Chapter 230: Singing II

Britney and Shakira stepped on stage. Carly, Sam, and Freddie stepped down and joined everyone on the dance floor.

I handed over two microphones, one for each, and the two greeted the crowd. The audience responded with excitement, but nothing overly fangirl (mostly because people were clearly trying to hold back — probably many of them were screaming internally)

"We have these two special guests to close our 'karaoke' night. But before they sing solo, Shakira and I are going to sing a song together," I announced.

Britney made a slight pout.

"I know, guys, that my appeal might’ve dropped a little with these two around..." I remarked. "But I’m still the host," I joked, making everyone laugh.

"And I have to say, most of you will be interested in the song we’re going to perform. It’s a new Marshmello track, after all," I revealed.

The crowd started murmuring with surprise and eagerness.

"For those who don’t know, I did vocals on three of his songs: 'Wake Me Up', 'Something Just Like This', and 'Closer.' Now he invited me for a fourth one, but this time it’s in Spanish. It’ll be released next week, but he allowed me to perform it exclusively here at this party."

"Unfortunately, I couldn’t get him to come. He’s an extremely busy guy."

"Cough, lies," Britney murmured off mic, loud enough only for me and Shakira to hear.

Britney stepped aside while Shakira and I took our positions at the center

I started singing as a captivating beat began to play (the beat is probably the main reason for this song's success)

Mi Gente (J Balvin)

♪Si el ritmo te lleva a mover la cabeza

Ya empezamos como es

Mi música no discrimina a nadie

Así que, vamos a romper♪

♪Toda mi gente se mueve

Mira, el ritmo, cómo los tiene

Hago música que entretiene

El mundo nos quiere, nos quiere

Y me quiere a mí♪

♪Toda mi gente se mueve

Mira, el ritmo, cómo los tiene

Hago música que entretiene

Mi música los tiene, fuerte, bailando

Y se baila así♪

Even though some people didn’t understand the lyrics, the beat alone was enough to excite them.

Then, it was Shakira’s turn,

♪Estamos rompiendo la discoteca

La fiesta no para, apenas comienza

C'est comme ci, c'est comme ça

Ma chèrie, la-la, la-la-la♪

♪Francia, Colombia, America

Me gusta (freeze!)

Mello, Shakira y Jake

Me gusta (freeze!)♪

"Now he's sandwiching Shakira," Paige mocked, whispering to Missy. Missy laughed but gave her a gentle elbow.

♪Los DJ's no mienten, le gusta a mi gente

Y eso se fue mundial (freeze!)

No le bajamos, y nunca paramos

Es otro palo y ¡blam!♪

Then I started singing again,

♪¿Y dónde está mi gente?

(Mais il faut bouger la tête)

¿Y dónde está mi gente?

Say yeah, yeah, yeah

1, 2, 3, leggo'

(Ay, di que sí)♪

And Shakira finished,

♪Esquina a esquina, de ahí no' vamo'

El mundo es grande, pero lo tengo en mi mano

Estoy muy duro, ¿sí? Okay, ahí vamos

Y con el tiempo nos seguimos elevando♪

♪Que seguimos rompiendo aquí

Esta fiesta no tiene fin

Botellas para arriba, sí

Los tengo bailando, rompiendo y yo sigo aquí♪

♪...♪

---

After the crowd applauded, I stepped down from the mini stage and went to the dance floor. Shakira took over the solo vocals. Britney would sing next, and she was whispering with Natalie, Cher, and Regina.

The two little bees had clearly grown used to Britney (and if you get used to being around a phenomenon like Britney, the rest of the pop girl celebrities start to seem like regular people).

I walked up to Scarlett and gave her a high five (she had raised her hand first). Then, I intertwined our fingers and gave her a peck on the lips.

"I was cool, right?" I smirked.

"Humm, maybe a seven," she replied.

"Seven??!" I exclaimed dramatically.

She bumped her shoulder into mine. "I learned from you to be way more demanding."

"Good thing you told me not to bet, Scarlett," Mikayla said as she joined us. Sam and Paige came along too.

"I told you it would be a 10!" I said pompously.

"A 10? This is a 100!!!" Mikayla laughed. "You managed to bring Shakira and Britney!! And even sang another Marshmello song!! One that hasn't even been released yet!"

"How did you get it??!" she finally asked.

"Jake charm is unstoppable," I said, but making a money sign with my hand.

"Dude, your family is really rich," a guy jumped into the conversation (I didn’t even know his name).

he elaborated, "I saw a McLaren F1 parked in your garage!"

All the girls looked clueless (only Paige knew, since she had seen the car arrive. She had said it was a nice car—until I told her how much it cost).

He explained again, "The McLaren F1 is considered the most advanced car in the world — with a V12 BMW engine, carbon fiber body, and a top speed of 386 km/h. It’s the king of supercars."

"Oh, my name is Emile Hirsch," he introduced himself.

I nodded (still not remembering him, though his face wasn't entirely unfamiliar...).

"How much does one of those costs?" Mikayla looked at me curiously.

"1.5 million dollars," I replied, making her gape

But what’s impressive isn’t the price — it’s managing to actually buy one. With cars like this, having the money isn’t enough; you need major connections.

Shakira finished singing 'Whenever, Wherever' and handed it over to Britney. After performing 'Oops! … I Did It Again,' Shakira returned to the stage and sang two more songs, saying her goodbyes at the end.

Britney closed the karaoke with two more songs: 'Party in the USA' and 'Dark Horse.'

She stayed a bit longer, mingling and getting to know a few more people.

The party ended up being a success — and without a single incident.