Hashbrown Casserole for the Matchbox Twenty Soul

�Are you saying that it�s my fault the video did so badly?� Paul snapped.

�Well you DID have the most say in it,� Kyle muttered.

�KYLE.� Rob turned to Paul, �No, I didn�t mean it that way. We just all agreed to try something else, remember?�

�Whatever,� Paul replied, flopping back into his chair.

Adam leaned behind Rob and tapped on Brian�s shoulder. �Knock, knock.�

Brian looked up from lighting another cigarette, and leaned back. �What?�

�No, that�s not how it goes! Come on now,� Adam pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, pointing to his dorsal fin.

It finally connected. �OH! Who ees eet?� Brian said in a girly voice.

�Pizza,� Adam replied, muffling his voice.

�What? I didn�t order a pizza.�

�Flowers.�

Brian pretended to look confused. �What? Who sent me flowers?�

�Candy-gram.�

�They don�t send those anymore!�

Adam paused for a moment. �Publishers� Clearing House.�

�Hot damn, I won?!� Brian exclaimed. �I guess I�ll open the door now!�

�CHOMP!� Adam yelled, and leaning too far over to bite Brian with his shark mouth, he fell into Rob. Rob then lost his balance and fell into Brian, who was already off balance himself, and fell into Kyle, who actually had his balance, but decided to fall over anyway into Paul.

�Get off me!� Paul screamed, under a pile of chairs and sea creatures. �You�re crushing the STAR.�

Everyone rolled off the pile, and Rob reached out to Paul to help him up. Laughing, he said, �And who made you the star, buddy?�

Paul narrowed his eyes, but didn�t reply, and grabbed his hand to stand up. �We�ll see,� Paul thought.

Once the make-up artist was done working her magic, the troupe rushed back to the set, not wanting to anger Miss Tayke. To their surprise, the barren set had been transformed into an underwater wonderland in the mere hour they had been gone. A giant wall of sparkly seaweed crept up a rocky grotto, sea-floor plants gently waved on string apparatuses, and various foam creatures dotted the seascape. Technicians played with their lighting rigs, and color splashed everywhere. A spotlight flashed on, focusing on a rocky platform. �That must be where I will be standing,� Paul said to himself, checking his appearance in a renegade mirror.

All of a sudden, Miss Tayke appeared on the scene, storyboard in hand, with a stern expression. �Alright you petty music people, let�s get this video done with!