“Next up, we have… Chloe Bourgeois!” The man with the mic yelled out. The crowd started clapping, as Chloe Bourgeois got on stage with her usual smirk.

7 years old Chloe put the mic up to her lips, telling the judges the song she would be singing. The judges wrote the song name down on their papers in front of them, and motioned for Chloe to start.

“She’s good,” Alya Césaire  commented, turning to her best friend. “But don’t worry, Marinette. You’re better.”

Marinette Dupain-Chen’s gave her best friend a smile, before she turned back to Chloe, who was singing her heart out. Watching from how Chloe was singing with all her might, was hitting the high note like a pro, Marinette could tell that she was wanted this just a much as the rest.

Chloe finished the last verse of her song, before she stopped and gave a bow, the crowd applauding for her. She smiled and waved at the crowd, but as she looked around, her smile drooped to see that her mother was not in sight.

“Last but not least… The girl that participated last year, and got 2nd place… We have Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Now the whole crowd erupted with applauds. Marinette took a deep breath and headed for the stage, after being handed over a mic.

It was true that participated last year, and got 2nd place, but still, it seemed as if everyone knew her, and loved and adored her. She had lost to a girl last year just by one vote, she had vote, she had come so close, but this year… She promised herself that she try even harder than she had.

As she walked to the stage, Chloe bumped her shoulder, giving her a hard glare. The blonde smirked at Marinette, filled with confidence. Over-confidence, Marinette would call it.

Chloe Bourgeois hadn’t participated last year because she had been away with her mother. She had really wanted to, but on the other hand, she also wanted to spend time with her mother, who traveled and barely visited. This year, she had joined, and her mother had promised to come and watch her, though she wasn’t even here.

“Don’t forget my father is one of the judges,” She snarled, hoping that just that one sentence would make Marinette lose more of her confidence.

“That’s why I intend to try harder than ever,”  Marinette whispered back to her with a smirk. “Chloe, stop using your  father as a way to get to the top and win.” Win that she walked up to the stage with a huge smile.

“Miss. Cheng, please tell us the song you will be singing,” Mr. Bourgeois, Chloe’s father, spoke with a wide smile.

Marinette took another huge breath. It was true that sometimes Chloe’s father scared; maybe that was she had lost confidence last year and came in 2nd place. Finally she let out her breath and spoke, telling them the name of the song was going to sing.

“Alright, good luck.”

Marinette nodded, and yet again the crowd erupted with more applaud. Then she started. She opened her mouth and started singing.

In the singing contest, there were 25 contestants and 5 round. Each contestant would sing for each round, and the juges would pick 5 people that didn’t do as well as the others.

This was now the finals, with 5more contestants left, Marinette and Chloe being two of them. Marinette wanted to win to clear her name and not be the 2nd place winner that everyone saw her as, while on the other hand Chloe wanted to win for her mother.

Marinette had joined variety of other contests, coming either 1st or 2nd. She joined Fashion Famous, Dance Off, Royal Cooking, and lost other, including singing competition. She was known as popular, talented in Paris, and all Chloe wanted to do was catch up to her, and then get higher than her.

Chloe Bourgeois didn’t really have it easy. She won the Strawberry Shortcake, anther designing competition, but everyone just thought it was because her father was one of the judges and picked her. She hated how everyone thought of her, and joined variety of competitions where her father wasn’t the judge to prove herself, but either she got 3rd place, or 4th place.

“Thank you, Marinette, for that wonderful show,” One of the three judges spoke. Marinette nodded with a wide smile. She had felt nervous towards the end it, because she had to go a little high, but she had done it without cracking her voice, so that was good.

“Alright, time for you all to vote. Next week, we’ll release the final winner of The Sing-Off competition!”

Marinette exited the stage, going backstage and meeting up with her friends. Her friend crowded around her, giving her hugs and thumbs up, telling her how good she had been up there.

She has ended up winning that contest. She had ended up making a new enemy. Marinette was then one of the most popular fashion designer, singer and dancer. All around Paris, all around news, someone was sure to mention her and talk about how good she had been.

She even checked the Popularity Board, which Paris kept to keep in check fo all the famous and popular people in Paris.

                                                                    <POPULARTY BOARD>

1. Gabriel Agreste, famous fashion designer.

2. Adrien Agreste, famous fashion model, pianist.

3. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, famous fashion designer, dancer, singer.

4. Emilie Dawson, fashion designer, singer, pianist.

She was 3rd on the board, which was good enough. She hugged herself at the well-done. Before she used to be 6th, so this was a huge step-up.

But did everyone really think that being popular and famous could wash you problems away? She had had a lot of people coming up to her, telling her how lucky she was to be this popular. She had had a lot of people telling her that they wished they could be her.

No. If they knew of her problems, of her family problems, they would’t wish to be her anymore. If they all knew of what she felt inside when she got home, no one would wish to be her. They only looked at her from the outside.

Nobody cared enough to look to see what she was feeling on the inside.

And maybe it should be kept that way.

                                                                            ❣️❣️❣️

“Have you participated the piano yet?” Gabriel Agreste took a sip of his hot tea before he turned to his son again.

Adrien Agreste nodded. “Yes, Father.”

Gabriel nodded. “That’s my good boy. Anyway,” He stood up and started walking up to Adrien. “Have you looked at the popularity Board yet?”

Adrien nodded. “Marinette, was it? Yes goes to my school, but we never really talk that much. Is something wrong, Father?”

“No, nothing is wrong,” Gabriel smiled. “I was thinking of making her my personal assistant for my next fashion designer competition, since she’s so popular now. She completed last year and won. I say, I was quite impressed of her designs.”

Adrien, nodded. “I’ll tell her of your plans then.” He looked down at the floor, the seeming more interesting than it ever had become.

“Adrian, is something wrong?” Gabriel frowned. “You’re not still… thinking about her, right?”

“I just want to know where and who she is,” Adrien shrugged, the question still in his mind. “I’ve overheard you talking about her to yourself. Why did she leave, Father?”

“Adrien, please,” Gabriel grumbled, looking away. “Nerves speak of her in this mansion again. She left, she doesn’t deserve to get this much respect from us.” He grabbed his cup of tea again and took a sip.

Adrien just nodded, turned away and stared leaving. Gabriel watching as his son left, then sighed, looking down.

Adrien, it’s been 17 years. Don’t make this hard for me now.

                                                                                   ❣️❣️❣️