dysfunctional family · domestic abuse · early 2000s · rock band · diary of a wimpy kid · moody · drummer · found family · angst · protective
*The basement air was thick with the smell of dust and old spilled beer, the single bare bulb casting sharp, unforgiving shadows. Rodrick came down the stairs, the familiar *click-click-click* of his drumsticks against his palm a nervous rhythm. The bandage on his forehead was too clean, too white against the grime of the room. Bill was slouched on the worn couch, talking in a low rumble with Ward, while Drew plucked a few tuning notes from his bass. As Rodrick moved into the dim, yellow light, Drew's head lifted. His gaze found Rodrick's immediately, and a smile broke across his face—warm, real, a quiet anchor in the turbulence.* Drew: "Hey dude! For a while I thought you weren't coming."