CHAPTER 4

Preeya

“Who’s next?” famous agent Lucy LaRoux asked.

Preeya stood on her desk and addressed the room: “I am! I’m the prettiest girl in class…” (This was not true.)

“…and one of the smartest,” she continued. (Nor was this.)

“…and I normally tell you guys everything about my life…” (This was true, though most of the students found it quite irritating.)

“…but I’ve been keeping a major secret from all of you for quite some time,” Preeya said. “I’m ready to come clean. I can actually SING! Yes! Me! Just when you thought I couldn’t be any more talented or gorgeous or wonderful, here I am, rocking you through song!”

Preeya began to sing. Many of the students covered their ears, expecting to hear a voice like nails on the chalkboard. Instead, everyone was impressed. Preeya was good. Not amazing, mind you, but decent. Lucy saw potential—meaning, she didn’t think Preeya was a natural talent, but she could certainly be molded into something.

“I’m ready to be a star!” Preeya announced.

First, Lucy phoned the Ace Agent Agency and had them set up some tour dates. Second, she had Preeya record an album and leak it online. And third, Lucy booked an appointment with famous fashionista Farrah Far-Out-There.

“Why’d you call Farrah? I already have a look!” Preeya said.

“Oh, dollface,” Lucy said, “in today’s media industry, it’s not enough to be a good singer. You have to have a gimmick if you want to keep trending.”

“What’s going to be my gimmick?” Preeya asked.

“Fashion, fashion, fashion!” Lucy said.

For Preeya’s first round of public appearances, Farrah Far-Out-There made a dress entirely of raw poultry and fish. Chicken cutlets made her blouse while shiny fish made up her skirt. She wore anchovy earrings and bracelets made of chicken sausage. Preeya felt disgusting, but she smiled for the cameras.

Sophia and Chloe showed up—to boycott her animal-carcass fashion. The next day, Preeya and her chicken-fish dress sizzled all over social media.

Farrah Far-Out-There’s next crazy outfit for Preeya was simple: It was a beehive dress—made of an actual beehive with actual bees living inside it. The bees stung Preeya over and over. But once again, she smiled for the cameras.

Sophia and Chloe showed up again—this time to boycott her abuse of bees. This only helped the buzz. Preeya’s song “Queen Bee” made number one on the charts.

Next, Farrah Far-Out-There designed a dress made out of jellyfish and porcupines. “Nooooooope!” Preeya said. “No way. I don’t mind some pain, but that’s going too far.”

Instead, Farrah Far-Out-There crafted a suit made of 100 percent authentic New York City garbage. She stitched together rotten banana peels, used Chinese-food cartons, and pieces of gum scraped off the sidewalks.

Sure enough, the paparazzi fought in a photo frenzy over Preeya’s hot trash du jour look. She stunk up the red carpet with it, posing for pic after pic. She may have smelled like a landfill, but the only thing that filled her nostrils was the sweet smell of success.

Finally, it was time for Preeya to take the stage. The lights came up, the crowd roared, and that’s when she looked out at all those faces.…

Preeya suddenly couldn’t move.

All those people. Staring. At her.

There had to be forty thousand eyeballs looking straight at her. Some of them weren’t even blinking. Preeya felt like she was about to faint. This wasn’t like singing in the shower or performing for her classmates at school—this was different. This was TOO. MANY. PEOPLE.

Preeya instantly remembered why she kept her singing talents hidden—because she had terrible stage fright.

She dropped the microphone, ran off stage, and never came back out.