Doesn't Know

PROLOGUE

Edited/Rewritten

The house was eerily silent as Rodrick Heffley stood over his little brother Greg's bed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. The clock on the wall ticked softly, showing that it was barely past 4:00 AM, but that didn't deter Rodrick. He crouched slightly, his face hovering inches above Greg's, and whispered in an exaggeratedly deep tone, "Greeeeeg..." When his brother didn't stir, Rodrick frowned in mock disappointment.

"GREG!" he yelled, shaking the bed frame for dramatic effect. Greg jolted upright, his hair sticking out in every direction, his face contorted in startled confusion.

"Wha–?" Greg muttered groggily, blinking rapidly to adjust to the dim light. His head flopped back onto his pillow with a groan.

Rodrick, undeterred, grabbed Greg's shoulders and shook him with enough force to rattle the sheets. "Get up! You're gonna be late!"

"Quit it, Rodrick!" Greg grumbled, shoving his brother's hands off him. "Late for what?"

Rodrick straightened up, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow like the answer should be obvious. "Middle school, duh. It's your first day. Do you wanna be that guy who's late on the first day? Huh? Do you, Greg?"

Greg squinted at Rodrick, his brain still catching up to what was happening. He sighed heavily, throwing his blanket off and dragging himself out of bed. "Fine," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Satisfied, Rodrick slung his empty book bag over one shoulder and sauntered out of the room, barely holding back his smirk.

As soon as Rodrick was gone, Greg groaned loudly. "Why is he like this?" he muttered to himself. But with no reason to doubt his brother's words, he scrambled to get ready. He yanked his pants on halfway and ran downstairs, pulling them up as he reached the kitchen.

The house was dark and quiet, but Greg didn't notice as he fumbled through the cabinets for a box of Cheerios. He poured a heaping bowl, spilling a few pieces onto the counter in his rush, then grabbed the milk from the fridge. He wolfed down his cereal while flipping through a 'Spider-Man' comic, though he was too distracted to actually focus on the words.

Greg shoveled the last spoonful of cereal into his mouth and wiped his face with his sleeve. Feeling accomplished, he grabbed the remote off the end table and turned on the TV. The screen flickered to life, showing an infomercial for some miracle kitchen appliance.

"What the..." Greg muttered, flipping through the channels. Infomercial after infomercial greeted him. He frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall for the first time.

His confusion deepened as he realized it was still pitch-black outside. Pulling open the blinds, he stared out at the darkened street. "Wait a minute..."

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs. Frank Heffley stumbled into the kitchen, his hair disheveled and his expression panicked. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Greg sitting calmly on the couch.

"What are you doing?" Frank demanded, his voice a mix of relief and exasperation.

Greg looked at his dad, still chewing the last of his cereal. "Getting ready for my first day of middle school..."

Frank raised an eyebrow and gestured to the clock. "It's four o'clock in the morning. School doesn't start for another week!"

Greg's jaw dropped as realization dawned on him. Before he could respond, slow footsteps creaked down the stairs. Susan appeared, carrying a sleepy Manny on her hip.

"You woke Manny up," Frank said accusingly, gesturing toward the toddler, who rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly.

Greg flailed his arms in protest. "I didn't wake him up! It was Rodrick!"