Rock Radio - By Lisa Wainland Page 0,16

other in the front row.

Actually, their meeting was a bit of divine intervention.

Cody always sat in the front of the class. Since his track scholarship had been based on academics as well as athletic ability, he was determined not to lose it. So as geeky as it seemed, he sat in the front row of every class and took diligent notes. He was not willing to lose his chance at a college education. Three years of this philosophy had paid off. Cody did well, very well, in school.

Alex, Harper and Bobby were a different story. They arrived ten minutes late to class.

“So glad you showed up,” Professor Carlton said walking towards the tardy trio with a wireless microphone. Because of the sheer size of the classroom, the professor chose to parade around class like Phil Donahue to get his students’ attention. He was easygoing, but did not tolerate disrespect.

“Uh, sorry,” Harper said.

“I’m sure you are gentlemen, that’s why I think you’d love to sit in the front row right next to this studious young man.” He stopped in front of Cody.

“Uh, right,” they replied and reluctantly walked all the way down to the front row. The class got a good chance to study the three boys. They snickered as the brown haired trio waved like three Miss Americas as they walked to the front of the class.

Of the three, Alex was the most attractive. A tad overweight, his pudginess gave him a boyish charm that the ladies seemed to like. Bobby was very tall and very skinny. Brown freckles dotted his nose. Lanky, like a basketball player, Bobby strutted next to Alex. He wasn’t embarrassed. Bringing up the rear was Harper. Medium height, medium build, Harper was the most forgettable in appearance. They fell in sync in the front row and sat down. The three kicked back, not bothering to open their notebooks. They did, however, observe Cody during class and his proficient note taking skills. They cornered him at the end of the hour.

“Dude, we have a proposition for you.”

Cody looked over the three guys before him. They were clean cut, preppy dressers. Like no one he knew from home.

“What kind of proposition?”

“Listen, we’re not into the whole school thing. We’re starting a band.” Alex paused as if they were already rock stars.

“Yeah and..?” Cody was not impressed.

“Anyway, class is kind of an inconvenience for us. Any chance we can not go to class so we can practice and borrow your notes?”

“And what’s in it for me?” Cody eyed them skeptically.

“How about some cash?”

Cody didn’t take long to make his decision. “You’ve got a deal.”

Through their odd arrangement a strange friendship formed. Cody would go to their house after school and give them copies of his notes. They in turn would pay him. Cody was grateful for the extra money and kinda liked their company. The guys were quirky. Since they’d been friends since childhood, they each knew everything about each other. They had developed a shared sense of humor, the kind that you usually see in close families. One word could set them off into fits of laughter. Cody liked their camaraderie. It made him see a side of life he never knew. He was never close to anyone, and as far as his own family, it was nonexistent. So Cody started hanging out with them more and more. Stopping by even when he didn’t have notes to drop off.

Alex, Harper and Bobby were trying to start a band. They called themselves Red Lawn. The name meant nothing, they just thought it sounded cool. They had an alternative sound. The melodies were there, but neither Alex, Harper nor Bobby could write lyrics.

“Cody, listen to this new song,” Alex said strumming his guitar. “Five six, seven, eight.” Harper began beating the drums with a harder rhythm. Alex and Bobby joined in on acoustic guitar and bass, respectively. The melody was catchy, especially the chorus.

“Hey!” Cody stood up and began applauding. “It’s awesome. What’s it called?”

“That’s the problem, we have no words,” Alex said, his point accentuated by Harper who hit the drums and cymbal. Buh-dum-dum. Ching.

“It’s a shame, it’s a hit.”

“You really think so?” Alex said earnestly. “We want to know, dude, for real, tell us...are we any good?”

Cody kicked back on the couch. “You are.” He wasn’t kissing up, he meant it. The song was impressive. “But, Alex, I hear the kids these days like lyrics in a song.”

“Ha...ha.”

“This sucks,” Bobby said putting down his bass guitar. “Great