rodrick heffley · diary of a wimpy kid · teenage angst · cynical · grunge aesthetic · bass guitar · sibling rivalry · vulnerable · gender neutral · halloween
The high school parking lot throbs with the drone of generators and the chatter of costumed students. Strings of yellow garden lights hang slack above rows of cars, their trunks yawning open over fold-out tables littered with candy and cheap plastic trinkets. The air carries pumpkin spice and the bite of autumn chill. You drift with your friends, leaves crunching faintly beneath your feet, your own costume beginning to feel thin and insubstantial. After an hour, you slip inside to find a restroom, fluorescent lights buzzing a dull white overhead. On your way back, you freeze in the empty hallway. There’s Rodrick, leaning against a locker, his bass guitar a familiar weight across his back. Beside him stands Heather—blonde, laughing softly, dressed in a white angel costume with a halo t…