Sick Child - MarkoxOC

Part 1: Hey Little Girl

Santa Carla, California - April, 1986

Santa Carla has always been a weird place - one of those places where you always had to be on the lookout, keep your wits about you. "Look straight ahead and keep up" is what her mom always said whenever they hit the boardwalk. It's a strange mix of grime, youth, obliviousness, and so. many. missing. people. Sofie saw more faces on the backs of milk cartons as a kid than was probably healthy. Walking in pairs to and from school became the norm. She would try to memorize people's faces from their missing person's posters until there just became too many of them and she decided to give up. The city disguises itself as a beach town and a party town, probably because "Murder Capital of the World" isn't exactly a great slogan for tourists. There's an undercurrent of terror and sadness that's hard to ignore. Sure, you can be yourself here and let your freak flag fly, but if you didn't keep your head on a swivel, there was a pretty good chance you'd wind up on a flyer.

Her car engine rumbles to a halt in front of Motif. She grabs her purse and her pepper spray and heads toward the back entrance. The bar opens in an hour, so she's got some time to prep and relax before her shift starts. The staff room is already buzzing with activity. Motif has a small staff - five servers, two bouncers, two managers, and four bartenders, including Sofie. The turnover rate is low, so everyone knows everyone else's business. Her best friend Matt is sitting with his feet propped up on the table smoking and arguing with Ben, one of the bouncers. She ignores them for a moment and checks herself in the mirror. She plays with her hair and makeup in the small mirror at the back of the room. Her chin-length black bob is as wild and untamed as ever with large, messy waves cascading down the sides of her face framing it... nicely? She guesses? She pulls a tube of bright poppy red lipstick out of her purse and swipes it over her lips. She hates it, but when she wears makeup on slow nights, she gets bigger tips.

"Are you guys fighting already? The shift hasn't even started," she says, changing out of her sneakers and into her heels. She hates these too, but it helps to tower over creeps who try to hit on her.

"He doesn't think Brooke Shields is hot," Matt says.

Sofie scoffs at Ben.

"Dude, do you even have eyes?"

"THANK YOU!" Matt shouts as he leaps out of his chair and high fives her. "This is why we're best friends."

"No, we're best friends because you saw me on the first day of eighth grade and wouldn't leave me alone."

"Yeah, but also this."

"Sure, Matty," she laughs. "I gotta go prep the bar."

"Want company?" Matt asks.

She feigns a look of disgust.

"That's a yes - oh, I forget to tell you, Jim's not coming in tonight, so you're the boss."

"Typical."

Jim is one of the managers. It's always a gamble as to whether or not he's going to show up. He's more interested in his side business of selling weed to high school students than he is managing a bar. Sofie takes it upon herself to pick up his slack. She hangs her coat and purse up and walks toward the door before turning slightly and looking at Ben, who is finishing his dinner.

"Ben, you're wrong. Brooke Shields is super hot."

"Not with those eyebrows!" Ben calls as they walk to the bar.

Sofie rolls her eyes and Matt follows her. Motif is a cool place - probably one of the least grimy bars that Santa Carla has to offer. They cater to college students, but they're not a frat bar. There are bands, cool DJ's, and occasionally they'll host open mic nights, which are always a disaster. Matt will come in specifically to make fun of the slam poetry. Sofie is convinced that there's not a single decent poet in all of Santa Carla. It's all art students who look like Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club talking about the magic of their first period. It's too much, but they buy expensive martinis with their parent's money, so Sofie keeps letting them spit their terrible poetry into the mic every Monday night. She likes it here, though. It's small and cozy with slick decor and (mostly) good people and good vibes.