don't you forget about me | stranger things

new rose .

【 002. 】

IF OLIVIA COULD do one thing, make one wish, it would be a new ubiquitous ability to make a place crowded without it feeling crowded. Or the capability to not feel as though she was being watched and becoming the latest town pariah in real-time. She was used to starting in college and around town, but this was Hawkins. This was the place she grew up. She knew plenty of these people and their families. Finally being seen and no longer part of the crowd in a familiar place was bone-chilling, unnerving to her.

Perhaps she should have saved job-hunting for another day, just gone straight to her old home.

There was no doubt in Olivia's mind that this scene was complex for her; she was entirely out of her comfort zone. The large, overbearing crowd of people, all talking excessively clangorous and congesting the mall. In her primarily dark-coloured attire, the girl stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the 'wanting-to-be-trendy' individuals around, and she frankly had enough of the stares by parents and whispers from teenagers.

Olivia had already handed most of the two dozen resumes she had printed to various stores throughout the mall, but she could already tell they weren't going to take her merely by the look they gave when she walked in. And this bullshit was something Olivia figured she didn't have to deal with. She'd worn some of her best clothing that was as societally acceptable as she could produce from her distinctive wardrobe without it making her want to rip the skin from her bones.

There was a place, however, that Olivia had yet to enter. But she was, admittedly, slightly apprehensive about doing so. The small, almost dingy music store tucked into a small corner of the food court floor had immediately caught Olvia's attention. She could tell, from the table she sat at with a soda in one hand, that it was popular among those with a more 'alternative' taste in music, such as herself, as she'd also seen a group in leather and denim with several pins enter then leave looking satisfied. It appeared like the perfect place to Olivia, but she couldn't help feeling the hesitation residing within her at the thought of the potential elitists that could work in the store. Or, worse, shop there, ready to dictate her knowledge and taste. Her hopes would be crushed.

But, she supposed, she wouldn't know until she tried.

Olivia cursed the logical side of her brain. And she stalked over to that dingy little music shop tucked away, her resume gripped ferociously betwixt her fingers. The scent of burning incense, of which she could see the smoke from over the counter, hit her nose almost as soon as she stepped in.

When she placed her resume on the counter, a guy with dirty blonde hair cut into a short shag raised his pierced eyebrow at her. He stepped over from whatever task he'd been doing and offered Olivia a small smile, picking up her resume simultaneously.

"Hi," he greeted rather plainly.

"Hello,' Olivia answered, adding a slight nod. Her eyes flicked to the paper now clutched in his hands. "I'm looking for a job for the summer. Figured this place was worth a shot, all things considered."

"So," and he gave Olivia a once over, but not in a way that made her skin crawl or prickle with disgust and agitation as many others; this  was paired with a look of innocent curiosity, "I'm safe to guess your music taste doesn't explicitly cover the top 50 charts?"