10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTul9YoDjI8
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTgKO7NUpC
She should’ve felt excited.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftleYIViAY
Instead, she felt like she was walking into a fight she hadn’t trained for.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpUbWs5Ljt
Jade stood beside her, calm as ever. One mic between them. Two girls. Three years of silence and one broken friendship.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPqjA3MdLp
The piano began, soft and slow.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTmsDEcm0D
*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.*
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQHzkhK8iw
She caught Jade’s glance from the corner of her eye.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEDrJ3nVYv
“You good?” Jade whispered.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK95oZKIyaP
Riley didn’t answer. She just stepped forward as the first verse arrived.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho8Ik49kCF
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQVfRyjZfC
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXE38GgCPoJ
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGmV5rvmUt
When Jade sang the second verse, she didn’t just sing—she looked right at Riley.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxecgHGKgHV
*“I still hear your voice in the silence you left... like a song I can’t unlearn.”*
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tC4CS3xyv
Riley’s breath caught.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXA7YC82KW
*What was that?*
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI3DLjudCT
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZok2o9YFOI
When the final note rang out, the audience erupted in applause.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHQEAI0xmg
Riley blinked, dazed. The sound of clapping felt distant, like an echo underwater. Her legs moved on autopilot as they left the stage.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EWqqoAeod
Backstage, she turned to Jade, heart racing. “What was that?”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHIJzuF7K4
Jade shrugged, breathless. Her usual smirk was gone. “Just a duet.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMs4Z2UXM6O
“No,” Riley said. “You looked at me. You sang that line like you meant it.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmcrG4Mia9
Jade didn’t answer right away. She was quiet. Almost... unsure.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6m3BUsh8ov
“I did mean it,” she said, finally. “Not everything about us was fake, you know.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4duVYDhHZ
Riley felt her chest tighten. That old mix of pain and confusion stirred like a storm inside her.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgTckgZLe9
Before she could say more, the producer appeared with a clipboard.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p4aLm0lBc
“That was electric,” he said. “Both of you are moving to the next round... but there’s a twist.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyeBVAgkcU
Jade straightened. Riley narrowed her eyes.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhfAjoghqb
“You’re staying paired,” the producer said. “The judges loved your chemistry. Fans are already talking. From now on, you compete as a team.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqjY9Ij2TY
“A... team?” Riley repeated.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEZ7kECvhL
He smiled, already moving on. “Congrats. You’re a duo now.”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKJECyF0Bj
Silence fell between them as the news sank in.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmUS8ZMCPc
Jade turned to her, voice lighter than her eyes. “So... ready for a second verse?”
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkd23es04C
Riley looked away, jaw tight. The stage had opened something inside her tonight. Something she hadn’t prepared for.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4kzgh81RH
And now, she was stuck reliving it—one performance at a time.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEPRA9iPY7
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcEY0cFKRR
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48h8f2b70f
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0muOi8JArC
and then Add to home screen.