The Agreste Internship - Book 2

Chapter 3: So Worth It

************The day before Mari left for the Bahamas*************

On the day that she got the letter, Marinette had rushed to her room and had called Alya. Her best friend dropped everything and came over. She ran up the stairs and they hugged. "You got the internship! You didn't even tell me you applied."

Mari shrugged. It happened when Alya wasn't talking with her, but she didn't want to make her best friend feel guilty. "It happened so quickly, I didn't get the chance to tell you! Oh, and before I forget, here are the designs for prom dresses. I want you to pick one out and I'll make it in whatever color you want." Mari took out her sketchpad then ripped out the page and handed it to her.

Alya looked at the sketches then hugged her friend again. "I'm here to give you moral support, and you still find a way to show me that you are the best friend in the world! Now let's pick out some cute things for you to wear." She put the Prom sketches down, then gave Mari her don't-argue-with-me look and went over to her closet. "You are not going to wear your typical every-day outfit that does nothing for your figure. You are a fashion intern, dress like one!"

Marinette had never been a showy kind of girl, but she had tried to keep a low profile ever since she became Ladybug. "I don't want that much attention," Mari said as Alya picked out a tube top, a halter top, and a sequined tank top and threw them all into the suitcase. She then went back to the closet and picked some short skirts and shorts. 

"Hey, those are way too short..." Mari said, gaping at her friend.

"You designed them! You should wear them."

Mari crossed her arms and huffed but didn't argue with Alya. She went to her dresser and picked out a professional pair of pants and a matching blazer that she planned to wear for her first day of work. She wanted to make the perfect impression. She was still folding them while Alya piled on more clothes so high that Mari knew they wouldn't all fit.

"And what about this one? You have to wear it." Alya held up the Agreste dress that Julika had bought for Mari. The same one from the Instagram post that made her semi-Instagram famous. She nodded. She had to wear it sometime when she was in the Bahamas.

Mari put her carefully folded outfit into the suitcase then sat down on the bed and sighed. She felt guilty about abandoning her friends. "But what about our birthday plans? Maybe I could wait until after my birthday. I'm sure they would be okay if I asked them to push back the flight," Mari said as she looked over at her wall of Adrien photos. She felt guiltiest at all for leaving Alya after they had spent a month planning her birthday party. But Mari secretly wished to be with Adrien. 

Radiant... carefree... dreamy... Adrien in the Bahamas!! And most likely shirtless. No. Definitely shirtless.

"Don't be silly," Alya said, snapping Mari out of her daydream. "It's in what? Two days. If you wait, you're going to lose out on two whole days in the Bahamas. Go. You can be with Adrien. And maybe he'll take you somewhere nice for your birthday."

In my dreams. "Ugg. Alya, I don't even know if I'll get to see him. I'm just an intern."

"Sure... whatever you say. But... in case you get lucky don't forget to be safe..." Alya held up a pack of something that made her blush. 

"Don't you dare..." Even if all the stars aligned and she was lucky to even say hi to Adrien, she wasn't going to do that. Not until I'm married. And maybe not for a few... decades... Right?

Alya shoved it in the suitcase, buried it under the pile of clothes and underwear that she had put there, sat on the lid to make it fit, then zipped it up before Mari could protest. "There. You're all packed. I'll let your parents know that we're ready to drop you off at the airport." Alya pulled up the handle on the suitcase and took it down the stairs.