firecracker // rodrick heffley

CHAPTER FOUR

"I'm not going to class today," Rodrick thought out loud, keeping his eyes on the stretch of road ahead of him and signaling into the school parking lot.

"Why not?" Chris asked, giving him a funny look from the passenger seat.

"Don't feel like it." Still, Rodrick avoided eye contact.

"Is everything okay?" he continued to inquire, his tone somewhat maternal.

"I'm cool. I just need a day." Rodrick parked the van in a remote part of the lot, trying to avoid taking up too much space. 

"Why did you agree to give me a ride to school? If I had known you weren't going, I would have asked Ben to pick me up."

"No, it's cool. I needed to, uh... pick something up anyway." Rodrick got out of the car and walked into the building with Chris, his eyes wide and scanning the hallway. "See you, Chris," Rodrick said as the bassist walked down the perpendicular hallway to his class. 

Rodrick craned his neck to see around crowds, straining to- 

He flinched, feeling a hand on his arm, just below his shoulder. Rodrick turned around to see Sylvia half-grinning, meeting his gaze as he looked down at her. "Rodrick!"

"Hey, Sylvia, just who I was looking for," Rodrick said to her.

Her cheeks flushed pink. "What for?"

"I was hoping I could convince you to ditch with me today. I have, like, hella term finals next week and I need to take a break from school before it busts my ass." Rodrick turned his gaze to the ceiling, watching Sylvia tuck her long bangs behind her ear.

"Oh, I don't know..." Sylvia's tone was sympathetic, "I mean, I have a lot of classwork to wrap up the term..."

Rodrick frowned, "Oh, yeah, oka-"

"I'm just kidding. Hell yeah. Are we leaving now?"

Relief overwhelmed Rodrick. "Yeah. Right now. I'm driving."

They strode down the hallway, being met with a rush of cold October air as they opened the door to the parking lot. Rodrick led the way to his van, noticing the way the wind pushed Sylvia's messy hair out of her face. He unlocked the doors to his car and got in the front seat, turning the key to the ignition and pressing his foot to the brake, feeling the pedal through the thin sole of his black Converse. 

Sylvia bit her lip in anticipation, climbing into the passenger seat of the van. "Doesn't it scare you to drive a car this big?" 

"Why would it scare me?" Rodrick asked her, puzzled.

"It's- why would- it's hard to control," Sylvia trailed off. "I don't know. It would scare me."

"I won't let either of us die in a car crash. You don't need to worry," Rodrick laughed. 

Only slightly embarrassed, Sylvia asked, "Where are we going?" 

"Have you ever been to Garden Cove by the lake, Sylvia?"

"No. And most people just call me Via," she said, sliding her seatbelt across her chest.

"I like Sylvia."

"Um... What?" Sylvia's expression was contorted to show confusion.

"Sylvia is a good name. I love Plath. Bit my pretty red heart in two."

Sylvia sat back in her seat. "I like it too."

Rodrick flashed his signal as they pulled out of the student parking lot. Leaves from the trees fell on the road as they drove away. A thick fog rolled over the hills of their hometown as the clouds moved to cover the sun. The music from the radio played quietly as they made their way onto the main roads.