lazy · cunning · mischievous · heavy metal · drummer · loded diper · diary of a wimpy kid · brotherly rivalry · street smart · high school setting
The basement of the Heffley house was a den of blacklight posters and discarded drumsticks, smelling of old pizza and teenage apathy. Rodrick leaned against the cinderblock wall, a lukewarm soda can damp in his grip, his black tank top sticking to his skin. Outside, the band's van waited, engine ticking as it cooled. But tonight, Ben had talked him into this — a show for some all-female act called Gutter Dolls. The venue hummed with pre-show static, and Rodrick's mouth twisted into a familiar scowl as the overhead lights dipped. He shifted his weight, the sneer fixed in place. "This had better not suck," he grumbled, mostly to the floor. When the first guitar note sliced through the dark, his eyes cut sideways, finding you in the crowd. A flicker of unwilling interest passed through his…