Catching Up! (Emma and Bebe)

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma nodded encouragingly to Bebe, hoping with the girl that her that the costume designer would be a great person and would choose Bebe's designs. She looked down longingly at the beautiful dress, and wanted so badly to wear it. She knew it would look so beautiful on her, and she wanted to show everyone in the past that doubted Bebe's costuming talents, that she was great! Emma ran her fingers lovingly along the side of the dress, just knowing that this dress would definitely get chosen. She could feel it, just like Bebe could feel about the costume designer.

She looked at the new sketch Bebe pulled out. It was another beautifully designed dress. Of course, it would look so much better on Sharpay than Emma, which is why Emma nodded as Bebe explained it was designed for Sharpay. She smiled at this gorgeous sketch, and knew Sharpay would die to wear a dress like that in a show. Emma loved the necklace Bebe sketched, but couldn't understand why Darbus didn't like it.

"Bebe, these dresses are incredible. Have you ever considered going into fashion or costume design? I think you have a real talent for this thing!" Emma smiled at her friend.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe snorted when she heard Emma's suggestion. It was rude of her, but Emma had... what was she thinking? Bebe Tenko, avant-garde dresser, as a fashion designer? She'd lose more money than Enron. Bebe then realized what she'd been missing - it must have been said jokingly!

"Hahaha," Bebe giggled. "That's a good one, Miss Emma. For a second I thought that maybe you were serious. ...But if you were..." Bebe's face clouded over. "Well... I'm far better with technical designing and engineering. It'd give me more security in the future. I'm supposed to hold on to my family's fortune, not do something stupid and let it blow away."

Bebe still wasn't sure if Emma was serious or not, so she flipped another page. A design for a costume, again... but this one was for Gabriella. It was simple - not like the glamour and glitz of the other designs. A knee-length, spaghetti-strapped (sp?) emerald green cocktail dress, with nothing more fancy than ruffles on the bottom. The faceless model had a green flower woven into two dark brown braids.

"I used all of my creativity on the other dresses," Bebe frowned. "So if you were serious... I can't make many fancy outfits before yearning to design something... simple. Simple and elegant... the kind of thing I wish I could wear."

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma became slightly self concious when she realized Bebe thought she was joking. Should she go along with the idea, or really stick by ther seriousness of what she meant? She decided the latter would be better. "Bebe, I was serious. You have realy talent for this. You have an eye for coloring, and design to flatter the body of the person. That is serious skills. I think it would be a smart move, not a waste of money or time. It can be a steady job if you know the right people." Emma smiled at Bebe. Didn't her mother know someone in the fashion industry? Emma knew she would need to call her mother later to check for Bebe.

Emma looked at yet another stunningly beautiful dress. It would look so gorgeous on Gabriella. Emma nodded, knowing for sure that this was definitely Bebe's calling. Emma could feel it for her. "Bebe, do you have a portfolio or anything of all your drawings?" The wheels in Emma's mind began to turn, as she smiled at Bebe. She had to see her friend succeed in this. It would be amazing to see Bebe become a household designer name.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe blinked. A portfolio?

"Yeah, I do," Bebe said quietly. "Just full of doodles and random stuff. Costumes and sets and little anime characters... fanart... that kind of thing." Bebe dove into her backpack, searching for the maroon-colored binder that housed her portfolio. It was definitely in the stupid Lightning McQueen bag somewhere... Bebe reminded herself to stop using her Cars bag, because her Lilo and Stitch one was SO MUCH BIGGER... and more organized...

Finally she found it - the binder. She pushed it before Emma. "This is it, Miss Emma. Some of the pics are a little perverted, but I wanted to work on some anime in ninth grade and... well... anime's a bit pervotic sometimes." Bebe blinked. "Pervotic. That's... that's not even a word. Haha... well, that's it. Why'd you want to see it...?"

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma took the folder and slowly opened it. It held many fascinating pictures. Emma gazed at them, and smile on her face. Yes, Bebe was right. Some of them were slightly "perverted" but not anything bad. "Bebe, these are excellent." Emma looked at Bebe, and then returned her eyes back to the drawings. She knew this could be Bebe's thing.

"Um, I wanted to look at it because well...." Emma didn't want to announce her plans to Bebe, and then get her hopes up. She decided to tell her anyways. "I wanted to see the drawings because my mom has a friend in fashion design. She's pretty well known, and I wanted to maybe set up an appointment for you and her. I think you have talent Bebe. Serious talent." Emma looked at the drawings again. "But, I don't know if it will all work out, so don't get your hopes up. But I will do everything I can." Emma smiled at her friend, waiting to see her reaction.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe blinked. She wasn't quite sure what to say. For as long as she could remember, EVERYONE had told her that technical applications was her thing. That her strong suit was electronic manipulation. Drawing was a stress reliever, to Bebe at least. But it seemed that Emma felt... differently. She really thought that Bebe had talent? It was a bit of a shock... no one ever really believed in Bebe's artistic talent before.

