"I can't do this!" Marinette freaked, "I really can't do this Alya, I just can't. I'm going to faint onstage and…"
"Woah, hey, chill girl," Alya laughed, catching her by the shoulders, "You already won, remember? All you have to do is smile, look pretty, and tell everyone how honored you are, then sit down. Nothing to it."
"Easy for you to say! You don't have to go out in front of all those people!" Marinette hissed. In her pocket she could feel Tikki shaking trying not to laugh, which was not helping. This kind of thing was so much easier as Ladybug. Marinette knew, just knew, that without that safety net she was going to make a fool of herself.
"Girl, you eat stuff like this for breakfast," Alya told her, "The hard part's already over, you just need to go out there and strut your stuff."
"Right, right," Marinette breathed, "I got this."
"Miss Dupain-Cheng?" A runner poked his head in.
"Go time, girl," Alya told her, giving her a little shove.
"Shoot me now," Marinette muttered, but squared her shoulders and followed the runner. He led her through the crowded backstage to her place. Distantly, she heard the crowd applauding for the person before her.
"And now, please welcome this year's Most Promising Young Designer, Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
She took a deep breath and stepped out into the light, a smile on her face.