My Girl

Dark clouds

The bass thumped through the stadium, the crowd pulsing as Rod Wave's voice filled the night air. Kk, Paige, and Jana were in the back, arms thrown over each other's shoulders, belting out every word of "Dark Clouds" as if it were written just for them.

"I'm in New Jersey right now... It's like four in the morning... Tried to keep it to myself... but I can't keep it no more..."

Paige laughed, her voice nearly drowned out by Kk's powerful singing. They swayed together, caught up in the music, the worries of the world far away. Jana threw her head back and yelled the next line:

"Hard times, they done changed me... But it's through the dark clouds I see brighter days..."

Paige grinned, looking at them both with pride. "Y'all sound terrible," she teased, laughing as Kk threw an arm around her, pulling her closer.

"Girl, we're killing it!" Kk shouted over the music, flashing her a huge smile.

They continued, lost in the song, but before they could finish, an eerie hush started to fall over the crowd. Paige felt a surge of confusion as she noticed a wave of panic ripple from the front of the venue, gasps and cries rising above the music. The next thing they knew, there was a loud pop, and the crowd erupted in chaos.

"Was that...?" Jana's voice trailed off as people pushed past, rushing for the exits.

Another pop, louder this time. "It's a shooting!" someone screamed nearby. Kk grabbed Jana's hand, her eyes wide with panic. "We need to move!"

But in the chaos, Paige saw something that stopped her in her tracks—a young kid, maybe ten or eleven, separated from his parents, frozen with fear in the middle of the crowd. Without hesitation, Paige broke away from her friends and sprinted toward him.

"Paige, what are you doing?" Kk shouted, her voice trembling.

Ignoring her, Paige knelt beside the kid, gently touching his shoulder. "It's okay. I'm here," she whispered, as she shielded him from the crowd pressing in on all sides.

Then, another gunshot, closer this time, and before she knew it, a sharp pain seared through her side. She gasped, gritting her teeth as she held onto the kid tighter. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to stay upright, focusing on keeping the boy safe.

Kk and Jana finally caught up to her, faces pale with fear. "Paige!" Jana screamed, dropping beside her as Kk frantically waved for help.

Paige's breath came in shallow gasps, her voice barely a whisper. "Hey, don't stop singing," she managed to say, her eyes flickering with a faint glimmer of humor. "I can't leave you two out here embarrassing yourselves."

Kk's voice trembled, but she started to sing softly, her hand gripping Paige's tightly:

"Hard times, they done changed me..."

Jana joined in, their voices shaky but steady.

"But it's through the dark clouds... I see brighter days..."

Paige's eyelids fluttered, a faint smile appearing. "Y'all still sound terrible..." she whispered, voice trailing off as she drifted into unconsciousness, but Kk and Jana's voices continued, carrying her through the night.