RODRICK'S RULES

Rodrick's Big Break

A/N: So I don't usually do these at the beginning of a chapter (promise it's nothing bad), but it's pretty obvious in this chapter that I'm skipping between tenses a lot, but honestly at this point I don't really care and am pretty sure you guys will enjoy it all the same. That's all. Happy reading!

Rodrick:

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"No."

"Why not?" Chris wined impatiently, arms crossed beside Ward.

I couldn't believe them.

After hearing about a possible gig at the Monster Bash, Crossland's combination Halloween battle of the bands competition and fall dance, they both decided to sign Löded Diper up.

Except, they'd forgotten about one key detail...their insanely-skilled and irreplaceable drummer, AKA me, would be unable to perform due to my very, very broken arm.

"Are you serious? You can't play without me!" I was basically screaming at this point. If this went well, it could be a huge break for our band, at least locally, but I'd be completely missing out on it. All of it was totally unfair.

"Rodrick, man, you can't drag us down just because your body's all fudged up right now," Ward says, eyeing my cast.

Chris shoots me a pitying look. "Ya, I mean, we hate this as much as you do, but we need a replacement drummer if we want to compete."

Reaching out, Chris pats me on the shoulder. His guilt is so potent, I can almost taste his pathetic apologies on my tongue.

I look away from him, from both of them. This blows. No, this SUCKS...major balls! My throat is tight, an uncomfortable lump beginning to form and weigh me down.

For once in my life, something good happens to me and just as quickly, it's ripped away from me because of a stupid accident--because my feelings took over and pushed me to a reckless mistake, pushed me towards...

"ROXANNA!" I scream, snapping out of my thoughts. Springing out of Chris's grasp, I launch myself at the girl streaming by, face buried in an overflowing binder.

Roxanna cocks her head up in surprise, brown hair whipping against her face. Before she can get a word out, I yank her towards me and the guys.

"Rodrick! What's going on?!" Roxanna yelps, struggling to hold up a stack of folders.

Leaning casually, cast-arm against a locker, I plaster on my most convincing smirk. "Roxanna, what do you think about playing with Löded Diper at Monster Bash?"

Chris and Ward have transformed into gaping blob-fish. Roxanna, on the other hand, has blanched completely.

"Wait, what?! I don't get it, what are you on talking about?" she mutters, fiddling with the edges of some scratch paper.

Ward pipes up, tense and irritated. "Ya, Rodrick, what are you talking about?"

I throw up a hand to quiet everyone, and all three pairs of eyes are now fixed upon me.

"So, basically...Roxanna is gonna be my replacement for Monster Bash."

Roxanna's mouth has fallen through the floor, and the guys are just as thunderstruck.

Roxanna takes a step towards me, grabbing and scrunching the side of my sleeve. "No, Rodrick, I can't do that. I can't even play the tambourine!!" Her eyes are going full caged animal, panic running laps behind her pupils.