Napster Nathan

1. Where the music goes

The yellow bus creaked to a halt like an anchor scrapes the bottom of the ocean, yawning with mechanical rust and age. In Brooklyn, these buses pollute the streets, clogging streets like hair in drainpipes. 

Nathan would hear this, and the various other sounds of the city such as honking cars and pigeons, if his ear buds were not crammed now his ears like they were now. If you were sitting right by him on the frigid bus stop bench, you might hear the feint buzz, a dull echo of what he's hearing: a strong beat with a range of orchestral instruments. 

On his phone, if you were close enough to peer over his shoulder, you might see a logo: a cat - you think - with headphones. And, if he wasn't wearing his quintessential green hoodie - like he was, as our story started - you'd see his sculpted, pale face, pink at the nose and lips from the biting cold. 

Unbothered by the bus, Nathan continued bobbing his head until he looked just as his window of time was closing. Still, he smoothly picked up his belongings and made his way onto the bus. He was on his way to school, a few others he somewhat recognized filling in most of the available seats. He got to the very back to situate himself in a sit with nobody else. He was a loner, only him and his music. He scrolled through the wide variety of tunes on his playlist, available through Napster's vast selection.

He clicked on option and set his phone down, closing his eyes and leaning back. The strum of Ukulele and light drums lulled him into a kind of meditation. This was the perfect song, until he remembered what happened when he shared it with. --- nobody. 

He shook his head and ripped his earbuds out, cramming them into his hoodie pocket and taking a deep breath. He shook his head, sharing something so personal always goes wrong. This was why he sits alone on the bus. Any time you share something special, it's always taken away, one way or another.....