizzle's hurt us all in the past, and sure, he's acted like an immature brat, but deep down, he's still our friend, even if he's banned from racing. It doesn't matter about what he's done in the past. We need to learn to forgive him. If we don't, we'll be dealing with this for the rest of our programmed lives."
"Hershey's right, guys. Maybe we should learn to forgive Swizzle. He may have tried to hurt us in the past, but now that I'm hearing about all the changes he's made in his life, he may have overcome everything he's been through. Let's give him a chance to redeem himself. When he gets out of jail, we're gonna let him show how sorry he is to us, and we're not gonna show how angry we are at him. What happened in the past isn't going to bother us like it did before." Sticky says as she stands next to Herschel.
"He's still banned from racing." Gloyd points out.
"We know. It doesn't mean we can't let him show how sorry he is." Sticky replies.
All the racers in the room nod.
Meanwhile, in the Sugar Rush Penitentiary, Barry and Bubblina are there talking to Swizzle in the prison cafeteria.
"I guess you guys heard that I'm going to make parole." Swizzle tells Barry, who nods.
"I know, all the racers heard, and in all honesty, I don't know if they really want to see you. I mean, most of them will probably want to, but some of them won't want to see you." Barry says, taking a sip of Coke.
"What Barry said goes double for me." Bubblina says, holding her brother's hand. "But I'm sure the others are going to be willing to let you show you're sorry, even if they are angry about the past. They need to let that go."
"Exactly, sis. I know what happened in the past few months, and what happened in the past few weeks. And those memories can be hard to let go of. But we have to stray away from those memories and show that we've changed. Not stay in the current mindset." Barry says, looking at Swizzle. "You making parole could be the only chance you have at redeeming yourself."
"You're right, Barry. If I want to gain their trust again, I need to show that I'm sorry, and prove that I'm not the same person I was when I got in jail. Sure, I'm banned from racing, but I still think I can earn their trust. I just need enough time for that." Swizzle says, smiling at Barry.
"Well, you have plenty of time to think about that." Bubblina says.
"I do. My parole officer says I'm coming out in two weeks." Swizzle says.
"Well, I hope we can see you redeem yourself." Barry says.
Swizzle nods as the two siblings leave.
(To be continued)