19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlmdwj2yUK
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqQNb4CW5x
She should’ve felt excited.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzQTkVEHSm
Instead, she felt like she was walking into a fight she hadn’t trained for.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cSNFvvdxf
Jade stood beside her, calm as ever. One mic between them. Two girls. Three years of silence and one broken friendship.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrM4473PJy
The piano began, soft and slow.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vhedb7BAj
*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.*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp7PNSfSkS
She caught Jade’s glance from the corner of her eye.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsmWWqzqm2
“You good?” Jade whispered.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6OFUCNp7v
Riley didn’t answer. She just stepped forward as the first verse arrived.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLA0XHZeUy
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktF9cwxNTD
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezp9Q6oeUD
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg2WqvPFVR
When Jade sang the second verse, she didn’t just sing—she looked right at Riley.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIoy9kZC94
*“I still hear your voice in the silence you left... like a song I can’t unlearn.”*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltozJl0yT1
Riley’s breath caught.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItaUkucNxZ
*What was that?*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo82NNGiG6x
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrh0L30F2V
When the final note rang out, the audience erupted in applause.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESDFS2ufmH
Riley blinked, dazed. The sound of clapping felt distant, like an echo underwater. Her legs moved on autopilot as they left the stage.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX6h8uZCic
Backstage, she turned to Jade, heart racing. “What was that?”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6E0Fhoxld
Jade shrugged, breathless. Her usual smirk was gone. “Just a duet.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYDcUXKFN2
“No,” Riley said. “You looked at me. You sang that line like you meant it.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfy4kEW4UX
Jade didn’t answer right away. She was quiet. Almost... unsure.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk19VGxu4HS
“I did mean it,” she said, finally. “Not everything about us was fake, you know.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8g54zFyLod
Riley felt her chest tighten. That old mix of pain and confusion stirred like a storm inside her.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniALtUcn9u
Before she could say more, the producer appeared with a clipboard.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3g0sbwkKr
“That was electric,” he said. “Both of you are moving to the next round... but there’s a twist.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86yuEzqt0C
Jade straightened. Riley narrowed her eyes.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4i3CQtlpY
“You’re staying paired,” the producer said. “The judges loved your chemistry. Fans are already talking. From now on, you compete as a team.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyg4F3Gy5H
“A... team?” Riley repeated.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJQZe8Qghp
He smiled, already moving on. “Congrats. You’re a duo now.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2kL42Pisd
Silence fell between them as the news sank in.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2y7KJkBU0
Jade turned to her, voice lighter than her eyes. “So... ready for a second verse?”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9bXWoNhlX
Riley looked away, jaw tight. The stage had opened something inside her tonight. Something she hadn’t prepared for.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMejYRzZOd
And now, she was stuck reliving it—one performance at a time.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1HC4euDPJ
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9mwzNqNS1
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJAztgJwYq
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyBGSjttu4
