Mandy Has Changed

Mandy Has Changed(Raya Dimitrova) “Wow, Mandy, you got a real kick out of that Mexican summer!” Tiffany Alice studied up and down her clique friend Mandy Velez while scooping up her LaYogur in the Bessemer City High School cafeteria. “You have lost weight and got tan. You look just like Eva Longoria only she is shorter.”

“Yeah, I wish I had that Cancun type of summer.” Mandy smiled and dropped her trigonometry textbook on the lunch table. After her parents, an illegal Mexican migrant worker and an Anglo waitress thirsty for adventure, died in a car chase crash while trying to cross the border, Mandy was passed from foster home to foster home by the state of North Carolina. This summer, Mandy was invited to visit long-lost relatives on a ranch community in Mexico where she helped with the animal work. At least these were the rumors that Delilah Woolf, the third member and the self-proclaimed clique leader, was spreading around the one-floor, 700-head count school.

“I had to get up at 5 o’clock to clean up the cows’ turd.” Mandy said while nibbling on her pepperoni pizza. “This is how I lost weight. And working on the fields all afternoon long can definitely give you tan.” Tiffany nodded in agreement yet couldn’t help but notice that her amiga loca was not herself. Everything, from the way she tossed her raven-black long hair back to the way she pronounced “turd” seemed foreign, pompous, scripted. Or, was she simply imagining things? She would if it wasn’t for the golden necklace with “Mandy” engraved. The three members of the tres amigas locas had made a pact never to get separated from their name necklaces, even when they showered.

"Mandy, where is your necklace?” Tiffany inquired.

“A necklace?” Mandy looked at her friend strangely when Delilah waltzed into the lunch room. Upon spotting Mandy, the clique leader stopped, smirked satisfactorily, and gave her a peck on the cheek, her “Lilah” bracelet grazing the half-Mexican girl chick. “Our chica Latina is back. What about throwing you a welcome-back party this Saturday? My place. A lot of music, hot guys, booze, coke, surprises.”

“Coke?” Tiffany made a face upon hearing the word. “Lilah, aren’t you over this stuff already? Remember you are the sheriff’s own daughter and you are applying for the Columbia pre-law in the fall of next year!”

Delilah scoffed and fished in her bag for a lipstick. She was so sick of her amigas locas friends, especially the overly conscientious Mandy telling her what to do that she didn’t even bother doing a remark about Tiffany’s inquiries. Instead, she shoved Mandy in a friendly fashion saying, “Tu sabes, Mandy. I want you this Saturday at my place, 7pm. Don’t forget to put on your coolest dress!” Mandy nodded, winking with her right eye subsequently rubbing it. Then she put the trigonometry textbook into her burlap bag and the three girls left the cafeteria giggling. Only Tiffany couldn’t help but notice how her best amigas locas Delilah and Mandy were exchanging looks.

It was almost 6:45pm when Tiffany’s car glided into the driveway of Delilah’s Victorian-style house. The lights were on and the there were balloons with “Welcome Home Mandy” on the porch. Lilah must have taken great efforts to organize poor Mandy’s return, Tiffany thought while ringing the bell. “One second!” Delilah’s and Mandy’s voices shrieked in unison. Then the door opened and Lilah stood in the frame snorting cocaine with Mandy in a flamenco dress right behind her. “You are just in time, girl!” Delilah exclaimed, gave baffled Tiffany a hug and led her through the flower-and-balloon decorated hallways. When they got to the spacious living room, Mandy slapped herself on the forehead, “OMG, I have to bring more wine from the cellar.” “Vamonos, girl” yelled Delilah and sat on the leather sofa. Tiffany sat next to her and cast a disapproving glance at the table that was full of tequila bottles and some exotic-looking dust. She got determined to ask point-blanc what was going on. “Lilah,” she faced her friend, “what exactly is happening? You got more booze and drugs than ever, Mandy has not been herself physically nor emotionally. What is going on?” Delilah looked around and laughed dismissively. “Girl, you should relax and have a good time. With my mom on a business trip to London and my father off to investigate some orphanage runaway, why shouldn’t we chillax? What do you think about the decoration?” Tiffany glanced at the Mexican-themed rugs hanging then her eyes spotted something red and shiny on the floor. Pretending to examine the rugs more closely, she intentionally stepped on the mysterious object, picked it up and noticed that it was…the “Mandy” necklace smeared in blood with some razor-blade residues on it.

Mandy entered the room carrying two bottles of Merlot when she spotted Tiffany examining the bracelet in disbelief and Delilah staring sternly at both girls. “Lilah,” she almost dropped the bottles, “I didn’t expect the stupid necklace to fall when…” “Carla,” screamed Delilah, “how could you?” “Carla?! Who is Carla?” Tiffany winked in disbelief.

Delilah shoved the third girl out of the room as the bottles crashed on the floor and wine started pouring out like blood, then faced confused Tiffany. “Tiff, remember me telling you about my father’s sister who had a one-night stand with a concierge at an all-inclusive hotel in Acapulco? Well, that’s their illegitimate daughter and my own cousin Carla.” Tiffany couldn’t believe her ears and her eyes. The smiley, Mediterranean, full of life girl wasn’t her amiga loca Mandy but another girl. The cocoon was open.

“Lilah, you owe me an explanation!” Tiffany screamed, grabbing the clique leader by the shoulder. “What has happened to Mandy?” All of a sudden, Delilah’s face took on a sad and apologetic mien. She looked up and down then swallowed hard, “I didn’t mean for anything to happen like that. My dad’s gun had an accidental discharge. I just wanted to teach goody-goody Mandy a lesson about being a snitch. Anyway, she would be just another mundane orphanage runaway.” “You, you killed Mandy and used your cousin as a surrogate?” Tiffany’s mouth went dry. “I am calling the police right now?”

Tiffany fished for her phone into her bag but was startled by Delilah’s abrupt words. “I couldn’t let her ruin my plans for pre-law and jeopardize my father’s position as a sheriff. Admission committees at Columbia won’t be impressed with a drug charge on an applicant’s CV.”

Then, to Tiffany’s sheer horror, she took a pistol out of her bustier and pointed it at her chest saying, “By the way, haven’t I mentioned to you that I got a cousin on my mother’s side who could be your twin?”