Barbie: Beyond the Trip

Skip-Flip-Flop

"You know, I think I changed my mind... Can we please go back to Key West?"

Barbie chuckled at her sister's complaint as the brunette stared melancholic out the window of Ken's Jeep. She offered a sympathetic grin over her shoulder.

"Sorry, Skip. The weather's supposed to turn around tomorrow, though"

"Ugh...", Skipper sighed, slumping back in her seat, "No fair, though; you guys are used to this crappy weather. I'm not! I want the Cali sunshine and warmth back"

"Oh, it's only 64 degrees", Ken added unsympathetically from the driver's seat, smirking back towards the girl through the rearview mirror, "At least tomorrow's gonna be warmer!"

"Exactly!", Barbie perked up, "A balmy 68!"

"Oooooo, heat wave!", Ken teased, driving through the green light. He and Barbie began cackling, loving the jabs they were throwing to the depressed brunette in the back seat. Skipper simply rolled her eyes at their teasing.

"Hey, maybe we can do something after your meeting on Tuesday", Barbie suggested brightly, fully spinning around towards her sister, "There's so much to do in the city. We could go out to dinner, go see a movie, walk around Central Park... all three!"

"And since you're here for a few days, there's plenty of time to hang out", Ken smiled back towards his faux little sister in everything except blood.

Skipper smiled kindly, "Yeah, I know. I really am excited to be here with you guys...", but then she depressed a bit more nervously, falling back in the seat and crossing her arms, "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about this meeting. I hope it goes well... Seriously, this is huge!", she spread her arms wide to indicate its seriousness, "What if they offer me a better deal than Rebecca Lee?"

"Um... You take it?", Ken raised an eyebrow at her weird deliberation.

"You'll do fine, Skipper", Barbie reassured her sister, "Look at it this way: if they don't offer you anything worthwhile, you're no worse off. You're still with LeeTech", referencing the business that currently holds the corner market on Match Mutts, "And if you get a better offer, then you take it only if you want to. Either way, it's a win-win for you, right? You get a better offer? You win! You don't? You still have a great gig with LeeTech"

Skipper considered it, still terribly nervous about the whole thing. But, she brightened when she realized they were both right, "You're right. Either way, it'll work out alright"

"That's the spirit!", Barbie lauded, beaming proudly back to her sister. Then she glanced out the window and smiled again, "Here we are! Home sweet home!"

They had arrived at the Brooklyn Brownstone where both Barbies took up residence and where Skipper would be staying for the few days she was visiting her sister and Ken in New York. When Ken parked the car, they exited and made their way inside to greet the East Coast Roberts.

****

The next morning, Skipper was wide awake way earlier than Barbie had expected her to be. When the blonde sister trudged downstairs at 8:15 am, she yawned widely, cracking her jaw. However, when her drooping, still exhausted eyelids saw her sister on the couch, they opened widely in surprise.

"Whoa, you're up super early", she observed, recognizing that the time back home would only still be 5:15 am; historically way too early for the brunette sleepy head to be alert and oriented.

Skipper sighed and looked up at her sister. Barbie could tell she had a lot on her mind.

"It's the app. I'm doing some last minute tweaks to it before the meeting tomorrow afternoon", she responded, pressing buttons and tinkering with the schematics of the app's design.