As always, Wilbur had woken up at 4:00 AM in his gloomy apartment to get ready for his day at work. It was a stale old office job, but it was the best he could get until he succeeded in his dream of becoming a musician. However, his desire seemed more like a delusion not yet fulfilled. No matter what happened, Wil kept a smile on his face, optimistic about the future. He sighed in relief as he realized it was a casual Friday. Instead of wearing the uncomfortable suits he and his coworkers were required to wear almost every day, he could wear any casual clothing instead. Wilbur worked five days out of every week most months, getting an extra day or two off on the holidays. The hours were insane, and not in a good way, but he needed the money. He paid a ridiculously high amount for his rent, and he didn't even live in that nice of an apartment building.

Wilbur opened his closet, careful not to hit the sliding door against the frame to not bother his painfully meticulous neighbor. He had figured out what to wear since the last Friday, grabbing a cozy yellow sweater he could barely see. Because of a stupid rule that didn't allow him to turn his lights on until 5:00 AM, it was pretty difficult to get ready in the mornings. He grabbed a pair of pants from a box he hadn't bothered to unpack since he first moved in six months ago and continued to get ready for the day. At 4:30 AM, he finally left his apartment, grabbing a beat-up guitar case that protected his most prized possession and the key to his dream. Wil strapped it securely to his back and messed with his hair in a mirror in the hallway. On the way out the door, he snatched a black beanie off a crooked nail that was stuck out by the door frame with peeling paint. An ugly, yellowing wallpaper with strange stains spotted on it sagged on the wall, and Wilbur was reminded of how much he wanted to leave this place. Shaking his head, he cautiously shut the door and headed down the hall of the building. Wil nearly fell down the stairs because he couldn't see, and as he reached the exit of the building, he was filled with even more dread.

Rain poured from the sky mercilessly, and the revolting smell that came from the pollution hung in the air with the rain. Wilbur groaned, covering his face with his hands. He checked the time, nearly fainting when he realized that he was going to be late for work. He pushed the door open and ran through the rain, raspily breathing through the polluted air. Running to the sidewalk, Wil attempted to catch a taxi. None seemed to stop for him, and some drove by so fast that they would splash water from the road onto him. Soaked with muddy water, Wilbur defeatedly started to walk down the sidewalk. It was a twenty-minute drive going forty kilometers per hour, and he didn't want to do the math on how long it would take him to walk. He just had to hope his boss wouldn't be fuming at him when he finally got to work.

~~~~~

When Wilbur had finally arrived, Mr.Bristle (his boss) had certainly been fuming and yelled him into the floor. He didn't even bother to ask Wil to follow him into the office; he just started screaming as soon as he had come through the door. Everyone in the office was terrified at the outburst as they watched it, and they all felt pity for Wil. One girl, Niki Nihachu, even tried to speak up for him, but she was immediately shut down by the boss. Wilbur had tried to explain his situation, but Mr.Bristle didn't hear any of it. Raising his hand to Wil's face, Bristle hit him across the face.

No one moved, and there was a horrified gasp.

"You can't do that!" Niki yelled, appalled, standing quickly from her seat.

Wilbur stood in a daze, remembering heinous memories from the past. His stomach churned as he looked into Mr.Bristle's unscathed eyes, and he obeyed his boss' command to sit at his seat and get to work. Wilbur slid his guitar under his desk and weakly continued his work. He paid no attention to the whispers from his fellow coworkers that asked if he was okay or talking about calling the authorities. After Wilbur didn't answer them, they let it go hesitantly, though Niki persisted. As soon as the boss had left the room, she stalked over to him.

"You've got to stand up for yourself. That's against the law, Wil," she informed him fervidly. Wilbur just stared at her blankly. No matter how much he cared about her input, he couldn't take it to heart.

"Just-" he sighed, "It's none of your business, so don't nose your way into my problems." Niki's face slowly grew into embarrassment, and she stumbled back. Wilbur knew he had messed up.

"O-okay, then. I won't bother you anymore," and she stomped off.

Wil looked back to his computer screen, his eyes watering as he touched his face where he had been hit.

~~~~~

It was still pouring down rain after he had left the office, and he decided the subway was the best way to go to avoid the rain. On his way to leave, he saw Niki, and he wanted to say something, but he didn't have any words to say. Turning away from her, he pushed through the doors, immediately getting splash in the face with water from a car passing by too quickly. He stood there, shivering, before dragging his feet towards the subway.

~~~~~

Staring at the boy in front of him, he almost choked on his own spit. After his awful day, he wanted to avoid all human contact. Now, he was basically forced to say hello to the boy. The young blonde looked like he hadn't expected anyone else to join him, and Wil could relate to that. Instead of ignoring him, Wil spoke in a tired and defeated tone, "Oh. Hey." The boy laughed nervously, and Wilbur grew more crushed than he already was. The boy seemed to notice and quickly cleared his throat, grinning wider.

"Is that a guitar?" He pointed to the case that now sat beside Wilbur.

"Um, yes?" Wil was confused by the question because he thought it seemed quite obvious what it was.

"That's so cool! My dad used to play- do you play? I've never played, but it seems like a pretty cool instrument." The boy talked fast, and it made Wil smile. He loved the boy's enthusiasm, and it gave him a bit more energy.

"Yeah, I play. Did you want to hear a song?" Wil asked, reaching for his guitar case.

"Of course! If you don't mind..." He told Wil. As Wilbur got his guitar out, the boy continued, quickly speaking as he did, "Also, my name's Tommy."

"Wilbur." Tommy grinned again, showing off his braces. Wilbur was glad someone appreciated his company. He tilted his head at the boy as the train started to move, smiling thoughtfully at him. He saw something special in the boy- something unique. Shaking his head, he asked Tommy, "Was there a certain song you wanted, or...?" After saying he had no requests, Wilbur played a song he had made, surprising Tommy by singing with it. As the train continued down the track and further from the original point, the two people in a train compartment drew closer together.