Chapter Text
Tweek always had hardships in his life. He's used to it, thanks to his parents. Working at their shop since he could walk with little to no pay or being subjected to weird mind games to test if he will be safe. The answer is almost always a no. And that's not all. Tweek has an illness that makes him "unique," as his mom says.
His ADD, as his doctor says, makes him twitch and shake, sometimes have tics or make weird noises. Despite that, Tweek is still a pretty social kid, but that doesn't mean everyone around him likes him, sadly. Still, he feels pretty content with his closest friends, especially his best friend, who convinced him to join this cooking competition for kids. Tweek doesn't think he's good enough to get on the show, let alone win. Sure, he knows how to bake well and cook maybe not as well. He's a competitive kid but never actually believed in himself that he can win something. He's a bit of a spaz, like his father says. He makes a mess every time and hurts himself a lot in the kitchen (and in life too).
So, imagine how surprised he was when he actually made it to the cast. He simply can't forget his parents' faces when he told them the news. His calm and collected father dropped his favorite mug even. They somehow looked nervous too; he wonders why. After a lot of begging, Tweek and his parents made their way to Los Angeles, CA. His mom joked about leaving Tweek there and returning to take care of the shop. He didn't like it. His father joked about Tweek being a walking advertisement for their shop. He didn't like that either. As it turns out, it wasn't a joke anyway. His father made him with their logo and name. Tweek is now sure he will be the lamest kid there, and the chances of him making friends are nearly zero. A series of messages from his friends helps him feel better and shake the grump off. Who knows, maybe he CAN pass the first challenge, keep his apron, and stay in the competition!
After a two-day road trip of hell with his parents, they are finally in LA. Tweek immediately regrets his decision to wear a long sleeve. He takes his backpack from the trunk, takes a deep breath, and reaches for his mom's hand. She pulls her hand away to take her purse, though. It's okay; Tweek's used to it. They make their way into the building. His parents are very fast, and he can barely keep up. A few kids catch his eye: one blond guy with a weird haircut (look who's talking) who waves and smiles at him. Tweek waves back, hoping it was for him. Another guy with curly ginger hair wearing a white tank top with the words "kyley-b" looks scary and sends him a mean look. Tweek tries to send one back. There's also a girl with black curly hair in pigtails. She smiles at him too. Tweek shyly smiles back the moment he notices the pin on her bag that says "go step on a lego." A potential friend!
He has to stop looking at his maybe-new-friend when his dad pulls him by the arm and takes him to a room with a woman in a green suit inside. Tweek thinks it looks pretty since that's his favorite color. The room has a lot of plants and pictures everywhere. His favorite is the wedding picture with her wife, he assumes.
The woman kind of interviews him, asking all kinds of questions about himself, and that makes him nervous. Tweek is ashamed he can't control his tics as his head twitches in an awkward way. He hopes at least he will be able to talk in a "normal" way so they don't send him back. She calls someone to bring him an apron even though he stutters a few times. His father is not happy the apron covers the shop logo, though. He praises himself for thinking of putting one on the back too. He advises Tweek to have his back to the camera at all times. He manages to blurt out an okay, but he won't be doing that. Pretty sure he will already get a lot of attention by being himself anyway. Doesn't need the weirdo stamp right away.
They ask him a couple more questions, but this time about the competition. How did you find out about the competition? Why did you want to join? How far do you think you'll go? He answers the questions in an embarrassing way, at least he thinks so. But the woman interviewing him, now that he learns is Miss Ellen, looks at him affectionately and pats his head.
"I am sure you will go a lot farther than you expect, young man." Her voice is somehow even sweeter now, and Tweek can't help the way his eyes tear up. He mutters a thanks and nods his head aggressively to not let her see his face. She laughs at him, and now he feels way better. He smiles back and gets up. "Anything you need, you can always talk to me," Miss Ellen adds before waving to him. "Thanks, Ma'am, I will," Tweek grins at her and leaves the room.
To his luck, outside is the girl from earlier, now with an apron that says "Nichole." She makes a gesture for him to come over. "Hi, I am Nichole." She extends her hand, and he takes it. "Hey, it's Tweek. I love your pin; it's funny, and I like Legos too," he awkwardly smiles and cringes at his attempt at making a friend. Nichole doesn't seem to think that way. "Woah, really? Good to see another Legohead here! I love the fantasy sets the most since I love playing DnD too."
Just as Tweek is about to answer, someone cuts in. It's a boy with a blue-red beanie and black hair. His apron reads "Stan.", "Hey, I love DnD too. Do you also like watching 'THE DND MASTERS EVA'?" Great, now he is annoyed because he will get ignored. "Yeah, that's my favorite channel! I love painting my own figures too." Nichole then turns back to him. "Do you like playing board games too, Tweek?" This girl is very sweet, he thinks, but, sadly, "No, board games are too confusing for me. I always get way into make-believe!" When Stan and Nichole both laugh, and he feels proud. "I like building models though. I paint them on my own too," Stan chirps in, "I already met another guy who also likes model planes. What's with gathering all the geeks in the country in here?" And all three laugh.
Right after, they get called into the studio. Nichole hugs them both and wishes them good luck. Tweek has already started shaking; he can't help it. Stan pats him on the back. "Good luck, dude," and goes to the station he is assigned. Tweek follows suit. He is sharing his station with a guy named David, he learns from his apron. "He looks cool," Tweek thinks to himself. Then the guy turns and smiles at him before mouthing "good luck." Tweek shoots back his best smile and whispers, "You, too." Then the lights close at first; he screams. Then lights open, and there are three people in chef hats in the front. He screams again.