Rock Radio - By Lisa Wainland Page 0,21

so I’m storing my stuff next door. I heard you guys playing. You sound awesome.” She tipped her head so her hair caught the sun. It looked like spun gold.

“Thanks.” Cody smiled and leaned on the mic stand. “We’re a band, Red Lawn. We’re playing this Saturday night at Chloe’s Backroom, downtown. You should come check us out.”

“Yeah, maybe I will.”

“We’re not going on till one in the morning...just so you know.”

“Thanks I’ll try to make it. Like I said, you sound awesome. Good luck.” Laura turned and walked away. Cody couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He turned to his friends when she was out of earshot and grasped his heart. “I think I’m in love.”

Harper rolled his eyes. “Gimme a break man, you just talked to her for what, two seconds?”

“She was hot,” Alex said jealously. Why did Cody have claim to her?

Bobby interrupted their hormones. “Look, guys, she’s a girl. If we can make it as a band we’ll get lots of girls. We got a gig. Let’s practice.” Bobby’s words put them back on track. They began playing again.

Cody couldn’t wait until Saturday. He couldn’t wait to see Laura. Somehow the gig was secondary. He’d dated a lot in college. He was handsome with a good build, it was easy to meet girls, but no one interested him like Laura did in those two seconds of hello. He hoped she showed up.

Saturday came quickly, but time moved slowly. It was May in Gainesville and their air conditioner was unreliable. Hot and sticky were the high and low of the day. Summer had settled early into the state’s armpit. Gainesville was in North Central Florida, midway between both coasts. There was no breeze, just an overpowering blanket of wet humidity. The guys tried to sleep during the afternoon so they’d be wide awake for their gig, but they were too excited. Restlessness found the eager four wandering their small house. Restlessness and discomfort.

“I think I need another shower,” Harper said peeling his wet shirt from his skin.

“You always need another shower,” Bobby replied, shirtless.

“What are we now...seven hours to our gig? I can’t wait.” Harper was growing impatient.

“Chill out, man.” Alex reached into the refrigerator for a beer. He tossed one to Harper, Bobby and Cody.

“No thanks.” Cody tossed his back to Alex. His father gave him a strong distaste for alcohol. He had no interest in it.

Alex shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The day dragged on. Finally it was nine. The guys decided it was time to get ready. Wardrobe selection was an important process. Each chose jeans to wear – Alex picked a white baseball style shirt with blue sleeves, Harper picked his old gym shirt from high school, Bobby wore a plain black t-shirt and Cody picked a crisp white button down shirt. He purposely left the top two buttons undone to show off his muscular chest. All members of the band took hours to choose their outfits hoping to come off as nonchalant ‘we don’t care about fashion’ as possible.

Even with careless dressing, Cody looked striking. He had cut his light brown hair so the front stood up on end, going in no particular direction. His white shirt accentuated his light blue eyes and early summer tan. His lean muscular body poured into his dark blue jeans.

He looked like a rock star.

The other guys whistled when they saw him.

“I thought we didn’t care about looks,” Alex said tersely.

“We don’t.” Cody twirled. “Why, Alex...do I look too dressy?” he teased.

Alex backed off. “No you’re fine.”

“Good,” Cody said, “Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

The boys drove to Chloe’s Backyard in downtown Gainesville. They arrived at eleven, wanting to get a feel for the crowd before they hit the stage for their debut appearance.

Chloe’s was an institution. In a town where clubs changed hands as often as students changed semesters, Chloe’s had been there for years. The club had wood floors and wood ceilings. It was dark inside and cozy, a favorite among students. Tonight the place was packed. Two weeks before the end of the semester and everyone was out for the last weekend before it was time to buckle down for finals.

The guys looked around, very pleased. The one good thing about the hot weather was the clothing it encouraged. Scantily clad college girls lined the bar and filled the room. Another local band, Kate’s Last Dance, was playing. They were a town favorite. People sang along to their songs, crowding the stage, swaying