Mandy’s Return

Essex, England.

The plane touched down at the airport at seven. Mandy looked at the crowd around her.

So good to be back, she thought. Mandy planned to spend the summer in England. It took work to get her mother to let her come back to England. But, she won out in the end.

Mandy breathed in the Essex air. First order of business?

I wonder what Noodle and them are up to?, she thought. Mandy pulled out her little notebook and read over her notes.

“Let’s see,” she said to herself. “It would take me an hour to get to Kong Studios from here.” She took a moment to ponder this out. I could pick up lunch and take the taxi there, Mandy thought. She grinned to herself. Perfect! Mandy took her leave of the airport. Shopping and sight-seeing came first this morning.

By one o’clock, Mandy found her way to Kong Studios. A familiar warmth filled her face.

It’s like coming home, she thought. She marched up to the front door. Mandy knocked once.

“Coming,” a young man replied. Mandy blinked when the door opened. Sky stood in the doorway looking at her. They gave each other strange looks for a long time.

“Uh… who are you?” Mandy asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said.

“Mandy-chan!” Noodle cheered as she came to the door. The older girl smiled at her.

“Noodle!” she said. Both girls hugged. Sky looked confused still.

“You know each other?” he asked. The girls turned to him.

“(Sky-kun, this is my friend, Mandy-chan,)” she said. Her boyfriend nodded.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Sky.” Mandy gave him a little wave.

“So who are you to her?” she asked. Sky grinned as he grabbed Noodle by the shoulder.

“I happen to be her boyfriend!” he bragged. Mandy raised an eyebrow at them.

“Is that so?” she asked.

“Yep!” Sky said. Noodle nodded once.

“Yes,” she said softly. Mandy went quiet for a long moment.

“Oh…” she said. Sky chuckled.

In a few minutes, they went to the café. Mandy drank her tea.

“So,” she said. “What’s been happening?” Noodle told Sky the latest news. He began to play telephone.

“Everything is good,” he said. “The boys have been crazy.” Mandy leaned in closer.

“Crazy?” she asked. “Crazy how?” There came a pause. Noodle spoke again. Sky nodded.

“Well,” he said. “2-D came home in rough shape.”

“Did Murdoc beat him again?” Mandy asked. Noodle shook her head.

“No,” Sky replied.

“Then… How?”

“Fan attack.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Kisses and all that glitter on his body. Clothes ripped too? Whew man!”

“I see. And Murds?”

Noodle spoke and Sky translated. “He keeps smiling and being nice.”

Mandy nearly did a spit-take. “What?!?”

Sky and Noodle nodded. “Yep.”

“Why?!?”

“A bet.”

It took Mandy a moment to get it. Her laughter filled the room. “Oh, I see! Dolly put him up to this, huh?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh buddy! That’s a good one! You just made my day there! Now what about Russell?”

The couple didn’t speak for a long time. Noodle spoke up again and Sky translated.

“He won’t say anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“He won’t say. Russ went to meet Destinee’s parents and…”

“Destinee?”

“His girlfriend.”

“Oh… So, what happened with the family?”

The couple didn’t speak. Mandy frowned.

“Oh…” She rose to her feet.

“Where are you going?” Sky asked. Mandy turned back to them with a smile.

“Where else?” she asked. “To check things out.” Then, she went out the door.

The End (For Now!)