On her lap: a cracked Samsung Galaxy. Not for TikTok. Not for texts.

The car is half-empty. Fluorescent lights flicker. A girl, JADE (19), slouches in a corner seat. Wired headphones cling to her ears like a lifeline.

The screen glows with .

She plays a chord. A D-minor that only she hears.

No sound escapes her headphones to the outside world. But her eyes close. Her thumb drags a virtual crossfader. Her other finger drums a kick pattern on the glass— thump-thump-thump —silent to the drunk man across from her, but to her? A bassline that rattles her ribs.