Karbie: Forever Adventures

The Business of the Heart

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe he did that!"

"Totes, girl! But, you know Rafa. He wouldn't let a little thing like that get to him. He and Nikki pounced on that committee so hard they didn't know what hit 'em! And guess what? It worked! Next Summer, Chleo's in SoHo will be the first ones in town to carry the one-of-a-kind, authentic private clothing line by our dear friends! And yes, Chleo usually only carries women's clothing, but they agreed to carry Rafa's male line because they were that impressed! The first male and unisex lines ever in Chleo! They're going to be famous, girl!"

Barbie gasped happily down at her phone's screen, "Whoa! No way!"

"Yes, way!", Brooklyn laughed, "They say they're branding their line "Burgos-Watkins". Minimalist, classic, and easy to remember. A lot of designers use their last names for their own labels, so it works perfectly. Before you know it, we'll be best friends with some real, genuine designer celebrities!"

"Awww, I'm so happy for Rafa and Nikki! All that hard work is really paying off! They're going to be huge!"

Brooklyn snickered, sitting back in her chair, "You bet! I already told them I'm putting in my orders now so I'll be the first one ever to own one of their coats in orange. Oh, and I'm sure they're gonna call you guys soon to spread the news, so when they do, act like I didn't already tell ya", she snickered sneakily, shrugging innocently, "I couldn't help myself!"

Barbie was thrilled for her fashion-forward friends. Rafa and Nikki had both been incredibly hard at work, planning and designing and creating a new line of multi-purpose and multi-weather jackets, shirts, and pants that reflected and mashed together both their personal styles. It was like a match made in fabric heaven! Although, after a few – several– snags of rejection, they thought about giving up completely. But, with the supportive encouragement from all their friends and family, they each dug in deep, yanked out their inner tiger, and unleashed passionate fury on the board at Chleo and promoted the heck out of their line.

And it worked!

Their intuitiveness and gusto and fire were met with high regard and respect, boosting them up ahead of others who were just starting out. So after the creative execution, their line will be ready to go by next summer, ready for purchase by the public for the first time ever.

"I'll have to put my order in for a pink pair of pants", Barbie giggled, laughing along with her old roommate, "And don't worry, your secret is safe with us", she reassured, glancing up at her boyfriend who was walking next to her, "We'll be just as excited when they tell us themselves"

"Soooo", Brooklyn continued slyly, slightly changing the subject, "What are you and Mr. Dolphin Boxers into tonight?"

The old reminder of the inside joke he was very much still not in on made Ken roll his eyes and cough on a humorless laugh, even though he was somewhat amused at the teasing.

"Har har har"

Barbie cackled and shoved his shoulder playfully as they walked along the pier.

"We're actually out tonight meeting Chase and Renee for dinner. They both moved out here to Santa Monica and have some news they wanted to share with us. So we're going on a double date to see how they're doing! It's been so long, right?", she looked up at her boyfriend, who smiled and agreed with the sentiment.

"For real! I think the last time I saw Chase was at graduation back in the winter. Same with Renee. It's been months"

Brooklyn smiled and sat up straighter, "Oh? News? I wonder what they could possibly be up to"

"Knowing Chase, it's something big", Ken responded, leaning in to peer into the phone's screen. Barbie nodded in agreement.

"I'm so excited to hear what they have to say. They've only been dating for eight months, so I'm completely clueless"