"You... you'd do that for me?" Bebe inquired. She flipped to her favorite picture, one of Neo Queen Serenity and Princess Usagi. Bebe grinned. It *was* pretty good...

"I just... I just can't believe anyone likes my drawings. That's... that's never happened to me before!" Bebe admitted with a squeal. "They're all... learn how to be a techie; that's where your future lies..."

Bebe grinned widely. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had praised her so.

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma smiled brightly as she watched Bebe's confidence boost almost instantly in front of her eyes. She nodded at Bebe, and pointed down to the drawings. "Of course I would! These drawings are amazing! I think you could have real potential in this area." Emma leaned back in her chair, still looking at Bebe. "I can't believe everyone told you to stay as a techie. I mean, not that you aren't good at that either, but really, these drawings are your true talent. Plus, I know you must enjoy yourself by drawing them, otherwise would you do them?" Emma smiled.

"I'm going to call my mom this afternoon and hopefully she can get in touch with her friend. I'll let you know how everything goes." Just as she finished these words, her phone began to chime. She grabbed it out of her purse, and answered it. "Hi Mom! I was just talking about you..." Emma continued on the conversation, smiling and nodding at Bebe. She finally clicked her phone shut, and smiled at Bebe. "She's going to call her friend, and then give me a call back." Emma squealed, completely excited for her friend.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe could only gape at Emma. It was too good to be true. Emma had boosted her confidence, got her a possible portfolio evaluation, AND looked fabulous doing it. Okay, so that last one wasn't a stretch for Emma the Loyal Sharpette, but everything was still so off-the-wall awesome that Bebe couldn't really talk. Listening to Emma talk on the phone was like something out of a movie - not something that could be happening to her.

When Bebe finally got her voice back, she began to stutter. Then, her first coherent thought: "Oh my GOD. Oh my GOD no way!" Bebe grabbed Emma into a huge hug, and squealed. Everything was so bizarre... things were moving fast, and Bebe was lost but content.

"You really think I have a future in that kind of thing?" Bebe gasped, barely in control of her voice. It was wavering. "No way... my mom thought I'd fail miserably. She said it'd be like the time I tried to meet James and Oliver Phelps... a disaster, to say the least." Bebe grinned weakly. "But... if you..." Bebe couldn't finish, she was so happy.

((OOC: Okay now I'm finished.))

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

((OOC: Yay! )

Emma laughed as she felt herself being pulled into a hug. She gripped Bebe tightly, just as excited for her as she was. She listened to Bebe talk and watched the excitement on her face. It felt amazing to be the one to help Bebe, and see her react like this. Her face just lit up, and it was glowing with the idea of this. Emma smiled contently. "Yeah Bebe, if I didn't think you had talent, I wouldn't have called my mom to set up an appointment. I think you have a lot of great ideas, and you have a fresh look on things. And don't worry, this won't fall through like meeting Fred and George." Emma laughed.

She looked down at her phone in her hands, just waiting for it to start chiming and buzzing. She hoped that her mom was able to work everything out. Not that her mom would take no for an answer for this kind of thing, but Emma really wanted this to all work out for Bebe, and she hoped the appointment would be soon. Bebe needed to get her stuff out there as soon as possible, before another new designer came and took her place. That's just life in the fashion industry.

[Bebe Tenko]

"Oh good," Bebe laughed. "Because meeting them... although it would make my life complete, it would probably end in disaster. Because I'm Bebe Tenko, purveyor of disaster." Bebe laughed before hugging Emma. She'd never been so happy in her life, that she could remember. Emma was watching her phone, as if entranced by its silver lustre.

"...The phone will ring in due time, Miss Emma," Bebe finally chirped, sounding oddly Zen. "I'm not particularly worried. I'm really not. Just the chance would be enough to make me feel... alive, I guess." Bebe frowned. "Miss Emma, have you seen Chad recently? Because I've barely seen him. I've talked to him on the phone and stuff, but I haven't seen him."

Bebe masked her worry quickly. "That's a really nice phone, by the way." Bebe held up her battered RAZR. "Mine sucks."

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma laughed at Bebe's calmness in regards to her phone. She nodded at Bebe. "I know. But I'm so excited for you, I just want my mom to call!" Emma squealed, grasping her phone tighter. She so wanted this to work out for Bebe. She had a feeling that most things like this never seemed to work out for her, and Emma knew she wanted to be a part of something that actually did come through for her friend. She looked at her phone again, trying to remind herself to not look so much.

Emma frowned slightly when Bebe mentioned Chad. "Actually no, I haven't seen him recently. He's probably just busy with Troy and basketball. You know those guys and their sports." Emma laughed. "Is everything okay between you and Chad?" Emma hoped that there wasn't anything wrong in paradise for the two, but just a recent lack of communication.

