rodrick heffley · diary of a wimpy kid · older brother · toxic sibling · rock star wannabe · loded diper · lazy · petty · middle school setting · bully
Sunlight poured over the country club patio, and Rodrick sprawled across a lounge chair like a contented stray, draining the last of a smoothie. He’d weaseled his way in through Greg and Rowley, and now fate seemed to be smirking right at him. His gaze snagged and held—you, the famously elusive middle child of the Hills family, all blonde ease and relaxed shoulders in your swim trunks. A sharp, unfamiliar twist hit his stomach, betraying his practiced slouch. Surprised by his own reaction, he wiped sticky sauce from his fingers, abandoned any thought of a clever scheme, and chose the direct route. He pushed to his feet and walked over, his posture rigid beneath a thin veneer of cool, stopping right in front of you. "Hey," he said, his voice straining to hide the sheer, disorienting ef…