Azalea

Intro

   **AZALEA**

   I'm the quiet girl. You know them. They're the ones that always sit in the back, the ones that seem to have no fashion sense, the ones that no one really pays attention to. The ones that seem weird, that just avoid attention at all costs. Not that I'm normal, I'm completely weird, so I guess that means I fit the role perfectly. Oh well. I go to the high school, the one in point place. They had to build a new school because they found out there was a major sewage problem under us and they got tired of the plumbing costs. Guess that says enough about the area. I live in an apartment, a cheap one. My dad doesn't really have a job at the moment, which is ok. His cooking has gotten better, now that he has time. His girlfriend of the week is coming over tomorrow, a Saturday. I think he's trying to impress her. He keeps using me as the test subject, which is cool. I don't really care, he can feed me all the food he wants. I'm sitting at the table, doing homework, when he comes over holding something behind his back. I roll my eyes, pulling my earbuds out. He frowns at me, but quickly smiles again, pulling a plate with a tiny serving of what looks like rice and a gravy covered meatball from behind his back. I squint at it. It has a decorative leaf on top. I look up into my fathers eyes, and shake my head. He frowns, putting it down on the table and handing me a fork. I sigh and take it, pushing my work out of the way. He stares anxiously at me as I take a bite. Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew. I force a smile, taking another bite. He exhales heavily, taking the plate from me and tossing it in the trash, along with all of the other experiments. I stand and follow him into the kitchen.
"Dad, stop, it was fine." I say, stopping at the counter. I watch him turn the oven off, and get something out of the microwave. The kitchen is an absolute mess.
"Fine? Fine?! You think I want fine? No! I need excellent, I need amazing, not fine!" He whirls around, spoon in hand.
"This girl is special, I can feel it! I need this to be perfect!" He says, turning back. I roll my eyes. Same EXACT thing he said last time, about Sarah. And Lydia. And Julie. I turn and go back to the table. Just as I sit down, I hear glass shatter, followed by my dads cusses. I decide to ignore it. I close my eyes, trying to contain my laughter. Saturday should be very, very eventful.