I took the car too school on Monday and by the time i got home the car was overheating (5 miles tops)

A friend took the car to the gas station for cigarettes and i got a call saying it broke down in front of the neighborhood so i skateboarded my high tailing ass down there to find that the coolant was boiling and the gauge read at 3/4s. He said the car ran out of gas and shut off, he heard back firing at the light near the gas station about 1/2 mile from my house.

Does the back firing relate to low amount of gas? There seems to be no fuel in the filter tube but maybe because of the incline in my driveway where it is sitting.

I know the overheating didn't shut off the car because last week it overheated in the drive way overflowing everywhere and killing the radiator fans and still did not shut down. but i still could be wrong.

Is overheating a common issue? i saw a thread related to over flow tanks are they necessary or just a good idea if you are having issues?

I know my water pump is working because after it overheated the first time i checked that out but over looked the thermostat.

im running water in it now, what coolant would yall recommend to use from the part shop after a flush?

I'm trying to get numerical gauges run but im so confused.

Any other ideas to why it could have shut down if not a fuel shortage?

I know my threads are a little hectic but any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.