Crossfire

74.

Beyonce Knowles
Home

I'm on the floor, my cheek pressed against the cold, hard surface. Everything hurts. It's like my body's on fire, but I can't move, can barely even breathe.

Blood is everywhere, warm and sticky, and I can feel it seeping through my clothes, soaking into the floor beneath me.

My phone... it's just a few feet away, its screen still lit up, but it might as well be a mile from where I'm lying.

I try to reach for it, stretching my arm out as far as I can, but a sharp pain shoots through my side, making me gasp. I stop, panting, tears spilling down my face. I grit my teeth and try again, forcing myself to move just a little closer.

My fingers brush the floor, but I still can't quite reach. The pain is too much, my body too weak. I'm so tired.

A sob breaks out of me, raw and desperate. "Please, God," I whisper, my voice barely more than a breath. I can feel my strength slipping away, the room spinning as my vision blurs.

My thoughts go to my daughter-Blue. I wasn't able to truly apologize to her and fix it with her.

"Blue... I'm so sorry, baby," I choke out, my words catching in my throat. I try again to move, but my body gives up on me.

My arm falls back to my side, too heavy to lift, and my breathing turns shallow, each breath harder than the last. I can't stop the tears that come, mixing with the blood beneath me.

The phone's still there, close but so far, and all I can do is stare at it as everything starts to fade.

I didn't want to give up... I tried again to get my phone, fighting through my tears and pain.

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Blue Ivy Knowles
Manhattan High School

I was at my locker, grabbing my books, and Halle was next to me, leaning against the locker door.