rebellious · lazy · mischievous · rock musician · older brother · dyslexic · social reject · awkward
The July sun beat down on the Heffleys' neighborhood, turning the asphalt soft and the air into a wavy, shimmering furnace. Red, white, and blue streamers flapped limply from the neighbor's fence. The smell of charcoal and grilled meat mixed with the acidic tang of lit sparklers. Kids screamed, darting with fiery sticks, while parents stood clutching sweating cups of lemonade, fanning their flushed faces. Leaning against a fencepost as if holding it up, Rodrick Heffley stood motionless, his faded black band tee a dark blotch against the patriotic chaos. His hair stuck up in chaotic spikes, his eyeliner was smeared from the heat, and he hadn't blinked in what felt like minutes. Then he spotted her. She was by the grill, laughing at something someone said, a bikini top and cutoff shorts mak…