Chat stood up on stage holding a mic. He gripped it in his right black fingerless gloved hand and smirked as the curtain went up. He bit his lip and peered up at the catwalks above his head.
"Hello… Paris!" Chat screamed out at the fangirling crowd. "Ha!" He gave a bright smile and a few girls fell to their knees.
Marinette sat in her room watching the show on her computer screen. Her knees were drawn up to her chest. Alya sat beside her in a matching pink chair.
"Isn't he amazing…" Alya nudged her arm with her elbow with a knowing smile.
"Pfft. If you like guys that think the whole world revolves around them." Marinette pressed her lips to her crossed arms unphased.
"Admit it. You're just as crazy about him as all those fangirls out there." Alya chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Nope. Never." Marinette rolled her eyes. "Guys like that aren't my type."
"Right… just well known models with blonde hair." Alya pushed her arm with the palm of her hand.
Marinette perked up and looked at her horrified. "Only Adrien. He's-" She brought her clasped hands to her cheek. "He's perfect."
Alya laughed and crossed her arms. "Yeah. And he's just as famous as that guy on the screen." She gestured towards Chat singing a cover of The Sun Has Set On Me by Theory of a Deadman.
"No. THAT!" Marinette flung her hand out at the screen. "Is something else entirely."
"THAT!" Alya poked her with her finger. "Is a sexy guy who can sing. Although, I prefer DJs..."
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, your boyfriend." She giggled. "I wish I had your courage. Then I'd be with the love of my life already." She sulked into herself.
"It'll happen, girl!" Alya clapped her hand on Marinette's back. "But for now. Enjoy the show." She smiled at her best friend.
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Do I really have to?"
"Tomorrow! There will be an online competition for a new singer! I need one lucky fan for a new duet I wrote! So! If you think you have what it takes…" Chat put his hands on his hips, leaned forward, and cocked his head to the side. "Make a video and send it out to my social media account! I'll pick the top five videos I see!"
"Did you hear that?!" Alya perked up and shook Marinette's arm. "You should do it!"
"You know I can't sing in front of anyone, but you." Marinette bit her finger nail.
"It'd be good for you… YOu always said you wanted to be a singer, didn't you?" Alya gripped her upper arm.
"A song writer... " Marinette looked at her unamused. "Not a singer…"
"Well, you have to start somewhere…" She pointed at the screen. "Besides, maybe you'll see him in a different light."
Marinette sighed. "I don't have a camera…"
Alya took out her phone and shook it back and forth ecstatically. "What are best friends for?"
Marinette hid her face. "I can't."
"Just pretend no one else is here." Alya pointed her phone at her, ready to push record. "You got this, Dupain Cheng."
Marinette sighed and cleared her throat before standing in the middle of her room. "I don't even know what to sing."
"Anything." Alya looked around her phone at Marinette with a shrug and a smile.
Marinette rolled her eyes and shifted her feet to be more stable. She closed her eyes and began to speak.
"Bonjour. My name is Marinette…" Her voice shook and she rubbed her arm.
Alya stopped recording and let her hands fall at her sides. "Alright, this isn't working. I know!" Alya jumped up and ran over to where Marinette kept her costume creations.
She threw clothing options everywhere until she found the perfect thing. "Here! Put this on!"
"My Halloween costume from two years ago?" Marinette's eyebrow went up in speculation.
"Just put it on, girl… Trust me." Alya rolled her eyes and sighed.
Marinette slipped on the costume. It was a bright red off the shoulder crop top with black polka dots on it. The pants were black and had two black belts that hung loose around her hips. She slipped on black ankle boots. She had been trying to be some edgy ladybug of some sort, but it confused people more than it actually impressed anyone.
"It needs… something." Alya tapped her bottom lip with a finger with an arm crossed across her chest.
It was like a light turned on and she ran over to Marinette's vanity. She rummaged through the drawers and pulled out a mask.
"Put this on." Alya handed her a red mask that went around her eyes and covered past her cheek bones.
Marinette grabbed the mask from her friend with an irritated expression and she slipped it on. "Better?" She held her arms out and did a little spin.
"Perfect." Alya gave her a thumbs up. "Now you need a new name."
Marinette sighed. "How about Ladybug?"
"Great!" Alya took her phone out again. "Alright, Ladybug, time to fly."
Marinette stood in front of Alya's phone and began to sing a cover of Evanescence's song What You Want.
Alya tapped her foot and watched her friend come out of her cocoon.
Marinette danced around and lost herself in the song.
Once she was done Alya turned her phone to herself. "What you just heard was my best friend, Ladybug! Doesn't she rock or what?!"
Alya stopped recording and posted it to Chat's social media page.
"Are you sure about this, Alya?" Marinette took the mask off.
"Are you kidding me? You rock, girl! You got this in the bag!" Alya wrapped her arm around her shoulders.
Within moments her phone dinged with a notification. "Ha! You're in!" She put the phone in Marinette's face.
"That was fast." Marinette gulped in shock. "What do I do?"
"Well, looks like you made it into the next stage." Alya hugged her friend. "I gotta put this in my blog. I'll catch you later!"
Marinette was left in her bedroom, alone and at a loss for words. Could she really do this?
