Rock Radio - By Lisa Wainland Page 0,25

between his toes. Nothing freaked him out more than dirt between his toes. When he finished, he stepped out of the shower and admired his naked form in the mirror. It was his favorite thing to do since he lost the weight, but this time he had a purpose.

He looked over every inch of his body searching for flaws. His eyebrows were perfectly even and his chest was cleanly shaved, except for three stray hairs. He plucked them quickly and continued his evaluation. His arms were smooth. He shaved them earlier, then applied a depilatory cream to make sure he got every hair off. He studied his arms again. They were perfectly clean.

Larry took in his whole body with his eyes. He looked great.

This ritual took him an hour. Next it was time to get dressed. He carefully took out the black silk shirt and gray trousers. Putting them on, he checked for lint and wrinkles. He found two stray threads, no wrinkles.

Larry took a pick to his curly brown hair. He let the ringlets just barely touch his shoulders. He contemplated a ponytail, but felt it made him look too much like Michael Bolton. Dana was rock ‘n roll, not easy listening.

Larry splashed on cologne, two squirts on his wrists, behind his ears and on his chest.

He then walked to his full-length mirror and took in the finished image.

Yep, he was ready.

Oh, Dana...I’m coming.

Chapter 13

Cody finally had it all...a blossoming rock career, a relationship and great friends. He had everything except time. The band’s performance was such a hit at Chloe’s that Andy, the owner, booked them for the rest of the month. Other clubs heard about them and people were calling for gigs other nights of the week as well. Between the shows and practice and Laura, Cody had little time for school. His grades were slipping and his scholarship was in jeopardy. His mother Jane was not pleased.

“Cody, this music career could disappear tomorrow, your education will last you forever.”

Cody knew she was right, but being on stage gave him the greatest high he’d ever known. He’d never been so happy and couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life. So he made a concerted effort to find more time to study.

It was nearly impossible.

Red Lawn was a hit and the word was spreading. They’d started getting calls from clubs in Orlando to perform. The momentum was growing.

Cody realized he had two choices: the band or school. His future hung in the balance of security and a dream. His whole life was spent living for others. He never had dreams of his own. He decided school could wait. The chance Red Lawn was getting might never come around again. Cody went to the dean’s office and requested to take a leave of absence. His excellent record helped to make his case. The benevolent dean agreed. Cody could take a year off without jeopardizing his scholarship and then return to school. Cody was incredibly grateful. It wasn’t an easy decision, it really was a sacrifice for him...he was just one semester shy of his degree, but he had to try.

His mother was skeptical.

Laura was supportive.

She encouraged Cody. The idea of a leave of absence was hers. Laura thought of Cody’s happiness first. She went to every show in town and tried to make it to the shows out of town as well. Cody looked to her as inspiration, always singing, All You Were to her. He still marveled that they were together. His past never came up to make a difference. Now, they were so focused on the present and their future, the past didn’t even come into the equation. Cody felt he dodged a serious bullet and ended up with a true love.

The guys in the band loved Laura, too. She was their biggest fan and had become part of the family. But their dreams of overnight success did not come so fast. For nearly two years they played small clubs and concert halls around the South, taking long weekend road trips, begging club owners to give them a shot. Most did after hearing a set and booked the band for future dates.

Cody lost his scholarship, much to his mother’s dismay, but the band showed real potential...he needed to go with his gut on this one.

Laura stood by him and the band. She was right there with them every step of the way. It was only fitting that she was with them on the biggest night of