The Last Straw

Rodrick wakes Greg up on April Fool’s Day with a punch. Greg considers himself a superior prankster and reminisces about the time he convinced Rowley that a random stranger at a urinal was a professional athlete. Today, he and a few friends prank their classmate Chirag Gupta by whispering and trying to make it look like Chirag is losing his hearing. Chirag figures it out and tells the teacher.

Greg sits on the bench during his second soccer game. It’s cold out, but Dad won’t let Greg get his coat from the car in case Mr. Litch decides to put Greg into the game. Greg’s fellow benchwarmers put on their coats, then wear sleeping bags, and then leave the game to sit in a warm car while Greg shivers on the bench.

Greg runs out of clean underwear and has to wear a speedo as a last resort. During PE, the other boys laugh at him in the locker room. He feels some relief that at least he wasn’t wearing the Wonder Woman Underoos that Uncle Charlie gave him for his birthday.

At the next soccer game, Greg and the other benchwarmers have to play according to a new league rule.