Emma chuckled as Bebe complimented her phone. She grasped it slightly tighter, and held it up to look at. "Thanks Bebe. But I like your RAZR. I actually need to get a new phone. This one is so old..." Emma said, rolling her eyes. The camera barely worked on her phone, and plus this phone didn't even have an MP3 player on it. She made a mental note to stop by her service carrier on the way home after school.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe nodded calmly. "I'm excited, too... I can't wait for the call either. I mean, mentally I'm gonna piss my pants. This is the first time anyone's ever said anything could come of my art. Usually it's the technical stuff that people value... it's so odd to hear that I'm good, when all my life I've been called the misfit..."

Bebe then balked at Emma's questioning about Chad. Bebe didn't want to bring across THAT impression - everything was perfect! "Everything's great," Bebe impressed upon Emma, "but it's kind of disconcerting when you don't see your boyfriend at school. I know he has basketball, though." Bebe shrugged. "So goes being the boyfriend of a basketball god."

Bebe glanced at Emma's phone. "It doesn't seem old. Maybe it's the fact that it's so clean. Mine's... really filthy." Bebe wasn't exaggerating - there was an odd streak of blue permanent marker down the front, and scratches coated the device.

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma nodded as she listened to Bebe talk. She felt excitement for her friend, even as Bebe continued on about Chad and their phones, Emma still felt nervousness in her stomach for her dear friend. She wanted this to work out for Bebe. She smiled at Bebe, and was about to interject about their phones, when she suddenly felt a vibration in her hands. Her eyes widdened as she heard that familiar chime, and smiled at Bebe. Emma lifted her phone up for Bebe to see. She wiggled it slightly as it flashed the name "Mom" on the front.

Emma flipped it open, and spoke excitedly. "Hi Mom!" she smiled as she remained silent listening to what her mom was saying on the phone. "Uh huh......okay........yes......" Emma said, not looking at Bebe. She then reached into her purse and grabbed a pen and a small notepad. She began to scribble down something, and nodded as she continued to listen to her mother. "Okay Mom. Great! Thank you so much! I'll call you later okay? Maybe we can go get some pedicures tonight!" Emma laughed, and then nodded once again. "Okay Mom! Love you! Bye!" Emma flipped her phone shut, and smiled widely at Bebe.

"Guess...what?" Emma said, pausing for dramatic effect. "YOU SO HAVE AN INTERVIEW!" Emma practically screamed. She reached down and ripped out the paper she had been writing on and gave it to Bebe. "Here, this is all the information...where it's at, the name of the lady who it's with, when it's at, and what you need to bring, okay?" Emma jumped up from the table, and threw her arms around Bebe. "I'm SO happy and excited for you!"

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe took the paper, her smile growing wider and tears catching at the corners of her eyes. She was so happy that she could barely breathe. Hyperventilating was the order of the day, it seemed. Bebe's Union Jack dress was clinging to her shaking body like a security blanket, an extra dose of warmth in a dazzling ray of light. Bebe stared at the slip, grinning like a madman. She didn't know how to react.

So she flung her arms around Emma and screeched loudly, saying words that weren't words and phrases with no connection to anything. Her phone lay long forgotten on the lunch table, by her portfolio, her blessed, beautiful portfolio and Miss Emma's amazingly cute backpack.

"Miss Emma Miss Emma Miss Emma Miss Emma I can't I CAN'T believe it I just can't!" Bebe cried, her mind in a whirlwind of craziness. She looked at the slip before screaming again. "The Albuquerque Fashion Merchandising Institute?! This is the... the top fashion school in the WEST!" Bebe was now shocked, shocked beyond all belief. Emma wasn't kidding about connections. "How do I... how do I EVER thank you?!"

[Emma the Loyal Sharpette]

Emma laughed as she saw Bebe begin to freak out. She knew she had done something wonderful for Bebe, and she was very happy to do so. Emma watched Bebe's reaction to realizing it was for the Albuquerque Fashion Merchandising Institute. She didn't want to say who it was for until she was sure that Bebe had the appointment all set up. Emma nodded at Bebe, and felt her heart swell. She knew that doing good deeds for people made you feel good, but she had never seen anyone act like this. Emma suddenly felt grateful for her mother's connections.

"There is no need to thank me! If anything, thank my mother for having the connections, and thank yourself for having the talent. You deserve this Bebe! I hope everything goes wonderfully!" Emma squealed, getting excited with Bebe. She started to jump up and down. "Bebe this is so exciting for you! I can't wait! Oh there are just going to love you and your designs!" Emma laughed. She could only smile for her friend. She felt so lucky to be able to help out Bebe. Emma just wished she had some awesome talent like Bebe and could design clothing.