32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeoaQV3TLS
The moment Riley stepped onto the stage, the heat from the spotlights hit her like a wall. The murmur of the crowd faded into a low hum, like the quiet before a storm.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8KyPsUBaz
She should’ve felt excited.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCIhYZJUyk
Instead, she felt like she was walking into a fight she hadn’t trained for.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql4ukgtTN4
Jade stood beside her, calm as ever. One mic between them. Two girls. Three years of silence and one broken friendship.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHjmHZ3m90
The piano began, soft and slow.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo3P4EXvjm
*Of course they picked this song,* Riley thought bitterly, recognizing the first notes of **“Pieces of Me.”** A ballad about abandonment. About being left behind.
It was personal. Almost cruel.
*Someone backstage had a sense of humor—or a mean streak.*
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDXz1Z9kLS
She caught Jade’s glance from the corner of her eye.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFnagwomGT
“You good?” Jade whispered.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlNWDEqMoi
Riley didn’t answer. She just stepped forward as the first verse arrived.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1fBjLu3OQ
Her voice cracked slightly at first, but she steadied it.
*“You left without warning, without even a sound...”*
Each word landed like a punch in her throat.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCLRJQlIyl
And then Jade took her part—and *damn it,* she sounded good.
Husky, soulful, haunting. She didn’t overpower. She blended. Just like they used to.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc54VI41t9
Riley hated how easy it was.
How familiar. How much her body *remembered* singing with Jade. Like her voice had been waiting for the harmony to return.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RcEevZlt4
When Jade sang the second verse, she didn’t just sing—she looked right at Riley.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8pDi3nmA4
*“I still hear your voice in the silence you left... like a song I can’t unlearn.”*
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBz6MY50a2
Riley’s breath caught.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzimnZeYnz
*What was that?*
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOieicXuTy7
The bridge approached, and their voices met again—rising together, swirling in bittersweet harmony. For a few haunting seconds, the past didn’t matter. Only the music did.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIH4H4nPeg
When the final note rang out, the audience erupted in applause.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bUTfldgeb
Riley blinked, dazed. The sound of clapping felt distant, like an echo underwater. Her legs moved on autopilot as they left the stage.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRdxftbhwp
Backstage, she turned to Jade, heart racing. “What was that?”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJhgzXQI19
Jade shrugged, breathless. Her usual smirk was gone. “Just a duet.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBobUibzOLu
“No,” Riley said. “You looked at me. You sang that line like you meant it.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXcFEijsBd
Jade didn’t answer right away. She was quiet. Almost... unsure.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwJlT8szaa
“I did mean it,” she said, finally. “Not everything about us was fake, you know.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbkSr3kkfy
Riley felt her chest tighten. That old mix of pain and confusion stirred like a storm inside her.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKpzhFauPQ
Before she could say more, the producer appeared with a clipboard.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9miGGMRRJ
“That was electric,” he said. “Both of you are moving to the next round... but there’s a twist.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUyxFbirgU
Jade straightened. Riley narrowed her eyes.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3z1WP5yGl
“You’re staying paired,” the producer said. “The judges loved your chemistry. Fans are already talking. From now on, you compete as a team.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrofHkkahMt
“A... team?” Riley repeated.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7E9OKdX2L
He smiled, already moving on. “Congrats. You’re a duo now.”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElHnrkxlBI
Silence fell between them as the news sank in.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOr3IyEoel
Jade turned to her, voice lighter than her eyes. “So... ready for a second verse?”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnGvKzdNPZ
Riley looked away, jaw tight. The stage had opened something inside her tonight. Something she hadn’t prepared for.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHVym78n96
And now, she was stuck reliving it—one performance at a time.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ5eVWAoYS
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiivxhfow14
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvIGHnJsFl
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8djHaLjJ8
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.